Could be worse...

Prices just keep getting worse s/m [2008-11-26]
Instead of throwing the meat away here, they have a list of churches that will take it for the soup kitchens, etc. At least they know it is going to a good cause. We have been skimping more and more on meals. We are having more grilled cheese with soup, french toast or pancakes with sausage or bacon (when I find it on sale) and we were just given a deer that we had processed for ground meat and such. I have cutway back on snacks, a bag of chips and a bag of apples or oranges for the week. With 4 kids in the house, that goes fast!

Why do I have to "press 1," (or, worse yet, 2) for English... [2008-11-03]
..

She's 64 and has always believed this way but it is worse these days. sm [2008-10-21]
But she seems to be thinking clearly, just getting to be more outspoken. She scared me all the time as a child by telling me crazy things.

It's going to get worse before it gets better. [2008-07-23]
I believe when your psych doctor tells you to be nice, she is telling you not to stress. Stress will only make you sick. You just have to be patient. Teenagers are going to do what they want. Even after our visits with the psych doctor ended, it was still rough going. My child left home at Christmastime. That was the worst time of my life but I survived. I packed up her gifts, tracked down where she was staying (with a friend and her mother), dropped the gifts off at the house and left. I did not speak with my daughter and I told her friend's mother that I did not want to speak with her. I continued with my holiday enjoying the rest of my family and the next week, my daughter came back home sheepishly. She had lost a lot of weight so I know she could not eat like she wanted. After that incident, I did not have any more problems and she lived by my rules until we shipped her off to college. She has graduated from college and is now going to Officer's School for the Air Force. What I'm saying is, you will survive this. Don't give her your power. If she needs to, let her see how difficult it is to live on her own and not have the comforts of mom and dad's house.

Call the cops - it can't make it any worse! [2008-07-07]
x

Could be worse... [2008-05-29]
We had to pay over 3k in taxes between fed and state this year, over 3k in property taxes, and we don't get the stimulus check. I'm trying to feel sorry for you, really I am...

/;) umm no but a friend lost a front tooth and had to go without - which is worse? she'd say us [2008-05-02]
:)

True. Evidence will probably show it is a lot worse [2008-04-17]
df

Even worse, The child is allowed to have sex with [2008-04-17]
f

Amen...nothing worse than a.... [2008-04-02]
used to be thin gal bending down and getting the wide view of a tattoo!

Sometimes staying is worse for the kids [2008-03-27]
I was in a similar situation for a long time. Our home became almost never peaceful due to their father It was an emotionally unsafe place for our 2 daughters. I My kids were 12 and 10 at the time (13 and 15 now), and we have been able to talk freely about all the issues and no one, not even my ex at this point, is happier than we ever were when we were living together. My daughters are above-average to excellent students in school, excel in music and sports and have the best relationship with both me and their dad that they have ever had. Sometimes you just got to look at a bigger picture about what is truly best for them, and then work at making sure their adjustment is paramount whether you decide to stay or decide to go. But having said that, be sure you do what is ultimately best for you too, I stayed as long as I did only because I let others try to tell me all the pat things, divorce is wrong, divorce is harmful to them, yadayadayada. Bottomline, if you are constantly unhappy, so will your kids be. Part of the reason my kids are so cool with the divorce is that they can now see me (and their father) happy. He has found a new partner, I haven I go out some, but don You have to decide what is right for you and for them, no matter really what anyone says. Once you have completely made that decision for yourself, you can make the rest fall into place. Best wishes to you!

Probably just put together the 2 worse words [2008-02-16]
x

Hmm, sounds like the situation is getting worse. sm [2008-02-06]
If he knows this person and you don't and he felt the need to forewarn you about her trying to stir up trouble, I think there is something there. He knew someone had something on him and it was about to come out so he forewarned you that trouble might be stirring IN CASE and when it did come out so he could down play it. Just remember, when there are secrets hidden and things go wrong - that is when secrets are told. Does he have a good explanation as to why this person is trying to stir up trouble? I would be very suspicious at this point and would not stop until I got the answers that satisfied me no matter who I had to contact to get them. Good luck to you and I hope my feelings are wrong for your sake, but it doesn't sound good to me.

