Heart Rate Monitors & Intervals

I bought a heart rate monitor as part of an exercise system now called "No Excuses Workout" or NEWO for short. Until my work's recent step challenge, I was lucky if I could average about 1 or 2 workouts a week. However, when my work decided to do a step challenge, and I discovered that the "you get what you pay for" free pedometer was seriously undercounting my steps, I decided to buy a pedometer with a USB interface. I also thought, hmm that Blood Pressure Monitor with USB download also looks pretty nifty. Being the geek that I am I bought both. And really being the geek that I am, I created a spreadsheet on google docs to track all my health stats. Someday I will do something with all that data (blood pressure, glucose, steps, weight, %Body Fat, etc).

Anyway back to the subject at hand. I read a fellow twitterer of mine had recently acquired a Heart Rate Monitor and had gone to training. Since I couldn't convey my own experiences in 140 characters or less, I thought, I guess I could post something to my long neglected blog. Let's see if I can stay on topic.

First off, I wear my heart rate monitor (HRM) when I am doing exercise at home or I go to the Y. I used to turn the thing on for both my strength training part (cybex machines) and cardio part (treadmill or elliptical), however, I was shortchanging myself on the NEWO challenges. So I now just use my HRM for the cardio part of my workouts at the Y. I sometimes also use it when I am doing the NEWO workout at home, but that is rare.

Now for those of you who don't know what intervals, here is my very unscientific/un-trainer explanation. Basically you determine your target heart rate, and then exercise for set time periods at recovery heart rate followed by periods where you exercise so your heart reaches your target heart rate or 5,10,15 beats per minute below your target heart rate. Typically your recovery heart rate is 30 to 40 beats per minute below your target heart rate. I think you can google for target heart rate to find sites to compute yours. If you notice some sites list several depending on the intensity, the one I am talking about is your aerobic target heart rate. The NEWO site (paid site) calculates the correct one for you based on a few questions. That is the one I use in my workouts.

Now the way I have it listed is backwards. You start off at your recovery rate to warm up. Then you do an interval at the lowest level below your target - say 15 below your target heart rate, for a set time period of a few minutes. Then you do an interval where you keep your heart rate at your recovery rate for a couple of minutes. The next interval is one step up, say try to keep your heart rate near or at 10 below your target heart rate for a few minutes. Then do Recovery, then do an interval (5 below Target Heart Rate), then do Recovery, then do an interval at Target Heart Rate, finally exercise so that your heart rate is at or near your recovery heart rate for few minutes as your cool down. You can add or subtract intervals/recovery periods to get up to a certain number of minutes for a workout. You can also add an interval near the end where you go 5 above your Target Heart rate for a few minutes.

Here's the trick I found that helps with all this: iPod playlists. I have a rather large music library (all purchased! or free downloads direct from iTunes/artist). I sort my music library by the time of the song. Then what I do is create playlists for my various total interval workouts. My playlist starts with a moderate beat song that lasts about 5 minutes. Then I have an uptempo song that lasts anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes. I follow that by a moderate song that is about 2 minutes (or 1 minute for 3 minute series interval workout). I repeat uptempo songs followed by recovery songs until I fill out my playlist. Now on the last interval, I replace the recovery song with a cool down song of about 5 minutes in length.

So you say that is nice, but how do you know what heart rate to use and for how long. The length is easy, I try to limit the songs I choose to be around 3 minutes, 4 minutes or 5 minutes. Then when the song ends, my interval is over. I also try to keep the music I choose for recovery to 2 minutes in length if I am doing 4 or 5 minutes intervals, or to 1 minute in length if I am doing 3 minute intervals. Although truth be told, I use 2 minute recovery periods regardless of the song length. Then for the warm up and cool songs, I choose songs that are moderately to slow paced and which last around 5 minutes.

For the heart rates to hit, I recorded my voice in Windows as a WAV file saying 'Interval, 15 below, 131'. That is for my 15 below Target Heart Rate. I repeated the recordings for 10 below, 5 below, at AT (aerobic Target Heart Rate), and 5 above. I then take those into iTunes and tell iTunes to convert it to MP3 format (select it, right click, select convert to MP3). I think on the mac you don't have to convert it since I believe the Mac's audio recording utility is in MP3 format. I then sprinkle the converted MP3s in to my interval playlist. For the recovery MP3s, I just copy and paste it in again, and answer OK to the prompt about using it more than once in the same playlist. So Voila, there is my ipod interval playlist.

Actually I got fancier than that by using the audio part and adding it to a tv like video prompt that I created in Corel Video, so when I am on the treadmills at the Y with iPod connections, I can see the prompt in addition to hearing it.

Here's a screenshot of one of my Interval playlists:


Finally, why did I talk about the other gadgets I have (blood pressure monitor, pedometer) in the first part of this post? Simple, because I wish my Heart Rate Monitor also had a USB port so I could download my workouts instead of having to write them down on paper and then transfer them to my google spreadsheet. All medical/exercise gadgets sold today should have a USB interface and an OPEN spec to allow various programs to download the information off them. This is the 21st century, like duh! exercise/medical gadget makers, are you all living in caves???? That also applies to any exercise facility that buys those uber expensive treadmills, cybex machines: Demand a feature where patrons can download their workout stats to a USB key - CSV with header format will do. After all you're already paying an arm and a leg for them, the equipment you buy should at least do that.

How to make a Dia De Los Muertos Marionnette Style Hanging Eskeleto

Eskeletos - Dia De Los Muertos Marionette style decorations

This is still in progress, will be updated (with pics) as I finish it....
Update: I posted this in an easier to read format here:

Time required

1. About 12 days 3-4+ hours per day.
   
1. I made two at a time so this is based on that. However at most you will save is 20-30% of this time by only making one marionette.
   

• Two days for papier mache
• Usually 2-3 hours for creating the frames.
• At least 4 hours to do the actual papier mache.
• Plus 24 hours for curing of the pieces.
  
• Two days for priming
• About 1 - 2 hours per priming coat + 8 hours to dry between coats.
• Two days for painting/decorating papier mache.
  
• About 4 hours for painting plus 8 hours of drying between coats.
• Another 3-4 hours for decorating with glitter, spangles, stickers, allow to dry for 3-4 hours.
  
• At least three days for sealing
• Three layers requires about 2-3 hours plus the overnight drying time for each layer of sealer.
• At least three days for sewing the costumes
• Pattern making requires 2-3 hours.
• Sewing requires 2-3 hours.
• Decorating costumes with rick-rack, etc requires 4-5 hours.

Items required
Papier Mache body, head, legs, arms:

• Drill bit 7/64" (used after dried and base gesso coats applied)
  
• Newspapers - about a weeks worth.
• Precut some pages into 1" strips
• This is easiest if done on one-three full sheets at a time, folded in half horizontally, then torn from the creased side down.
• Store the strips in a plastic see-through bin, Sterilite 15qt #1906 (DVD size) is great for this.
  
• 1" Masking tape, 1 roll
• 12 yards of drapery cord or 3mm (from sewing store)
• Water balloons (small for head)
• Large balloons (for body)
• Corrugated cardboard scrap - about 8" x 6"
• Large trash bag(s) - for covering your papier mache/paint work surface.
• I actually used several layers of newspaper and just turned my work frequently while wet to prevent sticking.

Hangar/Paper Clip contraption:

• 3 Tubular plastic hangars - for drying arm and leg pieces.
• Masking or duct tape.
  
• 30 large paper clips - for taping onto hangars to hold drying arm & leg pieces.

Papier Mache Paste recipe (two to three batches):

Single batch of papier mache paste - recipe is from: http://www.home.earthlink.net/~tekvov/id2.html
In a Rubbermaid or similar throw-away container with lid (669ml/2.9 cups).

• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 oz cup glue (1 school sized bottle)

Papier mache decoration:

• White Gesso (8 oz).
  
• Art acrylic paint (ASTM) 4oz bottles: white, black and various other BRIGHT colors you like.
• Don't use drab or pastel colors as that is not in the spirit of Dia De Los Muertos.
• The intent of Dia De Los Muertos is to celebrate your ancestor's lives, like a party, so think fun party colors.
  
• Glitter.
• Hot glue gun & sticks - or carpenter's glue.
  
• Shiny (metallic) confetti or small shaped "spangles.
• Mod podge or clear acrylic sealer.
• Bristle paint brushes, various sizes.
• Don't use foam brushes as they will disintegrate due to the rough surface of the papier mache.
• A 1" bristle brush is good for priming the work with gesso and large swaths of paint.
• Small detail brushes are good for 'drawing' the circles and other borders.
  

Costumes:

• 2 yards of Black see-through fabric (glittery is best).
• 2 yards of Glittery fabric multi colored.
• 5-6 packages of bright ric-rack.

Hanging frames:

• 3 dowels or square wooden rods, 12" long.
• 2 yards of cord (included in drapery cord estimate).
• 4-5 small hook eyes.
• Duct tape - for taping the frame together.
  

Frame Construction
Head frame:

1. Blow up a small balloon to about 3-4" tall and tie off.
2. Cut a 8" (pencil length) 1" wide strip from a scrap piece of cardboard.

1. If you don't have cardboard roll use half of a full page of a newspaper.
2. Folded that down to half (like at a newsstand).
3. From the open (uncreased edge) begin 'folding' up a 3/4" section until the entire thing is folded up to become a 1" wide strip by 15" long.
4. Wrap masking tape around each end.
5. Tape the vertical seam down as well.
   

3. Roll up to break cardboard/newspaper strip and form a ring about 2" - 2 1/2" in diameter.
4. Mark point to cut at, then cut strip.
5. Masking tape the two ends together to form a ring.

6. Attach the ring to the bottom of the balloon at the tied end with masking tape in a balanced fashion.

1. For ease in painting and papier macheing you want to make sure the ring is attached in a level fashion so the piece won't fall over while you papier mache, paint or dry it.
   

Body frame:

1. Blow up a large balloon to about 6"-8" tall, and tie off.
2. Cut two 8" (pencil length) 1" wide strip from a scrap piece of cardboard

1. If you don't have cardboard roll use half of a full page of a newspaper.
2. Folded that down to half (like at a newsstand).
3. From the open (uncreased edge) begin 'folding' up a 3/4" section until the entire thing is folded up to become a 1" wide strip by 15" long.
4. Wrap masking tape around each end.
5. Tape the vertical seam down as well.
   
3. Roll up each cardboard/newspaper strip and form a ring about 2" - 2 1/2" in diameter.
4. Mark point to cut at, then cut strip.
5. Masking tape the two ends together to form rings.
   

6. Attach one ring to the bottom of the balloon at the tied end with masking tape.
1. For ease in painting and papier macheing you want to make sure the ring is attached in a level fashion so the piece won't fall over while you papier mache, paint or dry it.
7. Attach the other ring to the top of the balloon with masking tape.
   

Arms & leg bone frames:

1. Cut a full newspaper in half vertically, so each section is one page wide.
2. Fold the page in half horizontally, as if it were at a newstand.
3. Arms:
   
1. Cut (6) 18" - 19" lengths of drapery cord for arms.
2. Cut the folded page in half vertically (6 1/2" wide) to create a strip.
4. Legs:
   
1. Cut (6) 20" - 21" lengths of drapery cord for legs.
2. For legs, cut the folded page to a 4 column strip (8 1/2" wide).

5. Roll up the bones:
1. Fold the string in half and place that at the halfway point of the bottom of the strip (uncreased side).
2. Tape it down with a 2-3" section of masking tape.

3. The string should be hanging out evenly from both sides of the strip.
4. Tightly roll up the newspaper around the string to form a tube.
5. Tape both ends of the tube and the vertical seam.
6. Make 6 of each type of bone per calavera, 6 arm bones, 6 leg bones.
   

Hands/feet:

1. TBD.

Papier macheing

Notes:

1. It requires at least 24 hours to cure/dry the pieces, so make sure you have someplace to leave the pieces out for that long.
2. When the head and body pieces have finished curing, pop the balloon and remove the pieces stuck to the inside of the frame. You will need to cut the tape that held the balloon to the ring.
   

For each strip:

1. Finger paint the paste you made onto one side of the strip.
2. Cover all of it.
3. Don't be stingy with the glue/paste, it should slightly drip.

Body:

1. Vertically papier mache the body overlapping the base and top rings and each strip.
2. Do at least two layers.
3. You may also want to wrap the ring part horizontally at least once, but make sure the final layer is vertical.
   

Head:

1. Starting at the top, center a piece on top and fold down over into the base.
   
2. Repeat again but at a 90 degree angle from that piece - starting at the top, to form a "x" as if looked down from the top.
3. Repeat again, but this time splitting the open area.
4. Continue until the entire head is covered, then repeat for one more layer.
5. You can also wrap strips around horizontally, but make sure the final layers on top are vertical.

Arms & Leg bones:

1. Tie a loop at one end of the arm so you can hang it onto your drying hangar/paper clip contraption.
1. Make sure you can remove the knots later!
2. Easiest way is to fold the string hanging out in half then knot it - I think it's called a slipknot.
   
2. Start at one end diagonally and wrap to the other end.
3. Repeat but this time wrap so the diagonal crosses the other in an "x" fashion.
4. Repeat both layers.
5. For each end, roll slightly diagonally, then reverse so that you stay within 1 1 1/2" of that end.
1. You are building up a bulge on each end.
2. Repeat one time - so that you have two layers of this on each end.
6. Hang it up on your hangar/paperclip contraption, make sure you have newspaper underneath to catch the drips.

Papier Mache Finishing & Assembly
Priming & prep:

1. Primer each piece with a thin coat of gesso and let dry for a few hours.
2. Repeat with a second coat, let dry overnight.
   
3. Mark/drill string holes
1. Once the pieces are fully dry.
2. On the body:
   
1. Draw a dot/circle on each side of the base ring for the arm string at least 1/4" away from the edge of the ring bottom.
2. Do the same on the bottom body ring, making sure the leg holes are lined up with the arm holes.
   
3. On the body and head: Mark two holes on the front and back spaced 1" apart for the strings that will hold the head to the body.
1. It is easiest to do this if you are holding the two pieces together to ensure that holes are lined up between the head and body piece.
4. On the head, at the top about 1/2 from the center, mark a hole, then 1" from that across from the center mark a second hole.
1. These two holes will be used to tie the head to the hangar.
   
5. Using a 7/64" drill bit, carefully and slowly drill each hole marked.
   

Decorating:

1. Draw the outlines of the eyes and patterns to paint onto the head.
2. You can also do the same on the body.
3. Paint the outline of each item you drew with black paint using a very fine bristle brush.
4. Color in the items with various paint colors as you like.
5. Glue on any sequins, spangles, glitter, stickers that you like to the various pieces.

6. Hang up the arm/leg pieces to dry on your hangar/paperclip contraption, covering the area underneath with newspaper to catch any drips.
7. Let dry overnight.
8. Using a throw away bristle brush, apply mod podge or other sealer in a thin single coat, let dry overnight.
9. Repeat for second coat of mod podge/sealer, again let dry overnight.
10. If required, repeat for the third coat.

Assembling:

1. Use black duct tape and tape together an I frame using your square dowels.
2. In the center of the I dowel attach a small eye hook.
3. Attach eye hooks at each end of the I bars.
   
