tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167439952024-03-12T22:04:24.505-05:00Irrational WomanNothing is perfect. Life is messy. Relationships are complex. Outcomes are uncertain. People are irrational.
--Hugh MackayJanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.comBlogger708125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16743995.post-6439841887014955832024-01-02T14:05:00.000-06:002024-01-02T14:05:38.658-06:002023 Reading List<p> </p><p> Time for my annual reading list post. Exactly the same number as last year - interesting. Here it goes:</p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>The Risk Pool - Richard Russo</li><li>Surviving Death - Leslie Kean</li><li>Life Before Life:Children's Memories of Previous Lives - Jim B. Tucker, MD</li><li>Return to Life: Extraordinary Cases of Children Who Remember Past Lives - Jim B. Tucker, MD</li><li>Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife - Eben Alexander, MD</li><li>After - Bruce Greyson, MD</li><li>Infinite Awareness - Marjorie Hines</li><li>Mindfulness for Beginners - Jon Kabat-Zinn</li><li>The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English - Henepola Gunaratana</li><li>The Map of Heaven - Eben Alexander, MD<br /></li></ol><p>The
first book of the year was a novel that I read with my husband. I enjoy it when we read things together and discuss them.</p><p>Everything else on the list was the result of a deep dive into the afterlife and spirituality. Reading the books on life after death were inspired by a discussion at parent's house about children remembering past lives. My parents sometimes get information from questionable sources so I wanted to try to find something academic on the subject. I really wasn't impressed by Leslie Kean, but Dr. Tucker and Dr. Greyson I found very interesting. Dr. Alexander was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I read a couple of his books. There are more, but I don't think I'll read them. I don't feel like they really say much in the end.</p><p>The Jon Kabat-Zinn book I had actually started a few year ago and didn't finish. I decided to pull it out and start over with it. This time I read it all the way through with my husband. It's still not one that I would exactly recommend.</p><p>The books by Hines and Gunaratana were interesting because they were coming to mindfulness and awareness from the viewpoint of eastern religions. <br /></p>Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16743995.post-86396096729674944802023-01-03T16:59:00.001-06:002023-01-03T16:59:54.477-06:002022 Reading List<p> Time for my annual reading list post. A couple more books than last year. Here it goes:</p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson</li><li>Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens</li><li>Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen</li><li>Persuasion - Jane Austen</li><li>Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen</li><li>Totally Pawstruck - Sofie Ryan</li><li>The Last Curtain Call - Juliet Blackwell</li><li>The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro</li><li>The Secret Agent - Joseph Conrad</li><li>Howards End - E.M. Forster</li></ol><p>The first two books of the year were real disappointments. Many people really love both books, but I was not positively impressed. Neither seemed very believable to me. I found the whole premise of "Crawdads" unrealistic and the end was bothersome.</p><p>All three of the Austen novels were re-reads with my husband. I enjoy it when we read things together and discuss them.</p><p>The Sofie Ryan novel and Juliet Blackwell novel were parts of the only two series that I'm still keeping up with. They are fun distractions.</p><p><u>The Remains of the Day</u> was definitely my favorite of the new novels I read this year. I thought it was very well written and insightful. I would absolutely recommend it.<br /></p><p>The last two novels on the list are part of a little mini-course that I asked my husband to make for me on the modern novel. We have a few more to go in our course before it's done.</p><p>There probably would have been an eleventh book on the list, but I decided that I didn't want to finish it. My husband and I started reading <u>Bluebeard</u> by Kurt Vonnegut, but I had a very strong emotional reaction to a couple of the chapter in the middle of the book, and I decided that it wasn't worth it to keep reading. I had enjoyed it up until that point, but I was just put off after that. I have enjoyed the other Vonnegut novels that I've read, but it was just the wrong time and place on this one, I guess.<br /></p>Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16743995.post-30860068078694749412022-02-06T22:05:00.000-06:002022-02-06T22:05:38.440-06:00The Little Things<p>Two months ago today, Dec. 6, our contractor tore out our kitchen - no appliances (except the refrigerator that got moved to the dining room), no cabinets, no countertops, no running water. We had been told we would be without a kitchen for 3 weeks. We knew it would take longer, but we weren't expecting it to take over 8 weeks, but it did. Things still aren't back to normal, but as of Friday the kitchen now functions with cabinets (that still need some work), countertops, a working stove, and running water. When the countertops went in on Tuesday I actually kinda hugged them and said to my husband, "I never want to be without countertops again." </p><p>When you have to go for an extended period of time without the things that you normally take for granted, you really appreciate them once you get them back. I know that remodeling is a luxury that many people wish for and don't get to do. And for that, too, I am thankful. But living through this whole process (which still isn't finished), has really made me come to appreciate the little things in life.<br /></p>Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16743995.post-15921036045400628592022-01-31T22:11:00.002-06:002022-01-31T22:11:46.188-06:00Be<p>"Be" is a very simple word, but it's a word I've been thinking a lot about lately. <a href="https://genius.com/Hozier-be-lyrics">Hozier has a song by that title</a> with the following repeated lyrics and they keep going through my head:<br /></p><blockquote><p>Be, be, be, be, be<br />Be as you've always been</p></blockquote><p>And while I don't really want to be as I've always been, since how I've always been seems to be anxious, fearful, and self-doubting, I do think that the idea of just being who you are and how you are is a good idea. In my case, I interpret that as simply allowing myself to behave in the way that comes naturally to me instead of trying to be like I think others want me to be. It's harder to do than it sounds.</p><p>Another way I've been thinking about the word "be" is being something as opposed to simply "acting" that way. Today I was looking <a href="https://conorneill.com/2011/09/16/how-to-put-people-at-ease/">a list of things to do in order to put other people as ease</a>. The last item on the list was "be interested." And it struck me that it is important to actually <b>be</b> interested, not just <b>act</b> interested. I know people who are willing to <b>act</b> interested in other people and what they have to say because they want to be polite, think it will get them something, or want the other person to like them, but unless you actually <b>are</b> interested, it is just a form of manipulation or deception. Honesty is important to me, so I feel like it is important to either change your mindset and actually <b>be</b> interested, or just be honest about your lack of interest and move on. </p><p>And this goes for other areas, too. You may act patient, but really be quite impatient. You might act easy going, but really be uptight and anxious. In these cases, you aren't really doing yourself, or anyone else, any favors. You are just giving a false impression of who you are to the people around you. You are also denying your own needs and not giving others the opportunity to meet, or at least account for, those needs, because they can't see what they are.</p><p>So ultimately I've been trying to remind myself to just take a deep breath and be. That's all I have to do - just be. That should be good enough. But like I said before, it's harder than it sounds.<br /></p>Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16743995.post-31591194284326530812022-01-29T22:43:00.005-06:002022-01-29T22:50:28.224-06:00Growth and Expectations<p>My two motivational thoughts for today:</p><p></p><blockquote><p>Growth is incremental not exponential.</p><p>Perfect is not an option - do the best you can as often as you can.