Social Network

For most people, the answer to the question “will you?” is the defining moment of the proposal. For Don Walling of New York, however, the image that he will remember forever is not his lovely fiancée Gina Pellicani’s happy agreement but the sight of the diamond ring he’d offered her falling through a crack in the Brooklyn Bridge and landing amongst traffic on the roadway below. “I got on one knee, proposed and it just flew out,” Walling recounted. “I watched it fall through the crack on the bridge, right between the wood planks.”

Supposedly, Walling had gone to great efforts to plan the proposal, and with his family watching, he was determined not to let it be a bust. “I kissed her, said I was sorry, and told her I am going to get that ring back,” Walling said. Then, he jumped onto the roadway and began searching for the ring with the help of his family and fiancée directing him from above. Amazingly, he found it—and the diamonds were still intact, although the band was bent in the fall.

I say, next time skip the ring business and give her a shot of vodka instead. You’re both going to need it.

Variety may be the spice of life, but some people prefer to be under seasoned. One of those people was Myrtice McCurdy, whom the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports passed away on March 11 at the age of 100. Besides teaching fourth grade at Stone Mountain Elementary School in Stone Mountain, GA, for 43 years and Sunday school at Stone Mountain First Baptist Church for 50 years, McCurdy was known for something else: wearing only purple clothing. Head to toe, she was always clad in her favorite color, right down to her pajamas and her size six shoes.

In addition to consistency in her vocational and sartorial choices, McCurdy was a creature of habit when it came to most other aspects of her life, too. She drank only milk and Coca-Cola. She didn’t drive or cook. She never moved away from home where her family settled in 1918, and she never married, living with her sister Mary, who also taught for more than 40 years in the local school district. For decades, the two sisters held regular Saturday night sleepovers for their nieces, took the family on summer vacations to the beach, and hosted Sunday dinners for as many as 30 friends and family members at a time. And when children that they knew needed a way to pay for college, the sisters either provided the funds themselves or located them so that everyone could get an education.

According to the Journal-Constitution, McCurdy will be buried in a—purple—casket. Some things never change. But with a lady as remarkable as Myrtice McCurdy, who would want them to?

Fashion Therapy for People with Psoriasis

The New York Times reports that Tim Gunn is the spokesman for a new awareness campaign geared towards Americans with psoriasis. As an authority figure in the field of fashion, Gun helped the designers on the TV show “Project Runway” and currently hosts his own show “Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style.” Now, he will be using his talents to help psoriasis patients learn how to dress without compromising fashion.

Affecting more than 7.5 million Americans, psoriasis is a chronic disease of the immune system that shows up on the skin as red, flaky patches.
“My role is to help people look at this from a positive point of view and bring some practical suggestions about how they can get their fashion right,” said Gun. His suggestions start with the basics. “It’s still about silhouette, proportion and fit. The closer your clothes follow your natural silhouette, the slimmer and more polished you will look.”

Gun also discusses the practical aspect of living with psoriasis, and that is, that many people tend to cover it up because of embarrassment. In addition, many complain that they cannot wear darker colors due to white flaking. He addresses these concerns as well as many others, hoping to find a balance between fashion and the disease.

Gun will be hosting a fashion show this September, featuring people that have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. These people “have an inspiring story to tell, who have not been beaten down by this.”

What wouldn’t you do in front of your spouse? -  I’m reading this article over on CNN and I have to say, I believe boundaries are important but I think attitudes about burping and passing gas, breaking wind, farting (whatever your preference of word/phrase) can be pretty ridiculous. People burp. People pass gas. It’s normal. With regard to the farting, sometimes it happens before you can excuse yourself to go find a spot where it’s safe to bust it out. Sometimes it gets ridiculous trying to excuse yourself because you’re farting every minute and excusing yourself every minute is just plain inconvenient.

Frankly, if the farter’s farts aren’t smelling up the whole place then I see no reason for anyone to be offended by the sound of gas bursting free. It seems to me that it would make more sense for people to try to adjust their thinking and accept that farting is normal and that there’s no need to be royally offended when someone sitting next to them lets one rip.

