London Olympians 2012

Well, it has been awhile since I last wrote anything here, but recent Olympian events have inspired me to do so today.

The Olympics have always been an important athletic stage for me. I love them. Summer or winter, it really doesn't matter.
Records are broken, and incredible feats of athletic prowess are demonstrated each and every day, in each and every event.

Sadly, in our World today, that is not enough.
It's about GOLD, SILVER and BRONZE.
And, for the love of all that is holy, don't let an athlete who is EXPECTED to win, for whatever reason, come up short in the final endeavor.
It's all about the WIN...and those medals.

Well,  as a devoted fan of the Olympics,  and of ALL the athletes who compete in them with integrity, grace, strength, and raw ability, I feel that a little reminder is in order...

THEY ARE THERE !!

While we sit at home, on our couches and in our easy chairs...

While we watch from the excitement of a sports bar, sucking down a cold one and noshing on our favorite bar food...

While we discuss and criticize and downgrade from the comfort of a broadcast stage...

THEY ARE THERE !!

We count the MEDALS...

What countries WIN what...

Ours is better than yours...

And when our athletes DON'T win, or place, we lose interest and stop the cheers...

THEY ARE THERE !!

And Michael Phelps is the greatest Olympian of all time...because of HIS MEDALS...

And the NAMES of the WINNERS will go down in Olympic history, and they will be put to "print" over and over again...

We don't want to forget the WINNERS...

THEY ARE THERE !!

Yes, THEY ARE ALL THERE...

Every athlete, no matter the sport, from the able-bodied Olympics to the Paralympics...every ATHLETE is there, competing with determination, and the desire to do their very best, and to WIN.

But what we have failed to do, and always fail to do...whether it is in this Summer Olympics of 2012, or ANY Olympics...or World competition...or NCAA tournament...or a local meet or match...we, as the self-proclaimed lovers of SPORT, have failed repeatedly to acknowledge this simple fact...

EVERY ATHLETE who is in the OLYMPICS is ALREADY A WINNER !!

EVERY ATHLETE who gets out in that field, or on that court, or into that pool, or onto those bars...every one of those ATHLETES has overcome unimaginable odds just to BE THERE.

And when they compete with integrity and grace...when they inspire US to be more...and when they give every ounce of who they are for their SPORT...

THEY ARE WINNERS.

So, I believe that we, as lovers of the Game, should KNOW the names of EVERY ATHLETE who is competing in London this Summer of 2012.

Every ATHLETE taking part in the Summer Olympics 2012 in London, England show have their NAME in PRINT, and they should be lauded on a daily basis simply because...

I will be making every effort to find out those names, and will joyfully share them when

I do, because...

THEY ARE THERE !!

I, for one, love it when the Michael Phelps and Fab Five of the World give us their very, very best, winning the right to hear their national anthem played and see their flags raised in tribute. 

They add a fire and excitement to the Games.

But I also love to watch ALL of the athletes put their hearts and souls into the sport they love to be so much a part of...yes, ALL of them.

So, as I sit on my couch and cheer on the US in these Summer Olympics, except in Track and Field...the 400m...when I will be cheering for Oscar Pistorius, I will make sure that I do not get lost in the winning of the medals.

I will make sure that I acknowledge, even if only in the Spirit of the Games, the winning EFFORTS of every boy and girl...man and woman...able-bodied and physically challenged (the Summer 2012 Paralympics start soon)...ATHLETE who competes.

Don't get me wrong.

Medals are awesome !

But sometime, just being there and striving to do one's best...no, ALL THE TIME, really...

THAT is the true VICTORY.

Peace...;)

Saying Good-Bye to a Friend

On April 24, 2012, I got an email with the news that my long-time friend, TQ, has passed away. He was 83 years old, and had been sick for a little while. But, from a previous email I had gotten a few weeks earlier, I was led to believe that he was "improving". Sadly, no one ever really explained to me just what "improving" meant.
He would have never left the nursing home he was convalescing in...never.
So, I think that he knew this, and with that knowledge, he decided, the day after making his 83rd birthday, that he was all done now. He passed away during the night, in his sleep...
Would that we could all be so blessed.

