The Insanity of DUI with Marijuana

After passing through a narrow margin of votes in Colorado in 2013, recreational marijuana use was legalized after January first in 2014. Washington State also passed the same legislation by voting that year which was not as surprising but equally as infuriating for anyone who is concerned about the when and where of use and by whom. With stiff federal regulations still in effect one has to wonder how it could have passed. Nevertheless, it’s there and the general public will have to deal with it even though regulations are still in strict reinforcement along with taxation.

     Those regulations on who can sell, tax revenues and amounts that are dispensed are hardly assuaging to a public more concerned about what our safety will be on the roads, working around and with heavy machinery to say nothing of health- mental or physical. If you are not concerned about what someone else does to themselves or to others under the influence of marijuana then maybe I should introduce you to what it actually does to people who insist on smoking weed and driving. That’s hair-raising enough isn’t it? Considering the rise in fatalities on U.S. roadways and highways everyone should consider introducing a bill that makes it illegal for all purposes throughout the States.

     Ahem! Marijuana’s known effects include altered consciousness, perceptual distortions, drowsiness, impaired memory and impaired coordination. Those hallucinogenic effects would obviously seriously affect and impair your ability to drive correctly- and way off the charts!

     By Colorado law, drivers are assumed to be impaired if their blood test shows a level of THC- the active hallucinogenic constituent in marijuana- of 5 or more nanograms per milliliter. There is a great deal of debate on how much marijuana a person needs to inhale or ingest before he or she is impaired. There are many variables, including THC’s level of concentration as well as individual biological reactive and susceptible differences in the user which impact the drug’s effects. It will be different from one person to the next in the usual way- i.e. height, weight, age, allergies, etc. Research has been limited and development of impairment testing equipment is in infancy. As a result, at the present time there is no roadside device that law enforcement can use to measure marijuana impairment. However, one thing is certain. Driving under the influence of marijuana, much more than driving under the influence of alcohol, can be dangerous- to put it mildly.

     In the mean time, here is a run down on the regulations which remain in effect and should be duly noted. Here are five of which I know about and are important to keep in mind for everyone:

     1. Selling marijuana without a license remains illegal. Purchasing marijuana from someone who does not have license to sell it is also illegal.

     2. Selling or giving marijuana to someone under 21 is illegal and a serious crime with stiffer penalties than before it was passed.

     3. Marijuana cannot be smoked or consumed ‘openly and publicly’- on public streets, parks or buildings. Its use is limited to your home or privately owned and occupied buildings.

     4. Marijuana purchased in Colorado cannot legally be taken out-of-state to sell or for any other reason. 

     5. Operating a motor vehicle while impaired is illegal and prosecutable.

     The next time someone asks you to sign a petition to pass marijuana use in your state, keep all of what I’ve told you in mind. Do the responsible thing for all of us. Just say, “No.” 

Stay Safe,

To Bee or not to Bee

     Every year before June rolls around our country holds statewide spelling contests with Semantics students in every participating city in the U.S. I found out that this was the 79^th year of Colorado’s participation in the competition. A regional competition was held at D.U.s Sturm Hall back on March 16^th. Only the best spellers of these state contests make it through the preliminaries to compete in Washington, D.C. each year so those who made it to the 94^th annual National Spelling Bee (567 in all) are quite adept in perfect spelling. Four of ours were Maria Ciobanu, Bryson Browning, Cameron Keith from Boulder and Lauren Guo from Arvada. The last two are from suburban Denver and they made it to Washington, D.C. but were eliminated after passing the first round.  

     I’m sure many people think of spelling contests as a superfluous or even superficial intellectual competition and that their time could be better spent but I totally disagree with that opinion, however much it may prevail. Let’s just say that I happen to believe that anyone who understands the importance of great spelling will transfer that love of perfection and conscientious work to their lives in the future.

     To expound on this, great spelling could be eventually transferred to the quest to find a cure for all cancer, and comprehensive programs for gun control, eliminating world hunger and disease prevention. My vision is not grandiose but it is full of hope and possibilities- which are endless. So I feel that the Bee deserves our rapt attention and support.

