what if money did not matter?

Comments on IKEA that made me laugh at 4:00 am

There is a continuing story of horse meat being sold to unsuspecting buyers across Europe and how it affected IKEA and their Swedish meatballs.  Supposedly it did not involve their stores here in the states. But in a rare occurrence, the comments I saw posted were funny.

Here are a few:

If you can't trust meatballs from a furniture store, who can you trust?

This puts a whole new meaning to the phrase "I am so hungry I could eat a horse."

Actually, Ikea just sold the ground meat with vague instructions on how to roll it into a ball.

Ikea sells meatballs? I thought they only hired them!

and finally

I walked into an Ikea in November. I am still trying to find my way out.

morning coffee time

ray

Really? You paid someone for that dress?

I stopped watching award shows many years ago, the glitzy over the top productions, the look at me red carpet interviews, it got boring. I don't go to the movies that much anymore so that doesn't help. But I still love the look of glamour when it comes to the ladies.

But in the fierce battle to out do each other, their are many losers. There must be only a few top notch designers out there. There is a rule to accent your attributes and hide your perceived flaws.

Some of the outfits I have seen in passing, a bag lady would leave behind. She of course, has her own standards.
And the hair? And jewelry? What gives? You looked so pretty before you dressed up!

There is a subtleness in a woman's looks that draws attention to herself. Something that gets a man thinking and thinking. Clean and fresh, a little that will say a lot.

Bawdy and trampy doesn't work unless a lot of drinking is involved!

So there you have it, an awards show review by someone who didn't watch the award show.


coffee time

ray

Sometimes One Gets Pushed Into Another Direction

Ha Ha, no, this is not about finding inner peace, just a new way home from work.

When you switch jobs, one of the min struggles one goes through is how to find the best way to get to work and to get home. If you are familiar with the area you know no matter what, you will get there. You try this away and that away and like an animal in the woods, your trail emerges.

Sometimes the one that seems the most efficient is a bit stressful but it will do. Turn here, turn there, anticipate traffic patterns and so on. Zigging and zagging.

Then one night, a bit of daydreaming I miss my turn and was forced to continue on. A bit annoyed, I traveled on to the street I knew would take me home. And a funny thing happened.

I had a sense of calmness as I drove, it seemed easier, it cut my turns in half, and to top it off, less traffic! I was happy. And I have been doing it ever since. A path less traveled!

Side note, I tried it on the way to work and it didn't seem to work.

Another mini victory for me!

coffee time

ray

After Valentines Day Thoughts From RJ

Our satellite communication system circles the earth at over 22,000 miles above the earth (hard to fathom that distance), the asteroid was closer than that at 17,000 miles above the earth. We are not ready if somehow it had turned toward us.

The Mayan prediction was very close, only off by a few months and a few miles. The meteor in Russia showed the destructive power of a direct hit. A coincidence? I think not.

Valentines day is a day to foster guilt and loneliness and is a great marketing ploy.

The seemingly endless battle to feel good and look good can take its toll. Are both concepts joined at the hip? Like the chicken and egg theory? What does come first?

Does anyone know how hard but doable it is to eat 2,000 calories a day, or less? Me and my fitness pals do!

The health and welfare of those around us is more important than ones own health and welfare.

I watched once again the movie Syriana with George Clooney and Matt Damon. A world stage thriller about oil and corruption, It came out in 2005. Things haven't changed. Recommended viewing.

Sometimes life gives one a serpentine path to follow to get where you want to get even if where you want to get is not really clear.

Everyone laughs when the weather gets cold and chilly here in south Florida unless you have come down here for fun in the sun and to work(on ones tan by drinking a lot and wearing as little as possible so when you go back up north you can taunt the less fortunate) on your tan and having breakfast by the pool!


coffee time
and yogurt!

ray

If Higher Education Is So Important, Why Have A Crushing Debt Load To Go With IT?

1.