I have known TQ...Rev. Thomas J. Quinlan...for 44 years. 
He became the pastor of the parish we were a part of at that time...St. Vincent's Catholic Church in downtown Newport News, Virginia.
He was full of fire and controversy and a new Way of thinking about religion...and a new Way of living it.
My mother thought he was scandalous, and wonderful...her view was shared, for the first few months, by many people in the parish.
But TQ had a knack for either winning your heart, or sending you out the door of the church, screaming he was the Anti Christ.
We stayed at St. Vinnie's...he had won.
Over the years that he was there, all things Catholic and church and religion took on new and exciting meanings. That's what happens when you really begin to LIVE what your faith teaches, instead of just getting by with "believing it".
There were grand and glorious Easter Processionals around the city block, with flowers and palms and bright colors.
There was the Folk Mass, and the Folk Group, of which I was a part for several years.
There was the Summer Program at St. Alphonsus Church...the first Black Catholic parish in Virginia.
There was the generosity of TQ...he had the parish pay my school tuition from 8th grade through 12th and graduation, because, even though we lived right next door to my grand parents, we(me and my sister, Deidre) were a single-Mom household.
And there were fantastic Midnight Mass productions for Christmas...and splendid Easter services...and there were Sunday sermons that made us think...and there were even more sermons that made us DO...ACT...take our roles in the community and the World quite seriously.
These things...this man...helped me get through high school without falling to the "Dark Side".
He was always there when I needed him to talk to...always.

And although we went our very separate ways over the years, he never stopped being there.
Always.

When I learned that he had crossed over, I knew I had to go to his funeral...his final Send Off...his Going Away Party.
So, off to Virginia Beach I went.
I believe that funerals...Send Offs...Good Bye Parties...are for the living, for closure...and they tend to bring out the best, and the worst, in those that are there.
Enough on that...

I saw several "old friends"...and yes, I went up and saw TQ, in his simple, beautiful plain wooden coffin.
He was ready for his upcoming Journey...Driver's License in one hand, and a Statement of Sanity in the other.
(I leaned over and told him that the Statement of Sanity was going to fool anybody.)
But, contrary to what I was assured by far too many attending that Party, he did NOT look "excellent"...he looked DEAD.
And THAT was the part that I couldn't wrap my Heart around.
THANK YOU, Michael, for being there...

So, there I am,  standing in reception area, at the door to the interior of the church, watching the show that was taking place.
I felt him there, too...at times laughing, and at other times, not so happy about it all.
I went to Communion and the church rafters did NOT shake !
Then, during the Meditation time in the Mass, a woman from the choir gets up and sings MEMORIES, from the musical CATS.
And that was all it took.
I spent the next few minutes in the ladies' room...

After the Mass was over, and everyone began to mingle, I overheard someone say that TQ personally chose MEMORIES, and that it was "something that Patrice would like...".

And with that knowledge, the whole Send Off took on a new meaning, a new LIGHT.

I got back to my hotel, and I allowed myself to cry...really, really, cry...for the first time since I had learned of TQ's passing.
And when I was done, I knew it was enough...that while he was no longer in this "Material World", he would always be with me.
Maybe not in spirit form, but within MY SPIRIT.
For, through the decades of our friendship and sharings, he gave me something that will never go away...the knowledge that QUESTIONING and CHALLENGING and THINKING are not only OK, but are mandatory !! Those very values are the core of who I AM.
And while I no longer ascribe to any organized religion...sorry, Old Man, but I gotta be ME...I know that The Universe is ever-present, listening and knowing.
And maybe It doesn't do the things WE mere Humans ask of It when WE want It to, but I know that The Universe is very much a part of my life...and I am very much a part of IT'S LIFE, as well.

So, THANK YOU, Thomas J. Quinlan, for having been a part of this World...and for being a part of my Life.
You and your glorious friendship will always be part of my greatest treasures.
Always...

Peace...;)

The End of a Mad Man

On May 1, 2011, an elite group of Navy SEALS...at the command of President Obama... killed Usama bin Laden at a heavily guarded mansion compound in Pakistan.
The Mad Man behind Al Qaeda and the September 11, 2001 attacks is dead.
Justice has been served.
And the folks who lost friends and relatives to that terrible day may now begin to find the closure that has been eluding them for a decade.

But should we Americans celebrate the death of another human being?
Certainly, bin Laden needed to pay for his evil...and death was a fair end.
I believe that we should take this time to start the HEALING PROCESS...to let the pain and loss and horror GO...to finally breath a sigh of relief and start living with just a little less fear...
Having expressed this notion on my Facebook Wall, I have encountered far too many people who feel the need to hold on to that sad and terrible day...to the details of the destruction and death...to keep it close like some kind of  cancerous tumor that slowly eats away at LIFE.
To those who say we must never forget 9-11, I say...
At some point we MUST let go of 9-11. If we don't, we are doomed to become like the WWII vets, Korea vets, and Nam vets...and some of their friends and family...who fight their wars every day of their lives, infiltrating every aspect of their existence, ultimately destroying them. When THAT happens, the ENEMY has finally won.

