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Chart Topper?

Riding home the other day, I heard that classic by the Bangles, “Walk Like an Egyptian”. As I sang along, getting stared at by the other motorists not hip enough to recognize my smooth steering wheel dance moves, I really listened to the lyrics, for the first time since I memorized them almost 30 years ago. I wondered if this song could chart the tops today? Let’s examine the evidence, shall we?

All the old paintings on the tombs
They do the sand dance don’t you know –could offend someone, though I don’t know what a                                                                                            sand dance is
If they move too quick (oh whey oh)
They’re falling down like a domino

All the bazaar men by the Nile–is this sterotyping, can’t have it, could offend
They got the money on a bet–is it legal? —Where exactly is the betting taking place?
Gold crocodiles (oh whey oh)
They snap their teeth on your cigarette–smoking is BAD, the worst thing you could ever do

Foreign types with the hookah pipes say–foreign types? —Nope, offend, offend, offend, and                                                                                                                              would hookah pipes be replaced                                                                                                                                by vaping?
Ay oh whey oh, ay oh whey oh–what do they have against whey?
Walk like an Egyptian-how does an Egyptian walk? —Could offend Egyptians at the very                                                                                                                             least, but others on their behalf.

Blond waitresses take their trays–why are they only blond? —Discriminatory hiring                                                                                              practices?
They spin around and they cross the floor
They’ve got the moves (oh whey oh)
You drop your drink and they give you more

All the school kids so sick of books–this would be apps
They like the punk and the metal band–not very representative of the wide array of musical                                                                                          genres 
When the buzzer rings (oh whey oh)
They’re walking like an Egyptian

All the kids in the marketplace say
Ay oh whey oh, ay oh whey oh
Walk like an Egyptian

Slide your feet up the street bend your back
Shift your arm then you pull it back
Life is hard you know (oh whey oh)
So strike a pose on a Cadillac–No clue what this stanza is about, were they high? Bad role                                                                            model, could influence our children to eat donuts (you know,                                                                        when the munchies kick in).

If you want to find all the cops
They’re hanging out in the donut shop–hello? Also, aren’t donuts on the “do not eat” list? 
They sing and dance (oh whey oh)
Spin the clubs cruise down the block

All the Japanese with their yen
The party boys call the Kremlin
And the Chinese know (oh whey oh)
They walk the line like Egyptian–this entire stanza would be deemed offensive and have to be                                                                          removed

All the cops in the donut shop say–back on the cops again?
Ay oh whey oh, ay oh whey oh
Walk like an Egyptian
Walk like an Egyptian

Well, I’m no expert but I don’t think there is a chance in h-e-double-hockey-sticks that this song could top the charts today. Thank goodness I grew up in the 80s.

Songwriters
LIAM HILLARD STERNBERG

Published by
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing

 

Every four years

It’s the end of the world as we know it. If I am asked what political party I align with, I will answer that I am an American. I have a little bit of democrat, republican, green, libertarian, socialist, and probably a wee bit of monarchy in my political ideology. I look at issues, take rhetoric from all sides with a grain of salt, and look to BBC and Japan Times for news to keep my perspective. I’m not perfect. No one is. Neither is our country. I do hope we remember that we’re still all in this together and in four years, someone else will drive people to Canada.

Some perspective on this year’s election results (links to the searches I used are included for those who enjoy fact checking).

2016

(CNN)It seems it’s not only celebs who are making plans to flee a Donald Trump presidency.

As Trump surged ahead in Tuesday night’s election, Canada’s immigration website crashed, posting a “500 – Internal server error” message.

Perspectives from the past:

Searched: Move to Canada because of Bush’s win

  1. How to Move to Canada If Trump Wins, By a Person Who …

    gawker.com/how-to-move-to-canada-if-trump-wins-by-a-person-who-mo…

    … I moved to Canada. Now, … I routinely threatened my parents that I’d move to Canada if George W. Bush was … By a Person Who Moved to Canada When Bush Won

  2. Americans Moving to Canada Spiked After Bush Won … – TIME

    time.com/4245100/move-to-canada-americans-trump-bush

    Number of Americans Moving to Canada Spiked After Bush Won … Many are nowthreatening to … The last time Canada saw an influx of Americans was in 2004 …

  3. Get informed! Explore the election

    News about Moving To Canada Now That Bush Won

    bing.com/news
    Planning to flee to Canada? Try accessing the immigration website first

    Planning to flee to Canada? Try accessing the immigration website first

    CNN · 4 hours ago

    “The Canadanow: DOW futures are down 750. The dollar is plummeting. And Canada‘s immigration website just crashed,” Nick …

