When the Music Stops: Blogophilia 31.6

Bonus Points:
(Hard, 2 pts):  incorporate a character from a Grimm's Fairytale
(Easy, 1 pt): include a British TV show 

 https://www.facebook.com/notes/marvin-martian/blogophilia-week-316-when-the-music-stops/623299311024623

In the land of Neverland, where the music always plays, there is a ball, and royalty and common folk alike come on out to play.

Poor Cinderella, her evil step mother, the one they call Poppy Ruth, demands that she cannot go to the ball.

In an instant, like that awkward British Sci-Fi TV show that Trevor let me onto, called Chocky, the birds fix up Cinderella against the mean step sisters' wishes, and gets on into the ball.  It is a marvelous dream.

But, we all know that when the music stops, the way only Betty Davis can make it, it's down to that lonely place, where a solitary tree grows in the sandy earth...

And then be rescued,  under that tree, by a prince named Liam.  Then the bent tree will become a symbol of natural adaptations for generations to come.

The Hands of Time: Blogophilia 30.6

Bonus Points:
(Hard, 2 pts): incorporate 2 Fleetwood Mac song titles
(Easy, 1 pt): mention 'a full moon'


https://www.facebook.com/notes/marvin-martian/blogophilia-week-306-the-hands-of-time/620037814684106


The hands of time tick, and it's odd, how it seems as if time practically stands still, moving way too slow, when we are children.  Yet as we age, it goes faster and faster...  The last couple of years whizzed past me, as Doris E. will tell you...  It seems summer just started, and here we are in fall already.

Everywhere I go, I seem to be hearing that Angelo is Fleetwood Mac's booking agent, or are they some Little Lies to tell the single girls, to score by whispering sweet little lies.  Maybe I need to be a groupie to find out.

But then, maybe that would be crazy, because maybe then, I'll have to call Ghost Busters to try to vacuum up the spirits in the staircase, or maybe Ruz will make me run those stairs for training like in Rocky...  Or maybe I should just go look at The Cupboard Under the Stairs.

Or maybe just lay under the open sky, and watch the Full Moon with Irene and contemplate the meaning of life, and figure out if intelligent life on other planets really resemble Star Trek...

Eating and Health - a complicated task...

I got an interesting link to an article from my friend, Ping.

http://eatlocalgrown.com/article/11944-banned-foods.html

There is good information there, and it's scary that our country has all of these "foods" that aren't really food.  It doesn't help that we have so much that is convenient, but, that it's also unhealthy.

Even if we start with butter vs. margarine.  Sure, margarine has much fewer calories.  But, it's base is oil.  Oil, in natural form, is a liquid.  Think olive oil, canola oil, etc...  So, how does it stay solid?  It's a bunch of chemicals.  Yes.  Chemicals.  Not natural food, that turns it into a solid.  If you really don't want the calories of butter, which is natural, because it's from cows' milk fats, try using your own bottles and use olive oil, which has a rich buttery flavor if you mix half and half with butter, but, olive oil can also be infused with various herbs and spices, such as crushed garlic, or rosemary...  Use that as a spread instead, and you have a flavorful yet healthy alternative to use.

This brings me to the use of aspartame or saccharine.  Neither are natural, and I've heard warnings about sucralose (calorie free sweetener called Splenda).  But, the worst is aspartame and saccharine.  They, too, are not fit for consumption while pregnant, nursing or to be fed to your baby...  Try nectar, honey or some other healthier sweeteners.

Back to the article...  It's scary that some of our foods are in danger of making us sick, at the height where our children are becoming more and more obese at younger ages and in greater numbers.  There's hormones in milk.  Farmed fish, certain farms that have livestock having antibiotics and other steroid type things that are injected.  Genetically modified fruits and vegetables.  It's hard to keep track of what we ought to be eating.

Yet, a lot of us, suffering in this recession, can't afford $5.00 for organic milk, or $10.00/lb for wild salmon, or what ever it may be, that costs twice or more what the 'regular' things are going for...  But, are your 'regular foods' really regular?  Not compared to what our grandparents bought at the store.  But, in cases of childhood hunger, what do we do?  Kids can become sick, as well as unable to perform in school if they don't have enough to eat, which a lack of education can lead to poverty, which leads to lack of health care access, which of course, ultimately leads to death.  But yet, what if these hormone induced foods that are genetically modified have long term effects that are causing other problems such as higher cholesterol, obesity, high blood pressure, asthma, and other hormone problems that are causing early diseases that also lead to death?  It's a no win situation when you can't afford what you need.

