If you had your own reality show what would it be called?

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postaday2011

This is hard because the only reason I can stand to watch a reality show is the illicit good feeling I get when I see that I have it all together in comparison to the characters in the reality show. Therefore would I be that altruistic and give others the same feel good feeling. That was all in jest; I honestly don’t know why anyone would even want to watch a reality show based on my life. It would be boring unless you would be interested in the simple, basic housework, caring for various pets, running errands, watching T.V, surfing the internet, making lunch and dinner, washing up and etc, etc, etc. I still don’t think reality shows are based in reality because once you have the power to stop, pause, rewind and edit, the product isn’t based entirely in reality. How can a person really agree to show their imperfections and everything else to complete strangers? I would rather keep my privacy and dignity to myself.

What piece of technology do you wish would disappear from the world?

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postaday2011

I wish cell phones were never invented.  I don’t understand the allure of gadgets and I consider the cell phone a gadget. I do not see how cell phones have contributed anything positive to our society. They diminish a person’s independence by allowing them a perception of immediate access to whomever they feel they need right at that moment. Instead of taking the time to think about the situation and coming up with solutions on their own the first response is, got to use my cell phone and get … on the phone. Cell phones also promote impatience, instead of waiting until you got home from school or work or driving, you just whip out that little phone and dial, not just dial mind you, speed dial and get whomever on the phone. Cell phones also give people the perception of self-importance, for example; calling you whenever the urge comes over them and when they can’t get you, they become angry with you i.e I called you on your cell why weren’t you picking up. This all access pass is not healthy for society. It erodes normal boundaries that need to be maintained for our collective mental health. Cell phones get in the way of normal social interaction, how many times in restaurants do people at the same table sit and talk, not to each other, but on cell phones? It is beyond the pale. Cell phones promote rudeness, how many times are we forced to listen to conversations in elevators, on the subway, on the street, because people don’t take the time to have a proper conversation in a appropriate venue. Cell phones also cost employers at the workplace. Prior to cell phones, being at work meant that, being at work. Personal calls were made on personal time, those days are long gone. There are few jobs nowadays where the employee is not talking on their cell phone during the workday, that just exacerbates the idea of self-importance, what you have to say is so important that you can’t wait until the end of the workday like we used to. Or that what you need to say can’t wait until you are out of the car and can safely say it. Maybe I am being way too judgmental but I can’t help but think that the cell phone brings out the lesser appealing traits of humanity. We don’t need this gadget just to make our lives a little more convenient, a little inconvenience can go a long way to making us a little more patient and aware.

What piece of tech can’t you live without?

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postaday2011

Technology that I can’t live without. That is a melodramatic statement, because honestly you can live without technology as long as you are healthy and creative. You would be in varying degrees, inconvenienced.But, I would have to say indoor plumbing. I spent a winter in a house from hell and the water pump casing froze and cracked, rendering it useless and I was without water for 10 days with a baby, a toddler and a puppy to care for, my husband was on the road working in construction and staying in hotels. Thank god there was snow so I could fill compound buckets and melt it so I could get enough water to wash the dishes with and force flush the toilet. I kept the bottled water for drinking, the puppy’s water bowl, brushing teeth and bathing. I stuck it out, but I do not envy those pioneers, especially in the winter. I have used an outhouse and it is not pleasant at all. Hauling water from a river is not easy, nor is hauling bucket after bucket of snow and melting it on the stove top, not easy either. Indoor plumbing is absolutely wonderful. Best technological advancement ever.

It’s time to vent

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postaday2011

What or who should I spew my frustrations about? Reading the Huffington Post today as usual and forget venting about the house, the husband or the kids. What is going on politically and economically in America is shameful. My party, the democrats, drive me insane sometimes. Our President, is a beautiful speaker; I love to listen to him, he brings you along with him into his speech, he can move and uplift and I believe we need that as a nation. But once those beautiful words have ceased and the spell of his oration is broken, all the pundits come scurrying forth from the backdrop and shadows and start to dissect, analyze, second guess and critique. His State of the Union came and went and of course both sides had something to say. The GOP weren’t happy with the word investment because they equate that with spending, which is bad. The progressives of the democratic party didn’t hear enough of stimulus, cutting the military, union strengthening, regulatory powers for banking and Wall Street and jobs. What keeps me anxious and fearful is the continuing erosion of the middle class and lower class. The progressives are the only ones addressing the serious issue of stagnant and declining salaries, non existing pensions and 401K plans, (thanks to the Wall Street crash), burgeoning health care costs, the monopoly of the health insurance industry and the anti-competitive pricing the industry controls. The middle class housing market is still in ruins and that is not going to change anytime soon, jobs are so scarce it is frightening. I didn’t see my President addressing those very specific concerns that progressive bloggers have been trumpeting for the past 2 years. These concerns are real and I am frustrated that the powers that be do not address them on the Sunday morning political shows or on the evening news. All I hear from wealthy politicians is we need to sacrifice and the only group sacrificing is the bottom 80% of the American economic class. Something has got to give and Congress needs to step back from Wall Street and give Main Street their 15 minutes because without the 80% those 20% will soon be staring at each other like idiots and wondering how did we get to this. I am being melodramatic about the top 20% being pushed into a corner but something really needs to be said or done because this situation in America just isn’t right.

