The New Viagra. The Rich And Famous.

The new Viagra:

http://www.slashfood.com/2010/01/29/pork-is-satisfying-sex-lives-more-than-viagra/?icid=main|htmlws-main|dl5|link6|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slashfood.com%2F2010%2F01%2F29%2Fpork-is-satisfying-sex-lives-more-than-viagra%2F

What are you cooking for the man in your life tonight:?

On to the next subject. According to the USA Today on Friday January 29, 2010 in an article written by Lorena Blas and Mary Cadden the top ten news makers for this month are as follows: (their score is in parenthesis)

Angelina Jole (858).

Brad Pitt (716),

Jennifer Aniston (555).

Kourtney Kardashian (335).

Tiger Woods (271).

Heidi Montag (221).

Elin Nordegren (216).

Kim Kardashian (204).

Charlie Sheen (202).

Brittney Spears (201).

Separate after a few years together, cheat on your wife, get a lot of plastic surgery, be married to a wayward golfer, beat up your wife, show some skin and you can make the list too! Personally, I would have liked to see George Clooney (put together a telethon for Haiti), Betty White (stole the SAG show), the famous dog rescuers, or anyone one of a hundred good newsmakers make the above list than anyone that did. Are we partly at fault? Would we rather read about the stars hurting themselves or others rather than good role model stories?

You can always read the USA Today's take on the entertainment world her:

http://www.usatoday.com/life/default.htm

Now that I've updated you on helpful bedroom news and the rich and famous it is your turn to update me. Tell me what is going on in your life. What tasks and events did you knock off of your to do list last week? What tasks and events do you have scheduled next week? Tell me whatever you want. If you want to share some news stories that are going on in your area, please do. If you would like to share some good pork recipes with me, by all means do so! It is your day on the blog so post anything you damn well please!

The Dangerous Dictionary?

Slowly getting in the frame of mind that I need to be in when I start my annual trek into the work force. I think I might even enjoy having a place to go. At least for a while. Usually by April 15 I am ready to go back to my two favorite occupations of educated bum and future lottery winner.

Today on the blog I am bringing two news stories to your attention for either discussion, ignoring, or head shaking.

First up is that the dictionary is warping minds. Did you know that? Schools in Southern California have banned Webster's Dictionary. Why? Because it defines oral sex. It just begs the question that if they banned the dictionary for that reason how in the world is their history class going to discuss the Bill Clinton Impeachment? You can read the article here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/jan/25/oral-sex-dictionary-ban-us-schools

Do you agree with the ban? Or are you on the side of the parent that was quoted in the article as saying:

"It is not such a bad thing for a kid to have the wherewithal to go and look up a word he may have even heard on the playground," father Jason Rogers told local press. "You have to draw the line somewhere. What are they going to do next, pull encyclopedias because they list parts of the human anatomy like the penis and vagina?"

I am on the father's side. Wouldn't finding that information in a book make it easier for the student to come home and talk it over with their parents? Or do you think the misinformation on the playground is the way to go? It also begs the question, is a fourth or fifth grader to young to have "the talk:" with?

Next up is to let you know that on February 9 from 6 A.M. to 2 PM you can have a free breakfast. Denny's is giving away their grand slam breakfast during those hours on that day. Read about it here:

http://www.slashfood.com/2010/01/29/dennys-to-announce-grand-slam-giveaway-during-super-bowl/?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl4|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slashfood.com%2F2010%2F01%2F29%2Fdennys-to-announce-grand-slam-giveaway-during-super-bowl%2F

While breakfast is one of my favorite meals I envision a line a mile long at most Denny's. While I might stand in a line that long for some things, like a winning lottery ticket or a date with Ashley Judd, I am not going to stand in line for what may be hours just to say I had a free breakfast. If I get an urging for the grand slam I will just pay the $4.99 or whatever the price is on a day when the sign as you come in the door says "seat yourself."

How about you? Standing in line for a free breakfast? Or wait until there is little or not wait and pay the full price?

Hope you didn't have to wait to long in line to get to the blog.

Beware Of Wonder

Two things that aren't real secret about me. I am compulsive and one of my favorite authors is Robert Fulgham. I start my consulting job next Wednesday. Being compulsive there is something about having a really clean house as I go off to work that just puts me in the right frame of mind. Yesterday, after two weeks of doctors appointments, business meetings, and celebrating my Mom's birthday I found the time to start the cleaning process. The way I clean it will take at least three days to do it properly unless I get sidetracked like I did yesterday. Then it may take a couple of months. As I started dusting a coffee table in the living room I found what my friend Larry calls a coffee table book. "All I Needed To Know I Learned In Kindergarten" by the favorite Robert Fulgham. The cleaning stopped and the reading started. I laughed and cried at the collection of short stores in "All I Needed To Know I Learned In Kindergarten." You will be touched when he writes of the trick or trick visitor he had right before Christmas dressed in a Santa suit. You will laugh until you cry when he writes about using battery cables to help a stalled motorist. I really don't have many requirements for the blog but I am instituting one requirement right now. Required reading for The Dahn Report is "All I Needed To Know I Learned In Kindergarten." You can either check the book out at the local library or order it at the following website. On the website you can also check out some of Fulgham's daily writings. Since I also did my laundry yesterday I appreciated his writing about laundry. You can thank me after you read the book!

http://www.robertfulghum.com/

Do we really make life more difficult than it is? Did we really learn everything we need to know about ourselves and getting along with others before we even started grade school? Directly quoting the back of "All I Needed To Know I Learned In Kindergarten:"

"Most of what I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandpile at Sunday School. These are the things I learned:

Share everything.

Play fair.

Don't hit people.

Put things back where you found them.

Clean up your own mess.

Don't take things that aren't yours.

Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.

Wash your hands before you eat.

Flush.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon.

When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.

Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.

Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.

And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK. "

Ironic or enlightening?

The Fact Checker

I received an email for Kaye this morning. Her mom passed peacefully in her sleep a little after four this morning. My heart goes out to Kaye and her family.

The Oregonian does a daily fact check on politicians statements. I tried find a link to their daily fact checking at oregonlive.com but couldn't. They title the segment "FACTCHECK: Your Report Card On Accountability." They base their articles Politifact.com which is a project of The St. Petersburg Times to help you find the truth in politics. Reporters and editors from the time fact check members of Congress, The White House, lobbyists and interest groups. They then rate their truthfulness, the lowest rating being "pants on fire" and the highest rating being "true." They also have a partly true, a false, and a mostly true among other ratings. Today's subject in the Oregonian's fact check column was Rush Limbaugh. Since I couldn't find a link to it on the Oregonian web site I went directly to politifact.com. Read the story here:

http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2010/jan/20/rush-limbaugh/limbaugh-claims-white-house-benefits-haiti-donatio/

Since I don't want to give you the idea that politifact.com is a liberal web site you can check out their site at the following link. They hammer everyone including President Obama. You can click on the truth meter to see who is lying and who is telling the truth. One of my favorite areas was "people." Click that on and click whatever person you want to check and if the person isn't listed separately click on "other people and groups."

http://politifact.com/

Does anything at the fact checking web site surprise you? Or are we just immune to politicians lying?

Role Models For Living & Marriages

I don't know how I feel about the following story. I know the woman is a good role model for having a dream and not giving up on fulfilling it. I wonder if the rule is that if you fulfill all your dreams and get everything that you want out of life that you lose the will to live it. I have so many things on my bucket list that I don't think that I will ever complete the list before I die. Maybe that is what keeps me going. Do you have a bucket list? You don't need to tell me what is on your bucket list, just tell me if you have a form of one. Do you think working towards fulfilling your dreams keeps you going?

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/dpp/news/national/100YearOld-New-Hampshire-Woman-Gets-College-Degree-Day-Before-She-Dies_22068008

Another good role model for me is Jeff Bridges. Let's take a moment to celebrate a good husband and a good marriage. Mark Sanford, Tiger Words, John Edwards et al cheating husbands seem to get the press but let's join the following web site in saluting Jeff Bridges for the moment he gave his wife and for Susan Bridges for her classic comment, "He was fun, I was constant."