Sadly, I think it DOES destroy lives to keep such events fresh in our minds. That is why the VA hospitals and the STREETS...ah, yes the STREETS... are filled with veterans who can't stop fighting a war...or wars...that ended decades ago. Our heroic service people are the greatest victims of all...of this "never forgetting". When a LIFE comes to a creative and vital END, even if the person is breathing and going through the motions of their days, THAT ending...that loss of quality...that being trapped in the past and fighting a war that is endless...THAT is simply another victory for the ENEMY.
If ultimately forgetting the tragedies...not the HEROISM, but the tragedies...of wars and such can help to SAVE those lives, and further vanquish our foes, then FORGET WE MUST.

 

At some point, our Country MUST begin to HEAL. 

Peace...;)

Why ?

Yesterday, near Tucson, Arizona, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head while holding a neighborhood political meeting at her local Safeway Grocery Store.
She wasn't the only victim...19 others were shot...6 killed, one of whom was a 9-year old little girl.

Jared Loughner was the one...the one who pulled the trigger, and kept pulling it.
And all in the name of POLITICS...POLITICAL IDEALS...POLITICAL BELIEFS.

So WHY are Americans so surprised by this violence?
Have they not been listening to the venom that courses through the nation's most recent political rhetoric? Rhetoric that started right after President Obama was elected? Rhetoric brought to volatile levels during the campaigns leading to the last election? Political venom promoted by far too many...

Freedom of Speech...
Choices made...

Maybe so...but, maybe no...

We are going through very tough economic and social times now. People being people, they must blame someone/something else for their lot in Life...something/someone else besides themselves and their own actions.
Democrats...a Black President...a State Representative targeted in the crosshairs on a former governor's web site...Abortion Rights...Illegal Immigrants...the list of "reason" is truly endless.

So, then, when all is said and done, WHO is at fault?
Blame replaces ACCOUNTABILITY...Blame shifts the focus from CHOICE to MOTIVATION/INSPIRATION. It also makes it much easier to use words like "mental issue"..."deranged"..."crazy"...when speaking about the one, or ones, who commit the violence.

And yet, we MUST ask...
If it were not for the speeches and web sites pushing and prodding people towards violent behavior...violence as a necessary solution for our problems...would it still happen in the form it has taken?
If the answer is unanimously YES, then so be it...
But, if the answer is a resounding NO, then those promoting the madness MUST BE, by the very nature of their message, be held ACCOUNTABLE.

I was born in 1956, and grew up during the Civil Rights and Viet Nam War Eras.
As a teenager, I was active in movements to give equal rights to all folks and to end a war that no one wanted.
Throughout my activist years, the greatest ACTION...the most productive ACTION...was that which was inspired by WORDS and NON-VIOLENCE.
PEACE was a lifestyle, not just a notion.
Political change was ignited by editorials and speeches...by sit-ins and marches...by rallies and meetings... all calling for a new Way of LIVING and treating our fellow Human Beings.
In the end, true political change took place through a paradigm shift in THINKING and ACTING, and, ultimately, through the VOTE.

And yet, Human History is filled with examples of VIOLENCE being used to force CHANGE...for better, or for worse...

Was Loughner simply listening to the voice of his HUMAN NATURE ?

I would like to believe that WE are better than that...that WE have evolved beyond the NEED for violence as the answer...that we have replaced our baser "demons" with our gentler "angels".
Yet every day...in far too many communities...there is a news story that points to our "demons" winning the race.

Something to ponder...

Peace...;)

A New Year

Well, 2011 is here, and it is most definitely Time for some restructuring of LIFE...mine, in particular.

I have had several "projects" on the fire for some time, now, and have been constantly find excuses for NOT getting into them and getting them rocking and rolling...
The TIME OF PROCRASTINATION is OVER !!

