"People, People Who Need People, ARE The Luckiest People in the World" Streisand WAS Right! Who Knew?

Hello Fellow Travelers!

Once again I was composing a hard-hitting expose on Brain Cancer (This Week:   Brain Cancer in North Korea:  Someone should look into that.!) And then  this happened: I was watching (listening to) CNN and they were reporting yet another story someplace in the frozen east about the frozen east.

 The story turned out to be about a teenager riding in a car with his mother when he spotted a senior shoveling snow.  The gentleman had a walker and was really struggling with the snow when the "Paying it Forward" teen asked his proud mother to pull over so the kid could shovel the snow for the grateful senior.

It was heartwarming as all get out too!  The self sacrificing teen, his helpful impulse, the heavy snow, the "Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field" (wait, that's from the "Lombardi Story"!  Well, you can bet something  was frozen).  Brain cancer sucks but being cold, I mean really icy, is really dangerous too!

So it warms this cynics heart to see a well-raised, thoughtful teen giving  back to his community.

 And I'm bored to tears playing "How cold is it "back East"?"  "How cold is it?  Really cold!  We know!  Niagara Falls is Frozen!   "So glad we don't live there!"  I get it!  It's cold!   Bitter cold.  Record-breaking season, thermometer malfunctioning, bone-chilling, teeth-grinding, your nose is always dripping cold!  We get it!  So knowing that there are generous and thoughtful youths in the community is as inspirational as it is comforting.

Being an unwilling member of the "wheelchair brigade", means my awareness for falling situations has exponentially increased.  Ice interests me only inasmuch as it's a safety issue.  I fall enough, I don't need any freaking ice to slip on!  What's next?  Snakes?  Bears?  Marbles?  No, no and no.

I don't require any more examples of how frigid the eastern seaboard is.  I get it.  I'll get it next week.  I do value instances of humans helping other humans.  Helpful humans are inspiring to the rest of us.
Especially when "the help" is unprompted and seemingly unrewarded.

Human beings helping other humans?  I can be inspired by that all day long!

St. Valentine: Actual Saint or Guilt Invention By Corporate Sponsors?

Hello Fellow Travelers!

Once again, I had diligently researched a brain cancer related topic (This week:  Headaches, seriously, that was it.) then this happened - 2/14 came.  Again.

Valentine's Day is once again upon us and we are, collectively speaking, obligated to acknowledge February 14th or there will be repercussions! Unpleasant repercussions.  If an attached male fails to denote this occasion with something thoughtful, there is no shortage of websites that promise to placate even the angriest partner who felt slighted on the annual anniversary of when Saint Valentine (Saint Who?  There are at least two different Saint Valentines, according to Wikipedia)  And I have a couple of questions:  Did Ireland even have reptiles?  (Kidding!)  And (2.) in what way could this be recognized as the high, holy day of romance?

Never mind, Wiki schooled me!  Here's where resection of the fourth ventricle comes into play:  My PS brought home a heart-shaped cake!  Before brain surgery (thank you, HA!) I'd have been looking for jewelry.  Since 2011, cake sounds great on!  Candy sounds good too.

You know what doesn't look or sound great?  Let alone "romantic"?  Giant, "Lurch-like" teddy bears, that are not remotely cute or cuddly.  I really like teddy bears but those "Hunk-of-love" (seriously, that's what they're called) bears are more than a little scary.  They look like they smell already.   They look like something sold at the AM/PM, next to the nachos and beer.   Like, "Oh, C___! It's Valentine's Day, again! I better get something!"  No, nothing here is really better!  Dude, seriously, much better!

No woman wants this giant prop bear! Not only is it frightening, it's too big to throw away! Setting $100 bill on fire in front of your honey would be more meaningful than having a giant (vaguely used looking) stuffed, animal "waiting" someplace! At least it wouldn't be waiting to scare the crap out of someone!  Aaaah! "Waiting" for what, I'm not quite sure. Waiting to scare the bejeezus out of unsuspecting romantics!  Getting a gift that's from your heart (and not the local Qwik-E-Mart) can be a little tricky.  It sounds simple enough.  It's like getting married.  That's not too difficult in and of itself.  Anyone can get married.  It's a lot more work to stay married.  And to keep love alive!  No matter what.  Keeping the promise you make when you get married.  That's where the dedication comes in.  All the jewels and chocolates on the planet can't replace true love or real devotion.  I have been lucky enough to have experienced this "miracle" from my PS and witnessed a combined total of 100 years of marriage from my parents and my in-laws!  I've been married a while now, but it's a chronological drop in the bucket, so to speak.  

