September 30

You would have been 70 today, Dad. 

Happy birthday. We miss you.

Official Notice

Dear World:

This whole sending-out-good-karma thing? This whole be-nice-to-others-and-get-it-back deal?

I'm calling bullshit.

And you know what? I'm done. I'm finished with making sure everyone is included and feels welcome. I'm done with marking every birthday of every person I know with a card or little gift. I'm finished lending out tools and baking supplies and books and God knows what else to anybody who finds my phone number laying around. I'm done taking flowers to people whose dogs have died and sending letters with nice words to people I think might like them.

Because know what? Those same people seem to mysteriously lose that same phone number when it's time for invitations to their events. Movie nights, birthday parties, you name it. *poof* Kim's contact information vanishes. 

I must do something really horrible to these people. That's the only thing that makes sense. And since I'm horrible despite making a real, concerted effort to go out of my way to be nice and kind and helpful whenever I can, it doesn't make much sense to keep up the effort. 

Of course, I'll keep up the effort with my actual friends. They know who they are. I love them and love doing nice things for them. It makes my heart happy.

But the others?

Find you own damned way to Home Depot. This library is closed.

Conundrum

We got two inches of rain last night. Everything is soaked and muddy and disgusting. More rain is forecast for later today.

CYO is saying today's soccer game is on. 

Do I take the boy? Or skip it? Do I go to Mommy Hell for that?

Dear CDC

Issue all the headlines you want. Nobody in this house is getting a flu shot.

First, no "vaccine" should be doled out like M&Ms at the grocery store. And no other supposed vaccination is. You can't just stroll in off the parking lot and get a measles shot if you want one. That speaks volumes to me about what may or may not be in the vial of flu vaccine. If it was really good stuff, it would be tracked. Theoretically, I could go from Giant to CVS to YMCA and get five or six flu shots a week. Doesn't seem like something you're concerned about.

And the marketing behind this shot...I mean, come on. No other drug gets this much attention every year. Could it be that the pharma companies who make this vaccine like the added revenue from your annual fear campaign?

I also have a problem with the studies you cite that "prove" the vaccine is effective. They're all funded either by the CDC itself, or the companies that make flu shots. In fact, the single independent review of the flu shot I've been able to find showed that it was no more effective than a placebo for people older than 2. 

Our bodies are designed to fight the flu. If you look at the real statistics of flu deaths, they're mainly among the elderly and the poor. In other words, the flu kills people who don't have the means to seek medical attention when they get it. That's very sad--I'm not making light of those deaths at all. But for 99 percent of the population, the flu is an irritant and an inconvenience, but certainly not a danger. And not worth getting a potentially dangerous vaccine for.

And finally, you, yourself, admit that formulating the flu vaccine is a guessing game. The flu shot contains antibodies that protect against three strains...three out of potentially thousands. It's a crapshot. But the scare-marketing goes on.

We're Purelling and sanitizing ourselves into reverse evolution. We're all so afraid of dirt and so busy dousing Lysol all over anything that doesn't run away that our bodies are forgetting how to fight off invaders. Our children are the sickest in generations, in part because we've protected them to the point that their bodies don't know how to get rid of germs on their own. The flu shot is part of this. Most of our bodies can successfully get rid of the flu on their own, as long as we don't trick them into forgetting how. And those bouts with minor illnesses help build up immunity, which helps us going forward.

So no flu shots in my house. It's just a big moneymaker, as far as I'm concerned. Unnecessary drugs that are designed to do nothing more than drive up pharma profits are not welcome among my family. 

You can stop the commercials now. 

Love,

Kim

One more thing...

David Blaine is full of crap.

I really don't like that guy.

Newness

I started a new blog this morning (this one will keep going for all my random thoughts). So many people have asked me about "getting things" from companies and not getting ripped off, that I thought I'd write about that every few days.

The new blog is: thecommonsenseconsumer.blogspot.com

Hope you'll check it out! :)

Tagged

Alien tagged me.

The "rules" of the game are as follows:

1. Post the rules on your blog.
2. Write 6 random things about yourself.
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post.
4. If you're tagged. DO IT and pass on the tag.

Okie dokie, then. My 6 random things:

1. I am hopelessly uncoordinated. Can't catch a ball. Can't throw a Frisbee. Can barely walk without injuring myself. It was so bad in grade school that after about fourth grade, my mom wrote a note to excuse me from Field Day, because I just got teased all day long.
2. I went to George H.W. Bush's inaugural ball and it was awesome.
3. I spent 10 days working in an Romanian orphanage in 2000. Truly a life-altering experience.
4. Much as I try to get some semblance of Stacy and Clinton style in my wardrobe, I'm an L.L. Bean girl at heart. And you can't change the heart.
5. I miss Baltimore, hon.
6. I ate snails last year. They were yummy.

I'm tagging:

MamaTulip

Ali

Tink

Kate

Aw heck, tag yourself.