Middle age......I'm not sure if I still qualify as middle aged. I guess I'm still in the middle if I live to be 120 years old. Good grief. What's my title now? Hmmmmm does that make me a senior? I really don't have to ask that question but let's just say for the sake of argument that I'm an alien on this planet and unfamiliar with the term or its definition. Basically, I'm in denial as I go racing full speed ahead to my sixtieth birthday! My head hasn't caught up with my age. I hope it never does!

President Barack Obama signed an equal-pay bill into law today, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was chosen as his first bill to sign as president. Today was called a "wonderful day" ending pay disparities between men and women.

President Obama said, "Making our economy work means making sure it works for everyone," Obama said. "That there are no second class citizens in our workplaces,

The high court had said a person must file a claim of discrimination within 180 days of a company's initial decision to pay a worker less than it pays another worker doing the same job. Under the new bill, given final passage in Congress this week, every new discriminatory paycheck would extend the statute of limitations for another 180 days.

Opponents contended the legislation would gut the statute of limitations, encourage lawsuits and be a boon to trial lawyers. They also argued that employees could wait to file claims in hopes of reaping larger damage awards. The bill does not change current law limiting back pay for claimants to two years.

The measure, which amends the 1964 Civil Rights Act, also applies to discrimination based on factors such as race, religion, national origin, disability or age.

I don't know about anyone else but I am happy he chose this bill as his first to sign. We are off to a good start. I'm also very impressed with Lilly Ledbetter who took up the fight even though it was too late to help her recover the thousands oof wf dollars she lost in pay and benefits. She fought for future generations and for that I commend her.

This past Tuesday people around the world acknowledged the historical significance of the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. The significance of this event surpassed political parties. Unfortunately there are more enlightened people on the other side of the world than there are at my place of employment. Our hospital director actually wrote people up for standing in the hallway and watching the inauguration on the waiting room television. To say I was shocked by his attitude would be a lie for I have had to listen to the accusations of "baby killer, terrorist, illegal citizenship" etc. for some time. Half to irritate him and also because I wanted to witness this historical moment for myself, I turned on the television in our board room (which is adjacent to his office) during my lunch period. He immediately jumped into the room to say "There goes America as we know it".....my response..."We can only hope so" - the America that oppressed a race of people for no reason other than the color of their skin - It is time for that America to go!

Back Into The Swing of Things

I've been way out of sorts for awhile. Christmas vacation left me so far behind at work it has taken me two weeks to catch up. I now have a bit of breathing room and am taking a moment just to stop and sigh. The problem with vacations is the aftermath of being gone. I have almost 5 weeks to schedule off this next year or lose the time. It all sounds great in theory but those 5 weeks are really hard to schedule and I hate coming back to a backlog of work. Don't I sound like a whine bag.....as my daughters say to their kindergarten students, "How sad for you". Anyway, Christmas was great although I didn't do much on my time off except eat and get fat. It's surprising how quickly bad habits are formed. I'm still trying to stop eating and get back to exercising.

Life is going along.....and fast....my mother turned 91 in December. I had lost count and thought she was 92 this year but she quickly corrected my addition. I will turn 60 this summer and for some reason that number is really getting to me. I have no idea why since no other birthday has merited more than a passing thought. I'll shake it off at some point maybe the day after I turn 60 but for now I'm not thrilled with the prospect although it does beat any alternatives.

I have a busy afternoon ahead so I'd better get back to work.

Thank You

I just want to thank all of you for your educational e-mails over the past year. I am totally screwed up now and have little chance of recovery.


I no longer open a public bathroom door without using a paper towel or have them put lemon slices in my ice water without worrying about the bacteria on the lemon peel.

I can't use the remote in a hotel room because I don't know what the last person was doing while flipping through the adult movie channels.

I can't sit down on the hotel bedspread because I can only imagine what has happened on it since it was last washed.

I have trouble shaking hands with someone who has been driving because the number one pastime while driving alone is picking ones nose (although cell phone usage may be taking the number one spot).

Eating a little snack sends me on a guilt trip because I can only imagine how many gallons of trans fats I have consumed over the years.


I can't touch any woman's purse for fear she has placed it on the floor of a public bathroom.


I MUST SEND MY SPECIAL THANKS to whoever sent me the one about poop in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet sponge with every envelope that needs sealing.


ALSO, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.


I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.

I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOLare sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.

I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa's Novena has granted my every wish.

I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.

I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

THANKS TO YOU I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an e-mail to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

BECAUSE OF YOUR CONCERN, I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.


I no longer can buy gasoline without taking someone along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm pumping gas.


I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put 'Under God' on their cans.


I no longer use Saran Wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.

AND THANKS FOR LETTING ME KNOW I can't boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face... disfiguring me for life.

I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.

I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.

I no longer receive packages from UPS or Fed Ex since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.

I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't support our American troops or the Salvation Army.

I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica , Uganda , Singapore , and Uzbekistan .


I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe.

THANKS TO YOU I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my butt.


AND THANKS TO YOUR GREAT ADVICE I can't ever pick up $5.00 dropped in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.

I can no longer drive my car because I can't buy gas from certain gas companies!

I can't do any gardening because I'm afraid I'll get bitten by the brown recluse and my hand will fall off.


If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician . .



Oh, by the way.....

A German scientist from Argentina , after a lengthy study, has discovered that people with insufficient brain activity read their e-mail with their hand on the mouse.

Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late.