Punk Covers Folk

My punk rock son pointed out various errors in this post, so look for a revised one in the future

California Dreaming/The Mamas and the Papas covered by NOFX and Pennywise and . . .

Vincent/Don McClean covered by NOFX (Google vincent don mcclean for tons of neat sites)

Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya/traditional covered by the Dropkick Murphys

Plus here's a whole list I found while looking for links to the above. Who knew??

Charity the Internet Way

Gimundo is one of my favorite sites for Good News . . . Served Daily. Their post on Five Ways to Give without Spending a Dime is worth clicking into.

Bumblebee

I'm not a big fan of bumblebees only because of the sting risk, but apparently they do much more good than harm! And who will solve the mystery of why have all the bumblebees gone?

Janet Marinelli explains how important they are on the Brooklyn Botanic Garden:

We live on a planet pollinated primarily by bees. Bees fertilize most of our
favorite flowers, and pollinate a third of the plants we eat. Bumblebees are
important pollinators of tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, melons, raspberries,
blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, and many other crops, and are the only
known pollinators of potatoes worldwide.

I'm not a big fan of global warming and whatever did happen to the ozone, but this seems like a legitimate problem that can be solved by those in the know. I found it interesting.

A Little American History

Betcha didn't know this story posted in the Devoted Intellectual. Not having visited, I didn't know and found it really interesting.

My aunt and uncle, a veteran of the Korean War, are buried there. How cool is that?

LERCH, LADYNE M
DATE OF BIRTH: 04/25/1923
DATE OF DEATH: 12/24/2004
BURIED AT: SECTION 65 SITE 1256
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
C/O DIRECTOR ARLINGTON, VA 22211
(703) 607-8000
WIFE OF LERCH, THOMAS F
LCDR US NAVY

LERCH, THOMAS F
LCDR US NAVY
WORLD WAR II, KOREA
DATE OF BIRTH: 11/18/1918
DATE OF DEATH: 07/03/2001
BURIED AT: SECTION 65 SITE 1256
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
C/O DIRECTOR ARLINGTON, VA 22211
(703) 607-8000

Happy President's Day and a heartfelt thank you to all of our troops.

The Goodyear Blimp

The Spirit of Goodyear was floating around the other day and reminded me of the ride I was honored to have years ago when I worked at Goodyear. My ride was actually in the Spirit of Akron, retired in 1999. That gondola that you ride in underneath the blimp? About the size of a minivan. It's amazing that the filming crews and their equipment plus the pilots are crammed in there.

While working at Goodyear, we caught a rare glimps of all three blimps together in Akron out of the windows of the headquarters building.

My kids and I lived in the village close to the blimp hangar at Wingfoot Lake, so we saw the blimp flying around all the time - it was cool. When the Spirit of Goodyear was christened by Sally Ride, my son and I went to the ceremony at the blimp hangar.

Good memories.

Centering

From Pick The Brain:

The Now. Focusing yourself on what you have instead of what you don’t have. Focusing on present actions instead of future worries and past regrets. Focusing on what is.
Your Dreams. Center yourself on the direction you want to take your life. Re-reading any goals I’ve written down helps me reaffirm what I want from life instead of responding to cynicism and frustration.
Family. Center around the people you love. This may be harder to center on if you’re having conflicts with your family. But by focusing on the best part of your relationships you can center yourself on what is important to you.
Your Passions. Center around the work you love doing. Focus on your ability to create.

Have a Heart, Donate an Organ

Gretchen of the Happiness Project posted about organ donation for Valentine's Day. My son brought home a wristband for me from the Donate Life presentation they had at school.

Coincidence? I think not.

More Ohio Babies

Cop's baby

Is it wrong of me to expect the police to 'serve and protect?' This cop not only killed his pregnant girlfriend (which he said was accidental?) but instead of following police procedure, disposed of the body with the help of a high school friend.

So the guy was mean, dumb and shouldn't have been a cop, let alone a boyfriend or baby-daddy. This little family story disturbs me so much more. How in the hell do you kill your baby in the microwave. What circumstances lead up to that? Somebody put that baby in the microwave, closed the door and pushed the buttons. How, how, how could that even occur to someone??

