Say What?

I had a recent trip to the dentist. Not too painful (in the mouth or the pocket). But apparently I am not getting enough Flouride. What? How can that be? I mean, what is the source of Flouride? Isn't that the stuff in water? Good question, but in some communities, there is no Flouride in the water. And that is another story and not for this blog entry.


So in lieu of getting Flouride the way that most people in urban areas get it, I was given some 'Flouride special' toothpaste; gel actually. Huuuuuummmmm, who knew that such a product existed ... ? It does and it runs $10 a pop. When is the last time you paid $10 for a tube of toothpaste ... ? Yeah, just let me stand in that line all by my lonesome.


Well, I got the special Flouride induced, toothpaste-like product and for some reason, I say to myself, read the directions before you just brush, brush away. Upon reading the instructions, I become baffled; I don't understand how to use the stuff. It's true.


There were only two bullet points for directions. I got by the first one: brush your teeth; but I must admit that I did get stuck on the second one: After use, adults expectorate gel. Huh? And that was pretty much it. You know how sometimes you can continue reading and sort of determine the meaning of a word ... ? I got stuck on expectorate. Never heard of it before. So with my toothbrush in hand, I got ahold of the dictionary and looked up the mystery word. Expectorate. Expectorate means to spit. That's it. Simply put. It seems weird, but that's all there is to it.


I don't know how I would feel if the directions just said, spit. A point is then made on the product because it goes on to say in the precautions area: DO NOT SWALLOW. I think spit, followed by do not swallow would clearly get the point across with less letters. However, if you are a crossword kinda gal, or guy, you will now know that an eleven-letter word for spit is expectorate. This is what I do; I'm here to help.

Pay Attention, why don't you ... ?

Lately, I have been a bit perturbed about driving. Now, this is not a proclamation about me being the best driver in the state of Ohio. However, it is obvious to me that I am certainly not the worst driver on the roads in the Buckeye State.


Poor Judgment of Speed

• This is a huge pet peeve of mine; and recently it seems lots and lots of folks are just sashaying in front of me; nevermind, how fast I am going. It forces me to hit the brakes and yell profanities and/or make a quick maneuver to an available lane.
• Keep in mind, a great deal of my daily driving is on a four lane state route. So motorists wanting to enter the highway are supposed to use caution before getting in the mix. I think they are saying "to hell w/caution, I'm the unstoppable Gertrude, and I need to get to Delores' so we can bake some pies ..." Okay, so I'm stereotyping, but only to make a point (please tell me you got the point ...)

A Letter of Concern ... ?

This is interesting: a longtime Cleveland City Council member wrote a rather terse letter to a teenager who'd been arrested (again) for selling drugs.

A friend sent me a link to the letter which is posted on SmokingGun.com. I thought that it was a riot (i.e. somewhat humorous). It was riddled w/common profanity and written in a very condescending tone, but I'd say it was written in a language that the offender would be familiar with (and I'd say not offended by; though not in this case). Honestly, I don't think the intended receiver gives a damn, but his mother apparently does. She's called on the racial brigade: the NAACP, Al and others ...

Some say it's racial, but I think they only say that because it's a white councilman and a black kid. I don't think it's racial at all.

In my opinion, the outrage is not so much based on race or the contents of the letter, but, who's spouting those words (and not in terms of a white man berating a black guy). In most cases, I might say that it is inapproprate for a councilman/councilperson to use profanity and slang in a tirade against a constituent, but in this case, I think it is a commitment to his position; his passion for intolerance. Could he have made his point w/o the profanity and slang? Yes, yes indeed.

My friend and columnist Phillip Morris thinks the councilman was out of order. And you know what, maybe I'd feel better if I knew that Mike Polensek fired off letters of appreciation and about accomplishment as quick as he does fiery letters of disregard. You know commend the good neighbors and condone the bad ones ... heck, maybe more of us should write a letter 'going off' on the bad guys; I'll think about that one ... can someone get me a postage stamp?

TWO Things About Me!

TWO Things About Me!

Two Names I Go by: kimmie and foxy

Two Things I am Wearing Right Now: skirt and camisole

Two Things I Want (or have) in a Relationship: respect and understanding

Two of My Favorite Things to do: read and listen to hip hop

Two Things I Want Very Badly At The Moment: to be a millionaire and always remember to count my blessings

Two pets I have: none

Two things I did last night: watch tv and talk on the phone

Two things I ate today: cereal and soup

Two people I just talked to last: karmen and mom

Two Things I'm doing tomorrow: road trip and listening to the radio

Two longest car rides: from buffalo to new york city and from atlanta, ga to orlando, fl
Two Favorite Holidays: christmas season and valentine's day

Two favorite beverages: water and juice/smoothie

Two favorite TV Shows: "Oprah" and "The Office"

For the love of popcorn

My sister bought me a bag of popcorn the other day because she knows how much I love popcorn.

It's call Popcorn, Indiana! And boy, is it good. Yummy. She got a big bag of Smoked Cheddar Cheese Kettlecorn. It is my new fav.

I also like Frito Lays Smartfood Popcorn.

So there you have it ... for the love of popcorn.

Two Feet in the Graveyard

Graveyard, originally uploaded by timmredpath.

I was talking to my friend the other day and she randomly asked me where I was. I told her that I was at the cemetery. It's not really as weird as it sounds even though I was not there to visit a particular person.

You see, I visit the local cemetery at least three times a week. I go there to run/walk. Again, it's not as weird as it seems; at least not around here. This was not my 'regular' thing, but here's the story:

A few years ago, I was training to run a half marathon. I was training w/a group and it was at the beginning of Winter. So we mainly ran on the treadmill at the local YMCA. However, if you are training for a marathon, at some point you have to (or you should) get out and run on some race-like surface. The ladies I was training w/knew the area quite well. They ruled out the county fairgrounds (which I still have yet to visit) and agreed on the cemetery. Of course, I got the time wrong for the first session and by the time I found the place, they were finishing up, so I had to (well, I guess I could have bailed) run in the cemetery alone ... ooooooh.

That's the story, so now I go there frequently. There are lots of positives to going to the graveyard to run/walk:

1. It's quiet ands serene
2. Usually, no pets allowed
3. Usually a smooth surface
4. Very few obstacles in the way
5. Oh, it's free

There are however, some disadvantages to using this particular venue:

1. Some time drivers tend to drive fast and they don't really expect to see pedestrians
2. You need to know the cemetery hours (I was almost locked in a cemetery once a while back when a friend and I went running there; I guess I am not really new to using the cemetary as a track, huh?)
3. You have to watch out for old creepy guys (and old creepy gals for that matter)

So, that's my no cost recommendation for today! Get to running!