As of yesterday, I have begun my BLOG and FACEBOOK PAGE for ALONG THE ASPHALT TRAIL.
Those avenues for information and exposure are the best Ways for me to go at this Time...
As things progress, a web site will be developed.
But, first things first...;)

Also, I have decided to purposely LIMIT the NEGATIVE influences in my Life.
No, not fall into the "Ostrich Complex" and hiding the head in the sand...
More like developing a real "filter" for keeping stuff that is important/necessary/can be fixed/cool in my Life and letting go of the stuff that simply adds weight to my Spirit.

This new Year...2011...is going to be a Time for incredible PERSONAL GROWTH...on ALL LEVELS !!

More later...gotta do some more stuff, then take The Kids for their "nooner walks".

Peace...;)

Galen...the BEST CAT in the WORLD

Well, today, at about 1:30PM, my Boo Kitty passed away, in my arms...as it should be.
Galen was 21 years old, and lived a very full and eventful Life...one that most cats would envy.
He was the oldest of our Tribe, and all of the Others respected him as the Alpha Man...
But, he was, and always will be, Mommy's Boo Kitty.

When it doesn't hurt quite so much, I will write more about him...
Good bye, Old Man...I love you, always...;)Mommy

Long time, no write..."sigh"...

Well, it has been quite a while since I last wrote.
Why, you may ask...well, I have been mentally preoccupied, or distracted, or lazy.
But, this coming weekend, I will begin this BLOG once again...

So, if you are following me, come back on, say, Sunday to see what I feel like chomping on for a bit !

Peace...;)

Why Do People CHOOSE To Be Stupid?

It's been awhile...

And yes, folks, STUPID is a matter, for the most part, of CHOICE.
To deliberately ignore...block out...vilify...dis...whatever you want to use for the "action word"(verb) here...information, data, or proof of something just because it doesn't go along with one's way of "thinking" (note the quotation marks, please) is straight up STUPID...no other word for it.

Oh, I know, I know...
Not very fair, or charitable, or nice, Patrice.
Well, TOUGH !

Time and time again, I see others make excuses for this narrow mindset...too poor...too afraid...too old...too young...too too too...ENOUGH ALREADY.
By coming up with vast arrays of psychologizing rhetoric that attempt to justify STUPIDITY, those who do so are simply making it easier for it to continue, and to be perpetuated.
This way of "thinking" spreads like a virus, and eats away at ALL that our education, science, social insight, and common sense represent and stand for...and making excuses for it simply serves to feed it and make it stronger.

I teach community college courses for a living, and for about 99% of the time, I truly love it.
But, over the last couple of years, I have witnessed a devolution in the thinking processes of the students I instruct. Not only do they NOT THINK, they simply refuse to THINK FOR THEMSELVES.

If Mom and Dad...Grandma and Grandpa...Tweedledum and Tweedledee...believe it, then IT MUST BE SO !! Why do I need to believe/think/act any differently ?

And when I encounter this, which I do, every semester, in one form or another, I tend to scream...not out loud...and not to the student...but inside, where it is safe.

More on this later...

Peace...;)

Haiti

Well, the World is jumping on the "Help Haiti" Bandwagon...
..."sigh"...

I often wonder WHY it takes a disaster for people to suddenly GIVE a CRAP. Do folks think the People of Haiti suddenly began to live in shanties, wooden crates with tarps for roofs, on the streets and in cardboard boxes? The earthquake didn't make this happen!
The Media, and even some of the relief workers, are giving the impression that the Haitians are in these dire straits because of the 7.3 earthquake that slammed their impoverished island.

They couldn't be MORE WRONG!

Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the World, with a high illiteracy rate...astronomical unemployment rate...and a per capita annual income that isn't much more than the weekly allowance given to some kids in the US.

So, WHY, all of a sudden, does the World give s crap about these "poor people"?
The World hasn't given enough of a crap to help end the economic and social crisis that the Haitian People have been dealing with for decades now...well, not EXACTLY true...there have been UN Peacekeeping forces there trying to hel...
But even THAT has been very, very recent activity.

So, again, I ask...
WHY all of a sudden?
Where has George Clooney been for all these years...no telethon from him to help Haitian people simply have the basics of Life, and be given a CHANCE...
Where have ALL of the "George Clooneys" been all this"non-disaster" time?

Is it possible that even folks like Clooney...and others who are showing concern now, really DIDN'T KNOW how horrible conditions, and Life in general, are in Haiti?
Could it be?

More to come over the weekend...
I am tired now, from doing a load of yard work, cleaning up the dead stuff that came from the cold weather we had for awhile.