     On the morning of Thursday, May 30^th almost all of a total twenty rounds had came down to the remaining sixteen 12 to 14 year old kids. The Scripps-Howard Bee is a competition which employs extremely obscure or even foreign language words which have been adopted into the American English language. Some of our idiomatic spellings of English words trip up the average speller in the U.S. so the difficulties are often profound. Our National Spelling competition is open internationally so this year it started with 11 million applicants! Many of the top spellers come from families in which it is possible that English may not be their primary language but it appears that this is not an inhibiting factor to their scholarship. This was the case for last year’s sole winner of the Bee, Karthik Nemmani.

     Having been a Semantics student myself at a time when this course was taken for a period of two years (four semesters) at Junior High level (now Middle School and the Freshman year of High School). I have been a fan of watching these bees for the sheer enjoyment of it, believe it or not. When I was that age and studying the origins of words along with the rest of the Semantics students, we culled our subject directly from the current dictionaries published at the time. I was discouraged away from using the Funk and Wagnall’s and American Heritage Dictionary by my instructor but still prefer them to this day. However, we were encouraged to own as many different types of dictionaries as possible. Availability, especially foreign language dictionaries, was limited. Internet access has made many foreign languages much more easily available. My most recent purchase from the internet was a tiny guide on the Hawaiian language and is very good for showing how easy it is to learn! Promise!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_4XNXu-qDM

      At any rate, I watched the 20^th and last round of the finals this year and the coordinators of the session ran out of time and words! It was scheduled locally, for me, on ESPN and was only supposed to run for two hours and it recorded for another half hour but that was not the end of the competition. It certainly wasn’t time sufficient enough to cover the viewing clear up to the end! Because they also ran out of words that were planned we had a decision which included multiple winners of the Bee. Eight competitors wound up winning the bee, simultaneously, each garnering a trophy and $50,000! As far as I know, this was a first multiple win in its 94 year history!

for more information check out

www.spellingbee.com

 

Earth Day is Forty-nine

     If you are a stamp collector- I’ve been an avid collector since the age of 12 !- you may believe that Earth Day began in 1999 because it was officially recognized by the U.S. postal service that year when Celebrate the Century pane commemoratives were issued specifically for collectors highlighting the most memorable dates and events of each decade of the 20^th century beginning with the 1990s. That 33 cent Earth Day stamp wasn’t the first commemorative on the subject, however, because another one page set came out before that in 1995 in a series called Kids Care about the Environment. The 1995 stamp for Earth Day shows our big blue marble in space taking a bath and was very popular at that time.

www.mysticstamp.com/Products/United-States/2951/USA

     However, the first Earth Day officially celebrated in America was on April 22, 1970 as the so-called brainchild of Wisconsin Senator, Gaylord Nelson. 20,000,000 United States citizens participated in that first event and it was publicized that it was the biggest overall nationwide street demonstration since the end of World War II and has been celebrated, one way or another, since that original date. Those aren’t the only ecological U.S. stamps but they were the most popular.  

     While we’re on the subject, I wanted to make you aware that there are many ways to seriously get involved in earth-conscious efforts toward good ecology and I urge you to get out there and see what you can contribute. Most activities are also lots of fun so you can celebrate like a regular holiday while doing something kind to mother Earth. Set an example- get involved! Make up your own ways to improve our environment. You’ll be glad you did and the Earth will thank you, as well.  

Happy Earth Day !

The Castle Lady

The Writing Life

    

Not many people understand what the life of a writer entails. When we are earnestly in pursuit of our profession we spend more hours on our work and/or craft (and more diligently) than most people do at any other job you can name. I’ve lost count of the times people have asked me in person or over the phone, “What are you doing? Where have you been?” Average work days for most people are eight hours a day but for the past 17 years it has not been unusual for me to work at writing for more than 12 hours in a day and no less than 8. Ah! Those were the days! I can tell you that we are not only dedicated, in most instances, but if we could work longer days- if it was physically possible, most of us probably would and certainly not complain about it. Mainly, I am speaking for myself in this case but I’m sure that my fellow bombastic-but-ardent scribes most likely do the same or more. Some of us sleep.

     Once writing becomes a serious part of your life- for whatever reason you

are writing- words take on an importance in the way a surgeon’s tools become integral to his skill as a physician and healer. We scour dictionaries, pore over thesauruses and read obscure sources for the best word in order to give our ideas and theories impetus. We are not just pouring out words, we also devour them like hundreds of pieces of rice and corn at a meal. We must feed on words in order to create them. Our behavior is not unusual given our profession. Our words and ideas must have meat with fat on them! New words flash like neon signs in our minds for hours if they are powerful enough and our ideas are formed by how we feel about certain words. We are full of word prejudice; Arbiters of words, you could say.

