For some time now I have been relaxing with romance novels...something I would have considered a useless expenditure of time and trivial reading. Now in my senior years, I no longer have to cram professional readings as everyone writes the same stuff but in their own invented language. Even clinical sex manuals are pretty bland.
The plot in romance novels is predictable; they have happy endings; women prove themselves to have value in historic times when they were considered mere chattel; whatever other problems the women face about the men, they are always virile, and considerate lovers to the extremely passionate women.
The men patiently bring their women to sexual climax before reaching their own; premature ejaculation, never mentioned, remains just a medical term in some book, somewhere. The shared sexual experience between them spells a positive prediction for the implied 'and they lived happily ever after'.
Those who write the books must read one another's because they use the same euphemisms rather than anatomical terms. The word penis does not exist...that appendage is lovingly referred to as his 'arousal' and he is always well-endowed. Stroked, it is referred to as his shaft. Usually orgasm is referred to as 'fulfillment'. Those scenes end with the man 'pouring his seed into her'.
Many of the writers must share the same ill-informed mother, teaching them about the wedding night. The women are prepped for great pain, which inevitably happens, in the book. Apparently these writers never studied anatomy. The term hymen has not appeared in the approximately 150 books in the romance category I have read to date. Instead, now named the 'maidenhead' instead of the insignificant tissue it is over the vaginal opening, the romance writers have moved it to the middle of the vaginal canal and cast it out of concrete, judging from the hammering, plunging through which is required to qualify as the woman being 'taken' made 'his' and all those other joining, mating concepts.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
BERNIE MADE OFF WITH THE MONEY
Has anyone thought of Bernard Madoff's name and its prophetic hint. He was certainly properly named, wasn't he? He 'made off' with billions but no one saw it coming.
I always thought that Bush was interesting. To have a President who 'beat around the bush' and rarely ever speak truth or gave a factual picture made G W Bush fall into my category of fitting names.
Bernie Sanders has a wonderful name. An Independent Senator from Vermont, he votes with the Democrats 98% of the time and both scratches and smooths the surface of lots of people. A woman who has always confronted debates in the Senate somewhat as a pugilist is aptly named Barbara Boxer. Since the Republicans are putting a lid on everything, Senator Robert Corker of Tennessee seems to have been well labeled for the job he was about to take; Senator Graham, SC, has been fittingly named the cracker he is. Senator Olympia Snowe, ME, is one cool lady. She has weathered many storms and retained more integrity than many in the Legislature though how she remains Republican escapes my understanding.
In Austin there is a dentist named Mike Meek...that inspires, relaxation and a sense of gentleness. In California there is a dentist, Dr. Speed, a pediatric dentist. That name offers the illusion she will get it over quickly, which may not fir passion but suits dealing with children's teeth. Robert Frost was indeed frosty. A
quote to illustrate: He said, "I hate prize fights where the victory is dependent on the referee's decision; it seems too much like the arts."
In deference to space and your time, dear readers, I shall quit this theme though material is forever available. However, Bernie Madoff brought me to this thought, so accurately named...perhaps we should look more carefully at names before we invest emotionally or financially!
I always thought that Bush was interesting. To have a President who 'beat around the bush' and rarely ever speak truth or gave a factual picture made G W Bush fall into my category of fitting names.
Bernie Sanders has a wonderful name. An Independent Senator from Vermont, he votes with the Democrats 98% of the time and both scratches and smooths the surface of lots of people. A woman who has always confronted debates in the Senate somewhat as a pugilist is aptly named Barbara Boxer. Since the Republicans are putting a lid on everything, Senator Robert Corker of Tennessee seems to have been well labeled for the job he was about to take; Senator Graham, SC, has been fittingly named the cracker he is. Senator Olympia Snowe, ME, is one cool lady. She has weathered many storms and retained more integrity than many in the Legislature though how she remains Republican escapes my understanding.
