Is it just me or has English become the new dead language?
I know that there are some people are not native speakers of English, so writing it can be just as difficult. But that alone can not explain the chaotic mess that I see not only in posts here, but across the entire internet.
I've seen typos and mistakes in articles, including those from Associated Press and The Times, which are big name papers.
How has journalism, written communication and the English language become so mangled?
I'm not even talking about the internet shorthand, "leet speak". Although I don't think "lol" and "omg" do not really belong in offline communications, written or spoken.
I'm talking about writing the word "witch" instead of "which". The definitions on those two are very different. Also the different definitions of there, their, and they're - make sure the right one is in the right place.
Some small words, like sed(said), reid(rid), thang or thong(thing) or hare(hair) are often found. These and others are "hopefully" just typos or slips in typing. But one would think that "rereading" or "proofreading" what's written would be common to avoid miscommunication or misunderstanding.
The grammar is often even worse than the spelling or mixed up words. There are times I have read a post a few times and still could not figure out what the person was talking about. I've also found articles online that were so horribly written that there was nothing useful within them at all. Except perhaps how "not" to write an article or how to write a terrible one.
Perhaps I'm just an old literary lady that loves the written word for it's beauty, grace and power. At least, when it is used properly, words and prose have done much to shape and change the world. But I find that the simple, elegant art of writing a letter, has become a rare gift in the world today.
I leave now, so that things may continue on as before, no change or attention needed. I go with a wish of a Happy New Year to all.
Yet perhaps, a few may think upon my words, though I fear far too many will not. This wish upon the New Year I send out, with the slightest bit of humor and hope. That in 2012 there may be, more respect and attention for the words we use to communicate, be they written or spoken.
I can't seem to get into the Holiday spirit, I've been trying hard to find it, but it's getting harder to find it.
I've contacted place after place, trying to find some help for my good friend. Turns out that her home is owned by a real estate property owner instead of a bank. Someone that knows her situation, but still won't allow her family to stay in their home after the Holidays. They won't even give them a 30 day extension.
Plus my fund raising isn't going too good. I really want to help her out, I don't want them to become homeless...but I'm afraid that I won't be able to get up the $5k I need.
I don't know how else to raise the funds and I don't know where they can go - Augusta, GA doesn't seem to have any help available. If anyone knows of any options that could help them, please let me know. Time is running out for her family.
in response to onlyin2012...Not sure if I'd be the best candidate for that project. There are a few other writers on here that would be able to handle that content much easier.
Thanks again for the consideration, but my plate is full for now. I don't want to fracture my focus on the goals I'm working on right now. I'm sure you'd understand that, keeping focus is sometimes difficult with all the demands we have on our time daily.
Hope that your Holiday is warm and filled with loving family & friends. Take care...
in response to onlyin2012...That's the strength of community, to be able to do a lot of good by increasing the ability of individuals through many. And there are lots of communities online, facebook, myspace, twitter and lots of others.
It would be amazing if the many would collectively place a dollar, or even 50 cents into a virtual jar. Then as people come forward to ask for help and tell their story...with whatever proof or validation available to do so...all those that had donated would vote on which person(s) or family to help that day or week.
The funds could be paid directly to the bill holder, like a utility or mortgage company - or directly to the person.
It would be an amazing achievement and a wonderful way to help out those in need.
It would be a great service - I wish I knew a team that could put it together. It would definitely be volunteer so that it would be a proper service...although some things would need to be covered - like hosting and someone to set up the site and databases, plus the security features to keep it safe, secure and transparent in use.
Thanks for your idea...it's great. I wish I could act on it. But I don't think I'd be able to pull off a raffle in the time limit. I'll have to think it over.
Posted in Starrweaver on Dec 11, 2011... modified on Dec 11, 2011
I'm trying hard to help out a friend so they won't be homeless for the Holiday. But every place I've looked they want to charge for fundraising. I want to have all the funds raised go directly to my friend, not to some fees.
I really need some help though as I'm only one person and I can't cover the whole net. But if a lot of people can donate just a little it could build into a lot.
I need ideas, I need help to got people to that link so that they can help if they can. If anyone can help by posting it on other sites I would be very grateful for the assistance.
If you know any place that could help, they have called all over and been turned down. Either there is no money or they are not qualified. Sometimes they are disqualified for the most idiotic reasons. Like not owing enough, or not having utilities disconnected or not being homeless. I thought that prevention was the idea...not trying to fix things after it's broken.
Please go to my homepage http://www.viviti.me/starrweaver/donation.html and help if you can or send others there that you think could help.
I need a miracle, if you can help me I thank you. I would be very happy if they could have a wonderful gift like this for the Holidays. I really don't want them to end up homeless after Christmas.
in response to ekikaseven...Thanks kindly. Hope that your Holidays shimmer with light & love.
Stay safe and warm this holidays season and into the New Year.