The game is rigged, you know that. Need the schools, need the grades. Make it for only a select few, thin out the herd. Don't level the playing field. And by chance if they do make it through it all, leave them with a crushing debt load that they feel they will never get rid of.

2.

What if you guess wrong, what if you do the 4 years, six years, eight years or more, and no one is hiring? It happens all the time. Let us say, you wanted to be a lawyer and work in Florida. Currently there is close to 84,000 lawyers in Florida. Do you think they all are making good money, fancy cars, and country clubs? Not a chance. Many are just getting by, many are broke, college loans just don't go away.

3.

You are all grown up now, the world should be one big adventure but it isn't. In your twenties and your fiscal world is crashing around you. Some would say it was your choice, deal with it. If you didn't try some would say you are one big slacker. It is not right, it is not fair.

4.

The pressure to succeed is enormous, to break even, exhausting. Life is not fair, never easy. But sometimes it is not right.  Mentally, physically, it takes its toll.

and I have to watch helplessly.

coffee time

ray

Man vs. Printer

So far it is the printer by a long shot with man falling behind. My problem? Color. No color. Web site, down loads, clean, new cartridges,

Nada. Zip.

Hey, laugh if you want at this wanna be techie. With my ink stained finger tips I shall carry on.

align. check.
printer head clean. check.
deep printer head clean. check.
test page. check
take printer head out. check.

I used to love my wireless Lexmark s605 wireless-copy-scan-print-fax machine.

Until now. Like a scorned ex-lover, it has cast me aside.

The battle-tussle continues.

forget the coffee
it is beer time!
that is right, a breakfast beer!

ray

They do read my poetry, who knew?

You may not know it but I, on occasion, write a bit of poetry. I would say not in the classic sense but I do the best I can. Some happy, some sad, and some very silly. Sometimes something touches me and the words just tumble out, a reflection of sorts on the subject matter.

So I write and post and forget about it. I have a blog just for my poetry and check on it once in awhile.  The number of views that I get from each poem gets more attention than one can hope. It does make me happy.

The following got the most attention so far. It is a very sad poem, the picture sets the scene. I hope you are touched as I was.


No Hope

coffee time

ray

Awaken, once again

to awaken and lay
after hours of sleep
still so tired
legs almost lifeless
the drain of energy
aches and pains
an endless parade

like a light
left on to
drain the power
saps the will
to do
what has brought joy
I fear
nevermore

memories of youth
all to go by
freedom
to run like the wind
to revel
in happiness

life never forgets
a collection it keeps
payback will come
some sooner
some later

a visitor that stays
never to leave

so tired
of being
tired

There is no such thing as dying peaceably in your sleep

A friend from up in Chicago called to let me know that a neighbor of mine growing up had died, she was 91. He told me that she had not been sick or ill and just one day did not wake up. He said she had died peaceably in her sleep.

Bullshit!

Peaceably. All that means is that she did not get hit by a car or a truck or shot or stabbed or whatever. Dying in bed is that much better?

I am betting that when the time comes your mind is screaming no,no,no,not yet as your body starts to shut down. You can't move, you want to cry out but no words come out and there is no one to hear you. Fear takes over as your body does what it can to stay alive. Your body may not be moving but in side you are doing jumping jacks trying to stay alive.

Conclusion? There is no good way to stop living. But this is just the thoughts of an old doddering old man, what do I know.

breakfast and then coffee

ray

Remembering the street vendors from my youth

I was making my weekly soup for lunch for the week this morning and noticed that one of my knives had gotten dull, made a mental note to sharpen them up and brought out another knife to finish the job.

It got me thinking back when I was a kid a man would come around the neighborhood with this huge grinding wheel, walking for miles, doing what he did best..

It was on wheels and as he pushed it down the street ringing his bell, the wives would bring out whatever needed sharpening and then he would be on his way. The neighborhood kids would tag along to watch him work his magic and then would go back to play, now looking for the next distraction.

Just a passing thought, back to my soup making.

coffee

ray