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>Maybe later I'll add pictures and make them into motivational posters. <br /></p>Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16743995.post-64989655400888791982022-01-28T22:29:00.000-06:002022-01-28T22:29:22.684-06:00On Expectations<p>I've been thinking today about expectations. In the <a href="https://yearcompass.com">YearCompass</a> that I still haven't completed, it says that before you begin filling it out you should let go of your expectations. Ever since reading those directions I've thought off and on about the role of expectations and what it means to let go of them. It seems like a really hard thing to do.</p><p>For me, I feel like expectations have had the tendency to cause me fear, anxiety, and disappointment. They have also lead me to give up on things without even trying them, because I just assume that it won't work, won't make any difference, no one will like it, no one will care, etc. etc. and the list goes on. If I do allow myself to have hopes or higher expectations, that can and often has led to disappointment. </p><p>I've been thinking today that while it is likely impossible to completely rid oneself of expectations, it is probably a good idea to try to minimize them. To begin to try to re-frame my thinking away from expectations (which I think of as prejudging the outcome of a situation before it actually happens), I need to focus on my goals and my actions and leave the evaluations until afterward. That seems like a more productive approach. You don't know how it will be until you've done it, and you really have to focus on experiencing it while it's happening in order to really know how it went anyway. If you get too caught up in your expectations they can cloud your judgment and affect your experience.</p><p>Also, when your expectations are about how other people will act or react, you are really setting yourself for disappointment and frustration. Yes, sometimes things will go just like you hoped, but often times they don't. You think that someone will really like something that you do, but they hardly seem to notice. You think a comment will get a particular response, but it doesn't. You think a person will laugh at your joke, but it falls flat. You have to remember that you only control your own action, you can't (and shouldn't try to) control other people's actions. Make your plans and set your goals based on what you can control, not on what you can't.<br /></p>Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16743995.post-24753062797060106232022-01-26T20:49:00.000-06:002022-01-26T20:49:15.563-06:00So, what are we?<p>So the other day I was on Facebook and saw the old <a href="https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/is-kool-aid-man-the-jar-or-the-liquid">Kool-Aid Man meme</a> - is he the liquid or the jar? I thought about it for a minute, but then moved on without too much mental energy lost - doesn't really matter to me either way. Then the other night, after my shower, I was noticing all the hair on the floor (and walls) in my bathroom and I started thinking about how our bodies renew themselves. This brought me back to the underlying question attached to the Kool-Aid Man question, are we, as humans, our body, our mind, our spirit? If we are our bodies, but our bodies renew themselves, what are we really? Does any part of us remain constant throughout our whole lives? This took more mental energy.</p><p>I did a little (very little actually) looking on the internet, and found out that there are just a few things that we carry with us for our entire lives without them being replaces. It seems that materially, we are our <a href="https://www.discovery.com/science/Body-Really-Replace-Itself-Every-7-Years">central nervous system, our tooth enamel, and our eye lenses</a>. If you happen to be female, you <a href="http://book.bionumbers.org/how-quickly-do-different-cells-in-the-body-replace-themselves/">don't get more eggs either</a>. Even our heart muscle, which was once thought to be permanent actually <a href="http://book.bionumbers.org/how-quickly-do-different-cells-in-the-body-replace-themselves/">slowly replaces itself over time</a>. Since a person can live without there teeth or without eggs, and science can now replace the lenses in our eyes, it seems that we are basically our central nervous system. Maybe that means that we are our minds, after all. Everything else is like George Washington's axe, we've had to replace the head and the handle a few times. I find that kinda interesting. Okay, that's all, carry on.<br /></p>Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16743995.post-16830804377852727572022-01-05T15:18:00.000-06:002022-01-05T15:18:59.964-06:002021 Reading list<p> Here is my very short list of books I read in 2021.</p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Undercover Kitty</i> - Sofie Ryan</li><li><i>Waiting for Godot</i> - Samuel Beckett</li><li><i>The Sun Also Rises</i> - Ernest Hemingway</li><li><i>The Garden of Eden</i> - Ernest Hemingway</li><li><i>A Farewell to Arms</i> - Ernest Hemingway</li><li><i>Timequake</i> - Kurt Vonnegut</li><li><i>Going After Cacciato</i> - Tim O'Brien</li></ol><p>So only one series book this year, which is not really a bad thing. I begin to get a little burned out on series after a while. They become so formulaic and predictable. The main reason I continue to read them is for the small threads that the authors weave through them to keep the reader interested. After a while it gets to be too little to hold my interest, I'm afraid.</p><p><i>Waiting for Godot</i> was one that I read because I'd always heard of it and wondered about it. My husband and I read it together. He said that he's glad I pulled him through it.</p><p>I decided to read <i>The Sun Also Rises</i> because I had started it in high school and not finished it. My husband is a retired English professor who did his dissertation on Hemingway, so I've always felt bad about not having read Hemingway. Together we read the three Hemingway novels on the list and I think it was good for both of us. I really enjoyed reading <i>The Sun Also Rises</i> this time around. I only made it about 4 chapters in on my first attempt all those many years ago, and I really didn't understand what was going on in the novel back then. Now I get it. The other Hemingway novels were really good, too. I know that Hemingway gets a bad rap these days, but his writing really is very good. We also read some of Hemingway's short stories, but I didn't keep a list.<br /></p><p><i>Timequake</i> was not what I expected, because it wasn't really a novel in the traditional sense. It was more just Vonnegut throwing out ideas - some in the form of story synopses and some just as simple musings. It was still interesting.</p><p>Lastly, <i>Going After Cacciato</i> is a story that my husband used to teach and suggested that I read it. I enjoyed it, too. O'Brien sort of blurs the line between reality and fantasy in an interesting way, while also telling a very powerful story about his experience in the Vietnam War.<br /></p>Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16743995.post-91222388888547163762021-03-20T18:11:00.000-05:002021-03-20T18:11:00.373-05:00A Retrospective, of sorts<p>Yesterday I got my second Pfizer Covid 19 vaccine shot. So in either 2 weeks (via <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html">CDC guidelines</a>) or 1 week (via<a href="https://www.statista.com/chart/23681/pfizer-biontech-vaccination-process/"> Pfizer guidelines</a>) I will be fully vaccinated. That is good news and I am thankful for that. But I can't decide what that really means for me. After a year of life being on hold, what activities will I actually resume? What degree of "normal" will I be comfortable with and how soon? I really don't know and I don't know how to know. That got me thinking about the past year and the future.<br /></p><p><span class="svelte-fin3s2">By chance, I happened to watch a video this afternoon that really just had an affect on me. It actually brought a little tear to my eye (full disclosure, if you know me, you know that's not especially hard to do). The video was of <a href="https://youtu.be/e5hP9H2ty68">Hozier singing Bridge Over Troubled Water</a> last June in a dark, empty stadium with a socially distanced orchestra playing. And while I still ultimately prefer the original Simon and Garfunkel version of the song, to me, this version just seemed to so embody this past year - the darkness, the emptiness, the distance, but also the message of the song, that you have someone there for you in the darkness. It was just very moving.