I must preface by saying in my own attempts at maintaining some bit of self-control, maturity and an ounce of class, I have sugar-coated the topic of this blog as “Things that Distract me” rather than using stronger words such as “Things that infuriate me” or “Things that make me want to fly off at the mouth”… although the latter quite amuses me… but again, best to remain as mature as possible. (An oxymoron in itself…) 

Without further ado, here are three things that have really gotten me peeved lately (in no particular order):

Drivers who race in both lanes to see who can get closest to the speed limit without actually ever arriving at said speed limit. This is very closely related to another pet-peeve: drivers who insist on staying in the passing lane (to those that aren’t aware, the passing lane is the left lane in America; it’s intended for passing those in the slow, right lane. It is not for lollygagging and ‘racing’ slow-lane drivers.)

People who talk about others.  Now when I say ‘talk about’, I mean bashing and berating people. I have seen groups of women (mostly) spend literally hours on end trash-talking everybody out of ear-shot. It’s what seems to sustain them, giving them fuel to carry on. This appears to be a group activity, requiring at least 2 individuals to feed off one-another. That’s ok though, as nothing screams insecurity more than when an individual verbally tears someone else apart…they’re doing it to separate themselves from that person & to make themselves look better. (Funny how the opposite happens; they end up much smaller than before.)

Boastful people. You know when the person simply can’t resist dropping a slyly-placed comment here and there…seemingly unintentionally providing info about themselves? The more humble the individual, the more they are admired and respected, regardless of their possessions! Perhaps others don’t see it the same, but our possessions mean absolutely nothing in the whole scheme of things...I know, hard to remember in America, but nonetheless true.

Thanks, I feel better having vented.

Random fact time: I basically did not speak to anyone outside of my immediate family until I was forced to when I attended school. And only then when I absolutely had to speak.

Some called it 'shy.' I think back on it as shyness, with a wallop of stubbornness to go with it. Sure, over the years I learned, mostly through brute force, that I must socialize to be accepted in some way as 'normal'; and I am human...I do have a desire to be connected to others.  As years passed I, at times, learned to reap the loneliness that comes along when you don't reach out to others. It was never for lack of desire...it was more about learning how to reach out, and applying that darn 'brute force' technique. After 30+ years, I feel I have come a long way socially. I enjoy others’ company and honestly always have…it’s just that now-a-days, I find it much easier to say so. I’ll even happily engage in a conversation with a complete stranger!

Now, rather than being proud of finally getting over some hurdles, instead, I am stubbornly fighting against learning to jump over a new one. It was a challenge enough to say ‘hello’ to people walking by…but now, there is a whole new social arena – the world of social networking that exists in this strange place called “online” is immense…and cold, if you ask me. How do I force myself to be social while sitting at a desk looking at a glaring monitor? Really?? Millions of folks spend hours living in this online world. Forget playing in the dirt, tending your garden, or walking around your neighborhood to chat with real people… Now, millions of folks spend hours of their time disconnected from the earth, connected instead to the cyber world. Come-on, folks!! As human beings, we have not even come close to mastering things like interpersonal relationships and social skills. We continue to divorce, battle depression, and grow fatter, lazier, and frankly, not very nice. So what are we to do? Go inside our houses and sit alone in front of a monitor, reporting every last mundane thought and action we have, as if anyone out there really cares? No thank you. Social networking definitely has its values, but should be used in moderation.

Like so many millions of humans, I have made some steps to join this increasingly Cyber Social world, if only so that I am not left behind. Also, because the internet is sometimes the only option one has to stay in touch with some people. In my attempt to stay somewhat connected, I had a MySpace page, briefly, but always felt like an outsider - a less-technical, less-social participator in the cyber world. After tiring of the nonsense, the spam and the pure hassle of maintaining the page, it went dormant. Deleting the MySpace page finally, I decided to crawl out from under my rock and try again to join the cyber world via Facebook. It is a true chore to maintain. Sure, it can be great as a means of staying in contact with folks far away, and it’s perfect for those in the military, etc, but I so much prefer seeing real people, hearing their ringing voices, experiencing their expressions and intonations…these are all things that no computer (no matter how fast or efficient or spectacular) is going to do for me. Please folks, come out of the computer chair, go outside and feel the sun on your face and say “Hello” to your neighbor.

In researching pizza blogs, I have stumbled across a deluge of information. Some entertaining, some educational, some humorous, and the exceptional few that provide all of those qualities at once!

