So I’ve been hanging out a Flea Markets helping out my mom and they are very interesting places. It’s like one step up from a city street shell game and one step below a yard sale. It’s a haven of hussle. Everyone is trying to sell something to other people that have no value to themselves… or they would keep it. Not too many people sell “new” items at a flea market so the items have already been pretty well handled. Just checking out things at the flea market makes me one of the handlers. Because of Stephen King, this concerns me. Yes, THAT Stephen King… the author. Let me explain.

There are some things you never forget. I will remember, vividly, the first time I read THE STAND by Stephen King. It was about 15 years ago and I was reading it at home… alone… in the middle of the night. There was one chapter at the beginning that stands out because it terrified me and made me more aware of how disease and germs pass between people than any college science class ever did.

In a nutshell the story is about some disease that is highly communicable and one person that has it goes to a gas station and pumps and then goes in and pays. Then every other person who used that gas pump, touched the counter, got his money back as change (and so on) also got this disease. That story made me look at people and germs so differently. Not in a psychotic, full-tilt Howie Mandell germaphobe sort of way, just more aware of people around me.

Apparently, this was lost on me for a while because I came home from the flea market last week and I was very tired. Then on Monday it took all the strength I had to get out of bed and even more effort to do the show that night. Tuesday began the nasal war. It was an all out battle between my nostrils. Only one wanted to work at a time no matter how much NyQuil, DayQuil, or any other Quil I tried. As a nose breather I was frustrated. Then the worst of it came. Neither nostril worked. All I could think of in my haze of cold medicine and stuffiness is Stephen King. How could I have been so foolish?

By Friday I could no longer handle it. There was only one thing I haven’t tried. It’s been in the upstairs bathroom since last year. The thought sickened me. But it was my only clear thought.

The Neti Pot.

Jeff’s son purchased one last year when we moved here to Pollen Land and only used it once. He said it helped but he didn’t want to use it again. I had never heard of a Neti Pot so I was curious. It’s looks like a tea kettle and you use it with a saline solution to clear your sinuses. I was still interested until I saw the diagram on the box. Apparently, you are supposed to take this tea kettle and put the spout in one nostril and it will fill your sinus and DRAIN OUT THE OTHER NOSTRIL.

Um… ARE YOU EFFEN SERIOUS?? No thanks.

Now, nearly a year later I find my thoughts being consumed by the Neti Pot which brings me to Saturday. I am at the worst of the cold. My mouth feels like it’s filled with cotton from breatihing through it all week. I’m exhausted but I’ve been too tired to even move and I can’t take it anymore. I go upstairs and get it. At first I stare at the Neti Pot. As I read the instructions and fill the kettle I wonder if I will feel like I’m drowning or if complete nastiness will come out or if something is inhabiting my nasal cavity. Then I don’t care anymore I just want to breathe. I tilt the kettle and I feel the saline solution go in my nose. I’m surprised that I don’t feel anything just the warmth of the water. No drowning, no panic, no nastiness and more importantly nothing living in my nose. As the drip starts from the other nostril I am amazed. Then it turns from a drip to a flow and it feels like pressure being released from my head.

One the treatment is over I wipe my nose and inhale. It’s amazing. I can breathe through both nostrils. There’s no pressure behind my eyes. I feel like a new woman. I inhale again and it was like a sunny day. I went back into my room and got into bed and relished what full nasal breaths feel like. I will never take it for granted again.

I went to the flea market on Sunday a new woman! I watched a kid licking cotton candy off of her fingers and then touched something on a table. I saw a woman walk out of the bathroom without washing her hands. I saw a man who looked like he hadn’t bathed since 1985. I took two squirts of my hand sanitizer and went back to business.

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Welcome to the REWIND where I post a blog that I wrote that was posted on a previously blogging platform. This blog was posted on April 7, 2007, on MySpace! Enjoy!
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As I look around I am noticing a lot of warning labels lately. Some are the ones that we have seen for years.

Then there are some that are a little more interesting.
Let’s face it, this is not your
Vicodin + Driving = Bad Idea
type of world anymore!


I loved this one.

I guess you can NEVER be too careful.


Then there’s this one, that always gets on my nerves.

If you are one of the two people on earth to try to rock a vending machine…that dumb ass warning was for you.
It should be followed by this one:

Thank heavens.








What if people had warning labels? How much aggravation could we save if we had a little disclosure from people? What would the warning labels look like?

