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Friday, July 17, 2009

How can that happen??!!

I wasn't into photography before I had my children but as soon as they came along I was never without the camera. Now I'm a picture taker and that can be a curse at times. This was true especially before digital cameras. Sometimes you have to take many pictures of your subject to get one good shot. That meant lots of developing at the drug store and I always ordered doubles. That also meant lots of pictures to go through and put in albums. Which I didn't keep up with.
One day when I put the baby down for a nap I decided today was the day I would go through all those pictures, sort them into 2 categories; keep for album/ give to relatives and toss in the trash. I had pictures and envelopes of pictures all over the place but finally finished the sorting. Three month old Cam was awake so I gathered up the pics for the garbage, put them in a bag and out they went into the can. I left the others to sort for another day.
Flash forward to a few days later, I'm ready to tackle the remaining pile of pics. As I'm doing this and starting Cameron's album I'm wondering why I'm not seeing his first pictures, the ones in the delivery room and homecoming. (None of the business end of the delivery though) I'm starting to get frantic because those are very special pictures to me. They're no where to be found. I searched high and low, nothing. It finally dawned on me I must have put them in the wrong pile during the original sort. They'd gone out to the garbage can. Okay, deep breath, go out to the garage and dig them out. Oh shit! The garbage was picked up yesterday! I was devastated. My newborn baby pictures were in a landfill somewhere. I called hubby at work hysterical and the poor guy, there was nothing he could say or do to make me feel better. How could I be so freaking STUPID???? I went from being so angry at myself to crying over those lost images for weeks. Between the pictures that my parents and sisters took while visiting us in hospital I was able to get copies of a few newborn photos but no delivery room or homecoming pictures. If there was a contest for idiot or half-wit or moron of the year in 1990 I would've nominated myself and surely been the winner, hands down.
Thank goodness I'm no longer the holder of that title. NASA has surpassed me in the stupidity department.

Some genius at NASA has taped over the video of the moon landing. Wouldn't you think that the video tapes of that historic event would be stored someplace safe like a vault or at least be labeled "Lunar Landing! Do not tape over!" I used to tape my soap opera, All My Children everyday and many times it got taped over it by accident so I guess I can see how it can happen but seriously, the first moon landing. Luckily they were able to get copies from a TV network and Australia and they're being restored by Hollywood wizards. Taping over the first moon landing, that's just plain stupid. I'm no longer Twit of the Year, that honor goes to some dope at NASA.

(I found this picture of the moon on the net, I think it looks like an exotic melon just picked from the vine. Photo by steiner62 )

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Is age relative?

I read this story on Yahoo today, the world's oldest mother has died. After living with and taking care of her own mother who died at age 101, Maria Del Carmen Bousada decided she wanted to have a baby. She traveled to the United States to a fertility clinic in Los Angles and lied to them about her age telling them she was 55 years old. No proof of age was required and they got her pregnant. How old was she really? She birthed those twin boys at age 66. Ms. Bousada died at age 68 and the boys are just two and a half years old. She stated that she wanted children but the time was never right. After her mother died she decided that was the time.
I am all for technology helping couples that can't conceive to become pregnant. There is nothing worse in the world than wanting a baby and not being able to have one. I speak from experience here. To have that need to love, care and nurture a child and not be able to so is devastating. I was lucky enough to have a happy ending to my story and have 2 wonderful boys that I give thanks for everyday. I know there are people out there that say if God wanted you to have a baby you would but I don't believe that. Whether it be through adoption or science I am all for doing what it takes to become a mother. Except in this case.
Women were designed to stop being fertile after a certain age for a reason. The chances of medical problems and danger to mom and and baby is huge but just the age difference between mother and child is reason enough not to do it. Parenthood is an exhausting, endless, vacationless job. You need to be up for the challenge. If Bousard had lived, when her boys were 18 she'd be 84! Now I realize these boys will never regret being born. I'm sure they are loved and have people in their lives that will care for them. My thought is that there needs to be a cut off point with medical intervention. The clinic she used did have a cut off of age 55 but even that's high. My opinion, the age should be 50 tops and then there should be other guidelines such as does she already have children.
When I had my second child, he and I almost died. Seriously. It was an awful ordeal for for us and the rest of our families. I'll spare you the medical details. When I talked to my doctor about a third child he asked me if I was happy with my boys and did I love them? Of course! I replied. He then told me yes, your medical issues would most likely occur again only worse, I'd be that much older than the last time and was the risk worth it? What convinced me was when he told me that it's a terrible thing to lose a baby but its even worse when you lose the mother especially when she has little children at home that need her. That was the end of me wanting another child, it was a real wake up call.
Once upon a time women got married young and had their children young. My mom had three kids under age five by the time she was 25 years old. Along came the women's movement and more women began concentrating on their careers, marrying later or delaying the start of a family. I had my kids at age 28 and 32. Today it's not unusual to see women in their 40's having their first baby. If you hear your biological click ticking, don't wait until you're 55 or 66 to start working on it.
I'm sure that Maria Del Carmen Bousada never dreamed that she'd die so soon after her children were born and I do feel bad for her and the boys. At least they will know how much their mother loved them and wanted them even if they're without her now.

