If It's Broke, Don't Sell It!!

I really don't like to grumble and roar too much, but this issue has me wanting to stick my head out the window and scream "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore" as Howard Beale spieled out in the movie, Network.  And like his character, I'd like others to join me!!

I have experienced electronic device malfunction overload these past few weeks.  I realize that nothing works perfect all of the time, ya-da, ya-da, ya-da.  But after spending hours, yes HOURS, on the phone talking to different customer service representatives, and researching user blogs on CNET, this is what I discovered:  Companies are selling us items that they know have issues and don't work the way the customer would expect them too.  Really???!!!!!

First, let's start with my smart phone purchase in October.  I decided to go with Virgin Mobile because I believed I really liked the way Sir Richard Branson runs his company.  I purchased and HTC Evo Android which came with lot's of great features that I never imagined.  But within a few days, I kept getting an SMS Radio Transmission Error message, that meant I was not able to transmit my texts.  I called customer service and talked to a nice gentleman from the Philippines.  He had me go through several renditions of changing the program settings and taking out the battery.  I still was not seeing the 3G network, and kept telling the customer service representative that his "fix" was not working.  He proceeded to politely tell me he had done all he could do and hang up.

A few days later I talked to another customer service representative.  He reiterated that the problem was not with the Virgin Mobile network (they use Sprint so I knew this to be true because my daughter's Sprint phone was working fine), but with the HTC manufacturer.  He stated that the programming problem with the phone was supposed to be fixed by HTC by November 14th.  The problem still persists.  So I called and asked if I could possibly exchange my phone for a different phone model.  I was told that since the 30 days warranty expired, I could not exchange to phone for a different phone model, but could see if another of the same model might not have the same programming issue.  I had purchased extended warranty on the phone, but was told that it only was good for exchanging the same phone model.  I stated that I did not want to continue to exchange the phone to only have the same problem.

(Meanwhile, I had checked the internet and talked to other people and found that his has been a common problem with this phone manufacturer for at least the past year).  The customer service person said he would gladly exchange my phone for one that had been tested.  And reiterated that I could not update my phone and that the problem was with HTC, not Virgin Mobile.  I politely, yet firmly explained that although I understood it was a manufacturer problem, that I purchased the telephone from Virgin Mobile who sold the phone to me when they knew of the problem.  And although according to Virgin's contract, they were meeting their "legal" obligation to me, I explained that they were morally obligated to let me change the phone.  (Do I really have to take this to small claims?).  I was told that my only choice is to exchange the same phone model.

Now, then there is my Samsung blu-ray player.  It needed to be re-set to connect to the wi-fi after having worked fine for several weeks.  I kept getting a connection error.  I contacted my internet provider in accordance with the error message, but they said my internet connection was fine. (This was true because my laptop was working).  I then called the Samsung support center.  After explaining the problem and running different tests, the customer service representative stated that the problem had to be with my internet service.  I explained that I had three other devices attached to my internet with not problem.  She re-affirmed that the message I was receiving HAD to be caused by an internet service provider error.

So I check out CNET and low and behold:   The Samsung blu-ray players that have been sold as wi-fi ready for the past two years have all had connectivity issues.  One tech person stated that they use a substandard ethernet card in their devices.  So why are they still selling these devices that don't work?  Because they are relatively inexpensive trinkets made in China.   And we buy them.

I bought a Toshiba VCR in 1985 for about $289.00.  It was made in Japan.  It worked until 2009.  Is it too much to ask to have an item at least meet a minimum quality standard at least when you bring it home?  I realize that it would have been prudent for me to research these items further before my purchase. But it used to be that a brand name meant something.  I would much prefer to spend up to 200% more than get the run around and spend the time and effort trying to get something to work that wasn't  built to work in the first place.

But what about the rest of you?  Are you willing to spend more to get quality?  I am willing to spend more especially if they product is made in America.  Meanwhile, keep taking those items that don't work back and demand refunds.  Send letters to manufacturers and insist that they only sell items that work.  If we put out dollars where our mouths are, they will get it.  But we have to do our part.

And that's Penny's two cents.

A Time for Thanksgiving

As one holiday tradition passes into another, I believe that regardless of your views on the origin of the holiday, it is always a season to for thanksgiving.  Gratitude can be expressed in any time and any circumstance.  And often in the paradoxes of life.  Let me explain how this is working for me right now.

