A Joke - Mr. Frog

I don't remember where I got this joke from since it's been a long time but I thought I would share it sine it's pretty funny

Once upon a time there was a frog who lived in a lake all by himself. He had been given special powers by a local witch.

One day he finally ventured out of the lake to get his first glimpse of the world outside.

The first thing he saw was a bear chasing a rabbit and so he called out to them and asked them to stop. Then he said to them, "I am a magical frog and since you are the first two animals I have ever seen, I am going to grant you both three wishes. You'll each take turns using them and you have to use them now."

The bear (being greedy) went first, "I would like for every bear in this forest to be female except for me."

A magical sound and it was done.

Then the rabbit, "I would like a helmet."

This confused both the frog and the bear but after a magical sound, there was a helmet.

It was the bear's turn again. "I would like for every bear in the neighboring forest to be female."

A magical sound and it was done.

The rabbit went again, "I would like a motorcycle."

Both the frog and the bear wondered why the rabbit didn't just ask for a lot of money with which he could buy himself a motorcycle but after awhile there was a magical sound and there was a motorcycle.

The bear took his last wish. "I would like for all the bears in the world to be female except for me."

A magical sound and it was done.

The rabbit then put on his helmet, started up the motorcycle and said "I wish the bear was gay." and took off like a bat out of hell

Yesterday and Today

So many things change in such a short time. I grew up in the 70's and 80's and the things that go on today was not in my wildest dreams back then. I am sure kids today (pretty much any generation) will say/have said the same thing. In this blog, I just want to talk about the things that we couldn't do in those times but can do now. How those things have changed the way we live our lives today.

One of the things I like about today is being able to find and get things that we once had when we were kids. There are some things that I have gotten rid of when I was a kid that I wish I hadn't and now I can find them on the web and buy them. I have things like old view master reels and Disney books that I now can add to my collection. Even if one is not buying their old toys back, it's so nice to see the photos of them taking us back in time. The web is like a time machine.

Communication, it's so much different today than what it was for my generation and older. When I was growing up, if you wanted to talk with someone overseas, there was the pen pal. I don't know how one would start a pen pal and find the address of someone but it's how we found connections with others from different countries. Sending those letters back and forth could take forever too so by the time one would get the letter, everything would be old news. It was our way. 

Now we have the web where we can get on sites like twitter and facebook and chat with someone from another country right then and there. There is also things like skype where we can video chat with people. It's cheaper too since there is no long distance charges. No more waiting to have a conversation with a long distance friend. The one thing though, I am sure it was exciting to get that pen pal, sitting down on your bed and reading that long distance letter. Now that excitement is lost. Not hearing someone's voice over the phone can also be a loss (unless you're video chatting). I guess to gain something that is better, you must also lose something.

Another thing about communication is talking with our favorite stars (I really hate using stars, famous people etc simply because they are human like us but there is no other word). We can now send them messages through twitter and facebook. If we are lucky, we get a response back. If someone would have told me years ago that I would be able to directly communicate with Donnie Wahlberg, I would have thought they were crazy. Not in my wildest dreams did I think it could or would happen; until twitter came along. Just having a connection with someone that you like and/or admire is one of the amazing feelings one can get. Even as early as the late 90's when computers were making their way into everyone's homes, you couldn't communicate with others and your favorite star. It's mind blowing sometimes. 

The downsides to instant connection are stalkers, rude people and bullying is intensified. Because it's easier to connect with people, it's also easier for these kind of things to happen. :/ People have less privacy, hackers infect and it makes it easier for people to hide who they really are (at times). Of course everyone has a choice what they put out into the world and at some point the real person comes out but these are still the bad with the good.

Sites like youtube are able to give us an outlet for our creativity. We can video blog, show family and friends our home movies, we can make mini movies and mini shows, stretching our imagination. With today's graphics and ability to create the craziest things, we can even make something seem like it's real. Back then, we were stuck with pen and paper unless we were lucky enough to have a certain type of computer. People with good voices were left to just record themselves on a cassette tape. I suppose those ways are good too but I feel that with today's technology, we can express ourselves easier.