4. Tie two arm bones to the end of one arm bone, so that each arm piece has one 'bone' on top and two 'bones' on the bottom.
5. Tie two arm bone to the end of one arm bone, so that each arm piece has one 'bone' on top and two 'bones' on the bottom.
6. Tie the hand piece to the double boned arm piece and repeat for the other arm.
7. Tie the foot to the double boned leg piece and repeat for the other leg.
   
8. Thread and tie the single bone part of the arm to the arm hole on the body. Repeat for the other arm and both legs.
   
9. On the head piece run a 20" piece length of drapery cord, thread it through the two holes on the top of the head and leave it hanging out the bottom of the head.
10. On the body piece run another piece of cord between the two arm holes on top and tie it off so that the knot sits in the body.
11. On the head piece, run a length of cord between the two holes in the front and run that same string through the two holes on the front of the body, but do not tie yet.
12. Repeat for the back holes on the head and body, do not tie yet.
13. Take the head and the thread hanging from the top, loop it around the piece of cord threaded through the arm holes so that head is tied to the body via the loop around the arm string. Do not do this snuggly as you want to leave a gap between the top of the head and that cord when it is used to hang the marionnette.
    
14. Tie the front head and body cord ends together snuggly being careful not to tear the papier mache.
    
15. Do the same for the back head and body cords.
16. Now run a piece of cord through the cord on the top of the head, and tie that around center I hook.
17. Tie a piece of cord to each hand and attach to the top of the I bar at an end, repeat for the other hand on the other side of that same I bar.
18. Do the same for the feet, only use the other I bar.
19. You can adjust the length of the cord used to tie the hands and feet to create different poses. Tie with a knot you can untie later.
    

Costume construction.
Create a tunic dress with the black fabric and use the multi colored fabric for the arms.
Make sure you have an opening in the back.
Use velcro to secure the openings.
Decorate the edges and other areas of the costume with rick rack, tassle tape, etc, sewing to attach the decorations.
Dress your marionette in the costume.

If the costume is damaged or needs laudering since it is not attached to the marionnette, it can be hand washed.

When packing away a marionette, add a package of silicone or other desicant to prevent the piece from becoming moldy or mildewed while in storage. That is also why it is very important you let the pieces dry completely, otherwise you will not have anything to display next year.

Just Say NO to Wall Street Welfare

Here's an edited copy of the letter I faxed to my senators and congressman.

-- snip --

The Honorable

Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20510

RE: Bush-Paulson $700,000,000,000 Bailout Plan

Dear Senator:

I am writing to express my utter dissatisfaction with the proposed bailout plan being peddled by President Bush and Secretary Paulson. That plan does nothing, absolutely nothing to prevent this situation from happening again. Instead it gives a blank check to prop up firms that engaged in speculation and risky securities. That plan provides absolutely no accountability for the expense of our tax dollars, nor requires any results for the spending of our tax dollars, nor does it give any guarantees that spending our tax dollars will fix this situation. The Bush-Paulson plan is nothing less than the wholesale robbery of American taxpayers and is completely morally bankrupt. This is nothing short of Wall Street Welfare.

There are alternative plans being floated that make more sense and actually will fix the situation instead of robbing the American taxpayers and the next two generations blind and pushing America into a cauldron of violence.

First: The plan must not be a bailout. It must seek to correct the lack of regulations and oversight that led to this mess. The lessons of the Great Depression were that 'anything goes' only works to enrich the few at the expense of the entire country. All securities must be regulated. Credit default swaps should be outlawed, with a phaseout period of one year. Any other similar Ponzi financing schemes must also be outlawed. All approved financial instruments must be backed at minimum ratio of twice as high as that required for federal chartered banks due to the increased risk involved.

Second: The plan must provide accountability for results. Lack of meeting restructuring goals will mean the board and executives are fired and the compensation they receive returned - which can be accomplished via tax liens and property seizures (including immediate family or any other persons to whom compensation was transferred to). Any foreclosed homes sold at auctions must not be sold to modern day robber barons, financial gangs or any entity associated with any failed bank or their executives (current and former). The goal must be to put families back into these homes as owners, not as serf renters. Absolutely no auctions will be valid unless a minimum quorum of bids is received from completely unrelated and non-conspiring parties. For homes not able to be auctioned off, they will be rented by a HUD or the equivalent state agency, with a rent-to-own plan. States can set income qualification ratios for down payment equivalences, such that those with the least amount of any/all income would receive the most favorable rent applied to ownership ratio. The goal is to get Americans back to owning their own homes, as that is the foundation of our economy.

Third: The plan absolutely must not reward the executives that ran the participating companies: All compensation contracts must be terminated for the executives of these companies - no golden parachutes, no perks, no 10010+:1 compensation disparities. Any such compensation already received by these executives in excess of $1 million dollars must be returned to the participating company.

Fourth: The plan must include equity stakes in any participating company so that the taxpayer has a voice on the boards of these companies and can recover capital invested. The gross profits will be used to calculate payments back to the American taxpayer. This would be to lessen the effect of accounting chicanery that such companies would try to foist on taxpayers in an attempt to plead poverty and inability to pay back the American taxpayer. Gross profits would be computed without deductions for any fees nor other gimmicky transactions. Payments back to the American taxpayer would be a percentage of gross profits on a sliding scale dependent on the amount of the equity owned by the American taxpayer.

Fifth: The plan must include restructuring of portfolios of the companies involved, to rescue American homeowners facing foreclosure and any loans that with balloon payments due in the next five years. It makes more sense to keep people in their homes, with funds coming in rather than have whole communities empty. When houses are deserted, and abandoned they are gutted and become havens for criminal activity. That is vicious cycle as the value of the entire neighborhood drops and more law abiding citizens flee or are forced to survive in such neighborhoods. It doesn't take much common sense to realize that such neighborhoods will breed domestic militancy worse than what we have seen overseas. It is for this reason that it is vital that Americans be kept in these homes, to prevent the decay of our towns and cities into areas racked by domestic terrorism, gangs and other violence. Recall that in good times, violent crimes go down.

Sixth: The plan must be subject to congressional oversight and the personnel at the government agency in charge must not have judicial immunity from any decisions they make. This must not be handled by a branch of the executive department with carte Blanche to cut back room deals with their friends nor business interests. Any personnel working at this agency must be fully divested of all assets tied to any of the companies being managed and/or any entities buying liquidated properties. This requirement for zero conflict of interest must also extend to the agency employee heirs and family members (to include business interests of family members). Any deals found to be lacking in documentation, appropriate targets, appropriate payback plans, or prepared/negotiated by those with conflicts of interest will be invalidated by a simple majority of the House Finance committee.

That is just part of what is required in a realistic plan to fix this mess will require. I hope I have your support in promoting and passing such a plan. There is more at stake here than billions of dollars.

-- snip --

It't not perfect, but it supports the sane provisions of the plans I have heard being floated with some extra protections thrown in.

Remember this battle cry when you vote this November.

Just say NO to Wall Street Welfare,

Say NO to greedy MBA types in fake reformers clothing

Say NO to more of the same, McPain!

If you have a small child, don't bother flying AirCanada

Granted, I almost never fly and when I do, it's usually Southwest, but for those unfortunate people who might be thinking of flying on AirCanada be warned. They have cut out all their life vests in order to save weight and fuel. So if you have a small child or an infant, you'll have to figure out someway to hold on to them while also holding on to your hopefully floating seat cushion.

Apparently the law in Canada and I suspect here in the US, authorizes carriers to rely on seat cushions as long as your flight is not scheduled to fly more than 90 kilometers away from the shore (almost 56 miles). I don't think a champion swimmer could last that distance with a seat cushion.

Do the McCain (Bush)-o-nomics math

Do the math - McCain's health care proposal.

McCain would provide refundable tax credits of $2,500 for individuals, and $5,000 for families, for all those who buy health insurance. Employer contributions toward health insurance would be treated as income, meaning workers would have to pay income taxes on it, but not payroll taxes.

