Marcia Siegel's Open Salon Blog

MOMMIE DEAREST

Wed, 6 Jan 2010 11:01:51 -0500

My mom is 81 years old. If you met her you would never believe she is 81 years old. You would think she is in her 60's. She lives in NYC but since she retired when she was 79 she visits Florida a few times a year. This started a while ago and it was originally only for part of the summer. My mom had a best friend, Evelyn and they would go to Florida in the summers. Two summers ago Evelyn passed away. My mom was devastated and was uncertain if she should visit Florida. She made the decision to go there for the summer. It was at this visit that she met Ed. Ed was the yang to my mother's yin. Ed was a 64 year old single, never married bachelor. When he met my mom he found love. Unfortunately it was short lived as Ed passed away last summer.

So now January 2010 my mom is back in Florida. My mom has a computer and cable. She is not anti media yet she failed to check the weather for Boca,Florida before she left. Her thought was it is Florida and it is hot because Florida is hot. She left form NYC and she knew NYC was not hot but she dressed in her Florida clothes and she was freezing at the airport. She also choose to leave early for her flight which I advised against but she is stubborn. She thought she would leisurely hang out in the airport. News Flash, at 5AM most services at the airport are closed. So there she was; in an airport improperly dressed and without services.

Finally she landed in Florida. Florida was cold. Most people knew this if they watched any weather info. It was on most news/weather reports because it is part of the weather. It goes something like this, “South struggles with record-setting freeze.” There are many headlines like this.

So I called my mom when she arrived in Florida to see how the flight went. She was surprised that Florida was cold. However,. She thought that was a passing fancy and the minute she stepped out it would become warm. She put on her shorts and was going to sit out by eh pool. She would be the only one as it was 40 something that day. She actually went to the pool in shorts and sat down on a chair and was confused and cold. How could Florida be cold? She went back to the condo and pondered. She still did not turn on the TV to check on the weather. She also was devoid of any clothing that resembled warm clothing. She has no warm clothes in Boca. How could this be? Not sure but that is my mom.

When I called her I told her to get some warm clothes. She lamented about an outfit never worn and not packed that was warm. She rejected the warm attire because it is warm in Florida. Knowing my mom she would buy one warm outfit and think magically that she would need that maybe some day in the far future. I watched the weather and called her back the next day and instructed her to buy a few warm outfits. I told her it would be chilly for at least a week. She said okay and then talked about sunning and swimming tomorrow. She also said she bought summer foods which translated into oranges, strawberries, and mangoes. She was hungry. It seemed pretty odd that I had to instruct my mother what foods to buy. Isn't it supposed to be the other way round? I started to mention canned goods such as soup and chili and I was interrupted. Chili is too heavy. It is Florida and it is hot so who could eat chili? Once I was allowed to finish the sentence I hope the words penetrated. The point of chili and canned goods is that they last a while so if you want something “heavy” you have it. Stocking up is not a sin. It is wise. So I hope the stocking up and preparing idea sunk in. Probably not. I will not call today. I will let my mom go out again in her shorts and hope she gets the message that for now it is cold in Boca.

Who Is Minding The Store?

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:12:28 -0500

Oops. A man brought some kind of explosive device on a plane. He was proceeding to explode it when he was tackled by some passengers. There was no sky marshals on this plane.

The last time I flew security took away my yogurt.

Umar, the under-pant wearing terrorist lost his way. His dad sensed something was amiss and tried to warn and contact various agencies. In one news blurb the dad said the word “jihad” and for some reason that did not arouse suspicions. No one the dad contacted got a hold of the “right people.” Perhaps there should be a directory posted and promoted so you can get to the right people if your son or daughter or anyone you know is into a “jihad” and is planning to blow up anything wearing explosive panties or something else. How about a public service commercials? Or maybe at work you can be given a sheet of whom to contact, in case.

It seems Umar was testing the explosive device for a terrorist organization. He was a newbie terrorist and they put him in product testing. He was willing to take the risk of losing his penis, balls and who knows what else. None of that mattered as Umar was in a jihad.