So this V-Day make it meaningful!  If you're giving nothing for V-Day, make it a meaningful batch of empty!

Why I Fight!

Hello Fellow Travelers!

I have been more silent than usual the last few and stymied about what to write about since I heard about that Jordanian pilot being burned alive in a cage!  When the ire of those who are incapable of speaking or walking is raised to the level of action, one can only imagine the collective anger shared by the able-bodied (that would be you) populace.

My snarking and complaining about anything and everything is possible in large part because I live in this country and I am fortunate enough as as American citizen to be alive and possess the constitutional directive to make any comment I can come up with.  We're all protected by the Constitution.  I'm trying to make lemonade (yum!) out of brain cancer (Thanks, Dr. HA!), but I wasn't sure I needed to fight so hard to stay alive in a world where burning people alive and filming it could even happen!  I mean, what's the point?  Then, it came to me:  That is the point!

People all over the country, all over the world are rejecting genocide as an act of war!
Placing live humans in cages and setting them ablaze was something I had only read about (Stephen King- "The Stand") until this week. And thanks to cancer (Thank you, astrocytoma!) I was forced to reexamine life itself and reprioritize my beliefs. And no, I have not, nor will I, watch any ghastly video.  Viewing any images of executions or murders will not improve my physical condition or increase my knowledge one iota so I refuse to watch!

I have to fight for my place on the planet to do my tiny part to save the planet!
It has to be fought for, for my son and my nephews and nieces and my PS and all the PSes all over the world!

A world where humans are burned alive is a world I cannot accept.  I will fight for the right of every human being to be treated humanely.  In "Shark Tale" Martin Scorcese (Cartoon/Fish) tells Will Smith (also Cartoon/Fish) where Will's character falls in the food chain.  When "Fishy" Scorcese shows "Fishy" Smith where he falls on the chain (far below the lowest sea-dweller), "Fishy" Smith responds, "That's messed up!"  Well I'd fall far below "Fish" Will Smith right now.  I watched a CNN documentary about Auschwitz last night. My 2015 take-away from Auschwitz?  Simple.  I'd be the first to go.  I'd qualify for murder/testing on by Nazis!  Before there was an Auschwitz.  In Germany, in WWII that's what happened to quiet handicapped people!  They were gassed! In trucks!

Kayla Meuller volunteered to help people across the world because she was American!  And so is her family.  My best friend's husband professionally helps veterans in Prescott, his dad does in Payson, AZ.  All three are heroes.  Kayla must have been very brave.

We're Americans.  Helping is what we do.

PS-  To the Meuller Family:  We have your back,  The World

More Crap My Mother Sent Me

Hello Fellow Travelers!

Anyone who knows me even slightly knows that I've lived my"pre-tumor" life sugar-free.   I liked snacks that were salty bordering on bitter.  I loathed anything Sweet.  And I had no use for chocolate! Since 2011, everyone knows (and dreads) my newfound appreciation for all things made of brown sugar and vanilla.  My mom, in particular, has sent many "care" packages my way, and by in large these boxes are a veritable cornucopia of items:  everything from cat stories clipped from the newspaper to essays written by my nieces.  And she always sends cookies.  The cookies used to be home-baked but she recently mailed me some weird confections we'll call "Brand X", but I was snarkily referring to them as "Sleazy Bake".  I thought I poked enough fun at the"Sleazy Bake" Ovens delivery to never receive anything quite that funny again!  So I was surprised (and laughing my a__ off!) when a small package arrived last week and among the many items there was a bag of ginger snaps.

These weren't any old ginger snaps!  No sirree!  These snaps were labeled "Mo Del"."Mo Del"?  More like "Mo Hard" or "No Del".  What Dollar Tree/Store did these "Mo Del" snaps come from anyway?  Did she think I wouldn't notice?  Are you kidding?  I live for this crap!  I may never eat anything from the "Mo Del" bakery (I actually tried one cookie thinking maybe "Mo Del" was a secret among grandmas in-the-know.  Those cookies were awful!  Just terrible! No grandmas in-the-know.  Nope!  Just my mom trying to save a few cents!  Haha!) but that doesn't mean I won't complain at length about "Mo's" products!

And just who is this "Mo" anyway?
There's "Moe" on the Simpson's
That's the extent of anybody I know named "Mo"

My mother knows how restless I am and has some idea of how isolated I've become.  So maybe she includes these subpar baked goods to give me something to complain about, trying to amuse me like one of her cats!  It's a good thing I'm easily amused.  I love those Sleazy Bake cookies!

They're not very tasty but they're sure a lot of fun!