St. Patrick's Day Approaching Soon!

Oh my, it is the end of February and March will be here in a flash!  Time to make a toast to the Irish!  I do hope my cold and/or flu symptoms go away soon because I'm going batty with cabin fever.  I even had to cancel plans with a dear friend from out of town.  I would feel just awful if my friend and her family caught what I have.

Happy Green-Beer, Corned-Beef-and-Cabbage Day!   Okay, so the Irish aren't known for their culinary dishes.  I wish that I could find that damn pot 'o gold...but the leprechaun who guards it keeps moving it, so I'm told!

It's a bit o' the Irish. The traditions, customs, and history of St. Patrick's Day are explored. There's also a fun game for the lads and lasses! Today, the tradition continues with people from all walks and heritages by wearing green, eating Irish food, and attending parades.  St. Patrick's Day is bursting with folklore; from the shamrock to the leprechaun and to pinching those that are not wearing green.

Listen, I'm not Irish,  I won't be wearing green and no one should even think of pinching me on St. Patrick's Day!  Unless, of course, that someone is George Clooney......I would be honored to have him pinch me until I turn green!  I'd like to think George would appreciate the "Map of Italy" on my face!  LOL

 

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Mid-Nightingales!

My family and friends are aware that I suffer with insomnia and now to add to my already serious problem; I hear these freaking birds chirping all night long starting around midnight.  And it sounds like there are at least several distinct types of chirping.

These annoying birds are obviously perched outside my window at night comfy on one of the many trees out there.  I thought birds only chirped in the early morning hours and throughout the day!  Where did these birds come from that chirp all night long to annoy sleep deprived people like myself?  I wasted one good sleeping pill on these creatures that tortured me.  I tried to drown out the chirping noise by turning my TV on loud..........then the loud TV was keeping me awake..............Ugh!

Keep in mind, that all my windows are closed, the a/c is on 24/7 because I live in a warm climate and the chirping birds sound like they are in my house.  That is how loud they are.  I don't know how else to describe how noisy they actually are.

Last night might have been my worst attempt to sleep.  My sleep deprivation is due to a combination of so many factors I guess but now to add "Chirping Birds" to my problem is ridiculous!  I never heard birds chirping all night long before!  What is this? And, they chirp loudly and the sounds are from various type birds as all the loud chirps sound different.  I even walked out into my patio and I heard the chirps from all different directions.  Yikes!  Being invaded by these unwanted creatures at night.  I just want to sleep!  I was hoping that this was just a bad dream or something!  I finally fell asleep around 7:30 AM. then the phone woke me up at 10:00 AM.

Moreover, how has the chirping escaped my attention for all these years?  I certainly know that I would have heard this before because of my insomnia.  Do people know that there are birds out there that are chirping at all hours of the night?  I spoke with my girlfriend this morning and told her about it and she laughed hysterically thinking I must have had a bad dream or something!

So, I decided to do some research on this topic.  How??? By Google search of course!  I was so shocked to read that other people out there are complaining of the same issue...some from CA, CT, FL.   So, I'm not losing my marbles after all!!!!!!!

I will go insane if this chirping continues again tonight!  What is happening out there during the night????????

I need some sleep.

 

Feeling Under the Weather!

I caught some bug and I have been sick since last Sunday.....Ugh!  I've been doing that honey, lemon and brandy remedy for all of what ails you!

TV is now becoming boring so I searched my bookshelves for something of interest to read.  I don't recall purchasing this book of quotes or who might have given it to me to read.  I'm guessing I might have acquired it through a book swap.  Well, the author is Mayo Angelou and I do recall that Oprah once hailed her as one of the greatest voices of contemporary literature and an amazing Renaissance woman.

There were two quotes in the book that I stored in my memory bank.

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." 

When you leave people feeling uplifted, you will have made all the difference in the world don't you agree?

The other quote also fascinated me..."There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."

This author left me with the impression that she has a great mind!

 

 

Online Dating

Cyberspace is the hot and happening place to meet.  However, online dating can be equally frustrating when you realize you have wasted precious hours clicking on all the wrong profiles!  Learning the art of online dating to make the most of it is time consuming!  I considered myself  "search" savvy!  I certainly thought I was playing my cards right and accepting a date from a guy who is formerly from a city and state I grew up in!............From all our emails, we had a lot in common........so I thought.......Dah! 