In Austin there is a dentist named Mike Meek...that inspires, relaxation and a sense of gentleness. In California there is a dentist, Dr. Speed, a pediatric dentist. That name offers the illusion she will get it over quickly, which may not fir passion but suits dealing with children's teeth. Robert Frost was indeed frosty. A
quote to illustrate: He said, "I hate prize fights where the victory is dependent on the referee's decision; it seems too much like the arts."
In deference to space and your time, dear readers, I shall quit this theme though material is forever available. However, Bernie Madoff brought me to this thought, so accurately named...perhaps we should look more carefully at names before we invest emotionally or financially!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
PAYING BILLS ONLINE WITH A CREDIT CARD
It is remarkably convenient to pay bills online. There is need to hunt for an envelope, address and return address it, or if one is provided, to make sure the address is in the window. (I have had to open tons of envelopes where the address is no where near the window and I've had to reseal with scotch tape). As a bonus, you also save the 44 cent stamp!
There is one drawback. Credit card companies seem to find reasons to send new cards. Recently I received a phone call from a card company saying my card had been compromised so I wouldn't be able to use it for a few days. I was not to worry, nothing had been changed to my account. It is not often I'm told not to worry so, when I am, I do as I am told and promptly out it out of my mind. A few days later I received a new card with a new number. If I were more organized I would have a complete list handy of all the places that needed to be notified, like PayPal and, for me, especially the E-Z Pass, fast lane transponder.
Mine has been set up to draw $20 from my credit card whenever the balance in the drawn reserve gets low. However, if I fail to notify the transponder officials and they are unable to get paid for charges, there is a $50 fine. I'm sure my regular readers can guess where I am heading with this one.....
Four days ago I drove to Maine and used the E-Z Pass on the bridge at Portsmouth, NH, and the Maine Turnpike. It is easy when using it to forget about fees because they are automatically charged to my credit card. I know when it reads low balance, they will tap my card for another hit of $20. I don't travel on the Turnpikes frequently, but when I do it comes in very handily. There is no fishing for change or bills that have to be changed. This allowed me to sail through all the way from near Boston to halfway down the NJ Turnpike a few months ago.
Today I took a friend to Logan Airport. On my way in I was getting a reading of low balance. On the way back I got a message to call the service rep and didn't see that bright green thank you come up again.. Naturally I was unable to do that while on the road but phoned shortly after reaching home. Life is never made easy by automated service reps. In order to reach a solution to add my new card, I was asked for my four digit password. That was no problem. Next I was asked to give my account number. Again, no problem as it appears on the paper statement sent frequently. However, the next question asks what is the credit card number with which you are registered. I couldn't answer this because it had been cut in two months ago and felt like Charley on the MTA. This took about 15 minutes of getting hung up on because I wasn't answering fast enough until I just leaned on the 'O' key, tapping a bazillion times before I was told I would be connected with a service representative.
The happy ending is that I was able to talk to other than a robot, got the new card registered (I would have preferred they just take it from my checking account but I will have to make yet another call to another department to be able to do that). With companies that have service reps all over the country and out of it, I drag my heels because I know that it will take a long time. The minute I've been holding long enough to have a reasonable expectation that a human will shortly answer (because, after all, the voice keeps telling me my call is important), I hear the bleep of call waiting. Conflict sets in...shall I gamble I can find out who is on before the rep answers, dare I risk it? Whenever I do it confirms why I should never gamble.
The moral of this blog is that you should be aware as soon as you change banks or credit cards to notify sites online where you have 1-click checkout, like Amazon, or any other to which you may use your card for easy transactions.
There is one drawback. Credit card companies seem to find reasons to send new cards. Recently I received a phone call from a card company saying my card had been compromised so I wouldn't be able to use it for a few days. I was not to worry, nothing had been changed to my account. It is not often I'm told not to worry so, when I am, I do as I am told and promptly out it out of my mind. A few days later I received a new card with a new number. If I were more organized I would have a complete list handy of all the places that needed to be notified, like PayPal and, for me, especially the E-Z Pass, fast lane transponder.