This is true even for people who write stories. Now with e-books, anybody can express themselves and their talent without going through a publisher. All they have to do is turn it into an e-book and watch what happens. Then all the money goes to the writer. If they are lucky, their stories will get picked up by a publisher and then have it also in physical form. 

Physical books are awesome but now it's easier to carry a story around with the e-book. No more having boxes of books sitting around your house. I still prefer the physical book and to this day I don't have an e-book.

Video games have changed a lot. When I was growing up we had Atari, Nintendo and the arcades cost $.25. We had like three lives and couldn't save where we left off until one of the Zelda games came along. There were no story lines and the graphics were meh but to us they were awesome. It some ways, videos games were harder than they are now because you couldn't save your game.

Today there are storylines, graphics that look like a movie, you can save your progress and sometimes have many lives. You have wireless controllers and can play with friends from other parts of the world. Arcades are fewer and some cost $1 or more to play a single game. The games today are awesome but nothing beats a good classic video game. I still have my old games and sometimes play them.

Board games were very popular too. Friends and family trying to figure out who killed who, with what weapon and where; playing the game of life, thinking games like Chess and Checkers, Yahtzee, Scrabble and who can forget the game where you buy properties hoping you wouldn't land on Boardwalk or Park Place. Today a lot of the games are role playing games. The classics are always the best (to me anyways). 

Music, it's so much easier to get. Probably too easy. In my day, most of us would get a blank cassette tape and record our favorite songs from the radio. At some point they made cassette singles but getting the songs from the radio was easier even though one would catch the DJ talking no matter how hard we tried not to get them. We also couldn't purchase singles if they were put out before the album (until single tapes came along). Again radio was the only way to hear and get the songs. This actually made things more exciting, waiting for that special album to come out to hear the singles and the other songs that came out, wondering what the cover would look like etc. A lot of the excitement about new albums are lost. It's sad. 

Today, we can get the songs anytime we want. A single comes out before the album and we can purchase it. Things are leaked either on purpose or not, before an album is released, taking away the excitement. The entire album doesn't have to come in a physical form now. This is both good and bad. Good because we no longer have to carry bulky devices (walkmans and portable cd players) to carry our tunes. We have smaller devices that we download our music to. The bad thing is that the good things that come with a physical album is not there. Not being able to hold something in your hands, having that new smell, taking the wrapper off and looking at the photos and words while listening to your favorite tunes. Also, there is illegal downloading of songs, making the artist not get paid for their hard earn art (that is a whole nother topic).

Music videos are also not what they use to be. Back in the day, MTV and VH1 lived up to their names, showing our favorite songs with a story. People being even more creative to bring their words to life. It was so exciting knowing that a certain video was going to be aired at a certain time and getting ready to see it for the first time. Listening and watching music all day long even if one didn't really the song, the videos were still entertaining.

Now if videos are made, they are only shown on youtube. There is less creativity but you can watch the videos at any time and as many times as you want. You can now even watch them on your phone and other traveling devices. Still, there was something special about music channels that youtube could never bring. Also, a lot of artist either don't make videos or are not as creative like they use to be.

Finding lost friends. Once one left school, we used to think that we wouldn't see certain people again (unless we had their phone numbers). Once you lost contact with someone, that was it unless you happen to run into them again. Today all you have to do is search facebook and you are more likely to find them, hooking up with old school friends. This is a blessing :) 

Another thing that is great about today that we didn't have when I was growing up are outlets for people/kids who are being bullied and have low self esteem. One never heard about phone numbers to call so you could talk to someone like The Trevor Project. If there were songs about being strong etc, it was very rare. There was really nowhere for people/kids to turn to except for their parent, teacher or school counselor if there was one. Those options weren't always good. We had to pretty much learn to deal with things on our own if we couldn't get help from the people we were supposed to count on. Lord knows I could have used a phone number, a web site and those certain songs when I was growing up.