     Writers are accused of being daydreamers in early childhood and even into adulthood. Having never experienced this type of criticism from anyone, I have come to understand that it’s quite common. The sentences we write take about 50 to 100 times more forethought per sentence. (You can give and take those numbers and still basically be right about the math. It’s an individual thing for each person.) We certainly come across to people as very quiet so we stare much more than we talk and you can be sure we’ve observed everything in our path, the room, the concert hall or the shopping mall. Observations come with the territory and believe it or not, it’s exhausting. Sometimes it can be tiresome to pay that much attention to certain mundane aspects of life. There are a percentage of us who believe that is what our job actually is- observation and then to paper. Journalists at heart- believe it!

   

  Personally, I was a poet first before I ever wrote anything else. My first book of poetry, Seasons of the Heart, is primarily a collection of my first poems up to the brink of adulthood- before I moved out and away from my parent’s house. Poets are very special writers and any writer will agree with me on that premise. They may expound much further than I because I am a poet and a writer. There are two workers inside of me needing to take that precious time. My poet is hungry these days and needs more sleep and sitting quietly observing everything. But the poet has learned how to swoop down like a heron on a surfacing fish in the water. When those poems come, everything stops and the poet writes and soars through those castles in the air. Castles? I’ll throw one in if I must but for now… 

   

    

The best gift a writer can be given is extra time. Mundane life activities such as housework, cooking meals, general self-care, driving anywhere, shopping and exercise take away time from what we’d rather be doing. We might be the worst workaholics in the world but I once read a quote from a famous feminist writer to this effect: “Writing is the one thing that, when I’m doing it, I don’t feel like I need to be doing something else.” That sentence sums up why we do it. Compulsion comes into play here but with the effect of positivism that other compulsions don’t normally convey. When we go for a walk it’s usually to clear our minds for another eight hours of solitary confinement with a P.C., typewriter or perhaps a notebook if we are having a restless day. 

 

     When you see a writer friend absorbed in internet research, a nose stuck in a book, pounding away on a keyboard or hiding in a corner with a pad and pen, don’t shake your head and stomp your feet. We’re being who we are. Yes, we really love you but we must write. Take us to lunch once in a while and don’t pay any attention when our eyes glaze over. We’re saner than you realize and we just need a little space for that idea fermenting in the brain. 

     In conclusion, here’s a piece of advice to all those who are sadly watching the writer quietly go about his/her work. If you buy them anything, as a gift perhaps, buy them some extra time. “How does someone buy time?” you ask. Of course, you can’t literally buy time but there are many things you can do for them which frees up said time. Be sensitive to what is unnecessarily taking up their precious hours to the point of distraction and there’s the answer. For me, personally, if I could afford a cook and maid I’d hire them now. I like having a decent-looking yard but wish I could just stay at my computer rather than mow or rake the lawn or any of the other numerous outside tasks which seem to be endless. If I had a handyman to fix the 100,000 things that need doing- bliss!

Enough said !

The Castle Lady

I Don't Like Friday the 13ths

     It wasn’t always this way. As a matter of fact, most of my life I have had the audacity to enjoy almost all Friday the 13ths with exceptionally good luck, prosperity and grand enlightenment. When I look back I recall seeing many a raised eyebrow and/or funny looks from people when I told them so. I’ve never been a superstitious person (and probably never will be) so I would regale people with my experiences with more relish than was appropriate but I like to be different- because I always seemed to be, anyway- and disappointing superstitions give me a grand buzz. Who-hooo! Another one knocked down like a stacked domino!

    

Why have I changed my tune? Well, my experiences have taken a turn for worse. My eldest brother died on Friday 13^th back in 2006 and the whole family misses him because he was one of our outstanding members. Everyone liked him on a very basic level and he was our go-to person any time we had a problem that needed either more smarts or willingness to tackle an issue or work that seemed impossible or particularly difficult. He was also the most fun to hang out with or be around. Pat was generous sometimes to a fault and when someone is like that you come to depend on it, eventually. He was well-loved by so many people, very much like my mother.