Mine has been set up to draw $20 from my credit card whenever the balance in the drawn reserve gets low. However, if I fail to notify the transponder officials and they are unable to get paid for charges, there is a $50 fine. I'm sure my regular readers can guess where I am heading with this one.....
Four days ago I drove to Maine and used the E-Z Pass on the bridge at Portsmouth, NH, and the Maine Turnpike. It is easy when using it to forget about fees because they are automatically charged to my credit card. I know when it reads low balance, they will tap my card for another hit of $20. I don't travel on the Turnpikes frequently, but when I do it comes in very handily. There is no fishing for change or bills that have to be changed. This allowed me to sail through all the way from near Boston to halfway down the NJ Turnpike a few months ago.
Today I took a friend to Logan Airport. On my way in I was getting a reading of low balance. On the way back I got a message to call the service rep and didn't see that bright green thank you come up again.. Naturally I was unable to do that while on the road but phoned shortly after reaching home. Life is never made easy by automated service reps. In order to reach a solution to add my new card, I was asked for my four digit password. That was no problem. Next I was asked to give my account number. Again, no problem as it appears on the paper statement sent frequently. However, the next question asks what is the credit card number with which you are registered. I couldn't answer this because it had been cut in two months ago and felt like Charley on the MTA. This took about 15 minutes of getting hung up on because I wasn't answering fast enough until I just leaned on the 'O' key, tapping a bazillion times before I was told I would be connected with a service representative.
The happy ending is that I was able to talk to other than a robot, got the new card registered (I would have preferred they just take it from my checking account but I will have to make yet another call to another department to be able to do that). With companies that have service reps all over the country and out of it, I drag my heels because I know that it will take a long time. The minute I've been holding long enough to have a reasonable expectation that a human will shortly answer (because, after all, the voice keeps telling me my call is important), I hear the bleep of call waiting. Conflict sets in...shall I gamble I can find out who is on before the rep answers, dare I risk it? Whenever I do it confirms why I should never gamble.
The moral of this blog is that you should be aware as soon as you change banks or credit cards to notify sites online where you have 1-click checkout, like Amazon, or any other to which you may use your card for easy transactions.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
WHY INSTRUCTION BOOKS ARE IMPORTANT
Being senior offgers advantages, and like everything else, a few drawbacks. Amazingly technology has shown us great tools, but by the time we can really afford them, some of us are so old we can't remember how to use them, if we haven't for more than 10 minutes, or where we put the manual. I've hunted for an instruction book for hours only to eventually remember that what-ever-it-is didn't come with one. You are supposed to get your help needs online. Finding a printed manual takes less time than trying to find online instructions. After I go through their time saving short cuts of irrelevant-to-me FAQs it occurs to me that I still might remember what it was I was not understanding. It is always depressing to me that I never seem to be in step with the majority; when not even the FAQ list has my question in it.
The CPU running my brain has slowed down. I carry the simplest cell phone someone else's money can buy (a loving Xmas gift to me for a year). I have two digital cameras (one a point and shoot, sort of) so I don't need a camera phone. It is rare for me to make or receive calls on my cell, actually. Thus, I can't retain the instructions on how to retrieve voice mail from one phone to the other as they get upgraded just as I'm beginning to master the one I have. That might be remedied if I gave people my number and turned it on, might it not?
Having forgotten my phone on for a day or more, when I picked it up it indicated I had missed a call. My last phone had a password to retrieve voice mail and I vaguely remember not ever having completely mastered it before I found myself with a new phone. About every 10 or 20 years I go through the folder (s) of instruction manuals I throw into a drawer when I get something knew. Though the admonition to "RFM, Mom" rings in my ears, I regret to say that even if I read it, I retain none of the instructions until I have repeated the steps often enough to have them embedded into my cerebral cortex.