Today there are so many different ways to get help when you feel like crap, getting treated badly, think of committing suicide. It's easier to find songs of hope, to make you feel better about yourself and to stand up to the world. To let us know we are not alone and that there is nothing wrong with us. There are different phone numbers to call, blogging about it, talking about things on youtube, it's all there waiting for us when we need help.

Bullying back then was just at certain times and easier to get away from. People communicated more face to face. Today bullying is everywhere, easier to do and everyone has a potential to be a target. Yesterday we just worried about strangers on the street but today we worry about strangers being just a click away. People are taking more notice about bullies because of the internet but maybe we are not doing enough or not doing the right things.

So many great things happened in my generation and so many good things are out now to make things easier. Easier is not always better though. Life was simpler then but today we have more ways to reach out. Yesterday we did more out door things and noticed more. Today we spend more time indoors, behind a screen even if we are out and with others. Things being developed today to help save lives. Our loved ones yesterday died of things that wouldn't kill them today. It's amazing to sit back and really take a look at how much things have changed both for the better and the not so good.

Sad

Sad...

It's sad to see and hear what we do to each other. How we treat one another. Fighting over religion, who is right and wrong, who is bigger and has more power. Having too much control. Governments (all over the world) trying to tell us how to live our personal lives (minus the obvious laws that we need). Wanting more and more at all cost.

Sad...

People still have to fight for simple human rights around the world. Some trying to push their beliefs onto others; thinking that since they live a certain way, others should too. Not being able to see everyone as individuals with different ways of life then accepting them even if we don't agree. Some parents willing to toss their own children out just because they can't accept them for who they are. Women being told what they can and can't do with their own bodies.

Sad...

We argue who is politically correct during the holidays. Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, does it REALLY matter? Just showing respect and courtesy should be enough. Fighting over things that create violence and stampedes forgetting what is REALLY important in life. 

Sad...

Losing the human connection while we dive into our devices. Never fearing what we say to one another as we sit behind a screen. Being in a room full of people and still being alone as everyone hardly speaks. We have lost something in just a short time as we gained easier ways to live. Bullies have it easier while victims lash out more. Cheating has become the norm. Why? If not happy, just leave. Better yet, communicate anyway you can (in a postive way). We lost our inner child. Why? We turn to things to comfort us instead of each other. Why?

Sad...

We judge when we don't really know. We fear what is different. We turn our backs to things that we should embrace. A cover is more important than what's on the inside. We fail to see the REAL beauty. We ignore what we don't understand. 

Sad...

Parents too scared to punish in fear of getting in trouble creating frustration and kids who do what they please. Some don't pay attention, don't give the right kind of things. Some are too controlling, creating the same things in their kids if they didn't care at all.

Sad... 

We put on a mask, afraid to reveal what's really there. Not having the confidence to go out and face the fear. We see the reflections and dislike what is reflected back. We're too busy with everything, not having time for ourselves, for our family. So stressed and angry that we turn to other things and people instead. 

Sad...

We get so wrapped up on little things and don't concentrate on what's REALLY important. Cuss words on tv, a little skin, breast feeding in public, kids accidently seeing things they shouldn't, porn, strip clubs; who really cares? Putting the focus on more serious issues should be applied. 

Sad...

People struggling to eat, to have a home, to survive. They wish they could have what we do and take for granted. All kinds of abuse. Using violence to resolve things. Our mental health system is screwed leaving the mentally ill to fend for themselves; then they commit unspeakable acts. Who's fault is it really? Lashing out on things and people. Getting harder to defend ourselves. To protect. Turning our heads the other way instead of doing what's right and needed. Everything is a pandemic. Or is it really? So many other things. 

I didn't mean to do a sad blog. I was just inspired by things I see and hear in daily life. The news, just what I encounter and in my personal life. I know not everyone is like this but these things do go on and every one of us has done or felt at least of one of these things. That's ok, we're human. This is the human race. It's an interesting world.

