Rolling Melons

Not a deep discussion starter here... But Oh my Goodness. I have decided to try different kinds of new melons. So I bought some and put them in my fridge. One is a Galia melon and I believe should be a cross between a cantelope and a honeydew. The other looks like a cantelope but rougher and I have no idea what it is. Last night in the middle of the night I was writing and got hungry. I open the fridge and thump, thump, melons fall off the top shelf of the fridge and start rolling around. No bid deal I'll grab them, but oh no not these melons they had so much inertia I guess it is from falling from the top shelf they were slamming into the table base and changing directions, then slamming off chair legs and changing directions. I'm trying to grab my now bruised melons I'm sure and, bam, slam my head under the table. The bright yellow one is going one way the rough cantelope looking one is going the other. I end up just plopping down in the kitchen floor and laughing hysterically sure that if anyone had the secret camera on I would have won the $100,000 prize, or whateve it is.

As I'm plopped on my kitchen floor at 2:00 in the morning chasing roll-away melons laughing hysterically, it suddenly occurs to me, "My life is pretty damn good - even supposedly inanimate objects like melons have the power to amuse me." Then I thought, "Or I'm simple minded" but immediately went right back to, "No, life is good and wicked funny!" I hope they taste as good as they roll!!! And I hope your fruit has the power to amuse you too!

Birthday Wishes!

I asked my daughter what she wanted most in the world if she could have anything she wants for her birthday. Immediately she blurts out world peace! Darn, how am I going to pull that off? So, I said well if I can't do that what is your second wish. For her second wish she would like to help everyone in Japan get back on their feet. Do they sell that at Wal-mart???? What else would you like honey, like something for your birthday. Oh well for my birthday I'd like an autographed picture of Johnny Depp. Hmmmm, anybody know him??? So I don't know what to do... I nice card perhaps?

Baked Ruffles

Baked Ruffles Calories 110 Fat 3% Carbs 19g Fiber 2g Protein 2g
Vitamin c 6% maganese 4 phosphorus 4%
Ingredients:
dried potatoes corn starch corn oil sugar salt soy lecithin corn sugar


Well these are good and have less fat. They are only 30 calories though and soy lecithin isn't good for you, so in my humble opinion. Real chips are better!!!!

Nutrition Info on the Chips

Lays Garden Tomato and Basil
Calories 160 Fat 10g Fiber 1 Protein 2 Carbs 16g
and these natural chips actually have some vitamins - 6% Vitamin A, 10% Vitamin C, 4% Iron, 6% Vitamin E, 4% Niacin, 4% Magnesium, 4% Thiamin, 8% Vitamin B6 And they are all Natural

Original Ruffles with Ridges
Calories 160 Fat 10g Fiber 1 Protein 2 Carbs 15g
and they have some vitamins too - 10% Vitamin C, 2% Iron, 6% Vitamin E, 6% Niacin, 4% Magnesium, 4% Thiamin, 10% Vitamin B6, 2% Phosphorus, and 4% Magnesium And they are all Natural

Lays Barbeque Chips
Calories 160 Fat 10g Fiber 1 Protein 2 Carbs 15g
and they have less vitamins but are still natural - 6% Vitamin E, 2% Iron, 10% Vitamin C, 2% Magnesium

Now these new chips that rock my socks:
Food Should Taste Good All Natural Olive Tortilla Chips Yummy!
Calories 140 Fat 6 Fiber 3 Protein 2 Carbs 18g - for vitamins they have just 2% Calcium and 6% Iron

Vegetable Chips supermarket brand no weird ingredients or preservatives (I haven't tasted these yet): Calories 120, Fat 4g, Fiber 1g, Protein 3g, Carbs 18g, 2% Iron

And just for a fun comparison: Snyder's Pretzel Rods Calories 120 Fat 1g Fiber 1g Protein 3g Carbs 24g - 2% Iron too - Yummy too. Less fat but more carbs...

The Great Chip Taste Off

We are holding a Great Chip Taste Off in our house right now. We have purchased a bunch of chips and are narrowing them down bag by bag. So far plain Ruffles with ridges totally beats the new Garden Tomato with Basil by Lays. It was a shocking result really. The Garden Tomato and Basil does taste like tomato and basil and are good. Good for once and a while but not as you go to chip.

We are not testing any chip with ingredients in it that we don't know what they are however. We are trying to eat only foods we can pronounce!