Last week, I was privileged to take part in a week long conference entitled "Braveheart Women RISE 2012" in Los Angeles, California.  (More to come on this in next week's blog).  In spite of having been healing through chronic illnesses that have been plaguing the body I live in, I was able to feel vivacious.  I drummed, danced, and communed with the rest of the women like the healthy person I aspire to be.  I felt like a woman half my age, but with wisdom, a few more wrinkles, and reading glasses in tow.  I am grateful for this taste of health!

And then I came home.  I am having some pain I have not experienced before.  I was having some of this pain during the conference, but was able to ignore it.  Part of me wanted to go back to last week, but I know I must embrace today and all that it encompasses.  I am grateful for the ability to face what I must in this land of forms while knowing I can transcend it in spirit and by moving one step at a time on a path towards healing and sharing my purpose.

I am grateful for the wisdom to know that all things happen in the right timing.  I am grateful to accept that I must press on at a seemingly snail's pace compared to how I operated several years ago.  And I am grateful because I now know that the pace I use to operate at was not truly healthy or good.

I am grateful for understanding friends who have been there when it was tough for me.  I am grateful for new friends and old friends reacquainted.  I am grateful because I know I can still give and have purpose even without the usual sense of career and job many of my contemporaries possess.  I can offer a smile when I'm walking my dog.  I can hug my daughter.  I can laugh and now that it is contagious!

I am grateful because I have compassion and understanding for those in pain.  I am grateful because I must face the reality that many are deluded from knowing:  we do not know what the future holds.  But I am grateful because I know regardless of circumstances, in the end all will be ok.

And that's Penny's two cents.

Two Days Late and Two Cents Short? Bring Em' Home

Okay I missed my deadline for posting my blog on Sunday, so I felt compelled to be clever with my title.  But I digress no more...

Sunday, November 11th was originally know as Armistice Day.  As one of the church vicar's explained in his homily, the meaning of Armistice Day was that his Dad could come home from the war.  It was established at the end of World War I and was replaced with Veteran's Day after World War II.  Veteran's Day is celebrated on November 12th.

I am a veteran of the US Navy. I was blessed to have been able to serve in a time of relative peace and at the end of the cold war.  I was stationed at Naval Air Station, North Island which is on Coronado Island, a fair weather peninsula in San Diego, California.  I went to sleep to the ocean crashing.  I ran on the beach in the morning.  And sometimes when I would run, I would see SEALS swimming or running nearby.  (That's US Navy SEALS, which I preferred to watch over the other mammal variety of seals!)  I almost feel guilty saying that I served.  Life was pretty grand.

Circumstances came that required that I turn to the Veteran's Administration for my healthcare in the past two years.  Part of my healthcare has been participation in a therapy group.  I participate with several Vietnam veterans and Desert storm veterans; many of whom struggle with PTSD.  Some cannot go anywhere in a crowd including taking their children to Disneyland.   Many detest 4th of July celebrations because the fireworks sound like mortar rounds.  Some have to take medication to keep from having psychotic episodes.  These men and women have paid a great price and are heroic in doing their part in recovering the best way they can.

Post 9/11 soldiers have had to endure longer deployments than any other military personnel in contemporary history  I haven't seen any of these people in my support group and can't imagine the difficulties they are suffering  from their long exposure to war.  And they are in no-win situations where the people they are fighting have no qualms about using senior citizens and children as human shields.  The people they are helping seem to not want them there.  I imagine the mental state of these soldiers is worse than any we have seen in soldiers of earlier wars

So let's honor these military men and women. Let's celebrate these veterans and celebrate life.  Let's call another Armistice Day and bring them home NOW.

Mr. President, you have been re-elected.  Bring our soldiers home.  Dear friends and blog readers, write your congress people and senators.  Bring our soldiers home, now.  Our world and our country are not safer by being in countries that do not want us there.  Our world and our country need to be healed.  It's the day of reckoning, it's time to do the right thing. Time for Armistice Day.

And that's Penny's two cents.

Who are the Blessed?