To a man, I bet nothing is worse the ED. A man [2008-02-05]
x

Call antique dealer. Why risk making it worse. [2008-01-17]
x

Although I don't know what's worse, the political banter or having to [2008-01-16]
;

Asperger's doesn't suddenly get worse [2008-01-10]
All their peculiarities remain constant (and they have logical explanations for them when asked). Nobody has developed new or different problems overashortcourse of time. If they do something especially wierd, its usually just because they got bored, stressed, or were having a private internal joke. This may be the case with the throat clearing or hair cutting; either way he should be able to explain if this is why. Its usually best to ask right when they do it if something is wrong or why they just did that (otherwise they may not realize they were doing it at all). Example 1 - John, who watchesTV sitting crosslegged, habitually rocks and rubs his knees.When I met John in 1985, he did not do this. Graduallyhe started doing it more and more often, until it became the norm whenever he Now an established habit (and pretty much an unconscious one), if you mention while out having lunch that he does it, he denies it. But if you catch him doing it and point it out, he will laugh and realize he does it, ponder why, and tell you it has a calming soothing effect on him. John may make jokes about doing it but seems unable to stop. Occasionally ifa visitortells him to hold still, he will realize with a guilty start he John also sometimes laughs loudly at nothing or starts talking to himself in half sentences, because his internal life sometimes breaks through to his external life. If asked at the moment he does it, he will say he thought of something funny or was thinking really hard. If you ask him a couple hours later, he'd deny it happened. Example 2 - Tim, who is easily upset and stressed when his routine is interrupted. He will pace the floor, rearrange the furniture, possibly cut his hair, maybe shout to release his anxiety, maybe retreat to bed in tears. Tomorrow, if the routine goes as usual, he'll be fine. Example 3 - Paula has issues with fluorescent lighting buzzing. She goes to an unfamiliar grocery store, halfway through her shopping she starts to stress out from the buzzing. If her wait in line takes too long, she will likely flee the store and leave her groceries behind. When she is calmer she will go to a more familiar store and complete her shopping. Does any of that sound familiar? From the sounds of what you posted, I thinktherea different issuegoing on with him.

Yes worsening after for me...much worse (sm) [2007-12-27]
It could be a matter of age but my cramps and flow got way, way worse after the procedure.

I had the same situation only worse(sm) [2007-12-21]
my 9-year-old nephew (who I rarely see) stopped in with his father yesterday to wish Christmas greetings. Somewhere in the conversation as we were talking about work in general my nephew pipes up and says, Maybe you should get a REAL job. I can only assume that discussion among the adults in their household centers around the fact that they donreally work even though I I sit for eight hours a day (and have for 10+ years) just like if I went off to the hospital to do this (which I did for 13 years before that).

Well now you've made me feel worse! [2007-12-09]
Not your fault, just don't like this whole situation, as you can tell. I hate the idea of paddling. I spanked my kids a few times when they were younger but I honestly had no idea school districts still did this sort of thing. If the principal/vice principal bruises my daughter youOnly if soft enough not to bruise. There is NO EXCUSE for causing that kind of damage to my child. You say there is no bruising IF done by a thick wooden paddle or not done with one? Seems like that's what would bruise. I know they use a paddle, but I don't know any details about it, how thick it is or if it has any holes in it (which I assume makes it worse). I don't think I'm going to sleep well tonight. This is so hard on a mom, you know. I like your extra pair of undies idea. I have a pair of control-top underwear that I've never worn before, I wonder if they'd fit my daughter. They're pretty padded. Not happy.

I along with others got worse than that [2007-12-08]
Years ago before government pushed into folks lives, kids were punished in ways, ok I was hit with a belt, a yard stick and 1 time when mother got really ticked, one of those 60s high heels with the pointy toe and slim heel. I never resented her for my acting out and probably deserved each swat I got. My DH also tells me he got what he calls beatings (you got to understand sometimes we just call them that when they were whippings)and both of us and all I know growing up turned out really adjusted. I saw the post above wondering about if we were afraid of strangers approaching with items or men, that is really funny- I along with others of my age group probably got more whippings than most know. It only make me a stronger person. The kids growing up then were real nice ones.