Would you want to live forever? Why or why not?

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postaday2011

My answer is yes, I had a good Anne Rice run and between her characters Lestat and Ramses the mummy, she made a very compelling case for immortality. Of course, she romanticized and glamorized immortality and I understand that; but the idea of living through history forever and seeing mankind’s destiny unfold and taking the journey with mankind to the very end makes the case for immortality all by itself even without the romance and glamor. I mean it would be like living in an encyclopedic novel. I know that I am living through history right now and it has been important like all history before us but I do wonder what the world will be like when our fossil fuels run out, climate change, food shortages and more challenges that will need to be resolved; how does the human story pan out? I’d like to be a witness. My one caveat is that I’d like to arrest my aging process to right now, 43 years old. Some aches and pain but nothing to slow me down too much. When you are documenting a living history you do need all your strength and stamina. I must admit there is also a touch of vanity in my request of eternal middle age.

If stranded on a desert island what music album would you bring?

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postaday2011

Going through music in my head, who to pick? Actually, my first question is what would be the length of time because that answer would be key to the choice of music. If it would be for forever, than the choice has to be able to stand the test of time and also be able to evolve with my psyche. But I wonder how would my psyche evolve on a deserted island forever and what music would be able to keep my psyche sane after all that time?  I’m going around and round in my head but I keep going back to Super Tramp’s Breakfast in America. Songs that are uplifting, beautiful harmonies, great instrumentation and fantastic lyrics. Loved them 30 years ago and I still love them now. I can see myself listening for another 30 years without losing my mind.

Who are the 3 funniest people?

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The 3 funniest people that I know would be:
1. My daughter is one, she is very spontaneous and outgoing with her speech. Which, since she is a teenager can be at times; witty, bracing, off the wall and more often than not silly. She makes me laugh at least every other day with her comments. I don’t remember if I made my mother laugh, I really don’t think so, more of the opposite, I made her angry with my comments, she called them disrespectful. They probably were, oops.

2. My cousin from France, Didier is hilarious. He has a keen sense of timing that professional comedians would be envious of and he is not afraid to use it. Consider him armed and dangerous with his wit but he is not mean. Every time I go to France, I so look forward to having dinner at his house with the rest of our cousins because it is a night full of guaranteed laughter and great times.

3. My husband is the most generous when it comes to making me laugh. He is not afraid of making a jackass of himself if he knows that I will be in stitches as a result. He really prides himself on his ability to make me laugh more than anyone else. I am very lucky to have him because I am sure to always laugh.

What’s your idea of a perfect Sunday?

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Back 3 years ago, I would have said a 30 pack of Bud, 2 packs of Marlboro Lights and T.V. The kids would have been at different play dates and dropped off just in time for bed, not much of a day, but back then in my mindset; glorious. These days, a perfect Sunday can mean a whole bunch of different things. If baking is on the agenda, then spending the whole day wrapped in different smells and textures and the challenges of the pastry world is wonderful. Or spending an afternoon at the movies, getting lost in the story and then going out to Arby’s for a roast beef sandwich, curly fries and an abnormally large chocolate shake, another great day! If I’m in the southwest of France, the setting would be a day at the Atlantic on the beach, smelling the surrounding forests of pine, sand and salty air from the water. That unique combination of aromas is like an elixir to my soul. It doesn’t get much better than that.
I guess that I am maybe not so subtly illustrating how much more perfect my Sunday’s have become since I have become sober and have stayed sober. I take these Sunday’s as gifts and I take them one at a time.

What is you favorite sound?

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postaday2011

My favorite sound is the sound of a baby laughing. There is something so spontaneous, so joyous about a baby’s laugh. The laugh itself is so genuine and innocent that it doesn’t matter what made it happen. I defy anyone in the world to not feel something good and clean while listening to a baby’s laughter. The ultimate is when they can’t seem to stop and they tire themselves out from all their laughter. Or they coo after they laugh, however a baby laughs, the sound is a tonic to a weary soul. As they say laughter is good for the soul then as I said before baby laughter is the super anti-oxidant for the soul.

How do you define the word friend?

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postaday2011

A friend is someone that takes the time to get to know you and let’s you get to know them. Time is relative but friendship, in my mind, takes a few years to establish. A friend is someone who intrigues you, who makes you think while also making it almost effortless. Having a friend requires work, emotional work, however it doesn’t often feel like work. A friend gives balance in your life, giving and taking but not one without the other. A friend doesn’t judge you the person but can be trusted to weigh in on the wisdom of your actions and choices. A friend like this is special and should be treated so, which is why in life you don’t need nor can you  properly sustain more than a few friends. And that is how it should be.