VOTING

Last week when I learned which candidates had won in our local primary election, I couldn’t help but compare the similarities between political elections and photo contest elections, like www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions. More often then not, the voters do not select the best of all candidates or the best of all photos.

The woman who won in the primary was not the most experienced or qualified candidate, but the one with the most money to spend on advertising. Similarly, the photos that win are often not the best, but rather those that belong to people who can send out the most emails to solicit the most votes for their photos.

In the presidential election we have an electoral college to provide a greater level of fairness. To create fairness in the Funny Photo Contest, the winner needs more than just the most votes. When voting is complete, judges pick the winner from among the five photos that receive the most votes. Nevertheless, neither an electoral college nor judges can insure that the winners are the best of the candidates or photos. And so, until some new process is created, the best is not always the best.

DENTIST APPOINTMENT

I can’t believe that I forgot about it. I pride myself on being well organized, responsible, and dependable. So I was shocked to look at my calendar this morning and see that I had forgotten my dentist appointment yesterday. At the same time, I have had a lot on my mind. My sciatica flared up a couple weeks ago and on some days I can barely get out of bed in the morning. My 91 year old Mother, who lives in Las Vegas, had a blood clot in her arm a couple of weeks ago. And although the doctor took care of the clot, she subsequently developed a urinary tract infection, a slight case of pneumonia, and a blood infection that has made her very ill. In addition, my sister has set up a password at the hospital, making it impossible for me to get any information from the nursing staff and at times to even call and talk to my Mom. But luckily, the good news is that my Mom is making a little progress and hopefully on the road to recovery.

Meanwhile, not only did I forgot my dentist appointment, but I haven’t had much time to work on my website, www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions. So first thing today, I’ll call the dentist to reschedule my six-month cleaning and start working on my website.

GAS & ELECTRIC COMPANY

When I opened my January bill, I couldn’t believe that my gas and electric costs had jumped to $240. Of course I live in Wisconsin and we continually face bitterly cold temperatures in the winter, but $240 seemed outrageous. I called a few neighbors, but they all said their bills had also sky rocketed. So I lowered my temperature a couple more degrees each night when I went to sleep, kept it cooler during the day, and when I remembered I lowered the thermostat upon leaving my house for several hours or more. I assumed I would see a reduced amount on my February bill. However, I saved only $14. The bill had dropped to only $226.

I called the gas company to inquiry, but they simply told me we had an unusually cold February. Fine I thought, I could accept that reasoning except, as everyone knows gas prices have plummeted since last summer. So logically, my cost should be a bit lower at least. I then asked for a comparison of my current bills to that of a year ago. Lo and behold, in Jan. 2008, my bill was $100 less and in Feb. 2008, it was $60 less. Obviously, something here needs to be checked. And so in two weeks they will inspect my furnace. But I will not be happy until I have received some money back. Perhaps I should send some photos to my website, www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions to win some money.

POLITICAL PHONE CALLS

Yesterday, as I worked on my website, www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions, the phone rang and my heart almost stopped when the voice at the other end said, “This is So-and-So your local sheriff.” Oh my word, I thought would did I do wrong. Luckily, I did nothing illegal. The phone call was nothing more than a recorded message encouraging me to vote in today’s election !! To bad they didn’t know that I had already completed and mailed in my absentee ballot several days ago. And so I simply hung up the phone, took a deep breath, and let my heart beat return to normal.

MATZOH BALL SOUP

My Mother, sister, and daughter all tell me that when they cook matzoh ball soup, it only takes 15 or twenty minutes. But every time I make matzoh ball soup, I must simmer the soup for close to an hour before the matzoh balls finish cooking.

So what am I doing wrong? For years, before stores sold a ready-made mix, I prepared the matzoh ball mixture the day before and let it sit in the refrigerator over night. But my daughter said, “No, Mom, I put it in the refrigerator for only 15 minutes.” Since she is a good cook, I followed her instructions. But still, the same thing happened. An hour passed before my matzoh balls were done.

My Mom, on the other hand, told me I needed to cook them in a tightly cover pot. And so I tried again with a different pot that not only had a tight fitting lid, but was also bigger. I wish I could say I was successful, but alas I succeeded only partially. I still had to cook the soup for an hour, but the matzoh balls were softer and fluffier than ever. Guess I should stick to working on my web site, www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions.

GOOD MOVIE

I like television and movies, but only see about two or three movies a year and watch hardly any T.V. When I’m home, I don’t have much time to watch T.V., as I spend so much time on my website, www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions. And when I go out, it’s usually to visit friends or play bridge.

But I saw a great movie today. A friend invited me to dinner and to watch a rental movie. Since, I enjoy true stories the most, my friend picked the movie, “The Pursuit if Happyness,” based on the true story of Chris Gardner. It is a very heartwarming story with Will Smith playing the lead role. We both enjoyed the movie immensely and would highly recommend it.

COMPUTER STUDENT

I became completely fascinated with computers from the very first time I sat down in front of one in 1980. So, it is no surprise that I now enjoy spending my retirement either working on my website, www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions or providing computer tutoring to seniors at the local senior center. However, I have not received any requests for lessons during the last six to eight months – maybe everyone is too concerned about the terrible economy. But this morning I was pleased to finally receive a phone call from a gentleman who wants to learn Excel, a financial program. And so we scheduled an appointment for Friday afternoon.

I enjoy teaching computer lessons as I taught fourth grade for a few years right after graduating college and then taught computer short courses at the University of Wisconsin before I retired. Thus, I’m looking forward to tutoring once again.