We wouldn't be here if we didn't need help or weren't looking for information. But there is a reason for having private one to one and public messages.
Public messages are where you can voice your problems, needs or rants. It's where others in the community can get to know you and find out more about you. Also try to personalize you home page and be open about yourself without giving out too much information. Privacy is best to keep you safe. That's why one of the rules on this site is not to post personal information on the public areas.
That is where the one to one posts come in. If someone contacts you then you can reply with some information, but feel them out first, remember to think of your safety first. Once you are more comfortable you can move forward with things. But always remember to respect others privacy.
There are some posters that are sending one to one messages to people and asking them to help them directly BEFORE being contacted. This is sorta like spamming - contacting a stranger without their permission. That could start trouble if people start to complain about it.
Never randomly contact someone privately to demand, beg or aggressively ask for help - it's not right.
Others on here are in bad situations, respect their privacy and don't one to one unless someone contacts you to ask about your situation. If you post in the public areas, if someone can offer help or information they will privately or publicly message you. But don't spam others in the community, we've lost some members here due to these kinds of actions. They just don't come around as much...because they feel violated or disrespected.
If someone rudely demands my help, I will block them. I'm not in the best situation myself. But for someone that's a friend, I will do whatever I can to help - or I'll find where they may get help.
Brightest blessings to all and respect one another - Happy Holidays!
Posted in Starrweaver on Dec 5, 2011... modified on Dec 6, 2011
I've been trying to come up with some ideas or ways that I can make some money. Not for myself, but for a good friend.
She's already in a chapt 13 bankruptcy, but it isn't enough to save her house unless she can catch up on the back payments.
Losing jobs hit both her and her husband hard, he even went out of state to find work. Even though he was successful, the income is less than what he used to make. Meanwhile, my friend has been searching, applying and unfortunately, not getting hired. She's had to resort to babysitting just to get some extra funds.
Like every year I'm donating a bunch of things to local families and to the Salvation Army. But I need to find a way to raise some money for my friend and her family so they will be able to have a better Holiday.
I've already gathered things to give them for Christmas, things for her young son and the two of them. My kids and I helped them to keep their water on by using our salvage/scrapping money. My cousin even added a bit to the total to make sure that they could cover it all.
My friend drives me & my kids to the store, the doctor & where ever I need to go. So I try to do all I can to help her out too. Be it food, clothing or help with a bill.
She's called all over looking for help. She has tried to get assistance & everywhere she's gone, the funds are low or nothing is left. Her husband is gone most of the time driving and his job shuts down for the holidays. So from about Dec 20th till the 10th of Jan. he won't get any money or work.
My cousin is offing to help him get with a better company that won't cheat him out of his money & will give him a chance to earn a living for his family.
I'm thinking of setting up a donation page on my website. Plus I'm going to be putting some things up for sale on eBay Classifieds. I've a lot of things that have been sitting in my storage room & I could use the extra space too! (Edit: I'm setting up page now.)
If anyone wants to help, every dollar I collect is going to her to help save her home. It's $5,000 I've got to get up by the end of Dec. I just hope that I can get it done. Her family has no place to go & I don't have room for them here. If nothing else, at least it could help them to move if I can't get up the whole amount.
I don't know if anyone knows about these sites already or not. But I figure that maybe one or two might be new. But here's some resources that I've found, not used them all yet...but some have come in handy.
Here is wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving and answers to the issues that you may be facing. I wish that all find warmth, love and happiness for this Holiday Season.
I've very positive with my new (used) stove/oven and I'm going to be cooking up a storm for the Holidays.
I hope that everyone will be as happy and thankful as I am for all my family and friends.
For all the support, laughter, frustration and tears that I've been privileged to share with you all here...a great big hug is yours from me.
Thank you for being there and taking the chance on reaching out to others. It takes courage to take a step outside your comfort zone, but it can be well worth it in the friendship and companionship that is found.
Warmest wishes, brightest blessings to all this Holiday Season. Take care and stay safe.
in response to TuesdaysPrayer...Whatever you do this Holiday, he won't remember it - but if you want to make it special you already have everything you need. The two of you.
But if you want to make something for him to discover when he's older. You can make a Memory box.
Take lots of pictures of you and him together, take a picture with Santa, if you can find a good one & one that won't charge you. Take him to the mall/shopping center that has decorations. Take pictures with him there. If you have a Christmas tree with lights, little ones are often mesmerized by them. lol It's a great way to get some cute pictures of them.
Then if you want, go to the Dollar Store, the Salvation Army or even Goodwill and get some cheap, colorful wrapping paper, small bag of stick on bows and masking tape. Pick up some soft cuddle toys, some booties and maybe see if you can find a band with jingle bells on it. (My son loved hearing the sleigh bells on my door. I was lucky and got a blow up plastic ball and put some small bells inside that tinkled and he would roll that ball all over.)
