Is anyone else confused about the whole bailout deal? Yesterday I was rather concerned about the fact that it didn't pass. Now I'm really not sure what to think. Are we all supposed to go to school for a serious economic degree so we know what we want our congress to do? Who was watching the people who got us this far? Aren't there laws regarding how money is handled? I just don't understand how we got to yesterday. It may mean I can't finish school and that really irks me. I raised my kids and did what I was supposed to do for Amanda (my daughter). Now I may not be able to do what I started out to do. I've always heard that "you can do anything you want to do" and "it's never too late". It actually may be now.

You have the right to disconnect - CNN.com

How does Pres. Bush feel about his fellow Republicans on Capitol Hill? If I were him, I would be seriously worried. So should John McCain. Their own party defeated this bill. I saw a clip from the Repubs claiming Nancy Pelosi caused the failure to pass. Are they all children? Is that what we have elected to our Congress? How can someone take office as a Senator or Representative of the United States, get mad on the playground and say, "if you don't play by my rules, I'll take my ball and go home". Does anyone else think that sounds like a playground fight? Who do they think they are? They aren't the ones who get hurt in the meantime. They need to GROW UP!!!!!

One of the classes I take had as the assignment to share a positive writing experience you've had. Here's mine!
In 1992, Amanda (my angel), had a craniotomy to remove a malignant brain tumor at LeBonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis TN. She was a patient at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital also in Memphis. LeBonheur has the best medical care for children. I think I'd be hard pressed to find better. In 1992, however, their ICU was not very parent-friendly. The rules were that all parents and visitors were to be removed when a child was being taken in or out for surgery, during shift change, or during an emergency. Mondays and Fridays were the scheduled surgery days. That meant many hours of not seeing your child. One day in particular, it was over 12 hours. She was in the ICU for two weeks because she developed pneumonia. It was rough with those kind of visitation rules. She was only four. After all that, she had radiation therapy at St. Jude.
We had been home about a month when I received the satisfaction survey in the mail from the hospital. I couldn't fill it out. I kept looking at it and getting angry all over again. This went on for six months. At first, I thought it was the emotions of the moment, but after that long I knew it was because I really felt as though we had been wronged. So I decided to write a letter. I knew it wouldn't do any good except make me feel better. I would have expressed my own thoughts not what was on a piece of standard junk mail. (That's how I feel about those surveys).
The letter started out with how much faith I had in their medical care. I told them I would not hesitate to take my daughter there again because I felt they had the best medical staff and facility for her. Then I told them how I felt about their visitation policies. I explained how even after six months I was just as upset as I was at the time. I also said that I would have expected it to subside. I felt that the emotional welfare of my child had not even been considered. After all, don't most people heal faster with a positive mental attitude? How scary was it for her at the age of four? I then signed my name, address, and phone number. I mailed it and forgot about it.
I received a call from the hospital's head of ICU about a month later. She called to tell me that she had been forwarded the letter from the office. After she read it, she contacted fifty other parents at random to ask them about the concerns I raised. To a parent, they agreed with me 100%. She also told me that because of the results, they had changed their policies in the ICU. She said it was because I wrote such an eloquent letter. I wasn't accusing or negative about their medical abilities. She was quite taken aback. She thanked me again and we hung up. I knew no other parents would have to go through a forced separation from their child again.
When Amanda needed the last surgery before she died, that's where she had it. I still feel the same way about the hospital and staff as I did in 1992. I had forgotten how much that meant to me until I wrote for the class. Writing is a wonderful thing. Even if you're the only one who sees it. Then again, an email to a friend can make the friend feel special and lift their spirits when they need it most.

What is your real age? I think mine is still pretty young. Of course I don't go out like I did when I was younger but does that mean I'm getting old? NO!!! It means that I have figured out what makes me tick. It isn't the social scene because I realized that I like myself and spending time with myself is not a bad thing. I do what I want when I'm alone and not what everyone else wants. I'm not being drug from one bar to the next and I'm not being forced to talk to someone I don't have anything in common with. It isn't that I don't like to be with others, it's just that I do that all day at work. Then I'm on someone else's time. After work, it's my time. What is wrong with that?



I think that if most people were to learn what makes them tick and what makes them content earlier in life, they would have a much more satisfying personal life. I still think as young as I was at 18. I just don't feel I have as much to prove. Maybe only to myself. That's ok too. It means I'm still challenging myself to be better. Right now the focus is on school. I raised the kids and lost one to cancer. After the serious depression with that I came out with an attitude that tells me anything is possible. I was always getting by either financially or emotionally. With the education, I'll be able to improve both. It will allow me to travel where I want and have more personal time for myself. Both of those things have been lacking in my life so far.



I guess the lesson everyone should take is this: Learn to like yourself and you will enjoy the things in life that make you happy.

I would like to know how our gas prices got so high. No, really. I watched a few minutes of the Senate hearings when they were grilling the oil company bigwigs and I am just flabbergasted. How can someone justify a $12 million dollar bonus on top of what is likely an exhorbitant salary? What I don't understand is that they aren't just screwing with the general public, they are ripping food right out of their own employee's mouths. There is no way they give all their employees breaks on the gas they have to buy to go work for them. I realize it isn't cheap to get from the crude to the gas form, but why do they get to make a fortune in one year while the rest of us can't afford health care? What about the kids out there that need food or clothing?





I'm not saying we should not let people get rich in this country, but when there is such a discrepancy between the classes, there should be some accountability to these extremely rich people not helping more than they are. I can barely pay my taxes every year between the federal, state and local and I do without a lot of things because of it. I can't visit my family now because there isn't any money and with gas prices as high as they are, I can't even think about it. I'm not asking for myself. I realize there are a lot of people worse off than me. But that means there are very hard-working people out there that don't even have as much as I do. That's scary. Somebody should sit up and take notice and do something.

What does it take to make someone's day? It's relatively simple. Just smile at them. I mean a real smile. How hard is that to do? Apparently, it can be very difficult as I was reminded today.

I was leaving the grocery store and almost ran into someone. I smiled at her and said excuse me even though she was coming in the exit. I didn't think anything about that. Her response was this, "At least you smiled. The other lady just frowned at me." How many of us have gone in the wrong door? Iknow I have. What's the big deal? And why do we have to make the other person feel bad about it?

Think about how it makes you feel when someone smiles at you. I know it makes me feel better no matter what kind of day I'm having. It means someone noticed me. I made enough of an impression for someone to appreciate seeing me. I know that may sound corny, but think about the cashier you notice is having a bad day. I've done this and it works. I smile at her and she smiles back. It gets you into a conversation with her and she seems to perk right up. How many people had been rude or inconsiderate to her that day? What does your smile do for her? It gets her out the funk she may have been in most of the day. If not for the rest of the day, but at least for a while. How hard was that to do? Not very.

Remember everyone needs a pick-me-up once in a while. Why not make it a great part of your day, and make it happen.