donali

Any new stories out there??? My great aunt Eris and my great uncle Perry had taken me one summer when I was 7 or 8 one year. We did a lot of traveling that summer, and a lot of camping. I found a quarter at our campsite one day, and my imagination started to run wild. I told my aunt and uncle "Just think of all the money people must have lost here throughout the years!" I was certain I was going to be rich! After I came back from playing that day I was fussing around the campsite, and darned if I didn't find a quarter and a dime! And then something else! I was SO excited! I had "found" about $1.50 in change by the time I looked up at an odd moment and caught my uncle laughing. Then it hit me - he was seeding our campsite with change for me to find! Ah, I was so crushed! lol He died about 10 years ago, but that summer I spent with them has always been one of my favorite memories. This August I went back east with my Mom to visit the relatives on her side of the family, and I got to visit with Eris (who is now in her 80's). After we got back home I started finding a penny every day for about two weeks. The first one was on the bed. I had made the bed, went off to do something, came back into the bedroom, and there was a penny. I was alone in the house, so it was kind of weird. But as I continued to find one each day for a while, I decided it was Perry's way of saying "Hi!".

Bumping for the gift giving season... lol

I don't think "I'm loving it." is a new way of using English, or even an improper/less formal/slang way. "I eat it." That's a lot different than "I'm eating it." Using "I eat it." to indicate something that's happening right at this moment, or something you intend to do in the future is like that bad pigeon English depicted in old Westerns for American Indian version English. I don't see how "I love it." and "I'm loving it." is any different than my example above. To me the implications of "I'm loving it." is that it is something you are actively doing in the moment, not some abstract feeling... Okay, I'm obviously no English teacher, but this does not strike me as bad or misused English... Hopefully that doesn't mean I have just become desensitized! lol

I certainly don't think that they should serve without pay! But if only rich people can afford to serve at the average American wage...???? Now, how wrong is that?? Why can't the average American serve at the wage they're already currently earning? That is my point. And in order to serve under my fantasy rules, the rich would have to donate ALL of their extra wealth (what they have above and beyond the average American) to the campaigning pool. So the rich would not be allowed to stay rich if they wanted to serve - they'd have to give it up and live like the average American. If the pay is already the same as what the common working man/woman is making, then they should not be disadvantaged in serving. In fact, for a lot of them that "average" wage would be a step up.

This is my dream for our politicians (I'm sure it would never be practical for many reasons that are not obvious to me, but this is my fantasy, so I got to make the rules! lol) ALL people "serving the people" MUST live as the majority of Americans live. I.E., if 53% of Americans earn between $$ and $$$, then our political servants must as well. If the majority of Americans don't own their own homes, then our public servants cannot either. If the majority of Americans only have $$$ in savings/checking/investments, then our public servants cannot have more. No golden parachutes - if the majority of Americans are retiring to SS, then so must our public servants. I think you get the idea. All their surplus wealth must go towards ONE big pool that pays for ONE TV channel/radio station/newspaper to be used for campaigning. In order to run, each candidate must have xx amount of support from the people. There is NO fund raising and no private campaigning. All politicians running for election get equal time rotated through the reserved media specifically for this purpose. There is one big mass "stomp" across America for campaigning purposes. Everyone goes on the same bus, to the same places. They each get to do their stint enough times so that anyone interested in hearing what they have to say has an opportunity to attend. Then they all pack up together and go to the next place. I doubt being a politician in the above scenario would be very attractive to most of them. The draw for doing it would be simply because they genuinely want to do the best for the people. It seems to me that our politicians are so far beyond the "average" American's experience that they are completely out of touch with the daily struggle of the majority. When was the last time one of them could live on $60,000 a year? And I believe that amount is higher than the "average" American's annual income... I hate that it seems once these people get into politics they pretty much have it made...

