Mystery Meat (soylent green)

About 8 months ago... (I don't buy ground sirloin that often), I noticed a difference in the taste of the ground sirloin in particular that I purchased from my grocers meat department.  It happened on more than one occasion, so feeling concerned... I asked the meat department manager one day when I was shopping.  She informed me that ground sirloin is nowadays purchased from other countries and shipped in. That it had been a recent change... and was probably the reason I noticed a taste difference.  She told me I could purchase a whole steak and have her grind it there for me and then it would be US ground sirloin.  She showed me the label where in very tiny print it says... product of , and I kid you not, US, Canada, Australia, New Zeland and Mexico. I was completely shocked and horrified!!!!!  I had purchased and eaten meat from another country and was never told.  Yes, technically it is on the label but so small that you would never see it unless it was pointed out to you.  So now I read the labels... and very often... they do say from other countries. I will not buy meat from other countries ever again.  Why in the heck would we ship meat in from so far away???? Well my guess is.. because in those other countries they don't have to abide by the regulations in regards to what they feed and what hormones and additives are used in the diets of the products they are selling.  So it's cheaper, and probably poisonous.  Let me tell you about the taste difference I experienced... the ground sirloin that I ate a couple of times..tasted like goo. Forgive me folks... I am not usually at a loss for words..lol It had a pasty bread like consistency (not usually associated with meat) unless it's meat loaf.  I just didn't like it. It was gross.  The scary thing is... had it not been a noticeable difference in the taste and consistency I might never have been the wiser.  This is alarming on so many levels.  Meat case labels never use to say things like made in other countries in small print, so it never occurred to me to look for that, and I am sure it doesn't occur to most people.  It's a new thing.. a sneaky, shady new thing.  Buyers beware.... your very own health is most definitely at stake.  In this day and age we are facing many unnatural products at our grocery stores.  Our fruits and vegetables that we have long been able to count on as being natural and healthy, can now be genetically altered and not labeled to inform us.  How is that even possible... if it isn't 100% natural, how can they not be required to tell us they have fucked with our food!!!!???? If you are interested in knowing what's going on in the food industry today... and you should be..here is a link to an awesome documentary that will shock and enrage you, but hopefully make you more aware of how to make better choices about what you eat.    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1286537/   Thanks for listening. :)

Best & Worst

Best:  Our C.j. sunshine has come back home to the L House.  We are so happy to have her.  My oil business is gaining some momentum and every new oil I try .. I love.  They really are the bomb. Noelle and I have started walking on the hamster wheel and we love it.  Walking is the best exercise.  Noelle and I have discovered gel nails. They are so cool and not damaging to your nail bed. It is really just a gel polish but it doesn't crack and lasts 3 to 4 weeks for us. Yay.  Noelle couldn't wear acrylics cause they would lift and come off of her in only a week. Now with gels our nails look good for a long time and it doesn't break the bank. :)  I found an artist (TJ Lubrano) who is going to do illustrations for me for a chapter of poems in my next poetry book. So excited that her drawings will help my work come to life.  We are seeing a good friend this weekend that we haven't seen in a while.... it will be very therapeutic. 


Worst:  We are having to do our first eviction here at the L House.  We have one girl who is really bringing down the mood and doesn't follow the rules.  Sad... but it is what it is.  So we move forward. It's all we can do.. and we know things will go back to normal once she is gone.  I have been having random breakouts over the last couple of months... and I have no idea what is causing them. sighs....  


Funniest:  Telling Victoria about the Butt Bomb remedy amidst ours and C.j.'s roaring laughter.   


What I learned:  That there is a mixture of Essential Oils  (Butt Bomb) that when placed in a capsule and inserted in one's behind can cure lung infections. Wow. Sounds pretty extreme to me...lol

The High Cost of Cherries...

