Margarita Friday!! and GrandDogs

Every Friday night we've developed a habit of dining at our favorite local Mexican restaurant and enjoying "Margarita Fridays!" The restaurant, "Mi Hacienda" has incredibly tasty food, and Tom says the Margaritas are the best (Rob doesn't drink them or he'd be under the table with 1/2!). This week, we took my (Rob's) mother there for her FIRST ever Mexican dinner. She loved it and even tried Tom's margarita. Of course, we were happy that Friday arrived and Tom got his tasty Margarita! Here are photos from that evening!



My (Rob) mom is visiting for 2 weeks from Massachusetts, and she loves her grand-dogs (just like Tom's mom). She spent almost all day Friday sewing up their toys! Here are some photos of Rob's mom and her grand-dogs (Dolly and Franklin)

Dealing with Elderly Parents Who are Failing

My mom is visiting for two weeks and staying with us. Since before my dad passed (almost 2 years ago) we noticed mom's short term memory was failing. Now it's worse and she even gets hostile over little things.
Yesterday, I took mom to a beauty salon to get her hair just washed and set, to pamper her. She was livid when I pulled up at the place. In fact, downright hostile and nasty to me. She said that about 8 months ago she had her hair dyed and the beautician messed it up, and made it orange. She was furious and the dye didn't come all out, so she had to live with it for 2 months (I guess). She panics over everything, and expects the worst- so she thought the local beautician I took her to would "destroy (her) hair!" I assured her it wasn't a cut or coloring, just a simple pampering and wash and set.
- I was humiliated in the salon when she kept raising her voice and telling me what an insensitive jerk (my words) I am to do this "hateful, nasty thing" to her.
I understand the fear from what happened to her, but told her that she needs to trust other people to not do the same thing, and trust me to not bring her to a non-professional.
The beautician, Diane, calmed her down and patiently listened. She was awesome. By the time my mother was under the hairdryer she calmed down.
She looked good afterward, but never said "thank you," and at lunch later, she didn't remember being hostile to me.
I've heard that's a sign of dementia (and her short term memory isn't good at all). So, jokingly I told her "I'm not taking you to get your nails done!" I can only be run out of so many local places (not that I ever go to nail salons, mind you). :) So much for pampering mom on her visit.
There is one good thing. After all that drama, she didn't scream when I told her she's here for 2 weeks instead of 1 week. Whew! (Okay, so I'm still trying to be optimistic here).
I believe she needs assisted living, but she's stubborn and "doesn't want to live near old people." Yes, she's 82. My brothers and I have a lot to figure out in the near future. It's all very sad to watch a parent age and lose their faculties.

Cape Cod to Get Wind Power!

I just read that the U.S. Dept. of the Interior gave the approval for a wind farm (giant wind turbines) to generate power off the Massachusetts coast (Nantucket Sound). Because the Boston area is actually the WINDIEST (sorry, Chicago) city/area in the U.S. with an average daily wind speed of around 11 mph (Chicago's averages 10 mph daily), it's a great place to build this. It doesn't pollute (so it doesn't contribute to climate warming) and it will be in the ocean. I think this is a great solution to generating some energy! Here are the highlights:
LOCATION: Wind farm developer Cape Wind Associates would build 130 turbines over a 25-mile stretch of Nantucket Sound. The 400-foot turbines would be between five miles off Cape Cod at their closest point to land to 14 miles off Nantucket at their greatest distance.
ENERGY: Cape Wind says it can generate power by the end of 2012 and eventually would supply the equivalent of three-quarters of the power used on Cape Cod, which has about 225,000 residents.
COST:Estimates range from $1 billion to more than $2 billion, to be privately funded with opportunities to obtain federal stimulus dollars and tax credits.
OPPOSITION: Native American tribes say the project would interfere with sacred rituals and desecrate tribal burial sites. Others claim it would hurt the ecology of Nantucket Sound and endanger marine traffic while raising energy prices.
FOR AVERAGE WIND SPEEDS OF CITIES (by month): http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/online/ccd/avgwind.html

Visitor!