And there was info about Umar long before Umar boarded that plane. Long before passengers tackled Umar. The US Homeland Security Team did not get that info. WHY? I don't know. They don't know. But here is what I do know. OUR GOVERNMENT IS DYSFUNCTIONAL. It does not work as it should. We were not protected on that plane by anyone in our government. Yet our government allots much cash to run these inefficient agencies. And our government does not have money for the citizens such as health care for all. Why? Because all the cash goes to the incompetents. I think everyone of authority that was involved in this issue should be fired. Of course they won't and that is the problem. If they were fired then maybe they would get on the ball. It is like your parents told you. You need consequences for your actions. Our government has none. If you screw up you get on TV and look upset and then you point and blame and then you get reasonable again and say you will get to the bottom of it. And maybe you will and maybe you won't and we the public citizens of the United States, In God we trust, we will never know. We will never be told.

“Abdulmutallab, 23, abruptly told his family he would abandon the life that took him from a $28,000-a-year private school in Togo to a degree at an illustrious London university. That message pushed his father, a prominent banker from Nigeria, to contact security officials and the US embassy to bring his son home. "We provided them with all the information required of us to enable them to do this," a statement from the family said.”

“The father of a man suspected in a botched terror attack aboard a Northwest Airlines flight contacted the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria recently with concerns his son was planning something, a senior U.S. administration official said Saturday. The father -- identified by a family source as Umaru Abdul Mutallab -- contacted the U.S. Embassy "a few weeks ago" saying his son, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, had "become radicalized," the senior administration official, who is familiar with the case, told CNN.

Dad contacted a US embassy in Nigeria. Now we know that being in Nigeria is not prestigious. So some schlep was there to hear a worried father talk about his dysfunctional son. The schlep either ignored this or he told someone. It does not matter because our government was out of this incident. Our government either did not get the message or they ignored the message. The facts are irrelevant. Homeland Security and the CIA were asleep. Fire them. It is their job to get and find info so they can protect us. Once they are fired the next batch can take over. If they screw up then fire them. At one point there will be a team. It will work better sometime In the future. Once the dysfunctional government employees understand they will be fired and held reponsible for their actions maybe we John Q Public Citzen will be protected.

“A family source told CNN that Mutallab -- who recently retired as chairman of First Bank PLC, one of Nigeria's premier banks -- had contacted the embassy in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, and various other security agencies earlier than the time line provided by the administration official. The family source said Mutallab went to those agencies about three months ago after receiving a text message from his son.

Abdulmutallab's father notified the U.S. Embassy with information on his son, saying the family feared he went to Yemen to participate in "some kind of jihad." “

Every time I read this and hear the word “jihad” I get shivers. Is jihad like slumber party? Not in the least. Jihad is serious. Yet the US Embassy armed with this intel missed the boat. Maybe they had a pool and took bets on the jihad.

Is there really anything else to say. Talking point one: Fire the idiots. Talking point two: Expect results. Talking point three: Protect us and let me keep my yogurt.

Laundry Detergent Rip Off

Tue, 1 Sep 2009 16:09:58 -0400

Laundry detergent costs anywhere from $3.50 to $14.99. I have always bought the $3.50 ones. Then one day I looked at my clothes and they did not look good. There was a white streak on the bottom of my shorts. I decided to try another detergent. I read that Tide is the best laundry detergent. It is also the most costly. Honestly I just could not spend $14.99 for laundry detergent. So I went with the Target brand. There was another reason I decided to switch. The $3.50 detergent said there would be 30 washes. I knew I never got 30 washes. That made me falsely believe that the $3.50 detergent was lying to me and ripping me off. Crazy, but true. Then I looked closer and the $3.50 detergent was not being dishonest nor cheating me. They were right and I was wrong but they wanted me to be wrong. They wanted me to get less than 30 washes. Way less than 30 washes. How did they do this? By making the detergent cap dark blue. Very dark blue. So dark that I needed a flash light to see the inside cup markings. If I used the markings to fill the detergent cup I would have gotten close to those 30 washes.

I think it is sneaky that laundry detergent manufacturers do this. They put directions on the laundry detergent container. But who reads them? I think we know how to do the wash. But if you do not read the back you will most likely not get the amount of washes the box says you will.

So I looked at the instructions on the container. There was some information about how much detergent to put in the laundry deterrent in the cup. Actually there are lines in the cup and if the load is very dirty then you fill it to the top line. Less dirty and also less water then you can use some other lines. I realized that the 30 washes I did not get were because I did not use the line and the cup correctly.