Peace...;)

The First Full Week of 2010

Mondays, as a rule, are not my favorite day of the week.
Not sure as to WHY...maybe a culturally conditioned thing...but they aren't.

Today is a Monday...January 4, 2010, to be exact...which makes it the very first one of this New Year...yay.

..."sigh"...

Maybe I can work on this not-liking-Mondays thing as part of the SPIRIT of a New Year.
Or maybe I have other stuff to work on and THIS is far too trivial to deal with.

...another "sigh"...

One of the characteristics of a NEW YEAR is the tendency to inspire reflection and introspection...mutually exclusive, but tend to be closely tied together.
Taking the time to look back over the previous year and see what we did...or didn't do.
To recall who we made a positive impact on...or who we simply hammered into the ground.
To think about what we might have done differently in order to get a better outcome in our lives...or what we might have done to begin with in order to better the life of another person besides ourselves.

It is the time to access our mistakes and applaud our successes.
Oh, wait...we aren't supposed to applaud our successes...that's vain, and we all know that vanity is a sin.
But, you know what?
It's OK...in fact, it is encouraged...for us to beat ourselves senseless over the mistakes we make.
It is also OK for us to find someone/something else to blame those errors on.

"The Devil made me do it"
"My friends said it was cool"
"Everyone else is doing it"
"But that's how my parents did it...do it...think about it...react to it...run from it"

What is so ugly about honestly looking back on the previous year, and saying:

"Well, I guess I really effed up THAT situation"
"Damn, I should have done THAT alot differently...will do so next time"
"Sometimes I can be so selfish...must make a concerted effort to NOT be that way"

...or...

"I'm so sorry. What can I do to make things right?"

Think about it!
Wouldn't it be so cool if COUNTRIES would do just that?
Or our political leaders?
Or our religious leaders?
Or our teachers, cops, judges and attorneys?

Or...even better...our PARENTS/GRANDPARENTS/SIBLINGS/other RELATIVES?

One of the most important things about our lives is that we rarely, if ever, get the chance for a "do over".
And quite sadly, most of us, when presented with that splendid opportunity, turn a blind eye to it...walk away from it...ignore it.
Because to accept the Gift of a Universe-given Do-Over means to admit we were WRONG...that somehow WE effed up...WE were responsible for something less-than-stellar...WE were to blame.
Because to accept that Gift means that WE...and only WE...are the ones who can, somehow, someway, make things right.
Because it means that WE must change...change some aspect of our Life/Lives.

And we all know that CHANGE is very scary, and, oftentimes, very hard.
And if we go to all that trouble to change, then aren't we really questioning the WILL of GOD?
Because we all KNOW that everything happens at God's bidding, including our very actions.
So far be it from us to question God.

Ah, yes...CHANGE can be very, very scary, indeed...

So, for now...
Peace...;)

2010...A NEW YEAR...

"ALL THESE WORLDS ARE YOURS EXCEPT EUROPA. ATTEMPT NO LANDING THERE."...from 2010 The Year We Make Contact...Arthur C. Clarke

Well, let's see...it's 2010.
WHERE the Hell are we as a PEOPLE, and exactly WHAT progress as HUMAN BEINGS have we made that really count for anything REAL?

Hhhhmmmm...I will ponder this and get back to y'all...

Peace...;)

More Stuff For the LAST WEEK of 2009

So, I am here, at the computer, wondering WTF people who try to hijack airplanes could be thinking...

Not only are THEY dumber than a bucket of dirt, they deserve whatever Fate befalls them!
Do they NOT have minds of their own?
Are their lives so shallow and empty that they have to jump on the bandwagon of some group that encourages members to KILL THEMSELVES?

And NO...it is NOT for the "glory of Allah"...it is for power and political gain...and anyone who truly believes anything else about it is a DUMBASS...especially the tools who do the dying!

They are certainly going to get a shock and surprise when they croak and Allah turns them away...saying "Not on MY watch, Guys"...and down they go...buhBYE you crazyass, wasted life, morons!!
No Heaven for YOU!!

But, in a twisted kind of Way, their deaths are a bit of Darwin in action...dumb asses die, simple as that...and hopefully BEFORE they have had a chance to reproduce.

OK,now...enough political commentary.

This is the last week of 2009, and many folks are thinking about their upcoming New Year's Resolutions
I wonder how many of them are really kept.
Or how many of us even make them to begin with...

I used to, then decided that if there is something that needs to get done, the only real Way to achieve that goal is to simply DO IT!
(No, this is NOT a plug for Nike...)

