Rock a Bye Baby

I know we’ve all heard of this one.



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And I know at one time or another we have sung this song to our children or at least someone else’s (maybe you were babysitting or something)…

Anyways, have you ever really thought about what you were singing?

Just to refresh your memory, read this:

Rock a bye baby, on the tree top…
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock…
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall…
And down will come baby, cradle and all…

Ok…can somebody please tell me why this “nursery rhyme” doesn’t give your kids nightmares?

The cradle will fall?

And down will come baby cradle and all?

Ouch.

So basically, we're singing about a little baby that is inside of a baby carriage on the top of a tree.

And...how big is this tree?

Just think for a moment.

Ok...a tree is a tree...and I seriously doubt that a baby tree would be able to hold a baby carriage and a baby without the branch breaking right away...

Right?

Here's my vision...

"The wind begins to blow…

and then...

The cradle begins to violently sway in the wind…

and then…

BAM!



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The poor kid falls down from the top of the tree!

Cradle and all…"

Poor thing!

I'm horrible, I know.

Yea, that’s a real nice lullaby to sing to your child before they go to bed.

Especially if they understand…

“Mommy, can you please sing the song about the baby that falls out of the tree!?”

Are you getting a visual?

I know it’s supposed to be innocent...and I even sang this song myself...

I'm not trying to "ruin" this nursery rhyme, but...



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Have you thought about this?

There is even little shirts and toys that have this lullaby in some way, shape or form somewhere... 

I know you've seen 'em!

So I did a little bit of research on this to answer the one burning question…

Where did this song come from?

"Must you critically think everything??? " You ask.

The answer is YES : )



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According to lullabylink.com, this song was first published in 1765.

The website lists two theories…

One theory is that Native American women use to hang their babies cradles on trees…therefore the wind would naturally rock them to sleep.

Ok, makes sense.

Hopefully not on the top of the tree…but ok. 

Another theory is that the song originated from a family that lived in a huge tree in England.

Sounds fun.

I should do more research…

But I’m getting kind of tired.

Do you have any thoughts on this?

Please don’t hesitate to tell me what’s On Ur Mind.

Bless You!

The other day I was at the store and it was pretty quiet.

And then out of nowhere you hear a LOUD, “Ahhhhhhchoooooo!”

Yes, this is my version of someone obnoxiously sneezing.



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Obnoxiously…yes I said it was obnoxious.

Not that sneezing is obnoxious…everyone does it.

But this was like unlike anything I ever heard.

And no, I didn’t nor would I expect anyone to “hold it in.”

You could probably get hurt by doing that… right?

It actually startled me—not to mention everyone else around me.

And this guy was FAR away…at least a hundred feet away or more.

After the initial scare, everyone laughed it off...as if they were saying, “Damn that was loud” without saying a word.

But what I did hear was a handful of people saying, “God bless you” or “Bless you.”

Which is sweet…

But why do people say that?

The common answer that we've ALL HEARD...



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“Well I say it because when you sneeze…your heart stops for a split second.”

Some of you probably believe this.

Just in case you are one of the selected few that have NEVER heard of this belief...let me explain.

The myth is that we are suppose to say, “God bless you” after someone sneezes because their heart stopped for that split second—and thankfully they are still alive.

And bless ‘em.

Personally, I don’t believe this.

And of course…

I did some research on this.

WebMd says, “No your heart does not stop when you sneeze.”

It’s a myth.



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Surprised?

Your hearts rhythm briefly changes…

But no, you don’t however “skip a beat.”

WebMd also says that sneezing can be triggered by the sun, plucking your eyebrows, allergies (of course), and yes…even sex.

Yes... I just said sex may trigger you to sneeze.

Click here for more details 

(I already know you want to read more about that)!

There is actually several myths about sneezing.

For example…



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Early on, the Egyptians and Romans believed that a sneeze signified a change in ones personality.

To name a few more myths…

Some said, “Bless you” to ward off sickness—because sneezing could’ve been a sign of the Plague.

Another belief is that sneezing made you vulnerable to becoming possessed by evil spirits—so it was only right to say, “Bless you.”

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And I’m not speaking for all of the Greek culture…but I read that a common belief among the Greeks is if you sneeze…that means someone is talking about you (cordelia.typepad.com).

We all have our beliefs.

And believe me…there is plenty of them out there.

Although I’ve always been aware of this myth…

I NEVER bothered to look into it until now.

Pretty interesting.

Now I won't feel so bad when I don't say, "Bless you."

I'm horrible...I know.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

Please don’t hesitate to tell me what’s On Ur Mind.

Just When You Thought You Seen It All...

The other day I went to the gym.

And the only time I can really go is during “rush hour,” and I’m not just talking about traffic.



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Anyone that works out knows that all gyms in general have at least two rush hours a day.

Rush hour one usually starts around 4:45 to 7:00 a.m. (before work)—and after work—this is generally around 4:00 to 6:30 p.m. or so.

Anyways, I try to avoid these times because you usually have to wait to use a machine or a piece of equipment.

But sometimes you just don’t have a choice.

I’ll usually show up when it starts to die down.

