Isn’t it ironic that ham is the official meat of Easter?  Talk about breaking the rules!

Now is the time of the Easter season where the faithful wait to observe the “middle day”.  The day between the burial of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus.  It’s a time of waiting and hoping, even when you know the outcome.

How interesting it is, that a lot of Christians live their lives almost always in the middle day.  Waiting and hoping but not really inspired to DO much.  During the time of being buried, Jesus told his disciples that where he was going, they could not go.  But it did not mean that they could not do anything.

If we recall what Jesus has done for us, we need to move from the middle day into the everyday-where all the work, on ourselves and for others, waits to be done.

Easter completed the victory over death and sin.  Until we reach our resurrection, we have much to do.

Let’s get to work, shall we?

Ever notice how the general public no longer seems to think that personal things are….well….personal anymore?

Our family did a serious bit of shopping yesterday in our local mall and it seemed like the personal lives of the folks in the mall were washing over us like breezes.  It was nothing to hear people discussing medical issues, digestive issues and family issues as though they were in the comfort and privacy of their own homes.

I kind of wish they had been.

It’s not in me to be harsh on individuals who are sick or who are going through tough times.  Maybe it is selfish of me to not want to be bombarded by your troubles when a. I don’t know you and b. you have not sought my input into your life.

Let me offer you a few examples:

1. Mother walking along with twin girls, about seven years of age.  Little girls were adorable, all yellow ringlets and cuteness.  Mom, not so much.  Red face, contorted and angry, she berated one of the girls for discussing (apparently with a stranger) about something that had been said at home.  The mother was pointing out that that conversation had been between the family’s social worker and that the person the little girl had spoken with, was not to have this issue discussed.  This conversation was not held in a low voice but in a strident, angry, loud voice.  Now we all know that the family has a social worker in their lives.  If this is common behavior, it is easy to see why.

2.  Two older men walking along, one describing in great detail, the problems he was having with is prostate and the effect it was having on his sex life.  Really could have done without the images this brought to mind.  Way too much information, again not said in a soft voice but in a voice of someone who has hearing problems.

3.  Two young women (older than teenagers but younger than 25) who were discussing the results of their sexual adventures from the evening before.  Again, way, way too much information.  By now, I needed to wash my brain of the images.

4.  Two women discussing their medical issues.  Really, icky issues.  The kinds of things a person would not even share in the waiting room of their gynecologist.  Yeah, way too much information.  Even mentally going to my happy place could not wipe these images away.

5.  Two middle aged men, discussing their taxes and how they had managed to hide some of their income so that the IRS could not find it.  Nothing like discussing a crime you have committed in a public place.

So, what’s up with us?  Why do we feel that every facet of our lives is fodder for public discussion? 

Maybe we have just gotten so used to cell phone use and all the conversations that go along with that and we have lost our idea of what is private and what is not.

Celebrities are no better.  Really, really do not care about what they ate, how they got their hair done, who may or may not have pooped their pants when in the White House (Al Roker, really????), and how big the latest baby bump has gotten.

Maybe those of us who do not wish to be a part of everyone’s public forum of private matters should identify ourselves by wearing those hats that have the long, dangling ears and which cover our ears.  Or maybe just wear noise cancelling helmets.

Please, please do keep your private life private, OK?  I won’t share mine if you won’t share yours.

Let’s do our part to keep the world a nicer place.

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Monday morning edit:

Nbcnews.com is reporting that Halle Berry sprays perfume between her thighs.

Has the world lost it’s mind?????????

Still shaking my head at the world.

Jerry Sandusky is to appear (somehow) on the Today show.  The Today show used to stand for decent journalism.  Now with Lauer the Twit and company, it’s become a joke.  Sandusky is just another example of how far in the toilet they are.

North Dakota has passed what amounts to a “person-hood” law that creates the legal standard that life begins at conception.  VIABLE life does not begin AT conception, it begins WITH conception.  A rather important biological fact.  What’s amazing here is that no one seems to be thinking ahead to the possible ramifications of that legislation.  While the entire text of it was not read by yours truly, I have not seen anything in the synopsis of the legislation to address several important situations, namely:  1. What about a miscarriage?  Does that mean the woman is now going to be charged with murder or manslaughter for something that happens normally when the pregnancy is not VIABLE?  2.  What about in-vitro fertilization?  Is this now outlawed?  3.  If two cells are now a person, can they inherit?  Claim property rights?  Claim other rights that PERSONS have?  What about citizenship?  What happens if those two cells combine while mom and dad are in a foreign country?  Dual citizenship?  Could make a lot of otherwise illegal immigrants legal…..

People still care too much about Kim Kardashian and company.  Ugh.