I'll let you know tomorrow about the next rung on the climb to the best go to chip ever!

Dog Update

It's been a couple days since she's been home and I have to tell you - the first day she was aggressive. Now however she is fine. She is actually sweeter than she was before this happened, I think. Or I'm looking at her in a new way. PLUS we are running around the block everyday at 6 am. And I think that is quite an accomplishment, yesterday it was negative 7. I think my lungs were starting to freeze. And it's not easy to run in snowboots, coat, scarf, hat, gloves on the icy messy street. But whatever it is, it is better for both of us than nothing. I think it is helping bond us, so I am having my daughter do all the feeding so she can bond that way...

She is also not allowed to be on either floor of the apartment alone, hopefully soon she will stop chewing all sorts of plastic and other disgusting things, like pencils. Any ideas on how to get a puppy to stop chewing are appreciated. She does have a basket of toys but would rather chew garbage stuff.

Dogs and Vitamins Just Don't Mix

My dog seriously overdosed last night. Thank the Lord, animal poison control, and the emergency veterinarian that she is still alive. After work I plopped my purse, briefcase, and lunch bag on the kitchen floor intending to get back to them later. I went upstairs to work and my daughter and dog were downstairs. Later my girl comes up with vitamins in her hand and my days of the week plastic pill case from my purse. Apparently the dog got into my purse, how she unzipped it must have been tricky. It does have a big strap on the zipper. I imagine she stood on it and pulled on the big strap with her teeth and got it halfway open. Anyway, when she handed me both things I looked up my dog ate my vitamins on the internet. I found many incidents where dogs stole vitamins and were fine, so I didn’t worry. Three hours later she couldn’t walk, was completely aggressive wouldn’t let us near her, and was like wheezy and barking intermittently but a bark of pain, nothing I’ve ever hear before.

I called the emergency vet because it was late at night, they told me to call animal poison control. I called them back and said I couldn’t get through, so they said either way we had to call from there or from my house. Animal poison control charges $35 for the phone call. For my $35 they told me to go to the veterinarian and gave me a case number. After calling neighbors for help, because I wouldn’t get her in her kennel because she kept biting at me. We finally wrapped her gently in a blanket and got her in. Little did I know one of the main reasons she was so violent is because she was blind. When she got in her cage, I kept saying it’s like she can’t see. She was hallucinating barking at the walls of the kennel, barking at things that weren’t there. It was the saddest thing I’d ever heard or seen. My daughter was crying, to dog was just making noises I’ve never heard an animal make.

Finally we get to the veterinarian, who I’d spoken to by now two times on the phone. When we get there they leave her in her kennel for a while. My neighbor, daughter and I confirm that she can’t see. Now the veterinarian who is supposed to know what to do, I’m thinking, doesn’t. So they have to call poison control and talk to them. They tell them what to do to help the dog. One of my vitamins is 5HTP which is tryptophan, like in turkeys. Apparently the dog had overdosed on serotonin. The vitamin B12 and multivitamin which were the other pills she ate she would eventually eliminate. They poison control told the veterinarian what to do, so they finally took her out back to help her. They came back out with an estimate that I could not pay. I explained that to them and they did the bare minimum for her, which was the medicine the poison control suggested and a medicine to calm her down. They had gotten her calm, so they didn’t want to give her fluids which is what I thought they should do. But what do I know. I figured because when I did get her outside when she was just kinda sleepy before she got really bad she was licking snow, but she wouldn’t drink water. She wouldn’t eat anything either, which is what I thought would help her absorb some of the vitamins she took.

We got out of the veterinarians about a little after midnight, and they did want to keep her because she was still hallucinating at that time. I called the vet at 6:30 am because I couldn’t sleep anyway. I was sick with worry. I didn’t want my daughter to lose her best buddy. Even if her best buddy won’t stop eating things she shouldn’t. At 6:30 am they said that she could see! The neurological effects of the pills she ate had gone away between the medicine they gave and the time she spent there. They said though that she was throwing herself against her kennel whenever someone walked by and was so aggressive they couldn’t do anything with her. I took that as a sign she was better. Since we were in the middle of a blizzard at that time of the morning, at around 9:30 my neighbor who said she loves to drive in the snow and drove us down to get her. They kept taking about her aggression and I was worried that she had permanent brain damage, and she would stay aggressive like she’d been the night before. When they brought her out in her kennel, my daughter and I opened the door, and out came our dog, normal, a bit sedate however, with tail wagging and tongue licking hello. Thank goodness. They are going to recommend a trainer for her, and we’ll see about that, but for now thank goodness she is home, she slept on a pillow most of the day. We gave her water right away and fed her some brown rice. She is lying down again and I think everything is alright. My daughter is ecstatic that she didn’t lose her best friend. Me I didn’t think I cared that much, until I saw her last night. No animal should ever suffer that way. Please be more careful with your purse or your vitamins than I was. She is only 35 pounds and she ate five days of my vitamins, and I am well we’ll just say well over 35 pounds.