Free Travel

This sounds interesting. I may have to follow the adventure.

It reminds me of the one red paperclip guy's brother who had an adventure. Check their accomplisment here: http://hitch50.com/

Resilience

Give yourself some positive self-talk by using these statements and tips from the Mayo Clinic:
Use the above link to read the entire article.

Characteristics of resilient people

Statement:

I'm able to adapt to change easily.

I feel in control of my life.

I tend to bounce back after a hardship or illness.

I have close, dependable relationships.

I remain optimistic and don't give up, even if things seem hopeless.

I can think clearly and logically under pressure.

I see the humor in situations, even under stress.

I am self-confident and feel strong as a person.

I believe things happen for a reason.

I can handle uncertainty or unpleasant feelings.

I know where to turn for help.

I like challenges and feel comfortable taking the lead.

Credits: Based on the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Connor K.M., Davidson J.R. ©2003. Adapted by Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Tips to improve your resilience

Use these tips to help become more resilient:

Get connected. Build strong, positive relationships with family and friends, who can listen to your concerns and offer support. Volunteer or get involved in your community. "A sense of connectedness can sustain you in dark times," Dr. Creagan notes.

Use humor and laughter.
Remaining positive or finding humor in distressing or stressful situations doesn't mean you're in denial. Humor is a helpful coping mechanism. If you simply can't find humor in your situation, turn to other sources for a laugh, such as a funny book or movie. (When my son went through a major depression in middle school, he really got a lot of relief from renting comedies, watching comedians and even read about becoming a comedian.)

Learn from your experiences. Recall how you've coped with hardships in the past, either in healthy or unhealthy ways. Build on what helped you through those rough times and don't repeat actions that didn't help.

Remain hopeful and optimistic. While you can't change events, look toward the future, even if it's just a glimmer of how things might improve. Find something in each day that signals a change for the better. Expect good results.

Take care of yourself. Tend to your own needs and feelings, both physically and emotionally. This includes participating in activities and hobbies you enjoy, exercising regularly, getting plenty of sleep, and eating well.

Accept and anticipate change. Be flexible. Try not to be so rigid that even minor changes upset you or that you become anxious in the face of uncertainty. Expecting changes to occur makes it easier to adapt to them, tolerate them and even welcome them.

Work toward goals. Do something every day that gives you a sense of accomplishment. Even small, everyday goals are important. Having goals helps direct you toward the future.

Take action. Don't just wish your problems would go away or try to ignore them. Instead, figure out what needs to be done, make a plan to do it, and then take action.

Learn new things about yourself. Review past experiences and think about how you've changed as a result. You may have gained a new appreciation for life. If you feel worse as a result of your experiences, think about what changes could help. Explore new interests, such as taking a cooking class or visiting a museum.

Think better of yourself. Be proud of yourself. Trust yourself to solve problems and make sound decisions. Nurture your self-confidence and self-esteem so that you feel strong, capable and self-reliant. This will give you a sense of control over events and situations in your life.

Maintain perspective. Don't compare your situation to that of somebody you think may be worse off. You'll probably feel guilty for being down about your own problems. Rather, look at your situation in the larger context of your own life, and of the world. Keep a long-term perspective and know that your situation can improve if you actively work at it.

The Forgetting, part duex

"Every morning is the same."

I tried to give her a synopsis of Groundhog Day and got a blank look. She didn't know who Bill Murray was.

"Nobody comes to see me."

My brother comes once a week, but she doesn't remember.

"My own sister won't come to see me."

"Mom, Aunt Linda has MS. She doesn't go anywhere. She's had it for a couple years."

"I never thought I'd end up in a nursing home. How long have I been here?"

"Over a year. You came here after your ankle surgery as a result from a fall and then had to come back for good because of your falling so you could be in a safe place."

"I hate it here."

We had parts of this conversation over and over and over. Time to gently exit.

"I'm glad I was able to come see you today. Usually I babysit my granddaughter."

"You have a granddaughter??"

