Wonders of the World Wide Web

Oh, how I love the internet.
'Will you be online later?' Yeah, you bet.

Information and entertainment at my fingertips.
Chatting, blogs, music, funny video clips.

Ebay, Blogger, YouTube, and shopping galore,
So little time, so many sites to explore.

Amazon, iTunes, Craig's List, The Sims 2!
Google Earth. Sit back and enjoy the view.

Airline tickets, song lyrics, the latest fashion trend.
The possibilities of the internet extend without end.

The capital of Maine, how to make a killer omelette,
All things I've learned via the internet.

Celebrity gossip, world news, why cats meow...
Huh? Why? What time is it now?

Day and night. Night and day.
Day and night. I can't walk away.

Oh, how I love the internet.
No, Dad. I'm not hungry just yet.

Okay, okay. I'll be down in a sec.
I'm looking at pics of this crazy car wreck...

I turn off the computer. The images fade away.
Wait a minute. It's already Thursday?

Oh man, I need to download that song and bid on those shoes.
No! It's not a problem. I can stop whenever I choose!

conversations with Omar

Our siblings push buttons that cast us in roles we felt sure we had let go of long ago - the baby, the peacekeeper, the caretaker, the avoider.... It doesn't seem to matter how much time has elapsed or how far we've traveled.
~Jane Mersky Leder

My brother. Omar. Lil Omeo. My favorite person (although he has ensured me that the feeling is not mutual.)
I love his sense of humor and his dedication to success in every endeavor he pursues.
Although I fail to grasp his obsession with the c-walk, The Nutty Professor, and The Facebook.

*****

{scene: walking through Walmart in the hair product aisle (yes, I detest Walmart and avoid it all costs), shopping for last minute necessities the day before we left for India}

Omar: Hey, let's get some of that scurl.
me (perplexed look on face): Scurl?
Omar (pointing to a product on a nearby shelf): Yeah, scurl.
me: Umm. Yeah. That's "S" Curl.

*****

{Omar relayed this story to me one evening last week after arriving at home.}

Omar: This lady flipped me off today.
me: Why? What happened?
Omar: I was headed to the office to mail out a package. And I was in a hurry because UPS picks up at 5 PM on Friday. So I was switching from the left lane into the right lane. I turned on my blinker, but the lady wasn't letting me in, so I sped up and got in front of her. She laid on the horn and flipped me off.
me: That's rude.
Omar: I got so angry and I was going to follow her.
me: What?!
Omar: Well, I just wanted to follow her and make her think that I was going to kill her. I wanted to scare her. I would've done it if I had the time. But I was in a hurry.
me (shakes head in disgrace): Good to know that you have your priorities in order.




This clip proves what I've been saying all along. Ending an ongoing 7 year battle, from which I emerge victoriously. I told you that song was from the Care Bears! Do you like me? Do you love me? Same difference! You did not make it up. :)

good night grand junction

Aaaarg!!

penny for your thoughts

Whenever I see an erring man, I say to myself I have also erred; when I see a lustful man I say to myself, so was I once; and in this way I feel kinship with everyone in the world and feel that I cannot be happy without the humblest of us being happy.
Mahatma Ghandi

CNN-IBN: Docs Chop of Limbs for Beggars
CNN-IBN: Legal Options to Nail "Butcher" Docs

India
Population > 1.1 billion
> 25% of the population live below the poverty line
In a country with such disparities in income, where opportunity is severely limited by religion and caste, it does not come as a surprise that begging has developed into an extensive sector of moneymaking. As a result, a beggar mafia exists in which people, often children, are forced into begging. Even more disturbing is the fact that some physicians will chop off healthy limbs for a fee (10,000 rupees ~ US $215), in hopes of generating more sympathy and in turn more money.
What does it take for a person to become so despondent that amputating a healthy limb begins to seem like a viable idea? It is hard to fathom the level of indigency one must experience to be willing to sacrifice a limb in order to alleviate the situation. And many others have their limbs amputated without thier consent only to wake up to find these parts missing. They are then forced into begging.
Why does justice not exist for these victims?
What excuse can these "doctors" offer for such behavior?
So should one not give money to beggars? But how can one refuse help to another who is in need? Still even this is only treating the symptoms of poverty and not fixing the underlying causes.

For a situation that seems eminently hopeless, I can offer no solutions to these questions.

Can't sleep. Damn jetlag.

The new airline security rules really suck for long flights. Specifically: the restriction of all liquids and gels from being carried onboard. Admitting that I welcome the new measures in the name of security, I feel that the airlines should compensate for the inadequacies. They distribute toothbrushes and toothpaste. The bathroom is stocked with lotion and shaving utensils. But no lip balm. How am I supposed to survive for over 24 hours without some sort of lip moisurizer? Especially considering how drying airline cabin air can be. (Perhaps I should have bought a stick form of balm, because I think that they would have allowed that, but unfortunately all of the lip balm that I had was of a gel-like consistency.) Needless to say, my lips were extremely chapped and my eyes were so dry that they hurt to open and close. In extreme desperation, I discreetly spread some of the margarine from one of the meals on my lips in hopes of relieving the parched skin...which proved to be somewhat satisfying, although predominately greasy.

Incredible !ndia

I returned home yesterday and I'm so happy to be back in the states. India was fun. For me, India is experienced best in small doses.

Things that I don't understand about India
1. The stench. Men urinate everywhere! It's like they have constant UTIs or something, because whenever that urge comes over them, they simply unzip and go.
2. People throw trash everywhere. I hate that people litter without any concern for the environment. In defense of India: I suppose in a country with a population of over 1 billion people there are more pressing concerns.
3. The damn bugs! Mosquitos, cockroaches (huge fear factor types), ants....
4. It is over 100 degrees outside, I do not want tea.
5. The bathrooms.
6. The extremely high pressure sales people, hustlers, and beggars.

Things that I love about India
1. The food! (Although the manner in which it is prepared in restaurants is better left unresearched in order to preserve one's appetite.)
2. Everything is sooo cheap by American standards.
3. The beauty. The beauty of the people and the landscape (sans the trash).
4. Family :)