Then make some cookies, take lots of pictures, let him have a lick of the spoon. I make chocolate chips, gingerbread and sugar cookies for the Holidays. Play some Christmas music, the softer and happy kind. I found my kids weren't too crazy about the orchestra and louder songs.
But most of all make sure that you have all sorts of pictures, save a lock of hair in wax paper & plastic. Have a baby spoon, his booties & infant cap, receiving blanket, rattle and all the items from his first year carefully wrapped or inside a Ziploc bag. Have audio too...there are a few ways to do that. You may need to ask someone for help. But a CD or DVD with short movies, audio tracks and such could be made. My cousin does them for friends and people that want a better way to save wedding videos. You could record a lullaby or two and maybe a special goodnight prayer or a special birthday message from you. If you say "Your another year older today..." instead of a set year, it would be for any year. That way it won't matter what year he gets the memory box.
Include letters to him, telling about what's going on and how you feel. Be honest with your feelings, about your hopes & dreams.
Wear a favorite scent that your son will remember some day, it could be something that you wear for the Holidays or your all year round scent. Put a small bit on a cotton hanky and place in a Ziploc bag to put into the box.
Now for Christmas, use that colorful paper to wrap up some things, no matter what it is, put it into a box. Clothes - in a box. Some blocks - if not in a box, put into a box. Because kids seem to love boxes - my daughter played more with the box her ride & rock pony came in than with it on Christmas. lol The bows are a fun touch. Plus a few pictures with bows stuck on his shirt, head are cute.
It isn't about the "things" you have or don't have. It's about the most important thing that you do have - love.
Capture it for the memory box, enjoy each squeal and tear, but most of all, be together. That will be the best Christmas gift of all.
I hope you all the very best, warmest wishes & brightest blessings this Holiday Season.
I wanted to let you know that I finally - after almost 4 years - have a stove/oven at last!
I was checking out the eBay classifieds, which I don't usually browse, when I found a 2yr old, Kenmore elect. glass top stove for $90! Luck was with me, cause my cousin was close by with his truck! He picked it up for me and brought it inside. So now we will finally be able to have a traditional Thanksgiving & Holiday with my special honey glazed turkey & baked goodies!
On another note of good luck, my cousin is back trucking! This gets him out and on the road - plus the pay is a lot better than what he was getting part time at the local newspaper. As for me, I'm in the process of finishing up a website that I hope to sell some time down the road. It's a chocolate niche website! I'm going to be doing other sites too and seeing if I can sell them as well. Wish me luck!
Hope that everyone has a thankful Thanksgiving. Take care & stay safe.
in response to HLP76...I don't know your situation, but when I saw that you have a background in photography I just had to reply. You could be earning some income off of that skill in photography, as people who do web sites are forever looking for just the right image for sites every day. There are tons of people out there that need images for graphic designs, for newsletters and tons more.
You can look up stock photos online and find places that sell photography & there is a site deviantART that also is like an artist directory of portfolios with everything on showcase from pencil art to 3d art, fan fiction to prose, photography to 3d imaging. You can also set it up that visitors can buy a copy of your work...so it's an option.
With your skill, look into putting together a calendar for next year. Take photos of things to fit the theme or ideal you are targeting. You could do some amazing things with the right gear and lenses. You would be surprised at the profit potential of this talent. Really think about looking into it and think about improving your financial state with this.
It's an idea and I wish you well with all your endeavors
(ex-amateur shutter bug here. lol )
LOL yeah, St. John's Wort, it is effective for mild to moderate depression. It's okay for heart palpitations, moodiness and other symptoms of menopause, obsessive-compulsive disorder and seasonal affective disorder.
Did you know that it dates back to the ancient Greeks? Hippocrates even recorded the medical use of St. John’s wort flowers.
The active ingredients in St. John’s wort can be damaged by light. That's why many of the products are packaged in amber containers. But although it helps, it doesn’t offer total protection.
It's also important to know the interactions with various medicines and certain people shouldn't use it due to sensitivity. Some side effects are mild, but others can be very serious.
I've always been a big herbal tea drinker, often growing and making my own blends, way back when I was a lot younger. I learned a lot from the apothecaries and from my Uncle when I visited him. I learned about many different healing herbs and their uses.
I enjoyed wanderings in the woods to gather various berries for pies, but I also learned to find tubers, wild onion and safe mushrooms. I also learned what items were poisonous and where their antidotes were. Oddly enough, the two plants were often within a few feet of one another.
Currently, I've been drinking Mandarin Orange Green Tea with Ginseng & Honey Jasmine Tea. I've found that mixing other teas in with stronger or bitter teas can help make them more drinkable. Teas like ginseng, ginkgo biloba, green and black tea are often bitter. I like mixing strong berry teas or a combination of flowery and citrus flavored teas with them. Since there's so many benefits by drinking tea, it makes sense to make them taste good.