But, honestly, that is what works best for ME...
Maybe some people NEED the resolution thingy, to kind of make it like a contract...an unbreakable(yeah, right) vow type of obligation.

And for some, it probably works just fine...
How about you?
If you are reading this Blog entry, think about New Yeqar's resolutions and do you...or do you NOT...make them and/or keep them?

More to be said later this week...
Peace...;)

December 28, 2009...An Almost New Year's Eve

Well, it certainly looks like we survived this Holiday weekend.
All fingers, toes, eyes, and noses intact...well, you know how it it...all fun and games until someone loses an eye!

Anyhow...thoughts are quite bountiful regarding this coming New Year...all of which I shall expound upon later today.

Until then, I am going to make a pot of great coffee...I always make great coffee...and chill for a bit.

After that, I am going to get some stuff done...or not.
It all depends...

Peace...;)

A Winter's Eve

The traditional, Christian celebration is called Christmas Eve...tomorrow being Christmas Day...
But, there seems to be something lacking in that definition...like there should be MORE!

So, I am officially, for me, changing this evening's title to a Winter's Eve....with tomorrow being a Winter Celebration...

Take THAT, you limiters of celebratory days and events!!

Ah, yes...this time of year should surely bring out the finest and best in folks, but, you know what?
It DOESN'T...at least, not for the most part.
People are in such a hurry to spend money they don't have...for crap that no one really wants...in order to get those people to like them more...or something to that effect...
And for WHAT?

By the time tomorrow..."Christmas Day"...arrives, far too many people are exhausted...broke...and pissed off...and the saddest part is that they did it to themselves!
All to celebrate the accepted birthday of Jesus?

Way too convoluted and twisted and effed up for me to even try to fathom...never has, and hopefully, never will make any sense to me whatsoever.

This time of year is grand and glorious and filled with wonder that comes only from the change in Seasons...the change to the cold and long nights...to the time when the Earth sleeps, and gets strong for the coming Spring.
We get so caught up in this holiday stuff that we forget to take in the awesome stuff that can only be known in the Winter...especially here, in Flroida.

So, my sage advice is this...
Stop with this madness we accept and shrug off as OK, and as part of this Season we should just deal with...that, dear friends, is simply BS, and is a byproduct of media and social pressure.

Step back a moment...take a deep breath...and allow yourself to FEEL the magick that IS this time of year.
THAT is what we celebrate...that is The Gift!

A blessed and bountiful Winter to you and yours...all ways...
Peace...;)

A Very Quick Note

For all who may actually take the time to read my stuff...this is for you...

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=SaraBareillesVEVO#p/u/3/UkOKCWDJ4iA

Peace...;)

Thoughts on this Christmas Thingy...

Whaddado, everybody, whaddado...

Yeah, yeah...that's stealing from Craig and Wavy...but, hey...:)

Ah, this Christmas Thingy..."sigh"...seems to be something missing this year.
Or, maybe...just maybe...there's TOO MUCH OF IT !!

Could it be that I am simply reacting, emotionally, to an overload of jolliness?
Could it have something to do with the fact that, even with the economy in the crapper the way it is, stores have had Christmas stuff out SINCE RIGHT AFTER LABOR DAY?

WTF, y'all?

At several of the places we regularly shop, "they" began putting Holiday enticements out, seriously, right after Labor Day.
That's effing SEPTEMBER...and we hadn't even had Halloween or Thanksgiving yet!
What is WRONG with people?

The worst part of feeling this way is that I truly do LOVE this time of the year...
From Halloween through New Years, and even into Valentine's Day...my favorite days.
But NOT when it is shoved in my face at every turn!

I went to get a new wreath and garland at Jo-Ann Etc. last weekend...great sale, 60% off...which was fine.
BUT...and this is a very big BUT...
They were already putting out STUFF FOR VALENTINE'S DAY!!
It was all I could do to wait in line and make my purchase...got the Hell out of there as quickly as I could.

Are we THAT materialistic?
Or are we in THAT much of a hurry for our days to pass by?

Or are we just effing TOOLS...or SHEEP...baaahhh, baaahhh,baaahhh...
Are our lives so shallow that we live for the "shopping fix", from one "holiday" to the next?

Something to seriously and deeply ponder, I believe...
But not today...enough now.

I am going to have a big piece of fudge that my Mom-In-Law made and sent our Way...and watch a movie...or take a little walk around the 'hood...or do the last of the Holiday cards for friends and such...

