Category Archives: Stupidity

May 29, 2012 · 0:00

It’s My Blirthday Too — Yah!

One year ago today, when I was a mere fifty-four and a half years old, I started FiftyFourAndAHalf.com.  A blog with a stupid name that I decided to keep.  So yup, today’s my first Blirthday!

John Lennon is, in fact singing “Blirthday.”  He was a man well ahead of his time, singing in celebration of something that hadn’t happened yet.  (Kind of like when he sang about peace.)

*****

When I started this blog, well, I figured it would be filled with rants about politics.  That was the subject of my very first post, in fact.  I was mad as hell that the GOP wanted to end Medicare for folks 55 and under.  I took it rather personally, in fact, given that they were going to take it away from me.

So now that I fixed that –

Excuse me?  I didn’t?  I didn’t fix it?  You mean they’re still talking about screwing people 55 years and younger?  Damn!  I guess I can’t quit now.

Anyway, I found that I was writing and posting kind of a mish-mash in here.  A little politics, a little bit of silly stuff, way more embarrassing stories about me than I can believe I have actually put in print.  And occasionally a serious piece.  Oh, and I didn’t forget politics.

Yup.  I find that FiftyFourAndAHalf.com has become a sock drawer of a blog.  And I’m OK with that.

Don’t grumble. They’re all clean.

But to celebrate my Blirthday, I need to thank a number of people who have been helpful and supportive:

John,

Jacob

Cooper

Other Family Members who would kill me if I named them

Jen and Keily and Judy and Bao

 And to three friends I met in writing classes who encouraged me to blog.  They became my first followers in the early months when, um, I didn’t tell anyone I actually knew about the blog.  (These guys are all good writers and they need to post way more often):

Delajus at Higher and Higher

Jamie at SleepDeprivedAndInsane

Lisa at Eat Plants said the Cow

And thank you, my bloggin’ buddies, for reading, commenting, “LIKE”-ing  and writing such great stuff that I spend all my time reading and commenting on your blogs instead of cleaning my house.  Please remember me when the Health Inspector condemns it.

“But seriously, officer, I’ll clean it up as soon as I finish this comment …”

90 Comments

Filed under Elections, Family, Humor, Hypocrisy, Politics, Stupidity

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May 27, 2012 · 0:00

Overheard at the Park

You all know that I love being outside.  I often go to a park not too far away that lies along the banks of the Potomac River.  It’s a natural area, with lovely paths that go up and over hills and others that follow the river.  Still others cut through open fields.  It’s lush and green, or open and bare, depending on the season and where you are.

Now that my dog is elderly and, well, in failing health, I tend to take my long walks by myself.  It gives me time to sort out my mind, think up blog posts, get some exercise.

It also lets me eavesdrop.  Here, you can too!

*     *     *

At the entrance to a short path that heads upriver for about half a mile, stood a woman looking at her iPhone with irritation.  She was surrounded on either side by two men, one of them presumably her husband.  The other looked like he might have been her brother.

“This damn UPS app,” she complained “doesn’t say how long the path is OR where it goes!”

But you’ll get a package for your troubles!

*     *     *

Two men were walking towards me; they had obviously just seen a snake, and since there are loads of them around here, I like to know where they’ve been spotted.

“Yeah,” said the first to his friend, “there are tons of snakes around here.”

My ears perked up.

“You’re right.  And it’s you have to be really careful not to step on one,” said the friend.

“Yeah, because when you do, they act like you’ve done it on purpose.  Like they don’t even get that you didn’t mean it.”

Ummmm, Guys? It’s a SNAKE, not Disney.

*     *     *

And just now, on the Sunday before Memorial Day, I heard this:

One tall middle aged guy was wearing a short sleeve flag-motif shirt. 

He was clearly waiting for someone.  Finally his friend showed up.

“Did you have trouble parking?” said Flag shirt guy.

“Yeah, the park sure is crowded today,” responded his friend.  “I shouldn’t have been surprised.  After all, it’s a three day weekend.”

“Yeah, Memorial Day.  But, still, why are there so many people here at the park?  There isn’t a Memorial here.”

Oy.

*     *     *

Happy Memorial Day, everybody.  Hope that the dopes you run into are at least entertaining!

 

39 Comments

Filed under Awards, Humor, Stupidity, Technology

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May 14, 2012 · 0:00

Fashion Maverick

Did you know that I am a fashion maverick?  It’s true.  I have been for years.  Or am I a fashion maven?  I forget.  But I’m one of the two.