Years ago we spoke of computers as 'intuitive'. If someone said that today, people would ask what they meant. My American mind does not work in tune with the Taiwanese, Japanese, Chinese, etc. mind that built the latest torture device. Power ON buttons are unmarked and hidden; LED light are on when the unit is off and vice versa; all buttons work in the reverse of the last version you owned which took years to master. Tonight my struggle is my inability to find the speaker phone on my cell. When I have wanted a private conversation, the poltergeists who inhabit the phone have turned it off. Since there are no instructions I could locate on turning it off, it stayed on until the poltergeists decided they had embarrassed me long enough. Now that it is off and I want it on, it can't be done....at least by me.
I'm looking for an instruction book that is written the way my head understands things. Is that too much to ask? Lastly, I want some standardization of appliances. It would be nice if I could go to someone's house as a guest and not have to grovel (in order to heat up water for tea)for instructions to their microwave.
The CPU running my brain has slowed down. I carry the simplest cell phone someone else's money can buy (a loving Xmas gift to me for a year). I have two digital cameras (one a point and shoot, sort of) so I don't need a camera phone. It is rare for me to make or receive calls on my cell, actually. Thus, I can't retain the instructions on how to retrieve voice mail from one phone to the other as they get upgraded just as I'm beginning to master the one I have. That might be remedied if I gave people my number and turned it on, might it not?
Having forgotten my phone on for a day or more, when I picked it up it indicated I had missed a call. My last phone had a password to retrieve voice mail and I vaguely remember not ever having completely mastered it before I found myself with a new phone. About every 10 or 20 years I go through the folder (s) of instruction manuals I throw into a drawer when I get something knew. Though the admonition to "RFM, Mom" rings in my ears, I regret to say that even if I read it, I retain none of the instructions until I have repeated the steps often enough to have them embedded into my cerebral cortex.
Years ago we spoke of computers as 'intuitive'. If someone said that today, people would ask what they meant. My American mind does not work in tune with the Taiwanese, Japanese, Chinese, etc. mind that built the latest torture device. Power ON buttons are unmarked and hidden; LED light are on when the unit is off and vice versa; all buttons work in the reverse of the last version you owned which took years to master. Tonight my struggle is my inability to find the speaker phone on my cell. When I have wanted a private conversation, the poltergeists who inhabit the phone have turned it off. Since there are no instructions I could locate on turning it off, it stayed on until the poltergeists decided they had embarrassed me long enough. Now that it is off and I want it on, it can't be done....at least by me.
I'm looking for an instruction book that is written the way my head understands things. Is that too much to ask? Lastly, I want some standardization of appliances. It would be nice if I could go to someone's house as a guest and not have to grovel (in order to heat up water for tea)for instructions to their microwave.
VERIZON COMPLAINTS GOOGLED 1 YEAR LATER
One year ago I thought it was staggering that there were 386,000 hits on Google Search if one typed 'Verizon Complaints'. One year later, the following shows up. Results 1 - 10 of about 1,510,000 for Verizon complaints. (0.21 seconds) In fairness, I Googled its closest competitor in our area: The following appeared for Comcast: Results 1 - 10 of about 699,000 for comcast complaints. (0.08 seconds)
It is true that FIOS is an improvement over my previous download speed but now other ISPs have caught up and are offering similar packages with more channels at a lower price. Have you noticed that, as soon as you sign a two-year contract that promises everything, that the price will not change, the price changes by going up. The channels lessen and do not seem to offer those you might watch. Your friends with different ISPs talk about great channels which are not offered as part of your extended basic package.
After more than a year of never receiving an accurate billing statement, I can now say that I seem to be receiving them at last. The Spanish speaking channel for which I was being billed (and not noticed on my bill)for 4 months, was the first time that I got a humane customer service operator who allowed me a refund in entirety. She patiently listened to my blistering account of all the previous torture I had experienced since I went to Verizon. I told her about the Satan who told me I should have gotten the contract in writing and enjoyed the helplessness of this customer with no control. She was kind in voice and action, making my entrapment for another 9 months until I can be delivered away from Verizon less terrorizing. I don't do hard labor or helplessness well. I do not respond to being lied to and cheated calmly, either.