Peace...;)

Thoughts On A Rainy Friday

Well, the Isabelle Fay Watch is officially over...well done, Mama and Papa Jacques!

So now, I can write on other stuff that has been tickling the grey matter recently.

First of all, I would like to say this to anyone who might have a problem with the TITLE to my Blog...

GET OVER IT!!

There...that's said...enough, now.

Back to other things.

Like Sarah Palin...

WTF??
HOW did this woman ever found her way into politics?
Was she created in some dark and spooky lab by the Republican Party?
Does she have a brain(seriously, this is meant ONLY on a biological level)?
Or does she rely on a "motherboard"(sorry...another metaphor...computer oriented, actually)?

Maybe she should have the nickname...Stepford Sarah...or Republican-Run Rogue...

She is about as much a real rogue as that blonde conservative chick on The View...
Rogue, my bum.

But, I will tell you the scariest part of her and her politics and views...
Far too many Americans really DO follow her, and are glued to everything she says.

The key word here, folks, is FOLLOW...baaahhh...
And into the slaughterhouse joyfully they will go!

Am I the only one "out there" who finds her and the fact of her popularity to be more than just a tad bit frightening?
Am I the only one who struggles to actually KNOW what her views really are?
and, am I the only one who sees her with the Republican Party hand up her ass...moving the mouth and filling the head with what THEY want?

I believe Sarah Palin and all who support her to be more dangerous than any poor slob from Gitmo...more deadly that any weapon of any kind of destruction...
And do you know why?

Because SHE actually believes all the stuff she says...and so do her followers.
And in believing, they are DEVOTED...
DEVOTION is the most powerful weapon available to Humankind...stronger than mere faith...because it almost completely eliminates the NEED to THINK for oneself.

Think about it.
More on this tomorrow...

Peace...;)

Happy Birth Day, Isabelle Fay!!

Hey...

Well, Miss Isabelle Fay did it HER WAY!!
Happy Birth Day, Isabelle...now, be a good girl and let Mommy and Daddy get some sleep!!

More thoughts later today...

Peace...;)

Afternoon Thoughts

Well, as of now, still no ISABELLE FAY...so we wait...

BUT...there are other things I want to talk about...namely the vulturistic behavior of THE MEDIA!

OH! Does this come as a surprise to you?
I certainly hope not, for your sake.

But lately, it seems to have gotten even more bloodthirsty...more "let's not only tell the World this person's private business, let's go ahead and DESTROY THEIR LIFE while we're at it"...
And ya know what...it's OUR FAULT!

Yes, it's our fault...we, the American Public...because we LOVE that kind of crap...
We love to see that folks who are wealthy and successful can fall from grace.
We love to see them in pain...
And, what's worse than simply liking to see it...we WANT to see it...and the more The Media can give us, the happier(?) we are about it.

Casey Anthony...sad, sad story.
Allegedly murdered her daughter...and yet...the Prosecution has nothing but very slim circumstantial evidence.
But wait!
Over the last year or so, The Media has not only dragged this woman through the deepest mud, but it has made it impossible for her to ever get a FAIR TRIAL pretty much anywhere, but definitely in Florida.

Great, people...really great...NOT!

And now, we have Tiger Woods to destroy.
Doesn't matter the least little bit that his marital problems are NO OF OUR DAMN BUSINESS...NONE!!
Let's make it so that he and his wife can't even go to the toilet in privacy(ever so slight exaggeration), much less WORK ON FIXING THEIR MARRIAGE.

Again...LEAVE THEM ALONE AND MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!!

And in the past we have had Michael Jackson(who, now that he is dead, is everyone's pop idol)...Bill Clinton(don't get me started on this one)...Brittany Spears(sad kid, at best)...and countless others we have gleefully dragged over the coals, and took delight in doing so, wanting more and more as the toll rose...and continues to rise.

What the Hell is wrong with Humanity?
Are our little lives so freaking miserable that the only way we can even remotely feel good about ourselves is to perceive another person as "less than"?
Are we so desperate for "something" that is missing from our lives that the only thing that fills that damn void is the destruction of another person's Life, literally and/or figuratively?

If we(the collective "we") spent as much energy and time working on ourselves and trying to do the right things for our lives and such as we spend on looking for ways to wreck the lives and reputations of others, we'd be quite an incredible lot.

But, alas...it is not to be.

To be continued...