     The most recent disappointment with this calendar pariah was November 13, 2015. Doesn’t ring a bell? That was the day that five separate explosions and a massive shooting ambush at Bataclan Arena took place in Paris. For all those who have never visited Paris I can only say that the horrific attacks couldn’t have been perpetrated on more unlikely victims than the people and normally lucky visitors of Paris. A parallel equivalent would be the school bully telling a brother that he’s going to rape and kill his beautiful five-year-old sister. Devastating. 

     There was no warning, however. In addition, the nearly synchronized attacks, perpetrated by only seven actual assailants were carried off in the coldest and most calculating manner I can recall among the myriad of attacks which have occurred before or since- both internationally and in our own country. The attacks in Paris made my blood run cold but not with fear. Details only make it more insidious but even if it looks as if the terrorists are winning I can tell you that in truth they are not. I hope we are all preparing ourselves for these possibilities and many people will be ready if it should continue the way it has for far too long.

     Peace cannot tolerate such cataclysms for long. I place all my faith in a God who is bigger than everything we experience as humans, material or immaterial. He will move, when He has allowed as much time as possible for us to wake up and face His sovereignty, omnipotence and most of all His omnipresence. He will move and will not wait even a split second to intervene when the enemy rushes in for what he believes to be victory but will be his final defeat. Remember, it’s always darkest just before dawn.

Peacefully, 

The Castle Lady

Is Summer Over ?

Not to worry. We have an interesting seasonal possibility in Denver called Indian summer which often comes when we most seem to need it. Indian Summers were more prevalent during my young years in this city but they seem to be making a comeback, especially this year. If you’re from back east or a part of the eastern states of the Union you may be wondering just what an Indian summer might be and it is simply this: A period of mild, warm hazy weather following the first frosts of late autumn, especially on the North American continent. At least, that’s the first definition according to Webster’s New Universal.

    

Denver has very early Indian summers and they can be quite pleasant in all honesty. Our summer evenings, as a rule, do not remain hot even if we hit high 90 to 100 degree weather but Indian summer evenings are quite cool and make air conditioners irrelevant through September and October. We never know how long they might last but sometimes clear up to Thanksgiving or even Christmas. No kidding. I think it’s because we have an arid climate, as a rule. Whatever we get you can bet it will be crisp. This entire year has been arid and I counted our snowfalls on one hand for 2017. I’m sure it would’ve affected the grapes if I hadn’t watered them quite a bit. Interestingly, I’m harvesting them now and after the fact of critters like raccoons, squirrels and various neighborhood filchers who leave messes behind.

    

I was still able to make 2 quarts of juice off of what they left me. Nice.

     At any rate, I can’t think of a better time to make the most of an Indian summer and just bask in it until I see it really is finally over. We’re so lucky to have the weather we have in Colorado and so I’m going to make the most of these so-called

…The Castle Lady

Some coincidences are not really coincidences...

" Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time."

     Has summer seemed too long to you? With high digit temperatures reigning throughout the land I'd understand if someone said they wished summer was over. I had a wonderful fan bite the dust last night and groaned because I knew it only meant one thing. Replacement. Interestingly, however, I've coped better with the heat today than usual and credit my willingness to do my high activity of the day when the temperature digits were still pretty low. I had practically forgotten what an early summer's day feels like and I think I'm going to like this business of going back to dealing with summer the way it is- not that I have a choice but at least I won't have to retreat to the basement as usual. Not yet, anyway.

     There's something about summer that is God's (and nature's) way of telling you to slow down. Have a glass of lemonade on the porch without the aim of fixing something or cleaning up, perhaps. If stopping and getting lost in thought is some kind of crime then life is going to get mighty miserable. I say, let's all take a break and stop expecting to keep up a pace that the world around us expects but no longer wants to continue themselves. Summer exists for a good reason and when I figure out what it all is I'll be certain to let you know. This morning's musical fare consisted of listening to Brian Wilson sing, "In My Room", which always made me think of what it is like to just sit somewhere, unobtrusive- and watch the world go by while trying to solve the energy crisis in my head. It's always for something. Try it sometime. I think you'll like it.

    

-

Last wee at the beginning John Lubbock

April's Flowers, et al

     It is simply amazing how beautiful April has turned out to be this year! It's been at least a decade since I've seen Spring arrive so early. Denver, ordinarily, is either sparse, cold and overcast or, at best, blooming- albeit accompanied with torrential snowfall  or rain that threatens to destroy every blooming thing in sight ! (Pun intended.) It may be too early to tell but I think this is going to be an exceptional second season for Denver this year just like the old days. Ah! Even when I'm inside I can feel it. The air has literally changed to fresh and even if it is cool there's a sense of renewal and change all around me.