This is worse (sm) [2007-11-13]
The grammar my husband uses as well as his family and friends is horrible but I have to hold back correcting them. Spelling too. I blame the school systems. I do, however, correct TV reports out loud in my own home. That's always a fun game!

got worse before it got better [2007-10-25]
Believe me, this person was something else, that was 20-odd years ago. My personal life was a wreck, and she really succeeded it just making me feel worse about myself. She made everyone take the CMT exam, it was no where near ready, and I was the only one that flunked it the first time. It was a dark, dark time.

You will make this situation WORSE IF [2007-10-09]
you don't get a handle on how you are thinking. If you can afford a counselor, you should seriously considering goign UNless you can quickly correct your wrongheaded thinking here. You must stop thinking of your 17-year-old as a little girl. She is normal human being with sexual curiosities... You cannot implant your beliefs on her and whoever she chooses. I dont mean to sound like any expert or without compassion, but facts are facts. You weren't prepared for this eventuality and now you are over-reacting, perhaps in part because of who she chose. Do you want to drive a large, perhaps permanent wedge between the two of you? You cannot undo the deed - so now is the time to make SURE to be someone she will LISTEN TO about birth control (even though she didn't take your advice about sex...)

Get rid of him - it will only get worse - sm [2007-09-06]
I married a man like that, thinking I can change him. oh I laugh at myself now, only after I kick myself. The fact that his ego was so much larger than you could imagine should have been a clue. Even now, he says he already knows what I am going to say so don! Whatever! Kick him to the curb and find a REAL man!

We just bought a new mattress - sm [2008-12-04]
It's a Sealy. Can't recall exactly which one but lower end on the price bracket. I think it was about 1000.00 for the mattress and box springs. We had one of those air beds for a long time and I will never ever recommend one of those. My husband also has back problems and needed a comfy mattress so he wanted that number bed thing. It was horrible. I would wake up with lower back pain that would stick with me half the day. His pain was worse too. Not to mention the fact that his side of the bed sprung a leak so after about the first year or so, there was no adjusting it to a comfort zone. Had to pump it all the way up and by morning, it was completely flat and he was laying in a hole inside the foam frame. It was cheaply made, uncomfortable, and a HUGE rip off. Go for a Sealy, it's worth it. I'm loving it.

My husband and I both smoke! [2008-12-03]
This January we have decided will be it. It is no longer socially acceptable. My excuse has always been that I am afraid to gain a lot of weight. My brother quit after 15 years (early 30s) and he used Chantix. He was a 3-pack a day smoker. Let me tell you, he is so much better. No coughing. After 6 years of trying to have a baby and failing in vitro; they have just had a baby this November. They both smoked/him worse. They are now both nonsmokers for over a year, have gained weight, but have such a blessing. He swears it was the smoking that caused the infertility. This pregnancy was the natural way and she We are all elated. I am especially proud of him and feel like such a wimp to continue to smoke knowing it is killing me. It makes me feel inferior to others. Thank God my brother is an encouraging soul and not one of those horrible ex-smokers who just won't let up or are worse than just plain nonsmokers. To the OP: These poster above is absolutely correct. My brother will vouge that everything in life is better now that he is a nonsmoker (i He says the Chantix worked and he is by no means a pill-taker at all. To the OP again: If you You are worth it! You can still smoke the first week on Chantix, but then the cravings will disappear. Believe me, I also enjoy the cigarette especially after eating but smoke a lot more when I I I hate the habit, but I love the cigarettes. See what I mean? It Whaddya say? E-mail me! To the Poster Above: Thank you for your kind comments as you've also just made me decide that quitting is the best and only option at this point. I had an aunt that died of ovarian cancer and never smoked or drank a day in her life. She was thin, always health conscious. Not all cancers including lung come from smoking. Keep that in mind as you strive to quit.

