Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Has it stopped raining yet?

We have had the worst rainfall in maybe recorded history. Every single city in CT is sweating major flooding. My house, which is on a hill, has had so much rain that the water table has started to flood our basement, because we had a crack in the floor. My son, who lives in the basement, is sick and was at the ER getting some medical attention. After 4 hrs, we (him & me) finally got home when he finds out all his belongings are drenched! He is on heavy antibiotics and pain killers, can’t stand up because he has been sick for over a week, he is the one that has to wet vac the basement! At 11pm all he wanted to do was sleep, but we got the basement kinda dry, but because it is the water table itself that is flooded, then EVERYONE can get water in Norwalk.

At least we don’t have it as bad as Eastern Connecticut, they have evacuation going on. As this is being written, most of Rhode Island has been declared a national disaster. Please say a prayer for those people tonight.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Weather in New England

As the saying goes 'if you don't like the weather just wait, it will change in a few minute.' We are having the strangest weather lately. First we get rain and wind like has never been felt here before. Trees down, electricity out for almost a week, schools closed because of lines down for ONE WEEK! Then the temperature goes up to 70’s almost 80 in middle of the next week.. What is going on? We have coastal flooding again, and more rain for the next couple days. I’m ready for spring, but REALLY?

They say that, because of global warming, our weather is all mixed up. I know that there are islands in the Pacific that have disappeared, what’s up with that? Polar bears dying because they don’t have enough ice to float on to live. Their cubs can’t make it and I wish I knew what we, as a NATION, could do. Do you?

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Something new to play with

My loving husband bought me a brand new Bluetooth FM modulator to be used in the car. My son put it in yesterday. It is SO neat! When my cell phone rings while I’m driving all I have to do is change the radio cannel (FM of course) hit the green mark that looks like a phone on the device, and I can listen to whomever it is that called me! And they can hear me fine! No not answering the phone, no answering the phone and being afraid that I may have to pull over to talk, not having to worry about other drivers talking, nothing like that! And as I drive around, it always bothered me that other drivers who have a cell phone have it in their hands talking away! I always get so nervous, and since the stats are on my side, why not spend $50 for a device. My husband got one for me, why can’t everyone who doesn’t have a hands free device get one?

Sunday, March 21, 2010

League of Woman Voters

The League of Woman Voters has an important meeting Thursday night. Seems that the president has not been doing what the League has always been responsible for. Remember last year when my husband attended a forum that was put on by the League of Woman Voters? It was so bad it was laughable; the only person who EVEN sounded like he knew what they were talking about was my husband and two other people. It was REIDCULOUS!! And what was even worst, the LWV didn’t even know what to do, because of the president!

The state has now stepped in, and as the STATE they are coming down to Norwalk and making the president explain what is going on. Wonder what the end result will be. Stay tuned for more info.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Is this the final Health Care Reform?

It's the night before the vote in the House, for or against the President’s bill on Health Care. There seems to be a lot wrong with this bill, some things right, but where do you make a decision? There are those who are against abortion, and the bill promotes paying for abortions. I have always been Pro-Choice, I don’t know whether or not I could have made a choice if I would have gotten pregnant while dating, but I believe that it is a WOMAN’S choice, not a man’s .

It has to be rough, deciding something for the ENTIRE country based on your feelings. I thought that ANYONE elected into office had to vote the way ALL of the people wanted them to vote, did something happen? Maybe they have forgotten that, and we, the voters will have to remember that come November.

It shall be interesting to watch tonight, guess I’d better turn on the tv.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Man am I mad

Tuesday night was my first Electors meeting of the Second Taxing District. An Elector is anyone who gets either electric or water from SNEW (South Norwalk Electric and Water) and is a registered voter. As it is, we only need 15 people to attend, and that includes the 7 commissioners and 1 treasurer that were elected by the Second Taxing District! Imagine my surprise when we couldn’t even get 15 people to show up! Three of the commissioners couldn’t make it, with no reason, our treasurer included, in fact I had my husband and also a common councilman, and our chairwoman had her husband and that was it! The first time in 10 years that we had to reschedule our Electors meeting. And its’ not much, we just have to pass the budget for the next year!!

