Anecdotes, Antidotes, and Anodes

Crisis in Cairo

Watching the news about the turmoil in Eqypt, conjured up memories of our visit there two years ago.  Thoughts about the welfare of Ali Aldeen, The Lady in Blue, and her children keep forming in my mind.

This prompted me to re-post these stories and photos.  It was written BEFORE the downfall of Hosni Mubarak in 2010.

**************************

After spending a long day traveling to Cairo from Alexandria on a bus, driving through the city, visiting the musuem where King Tut 'is stored,' and then driving 'home' (to the ship), my thoughts were focused on my home, my family, my friends, my dogs . . . in America.

As mentioned in the previous post, I've not taken much time to peruse through my photos of Egypt taken last year, until now, while witnessing the news coming from that country in turmoil.

Upon realizing I had taken eight-hundred-seventy-six pictures that day, this project seemed a daunting task.  In trying to narrow down that number, I wanted to make this personal . . .to give these photos a face . . . a name . . . a feeling . . . a story . . .

. . . to make them more than just photos that go into one more Travel Album.

Here are a few of those photos with hopes that when you leave here, and go about your day,  you will think about those who crossed my path that day.

We'll start with these two . . .

This is Ali Aldeen, our escort. 
Yes.
You see correctly. 
I didn't know whether to feel safe because of the weapon he carried or not.

This is not a Cairo parking lot. 
These vehicle are moving.
The painted stripes on the streets denoting lanes, mean nothing.

This was one of the more 'orderely'  efforts I saw all day as far as traffic was concerned.

While watching the news coming from Cairo today, I realized this bridge over the Nile River was one that is now filled with protestors and 'police.'

 

While Ali Aldeen and I . . .

(That's Cairo in the background.)

. . .stood together looking at the views above, waiting for our guide, May-nel, to herd the cats in our group to continue the tour . . .

 . . . he said to me,  "You know I am your armed guard."

To which I replied, "Why do you think I'm standing next to you ?"

He laughed, and at that point, Ali Aldeen became my personal body guard for the rest of the day. 
Even when I took a wrong turn trying to photograph something off the beaten path he made sure I found my way back to the group.

Because Ali Aldeen stood by me from that point on, it afforded me the opportunity to visit with him.  He was a kind, courteous, delightful young man.  And, very intelligent, I might add.  He spoke four languages fluently and was up-to-date on the politics in America. He had so many goals and hoped to better himself. 

Ali Aldeen held the American dream in his heart.

Continuing on with our tour of Cairo . . .

Just in case the photos didn't depict well enough what's here . . . those are hovels where families live.

 

And on the same block. . .
. . . the VERY same block. 
Did you hear me ? 
I said on THE VERY SAME BLOCK, you will see this type of "hovel."

I'm not sure, but it's my guess that only ONE of the hovels pictured above looks like this on the inside.

 

The highlight of our time in Cairo was the tour of The Egyptian Museum . . .

It is now being reported that the Egyptian Museum has been looted and that rioters have destroyed two mummies along with other artifacts.

Egyptians have now formed a human chain around the museum to protect marauders from causing more damage.

Even though I have no photos of what we saw there, here is an INSIDE VIEW of the museum.

The following are a few sites as we drove through Cairo . . .

 

There are many canals throughout the city of Cairo that provide food and water.

Looks like a nice place to fish . . .

Look again.

In one of the canals there was a dead horse, and just down stream there were ladies with buckets getting  drinking water for their families.

 

Here is a glimpse of the street activity  . . .

From my vantage point, this was a common sight, more than not . . . the Koran on the dash of every vehicle.

My thoughts are with these people who walked the streets, doing their every-day-business and now, those streets are filled with death and destruction.

 

And then, there's this story . . .

Yes, you say, "This is trash on the streets in Cairo." 
Well, you're correct about that, but the story has to do with those yellow and blue bags before they were trash.

These bags were filled with chips, cookies, crackers, a banana and apple, a bottle of water, and a boxed fruit drink.

They are given to each person on the tour when loading the bus.

At the end of our very long day, Hans and I still had our goodie bags as the bus parked one more time.