You can become overwhelmed with the number of profiles popping up online. You can become plagued by all the wrong responses in your inbox? You need to devise improved search strategies! To begin with, "define" your date. What do you fantasize about your dream date?  I always go after my instincts.   He may not be my perfect dream date but my sixth sense was saying "he is the one!"  There is no universal formula to select an ideal mate. I did a certain amount of investigating before accepting this dinner date.  I later realized that my instincts were not in my favor this time.

He insisted that I select the date, time and restaurant.  I thought that was cool.  Being cautious, I suggested that I would meet him there.  All arrangements were made and the day and time finally arrived....he turned out to be a good looking gentleman, dressed impeccably wearing Armani but he did lie about his age by 15 years!  Then during conversation he proceeded to tell me that he is into nude beaches and that he is a Swinger!  Oh dear Lord!  He said that when he tells women this, he enjoys the expression on their faces and then they become curious and are willing to go to these places with him.  I just looked at this man and said "and what is my expression on my face telling you"?  What a #$%^& jerk!  And, I'm being polite with my words here!  LOL

When I arrived home after leaving rubber in the parking lot of the restaurant....I signed online and removed my profile from the online dating site.  I still believe in the old fashioned way of meeting people.  Yes, I love my computer but with the online dating site, it is merely just a bunch of lofty words...........and why do people lie about their age?  I'm not ready to be with a 75 year old man!  What is a man that age doing being a member of a Swinger's Club?  I know to each it's own but I'm an old fashioned lady and this threw me for a loop.  He could have saved himself a dinner tab and revealed this to me in an email well in advance of the dinner date.

Oh, I did receive an email from him when I got home and he said he was sorry if he offended me.  He knew I was straight as an arrow (his words). 

Well, my girlfriends enjoyed the story and we all had a good laugh but it was a waste of my time preparing for this date with the hair, nails, makeup....fussing about what to wear.......Oh my!

 

Tags: Online Dating!

Adding Music to Journals

I thank all of you for your instructions on how to add music to my Journal.  I have been following the instructions to a tee and no luck.  I was so happy that each step of instructions were quite easy to follow.....but the final click on Save....still no music....Ugh!

Feeling Lonely?

A friend of mine called and expressed how lonely she is.  She says this every time she calls.  No one should be lonely.  People are everywhere.  Why are we lonely?  Yeah, sometimes we miss a particular person.  Yet, sometimes we may be surrounded by people we have nothing in common with.....other times, there really are no people around.  

Alone and lonely are not the same if you think about it.  I have no problems being alone.  Alone means that I'm comfortable to do things with no one around.  Being lonely means that there are things in this life worth doing which can only be done when shared with another person and that person is no longer here.

The computer is like "Information" highway!  Allowing you to research just about everything possible.  The Internet helps relieve loneliness by giving us easier access to people we relate to but often that isn't enough, I agree.  Human interaction is very important and yet quite different than Email or Instant Messaging.  Even talking on the phone isn't the same thing as actually being with a person.

I do know what my poor friend is talking about.  The desire for physical contact...A TOUCH, A  HUG.

"Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all," is a common adage in some of our modern poetry and literature but I disagree with this conclusion. What you never experienced.....you can't miss it because you don't know what it feels like.

The loneliest feeling in the world is to have love then have it taken from you.

So I truly understand my friend's loneliness because I too, am a Widow and yes I have good days and bad days which can compromise life at any time.  But, I also know I can't always make their pain go away.  Sometimes, their depression puts me into a state of depression.  Yikes........it's like a ping pong game.....passing that same old feeling back and forth.  But we have to help each other when one is hurting...it's our nature to be kind and caring to our friends.  I'm blessed with wonderful friends.

My friend continued to express how alone she felt and she said to me "what am I going to do??....this Thursday will be Valentine's Day"????  I replied...."Valentine's Day is my Anniversary".  I think she got the message and stopped whining about being lonely because Valentine's Day is approaching!  Every day is for lovers not just Valentine's Day!

I feel the same way about Mother's Day.....every day is Mother's Day because my children make me feel so very special every day not just on Mother's Day!

So, you see Alone and Lonely are NOT the same in my book!

Meditation

I'm trying to teach myself to meditate.  I have such a hard time clearing my mind especially at bedtime.  I want to lower my stress and become more focused in order to stay positive.  

