Waiting for dinner

Just sitting here and wondering what is going on that I should write about today.    I am contemplating the state of the country, and it is not very good.  

Karl Marx had said something to the effect: 

 Each civilization has within itself the seeds of its own destruction.    

 I would quote it but I do not know if that is an  exact quote.

But, I digress......I think, we in the United States are there now.  Each day the news is more grim and depressing.  The rich are getting richer and the poor are poorer and the middle class are paying thru their collective noses to support the rest.  How long can we go on with the escalating cost of oil???  I would not be surprised to see riots over food and fuel.

 The mortage mess and the increasing debt by people with their credit cards.     I read about the lenders, loaning money to people who did not have a chance in hell of meeting their obligations on their mortgages.  They really should have known better.   It was all magical thinking.

 I had wondered for the longest time how were people buying those McMansions, there could not be that many people making that much money, and I was right, there are not. 

Where has gone the common sense, buy what you can afford?  Save up before you buy, never charge things that depreciate....For many the bubble has already burst....How can people afford to save for their retirement when they can not afford to live today?  

 The defined benefit pension plan has gone the way of the Dodo.  Now it is 401K's and save your own. I read articles on how 75% of the BabyBoomer can not afford to retire.  The collective they think the "government" will bail us out,   THE GOVERNMENT IS US, WE THE PEOPLE.    And we are trillions in debt and that legacy will fall to our children, grandchildren, and the great grandchildren.  

Our children will never know the way of life we knew as we grew up.   They will be saddled with expenses from outrageous college costs.   How will they ever be able to afford decent housing when their college loans amount to the equivalent of a house payment?   

What can we do about it?   I really don't know.  To quote the retired cartoon POGO. "We have met the enemy and he is us."

 

 

Yesterday Emily and I saw the best movie.   It was a Pixar film, and it was absolutely great.   No sex, drugs or violence.  This is great for kids or adults.    Get a kid and take one with you, it is a must see.

WALL-E : Official Site 

To Think

"To think is to say no."
Emile Chartier

To me I think this says:  When a guy asks you "how about it???"  a woman can say "I'll think about it."    That is the equivalent of NO

"One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this: To rise above the little things."
John Burroughs

Don't sweat the small stuff and go with the flow.

Sunday

'A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have' - Thomas Jefferson

I really like Thomas Jefferson....  Someone asked me one time;   if I could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would I choose??      I chose Thomas Jefferson.

I would really like to know what they meant when they set up the foundations of this nation and what would they think when the would see it today.       

My thoughts would be that they would probably be  to see how the constitution has been interpreted.  I really do not think that when they decided for freedom of speech me porno movies.

The most common answer when asked the above question was "Jesus."

Friday Morning

I love mornings; especially when I am home by myself.  I can just sit and read.   Or type in the journal.   It was rather coolish this morning (58 F) so I opened the windows and have a nice breeze wafting thru the house.

Emily said her Micro test was a non event.  He just asked questions relating to the end of chapter reviews.  She complained that after she had studied hard too.  I told her she may get to use some of that info she studied so don't think it was a waste of time.

What to do today.   I have started the laundry.  When we were first married we (as most everyone) had to lug the basket to the laundromat.   The only good thing about the laundromat is you can use all the washers you need and two dryers and get all the things done is a short period of time.   Also, you can do a large quilt there too.

   Getting the washer and dryer was one of the big thrills after we bought our house.   My friend Ruth told me how her daughter was so ecstatic when she got her w/d.   I remember that well.  My last washer purchase was a Sears brand that is a front loader.  I noticed a decrease in the water usage, but the Municipal Authority keeps decreasing the amount of water you can use for the basic fee.   I am curious now.  My water and trash collection costs me about $180 quarterly, what does everyone's else costs?   

I also got the low usage fluorescent light bulbs and the usage went down but the cost is rising with the deregulation.  Has any cost gone down with deregulation of anything?????

This picture is one of an old mill; it has been converted into a craft/antique store.  It is located in Volant PA.  My sisters and I are planning a trip there this summer.  It is on PA RT. 208 and if you go west your will come to the town of New Wilmington PA.   There is also shopping there, and a delightful campus of Westminster College.   PA is filled with small liberal art colleges.    

Volant Village Shops    

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emilys Micro class

Emily has completed the first week of Microbiology.  She has a test today, on the first three chapters.  When I came home at 11 PM she was making notes on index cards. 

There are 16 people in her class; she said that not all of them were incoming freshman.   Some were older than her, some were her same age and a few younger.  I asked if there were any guys and she said only one and he had his eyebrows pierced.  She wanted to know why anyone would do that and make them selves look like an idiot.   I DO NOT KNOW    She speculated what his patient would think when it was time to care for them.....PROBABLY THINK HE LOOKED LIKE AN IDIOT...  would be my guess.

She said he sat in the back and talked to two blonds all throughout class.  I told her they would be gone at half time.  To study Nursing is a lot of hard work.  There is a high attrition rate because most people blow off  Micro and A&P and you need to really study.  I asked when the start to "save lives" and she didn't know. 

Yesterday was not bad considering I was there for 16 hours.   I had a light room and did breaks and lunches on my down time.  We were finished at 6:30 PM and then waited for some emergency that never materialized. 

Chuck told me earlier this year that he was going to take the same weeks off as me.  (Pounds head on table and groans.)  I think I will make him a list of things to do.   I have a few items in mind.    One of the things I want to do is scan old pictures and slides...I have to call my sister and she what her schedule is like.   She is a school nurse and has off the summers.     It is only a half time position.  After working at that job she could write a book.

Actually, long ago my husband worked for a MAJOR company who built nuclear power plants.  We lived in Korea and Yugoslavia.   I have a lot of pictures from Asia and Europe that I want to scan.

I digress, when I lived in Korea I found a job on a US Army base as a school nurse.  It was funny I went to the US Army School with one of the other expatriates as she was signing her children up for class.   The principal asked me if he could do anything for me.  I said "No, not unless you need a nurse."  He said "As a matter of fact, I do"   That was the easiest job I ever found.  It was also half time.  The biggest thing was checking immunizations and listening to the kids who came when the wanted to get out of class.   The biggest perk of that job was I got to use the US Mail system.   In a lot of countries the mail is censored, and things have a way of disappearing and making their way onto the Black Market.

I must admit that I utilized the black market myself but that is a story for another day..............

 

 

Tuesday

My feet hurt and I am too tired to write.  I am working 16 hours tomorrow and then off for about 10 days.  Good thing too, I can tell when it is time I need a vacation because I hate everyone at work.    I think nurses ought to get sabbaticals.   I know each and everyone of them would sign up in  no time flat.