<br /></span></p><p><span class="svelte-fin3s2">I can't help but wonder, when I look back on this time in my life, how will I remember it? If my grandchildren ask me what it was like to live through the Covid 19 pandemic (because they will likely all be too young to really remember it for themselves), what will I tell them? I would love to be able to show them that video, and maybe I will be able to.</span><span class="svelte-fin3s2"> There has been a lot of darkness and uncertainty, with more yet to come, I'm sure. But there have also been points of light. While we lost my mother-in-law to Covid in January, we also found out we are going to have another grandchild this coming August. While we have lost a whole year of being able to visit with one granddaughter, and much fewer visits with our other granddaughter, my husband and I have grown even closer than we were before the pandemic started. In many ways we've been able to return to what our relationship was in the beginning, when we first met and fell in love, and that has been a wonderful blessing.<br /></span></p><p><span class="svelte-fin3s2">Also, one year ago yesterday, I wrote <a href="https://irrational-woman.blogspot.com/2020/03/putting-things-in-perspective.html">a post</a> about putting the pandemic's death toll numbers in perspective with other causes of death. According to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html">New York Times</a>, as of today the US death toll stands at <span class="svelte-fin3s2">541,037,
which puts it within the estimated range given a year ago, and stands
at slightly less than the 2017 total for cancer deaths. Somewhat
interesting to look back at, for whatever it's worth.</span></span></p>Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16743995.post-28181245981748096012021-02-06T16:08:00.002-06:002021-03-20T17:12:39.816-05:00Reality is a Jar of Almonds<p>This is my new attitude about life: Reality is a Jar of Almonds! Now I recognize that, on the surface of things, this assertion makes no sense, which would probably be sufficient in and of itself to explain life, but I do have an explanation. The explanation is rooted in logical fallacies, mindfulness, and <i>Whose Line is it Anyway?</i>.</p><p>So here we go. I have a tendency toward assuming that when I look at a situation I can explain it in one of two ways, or maybe three ways (usually somewhere in between), and that one of those ways must be correct. This type of thinking employs one, or two, logical fallacies. When I assume that there are only two options, I'm engaging in the <a href="https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/black-or-white">"black or white" fallacy</a> (aka false dilemma or false dichotomy). If I allow for a third option that is somewhere in between, I am undoubtedly falling prey to the<a href="https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/middle-ground"> "middle ground" fallacy</a>.</p><p>The truth of the matter is that reality is so much more complex than I can imagine. This is where mindfulness comes into the picture. In the book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Beginners-Reclaiming-Present-Moment/dp/1622036670"><i>Mindfulness of Beginners</i> by Jon Kabat-Zinn</a> that I have (partially) read, the author states, </p><blockquote><p>We
can feel victimized by our thoughts, or blinded by them. We can easily
mis-take [sic] them for the truth or for reality when in actuality they are
just waves on its surface, however tumultuous they may be at times. (p.
36)<br /></p></blockquote><p>When looking at a problem or situation, there are undoubtedly factors that I have not taken into consideration at all that were actually contributing to whatever it is that I'm trying to understand. I can't know it all, so I can't consider it all, therefore I will never fully understand the thing that I wish to understand. This is a fact that I need to learn to deal with, but it's not easy. </p><p>So how does this bring me to the assertion that reality is, in fact, a jar of almonds? Well, that is where <i>Whose Line is it Anyway?</i> comes into the story. There was an episode of the show where they were improvising a game of <i>Who Wants to be a Millionaire?</i>. Brad Sherwood, in the role of quiz-master, asks Ryan Stiles a question, followed by four possible answers, in <i>Who Wants to be a Millionaire?</i> fashion. But he then suggest that Ryan can go off the board and choose option E - a jar of almonds. </p><p>So when I am trying to remind myself that I don't have all the information and my hypothetical explanations don't cover all the options, my new shorthand is to simply remind myself that reality is a jar of almonds - that alternate explanation that I never even thought of.<br /></p>Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16743995.post-4035161228181227392021-01-02T18:14:00.000-06:002021-01-02T18:14:06.877-06:002020 Reading List<p>As we all know, 2020 was not a good year. For many people, it might have been a good year for reading. For me, it was better than <a href="https://irrational-woman.blogspot.com/2020/01/2019-book-list.html">last year</a> (with only 9 books), but I still had long stretches when I wasn't reading. Apparently reading was not my coping mechanism<a href="https://the-creative-side-of-me.blogspot.com/2020/12/autumn-breeze-quilt.html"> any more than sewing was</a>. I'm not sure I really had a coping mechanism, but I made it through the year in one piece, so that's at least something. Without further ado, here is my 2020 reading list.</p><p><b>Books</b> <br /></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><i>No Escape Claws</i> - Sofie Ryan</li><li><i>Civil War Sampler</i> - Barbara Brackman</li><li><i>Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman</i> - Patricia C. & Fredrick McKissack</li><li><i>Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History</i> - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich</li><li><i>Alabama: One Big Front Porch</i> - Kathryn Tucker Windham</li><li><i>Claw Enforcement</i> - Sofie Ryan</li><li><i>Rebecca</i> - Daphne du Maurier</li><li><i>Tongues of Flame</i> - Mary Ward Brown</li><li><i>The Boyfriend School</i> - Sarah Bird</li><li><i>Lady Susan</i> - Jane Austen</li></ol><p><b>Short Stories</b></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>"Neighbor Rosicky" & "The Sculptor's Funeral" - Willa Cather</li><li>"A White Heron" - Sarah Orne Jewett</li><li>"Babylon Revisited" - F. Scott Fitzgerald</li><li>"Rip Van Winkle" & "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" - Washington Irving</li><li>"Young Goodman Brown" & "The Maypole of Merry Mount" - Nathaniel Hawthorne</li><li>"Rappaccini's Daughter" & "Bartleby the Scrivener" - Herman Melville</li><li>"My Contraband" - Louisa May Alcott</li><li>"The Queen of Spades" - Alexander Pushkin</li><li>"A Simple Heart" - Gustave Flaubert</li></ol><p>Four out of the first 5 books were read for Women's History Month. </p><p>The last two books were read because of watching the movie version of the books. </p><p>I got caught up on my Sofie Ryan series. </p><p>I read <i>Rebecca</i> because it was on a list somewhere, but I forget what list or why I was reading said list. </p><p><i>Tongues of Flame</i> is a collection of short stories that I read as an undergraduate and wanted to reread it. It also led to reading the non-collected short stories, which I read with my husband (a retired literature professor). I was thinking that I might want to try to write some short stories, but I never did.<br /></p>Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16743995.post-58112105977167740782020-05-04T14:45:00.001-05:002021-03-20T17:13:14.480-05:00Fear and healthy respect<div>
Things are really getting to me. The funny thing for me is that my life really hasn't changed that much because of the pandemic. Before all this started, I went out a little more than I do now, but not much. My life was mostly spent at home with the people who live in my house, and it still is. But all the uncertainty has really begun to weigh on my mind. I find myself doing COVID-19 math with Alabama's numbers and the US numbers - what percentage has been tested, what percentage of those tested are testing positive, what percentage of those testing positive are dying. The percentage are relatively small (for Alabama they are 2%, 7%, and 3% respectively), but somehow that still isn't comforting. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I wish that we could transition from fear (or denial) to a healthy respect for the virus and the situation. I wish that I knew what activities were actually safe and which weren't. Is it really okay to get take-out from a restaurant? Am I really safe if I wear a mask in public and wash or sanitize my hands once I'm out of public? Does wiping down my groceries really do any good? But with so little reliable information out there it seems difficult to know, so fear remains the dominant emotion and healthy respect is difficult to achieve. For society as a whole it seems even more difficult, with some groups in total denial of gravity of situation and, as with most things these days, people's opinions being influenced by their political inclinations. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