Our last stop was in front of this shop to allow us to purchase cartouches and papyrus.

This was the scene as I looked out the bus window. 
I was not aware that in that alley-way, nestled between the two shops, was someone's home.

 

It was this lady's home.  This lady-in-blue. Just before I snapped this photo, several young barefoot children had been playing.  Four, maybe five little ones laughing, and jumping, and having a good 'ole time.  The children ranged in ages from two years old to about eight years old. 

The young man in orange and blue, with the shoe-shine kit, is also her son.

I looked at our goody bags full of food stuffed under ourseats on the bus that hadn't been touched, knowing that they would end up in a trash can back at the pier or scattered along the streets.

If you notice, Ali Aldeen is in that first photo.  I stepped off the bus to ask him if it would be appropriate to give the lady-in-blue our goody bags. 

He told me it would be appropriate to give those goody bags to anyone.

I took our two bags and handed Ali Aldeen a bag and the lady-in-blue a bag.

As you can see, her son went for the banana.

The other children screamed in delight as they ripped open the contents of the yellow and blue bag. 

While all this was going on, the others in our tour group were watching from the bus.

When I boarded the bus, everyone who hadn't opened their bags were holding them out for me to distribute to the group standing on the sidewalk.  There were about twenty goody bags !

Once again, I stepped off the bus, but this time loaded with about ten bags  under each arm.  I took half of them to the lady-in-blue and let the others take the bags from me.

Everyone you see in that first photo ended up with a goody bag, and they ate and drank the contents right then and there.

Even Ali Aldeen !

When the bus started to pull away from the curb, I used sign language to ask permission to take her picture.

She nodded yes and flashed this smile which made me think, "There are hundreds of languages in this World, and a smile speaks them all."

After she waved, she kissed the fingers on both her hands, touched her chest above her heart, and extended her arms toward me.

During the long trip from Cairo back to Alexandria, I sat in my seat being grateful for what I have.

Ali  Aldeen was waiting as we departed. 

He shook my hand (which contained a generous tip) and thanked me.

He told me that today was probably the first day the children of the Lady-in-Blue had ever had fresh fruit.

He told me he appreciated what I had done and that it was the first time anyone on any of his tours had ever done that.

He told me he loved America.

He asked me if I would smuggle him into my carry-on bag and take him to America.

my thoughts focused on my home, my family, my friends, my dogs . . . in America.

**************************************

This post was created BEFORE the downfall of Hosni Mubarak.

It is my hope that the death and destruction happening in Egypt, right now this very minute, as you read this, is not in vain . . . that this country can have a democratic government focused on human rights and economic reform . . .  a government that has Ali Aldeen's best interest at heart. . . that the lady-in-blue can feed her children fresh fruit everyday . . . that someone can help clean the canal waters of the Nile . . . 

Today as I watch the Crisis in Cairo, my thoughts are with Ali Aldeen and the-Lady-in-Blue, and all the others pictured above.  It is my hope that they and and their families are safe.

***************************************

While watching the news from Egypt (non-stop), the ticker across the bottom of my TV screen reports this:

Dennis Kucinich Settles Law Suit over Olive Pit.

Dennis the Menace is whining and has sued someone over an olive pit and people in Egypt are experiencing what is happening there ?

Are you kidding me ?

Evidently not . . . read this:

 

Happy Birthday E-E !

A Happy Birthday Leigh Anne post from 2008 ! 

********************************

Meander on over to Tales of a Dethroned Princess for another Happy Birthday Celebration.

Since E-E won't be here until tomorrow, we are going to begin celebrating her birthday just a wee bit early here at Swamp~Gammy's Blog.

There is a plethora of photographs and the "official" birthday wish on this "clink the link."

And here are a few more...

 

Nothing in the world like a Mother's Love...

 

...or a Dad's love...

 

 

 

 

...or a Little Sister's love...

 

...or the Littlest One's love who can't wait for you to take her to Chucky Cheese's !

Happy Birthday, Leigh Anne.

Bits and Pieces about Thanksgiving at Our House

Seems it's time for another list.  I love lists ! 