These 10 things definitely ain't right: [2008-12-01]
1) MTSOs who want people with top-notch skills and experience, but don't want to pay them what that skill is worth. 2) HMO's: So-called *health-maintenance-organizations* --yet they spend every minute and every dime of their far-too-large profits on denying healthcare, meds and procedures to their patients. These organizations have ruined American healthcare, and many American lives. HMO's have been a con-game since their inception. 3) The Bailouts: Giving money to companies who can too bad for the rest of you.* Then the Big Three show up in DC to beg for a handout, and fly there in private Lear jets. My answer to them would be, *I too bad for the rest of you.* 4) Apartment managers that won't allow even a single quiet, well-behaved pet, but will rent to people with continually screaming small children, and out-of-control older children and teens. Give me the pets for neighbors, ANY day. 5) Businesses that give an age-discount to absolutely everything that walks, runs or flies, but not to the middle-aged middle-class, who need it the most. Take the ski-industry: Young children ski for next-to-nothing, and sometimes nothing. There is a Teen Discount. There is a Student Discount for college kids. There I'll probably never be old enough - it's a carrot-on-a-stick, always just out of reach.) There are even corporate (UGH) discounts. But for those in my age group, who barely make ends meet but like to go up once a year for a couple days of bliss, there is NOTHING. 6) Travel-lodging deals that are always based on double or quadruple occupancy. What about singles? NOTHING. 7) TV commercials that are about a million decibels louder than the regular shows. Why can't it all be the same volume? Same with online newscasts. THEIR commercials will blow your eardrums out if you aren't quick enough turning down the volume before they start. 8) Surround-sound: Everything is too loud, already! Why do we need it coming at us from 4 directions? Why do people living in tiny apartments feel they need it? I've lost count of how many fights I've had with neighbors over this issue. Same with movies and music concerts. Why do they feel we need to feel the music in our SPLEENS? I went to Universal Amphitheater last week. (Now named something else). There is actually a sign outside warning that the decibel level inside might damage your hearing! (?!?!?!) Why do they need this? (To avoid lawsuits, obviously). If it's so loud you have to post a warning sign outside the entrance, then DUH.... it's TOO LOUD! 9) Banks that charge you a fee to use their ATM. They (I haven't actually been INSIDE a bank in YEARS).... and they want to charge US for using the machines instead of the tellers? Forget it. I won't give those banks my business. 10) The Post Office: Talk about rewarding slow, inept performance! The worse their employees are, the longer they seem to stay there. I'd rather have a root canal than go to a P.O. during the holiday season.

If you tell your kids that Santa Claus is real [2008-11-26]
I don nephew are 5 mos. old) it if they find out you lied there will be consequences and other remarks like that. We were talking the other day and without even thinking we were talking about how Uncle Joey usually dresses as Santa but this year we might want to ask his son to take over and our friends child heard our discussion. Well, she got so mad because we were insensitive to her daughter and we don Come to find out that her kids all think Santa is real. The oldest is 17, well, I So I wondered if she is lying to her children by telling them santa claus is real?

I think you hit the nail on the head. [2008-11-25]
I have also had a few more days to think about what the other posters said too. Whether I want to admit it or not, hormones do make the moment seem worse and make me want to snap into all or nothing. You have some great ideas. I agree that she didn't need to get me a gift if she wasn't coming to the shower, and probably would have preferred that rather than get me a gift of the wrong gender. At any rate, I will send her a nice thank you and call her to see how her wedding went since I was not able to be there for the big day. I will also make mention to her that evening before I leave that I would still like to see her, if even for a few minutes. It's a male/female shower at a sports bar so if nothing else I would like to get to know her husband better. I don't want this to ruin the small bit of friendship we still have left or my shower but she was honestly the only person I was really looking forward to being at my shower. but I must get over that and be greatful that we are still friends in some way.

GOOD FOR YOU! sm [2008-11-25]
I think video games are probably one of the worse potential evils in our homes today. They are addictive in nature and I can see changes in my son's personality when he has been playing them nonstop for hours. I hate them and wish I had never bought one.

