THE BIGGEST LOSER

Last night I watched The Biggest Loser on TV….

No, not that one…

This one…the TV show with the severely obese contestants who compete with each other to lose as much weight as possible and end up being “The Biggest Loser”. Each week, there is a weigh-in and whichever two people lose the least amount of weight will fall below the yellow line and face an elimination vote by their fellow contestants.

Just so ya know I didn’t shirk my duties as amateur political blogger, I did read the text of Obama’s speech. I also read the opinions on a few blogs to see what their reaction was. I’m seeing mixed feelings about the speech that has been dubbed Obama’s “defining moment”. How many “defining moments” has he had so far, anyway? Seems to me like there is about one every other week. Moving on…

The Republicans seem to be somewhat happy with the content of the speech. Michael Steele, the RNC Chairman, said this:

“Although this decision took far too long and it should not have, I am glad the president will finally provide General McChrystal with the troops he needs. However, tonight’s speech must be the beginning, not the end, of the case President Obama makes to the American people as to why this is, as he said during the campaign, ‘a war we have to win.’ If the president remains committed to this crucial fight, Republicans – and the American people – will stand with him. But sending mixed signals by outlining the exit before these troops even get on the ground undermines their ability to succeed.”

There are some pretty annoyed Democrats on the Hill, however. They wonder where in the world we’re going to get the money to continue this war. Congressman Dave Obey said:

“The biggest threat to our long-term national security is a stunted economy. If this endeavor is to be pursued, we must have a renewed sense of shared sacrifice – because right now only military families are paying the cost of this war. A progressive war surtax is the fairest way to pay for it – fairest to working class families and fairest to military families.”

Now, in my opinion, I don’t think this so-called “progressive war surtax” will ever see the light of day because I have no idea how they will get away with passing any kind of tax to support this war when they are trying to simultaneously pass a piece of crap health care bill that’s going to cost us billions of dollars already. What part of “it’s the economy, stupid” don’t these guys get?

Democratic Senator Russ Feingold said:

“I do not support the president’s decision to send additional troops to fight a war in Afghanistan that is no longer in our national security interest. It’s an expensive gamble to undertake armed nation-building on behalf of a corrupt government of questionable legitimacy.[...] While I appreciate that the president made clear we won’t be in Afghanistan forever, I am disappointed by his decision not to offer a timetable for ending our military presence there.”

Yes, Russ Feingold is “disappointed” but that won’t keep him from supporting everything Obama does. He’ll make a bunch of speeches and whine about it, but in the end, he’ll give Obama whatever he wants.

Besides, Obama does have an “exit strategy”. He plans on getting the troops out of there before he hits the campaign trail for the next Presidential election in 2012. At the very least, he’ll promise to start pulling them out right after the election…after he wins the votes he needs from the gullible Progressives who fell for his rhetoric in the last election. Once in office again, all bets are off.

I would like nothing more than to see a successful end to the war in Afghanistan, but the definition of “success” keeps changing depending on what the opinion polls are looking like that month. Will another $300 billion a year dumped into this war really do any good if Obama is going to pull the troops out in a little over a year anyway? What can be accomplished in 18 months? We already know that President Hamid Karzai is rotten to the core. How much of that money will be used to support his corrupt government and how many more of our soldiers have to die to that end?

So…will Obama end up being the “biggest loser” with his decision to send in 30,000 more troops, or will it be the American people who are already war weary and are suffering in one of the worst economic downturns since Jimmy Carter?

In the meantime, I’m wondering if it will be Amanda or Liz who will be shielded from elimination this week? It’s too bad we don’t have the same system with Congress and the Senate. At the end of the month we can compare their progress and if they fall below the yellow line…they’re out. And if any of them start bellowing… Jillian will knock the hot air right outta ‘em.

ITALIAN ORAL EXAMS

My son has his oral exam for his Italian language class today.

Mio figlio ha detto che è molto nervoso. Forse avrebbe dovuto cresciuto uno baffi italiana … e ha portato un piatto di canoli di corrompere il professore, per buona misura. Possa il (italiano) angeli in cielo aiutare mio figlio!

