Donna Hammett-Tooker's Comments

Who's afraid of the IRS? — Pondering in Los Cabos (Humor) by John Philipp

Mar 9, 2009 | comments: 121

Donna Hammett-Tooker Mar 9, 2009, 2:32am EDT

Spoken by a man with true whimsy and an open heart to humor. I think questions like these should come up in job interviews with the job going to the most creative answerer. I think we should all wear underwear with the day plainly written, painted, drawn or embroidered so we know we are wearing the right pair AND we have on the clean underwear most hoped for by mothers all over the world or at least the places where they wear underwear. I think I am glad to know a fellow like yourself with one foot ready to run from the unappreciative ones of the world and the other foot firmly planted in the humor zone. I feel blessed to know you and hope the cabana boy doesn't refill your glass too often - or we'll have to combine your columns with AA meetings. Chin chin, Senor (imagine the tilde over the "n" por favor) Juan Phillipe. Adios, amigo.

Medicare in a Nut Shell - An E-Mail - Humor Monday by Elsie Duggan

Mar 9, 2009 | comments: 29

Donna Hammett-Tooker Mar 9, 2009, 12:25am EDT

Oh, my goodness - what a predicament!

What are your favorite songs? by Donna S.

Mar 8, 2009 | comments: 73

Donna Hammett-Tooker Mar 8, 2009, 11:06pm EDT

I'd never get to bed if I started naming individual songs but I am and always have been a devotee of The Moody Blues, Queen, Metallica, Otmar Liebert, Enya, Clannad, Lorena McKinnett, most Broadway plays and movie musicals. I always keep music playing in the back of my mind to keep me sane.

OpenOffice.org by Ian B (in Toronto)

Feb 17, 2009 | comments: 42

Donna Hammett-Tooker Feb 20, 2009, 10:38am EST

My husband is something of a rebel and likes to see Microsoft get its comeuppance so he likes Open Office, Linux (Red Hat and Fedore as well as Ubuntu) so he actually prefers Open Office to Microsoft Office, especially 2007.

A Day in New York City - Yesterday, or HOW I TURNED INTO SUPER BITCH by Kathryn E.

Feb 19, 2009 | comments: 112

Donna Hammett-Tooker Feb 20, 2009, 10:05am EST

I went South for St. V's Day to visit my mom and assorted family and all went well. We got back really late to Maryland (lots of really slow traffic from Richmond to DC) so we ordered a pizza for our dinner and although we were tired, felt okay - at 2 am both of us were up with either a need to regurgitate or empty our "selves" - somewhere along the way we got either food poisoning or the flu - either one was sufficiently close to death we did not care for a true definition. Hubby is at the doctor's right now for treatment of a back problem he also acquired with the flu/food poisoning and I am finally getting a hold on solid food again. Kathryn, I don't know which is worse - denial of the necessary caffeine or the inability to drink it and get rid of the caffeine "headache" and dreadful morose feeling of need. Which do you think?

Would you stay married if your spouse cheated on you? by Jill~Sexy Back~ V.

Feb 11, 2009 | comments: 71

Donna Hammett-Tooker Feb 11, 2009, 7:33pm EST

Short answer - no way - once trust is broken, I would not be able to continue to share a broken relationship.

In your Senior Year, did you........ by Kathryn E.

