Before I begin, I would like to say "Happy Birthday!" to my young friend, Wendy, who turns 16 today.  Wendy is an exceptionally bright young lady who also has a blog of her own @ Forget The Regret.

She recently made a blog post about Technology Criticism .  The post was about how some various religious groups were urging people to turn off their cell phones and computers in order to focus on their relationships with people. Wendy goes on to give her response to their comments.

My take on all of this is that I do feel that technology is a great thing.  I love being on Facebook and reconnecting with old friends and sharing photos and stories, and so forth.  However, I feel that for as much as technology has taken us forward, it has also taken us backwards.  Backwards, in that many people are so tech savvy they forget how to be people savvy. They know their internet etiquette but have completely forgotten their social manners.

I remember at my first job we used the kind of cash registers that didn’t compute change for you, you had to do it yourself.  If the customer’s order rang up to $11.88 and they gave you a twenty you would put the twenty on top of the cash drawer then you would retrieve their change and count it back to them.  First, you’d hand them 12 cents and then you would say, "That’s 12 dollars," then you would give them 3 more dollars, one at a time, and say, "That’s 13, 14, 15," then you would hand them a 5 dollar bill and say, "And 5 makes 20."  You actually had to know how to make change and think about what you’re doing.  It’s a bit scary when you see cashiers these days and you  hand them a few extra pennies so that you can get even change back and they give you that look of panic like you just threw them a major curve ball.

I know this is probably making me sound old, but we didn’t use calculators that often in high school either except for sometimes algebra or when doing trigonometry or logarithms. I sometimes wonder if people are losing the ability to even do basic math functions without the aid of a calculator.

Where I also see a problem is with inappropriate cell phone usage.  By that, I mean talking on a cell phone at a restaurant, in a confined area such as a waiting room, or checking out at the grocery store. This is just plain rude to those around you.   I don’t want to hear all the details of everything that’s going on in your life if I don’t know you.  If I did, I would ask.  Although it’s more the exception than the rule, I’ve been at the local bookstore cafe on numerous occasions when someone is talking so loudly on their cell phone that I could tell you where they’re going for dinner, who they’re going with, and what they’re going to order.  Sometimes the person is seated right next to me and it’s as if they’re oblivious to the fact that everyone else in the cafe is trying to read or have a quiet conversation.

As for driving and talking on the cell phone, it’s just plain distracting.  If you’re the passenger, fine.  If you’re the driver, I feel that cell phone usage should be limited to situations where you’re driving in low traffic areas.

Perhaps the message the critics were trying to make was that it’s best not to let these devices take the place of face to face relationships. Instead of texting and talking on the cell phone, why not just enjoy the company of the person you’re with?  I’ve also observed people who were seated at a restaurant and one of them receives a call on their cell phone and proceeds to have a 5 minute conversation as if the person they were with wasn’t even there.  Again, in my opinion, this is very disrespectful.

I guess the point that I’m trying to make is that the more advanced we become with technology, the more lazy and unappreciative we become, or so it would appear.  It reminds of that scene in Wall-e where everyone is fat and lazy and floating around in their little pod.  In closing, I’m simply saying that technology is great when you keep it in it’s proper place, don’t get consumed by it, and don’t forget how to think!  Most importantly, appreciate what an amazing time we live in, and try not to take it for granted.

Check out this video.  This guy totally makes my my point!

In the current economic climate it’s often difficult to stay positive when every where you look stores are closing, people are losing their jobs right and left, and the once stable real estate market has taken massive hits. Many people aren’t able to make their house payments due to job losses. Even some of the ones who can afford to pay are upside down in their homes in that they actually owe more than their homes are worth. Mortgage companies are foreclosing on homes that they certainly don’t want. Stock market volatility has caused many to lose a huge portion of their portfolios forcing some to postpone retirement. It’s hard to find the positive in such trying economic times.

The other day my husband and I saw a movie that had a profound effect on me. The movie was "Slumdog Millionaire". If you haven’t seen the film I highly recommend it. It’s a story about Jamal, an 18 year old kid who wins the largest jackpot in the history of India’s version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire". During a break between filming, he is tortured by the local police who are convinced that he has somehow cheated on the game show. When questioned, the boy finally relents and begins to tell the story explaining how he knew each particular answer and in doing so we get a glimpe into that segment of his life. By the end of the interrogation, Jamal has given us a complete picture of his life.

The story was full of despair, hope, courage, and ultimately triumph as the young boy is finally able to achieve his meteoric rise out of poverty like a Phoenix rising from the ashes. The thing that really shocked me about this film was the harsh living conditions to which Jamal was subjected. While I’m certainly aware that there are many poverty stricken regions of the world, I had no idea that such filth and squalor were a common component of the lives of millions of people.

When we walked out of the theatre I must say I felt like the richest woman in the world. Just having the luxury of being able to go to a movie theatre is pretty amazing. If you have a roof over your head, food in your belly, and a warm bed you are probably richer than half of the world. If you have a car and electricity, then by the standards of many, you are quite wealthy. If you have someone who loves you, then you’ve really hit the jackpot!