What would happen to your income taxes if your employer's contributions towards health insurance were treated as income? Consider this example. If you are only paying 25% or 1/4 of the cost of the insurance, and you pay $480 for your family per month, that means your employer pays $1440 per month. Under McCain's health care plan, that $1440 per month would be taxable income. So your "pay" would increase by $17,280 per year as far as the IRS is concerned, yet you would never see that money. But you sure would pay taxes on it. Consider how much that extra $17,280 would cost you if you are in the 25% effective tax bracket, can we say $4320 - that is if you are lucky not to be pushed up into the next tax bracket thanks to McCain. McCain proposes a tax credit of $5000 per family. So you pay $4320 more in taxes and McCain (the economy is not my strong suit) will give you $4320 of that back (somehow I doubt they will give you the full $5000).

Now consider this, when was the last time you did not see your insurance premiums rise? You have a $680 cushion per year in taxes before you start to eat the cost of McCain's health insurance plan (that is when your taxes due to the "increase" in income exceed the tax credit). So if your monthly premiums increase more than $226(1) you will now be taxed on the increase in premiums above and beyond the credit you take. I have witnessed jumps in health insurance premiums for families of at least $60 per month, and usually $75 per month over the past few years. In 4 years your premiums increases would exceed the $226 cushion you had. So after 4 years, you would be paying MORE for health insurance because McCain - "Economics is not my strong suit" - thinks this is better.

Here's another wrinkle. If you are in a section 529 - cafeteria plan, you can currently exempt from taxes for the amount of the premiums you pay - it's call pre-tax. So that $480 per month in premiums, is never included in your taxable income. I bet under McCain's plan that exemption will no be longer allowed. So your "income" will rise by $1,920 per month (the full premium, 1440 - employer + 480 your contribution). Your taxable income would rise by $23,040, more than likely pushing you into a higher tax bracket, say 28%. So now your taxes on the "increase in your income" would be $6,451 HIGHER. Hey guess what McCain will give you back $5,000 so really you're only paying $1,451 per year MORE for exactly what you have today. How's that for McCain/Bush-onomics? If you are still in the 25% bracket after you huge increase in salary (thanks McCain), your taxes would rise to $5,760 per year, so you only pay $760 more per year for the exact same insurance.

Really McCain needs to take a refresher course on basic math.

Right now employers can deduct the cost of the premiums they pay for you. Will they still be able to do it? I bet they will. So while you are being taxed for those premiums, they will be getting $4320 back. So who really benefits from this? Do you really want 4 more years of Bushonomics?

Also another question, is this tax credit permanent? Will it expire. Do you really think it will last past the first real budget shortfall.

Here's another wrinkle. Do you have kids? Are you planning on sending them to college? You do realize that your income determines the aid package they receive. So how do you think the "increase" in income will affect that aid package? The more you "make", the less help you get.

Finally, McCain's 'solution' does nothing to address the increases in premiums. What incentive do you think there will be to get those premiums under control? I bet it's like the incentives he proposes for getting us off oil - drill more.

Notes:
(1) The tax credit is $5000. Subtract the current amount to get your cushion where you don't pay more in taxes. $5,000 - $4,320 = $680. Take your 680 cushion in taxes and figure out how much income that equals at 25% rate (multiply by 4). So $680 * 4 = $2,720. This is the max amount per year your premiums could increase where you would start to pay more in taxes since the taxes would exceed the $5000 credit. Now to figure out what the max increase in premiums per month could be before you hit that, divide that 2,720 by 12 months in a year = $226.

Another vote by Forbes to dismantle the constitution

I continue to be astounded by those who vote for Forbes in my district (VA/4). He supports those who consider themselves above the law. He supports bills and policy that seek to dismantle much of the Bill of Rights in our Constitution. His most recent attempt was to vote against the FISA Act in the House because it did NOT include immunity for the wholesale wiretapping of millions of American citizen's phone and other communications. Luckily it passed but along party lines.

Here is the note I sent to his office:

The fourth amendment protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures. The wholesale wiretapping of millions of innocent American citizen's telephone and other communications by the telephone companies at the behest of the Bush Administration violates that right. I believe you should re-examine your position on telecom immunity and affirm your duty to protect and defend the constitution of the United States of America. Immunity effectively dismantles the checks and balances built into our constitution so carefully by our forefathers over 200 years ago. Let the courts decide on the legality of the wiretapping issue as our forefathers intended.

I had a conversation about 3 weeks ago with a coworker about this issue. His response that he didn't care that his conversations were listened to. Then I told him about several recent stories I had read about concerning misuses of personal information for vendettas and grudges. I believe I also told him about the 1000+ inappropriate requests for taps made by the FBI in the past few years. I don't know if that changed his mind, but the next day he was registering himself and his son to vote. I can only hope he decided to do so in defense of our constitution.

The "Unhappy" Neighbor

Every school morning, I send my son to the bus stop on the corner across the street. I stay in the garage since his younger sister is never dressed by the time his bus comes. I originally was carting her across the street to wait for her brother's bus, but she had strep and I thought I might, so in order to not infect the other children and parents, I decided to wait in the garage. Now I do that all the time, as it has removed the stress of all three of us getting ready in time to catch the bus. I also didn't feel right about leaving the premises if my daughter was still asleep or inside playing. My neighbor across the street does the same, she sends her son across the street, while she supervises him crossing the street (which I do too).

I have a neighbor who lives a few houses down. Unlike most stay-at-home moms, she seems to have a great disdain for working mothers. When I used to wait at the bus stop in the morning with my son, she would make comments about her parenting skills since she was a stay-at-home mom. I recall one time she made a big deal about 'as a good parent, she could never leave her children in the care of others'. She loves to talk about her stuff, and sometimes others.

Anyway, this past week, for some reason she just felt the need to begin talking about what I think is an upcoming party. Since I am across the street, she has to talk extremely loud - which she does - for me and my neighbor to hear. She began by saying something about her list, and how the other two mothers who were at the bus stop were on it. I was walking back into my garage to put something away, when she yelled, "but not that one over there on the corner". I stopped, turned around, came back out of the garage and just looked at her with an expression of 'what is wrong with you?' My other neighbor's house is not on corner, so that left me as the obvious person she had been speaking about. At that same moment it dawned on me that the other comments she had practically yelled in the past were about me and my kids. Now mind you this happens before the kids are picked up. So the kids can hear everything, including my son. Lucky for me he is oblivious to her as are all the other kids, except maybe her children.

Later that morning I drove my daughter to her day care center on the way to work. As I was pulling in, I just started to laugh. I was giggling thinking about the pre-high school behavior this neighbor exhibited. Even high school students and some middle school students are past the need for such behavior. I mentioned what happened to my other half, and he pointed out to me that there was an article the other day in the paper about competition between stay-at-home moms and working mothers. Now I am not one who competes against others, I don't need others to 'lose' so I can feel I have won. I have my own goals and I compete against my own internal standards. I prefer heart felt Thank You's to any material token of achievement.

My other half commented that such juvenile behavior was mentioned in the article, as something that tends to happen to some stay-at-home moms who are actually jealous of their working counterparts. I believe that happens to a very small minority. I don't know, if she is jealous per se, since she has no idea of the accolades and respect I have earned from my coworkers, customers and competitors. If she did know, then I could see the jealousy angle. But I really think deep down inside she is very unhappy about her life and for some reason can only feel good about herself by tearing others down. I guess for her, she only feels she wins if she puts someone else down. I hope for her children's sake she recognizes this as a destructive behavior and corrects it.

Competition is not healthy when it requires that you tear someone else
down just to feel good about yourself.

