CVS Blocks Apple Pay

We do not know about the security of Apple Pay, but the idea of the retailer not getting all your personal info sounds promising. The obstacle for Apple users is that retailers such as CVS have blocked Apple Pay. They want you to use their technology option called CurrentC. It will not involve costs that Apple Pay will cause the retailer to incur. Since Apple products are so popular with the generic shopper I would think it would have an impact on their sales. I enjoy shopping there, but will think twice about continuing if they insist on blocking a new technology. 

Faith

Mercy Tree - Prestonwood Choir & Orchestra

Nina Pham, free of Ebola, speaks during press conference

Princess Diana and Boys

The Most Gracioius Little Boy Ever Receives A Cutting Board For A Gift Just To Test Him -- And His Reaction Is The Best Thing

The Most Gracioius Little Boy Ever Receives A Cutting Board For A Gift Just To Test Him -- And His Reaction Is The Best Thing

Jack White - I'm Shakin'

Diane Keaton

“Before I opened my computer in the parking lot today, I relived one of my favorite memories. It's the one with Woody and me sitting on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum after it's closed. We're watching people parade out of the museum in summer shorts and sandals. The trees to the south are planted in parallel lines. The water in the fountain shoots up with a mist that almost reaches the steps we sit on. We look at silver-haired ladies in red-and-white-print dresses. We separate the mice from the men, the tourists from the New Yorkers, the Upper East Siders from the West Siders. The hot-pretzel vendor sells us a wad of dough in knots with clumps of salt stuck on top. We make our usual remarks about the crazies and wonder what it would be like to live in a penthouse apartment on Fifth Avenue overlooking the Met. We laugh and say the same things we always say. We hold hands and keep sitting, just sitting, as the sun beings to set. It's a perfect afternoon.” 
― Diane Keaton, Then Again

Marilyn Monroe

“All little girls should be told they are pretty, even if they aren't.” 
― Marilyn Monroe

Sting - If You Love Somebody Set Them Free

Parenting: A Dress Rehearsal

Having the first child was a new and challenging experience.  I had a degree, experienced various jobs, had a supportive family, but was not prepared.  What was going to happen next?  You hope for smooth sailing, but the initial contact with your first child is a bit scary. After all, we did not know each other.  All the parenting books made the womb seem like a fairy tale, but the truth is you are about to meet someone new.  You hope he will be like your favorite relative, but what if he has the temperament of some long lost cousin that you want to forget. You realize that you are creating a little being that depends on you for every need, and that you will love unconditionally in an amazing way. 

A first child sometimes makes the parents a little possessive, and sharing their sweet baby is not always accepted.  After many sleepless nights, a lot of practice brings the end to the baby honeymoon.  The second child arrives and it is a bit more comfortable, but a little more complicated because there are two.  Suddenly, the third child arrives and it is overwhelming.  Taking care of everyone’s needs is a chore.  Reality sets in and you realize that every child is different.  One has your mother’s tiny ears and another has your mother’s family’s nose.  The personalities are so varied that you cannot believe these children came out of your body.  One child is at peace, and the other is like a raging volcano.  One is like an accomplished carpenter and can fix anything.  Where did that come from?   Is it not strange the bodies and temperaments are so diverse?  They could just as well have been from a sperm donor.  These children have no resemblance to me or their father.  The only thing I was sure about is that I saw them being born. 

Unfortunately, my children were after the hippie era.  Trending in the 1980s: No drugs allowed for childbirth.  It was kind of ironic that everyone had been smoking weed and there was a trend to deliver babies drug free.  The recipe for delivery was the Lamaze method. Losing concentration during a contraction resulted in horrendous pain.  There would be no parties and relatives in the delivery room.  In the middle of a monumental contraction my mother walked into the delivery room with sunglasses.  This was not a good time for visitors, including my mom.  She never got near the birthing area.  She still referred to childbirth as “getting a baby” or the stork.  It must have been a real adjustment for her to think that there was more involved in giving birth.  Staying on task with the breathing technique was more difficult with other mom’s screaming and cursing nearby.

Now that three children are adults I look back at some of the things that I did as a mom.   Some events were pretty awesome.  However, I remember certain incidents that I did not make the best decisions and they are haunting.  We cannot predict how things will turn out.   Overall, if I had everything to do over again, I would probably do the same thing.  Parenting is a learning experience.  Everything is based on trial and error.  We all try for the best result, and the experience could be compared to a “dress rehearsal”.  You stage yourself to be ready, but there is more to learn about a newborn than baby furniture and cute clothes. Parenting is a gift of love that keeps on giving for the rest of your life.

Humpback Whale Shows AMAZING Appreciation After Being Freed From Nets