What about her?

What would MY warning label be?

What would your warning label be?
Leave a comment!


Be creative.

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I haven’t blogged since the new year began and now January is coming to a close. There’s been a lot going on. There’s a blog that I have in my head that I know will cause some backlash and I’m not too ready for the BS just yet. While I was contemplating when to publish my “pissed off masterpiece” there was an earthquake in Haiti.

It just didn’t seem right for me to write anything funny or angry  – or even angry yet funny - when something so horrible happened.

When I think of Haiti I think of Wyclef Jean, Angelina Jolie and when I was a kid there was a big uprising when the people overthrew Baby Doc Duvalier.  Although Haiti is the first black-led repulic in Latin America it is also among the poorest in the world. Now, they are hit with a level of devastation for which no one was prepared.

I’ve watched the images in horror and can’t imagine what life would be like if I were in Haiti or had family there. I listened to a little girl rescued after 10 days in the rubble with her little brother. Her little brother said God kept them alive. The little said that she’s happy to be alive but she watched her other brother die right next to her, begging for water. Then she had to stay there trapped with his dead and decomposing body next to her for days before her rescue. My mind can’t comprehend living through that.

Hundreds of thousands dead, a city in ruins, and a long road ahead for the people of Haiti. But in the midst of devastation I’ve also witnessed celebrities mobilizing with their exposure AND their money to  help. The Red Cross has an impressive text campaign that you can donate $10 by texting HAITI to 90999 and it gets billed to your cell bill which has raised millions of dollars.

Proving, yet again, that in devastation there is hope.

I don’t think that I could have written another thing until I gave the people of Haiti a moment of my time.

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I love a new year. I love the potential that exists on a clean slate. I love the anticipation of what’s to come. However, New Year’s Resolutions are the bane of my existence.

For nearly 30 years I have agonized over resolutions. Will it be another year of starting something I am doomed to fail? Will it disappoint me for the year? Will it be the same one’s I’ve always had:

Lose Weight
Save Money

I always start, like everyone else, with the best of intentions… like the way fitness centers are always packed in January. Yet, I tend to lose track and focus when things aren’t 100% to plan and those “things” can be anything. The past 365 days was such an upheaval of change for me both personally and professionally. I discovered that the upheaval itself can be both positive and negative and that your attitude and view of things can truly make a difference.

In light of this, I want to take my resolutions to a whole new level. I’ve asked other people what their resolutions will be this year and I liked the way that many of them handled it. It seemed like welcoming something new instead of trying to fix something bad. I’ve decided that this year I will do just that. I will gently welcome new things into my life in 2010.

NYR 2010

1. I will welcome the joy that I receive from running back into my life and try to get at least two other people to experience that joy. 2009 was such a period of change for me and I stopped running forgetting that I could have benefitted from the mental clarity and feeling of accomplishment I get from it.

2. I will speak highly of my body. For years I have beat myself up for the way my body looks neglecting the fact that only I can change it. It didn’t matter if I was tipping the scales well over 300 or to my all time low of 130 and every size in between it was never good enough or worthy of praise. No more. I will love every graceful curve and every single inch of this body. This body has carried two amazing children, completed a half marathon, received millions of hugs from people I love and bears the scars of my great memories and adventures. This body is mine and worthy of celebration.

3. I will be more fearless. I have a tendency to let my fear of the unknown keep from truly experiencing things fully. Fear can be a prison and I breaking out in 2010. Fear is linked with trust. I’ve learned to trust more so I know that this year I can fear less.

4. I will be a better friend on every level to family and friends the same and make nurturing the relationships I have with them as my highest priority.

5. I will write down everyday the one phrase that always seems to get me motivated: “A year from now, you’ll wish you started today.” And remember this story: What You Feed

2010 is a welcoming. I am welcoming not tying my well-being to the size of my jeans. Welcoming the opportunity that exists in challenges and welcoming saying goodbye to fear and hello to action.

What are you welcoming?

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It is just unbelievable to me that any country would be willing to pass a law that would deem HIV positive members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgendered communities to be EXECUTED. That is the case right now in the African country of Uganda. Once the playground of one of the most violent and notorious dictators, Idi Amin, now has the distinction of earnestly trying to pass into a law a bill that will that has the potential to create a “Gay Genocide” in Uganda.