Here's a link to my favorite brand Celestial Seasonings, I love mixing and blending these teas together to make unique combinations that hit just the right spot. My kids always come to me for a personal mix when they're feeling bad with a sore throat or just a bit stressed out.
Hugs to you too...I just hope that I can shake this melancholy feeling and get back to myself. With all that women go through I'd like to slap the person that coined the phrase,"the weaker sex" in regards to us.
The main reason wpmen have kids, is because men couldn't handle the stress or the pain! It would be an instant population control if guys had the babies! Especially, after doing it once, they'd never want to do it again! It would be a one child deal - two or more, only if multiples are involved. LOL
in response to ekikaseven...Nope, not on meds - I'm strongly holistic and prefer not using drugs to treat symptoms if possible. I'd rather find out what's wrong and get it fixed so I don't have the problem any more.
I'm 48 going on 49 starting of next year...I kid that I'm having my own personal global warming, as even when I go into an air conditioned room, I still feel warm. I also have been having a really strange problem of late.
I've been craving pickles - normally I don't eat them much. I had cottage cheese, bread & butter pickles, some fish, mushrooms & cheese melted together with garlic salt for lunch, with some sweet iced tea & lemon.
I've been getting really strange cravings like this...plus having insomnia too. If I wasn't chaste for over 8 years, I'd swear I was preggers. But then only one of my kids put me through strange food cravings - and he's 27 yrs old now!
I'd just like to figure out what is going on...the menopause suggestion sounds like a start. I've an appt. with my doc in a few days, think I'll ask him about it.
Along with everything else that's been going on for the last year.
I'm writing with the hope that some of my friends on here and any one else that's dealt with the oppression of depression could give me a hand.
It's not that I've never been depressed, I've had my little bouts with it in the past. The disconnection, the listlessness and disinterest...the whole emotional roller coaster of feeling fine and then feeling dulled. The struggle to just do something rather than nothing.
But this time it's gotten worse. If any of you Potter Fans out there are reading this, you may have a bit more insight to this next statement. It feels as if I've had a Dementor drain all the joy out of me. I feel hollow, empty - even when something that would normally give me positive feelings happens, I feel numb...like I'm not even there.
I have been having difficulty sleeping, waking multiple times during the night, wanting to sleep - feeling tired and yet struggling to find the comfortable feeling so I can fall asleep. Most often of late I pass out after little sleep over a few days, only to be swallowed by oblivion for 5-6 hours. Waking up achy, stiff and not feeling rested, my body has recuperated some, yet mentally I feel less.
I can't get myself to do things I want to do, I just feel like "what's the use..." Even with things I enjoy doing, I just can't stick with it. My enthusiasm is gone. I've no passion, I try to even play a game I really like and I can barely play for 5 min. without just turning off the game and feeling lost. Like I don't know what to do, where to go or if it even matters.
I've never had depression this bad, it's never gotten to the point where I couldn't escape from it. I know this time I think I'm going to need help. I just don't know what to do or who to go to...
So if anyone has dealt with it before...please, let me know how I can escape this nightmare....
Posted in Starrweaver on Oct 7, 2010... modified on Aug 12, 2011
working on new homepage - http://www.viviti.me/starrweaver
I'm wanting to find a way to earn more income, so that I can make a fresh start with my kids. Wanting to move to the west coast and get away from the south & east coast.
Have home that needs work, but nothing here but bad energy & memories. Need to make a clean break & start over. Have skills in web design, writing, cooking, knowledge on various subjects. Hoping to earn enough to move - house, furnishings & such will be left behind. Taking only personal items & sentimental treasures. Less costly this way...
Any suggestions on how to secure some property out in OR - WA- area...let me know. Just need land with maybe a double wide that's livable to start with. Water/sewer set up on property, don't really need elect. if generator is avail.
No restrictions on land use, want to be able to have crops & livestock. Want to put up solar, wind and water systems. Open to living/purchase options...
Posted in Starrweaver on Aug 12, 2011... modified on Aug 12, 2011
Went through a horrible time this week...fri. I was achy and felt uncomfortable. I just figured it was the rain that was coming.
Well, by Sat. night I could barely walk and was in terrible pain.
Couldn't reach my primary care doctor at all...phone was stuck in a loop..."please wait to be transferred..." over and over...
I finally went to the ER on Sun. afternoon when I was able to secure a ride.
Sat in a wheelchair for 4 hours - then saw the on 4yr med student for about 5 min. He listened to my breathing, checked to see how tender my back and sides were. Then I got to talk to the on call doctor for about 3min. who didn't check me at all. (must have been using some x-ray glasses to evaluate my condition...I would have gotten a better exam from TSA security!) He prescribes me Flex-something and sends me home (no pain management meds either - despite the fact I'm in pain.)
I take a short cat nap and wake to find that I'm in even worse condition than before! I can barely stand now, can't tend to my personal care and can hardly walk. I also lose control of some functions and my right leg is going numb at the thigh.
