I am no stranger to driving buzzed. I’ve done my share of them, I am ashamed to say. When you’re young and think you can do anything, driving buzzed is not unusual; sometimes it is even a badge of honor of sort. Forward a few years later, I’m older, a little wiser and more importantly I am now a mom and I realize what an idiot I was!

I was lucky I never got caught driving buzzed or, god forbid, got into an accident. Some of my friends were not so lucky though. A number of them were cited for driving under the influence and some got into minor fender benders. However, I remember at least two incidences when catastrophic events/accidents occured and my friends were never the same after that. One is paralyzed for life and the other is now mentally impaired. Sure, people will say, it could have been worse; they could have died or worse, killed someone. Regardless of how you look at it, buzzed driving IS drunk driving!

With another holiday looming, St. Patrick’s Day is tomorrow and you know how we all love a reason to celebrate! And there is nothing wrong with celebrating, my mother has been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day for as long as I can remember and she’s not even Irish! Anyway, as a public service announcement, here are a few things to remember when you’re celebrating and are out and about for this holiday or any other holiday:

SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THE DANGERS OF BUZZED DRIVING

• Designate a sober driver before you leave for your event.
• Be ready to take alternate transportation such as a bus or taxi. Have the phone number of a taxi service stored in your phone before you leave for the party.

keep in mind that in 2008, 1,179 people in other vehicles were killed in crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers.

Global Influence is working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Ad Council as they continue their efforts with the Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving PSA campaign. Buzzed drivers drink and drive, but do not consider themselves a hazard on the roadway because they have had ‘only a few’ drinks. The campaign hopes to educate people that consuming even a few drinks can impair driving and that Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.

To learn more about the impact buzzed driving can have on a life, please watch this important video about the financial and personal repercussions of getting a DUI: http://buzzeddriving.adcouncil.org/sign.php#video

Teenagers nowadays think nothing of giving each other hugs to greet each other. It is how we raised them. We raised them to show affection, we raised them to love. We also raised them to respect. We raised them to recognize the boundaries of what is right, what is wrong and what is acceptable behavior and what is not.

The other day when I picked her up from school, she was livid. She was outraged that on two separate occasions that day, two boys she considered as friends hugged her as is their usual way greeting each other. The first incident happened between classes. Her friend hugged her but in addition nuzzled her neck and kissed her neck. She said she was disgusted but was too shocked to say anything at the time. A little while later as she was going in to the classroom, another boy did the same thing to her. Whether the two contrived to do this to her or not, she is not sure. She is sure of how it made her feel. It made her feel uncomfortable and it made her feel dirty. She ran into the shower as soon as she got home to wash it all off. The thing is, you can not simply wash off the feeling of having been violated leaves behind.

You can’t simply chuck it to teenage hormones and that boys will be boys. Was she partly responsible for having been subjected to this? Should she consider changing the way she relates to her friends and should she be the one compelled to change classes so she does not have to deal with them again? The answer is a resounding NO.
Read the rest of this entry »

Love is like music. Life would go on without them but it would be lackluster and and somewhat shallow. Music like love, is what give substance and color to a life worth living. Ergo, the music fest on Facebook and here this past week. So maybe it is serendipitous that one of my love affairs online should come back on Valentine’s Day.

Blogkadahan, my online family is back with a vengeance and you can read about our love affair on our newly designed and revived site, thanks to our blogging goddess, Ate Sienna. We are a group of bloggers who felt a connection with each other through our blogs and we decided to get to know each other better away from our blogs. We first formed an email group on gmail. One thing led to another and we decided on a collaborative blog away from our individual ones. Blogkadahan was that baby.

My love affair online of course does not compare to my real life love affair to my husband of 18 years, and my three daughters. They are my life and when I think of love, they come foremost to mind. Most of the things I blog about are about them. With the re-opening of Blogkadahan, one of my old posts is reposted on the new site. This is my thanks for the loving man I am married to who continues to shower me with love and attention even after the craziness of eighteen years.

I was going to post this yesterday, on Valentine’s Day, but you know how real life always gets in the way of blogging sometimes. So how was your Valentine’s Day weekend?

I just visited my friend Mec and saw this quote on her blog:

Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater.
If you give her sperm, she’ll give you a baby.
If you give her a house, she’ll give you a home.
If you give her groceries, she’ll give you a meal.
If you give her a smile, she’ll give you her heart.
She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her.
So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of sh!t. (Author Unknown)

So true…
Men, think about this when contemplating your Valentine’s Day surprise.