Translation: My son said he is very nervous. Maybe he should have grown an Italian mustache…and brought a plateful of canoli’s to bribe the professor for good measure. May the (Italian) angels in heaven help my son!

HEY! GET OFF MY LAWN!

While having my cup of coffee this morning my husband told me to look out the front window…and there was a big ol’ coyote in my front yard. I’m glad he wasn’t out there as I let my dog out to get the newspaper 10 minutes earlier…that could have been really ugly.

SPREADING THE WEALTH–OBAMA STYLE

(Video:  H/T to my friendly blogger, mcnorman. I love the music on this video, it’s perfect!)

While the Obama’s  dined on Arugula salads and prawns at the State Dinner and danced  to the sweet music of the National Symphony Orchestra as it was conducted by Marvin Hamlisch…I doubt if they were giving much thought to the older Americans who are increasingly becoming dependent on soup kitchens and food pantries to supply their meals.

AP reports:

“What we see in line is lots of gray hair, lots of walkers,” said Marti Forman, CEO of The Cooperative Feeding Program in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The help is crucial for many fixed-income seniors, who can’t always keep up with rising food prices.

[snip]

The number of seniors living alone who seek help from food pantries in the U.S. increased 81 percent to 408,000 in 2008, compared to 225,000 in 2006, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Overall, 4.7 million households used American food pantries in 2008, compared to about 3.7 million in 2006.

[snip]

Catholic Charities USA, which has 170 agencies across the country helping the needy, issued a 2009 third-quarter report that found a 54 percent increase in requests for food and services from seniors nationwide compared to the same period last year.

[snip]

“They’re of a generation that feels they took care of themselves, and now in these desperate straits they don’t want to acknowledge it,” said Catholic Charities spokesman Roger Conner. “With seniors and retirees — people that were planning for that period of their life — they are often very proud and very private, and they want no one to know of the difficulties they might be experiencing.”

Well, at least they have their Social Security checks. Wait…no cost of living raise for them for this year or next.  That hasn’t happened since 1975…this must be that change we’ve all been waiting for.

Barack: And then I said, “I think when you spread the wealth around it’s good for everybody.”

Michelle: “Ha ha ha!  The old  fools bought that line, didn’t they?”

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If you want to read some great posts today, as opposed to my thrown together faux post, try these:

Uppity Woman- Goldman Sachs’ best friend Bernanke threatens Congress

Rabble Rouser Ruminations- Is it Getting Hot in Here?

Quipster had a great article on the cost of the Obama-care bill…Health Care Bills Expected To Cost More Over Time Up to $6.25 Trillion And if you get a chance, check out the kitty video while you’re there. It’s adorable!

Phantsythat has a wonderful book review post looking at the changes in our planet over time, “Taking the Long View”. Also, don’t forget to check out some of her previous posts, this is one incredibly talented girl…just look at her beautiful hand painted silk scarves and purses. Amazing!

A DAY FOR HOPE…

Today begins one of my favorite times of the year, Advent. It’s a time for hope, peace, and love….a time for renewal. Scripture readings during this time will reflect on our faithfulness as we await His coming, judgment on sin, and hope for eternal life.

One of the symbols used for this season is the Advent Wreath, which can be a round pine wreath with four candles attached or near it, three purple candles and one rose candle. Each candle has a theme, the first Sunday in Advent (purple candle) carries the theme of “hope”. The second Sunday in Advent (purple candle) signifies “love”, and on the third Sunday of Advent (rose candle) signifies “joy”. The fourth Sunday in Advent (purple candle) represents “peace”.

Oftentimes you will also see a fifth candle added, a white Pascal candle, which can be lit on Christmas Day.

Today’s theme, “Hope”, has a particularly strong meaning for me this year. After listening to all the hoopla during the last Presidential campaign and hearing the words “hope” and “change” coming from the lips of people, not only in this country, but around the world, made me realize that we are in a world that is thirsting for hope. In this country we are experiencing devastating economic times, two wars, and an increase in violence and hatred aimed towards those who believe in God, specifically Christians. It’s not much different in other parts of the world.

