Thanksgiving.

The truly ‘American’ Holiday.  

One we come together with family and friends, consuming 7-10 course meal by which we gorge ourselves into carbohydrate oblivion, practically having a food coma bringing some of us closer to our first heart attack or stroke. 

How true a way we celebrate each other as Americans.  Afterall, aren’t we the nation of excessive everything?  We set the standard for it, those who follow our example, take it to extremes with no morality attached to the reasoning for it.  Call it the ass following the horse thinking it’s a horse too, the two are distinguishably different yet because they are similar in form, and the ass thinks it can mimic the horse.  Take that for what you will.   Thanksgiving, should you celebrate it, is about celebrating friendships & families, bonds that tie us together as Americans.  If it were only about family, the ass would never eat with the horse. 

In thinking about what I am most thankful for on this holiday, or at any time of year, is the life of one who can no longer celebrate this holiday in the traditions it is so heavily steeped in.  As with many, you might know someone who is hooked to a feeding tube because of some illness or disorder that prevents them from being able to ingest food like the rest of us.  Their view of food is nothing like any one of us will ever experience unless you go have a tube put into your stomach and try it on for size.  I, for one, am not going to volunteer for that.  

We worry about people who are on the brink of starvation when we have such a huge bounty to forage.  Tube feeders, those who cannot even forage, are truly ’starving’.  Most of them cannot eat anything.  Some are lucky enough to eat limited types of foods, maybe no roughage.  Roughage being almost all sweet fruits and vegetables of every variety.  Their diet may consist of scrambled egg whites and anything made with pasty white flour, consisting of no flavor, no basis in which to even eat it, but the very act of chewing, is a blessing to satisfy the act which the brain craves for the body.   If there were any instance where that person would be denied access to their daily tube feedings, they would, starve to death by means of their body using up what it has.   

Do we feel pity knowing there are others who starve in America?  Or anywhere else for that matter.  It makes me wonder because of how wasteful most of us are.  I have no real statement or answer for that, although there are many that speculate the generosity that Americans have.  If it were your last meal, any and every piece of food would never be taken for granted.   

I tried to put myself in their shoes this holiday.  To know that they will not feel the satisfaction of having sweet potatoes on their tongue, or the feeling of fullness you get after you are done with the meal(or any meal for that matter). 

Those people end up, with their families, watching them eat, or sitting in another room because maybe the act of eating is too much for them to watch since they are denied the pleasure…they end up, alone in their starvation.  See- people who end up on feeding tubes, should they not be removed (for some reason), limit their lives, by starving their bodies, oh so slightly, enough to take away the very vitality that makes them a whole person, their average life span is 5 years at most.  The arguement for that is, well, they would not have a life if it weren’t for the tube.  But for many who end up on one, and are still on it a year later, they wonder, what was it for?  

If you know someone who is in that situation, give to them the thing that they truly can be thankful for, give of yourselves to them.  The ‘Bounty’ for them is just being here a little longer, not wanting to go just yet.   

Be there for them, be there for whatever time there is, the time is now.  Don’t let their illness be the line in the sand, be part of their recovery to being whole again, no matter what whole becomes. 

Next time you take a bite, think about what if that was your last one, would you appreciate it more? 

Would you be thankful for the bounty you could eat?  

No one knows the feel of the last bite better than the one who has to live by the stomach tube. 

Today I am taking my ‘mindless whining’ in a new direction.  Enough complaining about parking.  Obviously there are many in Seattle, who either live there or work there or have interests there, who love to pay for parking…more power to them!  Tax away!  Raise the price of parking!  Charge the crap out of it!  Private lots should charge $15 bucks a day instead of $10 because the party will not last as long, like gas prices, get it while you can.   When someone charges you $10 for a hot dog at the stadium, don’t mindlessly whine, take it like a man and pay for it.  Like one guy said, who’s gonna pay for free parking…the real estate is worth so much more than that.  To them, it has nothing to do with aesthetics or being more user friendly of a city, it has all to do with the bottom line and how much is it worth to them or their constituents, who gives a crap if anyone likes it?   Don’t get me wrong, I used to live in the ‘big’ city, I know what being surrounded by over 6 million people is like.  Way different than Seattle.  Seattle is a great city to visit or maybe live in.  Keep up the good work, charge for parking everywhere, why bother visiting Seattle?  Drive north 20 minutes to Alderwood, spend the cha ching on shoes instead. 