Feb 10, 2009 | comments: 56

Donna Hammett-Tooker Feb 11, 2009, 3:11pm EST

1. Did you date someone from your school? No, small town, small school and I knew far too much about all of them. It was Woodruff High School in Woodruff, SC.
2. Did you marry someone from your high school? Ya gotta be kidding me. that would have been like incest. I married a guy so far from my beginnings that I have to pinch myself to believe how lucky I am.
3. Did you car pool to school? Nope, school bus picked me up at the local grammar school and dumped me at a close corner in the afternoons.
4. What kind of car did you have? None.
5. What kind of car do you have now?None, it was donated to save money on gas and insurance when I quit working.
6. It's Friday night...where are you now? Home with hubby on the computer or watching tv, relaxing with him after a long week for him.
7. It is Friday night...where were you then? Home with family and either sitting my two younger brothers or sharing tv and dinner with whole family.
8. What kind of job did you have in high school? I was the unpaid babysitter for two brothers so both parents could work, had one family babysitting job for a cousin but same stuff for her three kids so she could work the 2nd shift - 3 pm to midnight.
9. What kind of job do you do now? Answer surveys, keep house
10. Are you a party animal? No, never was and at 57 too late to start now.
11. Were you considered a flirt? Not in this incarnation, tolerated the males of the world as a necessity; they all seemed so pointless and needy and I was struggling to be a feminist.
12. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? I was in the chorus, as well as a entertaining group that did civic events and church concerts.
13. Were you a nerd? Class A, 100% and proud of it (at the time) because it set me apart.
14. Did you get suspended or expelled? Not even close, Goody-two-shoes would have been a downgrade.
15. Can you sing the fight song? No clue, only attended one football game in 4 years - unpaid baby-sitter, 'member?
16. Who was/were your favorite teacher(s)? Liked almost all teachers as they were my role models and I was going to be a teacher - until I went to college and chose journalism/broadcasting.
17. Where did you sit during lunch? So small there was no clique seating, sat where ever there was an opening next to almost any student.
18. What was your school's full name? Woodruff Senior High School
19. When did you graduate? 1970, no reason to lie, there are about 150 people who would out me anyway.
20. What was your school mascot? Wolverine
21. If you could go back and do it again, would you? Yeah, but I would like to know what I know now before repeating the experience.
22. Did you have fun at Prom? It was at the height of integration so to save us from the newly integrated black students, all proms, sock hops and class parties (official ones) were suspended so we had no proms for more than 5 years.
23. Do you still talk to the person you went to Prom with? No such person exists.
24. Are you planning on going to your next reunion? Missed one reunion but hope to make the next one to show off my hubby - he says we are not going but I have time to work on him.
25. Do you still talk to people from school? Yes, still communicate with several but the ones who have not been to reunions or been back to town are still off my radar.
26. School Colors? Maroon and Gold
27. What celebrities came from your high school? Not a single one.
28. Biggest crush in high school? One of the teachers who was not married at the time but it was short-lived and he never knew.
29. Did he/she know? Nope, he did not because he was not allowing a teen-aged girl to be a part of anything other than a class roll.
30. How much do you miss high school? Missed many of the people when I went to college but college friendships replaced some of the relationships and when they all married and I did not, pariah became my role and I did nothing to dispell it..

New Nadya Suleman Website Announced Octuplet Mom Seeking Donations The Family by Suzane Levine

Feb 11, 2009 | comments: 39

Donna Hammett-Tooker Feb 11, 2009, 2:22pm EST

I fear that she will "raise" these children in the worst of circumstances - need and lack of reality, no family support, etc. she already had six children (three are disabled, I have read) that she literally turned over to her mother who has now declared bankruptcy and says she will not be there for the new octuplets coming home in a month or two. Her father is supposedly going to Iraq to do contract work so he will not be available. How can she feed, change and care for 14 kids on her own or even with help that is not family? And, if this care requires payment - who pays? Kaiser Permanente wants to be paid NOW and she definitely does not have the $3.2 million to pay them; California is broke and they can't pay the bill. So, does KP just raise EVERYONE'S premiums to offset the debt? I think the doctor who allowed himself to be the instrument of this event is partially responsible and his part should be one third to one half of the bill. The interviews I saw of her show a emotionless woman discussing the motherhood of 14 children under the age of 7 as if they were puppies in a litter and not a mother concerned with their welfare and future. She was the perfect image of someone either emotionally unavailable or mentally unaware of what is happening in her world. I worry about the 14 kids - I do not worry about her - she is like the drunk in the car wreck who kills everyone else in the accident but walks away with a bruise or a scratch and nothing more. And what if she develops PPD? With som much out of control in her universe, would she harm them all or just herself and leave 14 children with no mother and no father? Social Services should be a part of her life until she shows some acceptance or a reality check for her actions.

Thought~Byte No. 34 by John Philipp

Feb 10, 2009 | comments: 102

Donna Hammett-Tooker Feb 11, 2009, 11:59am EST

Okay, were you channeling my dreams for the last few nights? Or, are you getting your psycho-analyst degree by the medium process. I just told hubby that I was dreading and looking forward to going home because once I see my mom, I become a child in her mind again and she exercises her right to be the mom. She will give me the lowdown on her views, her likes and dislikes about me and even if I disagree or don't like it - she is my mom and allowed to feel as she wishes and I become the victim of her "arrows of outragious fortune" because of my raising and respect for my mother. I accept her right to point out the faults she sees but I also accept the role of victim because she gets her say but most times I do not.

Thought~Byte No.140 by John Philipp

Feb 10, 2009 | comments: 98

Donna Hammett-Tooker Feb 11, 2009, 11:48am EST

I am going to visit my home this weekend so the scarring motif is most appropos - that was the place of the scar formation. Maybe Wolfe was dealing with his own mental scarring when he decided "You Can't Go Home Again." Home offers a respite as well as the most discerning microscope of all on your lifestyle and person. Moving to a completely different part of the US gave me a break form most of these feeling - a "fresh start" so to speak but returning home allows the old scars to emerge and you know others can see them as well.

A Photo by Sophie S.