There are just as much positive things in life too. I think it's important to embrace those positive things as much as we can. To try to be the best person we can be to ourselves and each other. Embrace the differences in others even if don't agree. To not judge others until you open that book and give it/them a chance. Life really is beautiful even during the hard times. We need to take a hard look at ourselves and chance what we don't like. It's never to late. These things popped in my head so I wanted to get it out. One must see both the ugly and the beautiful to really appreciate life.

Airplanes and Flying

It's been awhile since I sat down and wrote a real blog. My mind just has been on other things including writing a paranormal story. Well today one of my favorite artist Darren Hayes wrote a blog while on an airplane and talking about different things about airplanes. It got me thinking and now I have decided to voice my own thoughts. Just one of those random non-imporant blogs.

First complaint, having to pay for your luggage. I get that they are trying to keep the cost of flying down but if you think about it, either way you are paying more to fly, just in a different way. Having to pay for luggage is stupid and an inconvenience. 

Now some airlines want to charge for drinks. Soda cost next to nothing. I know because I used to own a fast food place so I know how it works with the soda companies. They can use paper cups or just give out the cans to save money on buying cups. People need to drink and some would like other things beside water. I can understand paying for alcohol, that is expensive. When it comes to food, I can maybe understand this but if we have to pay for food, it should be better than what they serve. It might be better to bring your own food this way you get better tasting for the money. If you are on a really long flight though, this won't work.

Security checks. This is needed but I think goes a little too far at times. We will never be able to stop someone from doing harm on a plane. It's impossible. There will always be a way for someone to sneak something on. Just how far are they willing to go to try and protect us from something they can't fully protect us from in the first place? 

Different seating. Why is this an option? Don't you think everyone should have the luxury of sitting in a good seat with lots of legroom and use any bathroom they want? Make it one price too. If there is noise on the plane, a curtain won't stop it from being heard up front.  There needs to be more room in between the seats too so no one is cramped. I know when I fly and I need to use the bathroom, I usually have to grab onto the seat in front of just to hold myself up while I try to stand up since there is a tiny amount of space. I hate doing that to the person in front of me or if I accidently bump them when I barely move to get comfortable. 

What about being able to pick your own seat, why can't we have this option and not pay extra? I do prefer aisle seat even though I like to look out the window. I am claustrophobic so I need the aisle seat and I hate bothering people when I need to use the bathroom.

The bathrooms. They really need to make these things bigger.  There is barely any room in there to move around even for a thin person. How do people even have sex in there? You must be very flexible to do so. Hell you pretty much need to be flexible when you are just trying to use it.

When the plane lands, why does everyone have to stand up at once to get their stuff and head to the front? I realize everyone wants to get off the plane but it becomes chaotic and then everyone has body parts in everyone's face and it's gets so cramped that it's like a pack of sardines. For someone who is claustrophobic, it is very difficult plus, it is just very frustrating. 

The good things about flying, you can go anywhere in the world. You can use your laptop and still communicate while you are 30,000 feet in the air, some now have screens so you can watch movies or see the flight path and how high you are. Flying may be safer today than it was years ago but it still makes me nervous. It's a love hate relationship.

Wacky Towns

In searching for a town name for a story I am trying to write, I came across this web site that has a list of some crazy ass names for towns. I thought it was so interesting, I thought I would post it. This is taken right from the web site infoplease.com


"America's a big country. From the easternmost reaches of Maine to the western Alaska islands in the Bering Sea, these United States include towns with every imaginable name. We've collected some of the more surprising examples."

"Towns that boast . . .

• Beauty, KY
• Best, TX
• Bountiful, UT
• Carefree, AZ
• Celebration, FL
• Friendly, WV
• Happy Camp, CA
• Happyland, CT
• Ideal, GA
• Lovely, KY
• Luck Stop, KY
• Magic City, ID
• Paradise, MI
• Smileyberg, KS
• Success, MO
• What Cheer, IA

. . . and towns that don't.