First off, you're pregnant [2008-11-24]
that in itself will make this situation feel 10 times worse than it is. Having said that, I do agree that I would be a little miffed, myself. It She I would also agree with the poster below that you have grown apart. Being that you Ifun years before I got married and then before I had children. You're just at different places in your life. The best way to handle the situation is to go to her party as planned. I would not splurge for the $50 gift card. I If youwild days. You don Anyone would understand a pregnant woman would be tired from such a long travel and then the party. When you leave, be sure to seek her out and let her know that you If not, let it go. If you haven Believe it or not, some people would think they didn You have so much to look forward to and baby showers are way better than bridal showers/receptions anyday. You can eat as much as you want and all your guests will say is how cute you look. Don

Probably to him, it's more like lending out a hammer [2008-11-24]
I really doubt that he thought of that as much more than you lending out his hammer to a neighbor. I guess he would have felt stupid saying, Uh, yeah, we have one but I better ask before I let you use it. If it's ruined, ask him to get you another one of the same quality. Chances are though that it's fine and no worse for wear.

Has our country taken a turn for the ... [2008-11-21]
Our once great country, I afraid, has just turned a corner for the worse. I have watched as the mentality of our country has gone from setting your mind to something, working hard, and you can accomplish it to giving up, sitting back, and letting somebody else take care of them. I was brought up, as many were, with a good work ethic that was instilled in us by our parents. With the idea that if you want something you had to work for it, and by working for something you learned quickly the difference between wants and needs. There were always incentives for a person to strive to better themselves. Whether it were financial incentives, or just the pride you gained in knowing that you did something yourself, it didn�t matter. I wasn�t long ago that people had that �small town� mentality, and everybody knew their neighbors. And those neighbors helped each other out, in any situation, it was just what you did. And people were so proud that some times help would have to be disguised, you remember the lines like..�Mom made more stew than we could eat, could you help us out by taking it so that it doesn�t go to waste?� But, somewhere along the line those thoughts of some (I guess now the majority) have changed. Some how, if somebody works hard to gain something others feel entitled to have the same things, even if they didn�t have to go through the struggle to earn it. Some how, things like big screen TVs, cell phones, and shiny new cars have wrongly slipped from the �wants� list to the �needs� list. Somewhere the incentives to strive for betterment have been replaced by incentives to be lazy. The easy way out and hand outs are now the norm. The feeling of pride about being self sufficient is supposed to be replaced by guilt for having more than others. The �small town� mentality is gone and our neighbors have turned into strangers. People no longer help out their neighbors or even themselves, instead they sit and wait for the government to come solve things for them. And when help does come they complain that the help wasn�t good enough or didn�t come fast enough, the pride is gone. Well, I refuse to think that way, my small town roots and work ethic runs to deep. I refuse to let somebody take care of me while I am willing and able to take care of myself. I will continue to meet and know my neighbors and help them out when they need it. I will continue to work hard to take care of my needs and by doing so, my wants will take care of themselves. I will continue to volunteer for things and give to charities of my choice regardless of what the government wants to take away from me and give to the undeserving. My hope is to change the thinking back to the way it was. The sun will rise again tomorrow, I�ll keep doing what I do, and this country can be great again�.at least in my little corner of it�

Anyone ever do you wrong and you got [2008-11-21]
so angry you can I am stewing and no doubt making it much worse on myself, but it is hard to let it go. I went out of my way to be kind to this person on so many occasions only to be treated badly. Any advice?

