WHITE RIBBON DAY

White Ribbon Day was created by a handful of Canadian men in 1991 on the second anniversary of one man's massacre of 14 women in Montreal. They began the White Ribbon Campaign to urge men to speak out against violence against women.












OUR STRENGTH IS NOT FOR HURTING

In 1999, the United Nations General Assembly declared November 25 the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW) and the White Ribbon has become the symbol for the day.

Black Friday

I'm not at all comfortable in a crowd, especially in an enclosed area and although I love a bargain, there was no way I would be battling the post Thanksgiving shopping rush/crush.

But the thought of purchasing recently released DVD's for $3.95 was just too much of a temptation; I would stop by Target on my way to work this morning. Which I did....

It was 6:20 AM as I entered the store and immediately noticed the lines at the registers were approximately 20 deep. I exited the store.

END OF STORY

As for the term Black Friday when referring to the Friday immediately following Thanksgiving, it's been noted that employees of retail stores have for years referred to Black Friday in a satirical way, to note the extremely stressful and hectic nature of the day. Heavy traffic and customer demands added to the long hours make it a difficult day.

Another theory is that retailers traditionally operated at a financial loss for most of the year (January through November) and made their profit during the holiday season. When this would be recorded in the financial records, common accounting practices use red ink to show negative amounts and black ink would show positive amounts. Black Friday is the beginning of the period where they would no longer have losses (the red) and instead take in the year's profits (the black).

I just had to look this up!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

When I informed the Pobble that I would once again begin blogging on a regular basis, I made the mistake of promising to blog daily until January 1, 2007. I also added, "if I miss a day of blogging, call me because there's something wrong".

I hadn't planned on getting the "cold from HELL"!

Monday at work, along with several of my co-workers, I became congested, chills, fever, etc. Two members of my staff went home while I decided to try to make it through the day; becoming more and more congested.

I arrived home, walked and fed the dogs after which I hit the bed. Blogging was the last thing on my mind.

On Tuesday morning, I received the following e-mail from the Pobble.

[You didn't post yesterday. Your cell phone isn't accepting calls and your home line is busy. I will try your work here in a bit.]

I immediately telephoned the Pobble to reassure her that I wasn't dead, just trying to recover from this nasty virus and much too weak to blog. I went back to bed, where I've been for the past two days.

Today, I'm feeling a bit better although still weak.

I remind myself that although I love the independence of living alone and treasure my privacy, it's times like these when it would be heavenly to have a live-in.

In the meantime, I thank the Pobble for caring.........

Making promises, keeping promises....

In order to succeed in 2008, Democrats are going to have to fulfill campaign promises made during the 2006 elections....

Congress needs a thorough cleaning; breaking the link between lobbyists and legislation with no new deficit spending.

The recommendations of the independent, bipartisan 9/11 Commission need to be implemented.

Raise the minimum wage and refuse to pass a pay raise for Congress until there is an increase in the minimum wage.

Make health care more affordable for all. Begin by fixing the Medicare prescription drug program, putting seniors first by negotiating lower drug prices.

Promote stem cell research to offer real hope to the millions of American families who suffer from devastating diseases.

Energize America by achieving energy independence. Begin by rolling back the multi-billion dollar subsidies for Big Oil.

Guarantee a dignified retirement by fighting any attempt to privatize Social Security.

It's easy to make promises. Keeping those promises just might be a bit more difficult.

Sprouting testicles is fine for the moment..... as long as we can keep them from "shrinking" back into oblivion!

When yes means no.....

Two weeks ago, I was invited to the wedding of a former staff member. The wedding is casual, no response required on the invitation. Most of my fellow workers were also invited and I happily informed them that I would attend.

Yesterday afternoon as they were discussing the wedding and plans to go out clubbing afterwards, I told them I wasn't sure of going. No reason, just that I would most likely not be attending. This did not go over very well.

The wedding is today and I have mixed emotions about not attending. I can think of many possible excuses, none valid. No one wants to hear "I just don't feel like going"; but it's the truth.