Feb 10, 2009 | comments: 10

Donna Hammett-Tooker Feb 10, 2009, 7:47am EST

It is amazing that your facial features have not changed - they have just grown to match your body maturation - sometimes pictures are just things you cannot view again - my mom had several "casket shots" of relatives who died in the 1940s when that was a big deal and when I was little I loved looking at them because I never knew them so she pulled them from the album to keep me from continuously asking about the person. Maybe there were not comparable other photos for every child's baptism and they were pulled to keep down the constant comparisons.

You look very much like your mom here, is that still true? She looks very mom-like and proud to have you on her arm. Lovely picture.

Laid-back recession for California (Humor) by John Philipp

Feb 8, 2009 | comments: 151

Donna Hammett-Tooker Feb 9, 2009, 6:37am EST

Marijuana Madness in Marin Merchandising

Today the announcement of John Philipp as the Marijauana Czar of Marin County has pleased the general electorate as well as his reading followers on Gather.Com after a whirlwind campaign. Philipp presented the idea of marijuana farming to offset and revitalize the California economy in 2009 and while made in jest, the state did accept his idea and planting began in the spring of 2009 in order to jumpstart the sagging economy.

Cheech and Chong came out of comedic retirement to become the spokespersons for the nw economic remedy and yet another generation of Californians as well as Americans from all parts of the country have added parlance of the old '60s headshops to their somewhat limited vocabularies. "Bong" wordage will be added to most school curriculla right next to "kowabunga" surfing language and the "Valley Girl/Boy" speaking now taught in all state-supported schools and UCLA will add a Masters of Marijuana Business to its pretigious business school offerings.

Philipp will be afforded a voting seat in the California legislature as well as a non-voting consultant's seat on Obama's second term Cabinet. To conserve costs, Philipp will not sit in at either venue preferring to remain at his Marin County home assuming the laid-back position that earned him the honors. He will meet by internet conference for one meeting with Obama in order to express his views on "dropping out" and "smoking weed" so that his position is known to all supporters as well as opponents - prone will become associated with politics as have conservative and liberal but its application will mean the absence of political ambition but without the violence of anarchy.

Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things - Win a Book from Reader's Digest by Liz Miller

Feb 5, 2009 | comments: 220

Donna Hammett-Tooker Feb 6, 2009, 2:44pm EST

I have only bee stung twice in my life - one wasp sting and one yellow jacket sting. The wasp popped me while I was sitting on my porch unaware that there was a wasp nest recently built underthe swing in which I was sitting - my mom quickly took acigarette and ripped out the tobacco. She dampened it with water and made a poltice over the sting - I had a small hole from the sting but no swelling and no after-effects. On the other hand, the yello jacket sting occured while I was in school, one flew up behind me and I did not see it but it landed on my right eyelid and before someone could tell me not to swat at it, I did and it popped me on the lid. I knew the principal smoked and in private asked if he would just open the cigarette and give me the tobacco but fearing for his job, he said he could not and so nothing was done except to wipe it clean with a cleansing solution by the school nurse. By the time school was out, I had a swollen eye lid the size of half a golf ball and I had to remain in the house to protect the eyelid - I still have an enlarged eyelid after forty years. This tobacco use is common in the South for drawing out the poison from the sting.

And another thing I had happen was to step on a nail embeded in a board - I jerked it out as soon as I saw it and my dad took me home to wait for his return (we had been looking at a potential house purchase). He returned with a small can of kerosene from the gas station. He poured the kerosene into a small bowl and put my foot in the liquid to soak. It hurt at first but the next day, the hole was closed and it was not sore. The nail had gone the full length into my heel but I never had a scar, a scab or any other soreness. He claimed that he learned about the use of kerosene for wounds while he was in the Army serving in Korea.

Thought~Byte No. 139 by John Philipp

Feb 3, 2009 | comments: 86

Donna Hammett-Tooker Feb 5, 2009, 1:54am EST

I once wrote a post on Gather addressing the preference of open or shut doors for closets and found that there were varying attitudes toward the topic. When I was a child, I could not stand for the closet door to be shut because I was afraid it would harbor things that would come after me in the night. then I hit a phase where I could not sleep if it was not shut and checked at being shut several times before I could sleep. Now, I am not bothered by the door or the contents within, open or shut. I guess in terms of this byte, I have taken down the door and have ceased defending myself or my past - it is too far away to matter now and the future has its own way of working itself out.