Now that Thanksgiving 2012 is just a memory, here's a random list of what we do and don't do.

1.  Home for the Holiday:  We will always be at our house for Thanksgiving.  We've only spent a couple of Thanksgivings without family here.  They were a bit lonely, but we survived. If that ever happens again, I plan to have a 'destination Thanksgiving.'

2.  Grandmama Wheeler:  She always said that Thanksgiving was the easiest meal to prepare.  I tend to agree. For me, it's the clean-up that's the pain in the backside, unless you have Joanie and Jimmie at your house.

3.  Mam-maw Smith:  She always said all she had to eat was beans 'n taters.  (Well, she did have beans 'n taters . . . along with 3 different kinds of meat, at least 5 vegetables, rolls, cornbread, pies, cakes, fudge . . . you name it, she had it.)

3.  Menu:  Ours is always the same with very few variations: 

turkey - theHansMan always buys the turkey and always cooks it.  He sometimes forgets to thaw it, so it swims in the hot tub for awhile.  I've always wanted to buy one of those expensive, fresh ones . . . someday !  This year he had us scrambling for a fire extinguisher.  There was so much smoke, our smoke alarms almost announced that the meal was ready.
dressing - many times we will have two, his and mine.  His is out of a prepared package i.e. Pepperidge Farm or some-such nonsense.  It is abundant with celery. Mine is my Grandmama Wheeler's recipe.  Mine is best!  When my oldest daughter is here, she makes the dressing.  Hers is best by far !
gravy -  we'll not talk about my gravy today.  It's just important to have plenty of it.  The giblets are used to make the dogs' gravy. 
green beans - I have been known to make that casserole with the cream of *mushroom* chicken soup and French fried onion rings, BUT most of the time I cook them like Mam-maw Smith did.  Lots of bacon grease and cooked for a long time.  (*I'm allergic to mushrooms.*)
mashed potatoes -  There are always two bowls of these:  His & Mine.  I've never tasted wallpaper paste, but my guess is that his potatoes taste like this type of glue.  It also has the same consistency.  My flufferly-whipped potatoes contain evaporated milk, butter, lots of butter, salt, bacon, and bacon grease. The trick is to cook the potatoes in chicken stock and salt them while they're cooking.  Not after they're cooked.
sweet potatoes - my very own recipe:  baked yams quartered, mix with pumpkin, butter, lots of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, did I mention butter, lots of butter, and s-h-h-h-h, don't tell . . . bourbon.
rolls - sometimes when I'm feeling lucky, I make angel biscuits.  Most of the time I let Sister Schubert's or Rhodes do the baking.
cranberry sauce -  right out of the can.  One year I made a wonderful cranberry sauce with fresh cranberries, pineapple and pecans and some other ingredients that I can't remember.  It was delicious.  Would make it again if I could find the recipe.  If anyone out there knows the one I'm talking about, please send it to me.
beverages: tea - (sweet tea), water, red wine, white wine, coffee
pecan pie - by far, the easiest pie to make
pumpkin pie(s) - sometimes I make a baked one and a frozen one with a graham cracker crust
cake - this varies, but my favorite is one called Dee's Cake. (Grandma Winters' recipe).  When little ones are here, cupcakes are in order.  When chocolate lovers are here, lava cake is in order.  Special orders are taken like for New Orleans' Bread Pudding, mince meat pie, apple crisp, etc. 

4. Lite/Fat Free:  Never. Never. Never do any of my Thanksgiving recipes include ingredients that have the words fat-free or lite on the label.  Thanksgiving is a time to splurge. (So is Christmas)  I spend the entire year counting calories and carbs and dragging myself to the gym and yoga studio, so if a few extra pounds find their way onto my hips and thighs, so be it.

5.  Appetizers:  You will not be served an appetizer.  In fact, if you stay at the house, you might not even be served breakfast.  The hungrier my guests are, the better.  No matter how bad my cooking is, by the time the meal is served, it all tastes good.