I don't think I understand [2008-11-20]
so just let him do whatever, support his decisions, and hope for the best? He has a good job it is just that so much of it is eaten by the attorneys, support, transportation, and crazy things the ex dreams up that the child must have and we are told we just have to pay it. It costs more than what I make to cover the mandatory expenses of my step-child. I gave up our finances about a year ago to give him a taste of what it was like. Stupidly thinking this would help. Obviously it hasn't but has made things worse. I always reassure him and tell him we will get through it, etc. but when he asks me to make a decision I tell him honestly. Recently asking if I mind if his teenage nephews come stay for the weekend I ask where is the extra money going to come from to feed them and get them to/from work as its an hour round trip. I offer maybe just one night instead of the entire weekend. Automatically thatthey asked for the weekend. He says he doesn't know where the money will come from and he won't ask the his brother either and asks me to call and tell them no. Of course when I refuse I can tell he gets upset although he won't say it. We don't argue about stuff its just more of one of us getting pi$$ed off until it blows over and then starting again the following week when another circumstance comes up. Honestly, I'm just getting tired of putting up. It has been nearly 10 years now but only 4 since our finances went together. We are also expecting a child, which we could afford before the last 6 months came crashing down on us. Of course this is part of my anxiety over finances but being a man and his usual self he wants to live in la-la land until we don't have money to buy diapers. I'm just so frustrated. Thanks for listening and letting me know that there is hope things will change. Atleast I know when the step-child becomes an adult it will be like winning the lottery!

I think you are right. [2008-11-20]
I have had most of the day to think things over and cry. I did talk to him a bit and realize that it is mostly his pride (man-ness) that is the problem. I just have to stand my ground and not feel guilty for it, although I will anyway...I think that is just the female (or pregnant hormonal lol) way with feelings, etc. I have also been thinking today that even though things are getting really tough, we have been able to pay our bills so far. It's really going to suck with the holidays especially but it will be past in a couple months and life will resume as normal. Who knows where we will be by then but for now things could be much worse. Even with all the headaches, stress, tears, etc. it could be much worse if we lost a job or...well I don't even want to think about the other horrible things that people go through. Thanks for your support and understanding. Some times women just need to know that they aren't alone in their struggles.

I agree with the posters below. [2008-11-20]
You need to move closer to family and see a doctor. You can also find the local social services department and they will provide free medications for 6 months. you will have to see one of their doctors but and fill out some paperwork but that's the only catch. Depression is higher around the holidays. The weather, finances, family, on top of every day stresses can be overwhelming. Being in this antisocial job doesn't help either. I have often thought of getting something a few days a week just to get out of the house. I think it would do anyone good. Know that things could always be worse and they will get better. Your grandson is young, he doesnwhere as this is a common occurrence in kids. I thought it was only my child but since have found many others are the same. Keep your head up and do what you can. It's ok to cry and vent to others. Don't keep it all bottled up inside. You will be surprised to find who your true friends and family are when you open up and really need them.

Sorry about your baby... [2008-11-19]
Losing a pet is like losinga member of the family. We lost our beloved 9-year-old black lab 4 years ago, the week of Christmas. I had to take him to the vet because out of the blue he had an episode, that he just lied there and wouldn I thought he was dead then. He came to and I took him to the vet. She couldn He died the next day. It broke all of our hearts and when I saw my husband cry (I had never seen him cry before in 13 years of being together), it made the hurt that much worse.

Are anyone's children into the "Twighlight" craze? [2008-11-18]
The book series by Stephanie Meyers? It My 14 year old and her friends are absolutely crazy about the books and now that the movie is coming out itThe movie is out Friday and she already has presale tickets. I havenI have to say the movie lookslike it might be really good.

I agree with you [2008-11-15]
Santa is a fun fantasy for children and what is the harm in a character who gives gifts to children who behave. There are far worse things for a child to believe in!

Grapes of Wrath had an accompanying movie sm [2008-11-14]
Tobacco Road - never saw such depressing movies back-to-back in my life, but they were truthful. Saw them in college for history lessons. Can you believe some people are going to put more on their kids by telling them he truth about Santa in this awful time? Talk about depression -- did we come this far to go back in attitude - read some of the above posts - probably born again and saved and we are the lost. I doubt it, I think we have lived it and don't want to see that negative attitude again. Oh boy, flaming, her we come. I am going on a 2-week hiatus. Fight on! Worse than the politics board - too much negativism in what is already a troubled time. Think positive! Geez! Santa, I love you!