In today’s first reading, Jer 33:14-16, “Look, the days are coming, Yahweh declares, when I shall fulfill the promise of happiness I made to the House of Israel and the House of Judah:
In those days and at that time, I shall make an upright Branch grow for David, who will do what is just and upright in the country. In those days Judah will triumph and Israel live in safety. And this is the name the city will be called: Yahweh-is-our-Saving-Justice.”

This prophecy of Jeremiah, which was made six centuries before Jesus came to this earth, was intended to encourage the Jews to trust in God, even though they were experiencing tragic difficulties at the time. God promised that he would send us a Messiah, and He did. He gave His people “hope”, the same “hope” that we must have as we struggle through our tragic difficulties as we await the second coming of Christ.

Today’s gospel reading, Luke 21:25-28, 34-36, warns of the signs that will predict the days before Jesus will arrive again. “There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; on earth nations in agony, bewildered by the turmoil of the ocean and its waves; men fainting away with terror and fear at what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.”

But, we are not left to fend for ourselves.

“And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”

Jesus Christ is our hope, the hope that is based on truth…not campaign promises.  With this hope, however, there comes a stern warning on the temptations we will experience and a guide on what to do to stave off sin.

“Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened by debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will come upon you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come down on all those living on the face of the earth. Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to hold your ground before the Son of man.”

Lighting the first purple candle on this First Sunday in Advent, which symbolizes “hope”, will be one small way in which I can “hold my ground before the Son of man.”

O God,
rejoicing,
we remember the promise of your Son.
As the light from this candle,
may the blessing of Christ come upon us,
brightening our way
and guiding us by his truth.
May Christ our Savior bring life
into the darkness of our world,
and to us, as we wait for his coming.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

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BLACK AND BLUE FRIDAY

Today’s plans were to go out and hit the crowds on Black Friday…obviously, I’m not out with the crowds, I’m on my computer while enjoying my morning coffee. Oh, I’ll be out today, but I think I’ll wait awhile for the crowds to die down. After last year’s trampling incidents, I figure that there’s really nothing out there worth getting stepped on or beaten up over.

My granddaughter, of course, has asked for those stupid little hamster Zhu Zhu toys. Actually, she asked for them for her birthday last week. She went to the one who always comes through on the gifts…me (Memom). Well, Memom didn’t come through this time because they are nowhere to be seen. I looked on Amazon and they have them…but they are scalping the price for the $10.00 toy to anywhere from $56.00 to $150.00 and up, depending on the accessories.

I made it very clear to her yesterday while she was here for Thanksgiving dinner that I would not spend that kind of money and if she wants to be patient until after Christmas when the stores will be flooded with the cheap China-made toy, she can get one at the regular price.

This reminds me of the dash on the Cabbage Patch Dolls when my kids were little.

I had three daughters at the time, the oldest were still in the Santa Claus stage and were sure that Santa would bring them one….after all, he has all those elves working for slave wages at the North Pole. My youngest daughter had no idea that you can ask Santa for stuff and he’d bring it, the only thing she cared about was taking as many ornaments off the bottom of the tree and throwing them at the dog.

Anyway, I tried my best to find those dolls but every time a shipment would come in and they were put out, the mob was unyielding…fights would break out and after about four minutes, there was nothing left in the space but a few torn boxes and the sobbing women who weren’t strong enough to defend their dolls. Nope…not for me, if I’m going to risk my life, it’s not going to be for something that’s plastic and stuffed.