• Boring, OR
• Dinkytown, MN
• Eek, AK
• Embarrass, WI
• Flat, TX
• Greasy, OK
• Gripe, AZ
• Hardscrabble, DE
• Hazard, KY
• Oddville, KY
• Okay, OK
• Ordinary, KY
• Peculiar, MO
• Sod, WV
• Why, AZ

Towns that make you hungry

• Bacon, IN
• Big Rock Candy Mountain, VT
• Buttermilk, KS
• Cheesequake, NJ
• Chocolate Bayou, TX
• Goodfood, MS
• Ham Lake, MN
• Hot Coffee, MS
• Lick Fork, VA
• Lickskillet, OH
• Mexican Water, AZ
• Oatmeal, TX
• Oniontown, PA
• Picnic, FL
• Pie Town, NM
• Sandwich, MA
• Spuds, FL
• Sugar City, ID
• Tea, SD
• Tortilla Flat, AZ
• Two Egg, FL

Towns that remind you of bugs and birds . . .

• Beebeetown, IA
• Bee Lick, KY
• Bird-in-Hand, PA
• Birds Eye, IN
• Black Gnat, KY
• Bugscuffle, TN
• Bumble Bee, AZ
• Chicken, AK
• Fleatown, OH
• Goose Pimple Junction, VA
• Parrot, KY
• Shoofly, NC
• Turkey, TX
• Turkey Scratch, AR

. . . and other creatures . . .

• Bear, DE
• Beaverdale, PA
• Dinosaur, CO
• Dog Walk, KY
• Fish Haven, ID
• Hippo, KY
• Horseheads, NY
• Hungry Horse, MT
• Mammoth, WV
• Monkey's Eyebrow, KY
• Possum Trot, KY
• Rabbit Shuffle, NC
• Squirrel Hill, PA
• Toad Suck, AR
• Trout, LA
• Viper, KY

. . . not to mention humankind.

• Bigfoot, TX
• Bowlegs, OK
• Brainy Boro, NJ
• Humansville, MO
• Left Hand, WV
• Shoulderblade, KY
• Stiffknee Knob, NC
• Sweet Lips, TN
• West Thumb, WY"

 Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/spot/wackytowns.html#ixzz2IwpnLjzU

A Real Tarzan

Watching Disney's 'Tarzan', I got to thinking about a real Tarzan. In real life, a baby would not be able to survive in the jungle. Even if apes tried to take care of the baby, the baby could not eat the kind of food the apes would give him. Who knows if he could drink the water & mama ape's milk.

Then there is the harsh environment that apes are used to & can usually get through. The environment just wouldn't be suitable for a baby without the protection from other humans. How about when baby/kid Tarzan gets sick & gets his teeth in? Sure the human body could fight certain things off but if Tarzan survived high temperatures etc, it would cause a lot of stress on him & his body.

Let's say baby Tarzan has so far made it through the baby yrs; who is going to teach him morals? About the changes he would be going through? What about sex? I guess if the cavemen did all of it, Tarzan could. But then again he would be the only human with today's germs, colds & diseases.

Now lets skip ahead to Tarzan being an adult. If some how he survived all those yrs, what kind of man do you think he would be? He definitely wouldn't be a nice civilized guy. If Tarzan made it to a town, city etc, he wouldn't know how to handle anything. His anger would be out of control, he would be scared of everything he saw, he would be out of control and probably even rape women without realizing he would be doing something wrong. Tarzan couldn't communicate with anyone. He would probably be arrested & end up in a mental hospital. Such a sad life if you think about it. I prefer the Disney version where everything ends up in a happy ending. My brain was just on a go when watching it & thought I'd blog my thoughts since it has been awhile. ;)

Crazy Thought

Another weird crazy thought in my head.

A crazy game parents play with their kids: pretending to eat them "because they are so yummy."  :P How did this come about? 

