Tantrum vs protest

Posted on November 14, 2016 by simplygiselle

“A protest is a peaceful objection to a grievance, a bunch of sore losers occupying a space, is called a tantrum…”

I have been diligent about staying out of the political arena for these past several months and especially now that most people seem to be losing their minds over the outcome. I completely disagree with protesters thinking they are allowed to damage private property or police vehicles without being held responsible for their actions.

So for posterity sake only, purely for myself, when I get older, gray hair, losing my mind and want to see how either the president-elect pulled it together and rocked it or completely fell apart and brought us into a living hell – I have set up this link to remind myself how I was feeling (give or take) a week after the election:

Tantrum not a protest

You may agree or disagree, or even stop following me, but I am not losing hope nor pretend to predict the future – it looks like a drastic change for the next four years, let’s all hope for the best because…..

“WANTING HIM TO FAIL IS LIKE WANTING THE PILOT TO CRASH THE PLANE THAT WE ALL ARE ON” – – (good analogy and not my words)

Let’s face it, we didn’t have much to choose from. Many people agree that if the Dems had chosen Sanders against Trump the outcome would have been much different. I tend to agree with those sentiments.

I have a Rendezvous with Death

Posted on October 27, 2016 by simplygiselle

I Have a Rendezvous with Death

BY ALAN SEEGER

I have a rendezvous with Death

At some disputed barricade,

When Spring comes back with rustling shade

And apple-blossoms fill the air—

I have a rendezvous with Death

When Spring brings back blue days and fair.

It may be he shall take my hand

And lead me into his dark land

And close my eyes and quench my breath—

It may be I shall pass him still.

I have a rendezvous with Death

On some scarred slope of battered hill,

When Spring comes round again this year

And the first meadow-flowers appear.

God knows ’twere better to be deep

Pillowed in silk and scented down,

Where Love throbs out in blissful sleep,

Pulse nigh to pulse, and breath to breath,

Where hushed awakenings are dear …

But I’ve a rendezvous with Death

At midnight in some flaming town,

When Spring trips north again this year,

And I to my pledged word am true,

I shall not fail that rendezvous.

Source: A Treasury of War Poetry (1917) via PoetryFoundation.org

I read this on the train coming home last night. It rings just as tragically beautiful as when Seeger first wrote it about a year -/+ before he entered WWI.

The love-hate relationship with October

Posted on October 24, 2016 by simplygiselle

I love Halloween, it is my favorite holiday EVER, period. However, it is also the most painful month too.

Gone too soon, only 21 years old for a few months… I am reposting this because of the 33 yrs anniversary:

It is with great displeasure that I write this post. What I wouldn’t give to have my brother back these 30+ years. To see whom he would have married, his children, his choices in life. But instead he chose one of the most unselfish ways to spend his short time here among us, he joined the Army and became an elite Ranger. Consequently he was killed during the second wave in a very small town, on a very small Caribbean island called Grenada, giving coverage to many American medical students forced to return home during a hostile political event.

A devastating time for my parents; to be told you will never see your child again, to never say good bye one last time, to say I Love You one last time. It’s one of those things we take for granted I think, saying I love you, taking for granted you will see or talk to the person tomorrow and remember ‘next time we talk’. Even saying it in passing is great to hear, but not quite the same as if you knew it would be the very last time…the very last time… heart breaking, devastating, it goes beyond that. There is just no word for the amount of empty left behind.

He was just a great person, not because he is no longer here and fond memories can sometimes overshadow the bad times, he was truly one of those people who would go out of his way for you to make sure you were happy, to help if he could, a kind and gentle soul and so very funny. He loved music, was artistic, and put up with his kid sister always tagging along when he just wanted to hang with his friends.

Ah, his friends, they were bountiful and from so many different crowds; neighborhood, school, church, sports, he fit into all the groups with ease because there were so many different levels of him to love. I could go on for pages giving him accolades, and all would be true, but I won’t.