I have a very difficult time saying NO. When I say yes to a party invitation, the response is usually "great, looking forward to seeing you there"; but when I say no, I usually get something like "oh dammit why not... it will be fun, you'll have a great time" or most recently "you never show up for anything". This all makes me feel guilty; thus the standard answer: "Yes, I will attend, I'd love to go".

Of course now, I'll have to listen to my friends bitch on Monday morning......... and the standard "We knew you wouldn't show up!"

Which reminds me, also on Monday I will pay to attend the company Christmas Party. Oh, I know I said I would go last year but didn't show up but this year, it's a GO.

Or is it?

Welcomed Changes

I'm once again beginning to enjoy reading the newspaper......

Finally, we have good news coming out of Washington!

One day at a time, one step at a time.

Sen. Barbara Boxera one of the biggest environmental advocates on Capitol Hill, was named today to chair the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

Boxer will replace Republican Jim Inhofe, who calls global warming a hoax and wanted to abolish the Environmental Protection Agency created by President Nixon.

Democrats are expected to focus on cutting pollution that's blamed for global warming and speeding up the pace of toxic waste cleanup.

They're also expected to reverse tax and regulatory breaks for oil and energy producers and turning the government back toward stricter protections for endangered species.

It's time.......

Last Friday during my lunch hour, friends and I stopped by Bath and Body Works where I found a wonderfully scented body/hand lotion called Sensual Amber. I loved the scent and couldn't wait to use it.

Returning to work, I applied a generous amount of Sensual Amber to my hands and passed the desk of one of my staff. "How do you like the smell of my new hand lotion?" I asked. Her too quick response was "I smell cigarette smoke". UUGH!

I then began to wonder if everyone I come in contact with (non-smokers) can smell the tell tale signs of my cigarette addiction.

I don't smoke in my home because I don't want to expose the PUGS to second hand smoke, yet I'm perfectly willing to pollute my lungs. It makes no sense..... time to quit smoking again.

Every year, smokers across the nation take part in the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout® by smoking less or quitting for the day on the third Thursday of November. The event challenges people to stop using tobacco and raises awareness of the many effective ways to quit for good.

Today is the day. I'm going for it; one second at a time, one minute at a time, one hour at a time, one day at a time.......

It's time!

UP DATE

There was a time, not very long ago when I would post almost daily and then my world turned upside down. My mother's three month hospitalization, Daisy my PUG dogs' diagnosis of Canine Cognitive Dementia and attempting to establish some semblance of a relationship with a new friend drained me of most of my energy. I could not even turn the computer on much less read blogs, comment or write.

It has been the roller coaster ride from HELL!

On November 9, I read a post by my dear friend THE WORD GODDESS (aka The Pobble)who is seems was also having a difficult time blogging. This dear friend used the term "stuck-ness" to describe her inabiliity to post more regularly and vowed to begin blogging on a daily basis for the next 30 days. I loved the term "stuck-ness" and responded with my own vow to begin blogging today and to blog daily until January 1, 2007.

FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS!

HOME AT LAST......

After three months and one day in the hospital with what was supposed to be a simple hip replacement surgery, my mother is finally home! We spoke today and needless to say, both she and my father are much relieved. My mother will continue receiving in home physican therapy and nursing assistance until she is able to transfer to and from her wheechair and ambulate independently but we remain hopeful. The most important thing is she's home.

LOVE YOU......

Can anyone tell me exactly what that means? Last Friday, when I was leaving work Al said "Love you". After three months, this caught me completely off guard and my only response was "me too". Does that mean I love myself? If you love me and need to tell me so, please have the consideration of saying "I LOVE YOU" or better still, show me that love my by your actions. I don't need to hear the words.

I understand this may sound petty or worse still, harsh but I seem to be hearing this term (love you) used more and more frequently in casual conversation and even in multiple e-mails. It seems to have lost it's true meaning.