Today at church, the homily was given and on Matthew 5:1-5, known in Christian circles as the five verses or sentences of the Be-Attitudes.  Jesus went up to a mountain top to give this teaching to the common people of his day.  These people lived in poverty, were in a country occupied by Rome, were constantly bombarded with rumors and actions against their government, saw that the religious leaders of their day were more concerned with politics and appearances than the plight of their people, and as Hebrew people were very oppressed in their society.  Jesus was telling these people that they were blessed.  And this is a basic run down of what he said that day.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven".  Who are the poor in spirit?  They are those who according to their own society's standards have nothing to be happy about.  They don't own nice cars, homes, have 401K's or college funds for their children.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted".  Those who have experienced loss of loved ones, careers, marriages, and health are in this category

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."  Who are the meek?  I see them as the lowliest in our society.  The dumpster divers digging out cans, those who live in homeless shelters, and those who are in prison.  They include those who are oppressed and need a voice to advocate for them.

There are several more of these verses/teachings in this sermon of Jesus.   But  I would like to just concentrate on these first three for this writing.  What does blessed mean?  It means favored by God, it means to be picked as God's chosen.  The Christian tradition often infers that Jesus was saying that by enduring their current state, these people would experience the "best" in their afterlife.  But I don't agree.

Seven years ago I was no longer able to work due to some serious health conditions that have plagued the body I live in.  I could not give my daughter the attention children with healthier parents received.  I had to rest long hours and could not get out much to meet with friends or do the things I loved to do like sing in the choir.  I could not give my spouse the kind of support he needed.  I couldn't keep up my house.  I had family members and "friends" who were skeptical about the severity of my illness.

Later, my spouse lost his job too.  We filed bankruptcy.  We were in foreclosure limbo.  And in the midst of  these circumstances, I knew one decision I needed to make for the health of myself and my  daughter was to get a divorce.  Family members, clergy, and many "friends" were eager to tell me how unwise this decision was for me.  All while being in the midst of having low income and chronic illness.  But listen to Jesus, folks.  I was blessed, I was f-ing blessed!!

Truth be told, this experience WAS the blessing!  I had to get on my knees and pray for direction as I never prayed and be satisfied that if my decision was ok with God and me and no one else, than that was good enough.  If everyone else in the universe believed I was feigning the severity of my illness, so what.  I embraced my truth and lived it, and my life was blessed.

I learned that I had inherent value even if I couldn't work, clean, or get out of the house much.  I embraced opportunities when others would take my daughter on fun outings.  I became very close to a few wonderful women who could understand me.  I invited people over when the house was still in disarray. When I would go to the drugstore, I would offer a smile and conversation to whoever I encountered.  I learned not to be afraid about what would happen in the future.  Because according to  societal standards, I didn't have one.  But it didn't matter, because I was happy!  I was blessed.

A few months ago, I was finally awarded social security disability.   I sing in the choir.  I am writing this weekly blog.  I am blessed, but as my living conditions improve, I sometimes forget.  I've been picking up some nice  items to decorate the apartment.  I am on an internet dating site.  But I still have health set backs and right now the clutter in the apartment feels overwhelming.

 So what did I do?  I yelled at my daughter.  Perhaps she could help more, but the bottom line is that I forgot that I am blessed.   I have an incredible teenage daughter.  I have a roof over my head and income and goals.  So what if the apartment is running a bit a-muck.  (I  got like one of those overachieving obsessive compulsive perfectly healthy rich and super busy people - Ugh)!  I know if it is important to get the house in order NOW, God and the universe will give me the energy or the help or the right people to ask for help.  In the big scheme of things, it doesn't matter.  Because I am blessed, right now.

And that's Penny's two cents.

Things That Go Creep In the Night (and Day)

It's that time of year when we bring out the creepy for a fun festival in the United Stated know as Halloween.  Many like to celebrate this festival by putting things out that are considered scary.  Among the accessories are large life-like versions of spiders, cockroaches, and flies.  But are these creatures really so frightening?

I must confess that since I was a child, I have had a mortal fear of cockroaches, primarily the larger varieties.  I could handle lizards, snakes, and even some spiders, but keep me away from a roach.  The triggering incident began when our family was moving into a rental home, our first home in Bakersfield, California.  We were going to bathe and stay in our home for just one night and then move items in storage from my grandparents the following day.  My mom started the bath water for my sister, Leslie and I, when out came the largest black beetle bug anyone had ever seen!  We all screamed and ran down the hall.  My Dad grabbed a newspaper, which I am sure was useless to something so huge with a thick exoskeleton.  I'm not sure if he killed it, but somehow it was gone.  Meanwhile, the water coming out of the bath faucet was rusty.  So I, the six year old, was asked to go to the other bathroom and to check the shower water. Alone.

