4 MyConnection | Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Community Connection
Losing my shower As I get older, sometimes I think about those simple things that no longer exist, at least in their simple forms. We grow up, get married, have kids and and what was our bachelor pad is now, if you are lucky, a chair in the corner. But you have to take the pillows off first — stacked nicely mind you. I am not complaining. My life is far more complete with the Little Black Dress and the
JOHN WINTERS
SONs of Thunder. But there are times when I wish I could just have certain things back … Like the shower.
Legal briefs On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia and what became the greatest nation on earth was born. We revere the founding fathers, mothers and “others” who established this nation, but it’s a good thing the oldtimers have passed on. If they were alive today, those longdead revolutionaries would be the first to take up arms and shoot voters for electing the legislative losers that run America today. It’s ironic that July is also the month when hundreds of new state laws take effect across the country—laws that would leave Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John Hancock scratching their heads. Not that all new laws are bad. We rejoice that five-year olds don’t work in U.S. factories any more. One day the practice might be outlawed at Nike factories in Asia. But some of the new laws springing up across the fruited plain leave you shaking your head. And not in agreement. Entries in the 2013 Stupid Law Hall of Dishonor are real doozies. For example: In North Carolina, it is now a felony to steal more than $1,000 worth of grease. My question: does the law concern axle grease, bacon grease or both? It matters. In California, prison workers will no longer be allowed to have sex with inmates. This one shocked Golden Staters who thought it was already illegal. Or should be. But don’t worry. Cell block sexuality is not banished forever. Prison employees and inmates can still hook up during conjugal visits if they just get married, which is perfectly legal in the Golden State. Put a ring on THAT, Beyonce. In holiday news, Illinois sex offenders are now prohibited from dressing like Santa or handing out candy at Halloween. There should be an adult version of this law that prohibits politicians from handing out goodies to lobbyists or voters. As of July 1, any Maryland property owner who dared improve his premises by installing driveways, parking lots, sidewalks or other impervious surfaces, will pay
ALEX mcrae
a “rain tax.” The funds will allegedly be spent to protect state waterways from stormwater runoff. I wonder if the state will tax itself for building roads that do the same thing on a grander scale? Don’t hold your breath. Another new Maryland law establishes a task force to study whether or not schools should open before Labor Day. Hopefully, the study will also examine the cultural impact of wearing white shoes after Labor Day. Colorado made big news last year when it legalized the sale and use of marijuana and made “Rocky Mountain High” one of two official state songs. Regulations followed. Some are really radical, dude. First, to make sure Colorado’s “munchie” industry is not adversely affected, dope stores will not be permitted to sell snacks or drinks, alcoholic or otherwise. Better yet, marijuana stores can’t sell tobacco. Score one for public health. Right here at home, a new Georgia law establishes a “readiness program” for the unemployed. My guess is, they are “ready” for a job. Hopefully, this helps. Speaking of dumb laws, New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg made headlines last year when he forced through a city-wide ban on super-sized soft drinks and huge helpings of junk food. Mississippi lawmakers did just the opposite. In the Magnolia State it is now against the law to limit the size of soft drinks, discourage the sale of junk food or force restaurants to post nutrition information. Obesity may still be a problem in Mississippi, but any law telling the government to mind its own business is one our founding fathers would applaud. Me, too.
In my bachelor days, my shower was equipped with shaving cream, a razor, a bar of Dial gold bar soap and shampoo. Due to my lack of hair on my head, the shampoo could last a year. When The Dress joined me, so did various and assorted bath/shower items. I had never heard of a loofah before, much less knew how to spell it. I did learn it has to do with exfoliation of one’s skin, a word I had never used in a sentence before. These skin scrapers came in various sizes and shapes. We have them all. And my once rather large shower is increasingly shrinking in wall and floor space. There apparently is more
Partnership Continued from page 1
the partnership with MOWOC. “We knew we had to do something to help the people who serve the seniors,” Wallace said. Wallace said she knew that if she could partner with an organization that had an established mission of meeting the needs of Coweta senior citizens on a daily basis, more seniors could be served. For BTG and MOWOC, she said, the timing could not have been more perfect. “By both organizations working together we will be able to increase service to seniors by 50 percent, and this is just the beginning on what the two great organizations like BTG and MOWOC can accomplish by working together,” Gangell said.
Hang On!
“No matter what the devil tries to tell you, refuse to let go of the word of God. The battleground you’re facing is in your mind and on your lips. It is the work that will not return VOID, speak it every day. Jesus told Satan “It is written!” Speak the word concerning your situation and the victory will be yours! ” Read Isaiah 5:5-11 America Must Stand with Israel!
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than one type of shampoo. And I don’t mean guy’s shampoo and girl’s shampoo and pick one and stay with it. No, we have shampoo for dry hair, soft hair, tinted, getting ready for the beach hair and bad hair day. Please do not ask me to get into the conditioners. I only have so much space. Soap, apparently, is not an option. We have cleansers, body washes and various aromatherapy lotions. And yes, aromatherapy is yet another word I never expected to use in a sentence. The soap is not soft but has more of those exfoliate thingies in them. The Dress also apparently collects razors. Silly me, when the blade gets dull, I switch it out. I still have one razor, one
Both BTG and MOWOC are non-profit organizations that rely on community support to provide services. For more information on volunteering and donating to either of these organizations, visit the Bridging the Gap website at www.btgcommunity. org, or the Meals on Wheels of Coweta website at www. mealsonwheelsofcoweta. BTG began moving a few weeks ago from the longtime location on Andrews Street across town to the First Avenue site. On First Avenue, there are two buildings — a storefront and part of the old Manget-Brannon warehouse that was once used as an arts center. The new space gives BTG many options for expanding its food ministry and incorporating other projects into its programs. Gangell said MOWOC was excited to make the connection with BTG and to learn “they want to work
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I’ve had for who knows how long. The Dress uses disposable razors, and as I said, she collects them. Ever step on a razor? Things were getting cramped. And then the SONs started showing up. Little things at first. A toy boat or action figure. Easy to move out of the way. But then SON No. 2 and SON No. 3 arrived. It began to get more and more crowded. About this time many of you are asking why we don’t just make them use their own tub/shower. I agree with you. Please point this out in the comments so I can show the LBD. But until then, the SONs have invaded. Seems they like
the idea it’s just a shower. They dig the spray or something. Somehow the whole phrase “clean up after yourselves” refers, at least to them, that they took a shower. They don’t get the part about picking up one’s toys. Many a groggy morning, I have attempted to enter my shower. There is no room because someone left a small battlefield in their wake. You have no idea how painful some of those cute little action heros can be when you step on them with bare feet. Yes, I miss my old shower. But in reality, I’ll put up with a mini rifle or a razor in my foot any day, to remind me the SONs and the LBD are around.
Alison Wallace, founder and director of Bridging the Gap, explores some of the space available for ministry in BTG’s new headquarters on First Avenue.
with us.” The cross pollination from the two groups is already bringing about good results. BTG has training for volunteers each Tuesday morning. On July 2, “I didn’t expect any-
body to be here,” Wallace said. There were 19 volunteers who took the training, and 11 of them also volunteered to work with MOWOC. “This is all coming together,” Wallace said.
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