I Just Want to Sleep

Positive thinking can get you far, but constant lack of sleep takes a bigger toll than I thought possible.  

I'm not talking baby and toddler lack of sleep, where you are consistently woken up in the middle of the night, or  the wee hours of the morning.  That time is far gone, luckily. No, I'm talking the stressed out, mostly from thinking and over-thinking too many things and situations and staying up too late...to think, dealing with kids and their homework and endless activities; not to mention their constant arguing over the stupidest things, bickering, unwillingness to do chores etc. etc. etc.  Where is Dr. Phil when you need him?  I don't need for them to agree on everything, but it could probably do us good to learn a polite way to say "That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard" among favorite phrases around here...and I thought siblings were supposed to love and care for each other...

Photo by Michal Marcol/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Maybe I can't blame it all on the younger generation in the house, even though they do at times make me want to run away - or at least take a weekend trip to a secret, secluded location with no phone or internet connection and a fully loaded bar!! Sounds good doesn't it?  Sadly at this point, I think I would arrive, have one glass of wine and fall asleep for the rest of the weekend...I dream of sleep....mostly daydream, since I can't seem to get to bed on time, ever.  

Daylight savings time was great, but three hours after getting up, I wanted to take a nap again.  Apparently actually getting a full eight hours of sleep just made me want more.  Why are we like that?  You have a bit of chocolate, you crave more.  One drink often leads to another.   You cheat once, you are more likely to do it again...actually I have no idea if that is true, it just sounded good.  But why do we always want more?

There I am going off on tangents again. I am telling you,  staying focused on anything other than getting more sleep seems impossible right now. This is probably why you should have kids in your early twenties: so you actually have the energy to deal with the no sleep issue until they move out.  Missing a night's sleep at 22 was no big deal; today on the other hand, it takes me a week or two to catch up.  Maybe there is more to this age thing than I thought?

Well, here's to another good night sleep!  Hopefully that will get me back to my old self, and I'll be ready for one great week starting bright and early Monday morning!

Good night y'all!  

OMG - it is 7:23PM and I'm ready to go to bed....God do I feel old now!

Devil Found in Detail of Giotto Fresco in Italy's Assisi

I guess devils are everywhere, some times even in churches.  After restoring one of the most famous artworks by Giotto in the basilica in the convent where St. Francis is buried, a devil figure was discovered in the clouds Reuters reports. 

It is not easy to see from the floor of the basilica,  but emerges clearly when seen up close. Or so they say...I still have a bit of trouble seeing it.  Does that mean I'm a little devilish?

 The chief restorer of the basilica stated the master probably did not want the image to be a big part of his artwork, and painted it among the clouds to have some fun. He may have wanted to spite someone he knew by portraying him as a devil in the artwork.That's how they did it in the 13th century. Maybe we should take lessons about being a little more subtle...

Keep the Braincells Working

Obviously I think I am much too young to be talking about loosing my memory and letting my braincells go to waste, but to be certain that doesn't happen, I am starting a "brain training" program.  If I am going to "transform myself to fabulous", the brain better be in tip top shape as well.

Photo by Salvatore Vuono/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

....now where was I? Oh yes, apparently exercising the braincells, will not only help our mental focus as we get older, but can also help improve our basic cognitive skills.  I have always enjoyed brainteasers, IQ tests etc., but considering my IQ had declined by 4 points since I got my Facebook account (according to the IQ test on Facebook - I know...very scientific proof...on the other hand, I'm convinced spending too much time on Facebook will do that to you), I figure it's time to start a little braincell boot camp too.  I enjoy playing chess against the computer, which is a pretty good strategy exercise. Problem is, I can't seem to get good enough to beat the doggone thing without using the "undo" button. Obviously something to work on...but for now, I'll be happy with a win even if I have to redo half my game.

After searching for websites where I can "exercise my brain", I picked two sites to try - Lumosity and Brainmetrix. So today I have been clicking on birds, collecting pieces for puzzles, matching squares from previous pictures and completed "speed training"...I got a score, but have no idea if it was good or bad, or if I'm where I should be according to my age or not, but at least now I have something to compare to, and just in case they are really bad, I will keep my scores private. Frankly I'm a little afraid to find out exactly what they mean...it would be really depressing if my braincells are working at the speed of an average 60 year old...

