Names for Everything

This topic was brought to my attention by Bella.

I believe Bella asked me where to find something and I replied, "It's on the piece."  She said, "We have names for our furniture and everyone in the family knows what we are talking about.  You don't have to explain yourself or go into any other details.  Do you think other people do this, too?"

Bella, obviously, was referring to my reply using, "the piece."  That's what we call it.  All you have to do is say, "Did you check the piece?"  or "I put it on the piece."  Everyone in our family knows what "the piece" is and where to find it in our house.

RT, of course, is the one that comes up with names for random items in our house.

"Steve" was our wheelbarrow.  I say was, because, Steve is no longer with us. He got pretty old and run down.   RIP, Steve.

"Wayne" is our stepladder.  Wayne gets used quite a bit (mostly by me).  He's great to have around for random projects.  I don't think he will be leaving us anytime soon.  Bella asked RT if Wayne had a family and RT said, "Of course!  It's all documented on the TV show, "Wayne's journey."  I'm sure you can catch it on Netflix.

Oh, and then there is the "Paint closet."  Guess why we named it that?  Yea!  Because it has cans of paint in there.  How did you know?

"The shelf" is another name we use.  That's probably pretty easy to figure out what we are referring to.  Of course there are a few shelves in our house, but, only one of them has the privilege of being called, "the shelf."

Are we the only ones out there that name's various pieces of furniture or tools?

Do you have any special names for items that you use in your house?

Blogversary

Oh, Happy Happy Day!

I just realized that today is my blogversary.  You know, the anniversary of the day that I started this awful  dreadful frightful   ghastly  gruesome  horrible  horrendous  blog about  A Scary Journey Inside My Life.

When I started on this journey, I had absolutely no idea what I would write about on a blog.

Do I really have enough scary stories to tell everyone?
Who wants to hear about me and my life?
Will the stories ever run out?
Does anyone really want to read about these crazy things that happen in my life?

Yea, don't answer that last question.

Thanks to RT and his push to get me to start a blog, here I am, eight years later, still writing about my scary life.   I'm pretty sure he did that on purpose so he didn't have to hear me tell him all of these stories.  You can "thank" him the next time you see him.  Oh, yea, little did RT know at the time that he would provide quite a few story lines for my blog.  (I love you, honey!)  Oh, and don't worry.   I'm safe.  He's not allowed to read this blog.

Who knew that my husband, children, family, dog and even work could provide so much entertainment  to write about?  Especially the dog.  Oh, yea, let's not forget my Vegan and Vegetarian adventures.

Eight  long  scary  frightening  horrifying  creepy  wonderful years of writing about this Scary Journey Inside My Life and here I am, still going strong.

If you have been with me that long, I'm sorry  God Bless you!   Thank you!  And, if you are new to My Scary Journey, sorry  run as fast as you can  welcome - It's a crazy ride.

Thanks for sticking around and Cheers!  to another eight more years of fun!

Positive Thinking Day

Today is Positive Thinking Day.  It's a day set aside so people can (think positive?) reap the rewards when thinking positive.  Positive thinking can reduce stress and lower your risk for heart disease.  It can help you deal with problems in a more optimistic way.  It also can lower your depression and increase your life span.  Some believe that positive thinking can increase your resistance against illness.

After reading that, who doesn't want to think positively?

Here are some ways that you can celebrate today.

Start off the day by saying, "Today is going to be a great day!"  This sets a positive tone to your day.

Daily affirmations.  These are positive words and sentences that give you the power and confidence to conquer your day.  This one reminds me of Stuart Smalley from Saturday Night Live.

I'm good enough.
I'm smart enough.
And doggone it, people like me!

(if you don't remember this one, search Youtube)

Count your blessings and be thankful for what you have.  Maybe start a gratitude journal, writing down three to five things every morning or night that you are thankful for.

Hang around positive people.  Don't let the Debbie Downers get you down!  Positive vibes save lives.

Do a Random Act of Kindness today.  This shares your positive vibes with another person.  This could lead to a chain reaction of kind acts for the rest of the day.

Read and watch positive media (TV, Social media, books, etc.)

Laughter is the best medicine.  Watch a favorite (funny) movie,  TV show or comedy special.  Laughter can reduce stress and set you into a positive mood.

Get moving!  A little workout, walk the dog or maybe a little dance party!  Exercise can change your mood and promote positive thinking.

Oh, and don't forget to smile!  Smiling can lift up your mood.

"It's a beautiful day
The sun is shining,
I feel good ,
I feel right
And no one's gonna stop me now....no, no"

My Weird Dog

I know I refer to Pippen on this blog as "My weird dog."  If you don't know him very well, you probably think that some of these things are either made up or exaggerated.   I mean, I never run out of new stories to tell about him.  Look at all of the "My weird dog" posts on the blog!  Believe it or not, they are all true.  I have a pretty good imagination, but, I don't think I could come up with all of the  strange odd weird things that happen with him.

Yesterday, Pippen was acting a little weird.  RT would say "Pippen acting weird is normal."   I then have to explain to RT the weird thing that was brought to my attention that day.

Anyway, as I was saying, Pippen was acting a little weird.  By weird, he was hanging out under the dining room table.  I realized this started when he was hanging out by the back door.  He put on his best sad face so he could come in the house.  Once inside, he went straight under the dining room table.   I figured it was going to rain or maybe he's just in one of his weird moods.

A few minutes later I hear the landscapers that handle the neighbor's yard (the same landscapers that RT is having it out with).  I remembered how much Pippen doesn't like loud sounds and isn't too fond of lawn mowers.  

Pippen remained under the table until the landscapers finished their work.  After awhile, he decided he had to venture back outside for some unfinished business.  Once outside, I heard the other neighbor get his lawn mower out and start cutting the grass.  At that point, RT came home and decided our lawn needed to be cut.  So, he was a little on edge the rest of the evening.