My (Rob's)mother is visiting from Massachusetts this week, so we have a house guest. The dogs are getting adjusted to the noise upstairs and more attention. Mom loves to talk and notices everything, so we've had to shush her during a tv show or two. At 82 she's a bundle of energy and very physically fit. Nope, it's not coffee. She has one cup a day (while Rob has 12). Anyway, today, Tuesday, Tom's parents took my mom (Norma) out to lunch and entertained her during the afternoon while I was at the dentist. We enjoyed soup at Panera Bread for dinner, and took a nice dog walk.
Thankfully, my boss (and friend) is letting me work from home, and take the afternoons off while Mom is here. So, if you want to visit and hear lots of old stories, come on by!

Photos, Friends, Family, Fun on the Weekend

A WHIMISICAL LUNCH - Our friend Richard arrived in Baltimore this weekend for meetings and we met him for a fun lunch. Both Richard and his mom had a lot of paranormal encounters that they so wonderfully provided for my (Rob) book. We wanted Richard to experience something memorable and whimsical, so we took him to Baltimore's Paper Moon Diner. It's a gaudily colored diner (in an old house) that has toys, mannequins and furniture attached to the walls and ceilings!

Richard really enjoyed the experience. Here are a couple of pictures inside. The photo of the clock surrounded by figurines includes one of Rob's Favorite superheroes, the Green Lantern (right side). In the next photo, Richard was standing next to a mannequin. It's a wacky place!

A FUN DINNERTIME - Tom's sister Lisa and boyfriend Blair were visiting this weekend from the Carolinas, so we got together several times. Tom's folks made a turkey for dinner so we enjoyed that and played games like "Sequence" and "Dominoes." It made for a very fun evening (even though we both lost all the games). Dolly and Franklin were very well behaved, too, and enjoyed seeing them as well! Here's a photo of Lisa and Blair.

Photos of Fun Saturday Stuff

Today was a busy day as always. We did stuff around the house after making breakfast at home. Then we walked the dogs for about an hour while picking up lots of trash along the main road near us. It's sickening how much trash people toss out of their cars. We managed to get two bags full! On a better note, here are some pictures from today, and we were thankful that the rain held off. They're photos of our dogs Dolly (the Weimaraner) and Franklin (the Dachshund) enjoying time in the front of the house, a photo of our pink azaleas in full-bloom with our flag in the front of the house, our small lilac tree surrounded by purple irises, and mulching. I'll post more stuff tomorrow! Enjoy the photos.

Many Upcoming Book Events!

If writing and publishing a book wasn't hard enough, try promoting it, too! I've been very busy contacting places to make appearances and give talks and book signings. In fact, I've been pretty successful. *All of these include finding or thinking of places to go, confirming dates, writing my own press releases, advertising on on-line calendars and preparation. Here's a look at upcoming book events:
**NEW**MAY 13 (THURSDAY): INTERNET RADIO INTERVIEW ON FORGOTTEN VOICES RADIO. Beginning at 9:30 p.m. EDT, Forgotten Voice's Host Karlo will interview me about my abilities and my book! Tune in here: http://forgottenvoicesradio.com/
MAY 16: HARD BEAN COFFEE & BOOKSTORE, Annapolis, Md. From 1pm on. http://beansandbooks.com/
MAY 28, FRIDAY: CAPE COD COMMUNITY COLLEGE, W.Barnstable, Mass. 7-9pm, Talk and Booksigning Www.caiprs.com
MAY 29, SATURDAY: COFFEE BREAK CAFE, 77 Parkingway, Quincy, Mass. http://www.coffeebreakcafe.net/
JUNE 6, SUNDAY: FEDERAL HILL (BALTIMORE) JAZZ & BLUES FESTIVAL, 11am-7pm. Table for book signings with our friends Lynn and Steve Jenner (Author of Twilite: the Parody)! http://www.historicfederalhill.org/www
JUNE 11, FRIDAY, INSPIRE GHOST TRACKING GROUP (open to public), 7pm-9pm: Odenton, Md. Talk and booksigning.
Call 443-396-1282 or go to their site at http://www.inspiredeventsofmd.com/
JUNE 12, SATURDAY: JAZZ BRUNCH FOR THE FRIENDS OF THE LARGO-KETTERING LIBRARY (FOLK), from 10am-1pm. Located 9601 Captial Lane, Largo, Maryland 20074, phone number 301-336-4004.
There is a silent auction from 10 to 11AM and the brunch starts at 11. More information: Brenda Grier Colbert; President of FOLK; bgcolbert@verizon.net. This is FOLKs largest fundraiser of the year which helps to support a variety of programs within the library such as the children's summer program, the Christmas puppet shows, Martin Luther King Day program and many more.