TAGS: Working Mothers

Lead Poisoning and Unrestricted Warfare

It is no accident that lead and other hazardous items are showing up in toys made in China bound for American children. It is laughable to believe that China has now banned lead in toys IMPORTED TO THE UNITED STATES. Apart from having that so called 'rule' in effect before their current act was discovered, what strikes me is that they have not ruled out exporting lead toys to other countries. I wonder about Japan, Germany, Brittian, Ireland, are they also recipients of these toys? Do you see a pattern? These are all critical trading partners who make or design critical components.

In the book Unrestricted Warfare, a paper created by two high level Chinese Colonels, unconventional warfare is advocated. One of the striking quotes from the book is that "This is to say that there is nothing in the world today that cannot become a weapon, and this requires that our understanding of weapons must have an awareness that breaks through all boundaries" [p16]. "What must be made clear is that the new concept of weapons is in the process of creating weapons that are closely linked to the lives of the common people".

Now let's look at what lead is known to do in children:
When ingested or breathed in:
1. Reduced IQ.
2. Attention deficit disorders.
3. Behavioral problems.
4. Kidney damage.
5. Stunted growth.
6. Impaired hearing.

At high levels lead poisoning can:
1. Cause mental retardation.
2. Cause the victim to fall into a coma.
3. Death.

In the long term lead poisoning is linked to Juvenille Delinquency.

Now for another link in this chain. Many factories in China employ or are run by the Chinese Military (aka PLA, Peoples Liberation Army).


I for one do not believe for one second that the use of lead paint was simply a mistake or oversight on the part of the Chinese factories. I believe this was an attempt by the PLA to poison our children. One of the passages in the book Unrestricted Warfare, is that it is more effective to cause casualties than it is to kill your enemy. The reason is simple, having to take care of casualties/wounded weakens the enemy. Not only is lead poisoning one way to ensure your enemies are unable to fight, it is also an excellent way to ensure they cannot fight you for their lifetime due to sickness or mental incapacity.

China's leadership believes War with the US is inevitable. China has been implementing their master plan to defeat the US via unrestricted warfare. I believe this war has been going on since the late 1990s if not earlier. In addition to the recently published Network Warfare attacks and successful penetration of DoD networks by Chinese military, there is the policy of China to conduct financial warfare against us. By using prison labor and military workers, China has eliminated alternate source of many items we buy by making it economically unfeasible to make products anywhere but China. If you take a look at Unrestricted Warfare's list of alternative methods of combat, you will see we are battling China already on most of these.

Technological Warfare: HD-DVD standard - 2 weeks ago. Purchase of IBM's hardware business - Lenovo, 2 years ago. Red Flag? Linux (chinese version of linux).

Resource Warfare: Buying rights to oil fields, and buying as much crude oil as possible (e.g. Venezuela, Argentina). Buying shipping ports in the US (Long Beach , New York).

Smuggling Warfare: China has been doing this for years. Currently Chinese factories have created at least 5 or more knockoffs of the iPhone.

International Law Warfare: UN Security Council, G8, and I believe the IMF.

These are just some of the methods China is using to wage war against the US. Add disabling and sickening American children to the list.

TAGS: china | lead poisoning

Sore Throat Remedies

Earthclinic's site for natural cures

I read the link above and compared it to my mom's recipe...

Take a couple of Garlic cloves, honey (to taste), a little bit of lemon juice, water and a couple of cinnamon stick and bring them to a simmer. Then let it simmer for at least 10 minutes so the cinnamon sticks release their cinnamon. Cool slightly and serve in a mug. Then sip it down.

I adapted my mom's recipe based on the recommendations Earthclinic's site and came up with this recipe.

Cinnamon-garlic-honey tea - mostly by my mama Terri (except **)
* 2 ounces apple cider vinegar
* 2 cups water
* 2 sticks cinnamon
* 2 TBS lemon or lime juice
* 2 Cloves of garlic peeled
* 2 ounces+ of honey (+to taste)
* 2 shakes (~1/4 tsp) ground chile powder - chipotle or cayenne **

Boil all together, then let simmer for 10 minutes. Cool slightly and serve. Sip while still warm. You can make a batch and simple reheat it during the day. Save in glass canning jar and refrigerate if necessary then reheat on the stove.

The pepper kills some of the sting of the soreness. Granted I haven't had as severe a sore throat as others described on the earth clinic site, but this works for me. I think the honey, lemon juice and cinnamon help to make the brew more palatable.

technorati tags:
remedies | sore throat |folk cures

What's up with Wavy10

Tonight on their news cast I saw them use a technique that caught me offguard. They were doing a story on the most arrested criminal in the country. The odd thing was that instead of simply showing his series of mugshots, they started each somewhat out of focus mugshot at a normal frame and then zoomed in. The effect was that this black guy was coming after you. I was taken aback. I've never seen them do this to a white guy (even the most disgusting ones). I'm not black but the implied message is something only an apologist could miss.

TAGS: subtle racism | racism

A coworker ended up with my old CRX

Small world. No, I don't mean the disney ride, I mean as in how ironic. Back in 2001 I sold my 1988 Honda CRX to a family friend. I had taken relatively good care of it engine wise - regular oil changes. Body wise, it was ok. It had a few distinctive dings in it, mostly of the "I keyed your car" type. Which I figured were caused by some F-150 driving rednecks who "don't like them Jap cars". Well F-150 drivers, those will now be built by my cousins!! Meanwhile most of those 'Jap cars' are built here in the US, by workers who don't shaft the buyer. Unlike workers at a local truck plant who don't put parts on the truck 'because they don't feel like it' (like a friend who worked at the plant told me about) -- but I digress.

My coworker has been driving this car for at least 2 possibly 3 years. Recently I had read that great book, "Getting Things Done" by David Allen. One of my projects was Cleanout the Garage. In said garage was a donut spare from the CRX I sold. I remembered that my coworker had a CRX, so I finally remembered to ask him if he wanted the spare. Sure. This morning I brought it in. As I was talking to him, I wondered if it had been my CRX. He explained how he had bought it from a used car lot that had bought it from an auction a couple of years ago.

He mentioned that he had replaced the windshield on it and had to scrape out some silicone. Funny, I said, I had a leaking windshield that I had fixed by caulking with silicone. "On the drivers side?" I asked. "Yes". Then he asked, was the side window ever replaced. I said, yes the guy after me locked his keys in the car and ended up busting out the right side rear passenger window. He said, Yes that's the one and said the seal wasn't the original. He walked me over to his car, and there on the passenger side door was a vertical rust line about 1 inch long and a sharp indentation next to it. The same one I remember finding one day after going back to my car from school - a Navy school no less. Perhaps it had occurred earlier, but it was the first I had noticed it, back in 1989.

Then he opened up the hatch and I looked at the bumper, same scratches on the top of the bumper where I had dragged something heavy across it. Hey, I used to be very petite, and I still rest heavy things on a bumper before I lug them into my van.

My other half wants me to get a picture. If I remember I will and add it to this.

At least my coworker takes care of it. He says the engine runs great. Which is great to hear despite the 2 other owners after me. One who I know abused the car - drove it down a dusty road to work everyday for maybe a year. Lost the wheel covers, don't think he gave it regular oil changes (or air filter changes). The other guy I don't know how well he took care of it, but he was a young kid and I don't think he could afford to keep it up as well as I did.

Small world indeed.

TAGS: cars | coincidences

Eating better - no this isn't a New Year's resolution

My 'sister-in-law' recently started asking her brother (aka Dad) about better foods. I realized that we have been buying better for us food for a little over a year now, but hadn't really shared that with anyone. So here is my attempt to share how you can eat better for sometimes alot less and also actually get a little exercise in the process.