Actually .... [2008-11-13]
You should always call for an accident report whether you think you or your vehicle is hurt or not. You could have neck pain the next day, or discover the car damage was much worse than you originally thought, and you'd need the accident report to file with your insurance. So, she had no right to get mad at you anyway. Plus she was a twit, so you were in the right again! lol ... And if Daddy is going to kill her, it probably wasn't her first time being caught at it.

backup plan [2008-11-13]
I I have a FT hourly QA job, PT hourly QA job, transcribe pt and also am gathering some transcription from a local teaching university. At this point I don I feel very lucky that I can work as much as possible from home-I I have a lot of debt, not behind but want to get out from under it. 2 kids in college....so far not too expensive as they are both at a JC. Christmas will be all cash and much skimpier this year. If I didn I am just crossing my fingers and toes that my husband doesn Times are tough tough tough. But they could be worse.

One thing I forgot to add was that - sm [2008-11-11]
a big part of the problem is owners who don't neuter their male dogs. Most of the attacks on the news in my area seem to involve un-altered males. The dog that had me cornered was also an un-altered male. There was a really horrible attack in San Francisco a couple years ago... a 12-year-old boy was killed in his own home by the family's pet pitbulls. (Un-altered males). Apparently there was already a problem with them, and the mother knew the dogs couldn't be trusted with her son (who was afraid of them) home alone. A female she had was in heat at the time, too. The boy was home alone, and the mother had locked the dogs in another room. Somehow, they got out, and tore the poor boy to shreds. Imagine being the mom and coming home to that! When animal control picked up the dogs, they had the boy's blood all over them. I actually recognized one of them - had seen someone walking it through the park one day. So the problem was... even though the mother knew the dogs might be dangerous, and she tried to do the right thing by locking them up, on that particular day, that wasn't enough. Granted, they don't all act like that. Plus just about any breed can revert to a predatory pack mentality under the right conditions. But again, irresponsible breeding has changed the breed in large part for the worse (they're bigger and more aggressive). Unresponsible owners who don't properly socialize the dogs (or who fight them, or encourage them to be aggressive for 'protection') are the worst offenders. And those who are backyard breeders. Now there are 'way too many of them, and 'way too many with the bad bloodlines, too. And you won't believe THIS: Remember the story about the huge Presa Canario dogs that killed a woman in a San Francisco apartment hallway? (Earning their owners some well-deserved jail-time). Well, some people are actually crossing pits and Presas! Saw some for sale the other day on Craigslist. Talk about breeding 'biting machines'! Those things will grow up to be 150-lb. pitbulls-on-steroids.

I'm a dog lover, and most dogs love me. - sm [2008-11-10]
I can be walking down the street, simply make eye contact with one and smile without saying a word, and the dog will usually rush up to me, wagging his tail like crazy and acting all silly and lovey-dovey. In the past, some of the absolute sweetest dogs I'd ever known were pits & rotties. But that was in the ྌs, before the big 'gangsta-dog' thing became popular. Then people started breeding these dogs more for a surly attitude than for good temperament, and it seems to be a dominant trait that's getting passed forward, even when unintended. So fast-forard to 2 weeks ago. I was out walking in my neighborhood, and was coming up a long flight of sidewalk stairs that go up the steep hill I live on. Halfway up, I saw a big brown pit bull standing there looking at me. I had seen him running loose on my street earlier in the day, and wondered whose he was, but then forgot about him. He had an aggressive body-language that I didn't like. But I'm not afraid of dogs, and continuned on up the steps, and talked to him nicely as I reached the top. But then the dog totally went off, and began barking, growling, and making charges at me. I knew to stand my ground, and first tried sweet-talking him. Didn't work. If I tried to slowly move away from him in any direction, he'd come around and try to come in at me from behind. There wasn't a soul around. I tried scaring him off, but that only exacerbated the problem, so I decided to just stand there and let him do his thing. 20 minutes later, he was just as aggressive as ever, maybe worse, because his charges were coming closer and closer. The only 'weapon' in my possession was a single can of cat food in a plastic bag, that I'd walked down the hill to the market to buy. Considered whacking him with it, but didn't want to be in that close to him. Turns out the owners were in an apartment right across the street. A couple finally came out and called off the dog, stating Oh, we didn (I doubt that - the dog had been out all afternoon.) Anyway, I told them I'd call the sheriff and/or animal control if I ever saw him out again. When I got home, I called animal control anyway, and filed a formal complaint, so that if he bit anyone in the future, there would already be a complaint against him, and he likely would not be released from the shelter. Animal control said they'd follow up with the owner, which hopefully they did. In the meantime, I did 2 things: I programmed the sheriff's phone numberinto my cellphone, which I now slip into my pocket whenever I go out for a walk. Good thing to do, anyway. The other thing is I went to Army-Navy Surplus, and bought a cannister of professional-grade pepper spray. Not the wimpy, .02% 'dog-repellent'. I doubt that would stop a pitbull. I got the 15% stuff that will bring a 200-pound, raging crack-addict to his knees and keep him there for more than an hour. That goes into my pocket, as well. Now I can walk & bike with peace of mind. Meanwhile, those pitbull owners should consider themselves very lucky that their dog went after someone who knows dogs, is not afraid, and didn't RUN. If a timid woman, or worse, a child, had come up those steps that afternoon, the resulting attack might have made the 6 o'clock news that night. There are probably still some gentle pits left out there, but I think their numbers are declining because of the current fashion statement of being a 'big bad gangsta, with my big, bad gansta-dog'. They want their dogs to intimidate people, and then they wonder why they can't rent an apartment or get homeowners insurance to cover dog bites. In some cities you have to post a $30,000 bond in order to keep one. It's little wonder that unwanted pits and pit-mixes are clogging up our animal shelters. I feel sorry for the animals, but if I were adopting, I wouldn't want the financial liability of owning one.