A District Attorney in Ohio has put out an indictment of Punxy Phil for his majorly botched “early spring” forecast.  Says the rodent deserves the death penalty.  My, what an amazing waste of taxpayer’s time and money.  But then, hanging your hat on the weather forcast of a pampered rodent is not the brightest thing in the world either.

Humans….geez!

The horrible weather has gifted me with not only a day off yesterday, but a two hour delay this morning.

Ah, the gift of a delay.

Normally, I wouldn’t think of a delay as a gift.  You know that person who beeps at the slowpoke when the light turns green?  That’s often me.  I am also not a real big fan of having to stand in line in stores that do not have tabloids at the ends of the checkouts to keep me amused.

But I digress.

A two hour delay (for an adult) means time to linger over another cup of coffee, time to leisurely watch the news, time to take a little more time in dressing, time to not have to do the daily hustle to get out the door.

It’s an inexpensive gift but quite the welcome one.

It also gives me time to write a bit here and there.

So, here’s my “here and there” for this morning.

As you can see, it’s quite ….timely.

I’ll be going now before the pun police stop by…..that could be rather….arresting.

Ok, ok….I’m going now.

Sometimes I get really behind in my reading.

I’m finally reading Doahsdeer’s mysteries and I am very amused by them.  As someone who is caught up in cozy mysteries and who has spent way too much money buying them, I’ve tried to cut back a bit.

Well.  Sort of.

It took me awhile to remember my resolution to read Jeff Markowitz’s books but in checking out the pictures of the folks reading his books, I sallied forth and bought them for my nook.

I must say, I should have cleared my calendar.

It’s bad enough when a person like me is an addicted reader but when confronted with wildly entertaining books, the world must stop until I finish  them.

I won’t be around today.  I’ll be busy reading the It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder.

Shhhh!  I’m reading!

Rites of passage.

For teenagers, that often means partying with their friends, consuming alcohol and, sometimes things get out of hand.

In Steubenville, Ohio, just such a party took a tragic turn when several boys took advantage of a drunken girl, filmed her in a compromising position and bragged about it on social media.

In today’s world, social media, means the whole world can find out.

After days of testimony, the judge found both boys guilty and sentenced them to a juvenile facility for a year.  The young girl just wants her life back.  I’m pretty sure those boys would like to have that night back as well.

So what happened here?

Teenagers have always opportunities to party.  Spaces seem to always open up for parties.  Adults find a way to get the alcohol to the kids.  It almost seems inevitable.  So too, do the tragedies which follow.

We all know that alcohol is a depressant-not so much of mood, but of inhibition.  Have a certain amount of it, and anyone can lose their sense of what is right or wrong, good and decent.

Hindsight is 20/20.  Parents have been quoted in this instance as saying, “Be their parent, not their friend.”

Indeed.  Being the parent means setting guidelines and rules.  That’s not always fun and, during the teenage years, can mean that, as a parent, the battle lines are drawn.

But being an adolescent means that the brain is not mature enough to make good decisions and to see the potential for trouble down the road.

Somebody needs to be the adult in families.  And it’s not the kids.  We adults need to step up not step away from our responsibilities.

Rites of passage.

For teenagers, that often means partying with their friends, consuming alcohol and, sometimes things get out of hand.

In Steubenville, Ohio, just such a party took a tragic turn when several boys took advantage of a drunken girl, filmed her in a compromising position and bragged about it on social media.

In today’s world, social media, means the whole world can find out.

After days of testimony, the judge found both boys guilty and sentenced them to a juvenile facility for a year.  The young girl just wants her life back.  I’m pretty sure those boys would like to have that night back as well.

So what happened here?

Teenagers have always opportunities to party.  Spaces seem to always open up for parties.  Adults find a way to get the alcohol to the kids.  It almost seems inevitable.  So too, do the tragedies which follow.

We all know that alcohol is a depressant-not so much of mood, but of inhibition.  Have a certain amount of it, and anyone can lose their sense of what is right or wrong, good and decent.

Hindsight is 20/20.  Parents have been quoted in this instance as saying, “Be their parent, not their friend.”

Indeed.  Being the parent means setting guidelines and rules.  That’s not always fun and, during the teenage years, can mean that, as a parent, the battle lines are drawn.

But being an adolescent means that the brain is not mature enough to make good decisions and to see the potential for trouble down the road.

Somebody needs to be the adult in families.  And it’s not the kids.  We adults need to step up not step away from our responsibilities.

I’ve been away packing a library.  It’s time consuming and tiring.  That’s my excuse and I’m sticking with it.

But I have been reading the news and, as usual, a lot of it has me shaking my head.  Things are just so strange sometimes…..

