Cheaper by the Dozen - May

Cheaper by the Dozen, a baker's dozen, is a summary outline of ponderings, if you will... My shortcut strategy to spout-off and over-share personal opinions (crap) no one gives a flying fuck about.

1) "It's high time voters and politicians alike set their standards for honesty higher. This calls for doing our best to distinguish between lies and honest mistakes; between lies that have been proven and lies that are only suspected; between deception through outright lies, half-truths and silence; between foolish promises or predictions and knowingly false ones; and between slipping into a lie and undertaking a policy of deceit and choosing to be someone who deals with others through deceit." ~ Sissela Bok

2) Instead of allowing the presidential candidates to duck and bob as they avoid specifically saying how they would stem the flow of red ink, what if voters insisted that all presidential candidates directly answer the question, "How would you fix the nations debt?".

3) In the words of Mark Morford, "It's true that Obama has proven himself to be a wildly uneven president, hugely successful on one hand, infuriatingly weak and ineffective on the other. But by and large (and with some very notable exceptions), when he stakes out a claim, he goes all in. Iraq: ended on time and under budget. Osama: dead. Afghanistan: winding down. The economy: recovering (ugly). Auto industry: saved. Health care reform: a mishandled mess, but still sort of miraculous. Gay marriage? It will prevail, now more than ever."

4) The Supreme Court never should have approved unlimited corporate political spending. Corporations should not be able to make or break elections of candidates.

5) The psychology of collecting things and building a collection is fascinating to me. Part of me doesn’t warm to owning so-called precious things that have a high price tag, especially when that item is closeted away from view. Maybe that's my all too practical nature coming through, but I can't see spending beaucoup bucks on an inanimate object that isn't at the very least displayed. I can think of too many fine experiences and relief efforts that money can buy.

6) I've known for some time that when job interviewing, a female applicant should nix anything which distracts from what she is saying and has to offer. Items such as bangle bracelets that make noise when you move your hands, eye-catching costume jewelry, strong perfumes, and, potentially, a very large engagement ring are judged. Yes, its kind of a shame, but bling can be a negative when seeking a job and when asking for a raise and shooting for a promotion. Unfortunately, a large diamond engagement ring can be perceived as, "...this person doesn't really need this job" and can be viewed by some interviewers or colleagues as an inappropriate expense. We will forever judge a book by its cover.

7) When asked for and consequently given, an apology is compromised and devalued.

8) I recently learned the difference between whiskey and bourbon. In reality, the main difference surrounds the question of what each are made of: whiskeys are made from a fermented mash of grain (usually corn, rye, barley or wheat) whereas bourbon has to be comprised of at least 51% corn as part of its grain mash. It's my understanding that bourbon is also generally aged for four years in oak barrels.

9) Speaking of drinking, apparently, there is a loosely used term for undisciplined children who run amok, wreaking havoc and creating noisy chaos in public places... they are called "free range children"... You read that right. Not chickens... children. Problem is, "free range children" as applied to unruly kids is frowned upon by parents who actually practice "free range parenting" which means parenting that balances the need to protect a child with allowing a child to have experiences that children used to have in the good old days. Freedoms such as, playing outside unsupervised until street lights come on, riding a bicycle in the neighborhood and walking to school without a parent at their side. The difference in definition being "free range children" don't necessarily misbehave in public. hmm... Not to be persnickety, but how do "free range parents" know for sure how their "free range child" is behaving?

10) I guess there's a trend going on dubbed “living apart together,” when two people, a committed couple, maintain homes of their own, not because far-flung jobs demand they do so, but because they want to.

11) Today I found myself fascinated by the word "poop". Just look at it sitting there all round and cute, and symmetrical. And then it dawned on me... "poop" is a palindrome. Then I realized that if you flip "poop" upside down, you get "boob". Cool.

12) Research from Harvard University suggests our brain responds to self-disclosure the same way it responds to pleasure triggers like food, money, and sex. In other words, it feels good to share all of those embarrassing pictures, life observations, and revealing bits of personal information. On that note... It breaks my heart a little when I see females passive-agressively vent again and again on social networks after a break-up, while their ex shows no public sign of shared ongoing dismay. Pull-it together girls before you experience the bitter taste of regret.

13) "People... they don't write anymore, they blog. Instead of talking, they text. No punctuation, no grammar: LOL this and LMFAO that. You know, it just seems to me it's just a bunch of stupid people pseudo-communicating with a bunch of other stupid people in a proto-language that resembles more what cavemen used to speak than the King's English." ~ Hank Moody