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/01/26/jeff-and-susan-bridges-a-swooning-moment-at-the-sag-awards/?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl5|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.politicsdaily.com%2F2010%2F01%2F26%2Fjeff-and-susan-bridges-a-swooning-moment-at-the-sag-awards%2F

Do you think most wives would swoon at the way Jeff Bridges treated his wife at the SAG awards? I think that is just how a man should treat his wife. Thanks to Jeff Bridges for teaching me that.

Tax Preparation & Censorship

First, Kaye wants to thank all of you for your good vibes, good thoughts, and prayers. Her Mom is still hanging in there but Hospice started morphine yesterday and all the siblings are meeting with their Mom this afternoon. I know my heart goes out to Kaye and her family through this difficult time. Having been there with my dad I know how difficult this process can be. Kaye is one strong woman to handle it as well as she has.

On to a better subject. While I am still having trouble seeing until my eyes return to normal size I had my annual eye appointment this morning. No change from last year. Healthy eyes. No prescription for new eye glasses needed. My eye doctor knows me well as he gave me a copy of my last eye glass prescription "in case I lose my glasses." My reputation obviously preceded me. Now if I can just stay out of the blinding sun until that stuff they put in your eyes finds it way out of them.

Next is public service information from my blog. Here is a really good article about not only how to choose a tax preparer but also at the end of the article is additional information about schemes to look for and not be a part of:

http://smallbusiness.aol.com/article/_a/tips-for-picking-the-right-tax-preparer/20100112173809990001

If any of the readers and/or posters have a question about taxes or the above article I will do my darn best to answer them. Because often each taxpayers situation is unique I may not be able to answer some questions, however, I will do my best to guide you in the right direction.

Next up is what is turning out to be a controversial super bowl ad staring college football star and former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow who was known for his strong religious beliefs when he was the University of Florida's starting quarterback. The ad is sponsored by Focus On The Family and features Tebow's Mom. A national coalition of women's groups has written to CBS asking them to drop the ad. A letter that The Women's Media Center sent to CBS is quoted in the article as saying:

"By offering one of the most coveted advertising spots of the year to an anti-equality, anti-choice, homophobic organization, CBS is aligning itself with a political stance that will damage its reputation, alienate viewers, and discourage consumers from supporting its shows and advertisers,"

My take on the ad is to let it run. I don't agree with either the organization paying for it or their stances but I like censorship less. My solution would be to run the ad but allow The Women's Media Center to pay for an ad to run right after the ad in question with their position on the issue.

Where do you stand? Let the ad run? Stop it? What is more important to you censorship or the issues? I keep thinking of the phrase, "I don't agree with you but I will fight for your right to express your opinion."

Read the full ad here:

http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2010/01/26/womens-groups-want-cbs-to-drop-tim-tebow-super-bowl-ad/?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl5|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fbackporch.fanhouse.com%2F2010%2F01%2F26%2Fwomens-groups-want-cbs-to-drop-tim-tebow-super-bowl-ad%2F

Sports & Entertainment

Today it is a sports and entertainment summary. Bowling, Figure Skating, Football, and The Screen Actors Guild awards.

First, let's all congratulate Kelly Kulick of Union, New Jersey! Who is Kelly? This weekend she won The Professional Bowlers Association Tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada to become the first woman to win a tournament on the men's tour. She defeated male Chris Barnes 265- 195 to win forty grand.

Second, another big shout out to U.S. National Women's Figure Skating Champ, seventeen year-old Rachael Flatt. Let's not forget runner-up sixteen year-old Mirai Nagasu. The two young women will represent the United States at next month Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Third, in two weeks the super bowl will feature the Indianapolis Colts vs. New Orleans Saints. This will be the Colts second appearance in the super bowl in the last four years. This is the first time ever that the Saints have been there. When you think that it wasn't so long ago that the Saints didn't even have a home because due to Katrina their home stadium wasn't inhabitable because water leaks. Now the city, the stadium, and the football team have resurrected from ruin to not only stability but to the forefront!

Next is the Screen Actors Guild Awards. I can summarize why I like award shows in two words. Betty White. She received the Screen Actors Guild Award for Lifetime Achievement. It was the highlight of the fast moving two hour award show. In a bit of unselfishness Sandra Bullock was chosen to introduce Betty White. Some actresses have been known to turn down the extra work preferring to revel in the glory of their own evening nomination. After a summary of the winners I will post a link to the video of Betty White's acceptance speech. It is a little over eight minutes but well worth the time!

The Screen Actors Guild Winners:

TELEVISION:

Comedy Show - Glee

Drama - Mad Men

Best Actor Comedy - Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock

Best Actress Comedy - Tina Fey - 30 Rock

Best Actor Drama - Michael C. Hall - Dexter

Best Actress Drama - Julianna Margulies - The Good Wife

Best Actor mini-series - Kevin Bacon - Taking Chance

Best Actress mini-series - Drew Barrymore - Grey Gardens

MOVIES:

Movie - Inglorious Basterds.

Best Actor - Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart

Best Actress - Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side

Best Supporting Actor - Christoph Waltz - Inglorious Basterds.

Best Supporting Actress - Monique - Precious


Lifetime Achievement Award - Betty White

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/24/betty-whites-sag-tribute_n_434616.html

Just a few words. SAG is my favorite awards show. I like the pace of it and that it is done in two hours. Helen Mirren chose the wrong dress, it was awful. Ray Romano dressed weird, should have gone with a tux or nice suit. Kevin Bacon looked better than he did at the Globes. Drew Barrymore is just weird. She needs to work on her acceptance speech. I loved the good nature ribbing between Betty White and Sandra Bullock. Chemistry there. George Clooney can at time be over the top but I appreciated his comment that he once was a guest on The Betty White show and he appreciated her discretion. One of the best lines of the night.


Are you looking forward to the Olympics? Yes. What is your favorite Olympic event? Figure Skating and Ice Dancing. Looking forward to the Super Bowl? Yes. Who will you root for? Saints. What is your favorite television show? Drama, Flash Forward. Comedy, Two And A Half Men. What was your favorite movie in the last year? The Blind Side, Invictus, and 500 Days Of Summer.

Issues & Updates

Do you have an issue? An issue that would make you drop everything you are doing right now to focus on that issue? Quit a job to work for a charity? Quit a job to start a charity to help find a cure for a disease?

I don't think I've ever had an issue that strong and maybe that was what was sometimes missing from my life. Maybe it is what is missing from my life now. John Crowley's issue was pompe disease. Learn about the disease here:

http://www.pompe.com/en/healthcare-professionals.aspx

The movie Extraordinary Measures is directed by Tom Vaughn (What Happens In Vegas) and stars Harrison Ford as eccentric Doctor Robert Stonehill, Brendan Frazier as John Crowley, Keri Russell as John Crowley's wife. Scene stealing supportive performances by the relatively new Meredith Droeger as the young Meghan Crowley suffering from the pompe disease and Jared Harris (Mad Men as Lane Pryce) as the sometimes heartless Dr. Webster. The movie is expertly filmed in Portland, Oregon. The Seattle Labs in the movie are really the Nike Campus in the suburb of Portland, Beaverton. The movie is probably a little to short with a run time of one hundred and six minutes. Let's get the bad stuff out of the way first. There is absolutely no chemistry between Ford and Frazier and Ford's performance is half-hearted at best. Frazier does give a good performance as does Keri Russell. Although this wouldn't be my highest rated movie and is probably more along the lines of a TV movie instead of a big screen flick I liked the movie because of what I learned from it. I didn't have a clue about what Pompe disease before the movie. Nor had I ever heard of Dr. Stonehill or John Crowley and his family and how the two of them worked so hard to make make strides in finding a cure for the disease. I did know from my once position as an executive for a dental manufacturing company how damn hard it is to get a drug from the lab to the drug stores. I did also suspect that the want to make a profit often stymies human efforts. While I will only give the movie three footballs (one for Meredith Droeger, one for Frazier, one for Jared Harris, one for Russell, one for showing Portland in a good light but then I would take away two footballs for the lackluster performance by Harrison Ford) I will recommend it for what you can learn from it. My take away from it was not only knowledge about pompe disease but wakeup call that I need an issue.