It is true that FIOS is an improvement over my previous download speed but now other ISPs have caught up and are offering similar packages with more channels at a lower price. Have you noticed that, as soon as you sign a two-year contract that promises everything, that the price will not change, the price changes by going up. The channels lessen and do not seem to offer those you might watch. Your friends with different ISPs talk about great channels which are not offered as part of your extended basic package.
After more than a year of never receiving an accurate billing statement, I can now say that I seem to be receiving them at last. The Spanish speaking channel for which I was being billed (and not noticed on my bill)for 4 months, was the first time that I got a humane customer service operator who allowed me a refund in entirety. She patiently listened to my blistering account of all the previous torture I had experienced since I went to Verizon. I told her about the Satan who told me I should have gotten the contract in writing and enjoyed the helplessness of this customer with no control. She was kind in voice and action, making my entrapment for another 9 months until I can be delivered away from Verizon less terrorizing. I don't do hard labor or helplessness well. I do not respond to being lied to and cheated calmly, either.
Monday, June 15, 2009
THE ZEALOTS RULE RIGIDLY AND IGNORE LAWS THEY THINK EXIST AND ARE UPHOLDING
New at Reason.tv: "This is an injustice and I think everyone has gotten the message"—Is Charlie Lynch's year-and-a-day sentence the end of medical marijuana prosecution? June 12, 2009, 10:00 am
Sometimes I wonder if we have hired humans or robots to monitor justice. The long arm of the law seems to come down randomly these days. The absurdity is apparent in a recent California case. "Charlie Lynch is the medical marijuana dispensary owner whose business, fully legal under California state law, was raided by federal agents in 2007. Lynch was charged with five counts of violating federal drug laws. He faced as many as 100 years in prison, but on his June 11, 2009 sentencing date many expected the mandatory-minimum five-year sentence."...Reason magazine.
The Bush administration violated the Constitution and ignored laws. I would like to be able to contradict those who say that fecal material rises to the top...but recent history has confirmed that it really does. There are too many people appointed or elected to high positions who have no preparation, intelligence, or understanding of the Constitution to be where they are. The killing of Dr. Tiller is no different than the lynchings of the KKK. Why are these tolerated without loud cries? Why has not the Congress raised issue with domestic terrorism? What will they do when militias, currently stocking ammunition and training arduously, raise themselves in revolution? My guess is that people are feeling at their most helpless once again...the jobless, the bankrupt, the ill without medical insurance...there are too many of them to raise voices for others when they can't even be heard for their own causes.
Many of us feel the foment but, again, what can the average lay person do when those in power do nothing because they feel safe with their political power. They do not understand that they are no safer than the rest of us. I don't live my life fretting over that which I cannot effect nor change. However, I grieve over the suffering caused to so many people by inaction.
To read on more current news about attempts to make medical dispensing legal, check this out. What is wrong with our society that we want people to suffer needlessly? We do not allow euthanasia. We make suicide attempts illegal. We do not allow smoking marijuana for those doctors believe would be benefited. What is wrong with our society? Are we living in the dark ages still within so many religions? If so, why are the religious making policy for those not part of that belief system?
Sometimes I wonder if we have hired humans or robots to monitor justice. The long arm of the law seems to come down randomly these days. The absurdity is apparent in a recent California case. "Charlie Lynch is the medical marijuana dispensary owner whose business, fully legal under California state law, was raided by federal agents in 2007. Lynch was charged with five counts of violating federal drug laws. He faced as many as 100 years in prison, but on his June 11, 2009 sentencing date many expected the mandatory-minimum five-year sentence."...Reason magazine.