Dogs and vitamins just don’t mix.

This week we volunteered at the food bank to distribute food baskets to people who need a little help. It was a good experience. One thing touched me more than anything else. I wonder if it because I’m Jewish and not used to hearing, “G-d bless you.” But then of course I am, every time I sneeze invariably someone blesses me. This “G-d bless you” though that a woman gave me and the two guys carrying her boxes, moved me in an unusual way. It was the way she said it I guess; it carried such meaning and thanks. No matter which faith she was, it is the same G-d. I think people forget that. If terrorists and haters would remember that, we’d all be better off. Maybe it was moving saying, “G-d bless you too.” I don’t usually say that. Well that’s not true; I surely do every time someone sneezes. Of course I hadn’t done anything to be blessed, I just showed up. The people who should be blessed are the people who organize these huge efforts to feed thousands of people. Reflecting on the experience, I guess the difference is that unlike when someone sneezes and it is said out of habit, this time when it was said she meant it and when I said it back, I surely did mean it too.

Happy Holiday Season!

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A giant step in the right direction...

Attaching the President's email in case you didn't get it! Yay Operation Iraqi Freedom is over! Thank you to all of our service people past and present, those on their way home and those still there. God bless.
Now Afghanistan...
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Tonight marks the end of the American combat mission in Iraq.

As a candidate for this office, I pledged to end this war responsibly. And, as President, that is what I am doing.

Since I became Commander-in-Chief, we've brought home nearly 100,000 U.S. troops. We've closed or turned over to Iraq hundreds of our bases.

As Operation Iraqi Freedom ends, our commitment to a sovereign, stable, and self-reliant Iraq continues. Under Operation New Dawn, a transitional force of U.S. troops will remain to advise and assist Iraqi forces, protect our civilians on the ground, and pursue targeted counterterrorism efforts.

By the end of next year, consistent with our agreement with the Iraqi government, these men and women, too, will come home.

Ending this war is not only in Iraq's interest -- it is in our own. Our nation has paid a huge price to put Iraq's future in the hands of its people. We have sent our men and women in uniform to make enormous sacrifices. We have spent vast resources abroad in the face of several years of recession at home.

We have met our responsibility through the courage and resolve of our women and men in uniform.

In seven years, they confronted a mission as challenging and as complex as any our military has ever been asked to face.

Nearly 1.5 million Americans put their lives on the line. Many returned for multiple tours of duty, far from their loved ones who bore a heroic burden of their own. And most painfully, more than 4,400 Americans have given their lives, fighting for people they never knew, for values that have defined our people for more than two centuries.

What their country asked of them was not small. And what they sacrificed was not easy.

For that, each and every American owes them our heartfelt thanks.

Our promise to them -- to each woman or man who has donned our colors -- is that our country will serve them as faithfully as they have served us. We have already made the largest increase in funding for veterans in decades. So long as I am President, I will do whatever it takes to fulfill that sacred trust.

Tonight, we mark a milestone in our nation's history. Even at a time of great uncertainty for so many Americans, this day and our brave troops remind us that our future is in our own hands and that our best days lie ahead.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

Extreme Weather and Global Climate Change

•Pollution from human activities is warming our climate. The 10 warmest years on record all occurred since 1990, and the last decade was the hottest recorded since worldwide record keeping began more than 100 years ago. The period between January and June of 2010 was the warmest six months on record.

•A warming climate increases the chance that we will experience extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and intense storms, and ramps up the risk that severe weather events will cause catastrophic damage.

•The floods, fires and droughts we're seeing in places like Pakistan and Russia are consistent with the effects of global warming, including temperature increases, increased precipitation in some parts of the world, and droughts in others.