(for anyone that has gone through back labor - that is what the pain was like...only difference is that back labor ends - this wasn't!)
I finally gave in and called for an ambulance - for a start the 4mg of morphine I was given didn't even touch the pain...that should have given someone a clue.
I waited for 3 hours for someone to finally give me something for the pain. Then I finally napped for about 20 min. It was the first real sleep I'd had in several days. I wasn't given anything to drink (not even ice chips) the entire time I was in the ER (9am ish to midnight) I was pushed to the MRI machine and just looking at that machine...it was like trying to put a cow in a rabbit hole! But they tried to put me in anyway and then bounced me all over shifting me from one table to the next. If they'd given me the pain meds, I could have taken a wheel chair and done something - but they wouldn't keep the pain down - the first dose had already worn off by the time they were bouncing me about.
I get back to the room and I call for my nurse, I call for some drink, I even ask for meds...it takes over 45min for anyone to answer and then it's "Oh, let me check..." and they never come back. I finally get some more meds right before they take me away to be stuck with needles. But it isn't pain meds...It's Prince Valium! Like that is going to do a thing for the pain...they are just tired of me bugging them. I have fibroids that make my stomach distend and make it hard. (Can't seem to get that taken care of either...) and these medical people keep saying "is your stomach always that hard?" 1. that isn't my stomach - 2. how often do I have to repeat myself before you stop asking... I felt like pounded up hamburger by the time I got back to my little ER room and made myself rather vocal about getting the pain stopped. (squeaky hinge gets the oil - right?)
During the whole thing, no one spoke to me about much - only to the other doctors. I felt like a kid being ignored, because of course I wouldn't understand - I was only living in my body...they knew more about it than foolish little old me.
Finally the one doctor...young female, bet she lost the draw, tells me that I have this and that and talks to me in medical speak...rather than English. Then says they are sending me home - at almost 8pm! I state that I need transportation and then the nurse comes in with my papers, says I have a Valium prescription, but there's no pain management meds. I ask if she can check about that. Here I'm all hooked up to this or that machine - with tubes connected on both ends. The nurse leaves to ask about pain meds and I slowly drift in a daze due to the pain killer she stuck in my IV (most likely to shut me up)...next thing I know some guy is at the door asking if I'm ready to go.
GO???? I'm still hooked up-connected to things and not even in my clothes! Where was the nurse that was supposed to help me get ready? I begin to feel the distant twinge of pain...I ask what time it is...It's about midnight! A male nurse comes in, in a rush, he finds my confusion and the fact I'd like to get dressed annoying. He removes tubes a tad abruptly, constantly saying- "I just came on. I don't know what you're talking about."
I finally get him to allow me to dress, reminding him to close the door for privacy...I finally manage to get ready, though I'm unsteady and feel very disconnected and floaty. I can feel the pain in the distance...knowing I've got to do what I can while I've the wall between the pain and myself.
I finally get wheeled out to a van, in the rain (they didn't even drive up to the door) and told to get in the front seat with little help. The transport men are not interested in me, they talk to one another and just make sure of my address. Then ignore me the rest of the time. The older one is dropped off, then the younger one drives me to my address. When I reach home, my son and daughter come out with an umbrella and help me. The transport person didn't even get out to offer any help. I had no shoes on either, so as soon as I touched the road and was out of the way, the driver closed the door and left.
My grown kids got me into the house and helped to settle me as comfortably as possible.
That was the most horrid ER visit I've had in many decades! I thought that medical services had improved, not collapsed.
I was severely dehydrated also, so my children made sure I got plenty of fluids and a light meal. They were very upset when they saw the bruising on my arm, legs, hips & back the next morning. I've reported what happened to the patient care rep. at the hospital. I'm hoping that this kind of thing won't happen to someone else.
I still have no idea what caused the problem, I'm taking some meds - mostly OTC and I'm taking it easy. I'm trying to get an appt. to find out what happened and how to keep it from happening again.
I've a high pain tolerance - but this pain is not something I want to deal with again. But to manage it I need to know what happened.
I have arthritis in my hips. I have a lower lumbar injury. I've a weight issue do to the growth of the fibroids and I've some blood sugar issues that cause me not to be hungry. (I don't look fat, I look pregnant. Mostly due to the bulge of the fibroid up front. It's frustrating that they won't do anything. They just tell me to wait for menopause. Gee, thanks!)
But something happened this last week that caused a major problem and turned my life upside down and I'd like to get to the bottom of it. I need to know, cause I don't want that kind of thing to disrupt my quality of life - limited as it is...to be lessened even more.
Just wanted to let my friends on here know that I've been out of circulation for a while. I don't know if I will be back yet as my back & hips don't allow me to move much.
I've arthritis in my hips, hands and shoulders. I've an old lower lumbar back injury that is aggravated by the inflammation & pain in my hips.