We pretend to be cannibalistic on our kids! For fun! And they enjoy it! I admit, it's fun on both ends but it's a really strange thing to play.

"Can I eat your toes/fingers? But they're so yummy. Nom nom nom" etc etc LOL

The things that seem harmless (and are harmless) until we sit there & think about it.  Once we think about it, it's like "what the hell kind of game/song (etc) is this?" then we continue to do it because it provides harmless entertainment to our kids. Life is so amusing. :D

What Love Means To a Child

Here is another thing that was emailed to me a long time ago. I find it interesting & wanted to share.

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 yr olds. What does love mean? The answers they got were broader & deeper than anyone could have imagined.

1) When my grandma got arthritis, she couldn't bend over & paint her toenails anymore. So my grandpa does it for her now all the time, even his hands got arthritis too. That's love. Rebecca age 8

2)When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouths. Billy age 4

3) Love is when a girl puts on perfume & a boy puts on shaving cologne & they go out & smell each other. Kari age 5

4) Love is when you go out to eat & give somebody most of your french fries without making them give you any of theirs. Chrissy age 6

5) Love is what makes you smile when you're tired. Terri age 4

6) Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy & she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is ok. Danny age 7

7) Love is when you kiss all the time. then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together & you talk more. My mommy & my daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss. Emily age 8

8) Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents & listen. Bobby age 7

9) If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate. Nikka age 6

10) Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday. Noelle age 7

11) Love is like a little old woman & a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well. Tommy age 6

12) During my piano recital, I was on stage & I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me & saw my daddy waving & smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore. Cindy age 8 


13) My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night. Clare age 6


14) Love is when mommy gives daddy the best piece of chicken. Elaine age 5


15) Love is when mommy sees daddy smelly & sweaty & still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford. Chris age 7


16) Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day. Mary Ann age 4


17) When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up & down & little stars come out of you. Karen age 7


18) Love is when mommy sees daddy on the toilet & doesn't think it's gross. Mark age 6


19) You really shouldn't say I LOVE YOU unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget. Jessica age 8


And the winner was a 4 yr old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly man who had just lost his wife. When the child saw the man cry, the little boy went over into the man's yard & climbed on top of the man's lap & just sat there. When the boy's mother asked him what he'd said to th neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."

So You Think You Know Everything

A long time ago I read this and kept it. I think it was sent to me in an email. I find it interesting and just thought I would post it here. I don't know how accurate  these things are or where the info came from but it's still pretty cool.

“Stewardesses” is the longest word typed with only the left hand and lollipop with your right.  

Maine is the only state whose name is  just one syllable. 

No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver and purple.

“Dreamt” is the only English word that ends in the letters MT.

Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.

The sentence: “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” uses every letter of the alphabet.

The words ‘racecar,’ ‘kayak’ and ‘level’ are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left (palindromes).

There are only four words in the English language which end in “dous” - stupendous,
and hazardous, tremendous and horrendous.

There are two words in the English language that have five vowels in order – abstemious and facetious.

Typewriter is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of 
the keyboard.

All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill.

A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

A goldfish has a memory span of 3 sec.

A “jiffy” is an actual unit of time 1/100^th of a second.

A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.

A snail can sleep for three years.

Al Capone’s business card said was a used furniture dealer.

Almonds are the member of the peach family.

An ostrich’s eye is bigger than it’s brain.

Babies are born without  kneecaps. They don’t appear until the child reaches 2 to 6 years of age.

February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.

In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.

If the population of China walked in a line, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.

If you are an average American, in your whole life, you spend an average of 6 months waiting at red lights.

Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.

On a Canadian two-dollar bill, the flag flying over the parliament building is an American flag. 

Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.

Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.

The average person’s left hand does 56% of the typing.

The cruise liner, QE2, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns. 

The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.

The winter of 1932 was so cold that Niagara falls froze completely solid.

There are more chickens than people in the world.

Winston Churchill was born in a ladies room during a dance.