It turned out that year my Christmas slackatude paid off. I happen to be in a store one evening with my husband and a friend of mine who we ran into said to talk to the manager who was walking around the store and whispering stuff to some of the female shoppers. It turned out that he had a shipment of dolls that were arriving in two days and was willing to take names of anyone in the store at the time who would want a doll. He even said they could have more than one, but not more than three. Perfect! So, I gave him my name and followed the instructions to go to the Customer Service Desk on the following Tuesday and tell them “You have something for me in the back room”. It sounded so…I don’t know…underworld. But I did it and in the back room were shelves of dolls and I was able to choose any three. We didn’t go to the register, for fear that word would get out in the store, we paid the lady behind the desk in the dark back room. The dolls were then put in large bags and covered well so no one would see us walking to our cars with the unmistakable, oddly shaped, yellow and green box the dolls came in. That walk from the store to the car reminded me of some of those old films where during the war you would see someone trying to sneak past the Nazi guards to the safety of Sweden. Eyes darting back and forth to be sure no one noticed…a quick step, getting the keys ready to open the back door and toss the packages in the back seat to safety.

That Christmas was great fun for my girls. My oldest daughter received a blond doll, and my youngest one also received a blond doll which matched their blond locks. My second daughter got the red-headed doll Cabbage Patch doll that she wanted…her birth certificate said her name was Elizabeth. She had forgotten all about that when she named her daughter, but I think it must have stuck in her memory from that happy Christmas morning. My granddaughter now has her mom’s old doll, Elizabeth–who is a little worse for wear, but still loved.

Now…knowing that sappy story, you would think I would go all out to get that Zhu Zhu hamster for my granddaughter…but it’s not going to happen. That is…unless a store manager comes up to me and gives me the secret code word.

GIVING THANKS….

Happy Thanksgiving to all my blogger friends! Wait…what are you doing reading this blog? Don’t you have some work to do in the kitchen?

Well, as long as you’re here, I just want to tell you how thankful I am that you’ve found your way to Bad Habit this past year. I wish I can have you all sitting at my table today…and I wish I can have all of you in my kitchen, helping me wash the dishes too.

Of course, I will be saying a special prayer for our soldiers who are away from their families this Thanksgiving, and for all those who have been unfortunate enough to be hit hard with the bad economic times our country is experiencing. Hopefully, next year we’ll see some improvement.

Enjoy your day…enjoy the time you are spending with your family and friends, and most of all…enjoy your tryptophan induced coma.

Buone vacanze!

‘TWAS THE DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING

‘Twas the day before Thanksgiving
And all through the house
Not a creature was stirring
Only my computer mouse

Watch out for that pantry
Filled with goodies galore
For soon hubby and son
Will eat them before Thursday
…Score!

A glance at the clock showed time was getting short
The house needed cleaning,
There was laundry to sort!

Go Dyson and Windex and Pledge and Cascade!

Go Comet and Murphy Oil…maybe spray a little Raid?

Now dash away, dash away, dash away all!

It’s time to quit stalling!

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Hell…I’m going to the mall

This is what happens when Nunly feels overwhelmed…I shop, and write stupid poems. What are you all doing this day before Thanksgiving?

SUCH A DEAL!

Don’t ever say that Nunly isn’t looking out for you….here’s a deal you can’t pass up! Want to get rid of that old wedding band your ex-hubby gave you? How about those ugly earrings that Aunt Martha gave you for Christmas last year? Time to trade in that old gold for a real treasure! Click on image so you can see the details.

JUST A REMINDER…

As I put in a post last week, I would be happy to take any prayer requests my bloggers might have and petition the Father for those intentions in my daily prayers, and most importantly, while I am visiting the Adoration Chapel on my regular hour on Saturday mornings. If there are candles available, I will light one candle specifically for my bloggers who ask for prayers.

I put my new Bad Habit e-mail address on the sidebar of this blog, so if you have any prayer intentions to give me, or want to remain private, feel free to send them my way. I will assure you that whatever you ask me to pray for will remain between us and God, you can trust me on that.

If by chance that your prayer has been answered, let me know so I can also be sure to give thanks to God for that blessing! Of course, I always give thanks before I even ask, but it’s nice to remember to thank Him always.

God Bless,

Mary Ellen

(P.S. :  If anyone has trouble accessing that e-mail address, please let me know, I’ve never used gmail before.  Also, you can also e-mail me at that address if you have anything else you want  to discuss with me…it’s not just for prayer intentions, I  want to use it as my all-around blog e-mail address. )