Below are a couple of our Pizza blogging friends whom I would like to introduce… For the pizza connoisseur, pizza lover, or simply the pizza eater taking a break to enjoy your favorite pie… you should make it a point to stop by the following pizza related, entertaining, educational & witty blogs.

Worstpizza.com is a fantastically entertaining blog that’s dedicated to “finding the best pizza places, by sorting through the worst.” They take recommendations of pizza places for review, try them out, then they post the reviews on their blog, accompanied by little pizza pie icons with the number of slices which indicate the rating of the pizza place being reviewed. 0-3 slices are places they wouldn’t recommend their readers to try, 4-5 slices are places they would like to try again since they were deemed ‘average’, 6-7 slices are places that are fantastic and you should check them out. Finally, 8 slices is a perfect rating and a place you should not avoid. The reviewers must have first proven themselves worthy of reviewing, and are self-described “skeptics” which makes reading their posts quite informative. Visiting recently, I saw that “Pizza TV” is coming soon…I’ll be sure to stay tuned to check that out!

Blog-Pizza is a blog all about Italian Pizza. Recognized by the Daily Reviewer as one of the top Pizza blogs, and also recommended by Pizza Magazine Quarterly PMQ Pizza Magazine as a site they like, the blog was created for the intentions of uniting the whole pizza world in one place. The folks here claim to be very serious about pizza. From their blog, you can find many more interesting pizza links & blogs. These are the same folks who run the Best Philadelphia Pizza Blog as well.  Just as the name implies, this is a blog about the best pizzas to be obtained in Philadelphia.

The above mentioned blogs are packed with plenty of information to keep your sponging brain occupied for hours, teaching you more than you ever wanted to know about Pizza.  As I am always on the lookout, stay posted for more blogging friends to come in the future…I’ll share them here as I find them.

To address Fash's question, in his blog, "Interesting Views," So who is the true genius, Hawking or Lennon? ...perhaps they are both cut of 'genius' cloth.  Perhaps, as Hawking states, the universe is indeed governed by the laws of science - governed by rules which do not change, governed by pure facts which are beyond our control. Regardless, here to populate this world is the ever-flawed, endlessly imperfect human. Aside from the natural universal laws which provide and enable us to sustain life, Man is not so much governed by facts or laws;  instead, we are governed by free will and individual thought. It is the flawed human collective which causes war and famine. The imperfect human granted free thought is the one who kills his brother in the name of what's ‘right’.  John asks us to imagine a highly enlightened man, a man with no greed. Imagine Mankind existing in harmony, with no separations of religion or politics, all equal, no hunger...a brotherhood. How lovely would it be if we were given the capacity to think beyond ourselves and for the true good of the universe?

Yes, the laws of science govern our universe as we live in it, and as Hawking suggests,  perhaps God does not interfere with those governing laws.  I believe what we have here is a 'genius' and a 'philosopher', or perhaps we have 2 individuals who already do(did) think for the greater good of humankind... If the universe were comprised of Stephen Hawking and John Lennon, I would bet that they would live in harmony, not in war.

I'm quite sure most of you have read or heard this before...a very clever, yet simple way to illustrate the importance of "things" in one's life, and a reminder to prioritize. Each time I run across this old adage, I smile and am thankful for having been reminded of it. 

A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items on the table in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, about 2 inches in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “Yes.” More...

It's heart-wrenching to watch the death toll climb and the frustration mount for these poor people left to dig themselves out of the rubble by their fingernails; while there seems to be no other option than to sit by helpless when so many need so much. Thankfully, there are so many relief sites popping up everywhere; one organization after another is joining in the effort to help, so much so that news sources are now warning individuals of fraudulent sites standing by to prey on the generosity of mankind. Following are 2 very simple ways you can help contribute to the aid that Haiti so desparately needs. All it requires is the ability to send a text from your phone. Simply text "Haiti" to 90999 and a donation of $10 will be donated to the American Red Cross to help with relief efforts. You will see the charge on your next phone bill. A similar text message campaign is one run by Yele Haiti, a grassroots group founded by former Fugees singer Wyclef Jean, who has Haitian roots. Simply text "Yele" to 501501 and a donation of $5 will be made. You can re-text and donate up to 6 times. With each of these options, you will receive a confirmation via a text that your contribution was received, and you should expect to see the charges on your next phone bill.

Obviously there are numerous ways you can get involved, and any little bit helps. Please think of those in need, those who's suffering will continue for some time to come, and do whatever you can...it'll also make you feel a tiny bit better for having done something.