    Moving To Canada Today? 5 Things To Know

    Moving To Canada Today? 5 Things To Know

    Patch · 11 hours ago

    So you’ve been saying for months that if Donald Trump won the presidency, you just couldn’t stand … Google searches for “How to …

    Are Celebrities Really Moving To Canada? 9 Stars Who Vowed To Leave Respond To Donald Trump’s Win

    Are Celebrities Really Moving To Canada? 9 Stars Who Vowed To Leave Respond To Donald Trump’s Win

    International Business Times · 4 hours ago

    More than a dozen celebrities vowed to leave the country if Donald Trump became president and now it’s time to see if they will … but they did …

  4. Americans threaten to move to Canada. Do Canadians Ever …

    http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2012/06/28/americans_threaten_to_move

    Jun 28, 2012 · Do Canadians Ever Threaten To Move to … The day after George W. Bush won reelection the CBC reported … “Threatening to Move to Canada” is …

  5. ‘I’m Moving To Canada,’ And Other Recent Overreactions To …

    http://www.mediaite.com/online/im-movingto-canada-and-other-recent…

    ‘I’m Moving To Canada,’ And Other Recent Overreactions To Political Events. … Canada. Anyone with friends … pledged to leave the country if George W. Bush

  6. Here’s why you won’t really move to Canada if Trump wins …

    https://http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/03/02/you…

    Yes Not now. It looks like you’ve … Here’s why you won’t really move to Canada if Trump wins … skyrocketed from an average of 20,000 per day to 115,000 the …

  7. So you want to move to Canada, eh? | PolitiFact

    http://www.politifact.com/…/article/2016/apr/28/so-you-want-movecanada-eh

    … actress Lena Dunham says she’ll move to Canada. … but if Bush won, they would move to Canada. … “You’re Not Moving to Canada: …

  8. When did most Americans search for ‘move to Canada‘? – BBC …

    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35706377

    … Americans were reacting to the outcome of voting by searching on Google for how to move to Canada. … Trump won their … the peak of George W Bush, …

  9. BTW, you can’t just move to Canada if your candidate loses …

    http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/btw-movecanada-candidate-loses…

    … I’m moving to Canada! … According to Google Trends, the search term “How to move to Canada” is quite active right now. Graham: … Jeb Bush). So Americans …

  10. Why you won‘t really move to Canada if Donald Trump wins

    http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-donald-trump…

    Mar 03, 2016 · Video embedded · … you’re going to move Canada, … Why you won‘t really move to Canada if Donald Trump … candidate either won or lost. In the event of a Bush

  11. Star Trek : snopes.com

    http://www.snopes.com › Fact Check › Inboxer Rebellion

    Did some celebrities promise to leave the USA if George W. Bush won the … people who say ‘Now we’re going to … Bush gets elected President, I will move back to …

    Search moving to canada now that obama won

     

  12. Republicans threaten move to Canada after Obama win – …

    http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/yourcommunity/2012/11/republicans-threaten…

    … <h1>Republicans threaten move to Canada after Obama win</h1 … threatened to leave the U.S if Obama won. http://pic.twitter.com … for now ‘Prancercise …

  13. Sorry U.S., the joke’s on you: Obama won‘t be moving to …

    http://www.torontosun.com/2016/08/12/sorry-us-the-jokes-on-you-obamawont…

    … U.S. President Barack Obama isn’t going to move to Canada if Donald … Obama won‘t be moving to Canada if … “Obama Just Said He’s Moving If Trump …

  14. 37 People Who Say They’re Moving To Australia If Obama

    https://http://www.buzzfeed.com/jwherrman/37-people-who-say-theyre-moving

    At least they didn’t fall for the Canada trap this time. … 37 People Who Say They’re Moving To Australia If Obama … The NCAA Wants Cities To Prove They Won’t …

  15. ‘I’m Moving To Canada,’ And Other Recent Overreactions To …

    http://www.mediaite.com/online/im-movingto-canada-and-other-recent…

    ‘I’m Moving To Canada,’ And Other Recent Overreactions To Political Events. … Canada. Anyone with friends … shores if Barack Obama won the Democratic party …

     Market will fall after Obama

    Market will fall after Bush

Future Paleontologist

So I read an article today about the earth’s CO2 levels. Apparently they usually drop below 400ppm by this time of the year. But this year, nope. So I talked with Older Son about it on the way to karate. We talked about how the earth has always gone through cycles when the atmospheric levels fluctuate, and rather dramatically. He rattled off different eras, Mesozoic, Devonian, stuff I can’t remember but my thirteen year old knows inside and out. 