So, the clerk has to put the new date in the newspapers (costs roughly $300) , she and another person will have to be there for at least 1 hr (2 hrs x $16 is $32) someone had to take down the chairs, etc. and someone will have to set them up again (2 hrs x $16 is $32 again) Then, even though we own the electricity, we still have to pay for it, right? Wonder how much that costs? And all because we couldn’t get 6 people to show up! And because of this, we, the electric department has to reschedule a meeting that might have only taken 10 minutes.

Then are people who always complain that the electricity is too expensive, well we are the CHEAPEST in the entire state! Bar no one! You would think that they would have shown up at least. O well, what you gonna do, it’s a bad state of affairs when no one comes to a yearly meeting.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Census 2010

Well we got to do the short form today. 10 minutes and my husband was done. In 2000 I worked for the census bureau and I got to go and talk to the nice people in Salisbury, Maryland. It was really neat, not one family was mean or rude to me. I did see a house that was probably a drug lab, so I got to give it a pass, but everything I did was with the approval of the census bureau. Right now they are still giving tests, because they NEED people, but since they are offering over $22 an hour, how can anyone say no to this? And, I have been told from people in Washington, that even Section 8 people can do the census! What I hate, more than anything, is that some people are afraid of working and actually making money and getting out of Section 8!

I wonder if the President was done his 2010 Census yet. Bet not.

It was a rough weekend

The rain started Friday with some wind. But by Saturday the wind around here was 60 - 70 mph! I was watching my neighbor's house, as it was raining so hard I could almost not see his place, when suddenly his lights started to go off and on and then they went out! As my lights where on, I was a bit worried but then we realized that his trees had come down and were in his electricty lines! I sent the guys over to make sure he was ok, but his house was spared. The electrict company came out in the wind, to make sure the lines weren't sparking, with the promise to get electricity turned back on. We went to bed and the electricity went off all around. My son said he saw where a lady the next block over had a tree into her car. But, the power came back within 2 hrs. But all things considered, we were lucky! My neighbor has lost two stately pine trees, they are down all around his house, but his house was spared.

Friday, March 12, 2010

A new pet peeve

Is it my imagination or are the news media getting a bit sloppy? On one of the three local channels we have an almost dumb blond girl who gives the road conditions, drinking either tea, coffee, soda, water, something while she is on TV. She walks around the TV studio, on camera, sometimes carrying her drink. I have been watching her from her beginning and I wish someone could tell her how unprofessional that is. You don't see the BIG news reporters like, ABC, NBC, CBS or Fox, walking around with a coffee or tea in THEIR hands.

Just my pet peeve for the week.

Friday, March 5, 2010

This will be coming out later this summer..

This will be in our HHT news letter this summer, figured I'd let you look at it first!