     As a result, I am enjoying this wonderful sudden transition- fully sprung- by taking clear advantage and finding excuses to be outdoors as much as possible. There were times in the past when I would read and write outdoors, especially in summer. It really will be like old times if our weather continues on this new trend and I'll be welcoming it with all the watering, walking, baskets and general outdoors activities I can think up to do. This has been an excellent time to restore my mother's old salon sign and it really looks beautiful. It appears to be a brand new sign but I'm going to add est. 1966 underneath it. Ordinarily, on summer's hottest days I avail myself of a shaded porch which is enclosed with flowering bushes and that is my place to hide out and read, write, keep up on collections, eat lunch and snacks or maybe daydream a bit. It has been two and a half years of mourning best put in the past. I know someone who would prefer I do just that and I'll be happy to oblige.

     My latest gross encounter of the household kind involved my refrigerator which I thought I couldn't budge. It's wide enough to be the equivalent of three tubas. Try to get your arms around that and pull back ! I had to get the help of my neighbor across the street and at first I thought he was going to have a tough time. We heard a crack and then he had it out of its tight corner. Come to find out it was literally stuck to the floor with dried soda (or something sticky- yuck!) and the whole area was in bad need of cleaning which I had to take another hour of time to take care of and get my newly released refrigerator back in place. Phew ! It's always something ~ ugh!

     I have found several similar messes like that ever since I took on the house and I've taken to holding my breath in areas where I've never ventured. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to find in any of them and definitely abhor nasty surprises. My constitution wasn't made to handle these types of vicissitudes. Hard work doesn't phase me but dealing with a mess or neglect that is totally unexpected drives me up a wall. If it happens to stink it's even worse. I never would've been able to change diapers so it's a good thing I never had kids! 

     Now, I have flowers to look forward to such as irises I planted three years ago. My lilac bushes really blossomed this year and I've taken to putting a bouquet of them in every room in the house. Lilacs are the best natural air freshener in world! The iris blades are coming out of the ground so it's a matter of time for them and my roses will be next which are a chore but a labor of love, nonetheless. My daffodils have come and are just now starting to wane. They don't last very long, unfortunately.

     Well, that's all I have to report for now. Earth Day has become a regular fete for me and I can't think of a better way to celebrate it than to just get outside and enjoy it. As a matter of fact it may be our duty as members of this planet. Tell your boss you're sick (of work) and go for it. Maybe he'll give you an Earth Day bonus and knock off early himself.

The Castle Lady     

Fabulous February

Who would've thought that February could sparkle with busy-ness and excitement ? If Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow this year then he might want to take another look! This entire past week has been a whirlwind of work, new contracts, party planning for Valentine's and a general feeling of newness that I haven't felt for decades. If you actually look at the calendar it will give you a little bit of an idea of what we're in store for and why we feel this way, despite age or difficulties.

     Firstly, it's a perfectly symmetrical month with four of each day of the week ! I wonder when is the last time that happened since it's the only month with the fewest amount of days- leap year or no. Did I just write that ? Whoa ! We also have four major holidays in the same week ! Rest up for President's Day, Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday and Chinese New Year, one right after the other in the third week and that's right after celebrating Valentine's Day the previous Saturday. Be sure to eat your Cheerios with raisins. You'll need the stamina.

     It's really warmed up this week as well. I never thought January would end but usually enjoy the quiet and freshness of January because it's a new start and almost a blank page. Goals will be set, slates will be cleared, cleaned and ready to be wrote upon. Most of my goals have not changed over the years because I took on the mindset of reaching my first decade of the 21st century with making aspirations come true no matter what it takes. I have not resigned myself otherwise but I have taken on a new perspective which will help me achieve more in the long run and remove some stalemates that I have encountered for far too long.

     Resolutions were never a tradition with me but I do appreciate the chance to begin again anew and this year, somehow, feels like a genuine chance to seize my goals and hold on with a renewed passion for my love of castles and forge ahead. All my life I have always achieved what I really wanted and have only failed when I have let someone come in and take over. Rugged individualism has always been my strongest ally and I'm sure it will always be this way.