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving,

Twenty-Oh-Oh-Nine…

What…

Can a person ask of themselves…

To be thankful for living on this planet in the year 2009?

My Toast:

If we were to base our thankfulness on our behavior(lifting a glass of fine-boxed rose):

I am thankful for the fact that my $300 shoes match my $400 handbag(in a nightmare I had last week).

We should be thankful for bonuses being paid to high level executives by our government, without it, they would be unemployed like the rest of the bums we gave pink slips to earlier in the year, we needed someplace to put that extra money we had leftover.  

Thankful for the ‘newly added to the unemployment roll’ jobs report, without knowing just how many people got the boot this week, makes a big difference how I invest my gajillions into foreign companies that export more to us than we do to them.

Thankful someone rumoured that global warming was just a hoax - I knew I wasted money on that Al Gore book. 

Thankful for the money I had to spend on a ticket to a sports game I bet on, rather than donating it to a charity that feeds people. 

Boy, thanks to BofA for showing other banks the way to not lend too much money, wouldn’t want people to buy houses they can’t pay for. 

Thankful we have a house to have Thanksgiving in, instead of those bums who didn’t make their mortgage payment next door(they got the pink slip too), so the bank took the house back within a month of being late for the third time and their new address is in care of the mission.   

Wow, thankful for Black Friday starting on Wednesday so we can go to the store that doesn’t say ‘Merry Christmas’ and buy that bloody, violent video game my kids wanted for Christmas, and then again, why wait for Christmas, give it to them as a Thanksgiving gift and I can buy different violent video for Christmas.     

For the H1N1 virus, if it weren’t for that, most people wouldn’t wash their hands. 

The things I am truly thankful for in the year 2009:

Thankful that the forces of life, have allowed me to live to this year. 

First and foremost, always, being thankful for the wonderful people that choose to be a part of my life:

Family and friends- of all the greatness they all possess in being who they are and for their being here in the year 2009 too.  

I am thankful for being able to see, to hear, to taste, to feel, to walk, to run, to be aware - to know the difference of greater or lesser valued. 

Thankful for the opportunity to choose who leads the land that we live in and to live in this great land of the USA. 

Grateful for all those who stand up, do what they promised they would do - sacrificed a selfish life for a selfless life, fighting in wars for the freedom of many- the weak, the sick, the poor, the elderly, those of us who did not, grateful and humbled they did it for freedom.  May we be forever grateful and humbled by what they sacrificed and support them because of what they did for us.    

Thankful for the humble grace in those who have had so much denied them in life, never wanting things for themselves - but for the sake of others they choose to do the things they do because of a sense of responsibility. 

Thankful for water, earth, and air.

My wish for the following year? 

I can teach my grandchildren to be: grateful, humble, thankful, selfless, empathetic, responsible, sensible, communicate and relate, understand needs of others over themselves and how to be a proper smart ass. 

Shall we all have a childlike perspective, when it comes to the joy of living. 

The future of the world is essential to what we teach them, we pave the way for right or wrong to prevail.   

That we continue to have - water, earth, and air. 

 Wow, Seattle Really does not care if people visit or not…

Browse: Home / Parking / City Council to Raise Seattle Parking Fines by $4

City Council to Raise Seattle Parking Fines by $4

November 17, 2009 by SpotScore CEO

In a recent article, the Seattle Times reports that the Seattle City Council will approve an increase in parking fines by $4 in order to minimize budget cuts affecting Seattle library hours.  Current Seattle parking fines range from $20 for improper parking receipt display to $250 for unauthorized use of disabled parking zones.  The large majority of parking fines are $38.