About a month ago I was shopping at our neighborhood Costco and I was eyeing their wonderful cherries.  They are always plump, dark, sweet, and unlike other places that you buy them you don't have to throw a quarter of them away because they are bad. Yummm.  Anyway I was looking at the packages and minding my own business when a well dressed woman walked up to me and said are they good? Have you tasted them? I said they usually are...but I haven't tasted these in particular yet.... they are in closed packages I said wondering to myself how exactly I was supposed to be tasting them?  To my astonishment she said oh I just look for an open package and grab a few.  That's stealing I proclaimed loudly! Thanks for defining your character... I will remember your face and that you are a thief! She rolled her eyes and walked away.  Since she didn't take a cherry in front of me... I also walked away, and thought to myself how awful that people think they can just steal like that.  I wanted to ship her off to that country where they cut off your hand when you get caught stealing.  Anyway... moving on ... bigger fish to fry that day.  Fast forward to today... I was again shopping at Costco... it's been about a month.  Today I went looking for the Cherries and I wasn't disappointed.  They were in the walk-in refrigerated area, and they did look divine.  So as I am examining the packages and choosing the perfect one.. another well dressed woman of perhaps Filipino descent, not being racist... the first lady was white, walks up beside me and reaches into a slightly open package.. and plucks out a cherry and as she is putting it up to her mouth... I shriek....that's stealing!!!!!!  She turns to me and says... it was open... and I again shrieked... I don't care... it is still stealing!!!!! She then gave me a look of death and I kid you not... threw the cherry. (poor succulent cherry wasted :( ....) and stormed away.  I immediately went to find an employee and reported what had happened and gestured her way she was just across the isle now.  He said he would look into it and get someone to keep an eye out.  But I didn't stop there... I went to the front and got a manager and recounted the sorted encounter... and then exclaimed "fucking bitch... this is why the rest of us have to pay higher prices" The manger replied that is exactly right... as she was giggling under her breath.  She apologized to me... and I said it's not your fault ... but I just wanted you to know your inventory is disappearing and this isn't the first time I have encountered it personally. She thanked me and said they would definitely be looking into it.  Apparently, many people do not consider this stealing.  I read an article that says the average family of 4 will pay approx $440.00 a year extra for items they purchase due to pilfering.  The store has to make up for that loss somehow... so we foot that bill.  http://www.jrrobertssecurity.com/security-news/security-crime-news0024.htm  I don't know about the rest of you, but that simply isn't okay with me!  So now I am thinking about volunteering a few hours a day to guard the precious cherries for Costco... in hopes that they might pay me in product.  I would be happy to cause a huge scene and bitch-slap a few unsuspecting thieves. That just might make my day actually!

Best & Worst

Best:  Starting off the new year with one less car payment. WooooHooo 1 down 2 to go.  Added a new girl Tae to the L House.  Nice addition.  Another quiet but fun holiday season. Yay.  New Years Eve was a blast filled with drunken karaoke. OMG!!! Thank goodness there are no pics. LOL I have joined a new site that is broadening my horizons and I am looking forward to reading some great authors at Expats Poetry.  Had my womans homemade spicy bomb pasta for my birthday and for the new year. yummm. Got the renovations photo book done just in time for the holiday party for my wife's bosses. A fun collaborative effort, but wow was it down the to wire. All worth it though in the end ... they loved it. Major score.  Yay.  I have started learning about and selling doTERRA Essential Oils.  I cannot believe how well they work. It is refreshing to be able to use something that is all natural with no warning labels to enjoy physical wellness. Loving it.  Spoiler... I hope to put out my next book of poetry this year.. (Scarlett Saturated Gold) Probably not till late in the year, but this may indeed be the year. smiles. Have some fun get aways planned with our traveling buddies the Campos.  Happy Happy 2012 everyone.

Worst:  Losing Sweet Cindy in december.  She has moved on from the L House, but has a new life and a new home, and we wish her all the best.  Miss her a lot though.  This last week's unexpected heat wave, talk about summer in the dead of winter..WTF??? Filling out all those Albertson's $1,000 sweepstakes entries...omg they all have to be handwritten..wow do I have writer's cramp. ouch. Time to get the (Deep Blue) oil out. Not much worst right now...yay

Funniest:  My son scaring the crap out of me when he came into the room and me screaming so loud I nearly broke his ear drums... lol

What I learned:  That essential oils applied to one's feet can get into your system and start to help relieve your symptoms within 30 seconds, that there are 100% essential oils you can mix just a few drops into tap water to create an anti-bacterial cleaning spray that will keep germs from growing on any surface you put it on for 7 days. Wow... see what I mean?