I know that in general, people just want things to return to normal as quickly as possible, but as my priest said earlier in the pandemic, things won't go back to normal. There will be a new normal, which is, as of yet, unknown. Unknown is hard to deal with, at least for me. </div>
Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16743995.post-76542980525746849302020-03-19T20:08:00.000-05:002020-03-22T16:16:16.556-05:00Putting things in perspectiveAs I've mentioned here before, I have generalized anxiety disorder. One way that I try to combat my anxiety is to put things into perspective. That's not always easy to do, mind you, but I try. With all the fear and speculation swirling around due to the coronavirus (SARS CoV2) and it's resulting illness (COVID 19), my brain has been tending to waffle between "It'll be okay" and "We're all going to die." So in order to deal with that, I've been looking at some numbers to try to put things into perspective. Here is what I have found.<br />
<br />
A <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/us/coronavirus-deaths-estimate.html">New York Times article from March 13, 2020</a> reports a possible US death toll for the virus ranging from 200,000 to 1.7 million people,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Between 160 million and 214 million people in the United States could be
infected over the course of the epidemic, according to a projection
that encompasses the range of the four scenarios. That could last months
or even over a year, with infections concentrated in shorter periods,
staggered across time in different communities, experts said. As many as
200,000 to 1.7 million people could die.</blockquote>
These are disturbing numbers, no doubt. The article does, however, say that these numbers were from the end of February and do not take into account the measures currently being applied to mitigate the situation.<br />
<br />
Taking these numbers as my guide, I started looking at some statistics. The most recent absolute numbers I could find for US mortality on the CDC website were for 2018. In 2018, the total mortality in the US from all causes was 2,839,205 (<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/deaths.htm?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fnchs%2Fdeaths.htm">source</a>). This is an increase over the previous year and our death rate has continued to increase, slightly, from 2008 to the present, according to <a href="https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/death-rate">Macrotrends.net</a>. For a breakdown of the numbers among the top 10 leading causes of death, I had to look at the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/deaths.htm">2017 numbers</a> (no idea why those are the most recent on the CDC website). These are the numbers I found:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Heart Disease = 647,457<br />
Cancer = 599,108<br />
Accidents = 169,936<br />
Chronic lower respiratory disease = 160,201<br />
Stroke = 146,383<br />
Alzheimer's = 121,404<br />
Diabetes = 83,564<br />
Flu & Pneumonia = 55,633<br />
Kidney disease = 50,633<br />
Suicide = 47,173</blockquote>
<br />
A little perspective. The lower number of the estimate (200,000) would be more than those who died in accidents, but less than those who died of cancer or heart disease. If it was the higher of the estimated numbers, it would be comparable, though slightly below, the total of the top 5 causes of death combined. These are all staggering numbers, but at least now I have a little perspective of what those numbers actually mean.<br />
<br />
I did find another article, this one from the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/coronavirus-forecasts-are-grim-its-going-to-get-worse/2020/03/11/2a177e0a-63b4-11ea-acca-80c22bbee96f_story.html">Washington Post dated March 11, 2020</a>, that had a much wider range in its estimate.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
His team put together a simple table that looks at various scenarios
using case fatality ratios ranging from .1, similar to seasonal flu, to
.5, a moderately severe pandemic, and 1.0, a severe one. The infection
rate ranged from 0.1 percent of the population to 50 percent. That put
the range of deaths at 327 (best case) to 1,635,000 (worst case). The
deaths would not necessarily happen over a month or a year, but could
occur over two or three years, he said.</blockquote>
What struck me (other than the wildly lower best case numbers) were that these deaths could take place over a period of 2 to 3 years. If it were the worst case scenario numbers but over 3 years, it would actually make it lower than the number of death from heart disease in that same period. Still a terrible loss of life, and I'm a firm believer in the "Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee" philosophy.<br />
<br />
Hopefully a little perspective will help me to keep calm and carry on. But as Douglas Adam suggested, the last thing a person really needs is perspective...<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Upon putting his wife into his newly created "Total Perspective Vortex"] To Trin Tragula's horror, the shock completely annihilated her brain; but to his satisfaction he realized that he had proved conclusively that if life is going to exist in a Universe of this size, then the one thing it cannot afford to have is a sense of proportion. (<u>The Restaurant at the End of the Universe</u> p. 77)</blockquote>
Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16743995.post-75916939167669047082020-01-18T13:36:00.000-06:002020-01-18T13:36:05.066-06:002019 book listHere we are again, halfway through January, and I'm just now getting around to posting my meager book list from 2019. Over all, 2019 felt like a lost year. My husband needed cancer surgery and radiation treatments. There were multiple visits to family out of state. It seemed like there was very little time for enjoyable pursuits. Here's to better things in 2020. So now, without further ado, the list of books I read in 2019.<br />
<br />
The Story of the Trapp Family Singer - Maria Augusta Trapp (the inspiration for The Sound of Music)<br />
The Weans - Robert Nathan<br />
Ghostly Paws - Leighann Dobbs<br />
Island of Time - Barbara Kent Lawrence<br />
The Gospel According to Mark - New Revised Standard Version (yes, the book of the Bible)<br />
Good Omens - Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman<br />
The Other Island: Ben's Story - Barbara Kent Lawrence<br />
A Tale of Two Kitties - Sofie Kelly<br />
The Cats Came Back - Sofie Kelly<br />
<br />
I found the Trapp Family Singers book very inspiring, but little like the movie, really.<br />
The Weans was something I remembered hearing about when I was an undergrad in college and read it on the airplane flying to visit family in Washington. It was a bit disappointing and very short.<br />
Ghostly Paws was also disappointing. A little too much magic and too little logic.<br />
Island of Time and The Other Island were sort of two sides to the same story. I liked Islands of Time better.<br />
Reading St. Mark's gospel was my Lenten discipline for 2019. It was interesting.<br />
I read Good Omens because of the Amazon Prime series (starring David Tennant) based on the novel. I enjoyed and finished the novel. Less so for the series - we didn't finish watching it.<br />
The two Sofie Kelly novels were the latest installments in the Magical Cats series that I have been reading for the past few years.Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16743995.post-62733599500915463952019-01-26T20:06:00.001-06:002019-01-26T20:06:51.967-06:00A Few Words About Walls"People have been building walls all through history. Why do you assume walls don't work?" This is a question I've seen asked recently on Facebook (I'd provide a link, but I can't find the post). Here is my answer.<br />
<br />
First and foremost, walls in history have usually been built primarily for military purposes - to stop military invasions. One very famous wall that sometimes gets mentioned is the Great Wall of China. This is what <a href="http://www.chinatravellers.com/artcle_show.asp?id=167">China Travellers</a> website has to say about the purpose of that wall:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: black;">The Great Wall of China was built to protect China
from its enemies and invaders from the North, especially the Mongols.
