Does the weekend ever get a chance to breathe? We seem to spend all our time exhaling on Saturdays and Sundays. I often wonder if the weekend would like to be the weekday sometimes, when everyone is quiet and holding their breath.
Doing anything cool and exciting tomorrow and Sunday?
Friday, April 17, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
No Issue is More Important than Protecting Our Children * eye rolling*
The carlet letter? NJ tags new drivers with decal
AP – Four year old Lyllie Weeks looks at family photographs of her 16 year old sister Kyleigh D'Alessio as … TRENTON, N.J. – Would you drive any differently if you knew there was a teenager behind the wheel of the car in front of you?
You might find out soon. A first-in-the-nation law in New Jersey will require new drivers ages 21 and younger to display identifying decals on their vehicles.
Gov. Jon Corzine signed the law Wednesday; it takes effect next year.
The decals will probably be a small reflective rectangle attached to the front and rear license plates to help police enforce restrictions on probationary drivers, motor vehicle officials said.
Police will use them to determine whether teens are violating the state driving curfew and passenger restrictions, said Pam Fischer, director of the New Jersey Division of Highway Safety.
Authorities will not use the decals to target young drivers or pull them over for no reason, she said.
The decals are long overdue and will save lives, said Ron Gesualdo, owner of Gene's Driving School in Matawan.
"The parents are for it," he said. "The kids don't say anything, but you know what they're thinking."
One of those kids thinks the decals will only mean more trouble for teenagers.
"That's going to mean police are going to be bothering us even more," said Tebvon Mcneil, 18, of Paterson. "They see that sticker on the car, they're just going to be pulling us over for no reason. Are there drugs in the car? That's the first thing they're going to think, because we're teenagers."
And not everyone thinks the new law will improve driver safety. Jennifer Collins, a 29-year-old Hamilton resident, wondered whether the stickers will distract other drivers who are looking for them in traffic.
"That really doesn't make any sense to me, honestly," she said.
Officials are considering using Velcro to attach the decals, so they can be removed by other drivers using the same car.
"It will probably be nondescript and simple, and the public at large is probably not even going to notice it," Fischer said.
The decals were among a slew of new driving restrictions Corzine signed for young adults with probationary licenses, which allow them drive unsupervised under certain conditions.
Other restrictions include changing the driving curfew to 11 p.m. from midnight; allowing only one other teenager in the car; and banning the use of cell phones, even hand-free ones.
"These restrictions are in place because they represent the things we know put teens at risk," Fischer said.
New Jersey is the first state to require the decal, although Delaware and Connecticut have toyed with the idea, said David Weinstein, spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic.
The Delaware Department of Transportation is considering offering residents a reflective orange magnet that says, in black, capital letters: "NOVICE DRIVER." The magnets would be voluntary, said Dawn Hopkins, department spokeswoman.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 61 percent of teenage passenger deaths in 2007 occurred in vehicles driven by another teenager. Twenty percent of all passenger deaths occurred when a teenager was driving.
New Jersey's decal law was spurred by the driving death of a 16-year-old honor student in Morris County, Kyleigh D'Alessio, who was killed in 2006 riding in a car driven by a teenager with a probationary license.
"No issue is more important than protecting our children, so these efforts are essential to that," Corzine said. "We don't want to lose the beauty and the gifts that a Kyleigh could bring to all of us, and we need to take every step possible to make it something that doesn't occur in the future."
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
What Bothers Me
People that have extreme adoration for their children. People that put everything they have into their kids and make them the center of their lives.
It's just a little weird.
I like it when people have realistic adoration for their kids. Hey my kid is ultra cool, they do these cool things, oh holy hell they are being a little shit today. I punish my kids. They have boundaries and sometimes they make me wish I didn't breed. I don't think they are special little bundles of joy and beauty. They are cool because they are mine, maybe they even look a little like me and act a little like me. Maybe we have similar interests. But they aren't my shining center of my life. I have other things I need to focus on, like oh HEY how about the father of my kids? Without him there are no kids, there is no family unit and without a secure relationship with him, the kids lose their feeling of security and their ideas of a healthy relationship.
Kids like being trusted to be independent. They don't really NEED to be the center of your life, and you don't need them to be, either. After all, they grow up and leave and become the center of their own lives, as well they should. I'll be proud of myself if I can make kids that are independent, follow their dreams, but always know there is a safe haven with me during the rough times.
