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.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
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.
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.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
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.
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.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
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.
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.
Monday, October 1, 2012
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'
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'
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