Okay, so buffets are usually cheap and often older people are on a fixed income, but how much can (or should) a person eat?! So why not go to a real restaurant, order an appetizer or salad, maybe a nice meal to share? Many restaurants have senior pricing. Perhaps it's just that they like to see what they're getting and don't want to risk ordering from a menu? I find it hard to believe they truly enjoy the cafeteria atmosphere or the mediocre quality of food. Perhaps it's popular because all their friends go there and they will have a chance to socialize? Maybe it's a pace issue - they can take what they want, eat as slow as they want, get more when they want, and not be rushed out by the wait staff? Is it because prime time becomes bed time and they need to finish eating really early? Well, I guess I just don't get it... yet!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Quit Complaining and Do Something About It
I keep seeing stories all over the internet about how we seem to care more about Whitney Houston's death, Kim Kardashian's wedding, Jeremy Lin's game stats, and Demi Moore's rehab stint than we care about our soldiers who die fighting for our country.
Let me fill you in on a little secret: Whitney, Kim, Jeremy, and Demi have spent more time in our homes than nameless, faceless soldiers in camouflage ever have. Whitney has been singing to us for a couple of decades and we know all the words to her songs to sing along, Kim is so outragous we can't wait to discuss her the next day around the water cooler, Jeremy is bringing the crowds into the sports bars in droves, and Demi - well, she's played everything from a soldier to a stripper and we just love her cuz she's hot.
But soldiers? They all look alike in their uniforms and we know nothing about them. That's why we don't care about them. We can't be expected to cry for every person that turns up on the obituary pages just because they served our country. But we should. And we could. Here's how: sensationalism!
Let me fill you in on a little secret: Whitney, Kim, Jeremy, and Demi have spent more time in our homes than nameless, faceless soldiers in camouflage ever have. Whitney has been singing to us for a couple of decades and we know all the words to her songs to sing along, Kim is so outragous we can't wait to discuss her the next day around the water cooler, Jeremy is bringing the crowds into the sports bars in droves, and Demi - well, she's played everything from a soldier to a stripper and we just love her cuz she's hot.
But soldiers? They all look alike in their uniforms and we know nothing about them. That's why we don't care about them. We can't be expected to cry for every person that turns up on the obituary pages just because they served our country. But we should. And we could. Here's how: sensationalism!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Let's Get Real (Personal.....)
It seems the older I get, the more strongly I feel about certain issues. As usual, I am already fed up with politics months before the elections are scheduled to take place. I'm especially fed up with those old men who want to tell us what we can and cannot do with our own bodies. The GOP has some very dangerous opinions about health care and when life begins.
Let's start with a "for instance." I'm going to use someone I know pretty well as an example. When she was young, she suffered a burst appendix which left scar tissue on her ovaries, fallopian tubes, and other areas of her internal organs. She was told she would never become pregnant due to these issues. Using this information, she found it unnecessary to use contraceptives and was basically given a license for having unprotected sex. (So far, she and her husband fit perfectly into the ultra-conservative Republican profile.)
Let's start with a "for instance." I'm going to use someone I know pretty well as an example. When she was young, she suffered a burst appendix which left scar tissue on her ovaries, fallopian tubes, and other areas of her internal organs. She was told she would never become pregnant due to these issues. Using this information, she found it unnecessary to use contraceptives and was basically given a license for having unprotected sex. (So far, she and her husband fit perfectly into the ultra-conservative Republican profile.)
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Never Too Old to Learn New Tricks
It used to be that I felt I learned something new almost every day. Lately, not so much. Now I have to make a concerted effort to find something new to learn on a regular basis. Is this a normal part of getting old? Fortunately, I love to read.
I recently found a book about table manners and setting an elegant table written by an old English butler. Cookbooks have always been fun for me to just read through, but this took me to the other side, to the duties of waiters and staff in the most royal castles in Europe. Truly inspiring!
I recently found a book about table manners and setting an elegant table written by an old English butler. Cookbooks have always been fun for me to just read through, but this took me to the other side, to the duties of waiters and staff in the most royal castles in Europe. Truly inspiring!
Friday, February 3, 2012
Corey, The Amazing Super-Hero of Our Family (Part I)
While it often makes me sad to think of my son and how much I miss him, in honor of his birthday next week, I want to tell you a few stories about him so you can see what made him so special to us.
It all began with an unplanned pregnancy the summer before my senior year of high school. It was 1977, and people had mixed opinions on single mothers back then. Where I lived in rural Minnesota, however, people were mostly conservative and there were those who felt it their duty to enforce a moral code over everyone else. One woman even called my mother to tell her not to allow me out in public for fear of my influencing other young women to follow suit. Even though I'm sure it pained her to have people talking about her and her family, needless to say, my mother told her to mind her own business. I attended classes my senior year with everyone else only because there was no way they could stop me. The high school principal had strongly suggested I seek home schooling or simply drop out as so many had done before me. I refused. I was actually going to attend classes in my "condition" and it caused more than a small amount of commotion. I remember one day in December of that year when sitting in history class, there were more classmates chuckling at the movements of my belly than actually paying attention to the teacher. My friends stuck by me and we all learned from the experience together.
It all began with an unplanned pregnancy the summer before my senior year of high school. It was 1977, and people had mixed opinions on single mothers back then. Where I lived in rural Minnesota, however, people were mostly conservative and there were those who felt it their duty to enforce a moral code over everyone else. One woman even called my mother to tell her not to allow me out in public for fear of my influencing other young women to follow suit. Even though I'm sure it pained her to have people talking about her and her family, needless to say, my mother told her to mind her own business. I attended classes my senior year with everyone else only because there was no way they could stop me. The high school principal had strongly suggested I seek home schooling or simply drop out as so many had done before me. I refused. I was actually going to attend classes in my "condition" and it caused more than a small amount of commotion. I remember one day in December of that year when sitting in history class, there were more classmates chuckling at the movements of my belly than actually paying attention to the teacher. My friends stuck by me and we all learned from the experience together.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)