Now on to Update Day. I pretty much have kept you up to date on things going on the last week on a daily basis. Yesterday Mom and I had a great lunch with our cousins, Don & Belva, from Albany. Great conversation, great food. On the agenda for next week is on Monday another freaking birthday lunch for Mom, Tuesday my annual eye appointment, Wednesday is the pre-tax season meeting at the firm I am going to work for, and Thursday is the regular appointment for Clara, my car. Today I am going over to watch the Saints-Vikings game with my brother-in-law.

The blog is now yours. What are the issues that would make you focus your whole life that issue and let everything else in your life stop? Do you have one? Do you even want one? Ever had one? Also let me know what was on your plate last week and what is on your plate next week? As always since it is your day on the blog you can post anything you damn well please or ask any question that wish to ask!

Rants & Rescues

First we need to send our love Kaye's way. I got an email from her yesterday. Quoting her: "Mother hasn't had any food other than a couple of bites of jello a day for the past 3 weeks and I am surprised she is still with us." I know at some point all of are going to face or have faced similar issues. My heart just tugs for her and her family. Any vibes or good thoughts or prayers that you can send Kaye and her family's way I would certainly appreciated.

Next on the blog is a chance for you to get McTicked:

http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/01/17/teens-charity-name-draws-the-mcire-of-mcdonalds/?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl5|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.walletpop.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F01%2F17%2Fteens-charity-name-draws-the-mcire-of-mcdonalds%2F

Doesn't it seem a bit much that a corporate giant is going after a charity that has done nothing but good work and named the charity based on her own name? Or do you agree with the corporation that they have to protect their trademark? Did the young woman choose the name of her charity because of the popularity of the corporate name?

My take is that the only ones that are benefiting in this ridiculous argument are the attorneys. Seems that the five grand that the young lady had to spend on attorneys would have been better spent for either Special Olympics or Haiti Relief. What side are you on? Hers or or the corporation?

On to the good story. Well, not a story but a video. Pat probably already has seen this rescue a thousand times but it is such a heartwarming story. The fireman was bit, did suffer some injuries, but I think has been released from the hospital. He was quoted as saying he didn't really have time to make friends with the dog and the dog was just doing what scared dogs do. Good for the fireman. I hope they are able to reunite the dog with his family.

What do you think of the rescue? A waste of resources or an act of heroism? I am going with heroism.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaEU3kPlCdw

Tomorrow on the blog is the day for your update. I am also going to write about Pompe Disease and the movie Extraordinary Measures. Today it is lunch with cousins, sis and her husband, and Mom. Tonight it is the SAG awards. Tomorrow it is GO SAINTS. Hope this is a relaxing and rewarding day for you.

Hugs Dona, Jobs, Chaos, & Conversation

First, let's send some love Dona's way. She and The Shankster lost their beloved dog, Elvis, about a week ago. Losing a pet is damn hard. It is like losing a family member. My heart just goes out to Dona and her family.

Second, my start date for my consulting job is February 3. That means my life gets busier and I might not be able to do a daily blog post. I will promise you a post every other day. I will try very hard to do a daily post but work and health will have to take a priority over blog entries for just a short period of two months. I want to continue my walking during the two months. I stopped the walking last year when I started the jobs. Big mistake. This year I will do a couple of projects on my own, work for the guys that bought my business, and the job that starts the third. With sis here I won't have to do as much elderly care as last year but one day a week I want to take mom out for lunch. Throw in sleep and walking and the blog may end up taking it in the shorts. I am asking for your patience. Or if any of you feel motivated I would love it if once in a while you would step in with a post of the day!

Third, if you know me well then you know that I am a pretty supportive dude of women doing good things. Well, actually I am supportive of either men or women doing good things. Although I don't fit the following blog's demographics it is still one of my favorite blogs:

http://chaoschroniclesbyliandolan.blogspot.com/

The hostess of the blog is Lian Dolan. She also does a weekly Podcast. She is a wife, mother of two boys, author, former radio hostess, and a myriad of other things. One of her trademarks is a terrific sense of humor. Although the blog is mostly for Moms and women I learn tons from both her Podcast and her blog. Right now there is a contest going where you can vote for the top fifty Mommy blogs. I would like to put The Dahn Report Family behind The Chaos Chronicles and help get her into the top ten. Right now she is at thirteen. So if you have the time go to the following site and click on the "like" button next to "The Chaos Chronicles." It would be greatly appreciated.

http://www.babble.com/babble-50/mommy-bloggers/nominate-a-blogger/index.aspx

Lastly, today's topic for discussion is conversation. Daniel Menaker, author of the just-released A Good Talk: The Story and Skill of Conversation (TwelveBooks, $20) is quoted as saying:

"I believe that every time people talk together in a social and mutually gratifying way, the world becomes a better place."

Craig Wilson in The Final Word column in The USA Today on last Wednesday asks the question, has technology caused us to lose the art of witty and rewarding conversation? Has texting, instant messaging, blogs, cell phones, and other forms of technology pushed actual live conversation in the background? When is the last time you sat down for lunch or a cup of coffee and talked over life with a friend or relative?

Do you agree with author Daniel Menaker that conversation makes a better world? Do you also agree with Craig Wilson that witty conversation is quickly becoming a lost art?

You can read Craig Wilson's take here:

http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/finalword/2010-01-20-final20_ST_N.htm

As always I am looking forward to your take.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Some of us have a mutual friend, Cathy, that is known for extending her birthday to weeks on end. This year I think my Mom beats even her in extending a birthday. Mom's birthday celebration started last week with a visit from long time friends from Idaho. It will continue through Monday when some of Mom's local friends take her to lunch. In between some great cousins are taking her to lunch on Saturday. Today is Mom's actual birthday. I am taking her lunch and playing a game of Scrabble with her. Then tonight sis, brother-in-law, and I are taking her to dinner. I'm really glad that this birthday has been so special for my Mom. Once your mom gets into her nineties there are no guarantees that this won't be her last. A stark reality. A difficult reality but a reality all the same. This birthday has been really special for Mom. I'm grateful for everyone that has made it that special!

No testimonials today but the card I got her says it all:

"Family is much more than a word - it's a feeling of warmth and love that neither time nor distance can diminish. We've changed a lot through the years, Mom, so have things around us, but one thing will never change - that's the love between us and the special closeness we share. You'll always be special and important to me."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM. THANK YOU FOR MAKING ME THE MAN I AM!!

Now on to other things. In the post "Dead Flowers And Dead Weight" a new poster, Rose, posted a very nice message. If you want to welcome her to the blog please go to that post and do so!

on my Mom's birthday I want to share a good story. This is the way a man should treat a Mom. Even if it isn't his.

http://travel.aol.com/travel-ideas/articles/good-samaritan-steps-at-airport?ncid=AOLCOMMtravdynlprim0770&icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl4|link3|http%3A%2F%2Ftravel.aol.com%2Ftravel-ideas%2Farticles%2Fgood-samaritan-steps-at-airport%3Fncid%3DAOLCOMMtravdynlprim0770

Finally, the item for discussion today is divorce registries. The new trend is creating a divorce registry for one or both parties going through a divorce. Is that a celebration of a failed marriage? Or is it practical help for someone that may not have all the stuff he or she needs to start a new life? Good idea or bad idea? Read the article here:

http://www.luxist.com/2010/01/19/debenhams-creates-divorce-registry/?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl2|link6|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.luxist.com%2F2010%2F01%2F19%2Fdebenhams-creates-divorce-registry%2F

DMV

Three letters that strike fear in many. Three letters that gives people the image of non-caring, lazy government employees just there to fill out the day. Well, that stereotype certainly didn't hold true today.

