Saturday, November 3, 2012

Spring Forward, Fall Back GRRRRRRRRRR

You all know what tonight is, right? It is that horrible night when we all set out clocks BACK one hour. You know the night that screws up the sleep and medications schedules of the elderly? You know the most unnecessary task in the history of the world? Two O'clock AM Sunday morning get out of bed and set your clocks back one hour.

Today should be a fun day until I have to set my clock backs. Lunch with Mom. I already got the dinner cooked for the troops at Mom's. Teriyaki Chicken, Sweet Potato Steak Fries, Green Bean casserole, and a sugar free ice cream bar. After lunch I will set out dinner for the troops then head home to get ready for the 4:00 kickoff of the Oregon Ducks vs. USC Trojans football game. Biggest game of the year for the Ducks. USC is a great team that should challenge them. It is my favorite moment to sit in the recliner, watch a good game, and cheer. All the world's problems seem to go away.

Are you middle class? I thought I was, now I am not so sure:

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/11/02/pop-quiz-who-is-living-americas-middle-class-dream/?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-sb-nb%7Cdl30%7Csec3_lnk1%26pLid%3D22930

Don't let anything hold you back. That is what I took from the following article.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/01/connie-burczyk-rescues-drowning-man_n_2060209.html?1351891432&icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-sb-nb%7Cdl6%7Csec3_lnk1%26pLid%3D229515

Tomorrow is Sunday. Sometimes a day to ask for forgiveness. But should we forgive or is healthy to hold a grudge?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/15/when-to-forgive-martha-beck_n_1968639.html?utm_hp_ref=own&ir=OWN&icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-sb-nb%7Cdl16%7Csec3_lnk2%26pLid%3D228975

Comment Away.

4 comments:

Lady DR said...

I am so with you on the issue of Daylight Savings Time, as you well know. Couldn't we just "fall back" to what often was called "God's time," which is where we'll be at 2:00 am, and just stay there? All the original reasons for DST are gone, mute. Research has proven that changing times has numerous negative effects, from the ones you mentioned to stats showing increased accidents and misadventures. The whole thing requires the body to adjust its metabolism and body rhythms through arbitrary actions on our part. Just set the clocks and leave them the heck alone, please. (End of vent)

I'm not so sure about where middle class is anymore, either. Part of it is statistics used and part of it is semantics. If middle class income and "expected" need is based on a family of four, does that mean you cut it in half for a couple with no children? That doesn't work, because certain items - housing, utilities and such aren't likely to be half. For those with medical issues or aging issues, not going to be half. I realize they have to have bench marks, but I think they need to have categories. Then there's the issue of entitlements... what's considered an entitlement? I look at food stamps and AFDC and Medicare and the like as entitlements. Some say social security, but most folks receiving it have paid for it, paid into it, and if the fund had been left alone to grow, without being raped and pillaged, it would be more than sufficient. It's not so much an entitlement as a return on money invested (albeit by force). Medicare? Not sure, since we also paid into that, I think, and we now pay premiums. Unless my memory is faulty, employees and employers alike pay into unemployment insurance, unless they're self-employed (in which case they're not eligible for unemployment), so is that an entitlement, if it doesn't exceed the originally mandated period of time? I want a definition of what's considered entitlements.

Great story about the gal rescuing the guy from the river. Having lived in MN, I gotta tell you the water is danged cold at this time of year!

The grudge article again ties me up in semantics. A grudge is a feeling of resentment and resentment drains energy. I agree the personality types listed deserve to be carefully watched and one needs to be aware of their standard behavior, which can be harmful or hurtful or such. I'm not sure how to explain... holding a grudge is often more draining for the holdee than the recipient, because the person against whom you hold the grudge really doesn't have a clue, isn't going to change, so it has no real affect on them. I guess I'm more a believer in forgive the person and watch your back, be aware of the other person's schemes, tactics, whatever and protect against them. I'm not sure that's a grudge. Maybe more like forgive, but don't forget?

Hope you're preparing to enjoy the Ducks game, as I type. You deserve an evening away from the world. I just hope you held out some of that yummy dinner for yourself!

William J. said...

Hi DR

The two days of the year when they have the most accidents are the days they turn the clock forward and back. I am thinking about suing the stores that advertised they were opened for twenty-four hours yesterday because they lied to me. They were really open twenty-five hours.

I have a simple test to determine if you are middle class. If you can't afford to put food on the table you are poor. If you have to use tax shelters in the Cayman Islands you are rich. Everyone else is middle class. You nailed Social Security and Medicare perfectly. And unemployment also. My thing about unemployment is we all pay for it with higher retail prices. It is an employer tax not an employee tax so the employers recover their costs by raising their prices. We may not have paid into it directly but certainly paid for it through other means.

The rescue was amazing considering the weather the woman's limitations. Love stories like that.

I honestly didn't agree with the grudge article. I just know that when I hold a grudge it makes me very unhappy. I've always figured if I am going to keep someone in my head I am going to charge them rent for the space.

Bill




dona said...

Well I agree with the both of you on the Daylight Savings Time Change. I just don't care for it either, its funny as all growing up we did it and I can honestly say, it had no impact on me, Maybe I was busy doing other things, but since we stopped it for so many years it just seemed crazy to start it back up again.

Gosh Bill, your dinner sounded great, I haven't had green bean casserole forever!~ I don't make it, mom used to, and I have to ask, how are the sugar free ice cream bars? (Shankster says what is the point? :)

Middle Class? I am with you Bill, I always thought the same thing, but wow, Guessing I am downright poor, or below that, whats that called? All of those percentages shocked me. Guess I have been livin under a rock or something. And DR, you said it, SS or Medicare and entitlements, just what I was thinking but didn't know how to put it into words...

Grudges, Actually, I wasn't agreeing with the article at the beginning, but the more I read, I guess the more I understood. I also have a problem with the forgive and forget....I can, and Have forgiven, but the forgetting is hard for me, and I know you are supposed to do both, so am always in worry mode that I am in the wrong so often by not forgetting. I also agree, holding a grudge is thoroughly draining for me, I just cannot go thru it, therefore the forgive and forget, but cannot forget, see what my mind goes thru? :)

William J. said...

Hi Dona

I really don't remember the time changes having an impact on me when I was young either. But now I officially hate it.

The kind of sugar free ice cream bars we get are great. Everyone that has tried them, even the people that can eat the sugar ones, love them. They are rasperry swirls. I think it is a local brand name though.

I did feel poor after reading the article on middle class. However, I am going to keep trying to get people to believe I am middle class.

I really don't think you need to forget. Forgetting puts you in the position of being taken advantage of. Are you going to forget loaning money to any person that didn't pay you pack and then loan money to them again?

Bill