I'm like a little wooden soldier someone left in the rain...I'm all stiff and waterlogged...lol
I hope that my friends are doing alright considering their individual situations. I wish them the best and will hopefully improve myself in the following weeks - depending upon what tortures my doctor decides to prescribe...
Take care and stay safe...
Carpe Diem! You never know if you'll be able to tomorrow...
For those hard working people, those that are working at home typing up reports. Those that are reading and studying in bed and for those that are finishing up things that are all related to work that you do for someone else. Why are you doing this?
Let me ask you a question - Does a bus driver take their work home?
Do security officers do their work at home?
Is the cook, waitress, store clerk taking their work home?
Big questions - When you leave the office or your job, are you still being paid? Then why are you working for free?
Here's a simple question, why are you working so hard for your paycheck? To make things better for your family? To improve things so you'll have money to take trips, pay for college and retirement?
What about right now? If your kids are young do you want them to remember you coming home from work to spend time with them - helping with homework, talking about their day, playing and laughing, helping with dinner? Or the memory of you coming home and after a few moments going into an at home office or spreading work out on a spare table or desk, not available - not really home, because you are busy doing "work".
Work you should have left at work! If you are a professional, a lawyer, doctor, teacher - you might fall into this also. But even you can make sure that tests are graded, cases are reviewed and work is done before going home. If you need extra help, find a way to get it. Work belongs in the workplace, in your office and if you work at home - leave it in the home office. Home time is family time. It's the reason you are working so hard, but it doesn't mean you have to work for free or miss out on being with your family.
Even if you're young and haven't started a family, learn to make sure you are getting a fair pay for the work you do. You have a life outside of work, at least, you should. Don't let employers trick you into working "off the clock" - it's not fair to you and to be fair, he should be finishing up his own work. See? He/She's not taking work home - they get others to do it for them. Plus they don't pay for it!
Do one better, get some extra help if the employer won't, especially if you're a teacher or other professional. Put a suggestion box in the main office - when it's full send it to the Big Cheese - whoever that may be. Peek at some of the suggestions if you want - (you might want to weed out the not so nice ones - there are clowns in every business.)
Put up posters on a notice board asking for an assistant. One of the ambitious types is sure to answer and you can offer a set price for what you need done. Never expect others to work for free, if you don't want to be working for free. Make sure you choose the right assistant too - one that will be helpful and allow you to finish your work at work.
What's the point of working our butts off if we're going to miss out on those special firsts with our kids. Missing games, dances, camp outs, picnics, pillow fights and sleep overs - wouldn't you rather be calling them to you for hugs - instead of yelling "Be quiet! I'm trying to work!"
The face of the whole economy is changing. Industries are being born and disappearing, some fields are growing, while others are phasing out. Who knows what's going to be the norm in a few years. But what shouldn't be the norm anymore is taking work home from the office and working off the clock for free.
For those that decide to work at home, make sure that you set up a work time for yourself and a time that you won't be working. Even if it's a flexible time, at least make sure that you make time for both work and family. We all need balance.
It's long overdue that some of us find it.
'Hence, we arrive at the current impasse in Washington, where a benighted, feckless and reckless do-nothing Congress is now "holding a gun to your [and the national economy's] head," as famed investor and Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett puts it.
"We raised the debt ceiling seven times during the Bush administration," Buffett told CNBC on Thursday. Now, the Republican-controlled Congress is "trying to use the incentive now that we're going to blow your brains out, America, in terms of your debt worthiness over time."
As early as April when this theater of the absurd was just heating up, former Bush-era U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill called the people advocating such foolish and dangerous brinkmanship on the deficit "terrorists."
Indeed, as also noted by Finance guru Edward Harrision:
"During the Bush administration, when a budget surplus turned to deficit and debt piled up, Republican leaders in Congress [repeatedly] voted to raise the debt ceiling...increasing the limit nearly $4 trillion. We're talking about Speaker John Boehner, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl. Combined, they voted 19 times for a debt ceiling increase without complaint or conditions."
What changed? GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his radical Republican crew thought that the better part of wisdom was to block and impede any sort of progress on job creation or aid for the struggling middle class in favor of cleaving to their ultra wealthy Wall Street benefactors.
They decided early on that their best political strategy was to vehemently oppose any and all of the president's economic initiatives and that gridlock and inaction was a better response than pulling together as Americans to solve our common economic problems.
That gridlock and abject refusal to do much of anything is quite telling, and easy to compare. As noted here in the Chicago Tribune, "The 112th Congress is on pace to be one of the least productive in recent memory — as measured by votes taken, bills made into laws, nominees approved. By most of those metrics, this crowd is under performing even the 'do-nothing Congress' of 1948, as Harry Truman dubbed it."