I opened the shower door and found the shower was covered wall to wall with HUGE rust colored cockroaches, moving, crawling, and shaking their antennae at me.  AAAAAAAAAAA!!! Needless to say, we did not stay in that house that night, and did not stay there until after the house was exterminated.  However, when we moved in, I would awake in a sweat thinking cockroaches were crawling all over me. (Remember old feather pillows, not the expensive down type, but after you would move your head the feathers would adjust and make crinkling noises that sounded just like cockroach legs trip trapping close to my face).  Plus, the extermination did not obliterate the problem.

Throughout my life there were more cockroach incidences.  When I was a teen, there was a cockroach in the bathroom.  I could not bear to go in the bathroom  or even try to squash it with a newspaper.  It was just mortifying for me to look at the thing let alone  hear the crunch.  So, I convinced a much younger neighbor child to throw down the newspaper and stomp on it for me.

Then there was a home invasion by Super Cockroach when I was living in a garage apartment behind a home on Coronado Island.  I grabbed my can of Raid, and sprayed and sprayed, and told the roach "Get the f(*& out of my *&(ing apartment you bastard!!!".  (I was in the Navy at the time, so I used the language common of my culture).  I always wondered if the neighbor in the front house heard me.  He probably thought I was screaming at a man, not some relatively small insect.  After using a full can of  Black Flag or Raid, the Super Cockroach went down.  (Not sure what all that bug spray in the apartment did to me).

I even exhibited this behavior in front of my infant/toddler daughter.  Yes, one of those horrid six legged beasts had enter my space and I screamed and hit it with a shoe (no newspapers for me!!) and yelled "Die, die, die!!".  What happened later that evening was that my husband at the time was carrying our daughter, Cassidy on his shoulders.  He rushed into the room where I was and asked what was wrong with Cassidy.  He proceeded to tell me that she had hit  him with her tiny toddler hands repeatedly against his head and said, "Die, die, die!!"  I explained that she was not demon-possessed but was copying what I had done to the poor bug.  But what had I done?

I later went to a Living Consciously Seminar and one of the earliest ideas they gave us to ponder was that bugs were creatures that didn't deserve to die just because we didn't like the way they looked.  That we could consciously or verbally tell them to leave and we would never need bug service again.  I must admit I was a bit cynical.  However, I did believe that killing them was not the best way to demonstrate a loving compassion for life in front of my daughter.  So, I  told the ants to leave when we had another ant infestation and they left.

Of course even after this, a cockroach showed it's antennae to me in our home one day.  I screamed and smacked it hard.  And when it survived,  I said, "I'm sorry, I didn't meant to hurt you," and scooped it up with a paper and carried it outside. Then another time I was shocked to see a cockroach in my parents super immaculately clean home rear it's "ferocious" head at me and so I screamed.  But I stopped and apologized.  No smacking this time.  I carried it with my bare hand out through the garage and into the yard and politely asked it not to return.

Shortly after this, while still living in my parents home, some ants appeared in the side yard.  I told my father we could not leave the pesticide bait traps out when my dog was outside.  So, my Dad left the bait traps for me to put out at night when the dog was inside the garage.  I wondered if the ants would listen when I was in my parents domicile. And I proceeded to ask the ants to leave without putting out the pesticide.

A few days later my Dad told me that the ants were gone.  He asked if I used the bait traps.  I said, "No, I told the ants to go away."  I'm sure he thought I was kidding.

Happy Halloween!  And that's Penny's two cents.

The Man Who Would Be President

With all of the name-calling, backstabbing, slanderous babble of late; you'd think we were in the middle of clique warfare among teenage girls.  But instead we are in the midst of the final (Thank God) campaign days of a Presidential election.  And this adolescent battling has infiltrated the rest of us, and we not only bash our respective candidate's opponent, but lash out at the humans in our lives who would vote for our candidate's opponent.  Is there any good to come of this practice?  I think not.

I was blessed to have been married to someone who was extremely involved with the Republican Party here in California.  (Now, my dear liberal friends don't vomit or throw rocks at me, and my conservative friends do not assume this means I'm on "your team"). Around this same time of being in Republican circles, I made friends with a very liberal woman (she was  a Green Party member).  What I discovered is that I often had more in common with her than some (not all) of my more conservative friends.  We both were involved with our kids' schools.  We both tried to feed our families healthy foods.  We both were concerned about mass consumerism and the affect that having too many things could have on our children.  This lead me to conclude that we can work better together in community than in the polarized arena of national politics.

