“There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction” - Winston Churchill

Is there a child of the 1970's who hadn't watched the Jetson's? The nuclear family and all their 'futuristic' gadgets sure left a child wanting for a dishwasher with robotic arms to help them with their chores each day.

In today's world, the Jetson's would be hard pressed to keep up with the gadgetry available. Video chat would make it possible not only for Judy to discuss dinner plans with George visually from the office, but also with little Elroy on his tour to Iraq. Who needs Rosie when a Roomba can clean your carpet using GPS while you are away.

A phone on the go would have been shocking to the Jetson's, and now they are so commonplace there are kids who have never used a land line or even know what that means. We feel tethered when tied to a cord. If it isn't cordless or wireless we are bored and frustrated. Our Televisions are simultaneously getting larger and smaller (micro). Instant gratification with movies and television, instant food, instant reading with kindle's and nook's are is not only available but expected.

At what price?


But what is all this doing for us? Are we getting smarter? I doubt it. In better shape? Hardly. Are we more efficient? It seems to be the opposite may be true. Pixar's 2008 animated film paints a vivid picture of our future. Sitting in cooshie chair, sipping on our 48oz soda and letting all the gadgets do our work. Ninety-plus percent of jobs in the 2000's are internet or computer related. Many more jobs are becoming telecommuting jobs.


Flashback just 100 years ago, this country was in a depression. Families were losing everything they had. Losing their farms and land. They were hard times, many families packed all they owned onto wagons and trucks and headed west for the gold and fortunes they never found. Imagine this scenario today. I don't know many families who could get all they own into a truck or wagon. What would you take? Electronic gadgetry does little when on the road without chargers. Without our designer clothes and hairstyles. Would we make it far? No microwaves, no McDonald's or Wendy's. No hot showers or toilet covers, rarely a bath in a washtub.

Families in the 1920's were used to hard physical work. Up before dawn; plowing, clearing, feeding and rearing animals which would one day be the food on their table. No mid-night run to wal-mart for milk. Milk would be gathered from the cow.Today many cannot touch a shopping cart or door handle without slathering on the sanitizer.




Are we our own worst enemy?

Is all of this good for us? We sit in cubicles 8-14hrs a day, hardly see the sun. We buy foods with so many preservatives that they could potentially survived the past 100 years still intact. We have to visit gyms in the few hours we have left in the day in order to sustain a semi-normal weight and physical health. Does this mean we are healthier today? Marvels of modern medicine definitely helps to stave of the biggies... Cancer, heart disease, and high cholesterol. We have immunizations for many illnesses that could have killed us of so many years ago but are we going too far?

I don't think we could survive the same strives of our ancestors. We have become soft. The more medications, sterilizers, lackadaisical ways and gadgets we have to make life easier for us is directly proportionate to the amount of new problems we create for ourselves.

Heart disease is on the rise. Is it the red meat we are eating? Or is it the large quantities of reconstituted, steroid ridden meats we consume. Is it the fast that after consuming that same over-sized, chemically preserved steak we sit in front of an also over-sized television to catch the latest season of reality TV. Possibly watching overweight couples forced to push their bodies to heights of exertion than their bodies have ever seen. There is a reason that some of the most watched reality shows are about losing weight and making new lives.

And is technology also killing our workforce? Non-technology driven jobs are becoming obsolete. If you do not use computers in your job will you become obsolete? Many workers are being replaced by robots and computers. Is this our own detriment? No longer is the land you own, your own security blanket for survival. Even the written word and books and newspapers are becoming a thing of the past. Many jobs depend on the skills of today and the technology of tomorrow.

Where do we go from here?

On a personal note, I am trying the old basics. This past summer, I grew a garden of my own. No preservatives in my own garden. I have attempted to buy local meats and vegetables over processed forms. I began an 'organic' exercise program of push-ups. sit-ups and jumping jacks. I will add some running and jump rope when the outdoors warms a little. I use soap but will not become a prisoner to the hand sanitizers and let my body work up its own antibodies and resistances. So far so good. I am lucky enough to have skills in the technology fields however those jobs are hard to come by as well. Time will tell.

What do you do to avoid sickness? Do you feel as though you are falling victim to the luxuries and cooshie-chairs of today? How has technology affected your job?