Mom's license expires tomorrow. We needed to renew both her handicap certificate and get her an id card since she doesn't want to drive anymore. We got to the DMV at eight this morning. At one past eight a really nice gentleman helped us. He treated Mom with the utmost of respect. Looked at Mom's papers, got them in order, and told us we also needed Mom's birth certificate. We had to go to the bank when it opened to get the birth certificate. However, the nice gentleman did a couple of things so when we returned it would go really fast for us. He gave mom her eye exam, which she passed. He then entered the results of the eye exam into their system so when we returned one additional step would be saved. Then he gave us a get out of jail free card for when we returned. The card basically allows you to go to the front of the line when you return. Rather than pull out a service number you become the next person helped. We left and run a couple of errands to wait for the bank to open. I was pretty sure Mom's birth certificate wasn't going to be there. Mom said it would be, she knew she had it. I'm thinking, nope we are going to have to write Montana. I went into the bank, got the safe deposit box and went through it. My birth certificate was right on top of all papers. At the bottom of the papers was Mom's birth certificate. I was stunned. We went back to the DMV. We were able to stand in a box. It was an area on the floor painted yellow. If anyone stands in that box they get helped next. A really nice lady called us immediately, asked for the get of jail card. She put everything together. Took Mom's check for forty bucks and sent us over to the photo area. Everyone has to have a photo taken. They won't use the old one. The lady taking pictures there was also great. The third one in a row at the DMV to treat Mom with the utmost of respect. She had a great sense of humor and like the other two DMV employees was very efficient. Because we had to go to the bank to get the certificate and make a copy of it the DMV excursion took most of the morning. However, I am betting that we were at the actual DMV office less than an hour.

As to other customrers there? They were great too. A couple of high school aged African-American kids held the door for us as I pushed Mom through the door. They weren't at the door either. They were seated a bit of a ways from the door but got up and came over to the door to help. I often complain about how some teens are poorly mannered. Not this time.

Having you ever dreaded going somewhere thinking it would be a terrible experience only to have it turn out one of the nicest mornings you have had in a while? Even Mom said afterwards, "I hate to say this, but that was fun!"

Marry Me Or Run From Me?

Not a lot of time for an entry this morning. Off to the all day seminar that is about an hour drive away. Wish me luck that I can pay attention and stay awake all day. Responses to today's comments won't be until after six tonight.

According to the following article it is now more financially beneficial for men to get married than it is for women to do the same. Great, another reason for a woman to run screaming from me.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100119/ap_on_bi_ge/us_marriage_economics

Speaking of women here is today's everyday hero:

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/margie_boule/index.ssf/2010/01/after_60_years_beaverton_woman.html

Are you surprised by the progress women have made over the past few years? Since their income is still only 77% of men for the same job is there still a ways to go? Do you think your single women friends now will be less likely to marry at an early age then they were before? And what do you think of the women that got her college degree after a sixty year wait?

Award Winning Style

I suppose I could say that I was celebrating Martin Luther King's birthday by putting black and white together. That, however, wouldn't be the truth. I could maybe say I was starting a new trend in men's style. That neither would be the truth. I got a late start this morning and punctuality is high on my list. So I hurried. I dressed really fast. I dressed in the dark. When I got to Mom's I looked down and had two different shoes on. The foot doctor is close to Mom's and if I went home to put on the right combination of shoes we would have been late to the doctor. I asked Mom if she would be embarrassed if I went to the doctor as is. She thought it was hysterical. Off we went to our appointment which we made with three minutes to spare. The doctor's wife is his receptionist, I confessed to her what happened. The doctor overheard. They both laughed. I did tell them that I had a pair of shoes just like the ones I was wearing at home. After our procedures I dropped Mom off at her house and came home to properly dress. What would you have done? Would you have went home and changed your shoes and been late? Or would have you done the incurable doofus thing and showed up in a stunning new style? What would have been more important to you, being dressed properly or being on time?

The Golden Globe Awards were on last night and for the first time we on the West Coast got to see the award show live! Ricky Gervais was the host and he did a credible job. He took some pretty good shots at Mel Gibson and Angelina Jolie. I had eight right and seven wrong on my predictions. I have to ask how in the heck does a movie like The Hangover win an award and an incredible movie like The Hurt Locker get shut out?

Other thoughts. Jeff Bridges deserved his standing ovation. Meryl Streep was as classy as ever. Mo'Nique was very gracious. Robert Downey, JR has come a long ways. He was given a second chance and ran with it. Kevin Bacon didn't look all that well. A big cheer for Michael C. Hall and his battle with cancer. Drew Barrymore acted and dressed a little weird. Who chose Chloë Sevigny's outfit? Fire him or her. Jason Reitman gave a humbling and classy speech. John Lithgow is always professionally understated for a man of his talents. And lets see a lot more of Christoph Waltz. Finally let's all celebrate that two women over forty got best actress awards! Way to go Meryl and Sandra!!

Did you watch the Globes? What film got shut out that you thought should win?

A list of the awards:

FILM

Best motion picture, drama: "Avatar"

Actress, drama: Sandra Bullock, "The Blind Side"

Actor, drama: Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart"

Best motion picture, musical or comedy: "The Hangover"

Actress, musical or comedy: Meryl Streep, "Julie & Julia"

Actor, musical or comedy: Robert Downey Jr., "Sherlock Holmes"

Actress, supporting: Mo'Nique, "Precious"

Actor, supporting: Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds"

Animated film: "Up"

Foreign language film: "The White Ribbon"

Director: James Cameron, "Avatar"

Screenplay: Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, "Up in the Air"

Best original score: Michael Giacchino, "Up"

Best original song: "The Weary Kind," "Crazy Heart"

TELEVISION

Best series, drama: "Mad Men"

Actress, drama: Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"

Actor, drama: Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"

Best series, comedy: "Glee"

Actress, comedy or musical: Toni Collette, "United States of Tara"

Actor, comedy or musical: Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"

Best miniseries or motion picture: "Grey Gardens "

Actress, miniseries or motion picture: Drew Barrymore, "Grey Gardens"

Actor, miniseries or motion picture: Kevin Bacon, "Taking Chance"

Actress in a supporting role: Chloë Sevigny, "Big Love"

Actor in a supporting role: John Lithgow, "Dexter"

Dancing On Tables.

This is the day you update me on your life and tell me not only what went on in your life last week but also what is on the agenda next week.

I filled you in on my life yesterday with the reunion report but I did forget to mention that I learned something about Mom that falls under the category of I am glad I didn't have the information before now. Maxine told of the time that she and Mom danced on a table at a restaurant. I am still trying to picture my Mom doing that and I really can't fathom my Mom up on a table dancing. The secrets these two women hold!!

Has life ever got busy for me. First the reunion. Tonight is The Golden Globes. Then on the agenda for next week is taking Mom to the foot doctor tomorrow and while there is my semi-annual minor foot surgery. Tuesday I have an all day seminar. It is one that I can't sleep in either because the firm that I am going to work for paid for it. I've actually got to listen most of the eight hours. I'm not sure I can do that but then I wasn't sure I could handle Mom dancing on tables. Wednesday is taking Mom to the DMV to renew her handicap certificate. No doubt a couple of hours if we are lucky. Thursday is Mom's birthday. I know there will be some plans there. She wants dinner and a movie for her birthday and that is what I am getting her. Friday it is taking my Mom to the eye doctor. Saturday my favorite cousins are coming up from Albany to take, Mom, Sister, Sister's husband, and yours truly to lunch for Mom's birthday. I have one other thing on the agenda, I just don't when we will fit it in but Mom's friend Marion and her husband, Rod, want to take Mom to dinner for her birthday. I have to call them later today. I'm thinking maybe I'll convince them to do it the following week!