I found out that my mother and step-father are going on this primarily vegetarian/vegan diet during the week, and splurging only on weekends...  I agree that especially as Americans, we NEED to take in more veggies, fiber and a lot less saturated fat, refined starch/sugars, and what not...  And I commend them for trying, since it's not fun struggling with extra weight, and even if it's not a weight issue, it's still healthier in the long run.

But, here is what the difference is between a vegetarian and a vegan...  As a vegetarian, you don't eat animal flesh of any kind.  That includes not eating fish, because it's still the flesh of a type of animal.  But, will still partake in animal products such as milk, eggs, and what not, because a living being didn't have to sacrifice their lives for it.  Plus these are healthier choices to eating a high fat content protein, such as 73% lean ground beef (yuck, it's gross).  Plus, you're not cooking away 1/3 of your food out in draining out the fat, so, there's a bit of extra money saved there...  But, just to be careful, you need to eat a variety so you get enough of a broad spectrum of amino acids to fuel your muscles properly. 

Vegans, on the other hand, don't take advantage of animals at all, and do not eat ANY animal products, not even eggs, cheese or honey, because they don't want to steal from the animals at all.

It's still difficult to pull off, because, especially during the winter, have you seen the prices of fresh produce?  And how do you buy local food when it's February in Wisconsin, and it's almost like a frozen tundra out there?  It's not an easy task to eat healthy AND save money.

Sure, we can use canned, but, it's not like we need extra salt in our diets either, because we already consume more than what we need, and canned foods have a lot of salt, MSG, and other preservatives that just are NOT good to consume in large amounts, and many people have a sensitivity to these preservatives.  They end up ailing one way or another, and think  it was bad food - as in spoiled.  It may be because you can't handle the high amounts of preservatives.  That reeks havoc in my son, who could be laughing and full of energy one moment, and a can of soup later, be vomiting like crazy.  Natural foods are important, and we eat as much as we can afford.

Food for thought, and it's crazy how it all works out, doesn't it?     

Misty Memories: Blogophila 29.6

Bonus Points:
(Hard, 2 pts): include a quote by Carl Sandburg
(Easy, 1 pt):  include a red sunrise   

https://www.facebook.com/notes/marvin-martian/blogophilia-week-296-misty-memories/617289844958903

I have misty memories of times of yore, when I was 11 and 12, finishing up elementary school...  When 6th grade was still there, rather than bumping up to middle school.  I think Irene will relate with these misty memories, of playing softball with the school team...  How I loved it, and wanted to play for a living, but, understood the harsh reality that there is no room for Girls' Baseball in this country...

But I digress...  I remember all of those after school practices, and the anticipation of playing...  The first real taste of a performance in the making, later I'd use for my musical events.  I loved the game, and I was the catcher.  What a great spot to be in.  Behind the plate, where there is always action.  The balls will be pitched.  The batters will miss more often than hitting.  When a run is made, I will still get action eventually, when a runner is prevented from making that way to home base...  It was great.  Until I broke my fingers at a weekend camp, when I got pushed into the lake off of a pier, baiting the other girls' fishing poles, and my hand came down on the pier...  I was actually crazy enough to hand my sister a popsicle, told her to eat it, and with the sticks, I wrapped in gauze, I set my fingers with tape.  I went back to camp, but, coming back to the game, I got stuck as the relief right fielder...  

But, in the words of Carl Sandburg, "To be a good loser, you need to learn to win".  AT least I was still in the game.  And I did get to assist in making a couple of outs.  So I lost being the catcher, but learned that playing the game was still winning.  Much later, I helped coach my son's team, and he turned out to be a pretty good catcher, I must say, he learned how to give the pitcher something to aim at, and when the pitcher took to it, most assuredly, the batter of the other team would strike out.  And I'm also very sure that Stormy Gail's Cat, Clarice, knows what I'm talking about when I say that "I am an idealist.  I may not know where I'm going, but I'm on my way".  

