Bfth's Boring Blog

When I wrote my early Lent post, I said it was not about just giving up, but about giving OF and giving thanks.  (And by the way, I really missed that glass of wine with my pasta the other night.) I try to make saying thanks a habit.  Maybe I overdo it, but it sure the heck doesn't hurt. There are so many people out there who DON'T get thanked.  There are too many people out there who DON'T say thank you.  (Seems like I've been droning this into my son's head since he was born! I hope it's working. It had BETTER be working!)  I truly believe that sincere appreciation and gratitude is something that is sorely lacking in our society.  While I can't change the world, I can make sure that my portion is properly appreciated and thanked. To that end, I want to talk about garbage.  Who likes garbage?  Ok, maybe Oscar the Grouch; he loves trash, but other than everyone's favorite Grouch,  does anyone actually like dealing with garbage?  I don't th

Next Wednesday is Ash Wednesday; the beginning of Lent.  Every year for Lent, I give up something ("make a sacrifice") and then on Easter Sunday indulge in whatever it is I have given up.  If you've been following my blog over the past few years, you may remember that the something I give up is chocolate.  I am a serious chocoholic and those weeks where I don't allow myself any are tough.  (Really!)  I am completely serious when I say that during the Lenten period I will dream of chocolate.  Something that doesn't happen during the rest of the year. This year I wanted to go for a little more; I want to give up chocolate AND all alcoholic beverages.  (Am I out of my mind????)  I like a glass of wine (or two) on the weekends.  Or if I'm having Mexican, I'll often wash it down with a margarita.  (On the rocks please.)  I'm not a beer drinker, but Not Your Father's Root beer has been a game changer for me.  But it's only 47 days...certainly I

February 12:  Ice coats the ground.  I spend 10 minutes in the rain and sleet trying to chip ice off my car before I head to church.  When I head home 2-1/2 hours later, the ground is covered in slush and ice.  The day that I thought was supposed to get "better" (at least as far as the weather was concerned) has gotten worse. February 19:  When my son and I head to church this morning neither of us wear coats.  There is a little chill in the air, after all it is February and just a little after nine in the morning.  By the time we head home, my son is anxious to get outside and play.  (And I'm anxious for him to change his clothes before he does so.) What a difference a week makes.  From chopping ice and dealing with slippery roads to a day so warm that when I did an afternoon walk, I wore capris  and a three quarter length shirt and was too hot.  (I am not complaining about that!)  It might not officially be spring yet, but I am going to take advantage of it.  I

If you finish that sentence with "never having to say you're sorry" then you're either of a "certain age" (as I am) or you are a sap (like me) or both.  For those of you who are neither, the line comes from the 1970s best-selling novel and subsequent film Love Story. (Although the script was written first and the novel was written after, but published before the movie was released.)  I don't think I'm giving away any plot points when I say it's about boy meets girl, they fall in love, they marry and she dies. (After all the first line heard in the movie is " What can you say about a 25-year-old girl who died? That she was beautiful and brilliant? That she loved Mozart and Bach? The Beatles? And me?") The quote has been often mocked and overused.  On the surface it does seem silly and vapid.  But watching the movie last night (an occasional pre-Valentine's Day ritual for me), I got to thinking about the phrase.  So let me take a

I went to church this morning.  This was a good choice, as it gave me something to think about and starts this blog; it was also a dangerous one.  What I thought was rain was in actuality ice.  Ice that did NOT want to be scrapped off my windshield as it was thick, thick, thick.  Standing in the icy rain trying to break through the layer of ice was not one of my finer moments.  (Particularly when I tried to get into the car and put my foot on the "running board" which was covered in thick ice and my body went one way and my leg another.  No falling, but close and not the best feeling in the world.) However, I digress; part of the sermon today was on free will/choice.  We all have choices.  We make them every day.  Some are easy, some are not.  I remind my son if he wants to get a good grade, he needs to study for that test.  If he doesn't, that's his choice.  The results of that choice may be a bad grade and a very unhappy set of parents (as well as other consequ

I think it's time to turn to the light side.  I've been very passionate in some of my recent posts (which is a good thing), but I don't want to be a PitA (http://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2017/02/passion-or-pita.html) or be all doom and gloom.  As bad as the world may seem (and I think we can all agree that things are pretty darned rotten), we still need to have a lighter side.  We still need to laugh. Of course I'm not sure that snow is a laughing matter.  In all honesty it IS a pretty big PitA.  But here in the Northeast we haven't had much this season. (Thank you!)  Now that is going to change.  The Weather Channel, which named this storm Niko (insert rolling eyes here...this new "craze" of naming snowstorms makes me wonder what will be named next...Tornado Fred?  Tsunami Sam?) has announced that my area will be getting six to ten inches of wet, heavy snow. (AKA "heart attack snow") Now it is February and we haven't had a real