3 Simple things to do
We have been losing weight and feeling better just by doing these three simple things. Well actually I have done two of them and not much of the 3rd.
1. Bread - eat whole grains - 3 grams minimum per slice.
2. Butter/Spread - use Smart Balance.
3. Pedometer - wear it and aim for 10,000 steps per day.

1. Bread - eat 'better' carbs
We replaced white bread (aka refined carbohydrates) with it's better and actually more tasty variety - whole grain edition.

Any bread we buy must have at least 3 grams of fiber per slice. Pepperidge Farms makes some excellent breads (7-grain, 9-grain, 12-grain, 15-grain) that are quite tasty. So does Arnold. We prefer Pepperidge Farm's Nutty Oat, but Walmart no longer carries that. That was the best tasting bread we have tried. However Sam's club now carries Arnold Whole Grain classics in a double loaf pack that costs slightly more than the same as a single loaf at Walmart around $2.88 if memory serves (I can't find the receipt).

I gained a ton of weight when the diet message 10 years ago was to eat Pasta (aka Low Fat era, lots of carbs). Boy did I. I gained 30 pounds which has never come off! The problem was that the pasta was white, not whole grain. In addition to having a high glycemic index - which means it burns quicker and if not used gets converted to fat quicker, white pasta also makes you hungrier. Yup that's right. You end up feeling unsatisfied and hungrier, so you eat more. Another reason to limit your intake of white carbs (bread, pasta, potatoes) and soda. The easiest way for me was to start by cutting out one serving of white carbs per week, then every couple of days and so on.

2. Butter/Spread - eat 'better' fats
Another thing we did was discover Smart Balance spread last year, as I have noticed many others have. Most medical professionals and dieticians are promoting that not all fat is bad. In fact you shouldn't avoid all fat, just the bad - saturated fat (sat fat) variety. You can't cut out sat fat entirely but you can make choices to replace it with the artery Clearing variety, poly unsaturated (poly fat) and mono unsaturated (mono fat). We try to keep sat fat grams down to no more than 6 per serving - and that's actually more than we usually allow.

Smart Balance has 9 grams of fat, but only 2.5 of that is sat fat. Poly fat makes up 2.5 grams and mono fat makes up 3.5 grams and 0 trans fat grams. According to their label a Brandeis University study showed their spread helped to improve cholesterol ratios of HDL (good) versus LDL (bad) cholesterol in study participants - the catch per CSPI is that you must exclusively eat it in place of all fat. Still it's better than using regular butter or margarine. I believe any little bit of good you can do still helps.

So if you've been doing Atkins, etc, at least cut the fat off your steak and try to get lean cuts of meat. You'll get your protein fix and not be clogging your arteries with heart killing sat fat.

Also did you know that your brain needs fat? Just don't forget, it needs mostly better mono fat far vice the not-so-good trans fat

3. Pedometer
Ok so this is not something you eat, but it can help you with your eating plan. I don't know how it does, it just seems that all that walking helps you prefer better foods (maybe because those foods have more nutrional value).

Last year Dad started to wear a pedometer. He finally settled on one he picked up at Sam's Club for $10, the Omron model. It has a 7-day memory and automatically 'clears the cache' to dump the 8th day's numbers. His goal last year was to do 10,000 steps each day. Sure enough a couple of weeks ago PBS had a Frontline special about Diet Wars where that was the consensus of several medical experts. In fact many sites and organizations are now promoting the 10,000 steps per day.

In Dad's experience working in an office, if you drink alot of coffee and "have a busy day" you'll average around 6,000 steps per workday. If you're like me and get stuck at your desk, you might make 3000 per workday. It also helps to have a baby who likes to be held and the holder must be moving at the same time (e.g. walking back and forth). Per Dad, "the earlier you wake up, the more steps you seem to build up before you leave the house" -- linlu note: it works for him since he's hyper to begin with. He also says that staying up late doesn't work because you tend to be winding down (aka sitting more).

Summary

So there you go, two eating tips and one activity tip, which I classify with eating better. We have others but those escape me right now. Until next time..

TAGS: dieting | New Year's resolutions | Eating better

.:end:.

Blogging for your kids

Here's an interesting idea that finally occurred to me. This blog will serve as insight into who I am/was for my children. I know that there are many many blogs out there and many of the bloggers are parents. As the mom of two under 6 year old kids, I can see that already many of my attitudes and ideas have changed in the almost 6 short years they have been with me. I know that in the teenage years and especially in the adult years and when I am gone, this blog may well be the best indicator of who I was at this time. So although I may have an audience of 1 or 2 at least I can hope (assuming I'm not archived off) that my kids will be able to read my blogs and discover who I was.

I'm lucky in a sense that my memories of my dad are still with me, but how can I share what he was like with my kids (a lot of fun). My son does not remember grandpa, and my daughter never met him on this earth (although a toy in her room was 'talking' to her last night - must be one of the grandpas).

If my dad had a blog when he was still 'mostly here' he might have still been alive today - at least he would have taken better care of himself. It would also have been neat to peer into pop's mind at various points in his life. I wonder how he handled becoming a father. I know I ended up disappointing him later in his life, but at least my sister was there for him. I can only imagine that when we were little I was his favorite, but later in life it was my sister who took care of him. I am glad he left what he could to her. She is also the person I am trusting with the most important details of my life (although she doesn't know it yet!).

Anyway back to 'blogs as heirlooms'. Here's to hoping this little corner of the internet will be passed on to my kids.
.:end:.

TAGS: heirloom | legacy

Sucked vs didn't Suck

The American Music Awards (AMA) is on tonight. This is my take on who sucked and didn't suck.

Sucked
AMA Producer & the Sound Engineer
When will any music awards show get the sound right? If this thing was broadcast in Dolby surround you certainly didn't hear it. The music sounded as if it were coming out of a 1 foot wide flat speaker in the front - not even stereo in some cases. This is on my Yamaha/JBL surround sound system. I had to use the make believe surround Concert Hall setting to make it sound wider than 1 foot and three dimensional. Ugh, in 2005 this is the best they could do? If I were a performer, I would have wished I had never performed on this show.

Mariah Carey - A horrid performance of a horrible song. She blamed it on a lack of a monitor, nah, she was signing the song. It just sucks as a song. She needs to stop doing vocal gymnastics and relearn how to sing. Her style is so annoying these days. An x Octave range is not a weapon, it's an instrument for pleasure not pain. She's forgotten that.

Lindsey Lohan - I love her movies, but she doesn't belong on a music stage. She butchered Stevie Nick's "Edge of 17". She failed miserably at using the backup singers to mask her flat and unappealing voice. When she realized that, she started doing the rock star poser routine.

Kenny Chesney - Two things I can't stand -- Male twang and the 'yo yo yo bitch' rap. Guess which category he's in.

Paris Hilton - Why is she even there? I've seen better leaches for publicity.

Ferrell & Gwen Stefani - Like I said two things I can't stand. This was poser rap, no music, no talent. Gwen -- what a waste of theee minutes for her. She should have picked Andre 3000 instead to rap with - at least he has real music behind him and something more than the usual yo yo yo cliche rap.

Hillary Duff - Weak material. But at least she can hit the notes. She needs to lose the silly background dancers. Ouch she's hitting bad notes, I think she's moving toward the suck category... Yup, no warmth in her thin now grating voice. She's in the suck category.

Ciara, Bow Wow and Mario - She had a thin song with a thin grating voice. I don't hear what all the fuss is about. She's another Maria wannabee - yuck. BowWow/Mario - 'snap' 'snap' heard it.

Tim McGraw - I'm sorry but this boy cannot sing. If you remove his nasal twang you'd hear a weak whiny voice. Must be the wife effect.

Eurythmics - Thanks to the sound engineer. Annie couldn't recover from a bad monitor until the end.