This excerpt is taken from the article STOPPING GAY GENOCIDE by  Michael A. Jones on Change.org:  “The bill itself would create some of the harshest laws in the world related to homosexuality. It would call for the execution of LGBT people who are HIV-positive, and give lifetime prison sentences to other LGBT folks. It would also threaten to throw in jail straight people who do not report suspected LGBT people to government authorities, and set mandatory jail time for anyone who speaks favorably about LGBT rights. It’s kind of like institutionalizing the Salem Witch Trials for the 21st century, on a global level.”
What has to happen now? What will it take for people to understand that being gay isn’t a crime and certainly not a crime punishable by death or by lifelong prison sentences? Why can’t two consenting adults love each other without government intervention, religious intervention, or societal intervention?

Can we evolve, please?

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Do you remember a moment that stands out in your mind from your childhood? A defining moment that shaped a part of who you are today?

I think for most adults, especially parents, you can find these moments with ease. Getting your drivers license, your first really serious relationship, your first… anything.

My daughter is a sophomore in high school and she and her friends have an assignment that is giving them all stress ulcers. They have to write a memoir.

My daughter’s thought on this topic: “I cannot write a memoir because I am the only person in the world who has never experienced a relevant occurrence. But, on the bright side, I have new running shoes.”

I read that on her Facebook page and I was stunned. I did some mental calculations on just how many blogs I have written directly about her or about my experiences with her and they were significant enough for me to write it and significant enough for people to read it. But you just don’t see things through the same lens when you’re fifteen than when you are knocking on 40’s door.

I wonder what I would have written about then. What would have stood out as a defining moment? Before driving, before graduation, before many things that have defined my life. What was significant at 15 that I would have recognized as significant?

Then I took a look at her pictures and her “memoirs” were right there in front of her face. The digital world we live in doesn’t lend to writing paper journals. We Facebook, we Twitter, and we take pictures of everything.

I thought of her concert with her best friend Franchesca to see Panic! At The Disco and she was thrilled. Getting a medal during indoor track her freshman year. Going on trips with her youth group. Road trips in the car like our 8 hour wrong turn going to Niagara Falls by way of Montreal. The 11 month anniversary of her and her boyfriend.

She will look at these very pictures in 20 years and she will feel the same thing I feel when I look back at mine. The good ol’ days really were quite good. She will know that she looks so much better than she ever thought when she was 15. She have a slight yearn to feel that sense of wonder and magic when you are teenager that at the time felt so confusing and confining.

I can’t wait to read her memoir but more than that I can’t wait to read it again in 2029.

What’s a significant moment in your childhood? Could you write a memoir?

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I’m an awards show snob. The only one I watch live is the Oscars but I can be convinced to watch the AFI Award Ceremony if I like the recipient. That being said,  I didn’t watch Adam Lambert’s performance live but there was no shortage of footage to check it out.

Twitter gave me the first indication that something was up because he became a trending topic instantly and the comments were electric and divided.Some in awe of his brazen performance and some aging dowagers fainting at his exploits. I watched the video and I still wasn’t moved to write a blog about it.

Then on Monday an email from someone I truly respect asking me to sign this petition: “The American Music Awards, Adam Lambert and American Indecency” utilizing Change.org’s new petition tool.

What?

It went on to read “Please take action on behalf of bringing decency to our public airwaves and hold corporate media responsible when it acts irresponsibly.”

Now, I was inspired to write a blog.

Where was the outcry for public decency when Madonna went in for a full fledged kiss with Britney Spears on another one of these award shows? How about most of Madonna’s videos and public award show performances? Then I remembered the true double standard for gays.

Lesbians - or acts of lesbianism – are hot. Well, as long as the women are hot. Gay males are not to be seen expressing love and affection on national television because it’s apparently “indecent.”

If Shakira put a big plant on Beyonce I’m positive I would not have had a invitation to sign a petition on behalf of Decent America. I did see Shakira grind all over a stage full of men and Jennifer Lopez shake her famous and married ass all over the place as well. But the Marriage Police weren’t there. The Straight Police weren’t there.

I would say that the Lesbian Police wouldn’t ever show up but if Rosie O’Donnell tried to kiss someone on television it would be a spectacle. See two paragraphs up for the “hot lesbian” explanation. The Gay Male Police are always there espousing the “hideousness” of their behavior.
For example, yesterday I Twittered this:

Adam Lambert kisses a man on national television and it’s a spectacle. Madonna and Britney kissed and it was just another Sunday!Ridiculous!