I’ll grant that an exception should be made when the farter’s farts smell like they ate a dozen rotten eggs, and even when there’s the slightest odor. Noisy farts are one thing. Stinking farts are another; but I confess I’ve released a few deadly-smelling farts in my husband’s presence. My worse-smelling farts smell like roses compared to his worse smelling farts though. Earlier in our marriage he would go outdoors every time he needed to fart. Eventually he realized how ridiculous that was. If your spouse can’t  accept that you sometimes fart and that sometimes your farts smell like death, then your spouse can’t accept you. End of story.

CNN - What wouldn’t you do in front of your spouse?

I honestly don’t get why someone would go to so much drama to end their life. It’s like, when you are at that point where you just don’t have a will to live anymore you just want to close your eyes and drift off into the the world of the dead; but I guess everybody feels their pain differently. Furthermore people kill themselves for many different reasons. It’s not only because you feel so low and so hopeless and so worthless that you just don’t want to breathe anymore. Apparently the Grand Canyon is top on the list of natioinal parks where people go to commit suicide. Those are some brave people. I don’t know that I would have the courage to take a way out that would be gruesome. Source of info

Dear lady from Toronto who wrote this post on craigslist:

I am coming up on the 1 year anniversary from the last time I tried to kill myself…I have had 3 attempts over the last 20 years…

Surprisingly things have only become worse for my family…Finacially we are almost ruined as my husband has had layoffs on a regular basis and now does not go back to work till the end of January…I swear some people live better on welfare…Things are horrible with my family…ACTUALLY FAMILY IS HORRIBLE….

I am looking forward to christmas day simply so I may grasp some enjoyment from watching my children…We could not afford much of anything but what they did get was carefully thought out and I am sure they will enjoy what they did receive….

How long before I try again? I have to get it right sometime!

You sound like you’re bragging about your attempted suicides. Are you serious? You have children and that’s the attitude you take about trying to kill yourself?  I’m sorry but I find your attitude appalling. It’s almost like this is a game to you the way you write “How long before I try again? I have to get it right sometime!”. Assuming you’re not lying about your attempted suicides I’d have to guess you keep trying because of the attention you get; and if that’s the case you’re playing a truly dangerous game because yes, you will get it right some time.

If you want attention surely there are better ways to get attention. What about these children you claim you were looking forward to Christmas so you could grasp some enjoyment from watching? Christmas occurs on one day out out a 365 day year. How about making an effort to derive some kind of enjoyment from watching them every day? And get some help for their sake instead of acting all nonchalant about the fact that you tried to kill yourself 3 times. There are people out here who are truly battling suicidal thoughts and impulses every day who reach out in desperation hoping to find help; but they are ridiculed and encouraged to go ahead and end their life. It gets impossible for people to have compassion when someone like yourself comes out and paints a picture of suicide as being something selfish people attempt to get attention.

To the guy who wrote this on craigslist on December 31st:

You wrote: i think i am going to kill myself tonight…… maybe early morning…..

I say: First of all it is not safe to vent about your suicidal thoughts on the Internet anymore. After that guy Abraham Biggs killed himself on Justin.tv people have a heightened sense of responsibility to call the cops when people start talking about suicide on the Internet; and in some cases when the cops come to check out the reports of a suicidal person they come with guns drawn like in the case of that suicidal elderly woman shot dead by cops in California. Sometimes they arrest you as with that teen arrested for threatening suicide over a world of warcraft game.

You Wrote: i haven’t been able to stop the thoughts for a while now.. i have always had thought of suicide in my head even as a kid but the last year i would say the thought are more and more real. i have told a “friend” or two but the response is “that’s stupid”  i have mentioned it to one friend multiple time but one she isnt the type of person to be caring enough to respond to it and two she probably doesn’t think i am serious it doesn’t matter anyway i really have nobody in my life.

