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Weeds Along the Path

434674345_f0f7a314a2_bEvaluating information given on web sites and blogs takes a bit of thought. I try to use what critical thinking skills I have left to sort out the obvious garbage and weed through the hyperbole, disinformation, and “spin” set forth as fact.

I feel kind of trapped within a system that is not necessarily set up to reach out and provide what I think (yep that is the rubber burning smell you noticed) would be helpful to me. That is after all what it comes down to sometimes, yes, I think of me, myself, and I. Such a selfish endeavor you might think. But, if I don’t look out for number one (yeah, that would be me again) who will?

First, I am tossed into this giant rat maze. Running around from one path to the next while still recovering from shock– what the heck just happened? Stumbling around one path to the next not sure of the construct that surrounds me – my relationship in the system (maze) makes it hard to clearly see unbiased – but my brain has not totally checked out yet (at least I hope not).

Even when information is published by respected sources like the MS Society, medical journals, or the FDA – it does not necessarily make it gospel. Advancements happen; old truisms are replaced by new ones. Heck I have enough trouble figuring out the cable menu system because they change it every week. How am I supposed to weed through all the research on drugs, procedures, biomedical models, and yes, the dimensions of mind and spirit?

Blogs used to be grassroots in nature. I great place to seek out info presented uncensored. Most bloggers had no hidden agendas, wearing their leopard spots on the sleeves of their blogs. Not so – anymore. Once blogs were recognized as a means for profit a rake and hoe became needed to weed through the ingenuous, the bogus, and find the genuine. The real bloggers behind the blog title that are sharing their truths, fears, joys, and pathways they take in their lives. Having a sponsor does not mean a blog(ger) is ingenuous but blogs selling something IMHO are not dependable sources of fact and tend to feign a sincere interest in my well being.

Now that I have used up my reserve brain energy writing this . …

Kudos – to those of you who share on your blogs for the sake of sharing and the rest of you all are headed to my compost pile that is at the end of this pathway.

MS, Blogging Snakes – Rats, Traps, and Zaps

This blog is by no means what would be considered a successful blog in terms of ratings.  I get excited when someone comments for goodness sakes! But that said, it serves my purposes,  I have shared with a few great people whom I call friends – internet friends – and I can read older posts of mine and take a trip down memory lane – a short one I know.

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A blog after all is an online journal, a written record of personal experiences and observation.  So what is up with all the finger pointing, mean spirited comments, personal attacks, etc. in many sectors of the blogging community? I have been hacked before,  relieved nasty emails, and once someone taking offense to a post I made actually showed up at my home.  So what is that eh?  Most of these things came out of posts that were of a political theme or current event.

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Now, since being diagnosed with MS a whole new can of sneaky snake worms have appeared. Some on message boards, some in forum discussions, and yep some bloggers. Once again, I am new to this “community” and have spent the last 7 months lurking around forums and reading the blogs representative of the whole MS blogger community. Some blogs were so over the top either religiously (if you are not well you don’t believe enough) while others push cures ( bee stings, diets, goo roo’s , some for free and some for a fee.

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Come on folks! I have enough of a time getting my brain and body to function on some level of normalcy to weed through all this rubbish.   I don’t choose to use the DMD’s but if you do I respect your choices. I believe that positive thought/attitude can go a long way but I do not believe that someone having a bad time is neccesarily negative – like I don’t get up in the morning in pain because I had negative thinking – it is usually a balled up muscle. I sure don’t set myself up to go  out to get lost and confused so I can pull a poor me.

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I have read many blogs full of hope, humor, and information.  I have read some that frankly just piss me the F off. Seems that some of the ones I like are getting a dose of snakes  –

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I don’t get it? if you don’t like a particular blog – then stop reading it!

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If you don’t like someones comment on your blog unless it is nasty, threatening (other than to your purse), or you just don’t like the person who left the comment – why delete it? I admit that sometimes I don’t post a comment because I can not figure out if it is spam or not – but I dont not approve a comment because I think the persons point of view sucks.

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Then again I do not get a lot of comments anyways.  But this is a journal for me really and those who share in my journal journey with me are welcome.

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On a side note, the ants are not as bad now, I think I have just about gotten their tiny butts irradicated. On a more pressing issue, the dog food left out next door is attracting freaking RATS!!!!!!!!!! I saw one in the back porch as Annie and Catfish tried to catch it I was freaking out – augh no dont get that yucky dirty creature into you jaws. Oh gads. B and T are here this weekend again so we all went to the hardware store and picked up three electronic traps – cause I so am not using poison as it could hurt my woofy dogs.  So here is to hoping the traps go zap in the night.

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I dislike wild rats, the cute pet ones are OK, but the ugly ones in the ghetto here are so unwelcomed.  We have all garbage cans sealed tight, leave no food out, etc, now if only the freaking neighbor would get a clue.  The rats are running from their yard along the common fence and have dug a few routes to our small yard and have apparently gnawed into the shed. The ate the leaves off my fake ficus tree I stored in there – so somewhere some baby rats are snuggled all up in the leaves of my defunct tree. Oh happy joy joy what a delightful thought. I am so glad to contribute to their warmth and well being -NOT!!!!

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On the funny side, B accidentally turned on the trap while loading the batteries.  I heard a zap noise, B jumped, and as I was looking at him I saw the hairs on his arm stand up – the look on his face – priceless.

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Just Plugging Along

Nothing exciting, worthy really of a post going on around here. I made it to Borders yesterday and picked up some new reading material. I used my AARP card and received 10% off all paperbacks, a coupon for 20% off one book, and found two books in the buy one get one free display. Now all I have to do is read them.

The stove search is still going.  I friend that has a business distributing appliances amongst other things has come to the rescue and is offering us some good deals. We might end up with a more expensive model for less dollars than the basic models. Woo hoo.  Never underestimate the value of having a working range. Micro/convection oven cooking only sucks.

I am still checking out different themes for this blog.  I want one that I can customize the look of yet has support for the latest plugins that make blogging easier.  There is sort of a middle wasteland. Either you get all the bling or you get plain with less built in support ( so you have to add all the codes) to get stuff to work. I now realize my days of wanting to add php code and calls is over.  WordPress 2.7 sent my old theme into fits LOL.  Right now I am looking at white-space. Yep, make the typography easier to read and navagation easier for us cognitively challenged.

Working on a Theme

For a list of the blogs that participated for blog amnesty day head here to Liberal Values.

So what do you think? I am modifying the css on the theme Get Some by A WordPress Hacker. If you like looking at theme ideas his web site theme is cool.  It is worth checking out if you like looking at different presentations.  I am not the best with css and his is layed out and easy to customize – and it is free – cool no?

sample theme look

sample - click for larger