•In early August, a 97-square mile chunk of ice--the largest since 1962--broke away from the northwest coast of Greenland.1 Canadian officials fear the massive "ice island" could pose a risk to ships and oil platforms.

•Unless we significantly reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, we are likely to see even more extreme weather events and the consequences they bring

Extreme Love Makeover

Watching Extreme Homemakeover they reveal an amazingly beautiful master bedroom. I say, "Wow." My daughter looks over at me and says, "Mom, you deserve a room like that." Awww and she wasn't even sucking up for anything! Ha Ha. I might not have the house but I surely do have the love!

I wish the same to all of you!

Happy Birthday President Obama!

Rachel --

I want to thank you for signing my birthday card.

Michelle told me that she was planning something a little different this year, and I was overwhelmed by the kind words I received from so many supporters like you.

This job has a way of offering humbling moments. And the support you have shown me, time and time again, has sustained me through any number of difficult days. It is more than any president deserves, and I could not be more grateful.

On my birthday, I spent some time considering what the year ahead will bring -- a new set of challenges and opportunities, some that we can foresee and some that we cannot.

If we continue to stand together, I know we will continue to move America forward and win these fights for change.

Thank you again for taking a moment to sign my card. As far as birthdays go, it is hard to imagine topping this one. But then again, Michelle always has a way of surprising me.

Sincerely,

Barack

What's in your nuggets?

"McNuggets served in the U.S. also contain tertiary butylhydroquinone, a petroleum-based product, and dimethylpolysiloxane, an anti-foaming agent used in cosmetics and other goods."

Yuck!

People who are wrapped up in themselves are overdressed.

Choose Joy with Me!

Participate joyfully in the sorrows of the world. We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy."

-Joseph Campbell

Joke from Beliefnet.com

Stuff Happens
Tao: Stuff happens.

Catholicism: If stuff happens, you deserved it.

Protestantism: Let stuff happen to somebody else.

Judasim: Why does stuff always happen to us?

Islam: Stuff happens according to the will of Allah.

Buddhism: The stuff is an illusion.

Zen: What is the sound of stuff happening?

Hinduism: This stuff happened before.

Mormonism: This stuff should multiply.

Baha'i Faith: Stuff happens in a progressive manner.

Agnosticism: I'm not sure about this stuff.

Atheism: That stuff about the stuff is all just made up stuff.

Jonestown: Forget about the stuff and just drink the Kool-Aid.

Stop using Holocaust references lightly... Have respect is the message.

NJDC Condemns Citizens United’s Obama-Chamberlain Ad
David Streeter — July 7, 2010 – 1:13 pm | Abusive Holocaust Rhetoric

The National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) today condemned the television ad released by Citizens United that compares President Barack Obama to Neville Chamberlain. David A. Harris, President and CEO of NJDC, issued the following statement:

“The National Jewish Democratic Council strongly condemns Citizens United’s ad for its offensive Holocaust comparisons and for misleading the public about the Obama Administration’s record on Iran.

Preventing a nuclear-armed Iran is a cornerstone of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy. Under his leadership, the United Nations passed strong sanctions against Iran and last week, Obama signed the toughest sanctions ever leveled against Iran and its business partners.

This politically-fueled ad omits the important fact that sanctions were imposed after the Iranian government refused to participate in international negotiations. For so many reasons, the ‘appeasement’ reference is historically inaccurate and odious, and nothing more than a cheap shot at President Obama.

In addition to the inaccuracies in the ad, the use of Holocaust imagery to bash the President’s foreign policy is deeply offensive. Using the Holocaust to promote any political agenda is inappropriate and should be condemned by all who believe in respecting the legacy of those whose lives were taken by the Nazis.

I strongly urge conservatives to condemn this insensitive and inaccurate advertisement and encourage television networks to refrain from airing the ad.”

The state of the U.S. and Israel relations - points from todays meeting!

The State of U.S. - Israel Relations - July 6, 2010

President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting today to discuss a wide range of issues impacting the U.S-Israel relationship. The two characterized the meeting as “excellent” and used the opportunity to re-affirm the special relationship between the United States and Israel.