Actually, I was truly a young fashion trailblazer.  In 6th grade, I became the very first 10-year-old girl to wear nylons to school.  Yup.  I did.  I was very grown up.  And I wore them with a garter belt the boys found irresistible.  No, I was a good girl.  I didn’t try to show it to them.  But it was the sixties, the mini-skirt era.  And I was, at that time, really good in math.  The teacher, clearly a perv, often had me write the correct answers to homework problems on the blackboard.  High up on the blackboard.  There certainly was a lot of noise when I had my back turned.  Boys were so stupid.

I’m pretty sure I first wore nylons on one of those days when my mother went to work early and didn’t see me.  But still, I did it first.  The popular girls just couldn’t believe it was me – that I got there before they did.

Now you guys reading this are nodding off.  Stop it.  Just wait.  Skim.

Throughout junior high and high school, my fashion firsts continued.  I was also the first person to wear torn up blue jeans to school, and to go braless.  (See guys, I told you it would improve.)

Anyway, now that I am an adult, I am a wee bit more self-conscious in my fashion trail-blazing.  So I need some advice.

I’ve just gotten this new pair of jeans and, well, I just can’t decide where to wear them first.  I was so excited when I first saw these pants.   They’re just so me.

A special pocket for my concealed weapon!

They’re made by a Texas textile company, American Tactical Apparel.   The idea belongs to Brian Hoffner, a long-time Houston police officer who describes himself as “kind of a renaissance man,” according to this article.  Interestingly, the idea to make special pants to conceal his gun, came to him (ahem) while he was visiting a prostitute with a gun strapped to his thigh.  (I don’t know why, but I have few commercially successful ideas when I am visiting hookers.  And even fewer when I am afraid that I might shoot myself.)

Anyway, these jeans, along with a line of khakis and other apparel, are designed for the fashion-conscious gun-toter.  And it’s none too soon if you ask me.  It has been such an inconvenience sticking my handgun in my bra.

What do you think?  Where should I wear these jeans – and should I wear my Susan G. Komen Pink Hope 22 or go semi-automatic?

Who could forget Susan G. Komen's "Shooting for the Cure"Please, help me out here.

The only problem is there is only one holder.  And it is pretty small.  Where can I put my M-16?

56 Comments

Filed under Childhood Traumas, Elections, Fashion, Gun control, Humor, Hypocrisy, Law, Stupidity

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May 12, 2012 · 0:00

Crazy stuff

Gay and Lesbian rights is really not my issue.  I’m straight but my sister, Beth, was gay.  It wasn’t a problem for me or my other siblings.  My parents had some difficulty at first, but then, because they loved their daughter, accepted her as she was.  I was very proud of them.

I don’t understand the problem some folks have with gays, frankly.  But then I saw this clip and, well, it all became clear to me.

Now I do understand the anti-gay folks.  They are bat-shit crazy.  But then again, it would be terrible if there were more “homociders” and “orgiers” in the world.  So I guess I just better rethink this tolerance and understanding of mine.

Because, after all, what would Jesus do?

58 Comments

Filed under Family, Health and Medicine, Humor, Hypocrisy, Stupidity, Voting

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May 11, 2012 · 0:00

Word Press, Quit Messin’ With Us

It’s been a fun week, now, hasn’t it, Word Press.

You did some really good things this week, like Fresh Pressin’ two of my favorite bloggers, Darla at She’s A Maineiac and Nancy at NotQuiteOld.

And, through Fresh Pressed (which I don’t usually bother with), I stumbled onto a woman who is stomping in my old stomping grounds and blogging about it at The Adventures of Miss Widget.  She has some great pictures of towns and vineyards near Geneva, Switzerland.

But

You knew it was coming.  There is always a “but.”

But automatically subscribing me to every comment on every blog I comment on, well that was nasty.  Of course, it did give me inspiration for my entry into K8did’s first round in her 7 Deadly Sins contest:   Gluttony.

But then it got worse.

Because today I found out that nobody was writing anything.  Nope.  My Fiftyfourandahalf@gmail.com email address was empty when I woke up and it continues to be empty.  Because instead of sending me emails when my bloggin’ buddies post, and when I want to read the comments of folks commenting on some, but not all, well, Word Press, you aren’t doing that any more.

We all have our own preferences, styles and management techniques for reading, commenting, reading comments, etc.  Can we please just keep our own preferences instead of yours?

Let me say this simply:

Word Press, Quit Messing With Us.

63 Comments

Filed under Stupidity, Technology, Word Press

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