Wednesday, January 19, 2011

To Tase or Not to Tase!!

I saw something on TV yesterday that made me think about Tasers again. I had thought about this before but until yesterday hadn't thought about it recently.

There had been a news article on TV a while back here where we live, that was talking about Tasers. 

As just a little background, Tasers are electroshock weapons that use electrical current to disrupt voluntary control of muscles. Per Wikipedia, "Taser International call the effects neuromuscluar incapacitation". Woo sounds bad.

I totally believe we need to use these. Da Da!! I watch Cops!!! LOL It seems as if sometimes that is their only choice, and it is better than shooting someone. Whether or not to use them really is not in question here.

My question is this. Did you know that in most police situations, at least from the information I saw on TV, which is all I have to base my knowledge on, is that in order for a police officer to be allowed to USE a Taser gun, he has to submit to having it used on him/herself?

First of all, while the Taser is not SUPPOSED to permanently harm, it has, as I have read, in some cases, caused permanent damage and even death. Unfortunate, but there are risks.

I just find it odd, that with the fact that the Taser carries risks, that you have to submit to the use of it on yourself before you are given consent to use it on someone else. After all, you don't have to have to be shot in order to use a gun.

I realize they want you to know what kind of pain you are dealing with, but you sure are not having to feel the pain of a bullet to know what kind of pain you are dealing with. Are you with me here?

Anyway, at this point, that is my stand. If anyone can explain why you have to have the Taser used on yourself before you can use it on someone else, let me know. I am still open minded about this; I  just don't understand the reasoning. Someone clue me in.

OK. That had been on my mind and I guess I have finally come to that decision about it unless someone else can elucidate for me. Not that what I feel changes anything, but I just like to get things settled in my mind about where I stand on some things.

Nothing going on here for sure. Just moseying along having a great time. Weather has improved somewhat. I think a little about the Ohio visitors loving this weather and I am saying I am COLD!! But good ole Jim reminds me that if I was coming from zero or below freezing temps I would be loving this, too. He's right as always!!!

Just finished a good book called The Justice Game, by Randy Singer. Excellent book about gun the control debate. He wrote the book because of a situation at the school his wife taught at and his children attended which had what could have been another Columbine. One lady had been killed and he had represented her family in the lawsuit against the gun store. This book was written seven years later.

He presented both sides of whether or not there should be gun control, all in a mystery type novel. He then put an online video showing the fictional case at the heart of this book and portions of the closing arguments for both lawyers. He asked viewers to watch the video and render a verdict. The verdict of the story reflected the verdict of the majority of the viewers.

A thriller of a book and a real eye opener. I thought I knew my feelings about gun control until I read this marvelous book. My views...while I won't say what they are...have change.

This is a great read and a real thought provoker. I highly recommend it!!

Well, I really have written a lot of feelings today. Guess that happens sometimes. Let me know your feelings on that Taser. I am in a need to know how you feel mood!!
Haven't scrapped, so nothing new on that front. Need to get busy and find some pictures!

Life is good. It's a great day. Enjoy!!

Back with my taters later.




Monday, January 17, 2011

And Then the Rain Came Down!!!

Oh  my goodness!!! Raining so hard. Has been since I got up and Jim says it is to rain for thirty-six hours!! We so need it, though. But we don't need gully washers like this. It is just going to roll off!!

I really do love rainy days. They eye doctor said it is probably because my eyes are sun sensitive. I don't know, everything always seems so clean and new when it rains and I love to hear the rain on our house. We have a metal roof and it is really loud but it sounds so pretty. You just have to crank up the TV if you really want to hear it clearly!! LOL Or maybe it is just us in our hearing getting worse. Nah. Can't be that!! LOL

I am so excited. My son, Brian, is a licenced massage therapist and he is trying to find a Reiki Master for me. This is a type of massage, I guess your would list it with that although it isn't massage. It is about realigning your body energy. It is supposed to help so many things in your health because it removes blockages because of stress. I hope I am explaining it right. But the guy he found to do it, he wants no other than a master, no longer is in Florida. But he is still trying to locate one. I am really excited about it. The hospitals are using it in the area and are having great help with it for cancer. I am hoping it will help with my MG and fibromyalgia!!

I want you to know I did yet another LO!! Yeah!!! Two in two days!! I am hoping I am getting back in the groove.

This is Morgan, Gloria's grand daughter. She has been dancing since she was in first grade. This is her performance in The Nutcracker with the Ashland (Ohio) Ballet Company last year. She is adorable!!! I am so proud of her even though I have never met her!! LOL I have done so many LO's of the kids of Gloria's kids, which I do know, that I feel like I even know THEIR kids!! OK. So I am a bubble or two off. I am comfortable there!

Click for larger image.