Macy Gray - "Dee Dee Dee"

Rascal Flats - Who? Chipmunk lead vocalist. At least they can harmonize, but in a twang! Yuk. "Brother and sister kinda thing" - Yup makes you think of Michael Jackson. Eeew!

Didn't Suck
AMA Video Director - The film effect on some of the performances was a great touch. For some of the performances it almost seemed as if you were watching a DVD. I say almost a DVD because of the sucky lack of surround or even something more than flat sound.

Rob Thomas - Going solo. Still sounds great. Nice understated arrangement and performance. He didn't pose, he just got the job done.

Keith Urban - At last a country singer who doesn't rely on a twang. I've never heard him before since most male country singers can't sing without a cowboy hat a twang or both - both of which do nothing for making the music pleasant. Which is why I avoid male country singers. I like the sound of some of the females, just not the twangy males.

Cyndy Lauper & Sarah McLachlan - Sarah was great as always. Cyndy was a little shaky on some solos. Together their vocals harmonize beautifully. The only down side was that the pedal/steel guitar was too loud, drowning out Sarah in parts.

Will Smith's Acceptance Speech - I love his rap. He's got great music. He's a real talent and his songs are just plain fun.

TMobile Caffeinated Cheerleader commercial - I was once like that - in the ice age.... Giddy, couldn't shut up. It's so amusing to watch.

Santana & Los Lonely Boys - These boys can sing. Harmonies - something you don't hear much of anymore except in Rock. Cool guitar solos by the lead guiatarist/vocalist of Los Lonely Boys. Santana - he's one of those legendary guitar players that just becomes more phenomenal as he gets older. He could walk on water with his playing. How they made their guitars sing such a sweet melody. This was the best performance of the night.

Sheryl Crow - She always delivers, too bad the ABC/AMA Sound Engineer didn't.

All American Rejects - They didn't suck, but they weren't anything special either.

Brooks & Dunn acceptance speech - A heartfelt thanks to all music fans, not just their own.

Rolling Stones - These guys have been performing a little longer than I have been alive. Tina Turner is coming out of 'retirement' to do another tour. I hope I'm kicking and moving like they are when I reach that point in my life.

Tina Turner - I know she wasn't on. But if you can get a chance to go see her, do! I wish they made more like her. She can do it all and sounds like heaven live.

TAGS: award shows

Household tip - Bulldog clips

Here's a tip that will make you say, of course.

Do you have many potato chip, cracker or even frozen food bags that you crumble-roll the ends to close them. Well if you use a 1 1/2" bulldog clip instead, you won't have to do that anymore.

Rather than buy those oversized clips at the grocery store. [You know the ones which have incredibly weak grasping power.] Use an office supply bulldog clip instead.

It won't let you down. It's smaller


and it's easier to store when not in use. . Note: There are at least 4 large and a couple of smaller bulldog clips in that 3" x 3" storage cubby.

TAGS: Household tip | Household

My garden plan 2006

I am working on redoing my overgrown huge planter. Here are my ideas for version 2.0.

Big planter - keep/add these plants:
Black mondo grass: add along parts of the front border.
Roses: Princess Diana, Playboy, Mister Lincoln, Simply Marvelous
Verbena: keep try to add more.
Platycodus: Try to expand, add plants from seed this early spring.
Dahlias - large: shift to where sterling silver was removed.
Calla rehmani: shift to selected places along front border where there is not a rose.
Weeping pussy willow: where pink rose was removed, back, southwest area.
Marigolds: Thin out, moving extra.
Annuals in front of planter: thin out moving extra to front of house.

East fence line area:
Daylilies: add a few more
Sunflowers: smaller inedible variety this year.
Clematis: Next to piers (inside fenceline).
Planters on top of piers: Ready made color.

Remove these plants:
Roses: Sterling silver - move to a corner somewhere.
Pink rose (??) - close to sterling silver - a garden for my daughter.
Marigolds: extra ones, plant in front of gladiolus by a/c unit.
Cannas: move to along back fenceline.
Gladiolus babies: Move to cover a/c unit - put back with other glads.
Dahlia - Bolognese: Move to southwest corner planter.
Oriental/Asian Lillies: Move to front of house or along side fenceline.

Front planter boxes:
Pansies: Add.
Implement watering system in the least visible way.
Ferns or burros ears: add new hanging plants.

Mailbox planter:
Gladiolus: Remove, move to ac unit.
Clematis: Try again.

First prep:
Pull out all big planter plants.
Add full yard or two of topsoil.
Replant.
Add mulch - 3-4 yards for entire yard.

TAGS: gardening

.:end:.

Genetic roots

Our son has a strong background. Not only in terms of physical stength - but also in emotional strength. He gets a "determination" tripple whammy from his dad - who is highly motivated and determined, his Maga (his dad's mom) and his great grandpa (dad's side).

His Maga is an Okinawan World War II orphan. She managed to survive and for a short time even nurse her fatally wounded mother at 4 years old. At the same time she cared for her little brother (2-3 years old). His dad tells me stories of the stories Maga would tell Daddy about sleeping in trees to avoid the dogs. This was during and after the Battle of Okinawa. Maga is from a highly respected Okinawan family. Maga's mother and dad were teachers, which in Okinawan society is one of the most respected positions a person can hold. They were also very smart if not geniuses. Unfortunately genius doesn't count when you get hit by shrapnel or shot by soldiers as her mother and father were.

His great grandpa (Dad's grandpa) survived the Bataan Death March of World War II. Great grandpa survived by using his brains -- in this case it saved great grandpa. Great grandpa managed to escape and live. There are few of these soldiers still left in our area. Only one of them has ever talked about what happened during the march on television. Unfortunately great grandpa never told Daddy about what happened during the war. It's something that haunted great grandpa until he died in June 2000.

I can see their determination and strength in our son. He can set his mind to a task and complete it - he's been doing this for a couple of years now - he is five years old. He also is seemingly impervious to pain. That can be good and bad. He recently willed himself not to cry when getting vaccination shots for school. He said to his doctor, "I'm not going to cry". Sure enough he didn't. When he was a baby, he usually wouldn't cry when getting shots. When he was a few days old he had to have blood drawn from his heel for billiribum testing. His dad says he didn't even cry and almost didn't notice anything. His sister on the other hand did notice when she had the same test and she did cry. So our son has had this high tolerance for pain from birth.

He's actually lucky to be alive. I am positive his genetic roots have alot to do with that. When I was in labor, the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. The fetal monitor was showing extreme distress. It took a few minutes to get him out. Lucky for us our great OB/GYN noticed this right away and pulled him out. When he came out he didn't make a sound, and was in bad shape. The nurses had to resuscitate him - he was almost a purple grey. I was only able to hold him for a few minutes but quickly gave him back so he could be taken to the first level ICU. I am thankful he was only kept overnight. The next morning he was pink as could be. I know that the lack of oxygen has caused some diminshment of his genius, but he's still a pretty smart kid. Plus babies are pretty resilient and almost plastic like when it comes to brain development. They can bounce back if cared for and if the damage isn't too bad.

Anyway, from the other side - mine - he gets mathematic ability. My dad was called a human calculator. Our son is able to do some addition already. His dad taught him to count to a hundred by the time he was 4. I can sense in our son the same ability as my dad. I'm planning on teaching him the binary number system soon as well, like my father taught me.

The only bad thing about genetic roots, is that not only is the good inherited, but also the bad. Like our predisposition to heart attacks & coronary disease - both sides. High blood pressure - also both sides. Diabetes, bad eyesight, and the real issue right now allergies and asthma. The allergies and asthma are from me. He seems to have it worse than I did when I was little. He's had pneumonia a few times already, as much as I have had in my entire life. We have to pay attention to his allergies to ensure they don't cascade to a runny nose, that turns into bronchitis that turns into pneumonia. Benadryl is our friend.