On my way, one day, on an early morning to drive up to the capitol for a hearing on a bill that I was interested in, I saw a red sunrise that I was wishing that Barbara K. could take a picture of.  It was fiercely red, though a more majestic site.   

Then, as I was thinking about how red it is, I was thinking about that old movie called Total Recall, and how I see my favorite Martian sitting there on the Red Planet.

I often wondered if Marvin would have helped the human freaks, or, be mad at humans in general, but, seeing that he likes to blog, he has to be a good guy...  But, just to make sure, I ask Dave Raider about if our Martian would have our backs in a situation such as Red Dawn.  Of course.  :)

If Only... Blogophilia 28.6

Bonus Points:
(Hard, 2 pts): include something Boustrophedon (A back and forth pattern)
(Easy, 1 pt):  include a doll in your blog  

https://www.facebook.com/notes/marvin-martian/blogophilia-week-286-if-only-/611418282212726

Life is short.  Sometimes, too short.  We get so caught up in our daily lives, that often, we end up forgetting those who mean most to us, and feel sheepish about trying to make something up to them, so long after the fact...  But we need to know that time is precious.  Never would we want to have to say...  If only we told grandma 'I love you'...  If only I made time when my children were small to enjoy the simple things in life...  Go do it now, because eventually, we will be saying if only we had more time, or if only that Bree would pick such a romantically vague topic for Blogophilia...

I sometimes hear about people lamenting about how they pace in a boustrophedon pattern, because they're at a loss, or bored with nothing better to do, or something...  But you know, I really don't know about that personally.  I've always kept busy, and bored was never part of my vocabulary.  The only times that I've walked back and forth as if I'm in some kind of boustrophedon type labyrinth, is when my son, now a teenager, was small baby, and was sick...  I'd put him up onto my shoulders, where he would rest his head comfortably, with both arms over, and he'd fall asleep...  I would get comfortable with him before putting him into his little bed, and think what life would be like without him...  empty...  I'm sure that Barbara K. can relate with me on this one.

But, maybe, without him, I'd be a stripper.  But then I have to laugh, because there is this Baby Dolls group, which is an agency of the adult entertainment kind, and they actually wear those silly old fashioned versions of those baby doll underwear, that really looks more like something to put on a baby, NOT a full grown woman, and I seriously can't believe that grown men want their grown women to be big babies, and not women.  The thought is preposterous, but then again, maybe Trevor has this type of fetish, I don't know...

On the other hand, maybe someone needs to untie me, or cut the apron strings, or set me free -

Well, maybe it takes an animal like Jay Cheetos to help me loosen up, or maybe I just need a good bosom buddy.  But, of course, I'm getting set in my life, and out of all of the jobs I've had, from receptionist to cashier, to customer service, to teacher, to coach, to a nursing aid, I'd have to say that the best job by far, is being Mom.  Well, of course tanning at the beach or nude sunbathing would be interesting...


p.s.  to participate in blogophilia, click the link at the top of the blog, and make sure your link gets posted there, to get your points.  Of course, it's a new season, so...  the points are starting over.  Best of wishes.

Action needed to get Casino approved in Kenosha. Please print, sign and send!

Governor Scott Walker
PO Box 7863
Madison, WI 53707


Dear Gov. Walker;

I am asking that you move quickly to approve the Menominee Casino planned for Kenosha. The reason is simple: we need the jobs! We do not understand why there is even a debate over this. Any effort to create over 3,000 direct jobs, 1800 indirect jobs, and 1400 construction jobs should be welcome with open arms by your administration.

The Menominee Tribe is not asking for any state financial assistance or tax breaks, they need no laws changed, they need no environmental rules changed. They just want to be one of the biggest job creators in the state and the top taxpayer.

This proposal has been studied to death over the past 10 years. Dozens of hearings have been held and countless opportunities for the public and other tribes to comment. After taking all that into consideration the federal government finally approved this project. We don’t understand why it is necessary to wait any longer.
Unless you move quickly there is the danger of a casino being built in Waukegan or some other northern Illinois community. This will result in all these family supporting jobs going to Illinois. Where would that leave us?

Please approve the Kenosha casino. We have waited long enough for these good jobs.

Name: ____________________________________
Street: ____________________________________
City______________________ Zip_____________