So what does this really mean as far as the Presidential election?  Who is the best candidate?  Will the world as we know it come to an end if one person is elected over the other?  The answer my friend is I'm not sure.  But what I am sure of is that when the day is done, no matter who is elected, all we still have to really make positive change is each other.  And what I would ask all of you do is to take this into deep consideration.  And here's a link to a great movie called I Am http://www.iamthedoc.com/ that will help you get back to the basics of our humanity and greatness and hopefully break away from the jadedness of our multimedia, overpriced, anger and fear perpetuating political system.

So what our my thoughts on the candidates, platforms, ideas, etc.?  Here's a question and answer forum and how I would answer in a "debate":

1.  Is President Obama the Anti-Christ?  No, but neither is he our messiah.

2.  Does anyone who really aspires to be a good Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindi, or Buddhist want anyone to go without food, shelter, or healthcare?  No.

3.  If abortion were to be made illegal tomorrow would more baby's lives be saved?  No.

4.  Do we want to be known as the country with the highest abortion rate in the world.  No.

5. Is the world really a safer place without Saddam Hussein?  No, not for the U.S.

6.  Can Corporations just be balanced and fair by allowing the free market to go unregulated?  No.

7.  Should all people who make over $250,000 a year (in reality close to only $110,000 a year for single head of household) all be in the highest tax bracket?  No.

8.  Do we want to continue to purchase the high percentage of goods we do from China that are made through slave labor?  No.

9.  Are all people who are on some form of government assistance lazy?  No. (Some, yes, but I have been on some form of government assistance the last four years and I am very grateful that I paid taxes as an employee for 20+ years to have these benefits).

10.  Is it better for the world and our country to maintain peacekeeping troops in Afghanistan and Iraq at this time?  No.  (Please watch Restrepo http://movies.nationalgeographic.com/movies/restrepo/ if you don't get this, we have our men in a perpetual no-win situation).

I hopefully demonstrated that there are big ideas from both candidates that are positive and negative.  The implementation concepts are murky and determined by party politics and what legislation can get through a mixed and disagreeable congress.  So how do I decide who to vote for?  Well, I want to look at the integrity of the candidate as far as their honesty and intention to do what they say they are going to do.  Then, I want to look at their philosophy as far as believing in policies that are really good for me and my neighbors, and therefore our country.  It still can be tough to writhe through all of the negative propaganda, but I ask that you try.

Machiavelli,a political philosopher from a few centuries past wrote that the "ends justifies the means". I don't believe it for a second.  So those of you that say that you are voting for the lesser of two evils, please think again.  If I truly believed my candidate was evil, than I would choose not to vote.  The "means" and the action to vote is everything.  I don't want the judgement or karma of voting for evil to fall on my head.

I personally have decided to vote for President Obama.  If you vote for Mitt Romney, I'll still be your friend and neighbor when this messy business is done.  If you don't want to be mine, well blessings to you on your way.  There is no "us" and "them".  We are all "us".  And that's Penny's two cents.

Hair is Human, Great Hairdressers Divine!

One of my favorite luxuries has been getting my hair "done" at a salon.  For me this includes color, and often foil weaving.  I can pass on getting regular mani's and pedi's.  I don't have hundreds of shoes in my closet.  But I really love getting the regular cut and color.  After all, hair is an accessory you wear every day!

When I lived in Redlands, CA, I had the most wonderful hairdresser, Mykl.  I could give him great creative license and I always looked fabulous.  He cut my former spouses hair including eyebrow wax for only $20.  And my daughter's haircuts were less than those local chains at the time even with the coupon price.  Every five to six weeks, sitting in his chair was a relaxing and enchanting part of my life.  He was a very funny and lively person and not only did I enjoy his talent, but who he was as a person as well.

An acute illness took his life from his body.  Around this time I had to stop working because of disability.  Soon after, my husband lost his job.  There was a bankruptcy, foreclosure, followed by divorce. My once luxury of choice was lost to me.  So I improvised.

I had my hair cut at chain "chop shops".  I colored my own hair various blondes and reds. But I could never get the color right for a touch-up.  I eventually stopped coloring my hair and let it go natural for a couple years.