Just a very touching story about Haiti before I turn the blog over to you. Two young University of Portland graduates were in Haiti for The Friends of Orphans when the earthquake hit. Rachel Prusynski and Molly Hightower were in the same building at the time of the earthquake. Right before the quake hit Rachel had to go to the top floor of the building and when the quake hit the building crashed. She was covered with debris but because she ended up on the outside of the building rescuers found her. She is now home in Idaho. Molly, however, didn't survive. Here is a column by the Oregonian's Steve Duin in memory of Molly.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/steve_duin/index.ssf/2010/01/molly_hightower_in_her_name_ta.html

The blog is now yours. Tell me everything. Got any dirt on anyone? I'm all ears. Post anything you darn well please! It is your day.

Reunion, The Cast & Story

All you have to do to enlarge a picture on the blog is to click the picture and bingo it gets bigger.

The Stars:

Mom is seated, Maxine is standing.



The stars with the supporting cast:

Nikkie, Maxine's granddaughter, is standing on the left, Tammie Maxine's daughter is kneeling on the right.



Three generations of an amazing family. So much beauty in one family:



The story:

Two friends of over fifty years meet up for a joint birthday celebration after not seeing each other for several years. They have over one hundred and eighty years between them.

Maxine, Tammy, and Nikkie arrived from Idaho Thursday night. We all met for dinner at Rose's in Sherwood. It was the initial meeting in a quiet setting. After dinner we went to Mom's house and had birthday cake. On the chocolate cake were the words: "Happy Birthday M & M." We had a nice time and the cake was pretty darn good.

Friday afternoon Mom, Maxine, Tammie, and Nikkie went to the spa. Mom and Maxine were treated to manicures. Before then Mom had never had a professional manicure. The first one in her life. It was also a great thing to do because it allowed Mom and Maxine to have some quiet time and a wonderful conversation. While they were doing women's hour I went over to the book store and read while drinking coffee.

After the manicure we all met up at McCormick's & Schmick's where we were joined by my sister and brother-in-law:

http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com/

Check out M & S's menus, pay close attention to the top of the menus! Isn't that really great?





The dinner was really great. Again the the Idaho family wouldn't let us pay. They treated us. During dinner we had a really nice chat. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and all looked so nice. My sister and brother-in-law looked especially nice. Looking over the seven of us at the table I was really struck with the fact of not only how nice everyone looked but that nobody there looked their age.

The waitress we had was really both efficient and pleasant. Everyone that worked at the restaurant including the valet parkers were wonderful.

This morning Mom and I met up with Team Idaho at their hotel, The Embassy Suites, where we had a great breakfast and wonderful conversation. After a leisurely two hour breakfast we did our hugs and said our good byes. I took Mom home where we both stated we would miss them.

My Review:

Thanks to Tammie and Nikkie the weekend was a success. They made the birthday special for both my Mom and Maxine. I had a great time and got to reconnect with a young woman that I grew up with and it was a pleasure to meet her daughter.

I also was very touched by how vibrant both Mom and Maxine were. Both have great minds. Both are fun. Maxine even goes to fitness clase a few times a week. To see women of their age interact they way they did was an amazingly positive experience.

I also learned that we all have had some troubling things in our lives that have shaped who we are and what we have become. I didn't know that Tammy's first husband was killed in a plane crash when her daughter was only two months old. He was a Navy pilot that crashed on a mission. Only a strong woman recovers from a tragedy like that. She had to be one great single mom until she met her current husband who became a dad to Nikkie. Maxine obviously did well raising Tammie. Tammie obviously did well raising Nikkie. Nikkie's step dad obviously is one good character guy to have such a positive influence on her life.

Maxine told about her granddaughter's first husband and how the marriage ended with him having an affair with her best friend. I don't know how you recover from something like that but Nikki obviously did because she is a strong young woman with a pretty positive outlook, a chariable heart, strong love for her Mom and grandmother, and an important job. Personally, I think her husband must be dumber than a mud fence because he should have thanked his lucky stars that he had a woman like her in his life. Disappoints me in my gender.

That is pretty much the story of the reunion. While I was really worried the whirlwind weekend would exhaust Maxine and Mom they did great. I, however, am exhausted. I am off to the recliner, with a diet pepsi, the remote control, to watch televison the rest of the day. That is, if I stay awake.

Dead Flowers & Dead Weight

Before a couple of news articles I came across wanted to update you on the reunion of Mom and her friend Maxine. We had dinner last night at Rose's and it went really well. It was really good to see Tammy, Maxine's daughter, after such a long time. She looked really good and her daughter, Nikki, was a real treat. Mom had a great time. On the agenda today is a manicure for Mom and Maxine and dinner at McCormick's tonight. I am already tired! But I will catch up on my rest after tomorrow afternoon.

First article is about teen and weight loss surgery. Apparantly it is new trend among teens. Here is the full article:

http://www.parentdish.com/2010/01/12/controversial-weight-loss-surgery-center-for-teens-opens/?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl5|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.parentdish.com%2F2010%2F01%2F12%2Fcontroversial-weight-loss-surgery-center-for-teens-opens%2F

Personally, I am all for antying that will improve the teens health and/or self-image is fine by me! How do you feel? Is teens having weight loss surgery a good thing or a bad thing?

The next article was about a business in Los Angeles that gives you a way to get even with a former partner that has treated you poorly. The business is a new delivery service called "Dirty Rotten Flowers." For twenty-five bucks you can send dead flowers to a scumbag and you can send the flowers anywhere in the nation. Personally, I think this is a bad idea. Once you breakup with someone move on. Don't give them the satisfaction that they are taking up space in your mind. I have told several friends if you are going to let so and so take up so much mind space you should charge them rent. It will be interesting to see if this business succeeds. What do you think of the new business? A good idea that will allow someone to take the final step to move on. Or a bad idea because you should move on and not give the ex the satisfaction? Here is the full article:

http://www.lemondrop.com/2010/01/13/get-dumped-new-service-lets-scorned-lovers-send-dead-rotting-f/?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl5|link5|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lemondrop.com%2F2010%2F01%2F13%2Fget-dumped-new-service-lets-scorned-lovers-send-dead-rotting-f%2F

Hope this is a great day for you!

Devastation

Thousands killed, thousands more injured, buildings and homes destroyed in an already extremely poor nation. As many as three million people effected. Watching the news on television or reading the news in the morning papers how can you not be shocked and touched. What would it be like to be to afraid to go into a building to get your belongings? Or not being able to find a loved one or friend or even a pet? How to you recover from such devastation? Haiti was dealing with enough even before the earthquake as the following article points out:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/leading_article/article6987094.ece

The Huffington Post has a list of organizations that are helping. If you want to help you can contact one of the organizations in the following article:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/12/haiti-earthquake-relief-h_n_421014.html

Say your prayers, muster up all the good and positive vibes that you can and send them not only Haiti's direction but also the direction to all the areas in the United States where relatives are waiting to hear from the loved ones they have living, visiting, or stationed in Haiti.

I've been in earthquakes before. A 6.9 one in Los Angeles several years ago. Fortunately we lived a long way from the center of the earthquake but even being fifty miles away our house shook and swayed and the water in our swimming pool ended up in our neighbors yard. That was heard enough to deal with. I remember heading for the doors, that is what they told you to do, get under a desk our stand under a door way. The earthquake lasted seconds, the fear last months.

Ever been in an earthquake? Do you fear one in the future? Right now I don't fear an earthquake I am just using all my energy hoping Haiti recovers and recovers quickly.

Angels and Lotteries.

Here is part three in the three part story about the abuse of a twelve year-old girl by her dad written by Stephen Mayes for The Oregonian. In the final segment Ashley's story ends up with Angels In The Outfield. Ashley not only ends up with a new life and caring foster parents she becomes Justice.

http://www.oregonlive.com/clackamascounty/index.ssf/2010/01/ashleys_courage_inspires_prose.html

Ashley is not only a hero in my book but also an angel for inspiring help for others that find themselves in the same situation that she was in. I am so glad she is finally getting to be a kid.