The Bush administration violated the Constitution and ignored laws. I would like to be able to contradict those who say that fecal material rises to the top...but recent history has confirmed that it really does. There are too many people appointed or elected to high positions who have no preparation, intelligence, or understanding of the Constitution to be where they are. The killing of Dr. Tiller is no different than the lynchings of the KKK. Why are these tolerated without loud cries? Why has not the Congress raised issue with domestic terrorism? What will they do when militias, currently stocking ammunition and training arduously, raise themselves in revolution? My guess is that people are feeling at their most helpless once again...the jobless, the bankrupt, the ill without medical insurance...there are too many of them to raise voices for others when they can't even be heard for their own causes.
Many of us feel the foment but, again, what can the average lay person do when those in power do nothing because they feel safe with their political power. They do not understand that they are no safer than the rest of us. I don't live my life fretting over that which I cannot effect nor change. However, I grieve over the suffering caused to so many people by inaction.
To read on more current news about attempts to make medical dispensing legal, check this out. What is wrong with our society that we want people to suffer needlessly? We do not allow euthanasia. We make suicide attempts illegal. We do not allow smoking marijuana for those doctors believe would be benefited. What is wrong with our society? Are we living in the dark ages still within so many religions? If so, why are the religious making policy for those not part of that belief system?
Sunday, June 14, 2009
WE ARE ALL RIDING THE GLOBAL 'WARNING' TRAIN
It wasn't bad enough that Mother Nature and Global Warming were melting glaciers, now they are attacking Santa. "Reindeer herds in global decline", so writes Matt Walker Editor, Earth News
"Woodland caribou (R. t. caribou) crossing a frozen lake in winter, in the Northwest Territories of Canada. Woodland caribou are most at risk from habitat loss. Reindeer and caribou numbers are plummeting around the world.
The first global review of their status has found that populations are declining almost everywhere they live, from Alaska and Canada, to Greenland, Scandinavia and Russia.
The iconic deer is vital to indigenous peoples around the circumpolar north."
There seems to be little that we can do to stem the tide. We will continue to have polluters and naysayers. We need not question that we are about to go into another major planetary temperature cycle. We need to be working on ways to survive it. Fantasy that all people on earth may not survive. Will we be left with a few...survival of the fittest, so to speak, who will ride out the tide and emerge on the other end of the cycle? Will man have found another planet to inhabit or just fade away as a species? Perhaps we will find a parallel universe that evolved as ours. Or maybe we will be able to save one fertile human pair and create another Adam and Eve. Who knows what exciting possibilities beyond extinction lay in store for us.
Meanwhile, those of us who currently inhabit this warming planet, will continue to do what man has always done. Some will continue to obstruct discovery while others will make dire predictions and wring their hands. Some will be resigned to man's imminent extinction, while others plot how and where to survive. The beauty of it all is, if we don't survive, we'll never know it!
"Woodland caribou (R. t. caribou) crossing a frozen lake in winter, in the Northwest Territories of Canada. Woodland caribou are most at risk from habitat loss. Reindeer and caribou numbers are plummeting around the world.
The first global review of their status has found that populations are declining almost everywhere they live, from Alaska and Canada, to Greenland, Scandinavia and Russia.
The iconic deer is vital to indigenous peoples around the circumpolar north."
There seems to be little that we can do to stem the tide. We will continue to have polluters and naysayers. We need not question that we are about to go into another major planetary temperature cycle. We need to be working on ways to survive it. Fantasy that all people on earth may not survive. Will we be left with a few...survival of the fittest, so to speak, who will ride out the tide and emerge on the other end of the cycle? Will man have found another planet to inhabit or just fade away as a species? Perhaps we will find a parallel universe that evolved as ours. Or maybe we will be able to save one fertile human pair and create another Adam and Eve. Who knows what exciting possibilities beyond extinction lay in store for us.
Meanwhile, those of us who currently inhabit this warming planet, will continue to do what man has always done. Some will continue to obstruct discovery while others will make dire predictions and wring their hands. Some will be resigned to man's imminent extinction, while others plot how and where to survive. The beauty of it all is, if we don't survive, we'll never know it!
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