That's it for Best & Worst this week. I hope you will all comment with your very own Best & Worst. Thanks for reading.

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays

I quit celebrating Christmas as a religious holiday two years ago.  I am Atheist but have celebrated the parts of Christmas that I love most of my life without giving it much thought.  Two years ago we had a family squabble over of all things religion, and in part, as a result of that I made my decision.  Being that I don't believe in god I really have no business celebrating a holiday that is supposed to be about god.  I will however always celebrate love, and it is something I do every day not just one day of the year. I will always celebrate trees, and colored lights simply because I love them.   In the last couple of years I have taken note of the squabbles happening on social networking sites such as Facebook where everyone is all up in arms over whether or not you say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays.  First of all, if you are celebrating Christmas as the birth of Christ, who the hell cares what other people say to you about it.  If you truly believe in your god, then he is in your heart and it doesn't make a bit of difference whether someone says Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays.  Maybe they don't believe in your god, but that should not have any effect on what you believe, or on the gratitude you should have that they chose to wish you anything at all!  We are a country of many different beliefs and non beliefs, and we should all try to get along.  I have always felt religion should be a private thing... celebrated and practiced in the home.  It has no business in politics or law or in secular public education.  Politics will always cater to majorities in order to win votes, but laws should be made to equally apply justice and liberties to all regardless of faith or non faith!  Public secular schooling is for educating all children about reading, writing, arithmetic, history and the world as it is. If you don't want your children to know what's really going on in the world around them and you would rather they be brainwashed with whatever religious dogma you choose then send them to a private school that teaches that, because in a public secular school you don't get to rewrite history so that it fits whatever religious beliefs you may have. IT IS WHAT IT IS!!! History happened, and you should not get to skew it. It should always include the truths about what really happened and who really contributed, winners and losers, gay, straight, believers, non believers,  purple, whatever.  IT IS WHAT IT IS!!! It has never been what we would all like it to be and most assuredly never will be since what we would all like it to be varies greatly.  I used to get offended when people wished me Merry Christmas... how dare they assume that I believe in their god, but it goes back to what I said earlier... gratitude. Today I am grateful that they chose to wish me anything at all.  So whatever you believe... or don't believe... I wish you all love and peace, not just today, but every day.  

Twilight Breaking Dawn part 1 movie review

I do not usually read reviews of a movie before I go to see it, but this time because I couldn't go on opening night I was too curious and gave in to that curiosity.  I have to say that I don't agree with any of the reviews I read except that the musical score was a bit too loud and often seemed intrusive.  I did however love the music.  Bella's theme is appropriately haunting and beautiful.  I suppose at this point I will have to identify as a Twi-hard.  I read the entire series of books in only two weeks and I just didn't want the story to end.  I was happy to see that they stuck to the storyline because for us that are big fans that is so important.  For us, making the book come alive on the big screen is really what it's all about.  The critics can say what they like, but I know I am not alone in how I feel and the proof is in the bottom line.  The wedding was dreamy, and it was nice to have a break from the tension in the story for bit.. to just enjoy the characters being happy for a minute.  The critics called that boring... but us fans know what's coming and appreciate the lull. I enjoyed the scenes of Bella getting ready for her big day and being surrounded by her new vampire family and her mom and dad.  I am so happy that they made it grand... it was befitting.  Some of the critics were disappointed that they didn't show more of the deflowering, but I think they showed just enough.  It's not a porno after all.  We're not stupid.. we get the idea.  The aftermath really said it all, and the sweet embraces and when Bella convinces Edward to take her again, eventhough he had made up his mind to wait until he changed her for fear of hurting her further, but gives in was priceless and wonderfully romantic.  I enjoyed the images of them playing chess and playfully interacting... just because it's a honeymoon doesn't mean it's all about sex.   I particularly liked where they ended it, and when Bella opens her eyes and they are red... well it was actually a little frightening and we realize in that moment the true nature of the decision she has made and it sort of snaps us out of our romantic delusions. LOL  I loved it.  There was a sense of forboding and of what's to come.  I was happy that they didn't shy away from the birthing scene.  It is what it is, and should not be sugar coated.  A lot of people say that the movie takes a pro-life stance, I don't agree.  It's about love, Bella wanted more than anything to have Edward's child. It was the one thing she would regret giving up to become a vampire, and although the situation was dire, she made the choice her heart wanted.  No one would have blamed her had she made the opposoite choice given the circumstances.  Luckily it all works out for her and she doesn't lose her life because of it.  We can argue all day about the message that it sends, but that's why it has a parental guidance warning.  It is up to parents to educate their kids and monitor what messages they are receiving.  I cannot wait to see more of the baby in the last movie.  It will be interesting to see how they depict her special gift.  So from the lavish wedding to the haunting and beautiful musical score on the Heart Chart Breaking Dawn part 1 gets 4 out of 5 hearts. ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Best & Worst