Here is a link to the article and the complete list of fines for parking infractions in Seattle from the City of Seattle Legislative Information Service:

Category: Parking | Tags: Government Agencies, Parking Enforcement, Seattle City Council, Street Parking

Evidently, I am not the only one griping about Seattle’s Parking Policies…

Is all this really necessary or are they looking for new ways of pumping in revenue?

So, what is the answer to the magical question….

What does all these parking fees pay for? 

 Wow, I didn’t know how badly informed most college educated, decreed, well paid, city government employees were…

I know nothing, I see nothing, I say nothing!

Their response to my complaints about being charged too much for a 12 minute parking violation…

(The names are removed to protect the innocents):

“I have forwarded your concern to the following City agency:

Subject:  DOF - Provide information on how parking fees and parking violation fees are used in the budget

Department: Finance

Please allow 10 business days to receive a reply from the department. If you should need further assistance or if for any reason you are not satisfied with the response from the department, please reply directly to this email or call the number listed below and a Complaint Investigator will be assigned to make sure the matter is properly resolved.  

Please do not change the subject line when responding to this email. 

Thank you for contacting the Customer Service Bureau (CSB).

Sincerely,

City of Seattle

Customer Service Bureau”

Then they had the nerve to insert a survey request in it….

“P.S. We want to know how we are doing. Please take a moment to fill out this online survey:

http://www2.seattle.gov/CSB/Survey/tblSurvey_maint.asp?IQ_NUM=872427

If you have a new request or concern, please click here to fill out a web form and submit: 

http://www.seattle.gov/CustomerService/request.htm“

If I was so damn happy about this, would I bother complaining about it at all?  Sheesh…

And this one, was the response I got, and I am grateful for the personal touch, still did not answer my question listed below….

“I am truly sorry that you encountered such a problem with parking  during your recent trip to Memorial Stadium. It grieves me when a visitor to a close neighbor of Seattle Center does not have a positive experience, as it often reflects upon Seattle Center. However, neither the City of Seattle, nor the Seattle Center own or operate the Impark lot adjacent to the Memorial Stadium. It is owned by the Seattle School District and operated by the Impark Company.  

On your next visit to this area please consider parking at one of Seattle Center’s three very affordable parking garages, where we have a single rate for 0 to 10 hour parking and a policy of not fining parkers who overstay their limit. Those who stay beyond 10 hours simply pay the prevailing rate for the next 10 hours. The 5^thAvenue garage is located at 516 Harrison Street (across(across the street from KeyArena) the street from the Memorial Stadium); the 1^st Avenue North garage  is located at 220 1^stAvenue North, and the Mercer Street garage (across the street from McCaw Hall) is located at 650 3^rdAvenue North.

Once again I understand your frustration and I am very sorry for the problem you encountered when you recently visited Memorial Stadium. ”

Thanks for the nice try, I appreciated the personalized response.   

Simple question…should have a simple answer…it’s not that hard. 

Why…why does the city of Seattle have a need to charge for Parking? 

No other cities, surrounding Seattle, charge for Parking like the City of Seattle does. 

Give me a good explanation why the City of Seattle needs to charge for Parking.   

To those of you answered my inquiries, thank you for your response. 

That’s all I was looking for, a real response.

Someone listening to my complaint.   

Although I appreciate the offer for a more affordable parking option,

I do believe having to pay for parking in a city where I am a visitor, should be free like any other city surrounding Seattle. 

More people would visit if parking weren’t such a problem and cost so much. 

People spend money and create revenue when they visit a city. 

Something to consider when thinking of charging for parking. 

I know for a fact many people feel that way about visiting Seattle, I only spoke out because I felt enough was enough. 