There is a genetic link, IMO [2008-11-09]
I have steroid-dependent asthma, but nobody else does--my parents, my brother, my daughters, no one! My middle daughter has terrible eczema like me, but she has no asthma. She has some allergies and another daughter of mine had food allergies, but none of them have the respiratory issues that I do with the allergies. Here's food for thought, though. In my family, my brother has type 1 diabetes. My father has rheumatoid arthritis. This makes me think of an inherited autoimmune component to our respective issues. Another thing is that my father and I are carriers of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. He has pretty severe lung disease even without being homozygous. The gene we carry is apparently linked to increased incidence of asthma, from some sources Iworse alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency gene, but he has no asthma. We are vigilant about keeping them out of second-hand smoke, so they all should be fine and without lung damage. I've always heard asthma was environmental, due to genetic disposition, sometimes emotional, but always crappy.

There's always abuse [2008-11-07]
of the system. Making it illegal doesn't stop that. There are a lot of drugs out there that are, in my opinion, worse than marijuana as far as addictive qualities and doctor's prescribe those drugs routinely and easily for things such as back pain which is not life threatening but can be debilitating. I think it would be much easier to hold standards to legal medical use marijuana than it would to criminalize alcohol and the numerous other prescription drugs that are out there and abused.

LOL [2008-11-07]
That's a good point he has. A whole new meaning to comb-over. LOL I figure there are a lot worse that kids could do than grow their hair out long or dye it crazy colors. If mine keeps good grades, acts kindly and helpful towards others, stays presentable, and keeps out of bad things - I'll pay for the dyed hair if he wants it. Actually I offered to do mine too and for some reason he changed his mind. LOL

Root planing [2008-11-06]
I had that done last year. It was not bad and I am a chicken when it comes to the dentist. Dentist numbed the side the hygenist worked on and it is a diff kind of high-speed instrument especially for plaque removal. It isan ultrasonic tool for teeth.I do not remember seeing any blood, but of course they suction all of the time. This instrument uses water and it is like a mist. My plaque was not that bad. In fact they could have done all four quadrants at one time instead of staging it. They just numbedwhat certain quadrant in case your teeth are sensitive. It was worth it too. I go every 3 months to get cleaning and checkup and do the flossing thing and have a WaterPik to boot. That price is just about what I paid too, but my dental insurance covered most of it. Hope this helps out. It sounds worse than it actually is.You should be able to see a diff in the gums too. I know I have. I have a great dentist too. I dreaded it, but after it overI felt like I really worried too much about it. I do not think anyone likes the dentist. I do not think that you would regret it. Good Luck.