I say: People don’t usually know how to respond to someone talking about suicide. The reality is, until you actually kill yourself people don’t really have any way of knowing how serious you are; and they can’t really help you anyway. Think about it. Is there something you can imagine they could say that would make you feel better and make you change your mind about killing yourself? People who struggle with suicidal thoughts and feelings over many years need more help than friends and family are equipped to provide. If it’s just loneliness your feel, frustration or other passing emotions of sadness you might try approaching people a little differently. For example you might say to them, “I’m not feeling real good about myself or about my life right now. Do you have any ideas what I might do? Do you ever feel this way yourself? How do you usually handle it?” It might work better than telling someone you feel like killing yourself. People don’t know how to respond to that except to say “that’s stupid”

You wrote: my life went down a road and the place ive ended up there is no real turning back from ive never really experienced much out of life ive loved but ever been loved just always kinda floated a long in my own world people may think it had something to do with new years when they find out maybe it does but ive spent numerous new years alone nothing in my life changes i dont posses the power to change it the things i hate will never change dragging my life out for he sake of other people….. i just cant do it anymore. i dont want to do it anymore people that think you are stupid for doing it they just dont understand people say suicide stupid and makes no sense… all that is saying is they never had a desire to die… no longer live.

I say: I hope you’re still alive. It’s obvious you would choose life if things were different. I hear what you’re saying about feeling like you don’t possess the power to change your life. I don’t know anything about your life so I’m certainly not going to preach to you that we always have the power to change our lives. I don’t believe that’s the case. I believe that some people need help from outside of themselves. If you’re still alive, I hope you find that help.

You’re not going to get me unless you get me and that’s all there is to that; and I’m not going to try to explain myself because there’d be no point to that really. I’ve got carrots on the fire boiling to make soup and I’m singing Jezebel by Sade. What a belle. She looks like a princess in her new dress.

Life is crazy depressing but I’m not going to let myself get defeated. This is a war and I’m going to win even if God himself is my opponent.

Don’t kill yourself. Don’t kill anybody. It’s the same as losing.

Not that you don’t all know already that tomorrow starts a new year. For some people the new year already started. I personally don’t believe in making New Year’s resolutions, but I do believe in giving yourself new chances. There are going to be people killing themselves and killing other people today for all kinds of reasons. People kill themselves and kill other people every day; but especially around this time, Christmas and New Year’s the suicide and homicide rates are higher.

If you’re feeling alone, lonely, hopeless I want you to know you’re not alone. Even Mother Earth get’s to feeling alone, lonely and friendless. It’s a hard place to be at this time of year, alone, lonely and friendless; but new years day only lasts 24 hours and then it’s over so just hang in there. Tough it out. I’m not going to promise this year is going to be better for you; but I will say that you ought to give yourself a chance to discover what the year has in store. You really never know.

Some recommended books for you to read ( I hate reading self-help books too, but you know what? Sometimes they help and you need to make the effort for yourself. If you’re like me you’re not getting younger. There’s no time like the present to start actively and determinedly pursuing the peace of mind and happiness you deserve)

• How to Meet Yourself: …and find true happiness
• Find Happiness, How to fill the void in your life, by Looking, Feeling, and Living better
• Peace of Mind: Insights on Human Nature That Can Change Your Life
• The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness
• Living with Joy: Keys to Personal Power and Spiritual Transformation

On Christmas morning in Hutchinson Kansas Stephen Jones stabbed his wife Sabrina Jones to death. It is not known why Stephen Jones killed his wife and why he chose Christmas day to perform the deed. more on the sabrina jones murder

Relationships can get complicated; but when things reach a point where you start to harbor thoughts about killing your spouse you really owe it to yourself and your spouse to get some help sorting out your emotions. There’s normal anger and normal resentment; but once you start to get so angry and so filled with hate that you want to kill, you’ve gone beyond the boundaries of normalcy. You’ve reached a point where you have lost touch with reality and you need to do something about it. Don’t just sit around and allow that kind of anger and contempt to spread through your brain like a poison.

If it’s not already too late for you, if you haven’t already acted on your anger and killed your spouse; and if you have the slightest interest in another alternative to murder as a means for dealing with anger, pick up any or all of the books below and start learning more effective ways of dealing with your anger issues. In the meantime, with regard to your marriage, contact a divorce lawyer if things are that bad that you want to kill your wife.
Recommended Books
Beyond Anger: A Guide for Men: How to Free Yourself from the Grip of Anger and Get More Out of Life

When Anger Hurts Your Relationship: 10 Simple Solutions for Couples Who Fight

Angry Men: Managing Anger in an Unforgiving World

Images(Left: Sabrina Jones; Right: Stephen Jones)