I've always said that I have several Angels looking over me. My cousin Debbie that died at the age of 14 from a rare form of Leukemia. My Aunts, Clara, Ella, Emily, Augusta, and Nola. They were my dad's five sisters. And of course my main man angel, my dad. Today's older blog entry is a tribute to my dad on this past Fathers' Day.

http://thedahnreport.blogspot.com/2009/06/memories-of-dad.html

I do hope my angels are watching over me today as I participate in one of my occupations, future lottery winner. I could use a cool thirty million. According to an article on CNN Money, starting January 31 of this year the lotteries are going to produce more winners and smaller jackpots. Why? Because twenty-three states and Washington D.C. will be selling Mega Millions in addition to Powerball tickets. According to the article that will result in more players but smaller jackpots. This will lead to more 100 to 150 million dollar jackpots and less 300 million jackpots. The Powerball states that will offer Mega Millions tickets at the end of the month: Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia. California and Ohio may join the list later on.

I really don't agree that the jackpots will get smaller, I think just the opposite will happen. The jackpots will get larger. In the states selling both Mega Millions and Powerball I think Mega Millions players will take away from Powerball players. I don't see very many playing both. They will play the one with the biggest jackpot. Be interesting to see how this unfolds.

However, if you want a giant jackpot don't worry because eventually you will be able to play in a national lottery for two to five bucks and the jackpot will be as high as five hundred million. You will have to wait until December of 2011 for that five hundred million.

Who are your angels? If you won the lottery what charity would you be an angel for? Do you agree with CNN that there will be more winners in the states selling both lotteries or do you agree with me that there will be fewer winners? And are you impressed by Ashley's strength after suffering years of abuse?

My answers. I would start my own foundation and dole out money for abused women and children, for organ transplants, for money for the care of the elderly that can't afford to pay for their own care, for cancer research, and for numerous other needs. And yes I am extremely impressed with both Ashley and the prosecutor in her case.

Connections

Here is part two of the series of articles written by Stephen Mayes in the Oregonian about the abused twelve year-old. This is when the dad faces the judge and shows no remorse. Tomorrow inspired by Ashley's story the prosecutor forms a charitable foundation to help abused children.

http://www.oregonlive.com/clackamascounty/index.ssf/2010/01/abused_girl_12_confronts_accus.html

I had a childhood so unlike Ashley's, it makes me sad that I knew friends and had experiences she never will. My childhood is coming to the forefront this Thursday.
When I was a child we lived on a very small farm. All of us kids had our own horses. Bro had Calico, Sis had Princess, and I had a little Shetland Pony named Dolly. When you live in the country you really don't have many neighbors. Our main neighbors where Boyd and Maxine and their two kids, Tammy and Bill. Both our families used to go on rides together. My parents became really good friends with Boyd and Maxine and of course we became friends with Tammy and Bill. Our families often had meals together. We often had work parties together. We often went on rides together. We went trick or treating together. I remember more than once either Boyd or Dad pulling us on sleds behind their horses. I remember our families once working together carry buckets of water to help put out a fire in another neighbor's barn. We were neighbors. We were friends. We were as close as families can be. Maxine and my Mom share the same birthday month, January. A couple of weeks ago my Mom got a call from Tammy and what Maxine wanted for her birthday was to see my Mom. So, Maxine, Tammy, and Tammy's daughter will be here this Thursday to have a joint celebration with Mom. Of course Mom can't navigate the waters without sister or me and since sis is tied up with deadlines remodeling their house I am going to be head navigator. They are arriving Thursday and returning Saturday. I really want to do the for Mom. Maxine and Mom haven't seen each other in over fifteen years. This could be their last opportunity. Like me, Tammy is the caregiver for her Mom. Unlike me Tammy has a very supportive spouse. It is going to be really good to see Tammy. Sometimes it is good to connect to childhood friends and get in touch with your roots.

I will try to post daily blog entries while Maxine and Tammy are here but won't make any promises because I don't know what the schedule will be. I just know I really want to make the three days special for Mom and Maxine. They have been friends for over fifty years. How special is that? How often do we really get a chance to help old friends connect?

Dona once said that some of her favorite postings were the tributes I did to either my Mom or Dad. Since Mom and Maxine were both mothers to me, today's old post is a tribute to mothers I wrote a couple of years ago on Mothers' Day.

http://thedahnreport.blogspot.com/2008/05/tribute-to-mothers.html

Do you have childhood friends that you would like to connect to? Do your elderly parents have friends from long ago that you would want to support a reunion with? And do you think the sentence of Ashley's dad was enough? He will most likely be in prison the rest of his life. I am not sure even that is enough.

No Way Out

No way out? Yes, she found one. For the next three days I will be bringing you a three part series written by Stephen Mayes that started in The Oregonian yesterday. A heart crunching story that will leave you so ticked at a dad that you will think killing him wouldn't be enough punishment. A story of a twelve year old girl that went from no way out to "being a kid" again. A story that inspires an attorney involved in the case to reach beyond this girl's story to help others. The twelve year-old is such a hero that she was willing to be identified for the story but The Oregonian followed their long standing policy of not identifying victims of sexual assault. The twelve year-old wants the story told as she thinks if other girls find themselves in a similar situation that her story will help them. Read the following story and weep. Tomorrow is the court trial. Wednesday is the inspiration.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/01/headline_tk.html

I couldn't help relate this to another story in The Oregonian just a few days earlier that said Portland is one of the main centers of human trafficking. A young girl is abused. She runs away from home. She lives on the street. Becomes a throw away. Then she goes missing. Here is a link to a story about human trafficking:

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/01/human_trafficking_industry_thr.html

We need to stop parents from abusing their children. Most of the time, but not always, it is the father abusing his daughter. If we can stop the abuse early on then maybe we can also stop human trafficking.

How can we help? Be aware of the problem. That is the main reason I am posting these articles on the blog today, to make all the readers here aware of the problem. Once you are aware of the problem then you can look for signs of it. At work. In your neighborhood. Among your relatives and friends. Be there as a responsible adult that the teens in your world can confide in.

I hope the twelve year old in the story goes on to a productive life as an adult. I hope her dad dies a painful death in prison. I hope human trafficking stops.

What is your reaction to the two stories? Could there be a correlation between the two stories?

What's On Your List?

Not much going on in my world right now as the clock quickly ticks to when I will have three jobs. Thanks to sis being here the fourth job of taking care of Mom will be her responsibility for the next couple of months. I meet with the firm that I will be working for on January 19 to determine my starting date will be. I told them this year that three days a week would be about maximum for me. I want some time to be available for the guys that bought my business and for some of my own work projects.

All the good television shows are completed so there isn't even a good entertainment update this week. For you 24 fans don't forget it starts January 17, 2010 on Fox. For Project Runway Fans the new season starts on The Lifetime Channel on January 14, 2010.

I did go to the latest George Clooney movie, UP IN THE AIR, last week. Directed by Jason Reitman the movie is about a corporate downsizer (George Clooney) that travels over three hundred days a year around the United States to fire people. Clooney gives an Oscar worthy performance supported well by his love interest fellow traveler portrayed by Vera Farmiga (Boy In The Striped Pajamas), a young employee that he mentors played by Anna Kendrick (Twilight) and his boss played by the ever understated Jason Bateman (State Of Play, Juno). The acting is marvelous and the story is well written. It does keep your attention. However, it ends up being very depressing and if you are suicidal it is best not to go to this movie. Just the idea of the job loss in today's economy is troublin. When you add to it his last scene in the movie with Farmiga and the scene when he reaches his lifelong goal it becomes very difficult for to handle. One football each for Clooney, Kendrick, Farmiga, Bateman, and director Reitman. Two minus footballs for the depressing storyline and that the best acted scenes were the depressing ones. Three total footballs.

What is on your list today? Sometimes when I have absolutely nothing to write about I will just post my to do list on the blog:

http://thedahnreport.blogspot.com/2009/03/held-hostage.html

Speaking of depressing, it has got to be depressing that if I looked at my to do list today it would be almost the same as the one I posted almost a year ago! That stinks for a goal oriented person.