So now I had this knowledge. I decided to apply it to the Target detergent. The cup is dark purple. If there are lines in there I can not see them. So I am guessing. I should get 64 washes. I am not counting. Too much work. However, 64 washes should be about a month and a half.

I am on the warpath about corporations. I find them sneaky aming other things. The laundry detergent is just one example. The problem is that if we spend our time in corporation skepticism and inspection we will not have time in the day to even take a shower. They really got us. Corporations, can't live with them, can't live without them. Scary!

EVERYBODY MUST GET STONED

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:08:35 -0400

TO TAKE THE TEST OR NOT TO TAKE THE TEST

If you are looking for a job you will be put on notice by many places that you will be subjected to a drug test. I have never taken a drug test. I have never been subjected to a drug testing corporation. I have never applied for a job where I would be working with small children or operating heavy machinery or driving.

When I looked for work in the “old days” there was a different approach and way of doing it. Now to quote Bob Dylan “Things have changed.” I may not like the changes nor think they are benefiting me but I could see some reason for them. This line of reasoning does not apply to drug testing. It seems standard practice to drug test. Why, I do not know? It seems that corporations do not care what job you are applying for. If you want to work for them you better give up your urine with a smile.

Here is a true example. I applied for a job with week end work and where I would be required to wear a hair net. I think that maybe you are either wondering or know what that job is. The job is to “demonstrate food” which really means give out food to the customers. I am sure you have seen these lovely people in stores. My mother actually eats her meals at these places and some of these lovely people yell at her regularly for having sixths. She has the main meal and then hits the specialty places for dessert. She knows exactly where to go for free food. As an aside she has been doing this for years. When we lived in the Bronx she hit up our neighbors for food. She is not a mooch. She is a bad cook and has a big appetite. So we went to Zelda for cole slaw and potato things mainly yummy appetizers and side dishes. We hit Gerry up for dessert. Zelda was a good baker but an infrequent baker. Gerry was a great baker, baked regularly and also a creative dessert maker.

So now if I was hired I would have the privilege of “demonstrating” food in a hair net. I actually like the idea of the hair net for sanitary reasons but as a fashion statement it is a no no for me. There is also more uniform rules. Black bottoms, comfortable shoes and a white top with sleeves and collar which will be covered by an apron. There is another grandiose requirement for this job. I must “pass” a drug test. What is that about? Why do I need to be drug free to hand out food. Isn't this the type of job anyone can have as the skill level is close to zero? And what if I came to work stoned? Would I give out doubles? Would I be too happy at work and be busted? Can't a girl get a buzz while giving away food?

On a serious side I am thinking I might not pass the drug test. I do take prescription medicines. This has created a dilemma for me. I do not want to ask about whether I will pass or fail because I do not feel comfortable discussing my health with a stranger who happens to be my employer. I also do not know how my medicines are classified. They are those designer drugs that say “We do not know how this drug works but if it does for you, Thank God.” I also wonder if I did fail if someone would talk to me or would I just be mysteriously fired.

I am nauseated by drug testing as a corporate policy. It just gives me a creepy feeling. I am opposed to corporations drug testing as a policy. I can see no reason why I need a drug test for the position. I find the drug test degrading. It makes me feel like a two year old. I also do not see the desperate need for a drug free workplace. Is there a special award for a drug free workplace? What happened to diversity? I need this job so I will be unhappily taking the drug test. This may be a learning experience for me if I “fail” the drug test, but why should it be? So what is really going on?

I read 1984 and Brave New World along with the many. I did not believe that we would become robots with our minds taken over by Big Brother. I had an idealistic and optimistic approach to democracy, our government, and progress. Then along came Nixon. Yes he was a bad apple but he was outed. He tried to get away with it and he did but eventually he got caught. All was right with the USA again. Of course there were some screw ups along the way to 2009. And here we are in 2009 living in what I title “Corporate Nation.” Corporations are intervening in our life. Corporations wield so much power that if we do not capitulate to their demands and idiotic ones at that our livelihood will be threatened. This is actually some kind of Scary New World.

I have heard from others that corporations are now trying to control us to make us indentured servants. I am not even sure the corporations know what they are doing. The scenario I see in my mind is one day on of those genius male execs with a huge ego and a small you know what said, “Brimley what about drug tests?.” And Brimley who was a yes man said, “Yes sir, drug tests it shall be” and all of sudden drug tests it was.