My girlfriend provided me with a CD to help me meditate.  Sometimes, I just can't sit still long enough to listen to the entire tape.  She thought it would aid me with my insomnia.

I also have purchased some books on meditation and took up Yoga, all with anticipation that I will get a good night's sleep.

I try to put positive thinking into action.  I always take the time to write a note or email expressing my gratitude for good customer service.  Of course, I also write when bad customer service is experienced and you are outsourced to India!!!  We all have experienced that ordeal.  But, I love making someone feel good and also notify their employer what a superb job the person has done.  That also helps that person when evaluation time rolls around and I guarantee a raise will be in store for that individual.

I try so hard to allow myself to become immersed in positive thinking, as I start to see it affect other aspects of my life, it makes me feel like a better person. 

 At a grocery store when you have a cart full of groceries and the person behind you has only one or two items you may find yourself saying, "please go ahead of me since you only have a few items" and that person's gratitude will make your day.   Today, this man behind me had a couple of items and one item was a bouquet of flowers he was purchasing for someone special I guess, after I allowed him to go ahead of me....he took out one long stem yellow rose from the bouquet and handed it to me with gratitude.  I was so impressed.  That made my day!

An act of kindness goes a long way.  Sometimes, we come across some really nasty people and it is so difficult to be kind to them....we all know what that feels like whether at a grocery store, in the office, on the road, at the movies, on the phone with customer service, etc.

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Super Bowl Game

A world championship was at stake for both teams this Super Bowl Sunday but for the New England Patriots, a win would bring the perfect season. Instead, the New York Giants played the perfect game and when the chips were down, it was Eli Manning, not Tom Brady, leading his team to victory.

People were screaming in my clubhouse because we lost our cable during the first half of the game...............Ugh!  We have a lot of New Yorker's here so I thought it best to watch the game by myself in my own quiet, comfy den.

Insomnia

For all you insomniacs out there like myself.....we turn on the TV with anticipation of watching perhaps a good movie and eventually fall asleep.....but no.....late night TV is just a mass of Informercials.  All you see is....... It cooks! It cleans! It zaps your flab! Do the latest TV gizmos really live up to their claims?  Doubt it.

Informercials sell a wide variety of products.  Paid Informercials can be used to sell everything from health and household products to "get rich quick" schemes and often feature endorsements by celebrities who were once popular.  The freaking sponsors want you to watch the show because you recognize the long-forgotten stars.  It's nothing more than an elaborately staged commercial.  The people that are looking to get out from under the harness of their day job and to get rich quick are usually sucked into these Informercials and pay through the nose to sign up.       What ever happened to good old TV shows that entertained you? 

I have tried eveything possible to fall asleep.....If anyone out there has some solutions...please let me know.  I've tried, herbs, prescriptions, warm milk, preparing the room for sleep, no TV, just everything!  I have read every medical article on this topic.  I'm going nuts!  I just don't know how to rest my mind and relax enough.

Today is Superbowl Sunday.........I'm not much into sports but I would place my bet on the Patriots because I'm a Bostonian!

Valentine's Day

Oh my....it's February already!  And, Valentine's Day approaching soon.  Since we've all been friends and/or related forever, I guess that means you're all my Valentine by default!  Our love and friendship is an inspiration for Valentine's Day that is duly noted.

All those red hearts are displayed in the stores to remind us of Valentine's Day.  Why do

we eat those nasty insipid heart candies with messages on them?  We, certainly do not like the taste....maybe we eat them for inspiration!  We send Valentine cards to family and friends that all say "Be Mine Valentine" with hugs and kisses.  Oh, and we can't forget the heart shaped boxes of chocolates...which we all can do without these days!

I was very curious about the person who invented these heart shaped candies so I did some research......I found out that for more than a century, the makers of NECCO Sweethearts Conversation Hearts have come up with some of the sweetest ways of saying "I love you." Every Valentine's Day... the company presents new messages on the tiny colored hearts that have been a holiday tradition since the Civil War.  Very interesting but I couldn't find out the name of the person who came up with the concept of these candies.

The florists will all be busy delivering those long stem roses and the restaurants will be packed with all the lovers celebrating the holiday.  I'm taking this opportunity to wish all of you a Happy Valentine's Day in advance.