Assoc. Press: Court voids law aimed at animal cruelty videos

This is sick. The conservative judges on the Supreme Court have lost my respect. How in the world could they APPROVE videos that show cruelty to animals? What in the hell is wrong with them?
Court voids law aimed at animal cruelty videos
Associated Press
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court struck down a federal law Tuesday aimed at banning videos that show graphic violence against animals, saying it violates the right to free speech.
The justices, voting 8-1, threw out the criminal conviction of Robert Stevens of Pittsville, Va., who was sentenced to three years in prison for videos he made about pit bull fights.
The law was enacted in 1999 to limit Internet sales of so-called crush videos, which appeal to a certain sexual fetish by showing women crushing to death small animals with their bare feet or high-heeled shoes. The videos virtually disappeared once the measure became law, the government argued.
But Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, said the law goes too far, suggesting that a measure limited to crush videos might be valid.
In dissent, Justice Samuel Alito said the harm animals suffer in dogfights is enough to sustain the law.

Conversation: Choosing Our Behavior / the Afterlife

On Sunday morning over breakfast, Tom and I had a conversation about the different levels of places people go in the afterlife. He's currently reading a book about "Karma and the Afterlife" by a Japanese author (It was translated into English). our friend Lynn J. gave it the book to us, and it's interesting that even in Japan the afterlife is viewed the same way by professionals investigating people's experiences. The author says that there are 3 levels of the afterlife: lower, middle and higher. Similar to Hell, Heaven and Perfection.
Tom said that the book went onto say that people who are negative or morally corrupt (or just evil) go to the lowest area. They can't get to the higher areas, closer to perfection until they come back to Earth and live another life- going through life's trials and maybe getting it more "right."
I agree with the coming back to Earth in another life to do a better job of learning how to live better - showing more love and compassion for each other, being more loving, thankful and optimistic about life, no matter what you're dealt.
I'm not sure I agree with "three places" people's spirits go. I think that our spirits go to two places, either into the light or into the darkness. In the light, spirits are judged for their behaviors on Earth and their conscience places them on different "levels" in the light. As Betty Eadie mentioned in the book "Embraced by the Light," we choose to come back to Earth to try and live a better life the next go 'round. Before we come back in another life we know the challenges we're going to face, either with a physical or mental disorder, healthy yet impoverished, struggling to find love, a decade-long search for a good job (I can relate to that), even being born into a difficult family. All because we know there's a lesson we need to learn to achieve a higher level of understanding life.
That's why everyone goes through the trials in life, although many of them seem unjustified and unfair. We know friends that have illnesses that you would think would make them depressed or mad at the world, but two of them I'm thinking of are the MOST loving, wonderful, optimistic people. They radiated love. They know the secret of life.
I, myself have gone through periods in my own life where I should have been miserable - hiding who I am and being scared and unable to live the way that would make me happy. I realize that was wrong and I wasted a lot of time, but I enjoyed every day. I also came out of that time appreciating life every day. During another period, I lived off student loans while getting my degree in meteorology, eating tuna fish and ramen noodles while working 2 part-time jobs that barely paid my rent and car insurance. But I was thankful I was able to do it.
Tom and I know of people who have great jobs and houses, not having to worry about where their next meal is coming from, but are totally miserable. They're healthy for the most part, but can't find much positive about their lives. Some haven't found love, others found it and left it behind, and just dwell on what they don't have, instead of appreciating anything they DO have.
There are a lot of people who live paycheck to paycheck, who choose what bills to pay, decide on food or electricity- but somehow they remain optimistic. It's all how you look at life.
A friend told me several times that a friend of his said often "I can't be as happy as Rob. It's not natural." Well, it is natural. You can choose to be thankful for a sunrise, or a hot cup of coffee, or getting green lights on your commute, or having a dog or cat to hug, an email from a friend, or a book or TV show you liked.
Find the simple things in life that make you happy and RECOGNIZE them.
The bottom line: You can CHOOSE to be happy, or choose to be miserable. I choose and have always chosen to be happy. You can, too. It will not only improve YOUR life, but people will want to be around you much more.