Like the lead character in Up In The Air have you ever reached a goal and found out that the journey to the goal was more exciting then the moment you reached the goal? And since this is Update Day tell me not only what is on your list but bring some excitement to the blog and report in on your life. It is your day so post anything you damn well please!

Rants, Raves, & Vents

Sometimes the blog is about rants, movie reviews and sometimes they go together like today's old blog entry:

http://thedahnreport.blogspot.com/2009/07/ugly-truth-is-lie-ugly-rant-is-truth.html

The blog is also sometimes about venting. As you know you are welcome to come here anytime and post a vent anywhere on the blog. Sometimes a good old vent or rant just does the soul so much good! That it what I am going to do today, rant and vent about an article that I read:

http://www.parentdish.com/2010/01/07/british-ads-pulled-after-angering-career-women-uk-web-site-repo/?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl5|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.parentdish.com%2F2010%2F01%2F07%2Fbritish-ads-pulled-after-angering-career-women-uk-web-site-repo%2F

Come on people, wasn't there a living, breathing soul somewhere at the association mentioned in the above article? Certainly they had to have someone with a brain in their advertising department that would stand up and say to them, "you know calling working moms bad moms isn't really a good idea." What brilliant person at that association created this stupid ad? That it even aired once is amazing. That the ad was created in the first place is incredible. Maybe they hired a reject from the ad staff of godaddy.com. Isn't that where all the sexiest ads are born?

What do you think of the ad? What would you like to vent about today? Got any good rants in there waiting to come out? Go for it. Celebrate today with a rant or vent!

Fasten Your Seat Belt.

The good story is a wonderful idea! Now if they can expand it to include dogs!

http://www.beavertonvalleytimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=126283229821305600

Do you sometimes feel that your life is on a treadmill and you not only need to fasten you seatbelt but everyone else's? I bemoaned the fact yesterday that I didn't have an act of kindness yet this year and almost before I posted the entry I went off on the kindness treadmill. Yesterday I went over to take Mom out to lunch. An hour deal most of the time. This time it over five hours for me to get back home. As we were driving to Wendy's for their famous chili and baked potatoes my cell phone rang. It was my nephew. He was in a car accident. He was rear ended while he was at a stop sign. He was hit so hard that it knocked his seat belt loose. His car was totaled. Fortunately, he wasn't hurt. Sure he has some stiffness and some aches and pains but he wasn't hurt. No blood. Of course I turned the car around and stopped at a closer fast food restaurant so Mom could eat something on the way to the accident site. I took my nephew to the rental car place so he could get a car and get back to work. On the way to Hertz my nephew mentioned he had to take the accident report to the DMV to have it recorded. The DMV is in Sherwood. I live in Sherwood. I didn't have to get back to work. So I told him I would take the report to the DMV and I did. Can I count standing in line at the DMV for someone else as an act of kindness?

Before going to the DMV I dropped Mom off at home. I didn't want her to wait that long in a car or sitting. Plus at her age she sometimes she doesn't handle stress like her grandson being in an accident well. She needed rest. After the lady at the DMV made a copy of the accident report I took it back to my Mom's where my nephew stays three nights a week. The lady at the DMV told me how important it was for my nephew to store that copy of the accident report in a safe place. Then at some point if he gets accused of not filing an accident report, he has proof that he did and won't lose his license. When I dropped of the copy of the report at Mom's, she wasn't feeling well. The stress had kind of gotten to her. I did some things to get her blood pressure and sugar down. Then sat with her a while until she got better. That took a couple of hours. What a lunch that turned out to be!

Speaking of fastening your seatbelts sometimes on my blog I talk about my meager dating life and sometimes it isn't pretty. Today's old blog entry is about me blowing it on a date and you all making be feel better about it:

http://thedahnreport.blogspot.com/2009/08/dating-snafuyour-updates.html

Does your lifetime sometimes take an unexpected return? Do little errands sometimes turn into a treadmill of events? Do you sometimes feel like you need to be seat belted in to navigate life? And should that seat belt come with instructions?

Kindness

The good story for the day:

http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/media/dailyfinance-readers-chip-in-to-help-homeless-mom-in-camden-n-j/19298963/?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl8|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailyfinance.com%2Fstory%2Fmedia%2Fdailyfinance-readers-chip-in-to-help-homeless-mom-in-camden-n-j%2F19298963%2F

The above story fits right in with the old blog entry I chose for today. These two blog entries are my second and third favorites. What really makes this blog is you folks. You are always willing to answer my calls for advise or help. Last year when I asked for a birthday gift I got what I wished for. Actually, I got more then what I wished for as we exceeded my one hundred acts of kindness by over thirty. Even after the official deadline for the acts of kindness the acts of kindness continued and are continuing. This is the post when I asked for your help:

http://thedahnreport.blogspot.com/2009/06/happy-birthday-100-acts-of-kindness.html

And here is the final report.

http://thedahnreport.blogspot.com/2009/06/kind-birthday-amazing-experience.html


As we start a new year I have made a goal of doing one act of kindness a day starting today. Are you up for the challenge? Today is the day to thank those that have done kindness your direction and it is also the day to bask in the glory and tell us one kind thing you have done for someone else so far this year.

My thank you is to my brother-in-law for helping me out with my townhouse problem a couple of days ago. As for an act of kindness that I have done this year, I can't think of one. Guess I better get my butt in gear, I have some catching up to do.

Inspiration And Cash

There has been a lot of inspiration in my life lately. A couple of immensely inspirational movies in INVICTUS AND THE BLIND SIDE, and in addition an inspirational talk with my niece about writing. When I went over the old blog entries to continue the posting of old blog entries to see what strikes your fancy I came across a post about whether you received inspiration from men or women. That is what happens on the blog a lot, I will make a passing comment, then someone will give me their perspective and it turns into an interesting discussion. This is the post that came from the comment that generally I receive my inspiration from women. Remember to read the comments because what makes any post on the blog is your comments:

http://thedahnreport.blogspot.com/2008/08/who-inspires-you.html

Today let's talk about where you get your inspiration instead what gender you get it from. Are you an introvert? Which is defined by the Myer's-Brigg's as someone who gets their energy from within themselves. Does that translate into getting inspiration for within? Or are you an extrovert? Defined by the Myer's-Briggs as someone who gets their energy from others? Does that translate to getting your inspiration from others?

I am an introvert by the above definition. Being around others for a long period of time zaps me. After a while I need to withdraw into my cocoon and recharge my batteries. I do at times get my inspiration from myself. However, I will at times get it from books, movies, relatives, television, coffee discussions, and sometimes others.

Briefly on to another subject. The four letter word, cash. Following is a really interesting article:

http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/01/05/freezing-out-plastic-the-journey-to-living-cash-only/?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl8|link6|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.walletpop.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F01%2F05%2Ffreezing-out-plastic-the-journey-to-living-cash-only%2F

This is surprising because I mostly use cash. I do use plastice for tax deductible items so that I have a record of my deductions. However, for groceries, movies, and normal life expenses. Do you? Are you a cash kind of person or does plastic rule?

Looking forward to you telling where you get your inspiration and whether or not cash rules your life.

May this be an inspirational day for you!

An All Wet Start To A Day

I didn't post an entry yesterday because I just didn't have anything to write about. Sometimes you get what you wish for and it turns out not to be a good thing. I have something to write about today thanks to an early morning household problem. Thank God my brother-in-law was here to help me fix the problem and bail me out. I have a three bedroom, two and a half bath townhouse. Two bathrooms upstairs, half of bathroom downstairs. When I went into the downstairs bathroom to do my morning weighing, I stepped on the scale and felt water hit my head. Looked up at the ceiling and there was definitely water coming down. Dripping not flowing. I called my brother-in-law and he immediately came out. We determined that a bolt on the upstairs commode had worn out and loosened. That caused a leakage out of the tank and on the floor of the upstairs bathroom, which in turn leaked down to the downstairs bathroom. It was a mess. But with Bob's help we got it fixed. Just not a good way to start the money but it did give me something to write about!