I like to think that I’m an appreciative person but seeing "Slumdog" definitely opened my eyes. It reminded me of the resiliency of the human spirit. It reminded me that no matter what your situation or station in life, there are always things to celebrate. It reminded me of the importance of following your dreams. And most of all, it reminded me of just how important it is to realize and appreciate all that is good in my life.

Yesterday, my cat had a stroke.  She couldn’t walk, meow, purr, or even roll over.  She’s doing a little better today, she can roll over some but still can’t walk.  We have to prop her up to feed her and we put her in a sling device to hold her over her litter box.  She has managed to drag herself across the floor a few times, which is a positive sign and she is eating, also a positive sign.  Since she doesn’t appear to be in any pain, I owe it to her to do everything in my power to help her recover.  Today I’d like to share the story of how we came to know Puddin’ along with a few of things she’s taught me.

We’ve had the good fortune of sharing our home with our cat, Puddin’, for nearly 16 years now.  This means she is going on 80 in human years.  She was a young stray when we found her or rather, when she found us.  She was hanging around the place I used to work and since she was so persistent with her little meow, I simply had to pet her.  She certainly was a lovable cat.  It was dark outside so I didn’t really get a good look at her.

After I came home from work, I told my husband about the cat and suggested we drive by there since we were going out.  He said, “That cat isn’t gonna be there, that was 2 hours ago! Besides, what would we do with it?”  Well I wanted to go back anyway, just in case.  I really had no plans of taking her home, at least consciously.  I mainly just wanted him to see her.

When we arrived back at the office, I got out of the car and called her.  I said something goofy like, “Where’s Mom’s baby?”  She instantly came running out from under a bush across the street.  My husband said, “Well I’ll be damned!”  I took this as some kind of sign and my husband just fell in love with her immediately.  He said we needed to take her home and feed her because he could feel her ribs.  “Yeah but we don’t even have a litter box or cat food or anything and I’m not sure I want an indoor cat.  What if she has fleas?” I had a million excuses but we decided we’d just feed her and keep her as an outdoor cat.  Yeah right!  That idea lasted for all of about two seconds.

We took her home and since we didn’t have any cat food we gave her tuna and milk.  We let her come in and we put the food on a plate in the foyer.  She lapped everything up in record time.  Now that I could see her in the light, I thought she was the most beautiful cat I’d ever seen.  It was those huge eyes; so big and beautiful.  She reminded me of an owl.

After her feast, we opened the door for her to leave but she didn’t want to go back outside.  NO WAY!  As far as she was concerned, she had hit the mother lode, the jackpot, the lottery!  The funny thing is she’s never been out since!  She loves being an indoor cat and loves living the life of Riley.

We originally named her Savannah but then started calling her Puddin’ because my Dad had affectionately called her that once. It was a name she responded to quite well and it seemed to be a better fit.  So we kept calling her Puddin’ and it just stuck.  She unfortunately has a slow metabolism, and is now a big fat butterball, weighing in at nearly 22 pounds.  While she no longer does back flips and now needs to be carried up the stairs, she continues to bring us much joy.

If you are lucky enough to share your home with a cat, then you know the wonder of the fabulous feline.  If you are one of those people who doesn’t like cats, I’m sorry to hear that.  I don’t understand how anybody can dislike any animal; it makes no sense to me.

Animals behave as designed by nature.  They are usually not mean spirited unless they are mistreated.  Obviously, I wouldn’t have a pet shark because their behavior isn’t really all that compatible with humans. Just because cats don’t jump all over you, slobber on you, and lick you to death doesn’t mean they don’t love you.  They simply have a different way of showing it.  Whenever I hear someone say they hate cats it reminds me of not liking someone because of their skin color.  I guess prejudice isn’t limited to human beings.

There’s an Irish proverb that says, “Beware of anyone who dislikes cats”.  My feeling is that people who don’t like cats simply don’t understand them or don’t take the time to.  I’d like to share a few things I’ve learned from my cat.  If you’re a cat lover then you can relate, if you’re not, then I hope perhaps I’ve made you more open minded to enjoying these magnificent creatures.
Things I’ve learned from my cat:

1.    Sleep does the body good
2.    Comfort is highly underrated
3.    Baroque music is soothing to the soul but silence can be golden
4.    Getting your back scratched is one of life’s great pleasures
5.    You learn when you explore; after all, the world is your oyster
6.    Stretching after a nap is highly recommended
7.    Showing no expression makes us appear less judgmental
8.    You can learn a great deal by being a good listener
9.    Don’t hesitate to give affection to those you love
10.  Your crap should be covered at all times
11.  It’s essential to be fastidious with your grooming habits
12.  Even if you’re smarter than everyone else, there’s no need to let it show
13.  Don’t worry about what others think of you
14.  It’s best to live life on your own terms
15.  When you go out on a limb, be sure to land on your feet
16.  A persistent little nudge can pay off big time
17.  Even if you’re just a kitten, see yourself as a lion
18.  Independence is wonderful and so is companionship
19.  If you have that wide-eyed, innocent look, it’s easy to get anything you ask for
20.  Purring is an excellent way to show appreciation