Best:  Our wonderful anniversary campout with my sweet Cheri.  It was long overdue and the weather was nice.  A little warm one day but perfect the other days.  We celebrated 11 years together and got some great pics.  The weather as a whole has been cooling off and I love cooler weather. smiles.  We took a haunted bus tour in Ventura and got some fun ghosty pics.  Went to the RV show and saw the trailer that we want to upgrade to ; now to save for it.  One of my newest poems was very well received on a poetry site that I belong to.  We are really liking the new show (The X Factor).  Awesome.

Worst:  Our miss Cindy is leaving the L House.  She is buying a house and moving to Arizona.  We wish her well but will miss her so so much.  Asthma has been acting up a bit... sighs...  I don't like the things that are going on in America right now...banks running a fowl of the law and not being punished, creating a recession that has devastated the country and resulted in so many Americans losing their homes.  Corporations polluting and poisoning and spending lots of money to not be accountable for what can only be catergorized as legalized murder. Big pharmaceutical companies spending billions of dollars making medicines that cure some symptoms while causing others, instead of finding cures because there simply is no money it that!  Healthcare that is so expensive that only about half of America can afford it.  In my opinion it doesn't need to cost the kind of money that it does.  If every patient could pay the negotiated rates that the insurance companies pay, then many more of us could simply afford it on our own, but again...there's no money in that. 

Funniest:  Hands down our dog flinging himself off of the  little two seater bicycle car.  He hated it, and when Noelle was driving by me to go for a little round herself he saw me and flung himself, choke chain attached, flying through the air the opposite direction the bike thing was going, it all happened in slow motion.  Once I knew he was okay I/we laughed our asses off. LOL

What I learned:  That a rodents teeth can be clipped when they are too long and keeping the rodent from eating properly.  wow.  That there is a form of insomnia that results from the whistling that asthma can make.  It works something like this.... you start to nod off into sweet slumber only to be continually awakened by the whistling of your own breathing.... speaking from experience here folks...sighs... that there is a drug commonly used for erectile disfunction that when injested by females causes spntaneous abortion, very affordable in fact.

A note about banking giant (Capital One)