Seattle is in my front yard. 

I visit the city at least once a month and more often than that when I was working. 

I have a relative that owns a business downtown. 

They don’t have land space for more than 5 parking spaces, so they have to park on a street that is not listed in Zone 22, and because he is not a resident, he doesn’t qualify for permits to park. 

Therefore, he gets a ticket more than once a month because he might have missed the 2 hour limit because he was busy taking care of his customers. 

A fee a business owner should not have to pay. 

Not every business is privileged enough to have their own parking garage. 

I can see paying for parking if you park in a parking garage on a daily basis.

PARKING IN SEATTLE SHOULD BE FREE, LIKE EVERY OTHER CITY SURROUNDING IT.

As you can tell, I have no intention of shutting up about this subject. 

In the past I have always paid for the parking after grumbling about it.

Just like everyone else who visits Seattle.

Then I realized, in the city I live in and the one’s right next to it, parking is free. 

Why is that? 

Seattle is a great city to visit, don’t get me wrong here.  

There is lots to see and lots to do there. 

BUT…BUT…THE PARKING SHOULD BE FREE! 

I will choose to not visit Seattle because you charge for parking. 

If I end up in Seattle, you can bet I am going to have a big sign in the window,

saying, FREE SEATTLE PARKING! 

PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE AND VISIT THERE,

SHOULDN’T HAVE TO PAY TO PARK!

The Soap Box: Seattle Parking

If I were a bird, my guess would be that something is stuck under my feathers, and I can’t get it out.

The Parking in Seattle Itch!

Anyone who lives in or near Seattle or travels to Seattle, or shops in Seattle,

Knows what I am talking about, without me even having to say anything!

In the suburb in which I live in - Edmonds, Washington…parking is free.

In nearby Lynnwood, parking is free.

Unfortunately from time to time I am forced to drive into Seattle.

Lynnwood, Edmonds, Everett have all the same financial needs as the City of Seattle does:

High volume traffic

Crime-a need for a good Police force

Street Maintenance Needs

They receive a B&O tax revenues from businesses.

But for some reason, the City of Seattle has to charge people for parking ANYWHERE in the city.

(Not to say how much it costs if you get a violation ticket)

There are very few businesses within the City of Seattle, that are privileged enough to have adequate parking for not only the business owners, but also their employees, and let’s not forget the most important people of all: THE CUSTOMERS - the very people that keep those businesses alive so they can pay that B&O tax revenue to the city. If a business has 10 parking spaces, they are as privileged as Home Depot is with that big parking lot(considering the cost of property there, HD paid a hefty fee for all that land). Most customers to businesses within Seattle, have to park on the street, which requires you pay at a meter station(which I find not only annoying but confusing). Forget it if you are disabled in any way…there is hardly adequate parking for people with disabilities…Seattle is not a handicap friendly city.

I am sure there are those who will poo poo what I have to say, just hear this out if you will…

If you live, 30 miles away like I do…

To travel to Seattle (unless you are commuting for a job) is not your first choice of places to go.

Why?

PARKING is one main reason.

Finding parking, securing parking and paying for it…and who knows if you paid enough for it.

I would probably travel to Seattle more if parking were more friendly.

Went to a concert downtown at the Paramount recently, had to cram dollar bills into one of those billboard type parking meter things, after waiting almost 10 minutes for the guy in front of us - who couldn’t figure out how to get the bills in the little slots.

You know, the ones with the little tiny slots that you cannot even put coins into?

The ones that don’t give change…we over paid because we had no change.

When I complained, the City of Seattle’s standard response to that is:

They are not in charge of private property parking lots, therefore, they take NO responsibility.

Well I took that as a standard answer.

Yet they receive revenue from that parking lot’s owner.

The City of Seattle has created the environment of take, take, take.

Don’t believe me, take a look at how many parking lots there are, and not free.

And they wonder why people don’t want to visit Seattle, because after the first time, it costs too much.