Dithering during an economic crisis is what they do best. As noted here by Huffington Post writer Kelly Moore:
"Through the first six months of the year, the House and Senate have been in session at the same time for a mere 60 days. That's an average of a whopping two weeks of vacation a month. Meanwhile, the average American (lucky enough to have a job) has put in twice as many work days — 125 to be precise — in the same span of time."
As the Chicago Tribune noted: "From January until the end of May, the last date for which comparable statistics are available, 16 bills had become law — compared with 50 during that period last year, or 28 in 2007, also a time of divided government."
Moore has a capital suggestion — put Congress on a commission pay basis:
"Congress lacks seriousness of purpose. They are too busy tearing one another down. Maybe if they were compensated like so many Americans — by commission — they would get more done. They could receive a base salary, say, equivalent to the median American salary of around $50,000. Beyond that, they would be paid only for performance. No federal budget, no paycheck. National default? No paycheck (and no re-election)."
Sounds good to me.'
To read the complete article it's located here:
http://cartersville.patch.com/articles/how-and-what-to-count
in response to mom451...Well, the need locally has about broke the pantry banks around here. They're usually tapped out by mid month, some might have some supplies left, but not this late in the month.
I contacted a few locals that I've worked with & such, they were able to get sugar, milk & butter. Then my sister sent over some things from some folks she knew that had some things to spare...
We got over the heat bump this month, but I need to find a way to pull ahead and keep it from happening. I just wish my health wasn't so adversely affected by the heat. It's making even simple things difficult to do.
Thanks for the suggestion...and taking the time to post.
I didn't want to bother anyone with this, but if anyone knows someplace in Augusta, Ga that may give out sugar, powdered milk, canned milk, canned fruit, powdered or canned drink mix, anything like this I would appreciate it.
We're drinking tap water, I've run out of stuff to put in it to cover the metallic taste. I've herbal tea bags, but no sugar. If I had canned fruit I could make smoothies with crushed ice. But right now I'm trying to just keep everyone hydrated.
No one wants to eat, I've had to make soup, broth mostly to get them to eat. But that's gone now too.
Any suggestions on where or how to get drink or doctor up the yucky tap water...even I'm having trouble drinking it, even though I know I need to. But I've no idea how to filter it or fix the taste.
Maybe it's the heat, but I just can't think clearly...it's so hot in the house.
Brick holds in the heat...wish we could pitch a big tent and sleep outside. But not in this neighborhood...I'd prefer somewhere safer.
Like a pasture that's being rotated...lol Be nice to see the stars again...
Okay I'm rambling...sorry.
I'm a little sleep dep too. Need to try and sleep...just so hot. Hope everyone can stay cool...it's an oven here.
Take care...
Just wanted to let my pals on here know that last night during a bad thunder storm, my cousin's motorized bike got stolen. The guy cut through the bike chain & almost made it away with no one the wiser. But my son, was at the kitchen sink and saw movement. So thinking we had another doggie trespasser he went out to chase it off.
Here a guy comes out with the bike, only trouble is we've some bushes and trees that make a wall in the front yard - so this guy was along the side by the fence & my son was in the front. He headed for the road to cut the guy off when he saw that the guy had my cousin's bike with the engine on it.
He started to run and yelled Hey, and the guy in a camouflage slicker with a hood bolted with the bike, hopping on and started to peddle. My son almost was able to grab him, but he pulled away and then he had to run after him...unfortunately he couldn't keep up for long on foot.
My son's 6'4" and can sprint like a cheetah, but he can't go as fast or last as long - so the guy got away.
I'm ticked that someone came into my yard and stole something. I've lived here 13 yrs and have always helped out when I could do so. This really makes me mad and upset. I feel a lot of different emotions and not sure what to do about them yet.
My son went out this morning and I'm worried. He was mad that he hadn't stopped the guy or caught him. So I'm worried he went out to look for the bike...
Well, just wanted you to know what happened and hopefully this guy will get what's coming to him. I'm hoping my son's hitting the pawn shops to check around and let them know what the bike looks like so they'll know it's stolen property.
Will let you know what happens... take care all.
in response to sandy24...Well it's going to be a high of 102 today and that means it will feel even hotter!
So I'm taking a book, I'm going to go into the one room that has a unit in it and I'm going to camp out in there with my fan. lol
Tomorrow is supposed to be around the same so I don't know if I'm going to come out of that room for long - at least till the evening when it cools off down to around the mid 70's. I'm going vampire - nocturnal mode, plus I'm stocking up on drink...lol lots of iced tea!
Unfortunately I'm running out of sugar and I'm broke! Grrrr....
Need a cable to hook up my flat screen, no $ to get one yet, so have to wait. Then I need to wait till daughter moves her stuff out of the room with the unit so I can move into it. She's already moved most of herself and stuff into the largest room downstairs.
Meanwhile, I've still got to get the storage room emptied and keep it boxes need to go into the storage unit, while not keeping it boxes need to go out...
But it's just so blasted hot.... Hot weather never motivated anyone to do much of anything except find some way to cool off...