The Mongols were a tribal group that would regularly conduct raids into
China. Despite the wall, the Mongols eventually conquered China. The
Wall also kept Chinese citizens from leaving China.</span></blockquote>
I would draw your attention to the fact that "Despite the wall, the Mongols eventually conquered China." It was big, and beautify, and ultimately didn't work.<br />
<br />
Another example of a wall built for military purposes is the Maginot Line between France and Germany. Built after WWI, this wall was supposed to deter another German invasion of France. And while the wall itself was well made and strong, it obviously didn't stop the Germans from invading in WWII. In fact, it was so unsuccessful in producing its ultimate goal that it has become synonymous with a false sense of security. In fact, <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Maginot%20Line">Merriam-Webster</a> defines Maginot Line as follows:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="vg">
<div class="sb has-num">
<span class="sb-0">
<div class="sense has-num-only">
<span class="sn sense-1"><span class="num">1</span></span>
<span class="dt ">
<span class="dtText"><strong class="mw_t_bc">: </strong>a
line of defensive fortifications built before World War II to protect
the eastern border of France but easily outflanked by German invaders</span>
</span>
</div>
</span>
</div>
<div class="sb has-num">
<span class="sb-0">
<div class="sense has-num-only">
<span class="sn sense-2"><span class="num">2</span></span>
<span class="dt ">
<span class="dtText"><strong class="mw_t_bc">: </strong>a defensive barrier or strategy that inspires a false sense of security</span></span></div>
</span></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
These walls were built primarily for defensive, military purposes and they ultimately failed. So let's look at a wall that was built primarily for immigration purposes - the Berlin Wall. The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 to stop people from leaving East Berlin for West Berlin. According to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall">Wikipedia</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Before the Wall's erection, 3.5 million East Germans circumvented <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Bloc_emigration_and_defection" title="Eastern Bloc emigration and defection">Eastern Bloc emigration restrictions</a>
and defected from the GDR, many by crossing over the border from East
Berlin into West Berlin; from there they could then travel to West
Germany and to other Western European countries. Between 1961 and 1989
the Wall prevented almost all such emigration.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall#cite_note-7">[7]</a></sup> </blockquote>
Ah ha! A successful wall you say. Yes, it was a successful wall, but it was also a very well guarded wall. Again from wikipedia:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Marck_4-0"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall#cite_note-Marck-4">[4]</a></sup> accompanied by a wide area (later known as the "death strip") that contained anti-vehicle trenches, "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bed_of_nails" title="Bed of nails">fakir beds</a>" and other defenses.</blockquote>
It was also only approximately 87 miles long. Trump is asking for a much longer wall to be built - anywhere from 234 miles to 1000 miles according to a report from <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/24/experts-say-trumps-border-wall-will-take-longer-than-he-claims.html">cnbc.com</a>. And even the very effective Berlin Wall was not perfect. Going back to the Wikipedia article:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
During this period over 100,000<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-cnn.com_6-1"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall#cite_note-cnn.com-6">[6]</a></sup>
people attempted to escape and over 5,000 people succeeded in escaping
over the Wall, with an estimated death toll ranging from 136<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Chronik_8-0"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall#cite_note-Chronik-8">[8]</a></sup> to more than 200<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-contemporary_research_9-0"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall#cite_note-contemporary_research-9">[9]</a></sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-cnn.com_6-2"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall#cite_note-cnn.com-6">[6]</a></sup> in and around Berlin.
</blockquote>
And let us not forget who wanted that wall torn down. I believe it was the much revered (in some circles) Ronald Reagan who famously said "Tear Down This Wall." In the late 1980s, a wall built for retarding illegal immigration was seen as a threat to freedom and liberty. So why is one such a good idea now?<br />
<br />
These are some examples of why I assume walls don't work and are a bad idea. Where there is a will, there's a way. People will always find a way around, over, through, or under a wall. Building a wall doesn't get to the root of the problem, it just spends a lot of time, money and effort to reroute the problem. <br />
<br />
Let us remember also that walls in the past have not just been built to keep people out, but also to keep people in. I'm reminded of <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44266/mending-wall">"Mending Wall" by Robert Frost</a>, in which he says:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
Before I built a wall I'd ask to know</div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
What I was walling in or walling out,</div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
And to whom I was like to give offence.</div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,</div>
That wants it down.</blockquote>
And, as Reinette (aka Madame De Pompadour) reminds us in <a href="https://www.planetclaire.tv/quotes/doctorwho/series-two/the-girl-in-the-fireplace/">"The Girl in the Fireplace" episode of Doctor Who</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A door once opened may be stepped through in either direction.</blockquote>
A wall, once built, blocks passage from both directions. Think about it.<br />
<br />
<br />Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16743995.post-65319110663786930962019-01-12T18:57:00.000-06:002019-01-12T18:57:18.716-06:002018 Book ListHere is the list of books that I read in 2018:<br />
<br />
<i>The House of Seven Gables </i>- Nathaniel Hawthorne<br />
<i>Keeper of the Castle</i> - Juliet Blackwell<br />
<i>Give Up the Ghost</i> - Juliet Blackwell<br />
<i>The Fast and the Furriest</i> - Sofie Ryan<br />
<i>The Moviegoer</i> - Walker Percy<br />
<i>A Ghostly Light</i> - Juliet Blackwell<br />
<i>The Great Gatsby</i> - F. Scott Fitzgerald<br />
<i>The Picture of Dorian Gray</i> - Oscar Wilde<br />
<i>Alice's Adventures in Wonderland</i> - Lewis Carroll<br />
<i>Northanger Abbey</i> - Jane Austen<br />
<i>The Bone Garden</i> - Tess Gerritsen<br />
<i>My Antonia</i> - Willa Cather<br />
<i>A Christmas Carol</i> - Charles Dickens<br />
<br />
I read 13 books in 2018. Not too bad for me. As you can probably tell, I took a turn into the classics this year, with only a few light reads thrown in. Well, <i>Alice in Wonderland</i> was really both - a classic and a light read - but it was on the list of classics that I found online and I had never read it, so I figured "what the heck." I was hoping there would actually be more to it than what you always here about it, but no, not really, just a kids story like you'd expect. I had actually read <i>A Christmas Carol</i> before, but I was in middle school at the time. My husband and I watched "The Man Who Invented Christmas" and it inspired me to re-read it.<br />
<br />
I think I'm all caught up on my murder mystery series - Magical Cats, Second Chance Cats, and Haunted Home Renovations. I think there may be some new ones coming out soon, though. The one Tess Gerritsen novel that I read this year was one of her "stand alone" books, not in the Rizzoli & Isles series, although Isles did make a cameo appearance.Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16743995.post-2163086556070625062018-05-01T09:16:00.000-05:002018-05-01T09:16:59.895-05:00Obsessive ThinkingI have an issue with obsessive thinking. Sometimes, when I get an idea in my head, I just have trouble getting it out of my head. It could be a problem that I'm trying to solve or an issue that I am wrestling with. Or it could just be the lyrics to a song that I'm puzzling over their meaning or what they mean to me. Whatever the subject, it tends to stick around and monopolize my mental energy.<br />
<br />