6. Television:  Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  National Dog Show hosted by Purina.  Football.  Don't even think about touching my remote and changing the channel. 
(FYI: OU/OSU is playing today, November 24. )

7. Table Setting:   Special, simple decorations are on the table. This year, the theme will be Christmas.  Yes.  It's been years since we were home for Christmas and my Spode has sat on the shelves gathering dust.  This year, our Thanksgiving table was a Christmas table.

8. Traditions:  They aren't all they're cracked up to be.  I like to change things up. 

9. Hold hands:  Yup. If you sit at our table, you'll hold hands at the beginning of the meal and share what you're thankful for.

10. Toast:  We have a specific way to 'toast' at our table. (One need not have an alcoholic beverage in one's glass to toast. )  A toast is meant to use all five senses:  Touch/Feel the glass as you hold it in the air.   Swirl beverage in glass and smell the fragrance.  *Clink the glass and hear the tone they make.  Look into the eyes of each person at the table as you clink his/her glass.  Taste the beverage. 
*Etiquette mavens say it's not necessary to clink the glass with everyone at the table.  Rather than reach across a large expanse of a table and run the risk of falling into the gravy boat,  simply raise your glass and look into the eyes of EACH person there. 

11. Leftovers:  theHansMan enjoys the leftovers more than he does the actual meal.  So, for many-many days, we eat turkey sandwiches.  His favorite sandwich consists of 'white' bread, real mayonaise, a thick slice of turkey, iceberg lettuce, salt, and pepper.

Random Turkey Day Photos:

How many of you made homemade ice cream on Thanksgiving Day ? 
As usual, AnodeMan delegated the cranking to someone else. 
Caption:  "The Crank Cranks"

While Cousin Brucey was outside working, AnodeMan was inside doing this.
Caption:  "Clark  aka:  Sparky"

This was an impromptu addition to our menu: 
Caption: "Brandy Alexander"

He's a disaster waiting to happen. If you look closely, you can see smoke boiling around in the oven.  It also boiled out and into the house creating an eery haze, causing visibility to be about six inches.  You may also notice a couple pieces of bread.  Because about two cups of turkey juice/grease spilled out and into the very hot oven,  and because he didn't want any of it to go to waste, he sopped it up with slices of bread so that the dogs could enjoy the 'drippings.' While he's doing this, the rest of us are scrambling for fans and fire extinguishers. 
Caption:  "Never a Dull Moment"

Caption:  "Stuffed"

Caption: "Green Beans Mam-maw Smith Style"

Caption:  "Smashed Potatoes Grandmama Wheeler Style"

Caption:  "Drunken Sweet Potatoes"

Caption:  "Precious"

Caption:  "Precious"

Caption:  "Thankful"

This year, we were blessed to have a new addition to our family.  Our California son and his wife have a new little girl, and they spent the week with us . . .

 
Caption:  "Once Upon a Time . . . "

 

Martha Stewart, Move Over

Decided to reminisce of Thanksgivings Pasts.  Here's one from 2006 . . .

Step 1:  Thaw the turkey

Step 2:  Rescue turkey from pack of dogs

Step 3:   Enlist the help of others

Step 4:   Clean out the refrigerator

Step 5:   Chop everything into indistinguishable, miniscule pieces

Step 6:   Call it dressing

Step 7:   Immunize the bird against bird flu

Step 8:  Have the bird taste-tested & inspected

Step 9:  Immerse bird into hot grease...Wowouch !

Step 10:  Find the fire extinguisher !

Step 11:  Burn Baby Burn

Step 12:  Check temperature of bird with rectal thermometer, oh, that's the wrong end...

Step 13: Check temperature of bird with neck thermometer

Step 13:  Be  thankful for our family

GaviLyte-N aka: Commercial Strength Colon Blow

 Before you read this, please understand ONE thing.

HAVING A COLONOSCOPY IS NOT AS BAD AS THIS POST MIGHT MAKE IT SOUND.
In reality, the colonoscopy is a breeze.  It's the prep that's not-so-fun.
But I can assure you after having gone through the treatment for cancer, the prep is also a breeze.  So, if you are due a colonoscopy, whether it be your first or your second, RUN don't walk to your phone and make your appointment.  Why ?  Because I said so !

*******************************

Now, on with the show . . .