Health is not valued till sickness comes. -Dr Thomas Fuller

I am feeling so much better! Nothing like a bout with Bronchitis (or two or three) to let you know how nice it feels when you are not sick, when you can once again breathe without coughing up a lung. I feel as though the cloud has lifted. I realize there are much worse sicknesses to endure, and I told myself that many times over the past three and a half weeks. But still, healthy is the bomb!

I am feeling better just in time to return to work, the daily grind. And to make some resolutions for the new year:

1. Get those finances in better shape. As a single mother, it is essential that I pay my bills, and on time. No-one else to blame if the water gets shut off. I don't own any credit cards, and that has served me well. However, I also have no savings. 2008 was a tough year. Lots of unexpected expenses, Which I have discovered, will always be the case. And so... this means I need to make some changes. Cut back on some spending, work on the book I began writing so many years ago... now that I have a bit more time on my hands. Anyone have any other ideas?

2. Lose 20 pounds. I have been able to stave off too many extra pounds in my 39 years on this earth, however, my love of bacon and deep fryers has started to put a little air in that spare tire. I would like to come up with a new regimen which will not only help me to shave off the extra 20, but also get my asthma under control. I cant say as I have ever been in top physical shape even in grade school when show-off Marvin Curly would make his rounds around the goal posts lapping me by two or three rounds... but this year I would like to get in better physical shape than I have ever been. And just maybe- that will keep me from fighting bronchitis next December?

3. Write more letters to my son. There is no good excuse, but with school and other obligations, I did not sit down and write enough snail-mail letters to my son. He does not have Internet access and I have become way too dependent on technology. Also, He will soon be changing location from Alabama to Oklahoma and so, we might be able to fit in a short road trip?!

4. Save enough for repairs.- And complete them. The roof needs replacing, the chimney is leaning, the kitchen needs a complete overhaul, the car needs some maintenance and repair. I hope to save enough for all these things and still have a bit of a nest egg.- Oh and that shed I need to build... and..

5. Visit my parents more. Now that my parents live 300 miles away, time must be scheduled to see them more often. I have not lived more than 10 minutes from them my entire life, this is a change, and I am not good with change. But we can also stop by and see my ex's family on the way- for the kids.

6. Eat-in more. Fast food is a convenience, and became more so as I was attending night school. But not only is it less healthy, it just downright doesnt taste as good. I will strive to make more meals at home, even if the girls eat it the next day as leftovers because I have yet to learn to cook for one. It is win-win as I will share my recipes here.

7. Watch less TV. When attending night school the past 8 years, on the few nights I had without class or homework, all I wanted to do was veg out and not have to think at all. This turned me into a reality show and sitcom junkie. This year I will watch less and read more. I will also take more walks and enjoy some of the peace that I used to so many years ago.

8. Keep in touch with old friends -more often. I am still in touch with many old co-workers, and school friends but I would like to catch up with them just a little more often this year.

9. Work on my posture. Ever have a picture taken and then look at it later and you look like a humpback whale? Well I do, in almost every picture ever taken. My back hurts all the time, my 'spare tire' hangs out a little too far. If my posture were better it would cure a lot of what ails me. And so, I will work on this. As I write this, I realize this one has to start immediately!

That is all I can think of for now, and it will be fun to see if I can follow through. As I have a history of just the opposite... But if I blog it, then I have to follow through right? Here it is, written for all the world well, -one or two readers- to see.

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Over the holidays I was lucky enough to meet one of the readers of my blog. My kids and I went to my best friends house on Christmas Eve and they had their family get together that night. It was so sweet... I was not expecting to go there that night, it was a last minute thing. Also, I was not sure who would be there. But not only did I get to see my friend, and her Family who I love like my own. My friends brother and his wife Karen were there. Karen and Robbie have become friends of mine also throughout the years that I have been friends with Shar. But it was a surprise to find that they brought me an unexpected and sweet gift.

Karen's sister, who told me she also has read my goofy (my words not hers) blog, but she too was sweet enough to bring me a little something. I have never been really great at accepting gifts without feeling a bit awkward. And this was a bit awkward. But at the same time, fun to know that someone out there (Karen included) is somewhat entertained by my ramblings....

Here is a photo of the sweetheart and her gift. My newest friend, DeAnn. Sorry I dont have a picture of Karen.

ahem- I took this photo, and she posed for about 10 minutes (I was later told) with her sweet pasted on smile...because my mouth just keeps running... A trait I have had since I was a teenage girl and which I have passed on to my girls.