Mindy - I agree 100%. There is NO WAY I personally will ever know "the truth". Cynicism - my middle name... lol What's that saying? How can you tell if a politician is lying? His lips are moving... lol Honesty is not a rewarded trait in U.S. politics. I certainly don't trust the media to feed me all the facts without spin, and I will never be in a position to KNOW for a fact what is true and what is false. My opinions are based on my gut feelings and my idealistic view of how things "should" be, or in my opinion "could" be... I believe this war was begun under false pretenses. I believe there is some big U.S. business/es benefitting from our current situation. I believe there are gross inadequacies in our society. I believe politics and religion should be seperate, and that we as a people should not be governed based on religious "morals" that are not held by all of us.

The problem with "The Path to 9/11" is that it is a docuDRAMA. NOT a documentary. Some of it is based on facts, and some of it is made up (dramatized). Unfortunately for most of us, it is virtually impossible to know exactly what is true and what is false. The vast majority of Americans seem to assume that if they see it on TV or read it in the papers that it is TRUE - 100% true. "Spin" is everything... Look into your everyday lives and everyday conversations. I will bet you have heard the same story told by two different people, and it sounds like two totally different events - and yet they are reporting on the same occurence. It doesn't take much to misrepresent facts, or to completely make them up. The worst part about this movie is that there is no reason to docudrama anything - 9/11 is such a recent occurence that the TRUE history and facts are easily available, and yet the movie chose to dramatize certain events. http://www.cnn.com/US/9607/30/clinton.terrorism/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/08/AR2006090801949.html http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/05/clarke-blasts-abc/ http://www.dailyhowler.com/dh090806.shtml http://mediamatters.org/items/200609060007

I'm still waiting for enlightenment about the Democrats=bigger government vs our current situation... Better to send $317 billion (and counting) overseas and increase the size of government to limit civil liberties = smaller/better government? My brother cited that same reason that he (now) votes Republican. He asked me "Whatever happened to working hard and getting ahead?" I agreed with him - yes, whatever did happen to working hard and getting ahead?? I know of lots of double income families who are working hard but unable to get ahead - incomes have not matched inflation. People with lower incomes are penalized with higher interest rates. They are unable to buy homes in the current market, so their meager means is thrown away in rent, which often rises more often/quickly than their wages. How many of us are TRULY more than one or two disasterous events away from financial devastation? My income is well above the poverty line, and it would not take much to topple my house of cards. http://costofwar.com/index.html http://database.nationalpriorities.org/cgi-bin/WebObjects/nppdatabase.woa/4/wo/tZYlnK1ETkKjGvkCFdzxxM/0.0.1.1.6 http://database.nationalpriorities.org/cgi-bin/WebObjects/nppdatabase.woa/2/wo/GPNb7uPu5k5T21T1u6jBy0/0.0.1.1.6 http://database.nationalpriorities.org/cgi-bin/WebObjects/nppdatabase.woa/3/wo/roMWSdFGqZ2vhIWvmaCReg/0.0.1.1.6

See how DIM I am??? Here I thought TOM was being sarcastic... Sheesh... And I'm not even blond...

My doctor didn't require a pre-op diet - nothing by mouth after 9pm. And I resisted the temptation to take anything by means other than my mouth... lol Do they really need to add the "by mouth" instruction?!?! Anyway - a goat leg??? ROTFLMAO!

CAKE!!! Moist, rich, HEAVY chocolate cake... mmmmm... lol Disney or WB?

Don't overeat - never underestimate them! LAUGH

Another Pisces cusp - 2/19. I am SO Pisces - could never claim Aquarius... (love the aquariam-ditzi blonde joke earlier... lol) My soulmate is a libra, but my S.O. is a scorpio. We get along pretty well, but his secretive ways are hard on my openness and wanting to be "one" with someone (like I felt with my soulmate)... lol My scorpio love is surprisingly tender and gentle with me, which does my tenderhearted overly emotional Pisces spirit good...