Bad enough there are bums on almost every corner, now there will be dogs on every corner too because they are closing down animal shelters(but that’s for another SOAP BOX). What is up with that?

SUGGESTION TO THE NEW MAYOR OF SEATTLE:

Since Seattle is known for it’s revolutionary ways of thinking,

You know - all the crappy new bike lanes all over…stuff like that.

Yes, bike lanes…in Seattle! Another Nickleism waste of taxpayer money.

A homeless shelter could have been built with the money used for those bike lanes.

But hey, it’s better to kick out the homeless bums so they can beg in Westlake Center.

New Mayor….

Go out on a limb…

Make your city more popular to those who choose to drive those steep San Francisco style streets.

Your Customers…

Give people FREE parking!!!!  If you build it, they will come.

Let people buy parking passes for any parking lot or street parking in the City.

To be used anywhere at anytime for any length of time, good for a month or however long.

People will pay it just to avoid having to worry about getting out there before the two hours expire.

I don’t know about anyone else but if I make a shopping trip to Seattle, it takes me more than 2 hours.

The two hours is for getting there and back on the freeway, then shopping.

Otherwise I can shop the Alderwood Mall and park for FREE!!

ALL DAY if I want to.

Easy in, easy out.

Ask anyone who has been to a sporting event in Seattle, and they will tell you the biggest hassle is:

PARKING!

Get what I mean?

Can you hear me new Mr. Mayor?

Last week, I visited Seattle, parked at the downtown Memorial Stadium lot, came back to a ticket, got pissed off about it.

When I complained to people in every possible department I could think of, I got the same standard response again. 

I’m pissed I had to pay a parking ticket, a charge of $48 to a Canadian Company, Impark, because my car was parked, 12 minutes past the $8 worth of 2 hour parking(at 10pm). I paid for it in their machine that doesn’t work(I couldn’t get the bent up $2 I had left in the machine), one doesn’t accept bills and had to go to the other machine and that one didn’t accept Visa cards like it said it did. I put the ticket I paid for on the dash.  And to top it all off, I get ignored, passed off, and crap like that pisses me off to no end.

So now, everyone gets to hear about it!

Bad enough your traffic sucks in Seattle for lack of planning, your parking does too.

ADVICE TO HOLIDAY SHOPPERS IN SEATTLE:

Think about this for next week’s Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year:

I used to think nice things about shopping in Downtown Seattle for the holidays, not now.

Anyone want a stress free, free parking holiday shopping experience in the Seattle area?

Drive 20 minutes north on I-5 to a town called Lynnwood, The Alderwood Mall.

Right off the freeway, no one way streets to navigate.

Handicapped accessible everywhere.

Yes, just as busy as Seattle sometimes, but cleaner and newer, no bums, no dogs, no charge for parking.

And cheaper with the lower tax rate than Seattle.

The Alderwood Mall has every store imaginable in a 10 block radius, with….you guessed it…

FREE PARKING!!!!!!

The merchants at the Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood or Everett Mall in Everett,

Would be more than glad to take your money because they pay less than those in the Downtown Seattle corridor,

Their cost of doing business has less taxes, they are more pleasant than the snooty ones downtown.

Heck, they might even give you a candy cane!

For more about how healthy the cost of parking is in the city, visit the City of Seattle site:

http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/parking/parkingrpz.htm

Tells you all about where they do charge for parking.

And who they give a chance to pay a permit.

Oh, and if it is the ambiance of a waterfront you like, Edmonds is absolutely lovely with quaint little shops!

And….FREE PARKING!

 A Smoker’s Ode to Mr. President….

I must say, I am slightly disappointed but not surprised to hear that President Obama is still smoking…at least it is rumoured in the news, I heard it on CNBC.  If it is just rumour, forget everything I said here!

Firstly, I cannot even begin to imagine the stress attached to the job of President.  Every President that I have watched in office, always ages a great deal from the stress.  Add to that the fact that he smokes…not a good thing. 