We talked about the different ways humans have impacted the levels, sort of forcing a weird form of evolution. We talked about pollution, ways to control it. And we talked about proactive steps we can take, like planting species of flora that produce high levels of oxygen, like algae. 

Well, I touched a nerve. Older Son went on a five minute rant about the importance of algae and how stupid we are to kill it. He talked about how we should give up some of the prime beach and ocean spots for recreational purposes and have algae farms.

Really though, are the environmental scientists screaming about the end of the world at the hands of billions of humans talking with paleontologists, paleobotanists, to better understand the changes in the atmosphere since forever ago? We could proactively raise oxygen levels to counteract our CO2 contributions. 

Like snake plants, sometimes called mother-in-law tongue, produces high levels of oxygen, even at night. If you put half a dozen or so in each room of your home, you’ll have a natural air filter and better air quality.

We talked about the next great extinction and how it will probably be us. Long time from now, but still. And as I watched my favorite Paleontologist walk into karate, I wondered who the future paleontologists would be. Who would dig us up? What would they think?

​The cousin of my BFF/MOH wrote the following. It is what I think, feel, etc. And he wrote it beautifully. Thanks, Jim K., for letting me use your words when mine couldn’t get their act together.

“Ah, politics. Our emotions are shaped by the media we choose to consume with little pause for critical thinking. I find myself at a frenzy worrying what a Donald Trump presidency would do to America’s place in the world order and the unraveling of stability. Is this worry justified or is it an overreaction due to one-sided media in my feed? Similarly, the fevered cries to lock up Hillary Clinton look insensible to me. I can’t tell if they are deserved or just fanaticism because I can’t say I am honestly open. But neither are you, really.

Roger Ailes hurt the world with the advent in America of a televised one-sided propaganda outlet disguised as a news agency. But wasn’t the explosion of one-sided media inevitable once we all weren’t watching the same 3 prime time news programs? Jon Stewart and the Daily Show, Huffington Post, Vox, etc… these aren’t any less one-sided than Fox, Drudge and company. 

Swallow the red pill or the blue pill all day every day and pretty soon half of the people in America look idiotic, ignorant, or worse for not coming to the same obvious conclusions you are high on. 

If we wish to survive as a free and healthy society, we need to find ways to cure ourselves of one-sidedness in belief. Our Congress is broken because votes now are almost entirely along partisan lines. The unity needed to address our very real and pressing problems is scarce. There are political sides on all of mass shootings, terrorism, radicalism, police killings and retaliations, massive school debt, Middle East war and diplomacy, wall street corruption, underemployment, stagnant wages, climate change, and nuclear proliferation. We blame our politicians for being ill with our same delusions.  

I want out of this madness. I want a world where we acknowledge truth, and we look at problems from the perspective of finding solutions. I want a world where we reject irrational fear, lies, egotism, intimidation, bigotry, racism, sexism, and corruption. I want a world where we grant respect to people who think/feel differently. 

There is too much we can be doing to help one another instead. The cure for me is to focus on that and I suggest you do, too.”

Two Words

Perimenopausal constipation.

peri 1

 

All the crap we women go through in our lifetime. Bleeding every 28 days, with cramps and cravings leading up to it. Bloating at various times of the month. Some, like me, carry little aliens in us for nine months, skin stretching, hemorrhoids, cravings, heartburn, feet swelling, and in my case, puking the whole time. Then pushing the alien out of you courtesy of the mother of all menstrual cramps. Some, like me, may have then had an ovary removed because of a tumor. I have friends who had even more substantial surgeries and more complicated womanly paths to walk than me. Then hot flashes, weight gain, low libido, thinning hair, insomnia. All of that I could deal with.

Loved having my boys. Would do it again, even with the puking (because I am quite skilled at puking in a bucket in all situations, could list it as a “special skill” on my resume). I never had tough periods, didn’t mind the chocolate cravings (who would?).

Even the wonderful world of perimenopause has been manageable so far.

Until those two little words. Perimenopausal constipation. And this is why I am crabby.

wp-1462262031325.jpg

 

It has been exactly a year since Bear died. This is a different kind of new year. I have to move myself out of mourning. Each day I will have a Bear moment, doing something that makes someone feel special & happy for the time spent together.

I have to say goodbye to Wally. No more comfort eating.

Tonight as I write this there is a thunder storm. But we all know that’s Bear bowling in heaven. Of course he’s scaring the crap out of Rex, so I hope he’s on the tenth frame soon.😜

I love you and miss you, Bear. Thank you for decades of love & laughter. And for the traditions & memories.