I learned to be ok at being the best me I could be regardless of not having a professional hairdo.  I realized  I could be a kind and friendly person to neighbors and "strangers" I would talk to in grocery store lines.  I had friends.  They didn't seem to balk at my lack of a salon hairdo.

Last May, I finally received notification that I would be receiving Social Security Disability after fighting for 7 years.  It took a few months for the money to come in and for me to accept that this was really happening.  I wanted to once again treat myself to a great hairdresser.  But where to find him or her?  My sister's colorist was too expensive.  My mother's, well she's my mother's.

So I did what every woman who believes that God and the Universe conspire to bring us the best when we ask for it, and I typed into Google "Fantabulous salon Bakersfield, CA".  Yes I know that fantabulous is not a "real" word but it completely describe the type of hairdresser I was looking for.  The name of a very nice salon came up first.  I called and described the type of service and person I was looking for in a hairdresser and an appointment shortly ensued.

My hairdresser was young and energetic and had great hair herself.  We picked a color (or should I say a "mix of colors") together.  When she told me how much the service would cost, I was extremeley amazed and pleased. My hair came out beautiful and the experience was wonderful too!!

I know if circumstances should require that I stop going to Courtney (my new hairdresser's name), I will be ok.  I will even be ok about how I look.  Meanwhile, I am gratefully relishing my renewed luxury and feeling hot in my new hair.  I love my hairdresser!

And that's Penny's two cents.

I'm Not Gassy

I pulled my 1998 Nissan Altima into the gas station for another fill.  Holy Crockpot, Batman! How did the gas price manage to bounce up close to 50 cents moreper gallon in a little over a week?  I am sure any of you economics experts can explain how Q3 hedges over exceeded future commodity expectations and production to supply ratios were affected by the strikes in New Albania (ya-da-ya-da-ya-da); but I am talking about how such an increase affects the everyday life of ME.  I don't want to spend more of my limited income on gas to go places.

I live in Bakersfield, California where the oil (pronounced ol' by the local immigrants from Oklahoma) industry is a major employer in this community.  The irony is that there are so many people here who drive big trucks, SUV's, and muscle cars from previous decades you would think that this community is filled with a majority who are insulated from the rising costs of gasoline.  But we live in the county with one of the highest unemployment and government assistance rates in the state of California.  It's great to support one of the local industries, but are we so beholding to them that we want to give away a good portion of our "disposable" income to them?

Well for me, the answer is no.  I will likely be some sort of consumer of the industry's goods for several years to come between gasoline and petroleum based products we use in every day life like plastic computer keyboard keys and polyester blended clothing.  I'm not boycotting the industry.  It's just that I seem to have more incentive than many around me to cut down on gasoline consumption.  I plan every trip I make.  I make my daughter take the school bus. I encourage my teen daughter to arrange to car pool with others for activities. If there weren't so many roads in Bakersfield with speed limits in excess of 50 mph, I would have her ride her bike.

And not even considering the environmental ramifications, do I really want to buy a commodity that is imported from countries that don't like Americans very much?  A few years back, John McCain shared on his Facebook status that he bought a hybrid.  I found it ironic that the majority of the comments did everything short of calling him a puss*.   Other comments included bragging about how they were still driving their SUV's full-blast down the highway.  Is there something wrong with wanting to use less gasoline?  Is it un-American?

Well as for me, I will still continue to keep my driving minimal.   And I am still driving the old Altima that gets in the mid-30's on the highway.  When it dies, unless they invent an electric/hybrid engine to drive a classic muscle car, or an electric car that can go 300 + miles on a charge, I'm likely buying a Prius.  And that's Penny's two cents.

Welcome!!

I lost my health, my ability to work, my marriage, and my home; but I gained my soul.  I now know that EVERYTHING happens for a reason and ALL things are possible. 

I will be bringing my unique perspective and wit to topics such as spirituality (I currently attend an Episcopal Church on Sunday and participate in meditation on occasion at a Hindu mission), quirks of being this age (I couldn't find my reading glasses earlier so I couldn't "perfect" this blog), politics (I am basically non-dualistic), the beauty of the messiness of life (I am well because I was sick, I am happy because I was very sad), and anything else God and the Universe send my way.

So grab a cup of coffee, follow my journey, and I'll give you Penny's two cents.

Namaste'