Maybe if I ever catch up on sleep, it will be just a little bit easier to focus (and why don't they ask that as a beginning question?). I started a brain creativity teaser too, but after reading the instructions three times and still not being clear on what I was supposed to do, I figure I'll leave that for tomorrow....after a good night sleep.

S.C. Sheriff Encourages Women to Carry Guns in Fanny Packs

USA Today reports that SC sheriff, Chuck Wright, encourages women to carry guns in their fanny pack while discussing an attempted rape at a local park. He suggested a .45-caliber weapon, because "you don't have to be accurate, you just have to be close" to a target, and goes on to say the suspect "was fortunate someone with a gun didn't hear the victim's screams and put the "animal" down. That would have fixed this." He goes on to say, "Ladies, walk in groups. Get a concealed weapons permit. I don't want you to go for the mace; I want you to go for the concealed weapons permit. Gun control to me is when you can get your barrel back on the target quick."

Photo by Roland Darby/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 Did Mr. Wright get stuck in the Wild West?  I am all for protecting one self, but for a law officer to go out and discourage non-deadly methods and encourage citizens to get concealed weapons permits so that we can "barrel back on the target quick" is a little much. 

So as soon as I feel threatened, I should just shoot? Or does the person actually have to attack me first?  If so, I'm not sure I would be able to get the gun out of the fanny pack fast enough...so should I run with a holster instead?  And what if I made a mistake, and the person I felt threatened by was also working out, and not running after me, will I still go free, since I am following the advice of a law enforcement officer of "barreling back at the target quick"?

Then there is that moral issue of killing.  If I use mace or a taser, it should stop the perpetrator long enough for me to get away, but he will still be alive, and I don't have to live with the fact that I killed someone. He might actually get caught and have to go through the justice system...oh wait, isn't that why we have the justice system?  Fair trial for everyone? Or is that only reserved for people, not "animals"?

People like Mr. Wright scares me, especially when they are sheriffs. 

And Then There Were 7 Billion

Sunday night baby girl, Danica May Camacho was born in Manilla's Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital in the Philippines. The family was presented with gifts including a scholarship for Danica May, and a livelihood package to enable the family to start a general store according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Also there to witness the arrival of baby number 7 Billion, was Lorrize Mae Guevarra, who was declared the world's symbolic 6 billionth baby in 1999 and is now in the sixth grade.

Where it took over a century to grow from 1 billion in 1804, to 2 billion in 1927, the population growth exploded in the 20th century, and we reached 3 billion in 1960, 4 billion in 1975, 5 billion in 1987 and 6 billion in 1999.  Now at 7 billion, Worldometers shows it is expected that the population growth will slow down, and that we will not reach 8 billion until 2027, then 9 billion in 2046. However, since little Danica May's arrival, the world has already welcomed over another 177,000 babies.

As we pass 7 billion, we also face challenges. UN Secretary-General  Ban Ki-moon stated last week that

"Seven billion will clearly be a serious challenge. But depending on how we address this, in a comprehensive manner it can be both an opportunity and challenge."  Ban said he suspected the 7 billionth citizen would face "a world of contradiction -- plenty of food, but still a billion people going to bed hungry every night. Many people enjoy luxurious lifestyles, but still many people are impoverished."

Ban said the milestone was "clearly a clarion call to action," not just for the United Nations and national governments, but also for "local communities, civil community leaders, non-governmental organizations, faith leaders -- we have to have a combined solidarity to address this issue."

My suggestion?  Like Ted Turner states on CNN, I believe strongly that voluntary family planning, and full access to BIRTH CONTROL needs to play a big role in how we address our future challenges with population growth. I know some faiths consider that wrong, but is it less wrong to have mothers die in childbirth so that the children grow up without a mother?  Is it less wrong for an already impoverished family to bring another child into the world whom they cannot afford to feed, when if given the choice, they might have chosen to wait? 

When nearly all projected growth is expected to occur in developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, is it not time to give them the option not to have any more children?  According to the World Health Organization, pregnancy and childbirth complications are the leading cause of death for women in developing countries during childbearing years.  If given information and the choice, there is no question in my mind that many of these women would choose to space out and time the birth of their children, like most of us do here. And I am convinced such easy solution actually will have the biggest impact as we continue to grow. Should I dare to point out that it is in countries where women for the most part are given less rights and often considered substandard to men, that we have the biggest problems?  So maybe it is time to change that too, and give women better control over their own lives.