On Preventing a Nuclear-Armed Iran:
”... I very much appreciate the President’s statement that he is determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

That has been translated by the President through his leadership at the Security Council, which passed sanctions against Iran; by the U.S. bill that the President signed just a few days ago. And I urge other leaders to follow the President’s lead….”
-Prime Minister Netanyahu

“I think the latest sanctions adopted by the U.N. create illegitimacy or create de-legitimization for Iran’s nuclear program ... I think the sanctions the President signed the other day actually have teeth. They bite.”
-Prime Minister Netanyahu

“We discussed the issue of Iran, and we pointed out that as a consequence of some hard work internationally, we have instituted through the U.N. Security Council the toughest sanctions ever directed at an Iranian government. In addition, last week I signed our own set of sanctions, coming out of the United States Congress, as robust as any that we’ve ever seen. Other countries are following suit. And so we intend to continue to put pressure on Iran to meet its international obligations and to cease the kinds of provocative behavior that has made it a threat to its neighbors and the international community.”
- President Obama

On the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process:
“I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu wants peace. I think he’s willing to take risks for peace. And during our conversation, he once again reaffirmed his willingness to engage in serious negotiations with the Palestinians around what I think should be the goal ... [of] two states living side by side in peace and security.

Israel’s security needs met, the Palestinians having a sovereign state that they call their own - those are goals that have obviously escaped our grasp for decades now. But now more than ever I think is the time for us to seize on that vision. And I think that Prime Minister Netanyahu is prepared to do so. ... I believe that the government of Israel is prepared to engage in ... direct talks, and I commend the Prime Minister for that.”
-President Obama

”... We discussed a great deal about activating, moving forward the quest for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. We’re committed to that peace. I’m committed to that peace. And this peace I think will better the lives of Israelis, of Palestinians, and it certainly would change our region. ... I think with the help of President Obama, President Abbas and myself should engage in direct talks to reach a political settlement of peace, coupled with security and prosperity.”
-Prime Minister Netanyahu

On Palestinian Incitement:
“I think it’s very important that the Palestinians not look for excuses for incitement, that they are not engaging in provocative language; that at the international level, they are maintaining a constructive tone, as opposed to looking for opportunities to embarrass Israel.”
-President Obama

On the State of Relations between the United States and Israel:
“The reports about the demise of the special relationship aren’t just premature, they’re just flat wrong. There’s a depth and richness of this relationship that is expressed every day. Our teams talk. We don’t make it public. The only thing that’s public is that you can have differences on occasion in the best of families and the closest of families….

... The President said it best in his speech in Cairo. He said in front of the entire Islamic world, he said, the bond between Israel and the United States is unbreakable. And I can affirm that to you today.”
-Prime Minister Netanyahu

“I think that [Prime Minister Netanyahu] is dealing with a very complex situation in a very tough neighborhood. And what I have consistently shared with him is my interest in working with him—not at cross-purposes—so that we can achieve the kind of peace that will ensure Israel’s security for decades to come.”
-President Obama

“As Prime Minister Netanyahu indicated in his speech, the bond between the United States and Israel is unbreakable. It encompasses our national security interests, our strategic interests, but most importantly, the bond of two democracies who share a common set of values and whose people have grown closer and closer as time goes on.”
- President Obama

“If you look at every public statement that I’ve made over the last year and a half, it has been a constant reaffirmation of the special relationship between the United States and Israel, that our commitment to Israel’s security has been unwavering. And, in fact, there aren’t any concrete policies that you could point to that would contradict that.

And in terms of my relationship with Prime Minister Netanyahu, I know the press, both in Israel and stateside, enjoys seeing if there’s news there. But the fact of the matter is that I’ve trusted Prime Minister Netanyahu since I met him before I was elected President, and have said so both publicly and privately.”
-President Obama

On the United States’ Policy Towards Nuclear Proliferation Issues and Israel:
”...We discussed issues that arose out of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Conference. ... There is no change in U.S. policy when it comes to these issues. We strongly believe that, given its size, its history, the region that it’s in, and the threats that are leveled against us—against it, that Israel has unique security requirements. It’s got to be able to respond to threats or any combination of threats in the region. And that’s why we remain unwavering in our commitment to Israel’s security. And the United States will never ask Israel to take any steps that would undermine their security interests.”
-President Obama

”... Mr. President—I want to thank you for reaffirming to me in private and now in public as you did the longstanding U.S. commitments to Israel on matters of vital strategic importance.”
-Prime Minister Netanyahu