On a couple of recent occasions, the thoughts/issues that I was wrestling with lent themselves to sending an email to someone to express my thoughts on a subject. In each case, I felt that the person I was emailing wanted to know, or needed to know, or would benefit from knowing my thoughts. In those cases, I felt better after sending the email. It's not that I completely stopped thinking about the issue, but I felt that my mind could rest from the subject at that point. The obsessive nature of the thinking subsided.<br />
<br />
My catharsis in writing down my thoughts made me think of the lines to a song - Breathe by Anna Nalick:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span>Two AM and I'm still awake, writing a song</span><br /><span>If I get it all down on paper, its no longer</span><br /><span>Inside of me, threatening the life it belongs to</span></blockquote>
Now I'm no poet or lyricist, but I do feel that getting my ideas carefully thought out and arranged in writing is helpful. In many cases, however, there isn't necessarily an individual that I can, or want to, email about the topic on my mind, so I'm thinking that I will try do that here on this blog. I haven't blogged regularly in long time, and I still may not do it regularly, but I think it's worth giving it a try. I could just write my thoughts in a journal or diary, but I think there is also value in the knowledge that I am sharing my thoughts with someone else. Even if no one actually comes across them and reads them, they are out there. Maybe that matters somehow. <br />
<br />
I have to be aware also of what Anna Nalick goes on share in the next few lines of the song:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span>And I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd</span><br /><span>'Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud</span><br /><span>And I know that you'll use them, however you want to</span></blockquote>
I know that sometimes people will come along and take offense at the things that are said on the internet, but I suppose that is the risk that I'm taking. And, it's my blog, so if the comments get annoying, I can always disable them for an individual post (as has only happened once).Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16743995.post-82541809980947381592018-01-31T18:37:00.002-06:002018-01-31T18:38:10.457-06:002017 Book ListI just realized that it is the last day of January, and I still haven't written up my book list from last year. So, here it goes, the books I read last year:<br />
<br />
<i>Exhume - </i>Danielle Girard<br />
<i>Paws and Effect - </i>Sofie Kelly<br />
<i>Telling Tails - </i>Sofie Ryan<br />
<i>We Have Lost the President - </i>Paul Mathews<br />
<i>Murder on the House - </i>Juliet Blackwell<br />
<i>Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands - </i>Jorge Amado<br />
<i>Home for the Haunting - </i>Juliet Blackwell<br />
<i>Last to Die - </i>Tess Gerritsen<br />
<i>Die Again - </i>Tess Gerritsen<br />
<i>Call After Midnight - </i>Tess Gerritsen<br />
<i>The Scarlet Letter - </i>Nathaniel Hawthorne<br />
<i>I Know A Secret - </i>Tess Gerritsen<br />
<i>We Have Lost the Pelicans - </i>Paul Mathews<br />
<i>When the Bough Breaks - </i>Jonathan Kellerman<br />
<i>The Color of Magic - </i>Terry Pratchett<br />
<i>Fool's Puzzle - </i>Earlene Fowler<br />
<br />
That makes 16 books. A marked improvement over last year's 10 books. There are still a lot of mystery series books in there. The one Terry Pratchett novel, the first in the DiscWorld series, was the one scifi/fantasy novel. And the Amado and Hawthorne novels were my forays into serious literature this year. <br />
<br />
I find that I am getting a bit tired of the formulaic mystery novels. I feel like I'm reading basically the same thing over and over. When I read more serious things, I feel like I get more out of it, but it takes my longer to get through them, as a general rule.Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16743995.post-8248737343219975052017-11-28T11:31:00.000-06:002017-11-28T11:31:40.842-06:00Feeling SurroundedMore and more I feel like I am trapped in the last few seconds of the last scene of Act 1 of Cabaret.Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16743995.post-55590040823875673762017-11-17T14:14:00.000-06:002017-11-17T14:14:50.370-06:00We have a Culture ProblemPart of the problem with sexual harassment in this country comes from the fact that we have a culture problem. Our culture tends to glorify, or at least condone, the sexual mistreatment of women. <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/11/16/analysis-when-comes-al-franken-assault-allegations-congress-appears-united/871701001/">In the case of Al Franken</a>, grabbing and kissing a woman without her permission, we have very iconic examples. Take for instance, the famous picture of<a href="https://nypost.com/2012/06/17/the-true-story-behind-the-iconic-v-j-day-sailor-and-nurse-smooch/"> the sailor kissing the nurse in Times Square</a> at the end of WWII. This was not his girlfriend or even someone he knew. He was half drunk and happy that the war was over and celebrated by kissing "the first nurse he saw" even though he was on a date with a completely different woman. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
So on this joyous and unbelievable afternoon, George ran from Rita — the
most beautiful girl he’d ever seen — grabbed the first nurse he saw,
spun her around, dipped her and kissed her. Rita was just steps behind
them, and in the photo she’s beaming. </blockquote>
This picture is celebrated as culturally significant and romantic, but the woman being kissed was not too happy about it at the time.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The kiss did kind of bother someone else, though: the woman in the
nurse’s uniform, Greta Zimmer, who wasn’t even a nurse. She was a
21-year-old dental assistant from Queens, who, having heard rumors about
the end of the war, walked over to Times Square from her office on
Lexington Avenue. George says he was so drunk, he doesn’t even remember
the kiss. Greta says she’ll never forget it. [...] She isn’t sure how long she was standing there; maybe minutes. “And then
I was grabbed,” she says. “That man was very strong. I wasn’t kissing
him. He was kissing me.”</blockquote>
And, of course, the movies are filled with scenes where a man grabs a woman and kisses her, she slaps him, then she kisses him back, which gives the impression that it was really okay all along and that being forcibly kissed without permission is what all woman secretly want. This is a problem and sends a bad message.<br />
<br />
Now Senator Franken has said that his actions, including the photo of him groping the accusers breasts while she sleeps, was done in the name of comedy, but that is no excuse. Whether done for celebratory, comedic, or sexual reasons, it is wrong to kiss or touch a woman sexually without her permission. Period.<br />
<br />
And, of course, there is the man who will probably soon be the newest Senator from my home state, the great state of Alabama, Roy Moore. Now I can't think of any good examples of Hollywood glorifying a sexual relationship between a man in his 30s and a girl of 14, but there is probably one out there somewhere. <a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/news/360156-moore-defender-compares-misconduct-accusations-to-stealing-a-lawnmower">But there are examples of people defending his behavior as not really a problem. Oh wrong, maybe, but not really a problem.</a> <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="share">
<a class="at-icon-wrapper at-share-btn at-svc-facebook" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" role="button" style="background-color: #3b5998; border-radius: 0px;" tabindex="1"><span class="at4-visually-hidden"><br /></span></a><a class="at-icon-wrapper at-share-btn at-svc-google_plusone_share" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" role="button" style="background-color: #dc4e41; border-radius: 0px;" tabindex="1"><span class="at-icon-wrapper" style="height: 32px; line-height: 32px; width: 32px;"></span></a>A
reporter defending Roy Moore appeared to compare the sexual misconduct
allegations against the GOP Senate candidate to stealing a lawnmower.</div>
During
a CNN interview on Monday, Brandon Moseley, a reporter at the Alabama
Political Reporter, argued that allegations such as the ones being
leveled at Moore shouldn't disqualify the candidate. He noted that the
accusation detailed in a recent The Washington Post report, in which a
woman claimed Moore made sexual advances on her in 1979 when she was 14
and he was 32, would count as a misdemeanor in Alabama at the time.<br />
"Does that make it OK?" anchor Brooke Baldwin asked.<br />
“No.