It's full name is::
PEG-3350 Sodium Choloride, Sodium bicarbonate and Potassium Chloride for Oral Solution
with. . .
drum roll please . . .
A Flavor Pack  !!

Oh happy day !  It's comes with a flavor pack !

Now that you have a visual, let's begin at the beginning.

Not too long ago, a suspicious looking envelope arrived in the mail.  I say suspicious because the return address label read:  Grand Junction Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Center.

A thousand or more thoughts ran through my feeble little mind as I ripped open the envelope. 

Thoughts like, 

"We paid this bill, didn't we?"
"The results of my tests have already been sent."
"Maybe they are just wishing me a happy birthday."  (Yes, this arrived back in June.)

As I read the letter, it said something like, "It's time for your colonoscopy."

But this can't be !  I just had that done !

The further I read, my eyes came across a date...something like 2007.

Typo.  This must be a typo. 

Immediately I grabbed the phone and called to inform them of their mistake.

"Are you kidding me?"  "It WAS five years ago ? "  "Are YOU sure?"  "H-m-m-m-m."

For several days I mulled this around in my mind, thinking I would get right on this and schedule my roto-rooter appointment.  But, I didn't.  That was in June.

Five months later, I picked up the phone to just make sure one more time that it had actually been five years, and the receptionist assured me that it had. Actually, now it has been about five and one-half years.

OK.  Mrs. Schmoldt. We have you down for November 14, 2012  8:00 a.m.  SHARP. 

**I thought, please don't say sharp.**

My thinking was (and it was wrong, by the way) that if I scheduled my appointment first thing in the morning, the prep wouldn't consume the day before.  Wrong.  Not only did it consume my whole day before, it consumed my whole night before.

Fast forward to yesterday morning.  My plan was to make my breakfast and read the packet of instructions while I savored my last meal prior to the procedure.  As I sat down and took my first bite of egg and Canadian Bacon, these were the words I read:  "ON THE DAY PRIOR TO THE COLONOSCOPY, START CLEAR LIQUIDS AT 6:00 A.M."

What ?  6:00 a.m. ?  Can't be. 

At this point I nearly choked on that bite of egg and bacon.  So, as I re-read and re-read that first sentence, I chewed and chewed that bite of egg and bacon until it WAS liquid, but then went to the trash and spit it out.  My dogs were thrilled.  They were treated to another breakfast and this time it was human food.

Here's that letter just in case you don't believe me.

Now, if you'll notice at the very, very bottom of that letter there is a list of what is considered clear liquids.  They are defined this way:
clear broth, apple juice, white grape juice, colas, coffee, tea, Jello, popsicles, water or any other clear liquid that if you hold it up to light you can see through it.

Alcohol (not encouraged)

Coffee creamer and milk or milk products are not considered a clear liquid.

Since this was at the very, very bottom of the page, it entered my mind that the list might have been continued on the next page, but there WAS no next page.  It then entered my mind they might have inadvertantly left out that next page. 

So, I called the office to inform them a page might have been left out of my instructions packet.  I explained what I just said in the above paragraph and the nurse assured me there WAS NO  next page.  Not only did she assure me this was the complete list, she also told me no RED Jello.

What?  I didn't know there was any other kind of Jello.  This is absurd.  That's the only kind of Jello that lives in my pantry. 

Have you ever eaten Hawaiian Pineapple Jello ?  Don't.

For the next several hours, twelve to be exact, everything I looked at reminded me of food.

Instead of drinking just plain 'ole chicken broth, I decided to strain the broth from about seven cans of Campbell's Chicken with Rice.  Surely that would be more tasty than the other chicken broth that I cook with.

Have I mentioned we have a new micro-wave ?  It heats differently that the old one that was nineteen years old.  In fact, it heats things much hotter, much more quickly.

And because I was so excited to taste something beside HawaiianYuck Jello, I didn't think to test the temperature of the broth.  I'm sure the inside of my mouth and tongue will grow back some day, but for now they remain in a state of numbness and shock. I swear every once in a while some of my taste buds fall off and I swallow them.