Stay chill and I'll chat with you later...
lol I'm going to go put myself on ice....hee hee hee
Get out of that place...just go. If you really want to be away from all that evil that is there. Pack up whatever you can carry and get out.
There are shelters, go to a church and tell them you need sanctuary from these people.
The longer you stay the more danger you are putting yourself in. Go to someone that will help...go to a church, salvation army - a soup kitchen or even the welfare office. If you are disabled and get disability or SSI then go to them and ask for references that can help you. Go to the housing dept and tell them you need help.
Go to a women's crisis center...look it up on line or open a phone book.
Do not be an ostrich and stick your head in the sand! And if there are kids involved - go to welfare and ask for services! You being disabled are able to get protection from someone that's abusive - be it physical or mental. If there are kids - depending on how old they are...they could use some intervention too.
This situation is dangerous - get out now. What were you doing homeless on New Year's eve...you should have gone straight to a women's shelter or salvation army. There are groups that help women that are in need, especially those that are disabled. Plus those kids are in the middle of this? If you've cared for them, how do you feel about leaving them in this mess? At least see if someone can check on them after you are out of there and maybe they can be moved to their mother's place or to a relative's home.
Don't be afraid - be strong and get your rear out of there. There are plenty of bad people that will manipulate you and take the control of your life from you - don't let them do it! It's your life...you decide what to do and you choose how to live it. Never let someone take that away from you...never!
You pack up your things, you wait till the opportunity is available. Everyone's asleep, or busy or off doing something and you have a chance to slip away. Go out a window if you have to...and can - or at least get your stuff out of it. Then find a way to go outside, get your stuff and get out of there as fast as you can. Don't weigh yourself down either. Clothes you can get more of, take only the barest things that you need. Bottle of water, some crackers or such - flashlight, map if available, your personal items, money, ID and such. Shouldn't be much more than can fit in a backpack.
Things can be replaced - your life can't be.
in response to sandy24...Rain? Lots and lots of rain? Send it over here! There is a really bad drought here and boy could we use a lot of it to fill up the irrigation pools and ponds, the rivers, lakes and dams too!
16" when we should have had 25" by now...this isn't doing the farmers much good. Crops are getting baked and the livestock has almost nothing to eat...
This extreme weather is going to drive up food costs. Plus there's no one willing to do the migratory work in this heat either - meaning that the crops aren't going to get harvested which in turn means costs go up even more!
I'm really really losing my cool...think I'm going to go crawl into the freezer and hibernate for a while. lol
I'm wanting more and more to move out to Oregon or Washington - maybe upper state Cally, up there by Crescent City... Just to get away from this oppressive heat...
I would love that chance to have a place with a basement & a fireplace - and be able to use it. Not have it just be decoration...
a real fireplace too...not a gas or electric one.
I just wish that I had the funds to make a move like that...not likely that I'm going to win the Publisher's Clearinghouse - though it would be nice. I'd even take the $5k a week for life - with my health the way it is, they wouldn't have to pay out all that long...lol
But at least I could get some things done before I kick the bucket -plus I always wanted to buy the farm...lol The kids would be set at least, before I go...
I'd just like the chance to do some things and if I can't get my fortune in a gamble - maybe I can do it another way...with words. I don't know how it's going to turn out...but at least I can give it a shot...
Too hot...need to put myself on some ice. Take care and send the rain this way...lol Talk soon...
Someone please turn down the heat!
Man, what's up with the high 90's and higher on the east coast?
Los Angeles was a cool 82! I just don't get the weather changes that are happening in the last decade...it's been nuts!
But with all the hot air in Washington D.C. it's no wonder that we're having a heat wave. Can't those wind bags just stop yammering and start doing something productive for a change? They worry too much about their wealthy positions and not enough about doing what's right for our country & the people.
There was once a time where people came together to help one another. Not for money, but to help out. They knew that if they ever needed help that they in turn would receive it. That community feeling is not as abundant as it used to be.
Why do we have to have a disaster or worse to finally come together to help one another. Of course, we still have those bottom feeders that use times like that to loot, damage and hurt victims more.
Well, too hot to rant any more...need to chill in a cold shower. No ac so I'm baking here. Someone send some cool rainy weather to this drying out wasteland...
in response to CATLUV...yeah, we're okay over here. Today is just hot - in the last 36 hours with the rain & all it was bearable out, but now it's back to baking.
I'm up near SC by the river so I'm hoping the twisters keep their distance. I do not want to take a ride like Dorothy!
Just dropping in here to let everyone know I'm still around.
Bad storm the other day knocked out some electricity in the area. (thankfully, not mine!) Also the internet has been out around here for almost a day & a half.
So I've been trying to catch up with some things and do more writing. But wanted to let my friends on here know that I'm still around. Just not as much as I wanted to be for a while.
Hope everyone's alright or at least hanging in there...Take care, stay safe...