Today I want to inform all who will listen about the evils of the banking giant Capital One.  It has been my misfortune to have been one of their previous cardholders.  It makes me sick to my stomach every time I see Alec Baldwin on tv promoting the legalized financial rape of American consumers.  Here I will tell you my story, but I know I am not alone.  I look forward to the day when a class action suit is filed against them because  losing money is the only thing that will get their attention.  Clearly, doing the right thing, or the ethical thing is of no consequence to them.  Both my wife and I used to be Capital One cardholders.  We didn't over extend ourselves or use our cards frivolously so we did not encounter problems with them until a company without permission kept trying to charge one of my cards.  This is how it went, and I know so many of you will relate.  I purchased something online, and as is so often the case now, online companies will try to renew a purchase whether or not you have said that is your intent.  So a company I made a one-time purchase through tried to bill my card again.  When I got the statement I contacted my bank and told them I did not authorize this purchase, but because I had authorized a previous purchase and this company had my card number, Capital One told me that I had to contact the company directly to cancel something I hadn't even signed up for. I asked Capital One, if I contact the company and they don't respond and they won't stop trying to charge my card, what can I do? Capital One said: you can file a complaint with us and we will try to ascertain whether or not the charge is valid, but because you gave them your card number that means you authorized it.  I said I am telling you right now, that I am not authorizing any further charges from this company, and Capital One said, we're sorry but we have to let the charges go through.  I said but I am telling you I do not give permission, and they said that is our policy.  So I said, I would like to close my account. Capital One said no problem, but we have to keep it open for 30 days and if any more charges come through then we will have to keep it open for 30 more days from the date that a charge comes through.  I said, that's extortion! That cannot even be legal?  I am telling you I want to close my account effective immediately, and they said sorry, that is our policy.  So if this unscrupulous company that I made (one) purchase through, would not stop charging my card, then Capital One could force me to continue to be a cardholder with them, unless of course I filed bankruptcy.  Somewhere in the fine print it must have said that they can do this, otherwise there is no legal way that they could. I called every other credit card that I held at the time and they all said when you cancel a credit card it is effective immediately, but Capital One is not on the side of their customers, they only care about how much money they can extort from you.  Of course, if you never have the problem of a company trying to fraudulently charge your card, you might never run into this issue with them, but word to the wise, the mere fact that they have such a policy is reason enough not to do business with them.  Any unscrupulous online vendor who gets your card number and knows about Capital One's policies could take you for some money and cause you lots of drama.   I am today very very careful what I purchase online.  Luckily for me, the company that kept charging my card was reachable after some effort and the charges ceased once I finally got to  talk to someone, but if they hadn't I would I suppose still have that damn credit card and probably would have sued Capital One.  So we canceled our cards and told them how much we hated them and their product and that we would NEVER do business with them again.  To this day, despite repeated DEMANDS, that they stop harassing us, they send us 3 to 7 credit card offers per week and there seems to be nothing we can do to stop them.  I feel bad for the trees that have to get cut down for them to harass me with their paper shit that I don't want, and furthermore, I cannot merely discard for fear that they fall into the wrong hands.  So we have a shred pile that even as I type this is full of Capital One credit card offers.  We have to look out for each other.  Big businesses are only in it for the money.  The only way we can effect their horrible business practices  is to stop giving them our money! I am an avid player of Frontierville on facebook.  It is a Zynga online game, and Zynga has become very big very quickly.  They have recently decided to promote Capital One in two of their games that I know of.  I have written them a letter expressing my anger that they would support by accepting advertising dollars, a company that has hurt so many American consumers and that has some of the worst policies in the banking industry.  It is this promotion by Zynga, who otherwise does many good works around the globe, coupled with the relentless tv ads,  that has inspired this rant. Okay climbing down from soapbox momentarily. sighs...

Best & Worst

Best: Just had a wonderful 4 day relaxing weekend with my Sweet Cheri. smiles. Two of my poems reached "All Time Best" status on a poet site that I belong to.  Miss Cindy is home from her travels.  The plumbing issues in the pride bathroom have been resolved. WoooHooo. Thank you Randy!

Worst: My scanner stopped working again, and I am tired of re-installing my printer because it wants to update and I don't allow it to. IT'S A FUCKING PRINTER!!! It should not need to update. It's not like it's an operating system or something.  Trust me, as soon as I can replace it, it's going to the desert! It's an HP by the way. I use to let it update until the day after an update that it started printing everything mirror image. A function I did not even know I had, and still don't really understand why one would want that option, but I eventually found it and unchecked it, but it kept defaulting back to it. Un-install Re-install.  Did I mention it's going to the desert soon? UGH!!!! End of the year bills are coming due. sighs....  Vikki is still house sitting and we miss her smiling face.  My closest friend has been going through a lot of drama lately and hopefully it's over now and things will settle down. 

Funniest:  When I was in the bathroom in the middle of the night, and Noelle came to use it and didn't know I was there, and I didn't hear her coming, so I screamed and then she screamed and we were both screaming. LOL LOL

What I learned:  What a Honey Badger looks like.  That some people don't seem to change at all.  That a pair of sisters who murdered their mother when they were 15, and 16 in Canada were sentenced as juveniles served only 4 years and are now out and attending college and living their lives like nothing happened. Just wow!

Chasing Rainbows and Discovering Dreams

Chasing Rainbows and Discovering Dreams by Dani Heart

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