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Judge Judy vs the demonic divorcee (or take your stinking plates and shove ‘em!).  Judy Judy found herself in the middle of a messy divorce case.  She had apparently purchased some flatware and dishes from one of her producers who sold them, even though he was in the middle of a divorce and they were community property.  Judge Judy at first wanted to go to court, but in the end, gave the plates back to the producer.  It ended up costing her $50 grand.  Seeing as how she makes $47 million a year, this is chump change. 

Which makes me wonder….what kind of plates were these that she just didn’t go buy/commission her own set?

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CPAC #1

During one of the meetings held at the conservative political action convention, a discussion was held about how to bring wavering members back to the conservative fold.

As the discussion unfolded, Scott Terry (age 30) stood up to speak about how the Republican Party’s drive to be more inclusive and reach out to more minorities, particularly blacks,  was disenfranchising “young, white, Southern males such as myself.”  The moderator of the discussion, who was black, explained in a story about how Frederick Douglass wrote a letter to his former slave-owner forgiving the slave-owner.

Terry’s response?  “For giving him food and shelter?”

The scene can be viewed on YouTube.

When questioned, Terry admitted that he believes in segregation and would be perfectly comfortable in a society where blacks are subservient to whites.  He also stated that the Tea Party supports his positions as well.

How far we have to go.

I almost hurt myself shaking my head at that one.

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CPAC #2

Ann Coulter.

Stop gagging.  I know she’s caustic and divisive.  But even this surprised me.

Coulter made the comments that indicated that she is truly fringe material.

Comment 1:  I used to believe that women just should not be able to vote.

(Don’t hurt yourself shaking your head at this one.)

Comment 2:  Now I think at least Liberal women should not be able to hold office.

Her comments were made in response to the sharp discussion between Sen. Diane Feinstein and Sen. Ted Cruz about gun control legislation where Feinstein told Cruz that he did not need to lecture her on the Constitution.

Coulter went on to say that Liberal women are essentially crybabies who drag out pictures of dead children when they want to make a point.

My head shaking on this one went into the level of disgusting snorting.  Coulter snipes to sell her books and fools buy them.  But Feinstein made a good point about the Constitution-the Tea Partiers drag it out and wave it around (in part now and then) when it suits them.  Far be it for them to actually read and understand the whole thing.

Gun Control is a hot button these days.  The hyperbole about this is not likely to end soon.  But to tie this to denying half the population the right to vote or hold office? 

I have to wonder if Coulter even understands which gender she is…..

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CPAC #3

Chris Christie should have been invited.

He may well be the Republican’s best chance at the White House next time around.  Rubio and Cruz may not be able to pull in those conservative votes if many think like Scott Terry–hey, they just aren’t white!

As for Rand Paul?  The Republican party votes with the old folks.  Slashing Medicaid and Social Security will not gain you votes, mister.  (Not to mention your fuzzy math….)

Makes me wonder….do the Republicans even want to try????

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Naked guy chases down a car.  Thinks it is following him.  Admits that maybe it’s the bath salts talking.

Bath salts.  This odious drug makes people do crazy stuff.

What could possibly be the attraction?

One of the things I try to do is to see all types of viewpoints.  I do not necessarily subscribe to some of them, but it is interesting to see the direction some people’s thinking takes.

One of the places I go to hit a wide variety of…..um….unconventional viewpoints is the website Before Its News  http://beforeitsnews.com.

This is a website where anyone can upload whatever is currently ringing their bell.  It’s rather eclectic but it is extensive.

Some of the subjects are recurring such is Obama was not born in the USA, HARP is being used to manipulate the weather (ie every storm is a government plot), Planet X or Niburu is going to crash into planet Earth ending life as we know it, proof of aliens has been covered up by the US government, Rand Paul will save us all, the Russian army is in America and about to launch a coup, various wild/mythical/giant creatures have been definitively proven to exist, FEMA is stockpiling guns, ammo and caskets for the coming revolution in America which will be sparked when the President creates a “false flag event” (created event in order to declare martial law).  Oh, and the Newtown shooting did not actually occur; those were actors.

This site is quite busy with new articles abounding every day. 

I enjoy reading the articles, although I will say that the “actors in Newtown” thread angered me.

The part I really enjoy is when individuals take the authors/creators of these articles, videos, maps, etc to task for the brainlessness of their entries.  It’s rather amusing.

What’s really amusing is when the conspiracy folks go after each other.  Even Jesse Ventura took after some of the folks uploading their material.

Interestingly enough, when people try to point out the errors in these articles, the authors/creators see that as signs that their articles must be correct.  If they were not, who would challenge them?

It’s nice to know that the First Amendment provides for types of websites such as these. 

The public needs a clearinghouse for crazies.