A Great Dog Day and Movie

Saturday was chilly (only 60F with a strong, constant wind) but we ventured out to a dog event in Columbia anyway. We met friends Todd and Erica with their 1 1/2 yr. old son Cole and Weimaraner, "Beamer" for a deli lunch and the dog event. Here are some pictures from the day.

(PHOTO: Here's Franklin (the dachshund) and Dolly (the Weimaraner) squeezing together for a front seat look in the pickup truck (from their big padded dog bench/bed in the back seat)).




(PHOTO: LEFT TO RIGHT: Beamer, Franklin and Dolly enjoyed exploring the dog event and sniffing tails and the trail nearby we all walked on.)



(PHOTO: Tom and Dolly, Erica pushing Cole in the stroller, Todd and Beamer. Franklin was helping Rob take the photo).



(PHOTO: Nice picture of Beamer enjoying the day)



(PHOTO: Franklin and Dolly striking a pose)

COFFEE TIME! - We were joined at the dog walk by our friends Jim, his sister Lisa, and their mom Jill, with their dogs Fredo and Bella. We later enjoyed coffee, cookies and stories about travel for a fun end to the afternoon.



GREAT MOVIE! - We wound up the evening watching s great movie on the USA Network that was in theatres in 2007. It was "3:10 to Yuma," a remake of a western from 1957. This version starred Christian Bale (of Batman movie fame) and Russell Crowe. SUMMARY: A small-time rancher agrees to hold a captured outlaw who's awaiting a train to go to court in Yuma. A battle of wills ensues as the outlaw tries to psych out the rancher.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

VIDEO: Backyard Squirrel Chasing - Git it! Git it!

Dolly (Weimaraner) and Franklin's (Dachshund) favorite sport is squirrel chasing. When they see one in the backyard they line up and start panting at the sliding glass doors in the kitchen (that looks out into the backyard). Here's a video of their typical "Git it! Git it! Git it!" behavior. After they clear out the yard and make it safe, then they sniff around to see where that nasty, stinky squirrel was walking around, so they know exactly where to go the next time. At least the lawn in the backyard is greening up (See the photo).

More Conservative Crap- This time about Supreme Court Judges!

Where does the GOP and conservative Hate crap end? Now a conservative group wants to ban gay people from being considered for the Supreme Court. WHY would anyone want to associate with this kind of prejudice/hatred? There is NO excuse for this crap. Period. This nasty piece of hatred came out today:
"[A] gay judge's sexual preference will, without any question whatsoever, 'interfere with their job.' It's not possible for it to be otherwise... We simply should not elevate to the highest court in the land people who are known for engaging in sexually abnormal behavior which would technically make them felons in a quarter of the states over which they will have jurisdiction." -- Bryan Fischer, American Family Association
Disqualified.: That's what the American Family Association and Focus on the Family -- both right-wing religious organizations -- think of gays and lesbians potentially serving on the Supreme Court following the retirement of venerable liberal Justice John Paul Stevens.