Peace...;)

Day 2 of ISABELLE FAY Watch...She's on her Way, but in her own sweet Time...

Well, as of the last update from Lionel, the Labor Train is still moving right along...
The "Conductor" and "Passenger" are tired, but the wheels just keep on going.

This glorious event conjures up memories of the Arrival of Paul...surreal and really cool, it truly was.

I was getting ready for my doctor's visit...complete with required pee specimen...about to jump into the shower...when I felt a not-so-little cramp.

"Hmmm...now I don't think I should be having THAT now."

So, I decided to give it a bit, and started timing them.
Ten to 11 minutes apart...no big deal.
But, from what i knew, definitely the beginnigns of labor.

I take my shower...get dressed...grab my little covered cup...and head out the door.
At that time, I was driving a huge Chevy pick-up...4wheel drive...with a full camper back.
As I sit here, I realize I must have been quite the sight...:)

I get to the doctor's office, pee in hand, and go up to the receptionist and say, a bit loudly so all of the waiting Moms-To-Be could here...

"I think you might want to bump me up to the front of the line...I believe I am in labor."

To which my doctor poked his head from the door and said:
"No way. You are NOT ready yet."

To which I replied:
"Oh, but I think you might be wrong on this one."

So, he told his nurse to let me come on back...
Once back there, he did his "check for signs of labor" routine, and said, quite humbly if I remember correctly:
"Well, you are in labor. But, you probably won't deliver until late tonight. And I have a special dinner that I have to speak at...Just get to the hospital...check in...and have them call me."

And I, being of sound Mind and feeling more than rather smug at being right...hopped back into the truck and went to the Mall to go shopping.
Yes, shopping...
This was at about 1:30PM, on a Tuesday...8-11-81, to be exact.

After buying a couple of baby things at Sears, and getting myself some chocolate, I went back home.
Once there, I calmly told Paul's father and my mother-in-law that we needed to get going to the hospital because I was in labor.
They both laughed...until a pain hit and I cussed.

We got to the hospital...St. Anthony's, in Michigan City, Indiana...around 3:45 PM...got settled in a room in the "labor area"...got the monitor attached...and then the dance began.

I remember walking around alot...could NOT get comfortable lying down.
Oh, did I mention that this ENTIRE ADVENTURE was WITHOUT ANY PAIN MEDS...NONE...NADA...Not A DAMN ONE !!
Hence, the need for cussing...

At about 5:00PM, my nurses...awesome and amazing women, both of them...wheeled me into the delivery room, and got me up on the soft, clean table.
They put in an IV, just as a precautionary measure, since my water had broken 3 days before and I never knew...and Paul was about 6 weeks early.
But, believe me...the only stuff in that IV bag was saline...:)

So, here we are...ready to rock and roll...when some dumbass doctor from the ER comes in...leans over me and says something stupid like "Yes, I think you are in labor"...

"No shit, Sherlock!"

And then, as he raises up to walk away, his stethoscope gets snagged on my IV and he yanks the needle from my arm...
Cussing...loud, clear cussing...ensued.
And in walked MY doctor.

He said, in a voice that had rather god-like qualities to it...or demon-like, depending on your perspective:

"You stupid son of a bitch! I have told you before to stay OUT of my patients' delivery rooms!
I will have your ASS for this interference!"

And then, quite calmly, turns to me and say:
"Well, let's get this done...I have a dinner to finish and a speech to give."

To which I replied:
"I TOLD YOU I was in labor..."

And then, amazing and true...2 strong pushes on my part, and it was done...
Paul Ellis Brown had arrived...a little less than 5 hours after my very first twinge!!

I stayed in the recovery room for about an hour...then to my room...and a request for PIZZA issued forth from my mouth...I was freaking starving!!
Pizza arrived, and it was shared with the nurses on that shift.
That room ended up being all to myself after the first night...my roommate went home the next morning.
And the food there was GREAT!!
Orange-glazed Cornish game hen...lemon pepper salmon...London broil...AWESOME!!

We were there for 5 days, though...
Paul, being 6 weeks early, was a bit jaundiced, and he had to be in a incubator for a few days.
Then, we had to have his eyes checked...something to do with prolonged exposure to oxygen in the incubator.
But, when we left, we were both fine and feeling absolutely glorious...

And then, the next Great Adventure really began...Mom-hood!

Which, by the Way, is STILL quite spectacular...:)

More later today...AFTER Isabelle Fay arrives!

Peace...;)