And one of the responses was this: The best Sunday EVER.

It’s time for this double standard to end. Adam Lambert kissing a man on television should be no more decent or indecent than a woman kissing a woman or a man kissing a woman. He is a man that loves men… get over it.

What equally surprises me is that the petition came from another member of the Black community. I know first hand as a person of color what it feels like to be judged solely on the color of my skin. I know what it feels like to be judged solely on being a woman. It almost hurts me when I see other minorities who have experienced this firsthand not extend a hand out to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered communities because they are also being judged on who they love or who they identify with and not who they are.

I have faith that one day people will all be seen equally. That’s the promise of America… now let’s live up to it.

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In 2006, there were 4,265,555 births in the United States according to the National Center for Health Statistics. There are just over a million people in the entire state of Rhode Island so the United States populated my home state over four times that year.

There have been intense debate for years about mandating birth control for women on welfare since ultimately they are continuing to have children when they have proved that they cannot fully support, without government intervention, the child(ren) they currently have. But this blog isn’t about that. Considering that nearly 750,000 teens become pregnant every year suggests that we should look at the reproductive capabilities of teenagers.

Teenagers having children puts a strain on their parents as well as the government. Many teens wouldn’t have the capability of raising their children without the help of either or both.
SHOULD WE INPUT MANDATORY BIRTH CONTROL FOR TEENS?
SHOULD PARENTS HAVE THE OPTION TO REQUIRE THEIR TEENS TO BE ON BIRTH CONTROL?

If the government were to mandate birth control for teens between the ages of 12-17 what kind of effect would that have on the welfare system, the family unit and the economy?

If parents have the ability to mandate birth control for their teens would it be considered a violation of the reproductive rights of the teens? Should teens have reproductive rights?

We will be discussing this on Monday, November 30th @ 10pm ET on the show: Regina’s Universe: Live & Uncensored

What do you think?

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I’ve heard of skipping class to go to breakfast or skipping school to start vacation early. I have never heard of skipping school the way a Rhode Island kid skipped school on November 19, 2009.

He skipped to rob a bank.
It’s pretty bold when an adult tries to rob a bank but it’s especially bold when a 17 year old says to a teller “everyone will be shot” and makes off with cash when he should be figuring out geometry problems.

He was caught a couple of hours later from surveillance photos and he left forensic evidence on the note and was recognized by a school resource officer. So he:

1. Didn’t wear a mask
2. Stayed in his neighborhood
3. Left evidence

Has he not seen even one episode of CSI? Next time he should just drop his ID or call the cops and tell them to meet him at his house.

The world is full of morons committing crimes. What’s your favorite dumb criminal story?

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Can you imagine going to work, sitting at your desk and taking calls like this Monday would be like any other Monday and then getting an email that stops you cold?

That’s what happened yesterday when friends of mine were at work at a call center and they found out – via email – that one of their co-workers had passed away unexpectedly over the weekend. Some of them were doing their regular battle of multitasking between phone calls and emails when they discovered in mid-conversation that one of their peers had died. It was reported to me that the gasps were audible.

The woman that passed away was a bit older than most of the office and she was a quiet sort. A far cry from the youthful exuberance that can generally be found in call centers. She may not have been the most outspoken or even the most popular but she was definitely a friend to everyone. Just by the sheer amount of time the average person spends at work annually, every person with whom you work becomes a part of the fabric of your life.

Those shocked peers that contacted me yesterday by phone, email, and social networking were so surprised at the way they were notified that they were literally in a state of shock. Nary a month earlier a manager had to be let go because he had some issues with his work visa and they pulled the team together and informed them that he couldn’t return. Now this woman who worked faithfully in that office for over 2 years passes away and they send an email. Not even advance notification for her team or even those who sat in closest proximity to her. Those people who talked to me were all wondering if they would have notified people differently if she were a manager or more outspoken and popular.

In 2007, I was working for a division that had a co-worker commit suicide. As soon as his manager was notified he called in grief counselors and had managers stationed in their area ushering his peers into a separate meeting room where they were notified of his passing, allowed to grieve, express their emotions in private, and speak to someone if they needed.

How do you think a manager should handle the passing of a co-worker? Is an email enough to justify the passing of life?

Thank you, Mary, you were a wonderful woman!

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