We all know that I am missing Bearpaw something fierce this week. And we’re missing Older Son as he is at camp. I miss a good night’s sleep right now. I know exhaustion will eventually kick in. Meanwhile there’s mahjong. 

Only thing I’m not missing is Wally. He’s still here.

These last two weeks before the anniversary of Bear’s death feel much like the first two weeks after his death in that horrific car accident. Once again, the image of Bear when I identified his body haunts my days and nights. The memories of planning his service, communicating with the funeral home, cleaning out his car, comforting the boys-they are swirling in my head, seemingly 24 hours a day right now. Emotions about decisions beyond my control are swelling up inside of me all over again.

I’ve driven through the accident site several times now in my travels, and on the 16th I will drive through it twice. After the second time, we will continue to the cemetery to pay Bear a visit, tell him we love him and miss him. Leave some carnations for him to look down on and smile at.

I don’t imagine that life will resume normalcy without Bear on July 17th, having worked my way through the first year. I’m fully aware that life is forevermore different. I know he wants me to be happy, to not spend time missing him, but loving those around me. And I am working on letting go to do that more fully.

I lost a lot when Bear died, more than meets the eye. My family of origins’s dynamic went through quite a metamorphosis.

But…I have a deeper appreciation for my friends who are my family, for extended family. I have had reunions in the past year that I never thought would happen and have more reunions to look forward to in the coming months. I’ve made peace with many aspects of my personal history. I am exploring my early childhood that I had tucked away. While I do have many difficulties in remembering much from then because of the schizophrenia, it is neat to hear stories. Not that schizophrenia causes memory loss, I just didn’t pay attention to everything as well because of the delusions and hallucinations. It’s cool having gaps filled in.

Hubby, Sons, and I will be visiting New Orleans soon. I haven’t been there since the 70’s when my family moved from my hometown. I’m taking risks that I wouldn’t have before because each day is so precious and why spend each day tired, drained, frustrated? I come home from work now and I have energy to spare. I yell less (although the boys would disagree after the past few days, hence why I’m blogging first thing after work, to clear my head). Little projects around the house are finally being finished, some were started three or four years ago, others I just started because I finally finished the old ones!

It still hurts, I still miss Bear dearly, I still want one more hug from him. Still, I am learning how to tuck that away in my heart and to focus on my many blessings. To let go of things I cannot control. To set boundaries to end useless, painful cycles. To focus on the love surrounding me in so many ways. To be open and ready for the way family and friends show up when you didn’t even know how much you needed them.

 

We have one of the shortest nation’s histories around today. Not like some of the other countries (or cultures or religions). Yet we seem to take the least interest in knowing our history here in the United States of America than other countries. Now this is just my humble opinion based on multiple decades of observations, and perhaps I’m wrong.

But this supports my theory that overall, the typical citizen of USA, knows this much:

Now, I realize this is a small sample size, in one city in America, but seriously? Perhaps I am wrong, and if I am write a lovely, polite comment demonstrating my error. I don’t think I am that far off though.

My cousin gently reminded folks that the holiday is not 4th of July, that’s the date of the holiday. It’s Independence Day. Just think of the two movies if you get confused. And since a good majority (but not all Americans-sadly capitalism prevails) have the day off, pick up a book about America. Or search online. Hell, try Wikipedia, it’s a start. Try America (The Book) by Jon Stewart will get you to start thinking, in a gentle, unboring, non-history-class way.

Get some pride, America. Get involved. Look up who your actual representatives are and watch how they are representing you. We fought for this. We didn’t want taxation without representation, but now we’ve become a little lazy. I know mine-Senators Menendez and Booker, and my 3rd Congressional District 3 Representative is Rep. MacArthur. Within the state, I’m in District 8, Senator Addiego, and Assemblymen Howarth and Rodriguez-Gregg.

Go. Celebrate your Independence Day. Just do it the right way. Our country isn’t perfect, we’ve got a lot to fix, but you can only help do that if you at least know the basics.

 

Where’s Wally?

I realized that you might be wondering about Wally. He’s still here. I am pleased to tell you though that we’ve been working out together. I would say five days a week, we’ve intentionally tried to get rid of him.

The weird thing is sixteen years ago, I weighed more than I do now. And had for a number of years. I can’t remember how managed doing things back then. I can’t stand how this impacts me now, cut I don’t remember it interfering like this back then.

The trouble right now is comfort food. And with the emotional tsunami, I am indulging. 

But Wally & I are walking each day and then doing strength building stuff a few times a week. And other than the comfort food indulgence in a moment of weakness, overall my diet is the best it has ever been.

The BBQ this weekend probably won’t help.