Friday, July 10, 2009

NYC Part Two

As you know, NYC is a melting pot of all different races, languages, cultures, young, old, sane, crazy, fashionistas and fashion challenged. All seem to coexist and do their own thing without anyone bothering or judging them. At least it seemed that way to me. There were many pictures I wanted to take of different people but couldn't manage do it surreptitiously.


Take these boots for instance. I thought they were cool. Had I been 30 years younger I may have worn them myself. I fall somewhere between the skull and crossbone boots and the old lady shoes next to him. I took this pic while pretending to take a picture of my son.



My youngest son has his own unique sense of fashion. He bought these Nike shoes in the East Village, maybe the West Village, perhaps Greenwich Village, I don't know, we were in all of those villages as well as Chinatown, Little Italy, Soho, Times Square, Midtown, Upper East Side, Harlem and Washington Heights. The island of Manhattan is only about 23 square miles big but I swear we walked more than that over the few days we were there.


Nurse Jackie is a series on Showtime and here it is on a larger than life billboard in Times Square. I like the catch phrase for the show.


This little bar on the corner is used for filming bar scenes for the show and it just happens to be a block down from my son's apartment in Astoria, Queens. I can tell he's turning into a real New Yorker because he hates film crews in the city. Traffic is always tied up when they're around.




One thing that amazes me about NYC is the amount of restaurants there. There are some chains like TGIF's and Ruby Tuesdays to name just a few but for the most part they are independently owned little ones. How do people find them? I don't know how they stay in business but they do. We went toa little one (and I mean little, maybe eight small round tables and maybe the size of my living room and kitchen combined) called
Las Ramblas, serving Spanish fare tapas style. Above is our plate of muscles. I'm not a shell fish lover except for scallops and crab but these were delish and the sangria was oh, so good too!



After gorging ourselves at Las Ramblas we went to Magnolia's Bakery. It was made famous by a little show called Sex in the City and also featured in a Saturday Night Live short called Lazy Sunday. Yummy cupcakes but sticker shock. A three bite cupcake=three bucks.


Whenever I'm down in the city I ask my son to take us to his hospital but he never wants to. It's a long subway ride on three different trains; 50 minutes and that's if they're running on time. This time he took us. Here he is up on his floor. He's a cardiac RN in the cath lab and works nights 7 PM - 7 AM.
His hosptial, New York Presbyterian Columbia, ranked sixth in the nation for heart health. His goal is to become a nurse practioner which requires another two years of schooling to get his masters. The hospital will pay for that at Columbia University but for every 10 grand they pay, you must work at the hospital for one year. Hmmm, a masters degree from an Ivy League university doesn't come cheap, he'd have to work there for eight more years. I don't think NYC is in his plans for that long.


















Thursday, July 09, 2009

New York City Day One 4th of July

This first pic is out of order, it was taken on Monday, our last full day there. We were sitting on the steps of the New York Public Library when we saw this filming going by. We didn't know what it was for at the time but I do now...
I saw a promo on TV last night for a 20/20 show airing Friday called "Who Killed GM?" While in NYC we went on a boat cruise in the Hudson River to view the fireworks. It got off to a rocky start for me. First, some back story. I'm in charge of the safety patrol in my elementary school and at the end of the year I get a small stipend for doing it. I used that money to treat us all to this fireworks show. When we got on our boat there were NO seats left outside and we had to sit under the top roof. I was so disappointed, how could we see the fireworks now?? I may have dropped the F bomb once or twice but eventually got over it. Turns out we got out on the bow for the show and it was wonderful.

People, people everywhere, as far as the eye could see. This is along side the USS Intrepid which is now a museum.



Security was tight out on the Hudson River.



I always think of the Coast Guard as a rescue type role, never with guns.


There was a strong police presence everywhere. These helicopters are two of a low flying formation of four that patrolled up and down the river.


Our boat's sister. There were lots of tour boats on the water along with rich people on their million dollar yachts but surprisingly no average folk boats to be seen. There was a DJ on board and he played tunes from all different decades. I liked the disco the best. We even had some pole dancers on board.


Not that kind of pole dancer, get your mind out of the gutter. These kids had so much fun dancing around for hours. I wondered if they'd be awake by the time the fireworks started.



A fire boat putting on a show.
Is it getting dark yet? We've been on this boat for hours.