"Mom, Katy got married and had a baby last year. Rob's son and his girlfriend did also and are expecting another baby soon. Don't you remember us coming at Christmas? Everyone brought their kids and babies?"

"I remember that day."

That day was very exciting for her, but we noticed that she didn't call any of us by name.

Help! I'm LOST!

Both my step-daughter and I were going to miss this week's episode of LOST. My cousin was in town and we were meeting him for dinner and she had a meeting. She said she almost rescheduled it. "I am going to have to tape Lost tomorrow night, because I have a meeting at work. I almost made them change it!"

I thought she meant the show - uh...she meant the meeting. Her reply:

And, yes, Lost is going to reschedule for me so I don't miss tonight's episode. LOL. That is funny. You make me laugh.

Oh, and have fun at dinner tonight. What time do you think you will be done? I will call Lost and make sure they don't air tonight's episode until you get home. I can identify with being scatterbrained! I laugh because I can relate!

Ah but in the end, all is not LOST because it's on TONIGHT! My step-daughter is incredible, don't you think?

Depression

Author Tim Ferris listed "three concepts that I and others have found useful for preventing the inevitable ups and downs from becoming self-destructive thinking and behavior:"

1. Depression is just one phase of a natural biorhythm and thus both transient and needed...
2. How you label determines how you feel.
3. Gratitude training can be used pre- or mid-depressive symptoms to moderate the extremes and speed the transition.

Since I have bipolar disorder IMHO he hit the nail on the head for people who are not mentally ill. Reading the plentiful comments, I ran across the Ten Greatest Lies About Bipolar Disorder on Bipolar Central:

Lie #1:
You can survive without medication.

Lie #2:
You can’t control bipolar disorder.

Lie #3:
You only need the right medication and a great psychiatrist to be stable.

Lie #4:
Bipolar disorder is not a real illness, and not that many people have it.

Lie #5:
All people who have bipolar disorder are violent.

Lie #6:
People who have bipolar disorder can’t hold down a job.

Lie #7:
There is a machine or software program to scan your body or brain and determine if you have bipolar disorder.

Lie #8:
Someone with bipolar disorder will never get better.

Lie #9:
All psychiatrists are the same and give the same quality of care.

Lie #10:
There are natural proven cures for bipolar disorder that big business is hiding.

A Poem

By a great teenager I know.

Rain

Tat-tat-tat
Dancing on the roof
Streaming down the pane
Pooling on the earth

Puddles turning to rivers
An unsteady beat
Plays an up roar crescendo
Fresh green and brown watercolors
Smudged to fill the yard

Left-right-left
The wiper blades whip
A curtain across the wind shield
Head lights cutting the pour

Drenched through your coat
Foot prints three inches deep
Mud caked between your toes
Splashing your reflection’s face

The engine groans
Sighing from the water’s rage
The paint streaking across the black surface
Like a soaked blood stained cloth

Your head lifts, your gaze shifts
It shines and glints from across the way
Your mind in trance
Your feet wander with your eyes

Your pace quickens
The stereo blares
Trickles from the tree branches
Turn to buckets, breaking twigs

I run to the door
The tail lights turn
Tire tracks branding the street
The rain thins

Tail between your legs
Breathe, hot against the scarlet stream
Your eyes wide and awed
Heart beating with the rain

Tat-tat-tat
Dancing on the roof
Streaming down the pane
Pooling on the earth

Ohio Baby News

The bad news and the good news.

The span between evil and goodness is long and narrow. Being truly heroic means doing the best thing at the right time. Heroism is tested under circumstances. A person is not a hero by just thinking so, but by doing acts. I don't know if I am a hero until I am presented with a situation that requires my heroism. The good at heart would most likely be heroes. Someone who puts others before themselves would be a hero. Following the Golden Rule is heroic.

Bad people require bad thoughts, bad intentions and know before a situation presents itself how they will react. An evil person has an evil act playing in their mind over and over and when presented with an opportunity, will strike. Instead of stopping for one minute and thinking to tell someone what's going on and ask for help -- they will tear apart an innocent person's life not even caring that they're also ruining their own life.