Later that evening, while I was mixing my concoction of commercial strength colon blow,  and trying to decide which flavor pack to use, theHansMan was feasting on grilled salmon, broccoli, baked butternut squash, and sipping on a nice Merlot.

He said this with a mouthful of food, "Probably not a good idea to eat in front of you, huh?"

The knot on the side of his head will go away in a few days.

I'll not go into the detail about the next TWELVE hours.   But I can say that sneezing was out of the question and there was no such thing as a fart.

If you can read the list above, it pretty wells sums it up my night. 

Once we arrived at the scene of the crime procedure, I knew thought that the worst was over.  NOT.  But, I wasn't the one who ended up in tears.  It was the little lady whose job it was to find a vein in my arm so that a wonderful drug that would take me to la-la-land, could be injected.  She just couldn't find one, and after three jabs, she was in tears. My right arm now looks like I have a tatoo sleeve.  There are beautiful shades of purple and blue and magenta from my elbow to my wrist to the top of my hand.  

Enter:  Debra ! 

Debra determined there were NO veins in my right arm that could be used.  No $hi+ Sherlock.   But, because of previous procedures, my left arm was not to be used as a pin cushion.  Debra explained to me there would be no harm done

Evidently, she found a vein.  That's about all I remember.

I am now typing this in a stupor.  There are sounds coming from my stomach, that if I didn't know better, one  would believe I had swallowed a  couple of lions defending their territory from each other.

But, the only thing I've swallowed . . .

is this !

I don't remember eating swallowing inhaling it, but there is evidence that I did because the bag from Carl's Jr. is sitting on the table next to my bed.  Empty. Evidently, I also ate a biggy sized portion of French fries and drank a soda pop. Thank goodness I didn't eat the bag, wrappers, and napkins.

 ************************

After my first colonoscopy, I posted this complete with photos.

It has since become one of the most "googled" posts on my blog.

People using the search words:  Can you mix moviprep with vodka end up at my place.

Now, as I mentioned earlier, find out when it is you should have one of these procedures and make your appointment.  You, too, can enjoy hot chicken broth and HawaiianYuckJello.

 

It's My Soap Box

 Well, my computer didn't explode from all the rants and raves on Facebook during the campaign. Nor, did I use a sledge hammer on my phone knowing that when it rang, if I answered it, there was a robot at the other end. Nor, did I throw anything at my TV after watching the 100's of political propaganda commercials for the last several months. 

It was amazing to me that some people on "my Facebook friends' list" chose to post digusting, vile, and hateful not-so-nice comments, over and over and over again.  As if repeating those comments would result in something positive.  Never did I see them offer any suggestions for the problem(s) they were ranting about. Don't get me wrong, I see those problems because I live here, too.

I just had to wonder if they gave any thought to showing respect to the office of our President, regardless of who that person is...or if their objective was to offend and insult others. 

It's at this point, I want to share this photo...

The lady shown here shaking hands with President Obama is a classmate of mine from Antlers, Oklahoma.  We graduated together in 1969. Donna works for the Red Cross and has helped 100's and 100's of people for many years.  She travels all over the United States, leaving her family, to help others.  Yes, I know it's her job, but someone has to do it, and thank goodness she does.

She has roasted weiners over a gas flame on the stove in her room for dinner. 

Anywhoo, what I'm trying to say is that this was quite an honor for her on October 31 to meet the President of the United States of America.

She posted that photo on her Facebook page. 

Let me share some of the comments posted on her Wall. 

"Not jealous of meeting Obama, but I am of the White House tour. Have fun!!"

"Would love to see the White House...not Obama. Glad you are doing well."

"Did you kick him in the shin for me?? I'd love to tour the white house. Enjoy! Glad y'all are safe up there!!"

"I'd be glad to help him move. The sooner the better!!"

Are you effing kidding me ?  (Sorry.  I don't drop the F-bomb very often, but these comments absolutely blow me away.)

Could these people not have said something like, "Wow ! No matter what one's political affliation, this is a great honor.  Thank you for all the work you do to help others in need." 

Or something like that.

What has happened to R-E-S-P-E-C-T ? 

Could those people not recognize and respect  Donna for the job she does rather than take pot shots at the President?