     Well, I'm off to conquer some more words somewhere else. This might come to a shock for some people but I actually prefer to write in longhand and most of my ideas for writing usually start with pen and blank book or paper. So many castles, so little time.

Enjoy the month !

The Castle Lady

Priorities

I believe you are your work.

Don't trade the stuff of your life and time for nothing more than dollars.

That's a rotten bargain.

- Rita Mae Brown

     Thinking back to days when I could take income for granted, I marvel at how well I did in personal commerce without becoming overly ambitious or greedy. Enjoyment of what I was doing was every bit as important to me as the revenue. As a strong consumer I don't look back on any regrets in spending money, either. I'm more thrifty now than I've ever been but the amount of books, music, recordings and collections I own speaks of what I've treasured most through the years. It's money well spent in my estimation, particularly considering the content of those books. My non-fiction outnumbers the fiction three to one! Learning and teaching is a way of life for me even in the professional realm of nail technology. My mission was to educate consumers in my profession- not to keep aspects of my trade a secret as if that was my only stock in trade. To me, an educated client is happier by being well-informed and unlikely to fall for the pitches of unlicensed, uneducated upstarts. 

     Meanwhile, everyone is caught up in the money, money, money game no matter what they do or where they work. I once heard someone say that money is a great servant but a bad taskmaster yet it is the favorite subject for most of the world. I'd like to make it less important or even irrelevant, perhaps. The richness of life is in the quality of it, not the quantity of money to be made or even the specific content of our days. Peace of mind trumps a piece of silver. A good conversation beats a gambling table by miles. A sunset cannot be purchased but one must take the time to savor the changing landscape of its beauty to understand its value. Enjoying life is a core value for me and it is the priceless aspects of life  which I center on most of the time.

     Call me a romantic or a dreamer but my opinion is that this is the way life ought to be. When we focus on such things as acquisition, competitiveness or how much money we have in the bank we impoverish all the areas of our life that make it worth living. You'll never see me off to the races trying to get ahead of everybody else. If I ever did that I certainly don't now and it's best behind me. That's the way it should be for everyone. Most of the world suffers from the greedy mentality to one degree or another, however. It manifests itself in a myriad of ailments- passing or serious- which the drug ads on T.V. expound on with a repetitiveness that will jangle your nerves before an hour has passed. If you actually take any of that crud you can bet that you might find yet another side effect that they didn't mention. It's called futility.

     The best of life resides in our priorities and true desires. When the day is done what do you do ? A lot of single people will head to the pubs, bars or hangouts but if they were honest with themselves they probably just want someone to come home to and relax. Married people get comfortable at home or they get ambitious and the priorities they pursue outside the home either unite the couple or drive them apart. The modern mentality is nearly always in the future. I've personally spent a lot of time constructing a life that most people envy. I have achieved many of the goals I've set for myself and I continue to do so. To be honest, however, no one can do it all. Most recently I've wondered when it was that I stopped trying to do all the things in a day that would normally require ten people to accomplish. This year I pushed myself way past my limits and paid for it, believe me ! I've learned to really focus on being one person and it keeps me humble and happy. I'm one woman doing her best and that's enough for me.

     I have written in the past about becoming a millionaire but that is not one of my priorities- just one of my ideas of embracing possibilities. They are endless you know. Prioritizing requires discipline, however, and being realistic. Also, it's easier than you might think if you are true to yourself. Doesn't everybody know the difference between their needs and their desires? If they don't then prioritizing in their life will be a challenge and they are most often one of the victims of the money, money, money mentality that is epidemic in our country. Money won't bring back your health. It won't mend a marriage or stop divorce. Although many people think otherwise, money won't give you peace of mind. You'll never hear George Washington, Abraham Lincoln or Andrew Jackson saying "I love you" from your wallet ! 

     Living the life you want will be more attainable if you stop looking over the fence at what is going on (or what is sitting) in your neighbor's yard and simply focus on what you really want out of life. My goals always center around prioritizing and simplifying. It's best to set goals that are attainable and then if you decide you want to challenge yourself and go a bit higher you'll have the confidence to continue up another level. Small successes always lead to bigger and better things even if it's only coming home to a suitable atmosphere or spending time with the people you love the most. Priorities center on you and no one else. Take stock and then plan- you'll get there.
     By the way, if you don't hear from me again before- have a wonderful Christmas, okay ?