Today is supposed to be rainy.  I'm thinking it's going to be another dining room table day for Pippen.

Being Vegetarian or Vegan does not cause Strokes

You are probably wondering why I would use this as a title for my blog post.  I mean, eating a vegetarian or vegan diet is healthy, right?  Why am I now more likely to have a stroke, just because I'm vegetarian?

I read an article that stated that Vegetarians are more likely to suffer from a stroke and not a heart attack.  Click here to read the article and then come back to this post and we can discuss it.

Don't worry.  I'll wait.

I understand not being prone to heart attacks.  At least the meat industry admitted to that fact.

If you look up causes of a stroke you will find:

High blood pressure
heart disorder
heavy or binge drinking
lack of exercise
obesity
use of illicit drugs (methamphetamine, cocaine)

Please note that "Being a vegetarian or vegan" is not one of the causes.  This list of causes was taken from Mayo Clinic website.

I do understand that there are some vegetarians and vegans out there that do not eat healthy.  They don't eat meat, but, maybe they frequent fast food restaurants.  Maybe they consider potato chips a vegetable.  Maybe a meal for them is a bag of Cheetos.  I do know a vegan that eats a lot of Oreos (because they are vegan).  I don't think there is anything healthy in an Oreo, but, apparently, it doesn't contain meat or animal products, so that means it's vegan.

Just because a food item is labeled vegan does not mean that it's healthy.  If you are going vegetarian/vegan, please do a little research.  Also, taking supplements for B12, D and omega 3 is a good idea, too (there are some food substitutes, check them out).

I think most people associate being vegetarian or vegan as being healthy.  This article is referring to those vegetarians and vegans that do not eat healthy (i.e. the Cheetos meal people).  Unfortunately, this article, which made the Bing homepage and was read by many, is giving the vegetarian / vegans a bad name.

It's articles like these that give false information to the public.  I thought a journalist (and medical community) would actually do their homework and give facts.

The article does state, briefly, that this was the first (and only) study and that a follow up should be done.

Unfortunately, the damage is done.  Most people didn't get that far down in the article to read that tidbit of information.  They most likely just read the title and will now tell every vegetarian/vegan that they meet about the stroke dangers they face.

Do your own research and don't believe every article you read.

OK.  I'll step down off my soap box.

Posing with a Coffee Cup

Have you noticed how more and more people are walking around with their coffee cup?  Maybe it's a Starbucks cup or a cup from Dunkin Donuts or some other off brand coffee house.  Maybe it's their own reusable coffee mug that they carry around town.

I'm not sure when this fashion  trend started.  Maybe when Starbucks opened and it was cool to walk around and show off your coffee purchase?  Or, maybe, let everyone know that you drink coffee?  Or, to let people know where you purchase your coffee?

I don't remember my parents driving around town, drinking coffee.  Wait, there was that one time my Mom drove me to school and she brought her white coffee mug with her in the car.  I don't even think the car had cup holders.  It was a coffee cup, not a travel mug.  It was early (my Mom was not a morning person) and it was really cold out.  Other than that one time, I don't recall my parent's driving around town, trying to find a place to get some coffee (that they could drink while driving).  I don't remember them showing up at sporting events,  parent teacher conferences or at doctor visits with their coffee in their hand.  Even when they went for a walk, they didn't have their coffee cup in their hand.  My parents did drink coffee in the morning (at home) or at night, after dinner.  They did,  order coffee if they went out to eat.  But, they drank the coffee there, at the restaurant.

Now, I'm not being judgy (I'm sure that's a word).  I drink tea.  Sometimes I bring my tea with me in my own portable mug.  I know there are situations where you have to have your tea or coffee.  I'm just asking you to take a look around you.  People watch.  And take notice of all of the people walking by you, clutching their beloved (Starbucks) (Dunkin' Donuts) (Peets) (off brand) coffee cup in their hand.  Take a look on social media.  A lot of pictures posted are with people holding their coffee.

This time in history will probably be referred to as the coffee cup time.

I'm not calling for action against the coffee clutchers.  I'm just telling you what I observe when I look around me.

Least Favorite Day of the Week

I think most people have a favorite day of the week.   A Friday or a Wednesday.  And most people have a least favorite day of the week.  I think for most it's Monday.

I don't really have a favorite day of the week.  I can make most days into a good day.  I do, however, have least favorite day.  That day would be Thursday.

I think some people would agree with my dislike for Thursdays.  I mean, it's not Friday (the end of the week).  It's that day that you get all excited and then realize, "Oh, yea.  Tomorrow is Friday.  I have one more day to get through."

My dislike for Thursdays started way back in elementary school.  My Mom took art class on Thursdays which meant that I was picked up by my grandparents.  It was a change in schedule for me.  I think it was something that my grandparents probably looked forward to, picking up and hanging out with their grandchild.  Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot to do at my grandparents' house.  I was the youngest (no siblings or cousins close in age) and, well, my grandparents weren't big in entertaining a young kid.  I did get to watch my share of The Price is Right and I Love Lucy.  My grandmother also taught me how to play card games.

As I got a little older, my Mom decided that I should make dinner once a week.  So, every week my grandparents would pick me up from school.  I would hang out at their house for awhile,  then, they would drop me off at home so I could start dinner.  I made Hamburger Helper (click here for that story and recipe).  It's a good thing I didn't mind the cooking gig.  In fact, I think it helped me in the long run.

Years have passed since those art class days, and, I'm still not a fan of Thursdays.  I don't think it's the memory of those days.  I feel like Thursday is an extra day in the week.  One more day to get through before the weekend.

Do you have a favorite or least favorite day of the week?