How To Recognize a Liar

Here's some information we can all use.

Dr. Charles Ford, a psychiatrist and professor at the University of Alabama Birmingham, says the average person lies to others once or twice a day.

How can you tell when you're being deceived? Per Dr. Paul Ekman, a professor of psychology at the University of California-San Francisco and the author of 'Telling Lies: Clues to Deceit in the Marketplace, Politics and Marriage', look for the following:

Know their baseline behavior.
Establish rapport.
Ask for minute details.
Watch for "false" facial expressions.
Give them an out."

To read the complete article, go to this site.

I'm As Mad As........

I learned years ago not to do anything (except wait) when I'm angry. I think it has something to do with my Irish temper. Anyway, I am now going to ignore that lesson and react to a situation while I am still angry.

Yesterday, a neighbor's cat crawled home with an arrow protruding from its body. My neighbor, Jean, cut the bulk of the arrow off and took her pet to the vet's. Unfortunately, Paws did not make it.

That saddens me because I know how much my cats mean to me and Jean's mean as much to her. It angers me even more because the arrow was a transmitter-tracking arrow. What does that tell me? It tells me that Paws didn't meet a kid with a simple bow and arrow playing cowboys and Indians. It tells me that an adult was directly responsible for the murder of this pet. He himself shot that little animal deliberately or he left lethal equipment accessible to a child. This was a cold-blooded act to cause pain to an animal and its owner.

And dear readers, don't dream up defenses for the shooter or try to blame the cat. I'm in no mood to listen.

Kudos for Colonel Collins

Everyone in this area breathed a collective sigh of relief, at the safe return of Eileen Collins, shuttle commander of the last NASA flight. She grew up in the area (Elmira, NY) and lived here until she finished community college in Corning.

While she is an inspiration to all, teachers in the area use her as an example to motivate girls to reach as far as they can and to explore non-traditional careers for women.

Back To Normal

Things are almost back to normal at the Russo household. Mr. R has returned from a couple of months in the nursing home after breaking and dislocating his shoulder; he can feed himself and take care of more private manners. He still needs help with dressing and walking without his usual cane or walker is precarious. He has a hospital bed which allows him to get in and out of bed alone. He can sign his name again. At one point in the hospital, he had to sign a paper with an "X". I found that amusing and really ragged him about having a master's degree in education and signing his name with an x. He can't drive yet so I am sole chauffeur and errand-runner.

The cats are adapting to his return. Ryder, who usually serves as Lee's private nurse has not returned to duty. He still feels the need to punish Lee for leaving him; he'll need a few more days to warm up. Shasta is more interested in the different bed than the master's return, but of course, she's blonde. As for me, even after nearly forty-three years of marriage, I'm glad he's home.

The Cabinet Crisis Is Over

The cabinet crisis is over. You regular blog readers remember that a bathroom cabinet was found hanging by a single screw and was removed for safety's sake. It sat for a few weeks on the floor in front of my husband's closet.

This weekend, my brother-in-law re-installed it. My brother-in-law is a cross between John Wayne, Ghandi, Robin Hood, George Washington and Jerry Seinfeld. He's the one everyone in the family calls when help is needed. His approach to life, a just-right mixture of wisdom and humor, is unparalleled. Thanks, Red.