I recently quit smoking…read my blog for enlightenment on how to do it.  It worked for me, if it can work for me, it can work for anyone!!!  

Mr. President, you broke your promise. 

I don’t care if you broke a promise to us, Joe Q. Public, you broke a promise to your family about smoking, a promise to your wife and your children…that’s a no no, and you need to fix it.   You need to stop, and need to stop now.  No excuses, no BS, just do it.  No one knows the excuses better than I do.  There are ways of getting it done.  You just have to decide to do it, NO BS. 

It is what it is and you are in no position to keep on doing it.  We need you with us for a long time and smoking will take that away from you.  

I am disappointed. 

I have a problem with patience, I lose it…

Especially since I quit smoking. 

It has now been over 60 days since I quit smoking!

My patience has been tried beyond it’s capabilities many times.

The very thing that can drive a person to smoke is the very thing I need to get on with the process of writing…patience.

Patience while driving down the road behind an idiot who stops either at the last minute of the beginning of the yellow light or stops a block before the red light…

Patience in the grocery line when you are in a hurry and the checker is chumming it up with the guy ahead of you, talking about ’sprinklers and her dog’…

Patience with the person who cannot make up their mind looking at a 5 item menu because ‘there are so many choices’…

Patience with slow websites, when every other one out there is fine, ten minutes later after you got bored waiting for it to load up, and started looking at other sites, the page finally opens…

Patience keeping yourself from screaming and pulling out your hair(if you have it) while driving down the road behind someone on their cell phone(in a state where it’s illegal) who is talking on the phone while obviously looking for an address, not paying any attention to the person behind them waving their fist out the window at them…

Patience with the school bus driver that claims you have to be there 5 minutes early to catch her 15 minutes late bus when it’s 40 degrees and raining outside…

Patience with your neighbor in the apartment building who thinks you are abusing your severely learning disabled child just because he is throwing a fit while you are trying to get his clothes on after 10 minutes of fighting with him, so the neighbor decides to call the cops on you, even though the kid is abusing you(that’s ok)….you wonder why it takes so long for the police to get to your door when you call in a robbery?  They are too busy busting naked little kids…

Patience with the parking ticket machine that won’t accept your dollar bills and does not give any change if the only decent bill in your wallet is a twenty…

Patience with the guy standing on the corner with a sign, who has more money in his pocket than you, you don’t have a job due to the economy and unemployment found a way to deny your claim, and you are getting desperate, and the guy’s sign says, ‘laid off, no job’ and you seriously consider what he’s doing as an option…

Patience with the one who says there isn’t anything to eat in the house, after looking at a fridge full of food…

Patience…

Patience…

Patience…

It’s either that or smoke!

If you only knew what it is that you do when you do it. 

If you only knew what it is that you do when you didn’t do it. 

If you only paid more attention to what you should have done.

If you only paid more attention to what you did. 

How could you know?

How could you not know?

When were you going to notice?

When were you not going to notice?

What does it matter?

What does it not matter?

Can you do more?

Could you do less?

Where will it go?

Where will it not go?

You Do know.

Don’t know how.

Why?

North said so.

 Hey there!

I’m baaaacccckkkkkkk!

You guys are just too cool.

I rehabbbed myself to death with no internet,

 Nothing but work related stuff. 

Whew!

You guys need to try this Blog fasting thing. 

Will tell you more tomorrow. 

North

Incredible that the Internet may be, we lose sight of reality… it becomes this blur of what once was….

We are losing touch with reality through all the ‘Reality’ everything on TV and Online. 

Reality is not Internetality. 