...and have promptly been ignored. Yes, I'm talking about the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education.  In this mother's opinion, she is completely unqualified...unless the only qualification one needs is lots of money in the "right places" in which case she is ABUNDANTLY qualified. Yes, I'm ANGRY. Yes, I'M FURIOUS! And if by some miracle this woman actually does something to help the American Educational System I will GLADLY eat my words.  (But I'm not counting on that.) My immediate gut angry reaction was to think, I will NEVER vote Republican again.  But unlike most of our Congressional representatives, I actually think before I act.   Living by that vow, I would be no better than those who clearly voted along party lines instead of for what the people wanted.  (Thank you to L isa Murkowski, of Alaska, and Susan Collins, of Maine who voted their conscious and NOT their party.  Or at least that is what I'd like to thin

Failure came all too soon:  around 6:15 or so this morning and email popped up on my phone with the headline announcing the win in overtime.  DAMN!  Not only was this a subscription email (which I should have unsubscribed to long ago) that I wasn't going to read in the first place, it had destroyed my plans.  (FYI:  I was so annoyed that I immediately went and unsubscribed from the mailing list.) Now 6:15 may seem like an early failure, and it is, but I had been up since 4 and doing my best to avoid any mention of the game.  As a matter of fact, I did my best to avoid the whole thing yesterday. By 6 o'clock when my husband turned on Fox to start watching, I made a hasty retreat upstairs and watched some episodes of The Big Bang Theory with our son.  (This is one of our favorite pastimes and deserving of its own blog post in the future.)  When I did scurry downstairs to the kitchen, I made sure to avert my eyes from the TV.  I didn't want to know ANYTHING about the game

I've read it about it for a couple of years.  I was reminded it about it on Friday by Now I Know.  (Which is a great newsletter/website by this guy named Dan Lewis, who I don't know, but his weekday newsletters in my email box usually educate me and usually the highlight of my morning.)  So today, mere hours before the Super Bowl, I have decided to join the cause and run from the knowledge. It is a game I cannot win.  No one ever does.  However, I can give it a try.  And try I will. If you don't know what #lastman is, I encourage you to visit the website:  http://www.lastman.us/  In a nutshell, the idea is to refrain from finding out who wins and/or what the score of the Super Bowl is.   It's harder than you think, even for me, someone who could give a fig about football.  (Heck, I barely know who is playing today.)  Of course, you can never win.  Eventually you are going to see or hear it, but the object (as I understand it) is to try to stay away from "t

Everybody has a passion...most people have more than one.  Even if you don't know me, if you've read this blog you probably know that I am passionate about writing (why else would I be doing this?), my family (particularly my son), vacations to Disney World as well as myriad of other things.  Writing is a passion for me and many times (but not all the time), I write about things that I am passionate about. But I don't it all the time. (Although most recently it may seem I do.  I'm aware of it, trust me!) Sometimes I write about silly stuff; if not to amuse you than to amuse myself.  Sometimes I bitch and moan.  Sometimes I'm just sharing information.  I am passionate about blogging and blog about passions, but not all the time.  Because if I did, I'd cease to be passionate and just be a PitA.  Instead of sharing my passions, I'd just be annoying.  Since one of the goals in writing this blog is to get people to read it, being annoying is something I want to

You've probably seen this (or some variation of it) on social media... Call me stupid (and I very well may be) or naive (I definitely am), but I don't see how one relates to the other.  Does this mean that if I chose to support a refugee I am NOT supporting a veteran?   If I'm pro-veteran, then I must be anti-refugee?   If I have two homeless people (assuming the refugee is also homeless), I should put one above the other because one has served in the military?  I am NOT putting down ANYONE who has served (or who will serve), but it just doesn't make sense.   Are we making all veterans’ saints and all refugees sinners?  Let’s forget the refugee bit here. What if I asked if you'd put the needs of a homeless veteran before a homeless child?   Warning, I'm going to use a bible passage here. (Oh dear Lord, she's getting preachy again...when did this blogger turn into a holy roller?)  It's from Matthew 25:   35  For I was hungry and you gave me so