Have we lost all respect for the Office of the Presidency regardless of how much we disagree with him and his policies ?

Now, back to the election . . . Didn't someone once say, "United we stand, divided we fall ?"  Aesop maybe ? 

Enter the word 'bipartisan.'   How about 'compromise?" Nope.

How about when a politcian puts politics aside, and does what's right ?  Like in the case of Republican Govenor Chris Christie. 

When someone reaches across the aisle, reaches out, and seems to do what's right.  How could anyone not think that what he did was the right thing to when Hurricane Sandy devastated the people of New Jersey ?

Enter Rush Limbaugh and those who believe in him . . .

Limbaugh accused Christie of helping Obama look presidential by "playing a Greek column" for him, a reference to the stage set at Obama's first convention acceptance speech. Matt Lewis of the conservative website Daily Caller said Christie shouldn't cast politics aside so fast: "While nobody should discount the seriousness of the storm — or Christie's responsibility to his constituents — electing the leader of the Free World has serious consequences, too. Is Christie really saying that the plight of his state today outweighs the seriousness of electing a president of the United States of America for four years?"   Reference from USA Today.

The word that comes to mind is hubris, a loss of contact with reality and an overestimation of one's own competence or capabilities, especially when the person exhibiting it is in a position of power.

Extreme  pride and arrogance have been the downfall of many. Just ask Oedipus or Caesar or Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. 

Then, there's the word blame.

Playing the blame game never works.

Research shows that people who blame others lose status, learn less, and perform worse.

There is a serious disadvantage when it comes to creativity, learning, innovation, and productive risk-taking when fingers are pointed. 

Many of you may be thinking, "Doesn't Obama keep blaming George W. for the mess we are in?"

So, are you blaming Obama for the mess we're in ?  If so, please re-read the two paragraphs above.

We need to create opportunites that move our lives forward in a positive, constructive way and stop playing the blame game.  It is what it is. 

We need to stop pointing out our differences and embrace them.  We need to remember we are more alike than we are different.  It takes a lot of different kinds of fruit to make that fruit salad good. Toss in a few nuts and flakes . . .

Instead of bitching about what's wrong, figure out a way to make it right. Although, it appears there are those out there who hope to see others fail.  Isn't there a personality disorder term for that ?

That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger and builds character.

Many things define character.  Here are six:

Trustworthiness:  Be honest • Don’t deceive, cheat, or steal • Be reliable — do what you say you’ll do • Have the courage to do the right thing  • Be loyal — stand by your family, friends, and country regardless of who the President is

Respect:  Treat others with respect; follow the Golden Rule • Be tolerant and accepting of differences • Use good manners • Be considerate of the feelings of others • Don’t threaten or hurt anyone • Deal peacefully with anger, insults, and disagreements

Responsibility:  Do what you are supposed to do • Plan ahead • Persevere: keep on trying • Always do your best • Use self-control • Be self-disciplined • Think before you act — consider the consequences • Be accountable for your words, actions, and attitudes • Set a good example for our children

Fairness:  Play by the rules • Be open-minded; listen to others • Don’t take advantage of others • Don’t blame others carelessly • Treat all people fairly

Caring:  Be kind • Be compassionate and show you care • Express gratitude • Forgive others • Help people in need

Citizenship: Do your share to make your schools and community better • Cooperate • Get involved in community affairs • Stay informed; vote • Be a good neighbor • Obey laws and rules • Respect authority • Protect the environment • Volunteer

No matter if we are wronged rightly or wrongly, we still have to deal with it. We are all in this together.  We will face the next four years being red or blue or purple.  Yup.  If we work together, we can turn that map purple, instead of all those divisions we saw on television Tuesday night marked by red and blue states.  Wouldn't it have been fun to watch them paint the ice at Rockefeller Center purple ? Isn't that what you get when you mix red and blue together ?

Why, instead of being Republicans or Democrats, can't we just be Americans and work together to keep this the greatest nation in the World ?

I certainly don't expect everyone, or perhaps anyone to agree with me.

We can agree to disagree . . . then, we can work together to make our World a better place to live.