How did your day start out?

Looking for interesting stories I found one about buying a car. It is titled "Five Things You Should Know About Car Salesmen." You can read the full article here:

http://autos.aol.com/article/car-salesman-facts?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl6|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fautos.aol.com%2Farticle%2Fcar-salesman-facts

Just the highlights.:

1. He needs you more than you need him.

2. He is not really in control.

3. No matter what he says or does, it's probably all an act.

4. He can't be fully trusted.

5. There are honest car salesmen.

There now with that information you can run out a buy a new car!

Here is the good story for a day. Fast Food employees come to the rescue. I now feel safer when I am eating a Frosty,

http://www.slashfood.com/2010/01/04/wendys-employees-save-customers-life/?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl3|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slashfood.com%2F2010%2F01%2F04%2Fwendys-employees-save-customers-life%2F

Tomorrow we will get back to old blog entries but today tell me if you trust car salesmen. Any salesman? And do you feel safer now when you order that Big Mac?

Drowning, Comfort Zones, and Movies

Continuing the vote on the old posts game plan, sometimes when I am considering making a decision that I am sure if go ahead with I will drown, before making that leap I ask your advise and you usuually push me in the lake:

http://thedahnreport.blogspot.com/2008/08/should-i-go-out-of-my-comfort-zone.html

Which leads to me not only keeping my head above water but to a major life moment that wouldn't have been possible without the support of everyone here:

http://thedahnreport.blogspot.com/2008/09/week-3-major-life-moment.html

Since this is usually Update Day and I have nothing to update you on I am going to do an entertainment update in the form of really brief reviews of three movies that I went to last week.

Directed by Nancy Myers IT'S COMPLICATED is about a woman with three kids (Streep) having an affair with her ex-husband (Baldwin) who is now married to a much younger woman. In addition Streep is being wooed by an architect her same age (Martin). The acting is top notch. There are a lot of funny scenes. In a movie with greats like Streep, Baldwin, and Martin the movie ends up belonging to John Krasinski. It isn't even close who steals this movie. It is no doubt stolen by Krasinski (The Office). He shines in the role of Streep's future son-in-law. Martin is kind of wasted in a role that you wish was a little larger. Baldwin is likable but restrained. Three Stars. Two for Krasinki, One For Streep. See if for Ktasinski's performance alone.

Based on the comic book character by the same name Arthur Conan Doyle's SHERLOCK HOLMES is directed by Guy Ritchie and stars Robert Downey, Jr. (Sherlock, Jude Law (Watson), and Rachel McAdams (Irene Adler, Sherlock's love interest, The movie was a major disappointment. In movie with major acting talent over half of the movie was fight scenes. Well not really scenes, the same scene played over and over again. What an extreme waste of acting talent. When there was dialogue is was great but thre just wasn't enough of it. McAdams didn't give her best performance. Two stars. One for Downey, JR and one for Jude Law. The sequel needs a new director.

From director Clint Eastwood, INVICTUS tells the true story of how Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) joined forces with the captain of South Africa's rugby team, Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), to help unite their country. An extremely inspiring movie with great acting, marvelous directing, amazing rugby scenes, great music, and thought provoking scenes. When the rugby team is given a tour of the prison where Nelson Mandela spent many years, Damon stands in Mandela's vacant cell and imagines what it must have been like for him, so do you, Damon puts you right there. When Morgan Freeman is on the screen he quits becoming Freeman and magically right before your very eyes he becomes Nelson Mandela. Like THE BLIND SIDE, it is a movie for the entire family. Five Stars. One for Eastwood, one for Freeman, one for Damon, one for the music, and one for the amazing cinematography.

Questions of the day, have you ever felt you were going to drown until friends pushed you into the ocean and then you not only didn't drown you discovered something about yourself? Since this is your day on the blog what is going on in your life? And since it is your day post anything you damn well please!!

You Be The Judge

I took down my 2009 calendars today and put up 2010 ones. Does that mean that I have officially moved on to the new year? Or will putting that dreadful 2009 in the history books have to wait until I send my 2009 tax returns to the IRS and the State? I do feel like the old year is history as we speak and it feels like a new day and a new year. Now if someone could just figure out what to call 2010. 2-10? 20-10? 2010? 2 ought 10? What are you calling it?

Today's previous blog entry is actually my favorite. It is the one that generated the most comments of any post in the history of the blog. It is the one where I simply asked you to post a little bio in the comment section so that we could all get to know each other a little better. And you did. We found out a diverse group was following the blog and it has gotten better since then with more additions to the faithful. Here is the link to the that post. Remember to read the comments because that is what makes this particular post:

http://thedahnreport.blogspot.com/2008/08/ssa-swing-vote-and-who-are-you.html

Since I haven't got much to write about today I am just going to report in on some stories that were in the early edition of The Sunday Oregonian. Over the last decade deaths while driving drunk have declined but deaths from driving under the influence of drugs has increased. Over the last decades serious injuries from both have increased. One thing I learned from the article is that in Oregon even though the blood level for being considered drunk is .08 if you are under 21 you are considered drunk if there is any booze in your system. That means a taste could get a teen arrested for drunk driving. Most often though police will give a minor in possession citation and not a drunk driving ticket if the teen has a low blood alcohol level.

Next up is what the U.S. Supreme Court will be doing at times during the new year. They are going to tackle cases that could influence the first and second amendments. One case the Supreme Court is expected to hear asks the question, "Does a government violate the First Amendment when it bans corporations from spending their own money on political campaigns? Another case askes the question, "Do cities and state violate the Second Amendment when they ban gun possession?

The questions for the day. Is the law that says teens are considered drunk if they have any alcohol in their blood stream fair? My answer is yes. I just think it is good to do whatever we can to not put a teen in car drunk especially when they have a cell phone and due to their condition might try texting.

In the next two questions you get to play Judge. Does the government violate the First Amendment when it bans corporations from spending their own money on political campaigns? I am going to say no. It is a government by the people and for the people not by the corporations and for the corporations. Does it violate the Second Amendment when cities and states ban guns? This is harder for me. I don't own a gun and won't allow one in my house. However, I have no right to ban you from having one in your household. I also believe in government at the most local level making decisions for the people at that level not some doofus miles away in Washington, D.C. That is why I am conflicted by this but I am going to say that it does violate the Second Amendment when cities and states ban guns.

The last two questions are easy. What are you calling twenty ten? Do you have a ceremony like taking down 2009 calendars to officially put last year in the history books?

And for those of you that are new to the blog if you want to post your bio like all of us did on the previous post of the day, go for it!

Goals

I didn't make it until midnight last night. I fell asleep as soon as I finished J.A. Jance's novel, DEAD WRONG. I think I solved the mystery of why I didn't have a date last night, I didn't ask anyone.

Today it is over to Mom's this afternoon for a Rose Bowl watching party. Go Ducks.

Do you set goals as the New Year begins? I always do. Sometimes I even succeed in making them!

My goals for this year:

More happiness.

Less care giving.

Less weight.

More dating.

Less staying home.

More socializing.

Less procrastination.

More writing.

Better health.

Less fatty foods.

Being less of a Wuss.

More conquering of fears.

More travel.

As stated yesterday each day for the next ten or so days I will be posting one or two links a day to a previous blog entry. Then after all the posts are in, I will have you vote on your favorite ones. I am doing this so that new readers to the blog will have an easy way to find out what the blog is about. I am also doing it because it will help me decide what types of things to write about in the future.

Sometimes I spill my guts here. It is extremely hard to do but when I do I have never received as much support as I have here. There is no judgment here, just support. This is a post from way back when not many were reading my writings. It was the first time that I really bared my soul. I honestly didn't think anyone was reading the blog then. But the support that I got from this post made it easier for me to talk frankly about what was going on my life in future writings. Here is the post when I found out living scared me more than dying.

http://thedahnreport.blogspot.com/2008/01/living-vs-dying-part-ii.html

What are your goals fro 2010? What scares you more, living or dying?