Mary Geake has no prior experience with legislative advocacy, just a passion to help the HHT Foundation. Mary’s long history with HHT began at the age of nine with frequent nosebleeds. She remembers her father and two brothers visiting an ENT who told them their bloody noses were due to Osler-Weber-Rendu Syndrome. In 1983, Mary had her first operation to stop her nose bleeds – a skin graft from her arm was put up her nose. This helped stop the bleeding for almost 8 years. Then in 1991, at the age of 36, she suffered a massive stroke when the CAVM in her brain burst. “They thought I was dying and gave me last rites,” said Mary. Determined to be around to raise her three boys, she learned to walk and do everything without the use of her right side.
In 2000, Mary started having problems breathing. She ended up in a hospital where after a lot of testing doctors told her she had Osler-Weber-Rendu again or HHT. “What did my bloody nose have to do with my lungs?” questioned Mary. Determined to get answers, she reached out to the HHT Foundation for help. She soon found out everything she needed to know about this rare disorder. Since that time, Mary has had three embolisms on her lungs. She continues to have bloody noses, and has spinal pain so bad that she has been on a morphine pump since 2005. “I have a lot wrong with my body,” says Mary.
In a quest to meet others with HHT, she attended her first Regional Network Alliance meeting in January 2009 and was stunned to read in our literature that the HHT Foundation does not receive any federal funding. “Once I realized this I knew I had to do something. My husband and I traveled to Washington, DC last June to attend the HHT Foundation’s “Capitol Hill Day.” Armed with knowledge, we secured an appointment with Rep. Jim Himes from Connecticut’s 4th congressional district and shared our story of how HHT has affected our family. He listened and signed the authorization bill declaring June 2009 as the first National HHT Awareness Month, a first step in the plans obtain federal funding for HHT.
Since then Mary has continued her pursuit of federal funding for HHT. She has contacted the office of Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro from Connecticut’s 3rd congressional district who serves on the Labor-Health and Human Service-Education Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee. DeLauro lives in New Haven, Connecticut just miles from Yale University where one of the best HHT doctors in the world, Dr. Robert I. White, is located. “My goal is to get her into the Yale HHT Center to see the facility and see the good work that is being done there.” When asked what others can do to get involved, Mary believes we need to pull together to create awareness for this disease that affects so many family members. She wants people to know the warning signs and get tested. Mary struggles with her own family members refusing to be tested. “These tests are expensive,” says Mary. “We need national attention for people to realize their importance.” “Television shows such as ‘Dr. Oz’ and ‘The Doctors’ could be powerful vehicles to create awareness for HHT. “If 150 people send an e-mail to the producers requesting an episode about HHT, we might be heard.” In Mary’s words, “If we come together, we can do so much.” Mary Geake and her husband, Michael, live in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Ok, so now you know all about me, if you wanted to know that is!

A strange suggestion

It seems to me, that there needs to be a change. If you are going to run for ANY political position in a city, state, you have to be a home owner. I mean, why would we want to vote for someone who rents and can leave at any time, right? If raising taxes doesn't affect the person who vote for them, but doesn't have to pay them, isn't this a conflict of interest? Since our economy is so shaky right now, I started to look at what our own city has. The mayor just got a condo, so he has only been ok for only about a year. But with Common Council, there are 15 members, 5 Democrats, 10 Republican, right? Well, I know for a fact that there are 2 people who rent, 1 from each party. Since I don't know several others, I'm not sure about the rest.

And then there is Chris Shay. When he was running for Congress, he had a home in CT but his family lived in DC which meant he rented it, maybe for a loss, but I don't think so. When he lost, he sold both homes and moved into a new home in MD. Now that he is thinking of running again, he is looking to rent a place in Bridgeport, CT. I feel that if you're gonna run, you have to have something to loose too. It's only fair, right?

Maybe if EVERYONE had something to loose when they vote, the votes would mean more to the voters, what do you think?

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Another earthquake

Now we have an earthquake in Chile, a 8.8! That's 500 times more sever than the quake that hit Haiti. 500 times worst than something like that. Because their government has stepped in, we are really getting hardly anything, just the minimum of information. But with Haiti, their government dissolved and millions of people are left homeless with no one to help them, at least not on a political level. Sometimes I think about what I have heard and read about Nostradamus. His reading indicate that there will be a lot of natural disasters before the end is at hand. I just wonder if that's true? After all, when something like this happens it really makes us realize that we have no control over most of life, that we live and die just as easily as all of them.

Monday, March 1, 2010

It's my birthday today.

Today is my birthday. I am 55 years old. Strange thing is, I was born in 1955, so I was born in '55 and I'm 55, right? I'm pretty young, all things considered, but there may not be a lot of people who get to share their birthdays with their birth year anymore. I mean, my sons will be in their 70's before they can say that they are as old as their birth year. And my grandchildren, they may never get to say that their age is equal to their birth year. I mean, who is gonna live to be '05 or 105 years! Just something strange to think about. Think about it, what do you think?