But again, if, you know, Roy Moore had stolen a lawn mower when he was
21, that’s bad, but that’s not a reason, 50 years later, to all of a
sudden, you know, throw him off the ballot or let <span class="rollover-people" data-behavior="rolloverpeople"><a class="rollover-people-link" data-nid="188280" href="http://thehill.com/people/mitch-mcconnell">Mitch McConnell</a></span> pick the next senator of Alabama," Moseley said.</blockquote>
Now I grew up in Alabama, so I was once a 14 year old girl in Alabama. It was the 80s not the 70s, but I doubt attitudes were much different between the two time frames. The legal age of consent was 16, but 14 year-olds were sexually active. There were older guys that hung out at high school football games and high school dances trolling for younger girls, and many didn't care if they were underage or not (<a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/moore-dated-highschool-girls_us_5a07944ce4b05673aa59a22f">just as people have said Moore did</a>). And the problem is, many of the girls parents didn't seem to mind either. In fact, when my older sister was 15 she met a guy who was 21 at a high school dance and started dating him. My parents allowed it. When I was 14 years old I dated a guy who was 19 years old and my parents allowed it. In both cases, I know for a fact that they were looking for someone that was young and malleable so that they could make them into what they wanted as a wife or girlfriend. In the case of my older boyfriend, his girlfriend before me was 14 and his girlfriend after me was 14. It is that age where the girls have all the look of an adult woman, but often lack the maturity or strength of mind that comes with adulthood. That makes it perfect for the unscrupulous male predator, and don't get me wrong, that is exactly what they are - predators. <a href="https://www.capitolhillblue.com/node/51226">Just like Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty fame.</a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A video on YouTube shows Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson, in 2009,
urging adult men to marry 15 and 16 year old girls who will “pick their
ducks” and not their pockets. </blockquote>
And the problem is, even though Alabama law technically recognizes this as a crime, our culture tells us that it is really okay, that there is really no harm done. <b>That is wrong. There is harm done.</b> And in fact, back in the 80s (I don't know about now) it was legal for a 14 year old to get married with parental consent. So it wasn't okay for a 14 year old to consent to sex, but it was okay for her parents to consent to it for her. I'm sorry (okay I'm not really sorry), but that is WRONG! In fact, apparently in Louisiana, marrying the underage girl was a way to get out of statutory rape charges. <a href="https://www.capitolhillblue.com/node/51226">Again, see Phil Robertson as an example</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br />
Robertson has a history of messing around with underage girls. At
age 20, he was having sex with a 14-year-old girl who got pregnant and
was forced to marry her at 16 to avoid going to prison for statutory
rape in Louisiana.</blockquote>
So, if we are going to do something about sexual harassment in our country, we need to address our cultural issues with the topic, not just our laws. We need to socialize our young males to realize that forced affection is not true affection and a woman's (or girl's) body is her own to make her own decisions about. And if she is not of legal age to make those decisions, then they shouldn't ask her to make them, they should keep their hands to themselves! And, in fact, it goes both ways. Women should not be forcing themselves on men or boys either. Remember, your body is your own, and your rights end where someone else's nose (or lips, or breast, or vagina, or penis, etc) begins. It's not funny, it's not romantic, and it's not okay.Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16743995.post-85189890606585775082017-01-07T12:59:00.000-06:002017-01-07T13:11:30.849-06:002016 Book ListHere are the books that I read in 2016:<br />
<br />
<i>Speaking in Bones</i> - Kathy Reichs<br />
<i>Faux Paw</i> - Sofie Kelly<br />
<i>The Christmas Box</i> - Richard Paul Evans<br />
<i>Driving Heat</i> - Richard Castle<br />
<i>A Whisker of Trouble</i> - Sofie Ryan<br />
<i>If Walls Could Talk</i> - Juliet Blackwell<br />
<i>Dead Bolt</i> - Juliet Blackwell<br />
<i>Tempest-Tost</i> - Robertson Davies<br />
<i>Leaven of Malice</i> - Robertson Davies<br />
<i>Goodbye to Berlin</i> - Christopher Isherwood<br />
<br />
Only 10 books this year. Oh, well, it seems that I just keep moving in the same direction, fewer books each year. Mostly light reading and books in a series this year, too. Mostly murder mysteries, with the exception of Davies, Isherwood, and Evans. Maybe I will find more time for reading this year. Only time will tell.Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16743995.post-48835585192626623042016-11-10T13:42:00.000-06:002016-11-10T13:42:23.893-06:00My challenge to everyoneThe election is over and about half the voters are happy with the outcome and about half are not. In reality, that is to be expected. This is, however, something of a historic election. For the first time, as far as I know, the United States has elected a president with no previous political or military experience. This leads to a great deal of uncertainty. We really have no way of knowing what to expect. Some people are excited about the idea of change and shaking up Washington. Others are fearful of what someone with no experience will do in a position often touted as "the leader of the free world."<br />
<br />
So here is my challenge to everyone - the Trump supporters and the ones who oppose Trump - take a moment to think about what you expect to happen as a result of this election.<br />
<br />
To the Trump supporter - During his campaign, Donald Trump used the slogan "Make America Great Again." Take a few minutes to think about what that means to you, <b>in measurable terms</b>. Will that mean a lower unemployment rate than what it is today? Will it mean you personally have a high income than you have now? Great is generic term, so what does it mean to you? Think about it, and WRITE IT DOWN. When it is time for the midterm elections in 2018, look back at your list and see if Trump and the Republican Congress have accomplished what you thought they would do. There should be very little to stand in their way. See if the policies they enact produce the result you were expecting. If they do not, HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE!<br />
<br />
Now, to the ones who opposed Trump in this election - What do you fear about a Trump presidency and Republican controlled Congress? Do you fear higher unemployment rates? Do you fear losing your own job (as one of my friends has apparently already been let go due to his employer's economic fears)? Do you fear another economic recession (or worse)? Do you fear WWIII? Think about it and WRITE IT DOWN. Two years from now, look back at your list and see if any of your fears have come true. Remember, many who voted against Obama had many of the same fears and they did not come true. In the midterm elections, vote according to what has actually happened.<br />