Liberal Democrat - big surprise. :heh: What I don't understand... How is it that Republicans say they're republican because they're against big government - and yet, we have the biggest government EVER. Biggest deficit EVER. Are republicans really okay with spending 100 billion dollars overseas, but begrudge a helping hand to fellow less fortunate Americans? How many social programs for Americans could we have run with 100 billion dollars? I'm not for supporting anyone who can support themselves, but believe it or not - sometimes bad things happen to good people, and being on the down and out doesn't necessarily mean you did anything to deserve it. And if you did make a few bad decisions and you need a hand back up - I don't mind helping out. Heck - if people with degrees in finance can't keep the savings and loan atrocities from happening, how can we expect more from plain ol' regular folk??? Anyway, I'm confused about this D=bigger government assumption, because as far as I can tell, it seems to be just the opposite under the current R administration...

Being banded makes a difference like night and day for most people. Once that hunger and "endless pit" feeling is removed, you will probably be shocked at how easy it is. For ME, I know 100% absolutely positively that there is a physical component to my obesity that the band fixed. Because while I was banded I was finally at peace with food and hunger. Since it's been removed my physical symptoms have returned just like before. So being banded is completely different from not being banded - for most people.

I'm so dense I probably wouldn't have realized he was talking about my weight, particularly if his answer seemed earnest and helpful, and not snide. I would have thought he meant 35 would only be for someone really pushing the envelop, a real speed demon, and that I obviously wasn't one of those... ROTFLMAO

IAGVS Imagine a great voice silenced... FMIDI

Alexandra - I hate to break it to you, but you will NEVER be a "normal" person - you're just too extraordinary!! Congrats on your successful journey, and your positive outlook! xxoo Donali

Night person! First thing in the morning - pee or coffee?

FLOGS Fly low over golden skies. WYLMT

My S.O. is a paleontologist, so we fossil hunt regularly. We were driving north on the 101 and just about every other exit had a name, and then "Cyn" after it. I keep seeing this word "Cyn", and I'm thinking to myself, "Swan babies? Cygnet? Cyn, Cyn, Cyn.... What the heck could that mean??" Finally I turn to S.O. and say in exasperation, "Do you have ANY idea what the Cyn on the exit signs mean??" He looks at me weird, and says, "Uh, I think it means "Canyon"." :doh: We were, after all, looking for the Topanga CANYON exit!!! Here's MY sign... LOL

SPICY! Snakes or spiders?

I don't think anyone said they have all the answers. That's why people discuss things - to formulate ideas, touch base, rant, rave, gripe, moan, educate themselves... That's one of the great things about being able to think... Sharing those thoughts with others. There is only so much room for public officers - there is not a public office job for every person that has an opinion. That's what voting is for.

Kelly - What are your new letters?!?!

Emo - I'm so sorry you're in such pain. I can't believe your surgeon is so unconcerned. Okay, I believe it, but what a jerk! Anyway, you should definitely have the scope just in case, although if you've been having pain all along it's unlikely that erosion is causing it. However, if the pain is due to irritation from the band, it is possible that has made a weak place for erosion to start, so a scope wouldn't hurt, and would set your mind at ease on that part. What's your fill level like? I had a sharp pinching sensation a day or two before one of my fills, but luckily my doc is in the habit of letting all the Fluid out before putting any in, and that seemed to fix that pinching feeling, as I never felt it again. If you have some fill, you may want to try having some fill taken out, or all of it, to let the band be a little looser for a while and see if that helps. As far as your port pain goes... Is it really pain, or just discomfort when you bend or wear certain types of pants? Perhaps you just need a different surgeon?? What happens without the band? Well, everyone is different. I can tell you that I still have a narrowing at the top of my stomach which is enough to occasionally get "stuck" breifly (and painfully!), but not enough to affect my appetite. I have regained almost all of my weight, as my hunger returned a month or two after my band was removed. If I were you, I would definitely look for another surgeon - someone who shows a little more interest and care in how you're feeling, and can try and address your pain. Good luck!