Thought~Byte No. 33 by John Philipp

Feb 3, 2009 | comments: 96

Donna Hammett-Tooker Feb 5, 2009, 1:08am EST

Sorry to be commenting so late after the post but I have been under the weather. But reading a byte makes me feel better so here comes the introspective view from Donna Faye - habits are part of the wonderful and awesome tangle of contradictions that make me what and who I am today. I have many good habits which I do not care to change and many bad ones that threaten to give me concrete overshoes if I attempt to make a change to them. My husband often points out my habits as being contrary nd to be truthful, devil's advocation is one of those bad habits that I simply am afraid to change because it is one of my foundational stone habits. I have carefully constructed a personality based upon impossibilities for some situations and self-evident truths for others so I fear toppling the entire structure if I make any changes in the core so I adopt and make changes to little habits that are trivial and non-binding like only eating one item on my plate at a time - sometimes I adhere to that habit obsessively and then the next time I am eating, I may eat from every food on my plate thus combatting the habit but not really changing anything. My habit is to make and break habits.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ian B (in Toronto)

Feb 2, 2009 | comments: 29

Donna Hammett-Tooker Feb 3, 2009, 7:00am EST

This book was indicative of the "Cold War" mentality that permeated the years of my childhood (late 1950s and early 1960s). I remember the movie as a film that scared me the first time I saw it. The use of Julie Christie as two diverse characters in the film is unsettling at first because you are not sure which character is being thrust at you until you settle into the rhythm of the director's mind. Oskar Werner was a European star whose face was not well-known in America unless they had seen "Ship of Fools" made in 1965. His face seems devoid of emotion most of the time like a ghost wandering through his earth-bound existence until he actually reads one of the books he is employed to burn and the world as he knows it has been cancelled and he must now become a different person to exist - no longer the husband and fireman he thought was his niche. I loved the camps where people walked around repeating their books awaiting the day when their "book" could be written down for others to enjoy.

The Day The Music Died. by George Vreeland Hill .

Feb 3, 2009 | comments: 21

Donna Hammett-Tooker Feb 3, 2009, 5:44am EST

I remember hearing about it at the supper table when we watched the news with "Uncle" Walter on CBS. I was only 7 but I listened because my name is Donna and Richie Valens had a hit song called "Donna" which everyone used to sing or hum to me - needless to say, I have tired of the song and glad present generations do not know it as well as mine did. I think I felt more loss when I saw the movie with Gary Busey as Buddy Holly because I was old enough to understand the impact they had had and the movie with Lou Diamond Phillips as Richie Valens made me more cognizant of the loss the world had on that cold February night fifty years ago. The one I realized almost immediately was the death of "Time in a Bottle" Jim Croce - I was at an age when the music was talking directly to me through his songs and I lost the channel when he died. Who knows what these folk might have contributed if they had lived?

Not a good mail day for Sarah. by sarah g.

Jan 30, 2009 | comments: 23

Donna Hammett-Tooker Jan 30, 2009, 1:29pm EST

We had a letter like that back in November and we either had to add $23 per month or a slightly lesser amount if we paid it as a lump sum so we had the money and did that. We have been lucky in that we have not had any breaches on our credit or debit cards. I once had my billfold stolen when I was teaching and the principal thought it unfair to search the students who were in the class so he allowed them to leave and I never saw the billfold again. I had a whole cache of money in my purse to turn in for unreturned library books but by stealing my billfold, he got less than $10 and I went straight to the DMV and sheriff's office to get a new license and cancel my cards by giving the number of the credit cards to the sheriff and he called the bank for me because it was a billfold with a place for my checkbook as well and the bank cancelled the book of checks. The next day the student I suspected of the robbery was looking in the office of the library where he should not have been - he joked and said he needed some more money - I told the principal of the conversation and he reasserted his belief that I was racist and just accused this class of the theft because I was white and all of them were black. I never found the billfold and I never got any satisfaction for my predicament. I left that district because of their attitude over the theft and their playing loose with funding within the district.

We need to break her - Husband told mother before killing Baby Grace by Gene P.

Jan 28, 2009 | comments: 29

Donna Hammett-Tooker Jan 28, 2009, 3:12pm EST

I don't understand why it is inappropriate to ask for the desk penalty when a parent kills a child - does parenthood give you a free "get out of the death penalty card"?

Loud People by Mike Firesmith

Jan 28, 2009 | comments: 10

Donna Hammett-Tooker Jan 28, 2009, 8:25am EST

When I was a school librarian, I found the quickest way to calm loud people who were "whispering" in the library was to join the conversation where ever I was in the library. As soon as one decided I was impinging on their private conversation and said something, my retort was always along the lines of - when you speak loudly enough that I can hear every word then you ARE including me in your conversation! - that was an almost instant shut-up message. I blamed it then on the "walkman" all of them used with their headsets turned all the way up to exclude others from their audio universe - I hate earbuds or anything that hampers my hearing so I was not in the hearing-challenged group and had better-than-average hearing so I was able to hear even the whisperers but unless they were intelligible, I left the quieter ones alone and louder ones noticed the quieter ones being left alone and they followed suit.