Or right in the middle of it.

When I go to the gym, I just want to do what I got to do and get out.

I’m not there to socialize.

And although there’s nothing wrong with that…it’s not for me.

I see working out as my time to myself.

No make up, no heels, nothing.

Just me and my iPod jammin’ away.



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So the other day I walk into the locker room…and nothing out of the norm.

Then I notice what seemed to be black hair dye all over one of the sinks.

“Is that hair dye?”

“Nah…”

I didn’t think nothing of it as I proceeded to walk further back to where the lockers where.

I’m hanging up my jacket and close the locker…

And out of nowhere I see this lady sitting on the bench about 5 feet from where I was.

She must’ve been using the bathroom or something when I walked in because she came out of nowhere.



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Her hair was full of black hair dye…

And she was wearing nothing but a pair of sandals and a SEE THROUGH smock!

“What?!”



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She was just sitting there—ever so quaintly on the bench.

And get this…

She was reading a news paper with one leg on top of the other.

I’m not saying she was sitting with her legs crossed…

No.

Her right ankle was resting on top her left knee.

If you can’t visualize it…then try it out.

Keep in mind she was naked.

And to top it off it was rush hour.

She had a pleasant little smile on her face as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

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And trust me…she didn’t.

Yea.

Personally, I’m all for self expression.

And I’m not trying to “judge.”

But really????

I wonder how her hair came out.

Have you ever been in somewhat of an awkward situation?

I’d love to hear about it.

Please don’t hesitate to tell me what’s On Ur Mind.

My Relationship With The Kitchen

Cooking—why must we eat to survive? I like the “fruits of the labor” so to speak…but ugh, I have to be in a “mood” to cook.

And don’t get me wrong, I cook even when I’m not in a “cooking kind of mood.”



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Because I have to.

I have a hectic schedule and sometimes cooking can be a long, tedious, inconveniencing task.

Especially when you’re sleep deprived.

So you’re probably thinking that I have an eating disorder or something—not true.

Sometimes I just don’t want to do it...

I cannot lie.

Ok most of the time.

I can't help it. 

I’m just not one of those people that love to cook...although I wish I was.

But I’m not.

I hardly ever look forward to cooking.

Ok never.

No, wait I'm lying...

There have been times when I enjoyed it…but definitely not each and every time.

Definitely not.

These moments are few and far between (haha)!

But something's better than nothing...right?

Just to clarify—when I say “cook” I’m referring to meals.



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Real meals.

Big meals.

Not macaroni and cheese or ramen noodles.

I’m talking about cooking.

And no, I’m not eating alone if that’s what you’re picturing—I have a family to cook for.

And I don’t cook five days a week (thankfully).

So why am I complaining?

Because I can.J

I think we all have something we're not too fond of.

And for me it's cooking.  



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Sometimes we’ll go out to eat and sometimes we’ll just make something fast.

I love the days when I’m not a slave in the kitchen.

But I love my family too…damn it.

Sometimes I wish I could be one of “those lucky people” that enjoy new recipes and love to cook.

But I’m not.

So, basically, this blog is about my love/hate relationship with the kitchen.

Do you have one?

I’d love to hear about it.

Please don’t hesitate to tell me what’s On Ur Mind.

Woe! Did You Just See That?!

Woe…what just happened?!

Have you ever had something so strange happen to you that you actually had to second guess yourself? 

Ok probably not.



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Or maybe.

Well I have. 

I can’t believe I’m going to tell this story.

Now would be a good time to tell you all upfront that I’M NOT CRAZY.

And the reason why I know I’m not crazy is because I wasn’t alone when this happened.

Although I was kind of young—like15 years young—you have to believe me on this one.

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It was a clear, beautiful summer night and a group of us were hanging out at my house.

About 9 o’clock, maybe closer to 9:30, my friend asked me to walk her halfway home.

So I did.

Well, I just about reached my halfway point and we were just about to part ways…

And there it was.

“What was it?” you ask.

I’m still asking myself the same question.

In the sky, we had seen a series of strange orange lights.

No, they weren’t spinning. There wasn’t a “U.F.O. shape." There wasn’t a whole bunch of different colors and there was no blinding brightness…

Just noticeable brightness.  

There was only one color.  

Orange.

Just orange.

Bright orange.

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Different shades of orange.

Wildfire orange—but louder.

And these different shades of orange danced around—kind of like the way the sunlight hits a stream.

It glistened.  



Stephan Uhlmann

They resembled what you would see spilling out of a fountain on the Fourth of July.

That’s the best I can do for a description.

At first they where at quite a distance…pretty high up in the sky…and far enough away to kind of have to “squint” too see it.

But it was noticeable.

We both saw it at the same time.

Then it got closer and closer…

And lower and lower…

All of this in a matter of minutes.

“Hey…look, what’s that?! Is a plane going down?!”

I can’t exactly get into how many feet away it was from us...but I can say that you could’ve easily taken a picture of it with your cell phone cam’ (of course in the late 90s the pager was the "thing” to have…haha)!

Even if it was just a regular old flip phone—it would’ve been possible.