Not much going on today that I know of with all this rain. The morning is speeding by for some reason and we were up early.

Looking forward to my scrapper friend, Lynnie, coming down to Florida in a couple weeks. We met on Designer Digitals. She, too, lives in Ohio and I can't wait to see her and her husband, Dick. This time since we are not working we are going to spend some time together. This is the LO I did when she was down last year.

I have no sense!! Who would ever put a picture of themselves up like that without running it through Photoshop?  LOL LOL I guess I am just over that stuff. I am who I am. I earned those wrinkles so I guess I am going to claim them!! Besides, I don't look that bad for seventy-one. Right?

LOL I always add a few years. Well, until recently when I inadvertently forgot to do it! LOL Ah, old age, a wonderful thing...can't remember anything. But I really did used to do that. That way everyone thought I looked great for my age rather than saying, "Wow! Those kids have been HARD on her!!!" Made good sense to me. LOL

Well, lucky for you The Price is Right is on. Time to enjoy some TV with Jim. We have a simple life but boy do we enjoy it!!

It has been fun and will be back again. Enjoy your day. Smile. It makes life easier. Impossible to grump when you are smiling. I used to do that when I would get cantankerous customers on the phone at work. Never could be harsh as long as I smiled. Try it!

Take care all my taters.




Saturday, January 15, 2011

More Time Equals Less Time

Seriously. Now that I am retired everyone thinks I have so much time. It is just not true. I have less time!! Honestly.

And it is all because I have more time to do all those fun things that I had to put off before. I still don't do more of the mundane things like clean...what fun would retirement be to do that? But now I have time to actually watch TV...and lots of it!! I am a talk show, game show and oldie but goodies freak!! Bewitched, Andy Griffith, I Love Lucy, Daniel Boone...plus my very favorite that I didn't watch when it was current...MONK!!! Oh my goodness!! I have never been a star follower person, but I really would adore being able to meet Tony Shalhoub. I know that in his role on Monk he plays a compulsive person, but I have seen him in other roles and this man is the finest actor I have ever seen. He plays roles to perfection, without a doubt!!

I have time to do my stitching like counted cross stitch, read book after book on my Kindle that I got from Brian for Christmas, play computer and Kindle games and run around with Jim at a moment's notice. So see...having more time is actually having less time.

All my different playing around has also cut into my scrapping time. To top it off, I had lost some of the mojo at the same time. Here is a LO I just did about it!

Click on image for larger view

This is the only thing I have scrapped since Christmas or before, I think. Hopefully I am back at it again!!

I have to tell you, though, how much I adore my Kindle. What a wonderful thing!! Not only can I read on it but I can surf the net, too. And it is so comfy to hold and you can even read it in the blaring sun which will be great for at the pool this summer. Print too small? You can enlarge it!! As Brian said, "Great for old people!!" I think he meant us!! He got his dad one, too!! LOL

I can't believe how fast it will download books. I downloaded a complete Bible on it in less than thirty seconds!! How I love having my Bible on it. I can highlight and make notes on it without a pen and highlighter in hand. Also Jim and I are synced together, so that we can both read the same books and can see each others notes or highlights about them. It is just too, too cool. I LOVE it!!!

I do feel compelled to complain about the weather, though! COLD. Freeze warnings!! Today is the warmest it has been in weeks and it is 67. It should warm up but is still called to bounce around some more before it is all over!!

In true Ohio fashion, we have a ceramic goose in our flower bed. At the time, she has no adorable outfit on. They have all sun-bleached out. Just as a funny, I need to tell you the neighbor told Jim this morning that he had the flowers covered with sheets to keep them warm but left the goose without anything!! Jim said it was OK. She said she was just ducky!! LOL Oh well, I thought it was funny!

Just one more thing I HAVE to share. I just had my birthday. I got one of the best birthday presents evah!!! I was sitting in my recliner, no doubt watching TV, on my birthday and the phone rang and it said (someone's name which I won't say here of course!) was calling. I could not believe my eyes. It was my best friend Gloria from Ohio!!! We had not talked in well over 20 years!!! Remember, I told you we had been friends forever in Ohio and somehow had drifted apart, but reconnected this past year?? That was about the greatest surprise I have ever had!!! And it was if there never had been a break in the time. We just picked up where we left off. Her voice was exactly the same!!! Her giggle and everything. It was just super!  So I just had to share that. Talk about birthday joy!! 

I had planned on calling HER on Christmas eve and for some reason every time I thought about doing it, I  never could pick up the phone and do it. Now I know, God was saying not to call and spoil her surprise. How great was that?

OK. I am out of  here for this time. Closing I am posting a LO of our beautiful grand daughter, Siana. It was her thirteenth birthday last year and I wanted to put it down on paper. 
Love each of you for stopping by. Till later, my taters...