<br />
Do I think a Trump presidency and Republican controlled congress is a good thing? No, I don't. I do fear another recession like we had under President G.W. Bush. I think that Republican policies have negative effects on the economy and especially on the poorer segments of the population. Those are my fears. However, the political rhetoric in this country has become so driven by fear mongering that a realistic discussion of issues and potential outcomes has become almost impossible. My friend who just lost his job did so because of his employer's fear, not because of anything that Trump himself or the Republicans have actually done. <br />
<br />
Many of my family members voted for Trump out of fear of what Hillary Clinton might do, when they were things that were not even a part of her plan or platform. The lies that the candidates and media tell, and the fear that they intentionally evoke, verge on being criminal in my opinion. People have a right to their own opinions, but they don't have a right to their own version of "the facts." The truth should always be to told, even when it is unpopular or difficult to tell. But outright lies should be stopped. And lies masquerading as opinions shouldn't be given a free pass no matter which side is telling them.<br />
<br />
Now let's all take a deep breathe, don't over-react, and see what happens. Keep calm and carry on.Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16743995.post-66937375977834526812016-11-10T12:52:00.003-06:002016-11-10T12:52:42.900-06:00Election 2016 On Monday and Tuesday, I was seeing posts about how it is almost over. Today I am seeing posts about how the election is ove<span class="text_exposed_show">r,
and people are glad that it is over and don't want to think about the
election anymore. On the one hand, that is great - no more political
commercials is always a good thing in my book. However, unlike the
World Series, when it is over, it isn't really over. When the Cubs won
the World Series, Cubs fans got bragging rights for a year and Indians
fans had to go home an lick their wounds, but the members of the Cubs
baseball team didn't win control over baseball for the next year. When
an election is over, the real work has just begun. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="text_exposed_show">
Too often, politics is treated like sports. We have chosen our teams
and too often root for them blindly. Without even realizing what we are
voting for or the true consequences of our decision, we make decisions
that will hurt not just others, but ourselves, in the long run.<br />
<br />
A
lot of bad decisions were made in this election cycle on both sides of
the aisle. The whole country is going to have to live with the
consequences for at least two years, until the midterm elections. So
don't stop paying attention. This was not game 7 of the World Series.
This was game 115 of a series with no set end point. We have elected
America's 115th Congress. In two year we will elect the 116th, and the
game goes on. But remember, it is not just a game. It has real
consequences for America and the whole World. Pay attention to how your
decisions affect you, your friends, neighbors, the rest of the country,
and the rest of the world.</div>
Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16743995.post-60004973638689150802016-01-10T11:58:00.000-06:002016-01-10T11:58:16.733-06:002015 Book ListHere are the books that I read in 2015.<br />
<br />
<i>Sleight of Paw -</i> Sofie Kelly<br />
<i>Copycat Killing</i> - Sofie Kelly<br />
<i>Cat Trick</i> - Sofie Kelly<br />
<i>Final Catcall</i> - Sofie Kelly<br />
<i>A Midwinter's Tail</i> - Sofie Kelly<br />
<i>The Whole Cat and Caboodle</i> - Sofie Ryan (aka Sofie Kelly)<br />
<i>The Turn of the Screw</i> - Henry James<br />
<i>Jane Eyre</i> - Charlotte Bronte<br />
<i>Wide Sargasso Sea</i> - Jean Rhys<br />
<i>Sense and Sensibility</i> - Jane Austen<br />
<i>Buy a Whisker</i> - Sofie Ryan<br />
<i>The Silent Girl</i> - Tess Gerritsen<br />
<i>Emma</i> - Jane Austen<br />
<i>Changing Places</i> - David Lodge<br />
<i>Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?</i> - Philip K. Dick<br />
<i>Villette</i> - Charlotte Bronte<br />
<br />
Only 16 books in 2015, which is a bit disappointing, especially when one considers that I didn't teach at all this year. I was doing really well early in the year, but my reading dropped off considerably as the year progressed. Partially the Austen and Bronte novels slowed me down a bit, but I also had some issues deciding what to read at time. I'm just not 100% sure what I'm looking for in a book anymore. I really enjoyed <i>Jane Eyre</i>, but then I found <i>Villette</i> a bit disappointing in the end. I guess maybe that is why <i>Jane Eyre</i> gets more attention. Somehow I missed reading the Magical Cat Mystery that came out in the fall of 2015. I have a copy now and intend to read it soon. I also have copies of the Kathy Reichs and Richard Castle novels that were published in 2015, but didn't get around to them in 2015 either. The David Lodge novel is also the first in a series. I have copies of the other two, but haven't read them yet either. Oh well, maybe they will all be on my 2016 list.Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16743995.post-4362090988510870382015-09-04T17:26:00.000-05:002015-09-04T17:26:14.547-05:00Why Going to the Zoo Makes Me SadEarlier in the summer, my family and I took a trip to Seattle, Washington. The first full day that we were there we went to the zoo. We spent almost the whole day there, and I took a lot of pictures (some better than others). I realized while I was there that being at the zoo makes me kind of sad. This picture (below) is a good illustration of why that is.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjk4tZhoqB88TzNXJVt0HtbQ42Y6oGWCiYgdZR1TrLCqEWSSGX1b9OsziMwjW0U93pfy87xofE6pW8Od3nFuIWZVHJFJhEObHR_Z_-KX3tRjWFe8FZHmZFdiXKB1zsbhudPhS/s1600/IMG_0212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjk4tZhoqB88TzNXJVt0HtbQ42Y6oGWCiYgdZR1TrLCqEWSSGX1b9OsziMwjW0U93pfy87xofE6pW8Od3nFuIWZVHJFJhEObHR_Z_-KX3tRjWFe8FZHmZFdiXKB1zsbhudPhS/s320/IMG_0212.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
It's not a very good quality picture, and there is a good bit of reflection in the glass, but it is the subject of the picture that tells the story. While we were there, this gorilla just sat with his (or her, I don't know) back to the glass staring into the distance. He just seemed sad and like he was really tired of having people look at him all the time. <br />
<br />
I know that there is value to zoos, and that, as a general rule they take good care of the animals and protect them. But especially when it comes to seeing primates in captivity it makes me
feel like I'm visiting a jail just to gawk at the prisoners. It just
feels wrong and it makes me sad.<br />
<br />
Oh well, I'm just a bleeding heart anyway, so I guess there is no surprise that I'd feel that way. . . <br />
<br />Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03678897999653396527noreply@blogger.com0