The connection between exzcema as a baby, and allergies/asthma is one that became known in the pop media within the last few years. When he was a toddler and seemingly getting ear infections quite a bit, a doctor at patient first recommended that whenever he got a runny nose to give him Benadryl. Sure enough since that time he has only had one ear infection. He has had pneumonia a few times usually from a cold or sudden onset of allergies I couldn't catch in time. What's odd is that I am going through the same thing now that I am past 40. I have to ensure my allergies don't cause bronchitis, because bacterial pneumonia is not too far behind.

So that is our son's genetic inheritance. You get the good with the bad.

TAGS: okinawa | asthma | exzcema

.:end:.

Rewards Galore

Our son started kindergarten this year. It's funny because they use a reward system similar to what we use (see previous post). In his school, kindergarten has a 10 sticker system. When they earn 10 stickers they can pick whatever they want out of the Treasure Basket. They also earn green, yellow or red faces each day. A green face is good. A yellow face is given if the student is told twice about breaking a lesser rule. A red face is given out when a big rule or 3 warnings about a lesser rule are given out. Lesser rules are talking out of turn, not following directions and the like. Big rules involve hurtful physical contact with another student using their body or items. Yellow and red faces also mean a note is sent home to parents, which a parent then has to sign and return.

Anyway, we have piggybacked onto the green happy face system. For every green happy face, he earns $1. A week of all green happy faces earns him a star (value $4). He is paid his green happy face earnings (allowance) on Saturday mornings. He tends to save $1 each week, and given that's 20% that's pretty good. In actuality he has saved more than that as he has earned $12 so far an only spent $5.

He has earned 2 yellows and one red so far. One of the yellow and the red were earned when he went back to school after being out for 3 days sick. He was too excited to listen to the teacher and stop chatting with his friends. We helped him by teaching him to look at the teacher when she is talking. He listens only when he is looking at you, so we taught him to always look at us when we're talking to him. We're still working on that.

Tonight he earned another star. This time for politeness. He said, "excuse me" to his dad when daddy blocked his view of Teen Titans. His tone was polite and he waited patiently until his daddy realized he was blocking our son's view. Daddy of course smiled. Our son thought he was in trouble, but we explained that he had politely indicated to Daddy about his blocked view.

..:sidetrack:..
When I was in school, I paved the way for my sister. I don't ever recall being sent to the principal's office, being in detention, or even getting into a fight. Probably because I'm a big chicken. Anyway, I was one of those students who could occasionally be called teachers pet. Not because I buttered them up, but because I was polite and didn't chat in class. I'm hoping my son is the same.

..:back to our subject:..
He is shaping up to be a good student. We just need to keep motivating him to want to be that way. I frequently tell him he is a "good boy" and say "remember you are a good boy". When he was a toddler I would say to him "You must use your powers for good not evil". I know brainwashing, but I think it's working. He does have a good heart and a caring almost empathetic personality. His dad reinforces the "stand up for your self" part when needed (see post Genetic Roots). He has occasionally had to stand up for himself, but because he is one of those kids that gets along with everyone, he doesn't usually get in trouble. I of course remind him that he should use verbal warnings as much as possible when some other child is troubling him.

One of the techniques we taught him was how to deal with someone who is bothering you. We told him to loudly say, "Stop that, I don't like that". It's a way to tell the offending child to stop and also draw attention to the conflict without tattling. It also puts the other child on notice that they are being warned that continued harrassment will be dealt with. So far he has only had to go that route a few times in the past year. His verbal warnings are now rare for him to give out.

At his preschool/daycare last year he had to daily deal with a child who would try to tackle him the minute he walked in the door. My son at first tried to fight back, but after a while of initially getting into trouble and our explaining how to use verbal warnings, he learned to simply ignore that child. True that child has issues so he hasn't stopped the tackle attempts, but our son has learned patience and the ability to ignore slights or little annoyances.

Our son is learning how to deal with difficult people (troubled children) at a young age. This should help him deal with the difficult people (overgrown children = aka adults) later in life. He is also very adept at getting along with many people, which will help him socially later as well. I know the better you are at getting along with people the more successful you tend to be.

TAGS: rewards | parenting | positive reinforcment

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Pops poem

I found this today. It's a poem my dad used to tell his cousins and nieces & nephews when they were younger:

Bright and early in the morning
In the middle of the night
Two dead men got up to fight
Back to back they faced each other
Drew their swords and shot each other
A deaf policeman heard the noise
And came and shot the two dead boys.

Pop's been gone for almost 5 years now and we still miss him and always will. I printed out one of the last pictures of my dad and my son - taken a couple of weeks before he died.

I remember my son, trying to see what was behind him. In hindsight, he was trying to see what was holding him up. God maybe, or perhaps just the desire to see my son. These series of pictures captured what he was trying to figure out about his grandpa.



Later after he passed but before we knew, I remember going into my son's room. He was in his crib sleeping very peacefully. I remember seeing shimmering twinkling lights around him. This 'cloud' of shimmer almost looked like someone was curled around him. I double-checked and rubbed my eyes a few times. I figured it was tiredness or high sugar.

My son talks about his grandpas and describes things they did, even though he never met some of them. He talks about the dog one grandpa had, who lived until he was almost 7 months old. So I guess that is a baby memory. He also talks about his other grandpas who passed long before he was born. It's uncanny when he tells us things. We try not to steer him with our questions about what he saw or dreamed about. He has one grandpa left, not by blood but by heart.

When my grandfather passed away (my dad's side), I remember seeing him looking in on us from the garage window. My dad ran into the garage trying to find him, even though he knew he was gone. I remember feeling his presence, not just seeing him. I can still remember his cologne and how his voice would call to me in a sing song husky voice.

Some of you think this is rubbish, and that's ok. For those who have experienced otherwise, you're not alone. We carry our family inside us and we hope after we're gone someone will care about us and carry our memories inside them. I believe that is why my son talks to his grandpas, why his dad does too, and why my sister feels pops presence when she sits in his chair.

Time is not an absolute, and it's not linear. It bends and folds into origami shapes that many of us have no concept of. I believe that souls find a way into those folds and brush against our time when we remember them. So if you have a long past family member, try talking about them to your children - even those who passed long before they were born, you might hear some interesting dreams and stories.

TAGS: dad | memories of pops

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Are behaviors inherited?

I am wondering this because my baby girl is making the same scooby doo-like "hmmph" sounds as her cousin. These are not the same sounds that her older brother made as a baby. Likewise my son exhibits other behaviors that mimic his older cousin. I assumed that my son and his older cousin had learned these behaviors from each other. These two cousins are brothers.

What's even more interesting is that my baby girl could pass for her baby cousin's sister. My son could pass for their older cousin's brother. Temperment wise, my baby girl is more like her baby cousin. My son is more like his older cousin.

But the behaviors don't stop at cousins. My daughter has a characteristic high pitched squeel that apparently I so gleefully tortured my mother with when I was a baby. Well they say, "what goes around comes around", or as we like to call this 'The Payback Child'. My son has a habit of wanting to run into the street, just like his dad did. So far we have drilled into him the consequences of getting hit by a car. I just hope those lessons stick.

Anyway, I used to think I had the my sister's payback child. However, as I talk to my mom she tells me that I did the same things. So much for thinking I was an absolute angel and my sister was the demon child who tortured my mom [insert evil witch laugh here] . Apparently my mom had forgotten how I would 'drive her crazy' once my sister came along. My sister's behaviors sure seem less aggravating then the mini-me I share our home with... ;p

Don't get me wrong, I love my baby girl. She's pretty fun and somewhat more advanced than what I recall her brother to be at this age. Of course that will change once the teenage years strike. So for right now I am learning how to laugh at the behaviors of my daughter and wonder how my mom went ahead and had two more!
:)

TAGS: parenting | inheritance

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