If your ultimate goal in life is to become a mother, then don't have a husband. When the marriage loses value because a kid arrives, things start going south. That is the primary reason marriages go under - I didn't believe it until I saw it numerous times. It manifests in the worst of ways. There needs to be a balance. I hope those of you that are married with children have found it or at least try to find it every day. I hate to see families fall apart because of a lack of balance. I always hope I can create something for my children that my parents were unable to create - balance and stability. And with that, we can weather the changes and upheavals together rather than apart as I had to.
That's what bothers me today.
It's just a little weird.
I like it when people have realistic adoration for their kids. Hey my kid is ultra cool, they do these cool things, oh holy hell they are being a little shit today. I punish my kids. They have boundaries and sometimes they make me wish I didn't breed. I don't think they are special little bundles of joy and beauty. They are cool because they are mine, maybe they even look a little like me and act a little like me. Maybe we have similar interests. But they aren't my shining center of my life. I have other things I need to focus on, like oh HEY how about the father of my kids? Without him there are no kids, there is no family unit and without a secure relationship with him, the kids lose their feeling of security and their ideas of a healthy relationship.
Kids like being trusted to be independent. They don't really NEED to be the center of your life, and you don't need them to be, either. After all, they grow up and leave and become the center of their own lives, as well they should. I'll be proud of myself if I can make kids that are independent, follow their dreams, but always know there is a safe haven with me during the rough times.
If your ultimate goal in life is to become a mother, then don't have a husband. When the marriage loses value because a kid arrives, things start going south. That is the primary reason marriages go under - I didn't believe it until I saw it numerous times. It manifests in the worst of ways. There needs to be a balance. I hope those of you that are married with children have found it or at least try to find it every day. I hate to see families fall apart because of a lack of balance. I always hope I can create something for my children that my parents were unable to create - balance and stability. And with that, we can weather the changes and upheavals together rather than apart as I had to.
That's what bothers me today.
Smithereen
əˈrinz
Monday, April 13, 2009
Blow You to Smithereens
I would love to know the origin of that expression.
A few things about me:
1) I like polka dots
2) I'm not addicted to anything on a constant basis. I go through phases with certain foods/drinks/activities but those things eventually die out.
3) I don't have allergies.
A few things about me:
1) I like polka dots
2) I'm not addicted to anything on a constant basis. I go through phases with certain foods/drinks/activities but those things eventually die out.
3) I don't have allergies.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Cheap Travel
1) Stay in hostels, but do your homework. "hostelz.com" is a great place for good, honest reviews. (Some sites only accept positive reviews, which kind of defeats the purpose if you ask me). Most hostels have very good accommodations, have attentive owners that can give you more personal attention than a hotel, and you get to meet cool people if you're feeling social! I have stayed in quite a few hostels and always manage to meet somebody or a group of somebodies that take pity on the lone female traveller and treat me to dinner, drinks, etc.
2) Always travel the city on foot or use public transportation. I never felt truly connected to a place when I travelled as a young lass because the adult with which I travelled always had/rented a car. When you explore the city on foot or use the buses/trams/subway, you get a much better feel for the city, the people, and the energy of it all. It's also a lot cheaper than renting a car and in many big cities, parking costs you a lot of money!
3) Have your biggest meals at breakfast and lunch because those are always the cheapest meals at a restaurant. Most restaurants get the majority of their clientele for dinner, which is why sometimes you can buy the same thing for dinner that you had for lunch and it costs significantly more. Fill up on a good first two meals of the day and then have an appetizer or very light supper. Another good tip about food is if you are staying at a hostel you can buy your own food to prepare and store it in the kitchen. I would prepare two meals a day and go out for one, except for one of my extended stays where I only ate out two or three times a week.
2) Always travel the city on foot or use public transportation. I never felt truly connected to a place when I travelled as a young lass because the adult with which I travelled always had/rented a car. When you explore the city on foot or use the buses/trams/subway, you get a much better feel for the city, the people, and the energy of it all. It's also a lot cheaper than renting a car and in many big cities, parking costs you a lot of money!
3) Have your biggest meals at breakfast and lunch because those are always the cheapest meals at a restaurant. Most restaurants get the majority of their clientele for dinner, which is why sometimes you can buy the same thing for dinner that you had for lunch and it costs significantly more. Fill up on a good first two meals of the day and then have an appetizer or very light supper. Another good tip about food is if you are staying at a hostel you can buy your own food to prepare and store it in the kitchen. I would prepare two meals a day and go out for one, except for one of my extended stays where I only ate out two or three times a week.
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