What exactly are these corporations doing with your urine once tested? Did you know your urine contains DNA? This may sound diabolical but are these corporations selling your urine to labs? Are they making a profit on your urine? Are they or is someone else looking at, copying and selling your DNA? They very well could be because the way these corporations drug test does not seem economically feasible. They test everyone before you start work. There is an attrition factor so it seems to me they are spending a large sum of money repeatedly drug testing potential employees.

I did a little research about drug testing and the courts said it seems reasonable (with some exclusions) if your employer suspects you are using drugs and are stoned at work. That in itself sounds lame. Since when did your employer become a Narc? I realize there are training classes for this but what if your employer chose not to attend and keep current? And what about the corporations I am talking about that force you to take a drug test upon hiring. They do not suspect you are on drugs. In order to get into their idiotic club you have to take a drug test. This should be a violation of the 4^th amendment but apparently it is not. Judges love the Corporate Nation and they tend to side with them. Judges seem to hate drugs and even the word drugs. Judges show a high level of naivete in this area. Taking a drug test to have the honor of being employed by these glorious corporations in a low level job is a fairly common requirement.

So here I am reluctantly giving in and giving up my urine in a cup when I would rather be throwing it in their faces.

IS IT ADDICTION, CO DEPENDENCY OR JUST 2009

Tue, 4 Aug 2009 16:08:41 -0400

DO I NEED THERAPY?

Me, my computer and the Internet. Is that a threesome? Is it kinky?

Perhaps I should not own a computer. Of course that is impractical because so many business processes are on line and require a computer as well as Internet access. Applying for things requires on line access. How many times have you asked a question on a phone call and were told to go to www.etc? Many times purchasing on line will save you money and if not money at least you can do it in your own home at your leisure. I have purchased many items on line. My husband used to call me a farmer. I was just ahead of the times because on line purchasing has become ordinary, if you are a shopper. Non shoppers will think this is all hog wash.

Of course computers and the Internet help us keep in touch with many and even re connect with many that became lost to us. Letter writing has been fairly archaic for many years. Maybe not to us bloggers because we like to write but to the civilians it was and still is a chore, a weight and just something they will not and can not do. I remember when I wrote letters I would get a call back apologizing for no reply to my letters. I knew they would not reply but I secretly wished they would and I would find a letter in my mail box instead of a bill.

Interesting that these non letter writers like e mail and will actually write an e mail. Or if not initiate one on their own they will in due time reply to yours. Sometimes they can even be chatty. Odd as it may be I hate long e mails. When I get a long one from someone I know I move on to the next e mail. When I check e mail I am not into heavy, serious thinking. I am into quick tell me what is going on “today” not your life from the past decades. And even “today” better be brief. The long e mails I save to read become iffy. I may not read them at all or it may be weeks before I want to tackle them. Sometimes the delay can be bad thing especially if they are counting on you for something.

I find a computer highly entertaining and I can get lost in the clicks. I get lost when I am looking for something not urgent and maybe random. I may loose interest in what I started searching for and click away on things that intrigue me. Viola and I arrive at some site that I become engrossed in and then after a while loose interest in and now find boring and dull and I just click off. One example of that is celebrity photos. I like the ones where the Celebes do not look good and are engaging in a faux pas. Another one that just took my breath away and then made me vomit was current hair styles. I spend long amounts of time on these sites studying, maybe copying and saving. Then at some point I may look at the time and say to myself, “What are you doing? How could you have spent so much time browsing at nothing? “ Or else I just get disgusted and know I have had enough.

Other times I go to intellectual sites. I believe I am intellectual. Belief about yourself is good. There does not have to be any truth to it. I have studied viruses, sociology studies, math, chemistry, detailed, numerous, and varied bios of people I am enchanted with as well as recipes. Recipes can be on the low side of intellectualism but as I said truth is not important: only belief.

I can spend hours in any of these endeavors. I can occupy and amuse myself for long periods of time. When I do this I am silent and can do this in silence which is an asset to those around me. They love it when I am quiet.

I definitely have a relationship with my computer. I count on my computer to be speedy, prompt and problem free. I expect my computer to be ready for me and to do it's stuff easily and even with some grace. My computer and I spend intimate moments together. No matter how much I try to break free I just can not. Someone will say, “I will e mail you that. What is your e mail address?” And just like that I am back on line with my computer looking in my e mail of pictures of someone's cat that I could care less about.