TMI a little place to whine

Last night my family and I attended our first Quince (birthday party for a young Latin female who turns 15). It's a major event in the life of a young lady of Spanish heritage. This one was for my daughter-in-law's sister.

Well I learned a lot about Quince. We had always heard that it's almost like a wedding reception and/or a debutante party. Well, that may be true for some Hispanic cultures, but not for Columbians, who just treat it like a very big party. Big, as in 70 invited guests.

The party started at 9 p.m. which is still pretty early for people who like to party at night like the Hispanics do. Any party would be just about winding down then if it was for any kid in the rest of America. It was held out side (thank heavens for mild South Florida winters) and it was catered. Because it was a mixture of kids and grown ups the menu was crepes. Yeah, French food at a Hispanic celebration). The music was pure kid, but heavy of the Latin kid, so it was Latin dancing, salsa and Ltin hip hop with a few "party songs" like the Electric Slide and YMCA mixed in for good measure.

As I sat there listening to the music and the language mix around us I realized that if I moved from South Florida I would miss the music and the lively atmosphere. When I think about parties up north in Philly and Pittsburgh and New Jersey I realized they all followed a pretty predictable pattern, I guess the Hispanic parties do too, but I really like leaning about the "predictible" ones where I live now. To me it brings exciting new flavors to my life and I would really miss them all if I moved elsewhere.

Today is my wedding anniversary.

My husband is finally trained.

I asked for a new electric can opener and for once I got what I asked for!

If I start asking for something else now I know I have half a chance that I'll get it - and it only took 36 years of patience on my part to get this far.

Who wudda thunk it?

Manatees are endangered animals.

The Federal Government says so - right there in 40 CFR under Fish and Wildlife and under the great Dept of Environmental Protection.

Protection?

When does protection include allowing one specifc "sanctuary" to let manatees be used for commercial profit?

In one place in FL you can "swim with the manatees", despite a federal and FL state law that says harassing the harmless, slowing moving mammals is a felony punishable by fines up to $100,000.00. The CFR says you can't interfere with their normal life cycle, or follow them, or bother them by trying to swim with them.

Felony.

Fines.

With one exception, Homosassa Springs, where you can rent a boat and go "see them" up close, or rent dive gear and go bother them. Why? So some tour operator can make money.

A spring 2006 article in the St. Petersburg Times calls the tours the "cash cows" of the Springs.

So, who got paid off in which circle of government to allow the welfare of one tour operator to be more important than the welfare of a species I wonder.

Ok, I seem to be the one oblivious to what's going on around me.

How can I feel so abnormal and yet be the one whom others think is normal?

When I see things and comment I am often ridiculed for being critical. When I see things and don't comment I am uncaring. When I offer advice I am being manipulative, when I don't offer advice I am too self absorbed to notice others pain.

It's driving me nucking futs, I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't.

For a while I thought that the person who perpetually moved the Anarchy and Order (or is it Order and Anarchy) from the proper place on the shelf at the UM Law Library, had graduated. The book had been in place during the whole of the first semester this year. The only movement was when the entire shelf of books was "shifted" to make room for more books and use empty space.

Well, I was wrong to jump to that conclusion.

The book was removed, once again, from it's spoper slot in the cll number order of books on the shelf, and gently placed on it side a shelf below. Once again, I replaced it.

Thinking about where the book is, and who might be inclined to do such a thing I think I have an idea who it could be.

Maybe I might find out......

A friend and I went to the Seminole Hard Rock Casino yesterday. We gambled (I broke even) we talked and we window shopped at their "Paradise" shopping village - aka mall. One part of the village was blocked off near the Improv theater. I thought it was because they were setting up for a show or something. Barricades and police tape didn't alow anyone to walk through the area.

Well, I was wrong. It wasn't a preparation for a show.

In today's Miami Herald it was reported that a man got drunk, fell and bled out before being discovered by workers. In other words, someone died.

Now, before I walked around with my friend Cheryl I walked THROUGH that same area because I parked my car in the garage nearest there. I walked right past the Improv and probably right past a dead body. Actually I noticed nothing, but the paper did say the man was discovered in an area that was reserved for employees. Perhaps the man knew he was drunk and went looking for a quiet spot to lay down and miscalculated the distance to the ground (lots of decorative fake rocks around for landscaping purposes).

Anyhow, now I think I am going to start paying closer attention to where I am and what's around me.

You don't hear that word used much anymore do you?

Instead of hearing that children don't have "self control" we are todl they are acting out. Acting out? Does that mean we can allow them to say anything they want any time they want because they don't like something?

So if we allow them to do that where does reasoning come in?

Three year olds can't be reasoned with. They have to be told no, and the reason is that the adult tells them no. Or to translate it into parent talk, "Because I said so."

That's not a punishment or a cop out. It's a way to tell kids that what they want isn't alwys the most important thing int he world, and if they don't like it they have to learn to control their emotions or emotional behavior in acting out.

I think the word self control should be returned to the active vocabulary of today's parents. When you teach a child self control you teach them that cursing isn't right, that hitting isn't right, that fighting isn't right and eventually they realize that cheating on tests, bullying others, overeating, lying to get what you want, and even premarital sex is something you can control.

If you have the self control to see things in life are not allabout YOU then you learn to live well with others.

Self Control. Let's bring it back.

I'm sure you've met some, but you never knew what to call them.

Those people who used to be believers in a higher power/diety but have now rethought that issue and come to the conclusion that no such person exists.

Illogical.

Or as one person on a list I am on described it "The belief that my imaginary friend is better than your imaginary friend."

So, as a Christian I can't make a statement about life and my belief as to how we should be living in it without sounding like I am recruiting or evangelizing.
Without exhibiting a bias, or being prejudicial toward "theism".

Yet when those Radical Humanists speak, it's always about opening ones mind to new idea and not being tied down by "theists" philosophy. Huh?

Huh? If I can't talk about my belief in God to you and try to make you "believe" why is it ok for you to talk tome about how there is no God and try to make me stop believing?

Christians who speak of the religion they not only practice but live on a daily basis are ridiculed, but secular humanists can say anything about any other belief system and it's OK?

Explain this to me. Why is one prejudiced and the other not? How is one biased and the other not?

I can tell I'm older.

I had to have a cup of coffee after dinner to be able to stay awake long enough to see in the New Year by watching the ball drop in Times Square.

Instead of a dowdy party and drinks, I had a glass of milk and a slice of fruitcake, stayed up to watch as the year turned and then quietly went to bed.

Actually, it's a much safer way to celebrate. I should have considered such things wehn I was younger. It would have saved so much angst.

Happy New Year to everyone.