Recently I have been given the opportunity to have him, and his unit, honored for years to come as I have been requested to submit his picture (shown above) to the National Museum, United States Army for a permanent exhibit in their halls. How proud we of him, how much we miss him every day, how I would give anything to change that day and have him back.

Operation Urgent Fury

#MemorialDay

No One Runs in High Heels

Posted on September 20, 2016 by simplygiselle

“Let me grab my stilettos. Then we can walk the dog.” Said no woman ever!

via No One Runs in High Heels — Stuff my dog taught me

Take a quick minute to view the whole article, because you can relate to so many on the list and have a great laugh too!

How to clean jewelry a.k.a. Are you bored too

Posted on August 28, 2016 by simplygiselle

jewelry olympics

I have been given some beautiful bracelets over the years and used to wear them every day. This past year or two I have not worn them once – too tarnished and very embarrassing!

Although the photo should be a before-and-after shot, you will just have to trust me when I say they were downright gross and in some cases just black.

After watching some videos online and articles on how to clean them (every suggestion was to bathe them in ketchup and then rinse) I thought to revert back to how I clean my rings; with toothpaste and an old toothbrush. I use the white pasty stuff so it is abrasive (you would think my teeth should be whiter WTH) and so I mixed in a bit of water to keep the scratching down to a minimum and you can see the amazing results. I strongly recommend not doing this every day or every month for that matter. It is not a daily routine maintenance for cleaning jewelry.

Inside the actual charms should stay dark – it is purposely created this way by the company to create some depth to the piece, but the tarnish came right off in minutes.

Looking forward to showing them off tomorrow at work!

Apology for one

Posted on August 10, 2016 by simplygiselle

An apology is mainly for yourself…

All of us screw up; some days more badly than others. So we apologize and ask for forgiveness. But who is the apology really for? It isn’t so much for the person you hurt as much as it is for yourself. You are only acknowledging the screw up to the recipient. You want them to realize that you know you were a jerk and agree with them.

When you apologize, whether it is accepted or not, you have released the burden from your heart.

So really… isn’t an apology just a selfish act? (on top of being a jerk in the first place?!)

Saved by the Whale! Humpbacks Play Hero When Orcas Attack

Posted on August 6, 2016 by simplygiselle

A humpback whale protects a Weddell seal from an attacking killer whale. Credit: Robert L. Pitman

We all know the addage, ‘a man’s gotta eat’ and in the wild world of nature it is always brought to another level…. no knives and forks and civility, it’s taking a bite of your dinner while it stares you in the face.

I get it. When dinner escapes, someone is going hungry.

But I can’t help but cheer on the ‘dinner’ to get away… and when I am not there to ‘shush away’ the hungry, sometimes Mother Nature steps in for me.

I love that this whale doesn’t just scare the Orca away, she actually flips on her back, gets the seal on her stomach and props him up enough so the seal is safe.

Pretty damn impressive if you ask me!

Link to the short article below:

Hero humpbacks? Decades of observations of humpback whale behavior show that they interfere with attacking killer whales to save their prey, no matter what the species.

Source: Saved by the Whale! Humpbacks Play Hero When Orcas Attack

I have watched too many horror movies….

Posted on August 3, 2016 by simplygiselle

the first bible?

It is hard to believe but this bible is about 8″ x 8″ and 4 ” thick; I have never seen anything like it. It freaked me out so much that I couldn’t bring myself to open it (as I should have) to find out exactly why it was so darn think – but I am chalking that up to seeing too many horror movies in my time (I swear it was vibrating), in addition to my unfamiliar surroundings (sure that’s it!).

I was walking through a house for sale over the weekend and it’s interior brought me back to the days of visiting my aunts when I was only young child. The gold and flocked wallpaper, the glass knobs on French doors, plush red carpets, ornate furniture that reeked of circa 1930’s…. dated but solid and the memories came flooding back faster than I could stop them; I was just speechless (which doesn’t happen often trust me).

When I sent the picture to Goose she asked jokingly “Is this the first bible”? Could be! Maybe it is handwritten which is why it is so thick but we will never know because I am such a wuss.

the first bible?