While My Brain Synapses Reconnect

It's been quite a week here at our new homestead. We moved in officially a week ago today and on Sunday morning my four-year-old woke up puking and it's been a blur of toxic illness ever since. So far my husband is the only one who hasn't suffered the germ warfare that has been waged in our precious new home and if he makes it through tomorrow unscathed we should be in the clear. (For a couple of weeks at least . . .)

Anyway, I'm still a little scattered at the moment, but was feeling a bit of withdrawal having not written more than a grocery list this week. So here are some random thoughts floating around in my head -

• I just read this amazing column by one of my favorite authors and political activists, Howard Zinn, in this month's edition of The Progressive. Truly, it was inspiring. While Zinn's call for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney is not new, his ideas about how to go about it are. He believes in a grassroots effort - individual communities holding their own impeachment meetings across the country - in order to persuade those on Capitol Hill who are unwilling, for whatever reason, to do what is necessary in holding these war criminals responsible for their actions. He points out that the American Revolution did not just instantaneously begin one day in response to tyranny, but it was ordinary people holding town meetings and writing pamphlets about the injustices they were all suffering that brought about the conflict by which the U.S. gained its independence. I guess what I'm saying is, if you get the chance, read it.

• I read another "interesting" piece today . . . Apparently, Exxon Mobil sat at the top of the capitalist pyramid in 2006 recording (read stealing) the biggest profit of any company last year - a whopping $39.5 billion. And while you and I shelled out over $3/gallon for gas this summer Exxon Mobil buddies in the oil and gas industry Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Marathon Oil Corp. and Valero Energy Corp. "also reported best-ever full-year profits. The four companies combined had earnings of $75.6 billion last year." And ConocoPhilips topped its 2005 profits by about $2 billion in 2006. Well, isn't that nice. Excuse me. I think I'm going to be sick again.

• NEWSFLASH: Global Warming Isn't a Hoax!! Yes, yet another panel of "experts" have come forward, this time in Paris, to announce that global warming does in fact seem to be happening and that, yes, it appears that human beings are to blame for it. Imagine that. If only someone had told us sooner . . .

• And last, but certainly not least, I want to make everyone aware that February is American Heart Month. Heart disease is the number one killer of women and in the U.S. someone loses a mother, a sister, an aunt or a cousin every minute to cardiovascular disease. So it's time to start taking care of ourselves, ladies! Many of these heart conditions are preventable by maintaining healthy eating habits, getting plenty of exercise and getting regular checkups with our doctors. I don't know about any of you, but I'm 0 for 3. There never seems to be the time. There's always something else to do. Well, if we don't take better care of ourselves our time will run out much too soon. For more information check out this article or visit the American Heart Association for suggestions on how to create a more heart healthy lifestyle for you and your family.

Take care of each other ;)

P.S. Imagine my disappointment when I recently learned the following:

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 3 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

And all this time I thought I was the only one.