We didn’t know what to think!

(And YES…we where SOBER).

By this time it was pretty close to us…and we where freaking out!

 It was about halfway up the sky when…

Out of nowhere…it dropped down…

Straight down—and I mean fast!

Then it was gone—completely gone.

Just like that.



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“Huh?”

By this time we where screaming and started running back towards my house.

Then we stopped for only a brief moment to look back.

Anxiously holding onto each other…we see these lights shoot straight up…high into the sky.

And it disappeared.

Yeah.

There was no bright flash or anything when it disappeared...

It just vanished.

I will never forget that.

Why didn’t anyone else see this?

I didn’t live in the country.

I remember being glued to the television the next day to see if maybe the news had a report about it.

But nothing.

Was it military testing? A comet?

No…would a comet shoot straight up like that?

grcimagenet.grc.nasa.gov

It was definitely NOT an airplane…there was absolutely no blinking lights…no smog, no smoke...

Nothing.

It was just a series of orange “fizzy” lights.

We’ve only talked about it once since it happened.

So besides you thinking that I’m officially crazy—I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

Or maybe you have a strange but true story of your own to tell.

Please, don’t hesitate to tell me what’s On Ur Mind.

No Offense Wayne...I Just Couldn't Help But to Notice...

Don’t even ask me how I came up with this one.



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I am a fan of horror flicks and Halloween is my favorite holiday. I’m not necessarily "crazy" about gore…but I can handle it.

The other day I was watching a documentary about serial killers (it was a Sunday and there was absolutely nothing on—so don’t judge meJ)!!

And I don’t remember exactly what channel…but man…I’ll tell ya’…this was like the “Serial Killer Hall of Fame.”

I only got to see the last 45 minutes or so, but it was good.

Naturally, I found myself wondering how anyone could be so sick. I couldn’t believe some of the stories I heard. 

That actually happened? 

I can’t even kill a spider, and here I am listening to these vial stories about serial killers.

One story particularly stuck out to me—John Wayne Gacey. Ugh.

I didn’t hear all that much detail—but what I did hear prompted me to do a little research on this weirdo.

Why did I even bother to research him?

Well…once you have a “journalistic mind” you want to know the who, what, where, when and what-ifs of everything...all the time. It can actually be a pain sometimes.

Anyways I came to a realization…

There is a TON of convicted killers that have the middle name “Wayne!”

Seriously.

To name a few—Michael Wayne Summers, Coy Wayne Wesbrook, Jerry Wayne Walker, Randall Wayne Stevens—it goes on and on!



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Follow this link to democraticunderground.com

Pretty crazy huh?

If you just followed that link then you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Now, if your name is Wayne, or your middle name is Wayne, or your dad’s name is Wayne, or your child, etc…

My apologies if you think I'm doggin' the name "Wayne."

I don’t have any problems with the name “Wayne.”

I was just stunned after discovering how many convicted killers have this as a middle name. 

Can you blame me? 

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

So please don’t hesitate to tell me what’s On Ur Mind.

It's A Catch 22

Have you ever wondered who coined the phrase, “catch 22?”

I have heard this phrase quite a bit.



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Every time I hear it I think, “Dang…that just sounds funny.”

Why do people say it?

Where did they learn this phrase?

From word of mouth of course.

But does anyone really KNOW the story behind the phrase?

Or if they are even quoting this phrase correctly?

Do you say it just because it sounds cool?

Or do you say it because you THINK you know what it means?

Yea, I’ve said it…but I was never really comfortable after I said it.

All I knew is that other people said it when they where referring to a specific type of dilemma that didn't work out for them no matter what.

So I must be using this phrase correctly…right?

What is the true meaning to the phrase “catch 22?”

Where did the phrase come from?

I looked it up.

According to answers.com…we all have the right idea about how to use the phrase.

Yes, a “catch 22” does indeed mean that you are referring to somewhat of a “no-win situation.”

Whew!

Now the history behind it.

“Catch 22” is the name of a WWII novel written by Joseph Heller.

In the book, a pilot by the name Yossarian wants to STOP flying dangerous bombing missions.

In order to do so he HAS TO BE declared insane.

He IS declared insane because he WANTS to fly.

However, he KNOWS this mission is dangerous—and because he KNOWS this…he is declared SANE.



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He is in a no-win situation.

So…let me try to clarify this.

If you are in the military and try to make a case that you ARE insane…for example YOU are UNAWARE that you find combat pleasurable—but EVERYONE ELSE around you sees that you LOVE it…you would NOT get discharged.

Although the military CAN discharge you for being insane… they would consider you IDEAL for the mission.

Now, if you try to make a case that YOU think YOU ARE insane by TELLING someone…they would say that you are NOT insane…because only a SANE person would recognize THEIR behavior as abnormal.

An INSANE person would NOT recognize their behaviour as abnormal. A SANE person would.

So basically, you’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t.

You are in a no-win situation.

Confusing—yes.

So, every time you hear someone say, “It’s a catch 22.” You’ll know where the phrase came from and EXACTLY what it means.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

Please don’t hesitate to tell me what’s On Ur Mind.