To many junkies of everything online or on TV, it has become reality>There is no world outside the relatively small space your computer sits on or no limit as to how large the TV gets to watch Football.  And it is not just football, it becomes everything else, you have to have all the digital channels and the HD channels because you bought that big A** TV and it was expensive so you have to get your money’s worth, so the damn thing is on almost 24/7.   Then add to it a PS3 Game Device….it’s like having a computer attached to the TV.  And the volume is always way up, while playing the games either on the TV or the computer.  And it all started because you thought you needed it.  Now, there is nothing that happens in your life without some kind of connection to a device.  Even your children spend much of their time being entertained by a box that speaks about funny things to them… Does this sound vaguely familiar to anyone?   

Description of an Internet-TVality Junkie:

If your life exists more (timewise) in front of a computer screen, you are a junkie. 

If you express yourself through idioms used in messaging and ‘tweeting’, you are a junkie. 

If you think about playing games while you are at work, you are a junkie.

If you talk a lot about Videos you have watched more than movies, you are a junkie.

If you live out things your alter ego in the online games does, you are a junkie. 

If you message people more than you speak to them, you are a junkie.

If you go by the online ‘handle’ you have created more than your real name, you are a junkie. 

If your children communicate to you only through email, you are a junkie. 

If the answer to everything you need, is sought online, you are a junkie. 

If you only answer your children by them calling you by your first name, you are a junkie.

If you only socialize online with others, you are a junkie.

Ok, so you answered most of those statements with a ‘yes’, now what?

There is hope…Disconnect…Disable…Disarm the bindings that are making you a junkie. 

To those of you who deny you have any type of problem, good for you. 

Those of you who have the guts to admit it: Here we go…. 

Turn the device off, unplug it if you have to.  Step at least 30 paces away from the device.  

Now take a look at the world you have been ’not’ living in.   

    Definition of Living: a condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms.

Dead organisms is everything we use to communicate with on the Internet and TV. 

    What do you do, to get back into life and become part of the living? 

You have to be your own advocate, and interventionist.  No one will do it for you.   

You cannot proclaim yourself ‘clean’ until you have been sober at least 30 days without. 

Eat meals at the dinner table, with the TV off.  Turn the computer completely off(Do not send out an email telling everyone you are a junkie and are going on a ‘30 days to sobriety’ binge.  They will not understand, because they too, are junkies…which can be as bad as being a living person among a crowd of zombies…they cannot tell the difference.)   

Do not answer the blackberry unless it is work related or it has a live person on the other end when ringing. 

Order the newspaper if you need to know what is going on in the world outside your door. 

Take walks, exercise, do a sport activity, read books, try new recipes, work outside in the yard, plant something, play a board game or cards with someone, create something you made from nothing(not on the computer), sit down, interact with your family, maybe balance your checkbook for once, have a physical conversation, say hi to your neighbor-maybe talk to them, go out to eat with someone instead of eating in front of the computer or TV, take a walk at sunrise or sunset, get out a box of crayons or paints and paint brushes. Be a Picasso, even if you think you are talentless, find the part within you that makes you, you. 

Take one day at a time, without it, after 30, then turn the device back on, see how important it really is.  

If you really need to write, pick up a pen and paper… Or if you must email, that is the only thing allowed, it has to be written offline, sign on, uploaded and sign off…otherwise you will find yourself surfing, NO Surfing.  Only thing that is allowed in regards to using devices is if it is for work or school only.  Do not make excuses to use it otherwise you will have to start the 30 days all over again. 

If you haven’t guessed already, I am NorthSong, I am a Internet-TVality Junkie.  This is my story.   

Today is September 29, 2009. 

For those of you interested, you will find out what happens after 30 days.  I will not be on here to tell you for 30 days from now. I figure, it took me 30 days to quit smoking… Those of you who know me, know I am heart attack serious… this means no videos for me…No YouTube, no IShatonu, no AmericanIdol, no emails, no myspace, no messages, nothing for 30 days. This began because I found myself becoming wayyy too serious about this blogging thing. I will only be online only for employment purposes.

Report back to me after 30 days, October 29,2009, post a comment, visit my website, or Email Northsong@live.com.