Looking up the Hudson River at the George Washington Bridge. It was there where US Airways flight 1549 landed several months ago and our boat was about where the passengers were plucked off the wings.



FINALLY, three and one half hours later the fireworks started!


It was hard to get a good shot of them since I had to keep the camera very still for a few seconds while bobbing on the water. Sorry it's the best I could do.


They were truly AWESOME and went off for a solid 25 minutes and not just one or two at a time but 8,9,10 at a time continuously. The only thing they didn't have were the big boomers. Maybe too much echoing off the building?

After the show waiting for the traffic jam of boats at the pier to clear out.


The kids. That's the Empire State Building between them.
I'm so happy we did this.














Saturday, July 04, 2009

Happy 233rd Birthday!



Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Mark Sanford Part Duex

I know I've already voiced my opinion about S.C. Governor Mark Sanford but he just keeps digging himself a deeper and deeper hole. I understand that everyone has to make the best decision they can for themselves and family but if his wife Jenny keeps him around it will be a miracle. The humiliation she continues suffer at his hands keeps getting worse and worse.


"In emotional interviews with the AP over two days, he said he would die "knowing that I had met my soul mate."


"This was a whole lot more than a simple affair, this was a love story," Sanford said. "A forbidden one, a tragic one, but a love story at the end of the day."

During more than three hours of interviews over two days at his Statehouse office, Sanford said he is trying to fall back in love with his wife, Jenny, even as he grapples with his deep feelings for Chapur.
Also said;
I have been doing a lot of soul searching on that front. What I find interesting is the story of David, and the way in which he fell mightily, he fell in very very significant ways. But then picked up the pieces and built from there.
Now I don't know a lot about the bible but I'm pretty sure David must have been involved in some sort of sex scandal.


He can quote the bible and scripture all he wants but he's a hypocrite. He voted to impeach Bill Clinton then turns around and so publicly disgraces himself and family. How heartbreaking for his wife.
What an asshole.



Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Rule Breaker

School's out for the summer and I have one self imposed rule that I must follow.
I can not come downstairs until I'm dressed.
First day, Friday-no problem, got up, got ready and left for a weekend at the 1000 Islands.
Second day, Monday- lounged around in bed computing and reading, decided I should get up and get dressed. Did so at noon.
Third day, Tuesday-I broke the rule, came down at 9:00 in my jammies, finally got dressed at about 1:00.
I thought I'd do better but I broke the rule in just 3 days.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Life is Short

I skim the obituaries in the newspaper every day. Some are a few brief lines while others are lengthy tributes. It makes me think I'd like to write my own so I know exactly what it will say. I like the ones that describes their personality. You can see the love the writer had for them. Everyone will eventually die and it's especially sad to see a young person in the obits. We had one very recently, a 17 year old girl killed in a car accident days before her high school graduation. School officials had a graduation ceremony in her hospital room where they presented her with her diploma. She was on life support and died the next day. I feel bad for her parents and loved ones that now have to pick up the pieces of their lives and go on. I think of a young life gone and what she could have given the world. It makes me sad. But I didn't know her and while I grieve for a few minutes and ponder her life I move on with mine. The recent succession of celebrity deaths affects me more personally. I know that sounds odd, I've never met them or know their families but because they've been in the public eye I do to a degree feel like I know them.
Billy Mays 1958-2009
I've seen his commercials pushing products over the years and never gave him much thought except to wonder why he yells. But since April I've been watching his show Pitchmen on Discovery and have seen the person he is. Billy was a kind man who honestly wanted people's dreams to succeed and would do his best to make them happen. He never ridiculed someones idea even if it was silly. He had a great sense of humor and loved his family and friends. He seemed to be for me anyways, one of those people that lit up a room when they came in. Not because he was full of himself but because he enjoyed people. As I said, I didn't know him personally, just from television but he seemed genuine and that's rare in TV land.
What's also rather strange for me is that Michael Jackson was just 3 weeks younger than me and Billy Mays was 6 days older than me. It makes me think of my own mortality. Hubby assures me that since I'm not addicted to several different pain killers and I haven't been bonked on the head recently that I'm not going anywhere soon. It's not really that. I think these deaths are reminding me that life is short and can end at any time. Maybe this is what elderly people feel like when their friends and contemporaries start to pass.
On another note, remember this post? Last week we made our reservations for the 4th of July fireworks boat cruise in NYC. I'm glad we did and if we hadn't I sure as hell would have been doing it today.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

la paix soit avec toi

A sad day today for the entertainment world with the deaths of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. They were both staples of the 70's, a decade from my youth.




Farrah Fawcett had the beautiful all American looks that girls and women wanted to copy and was the fantasy of boys and men everywhere. I remember an incident begging my father to come up and kill a spider in my room but I had to wait until the commercial break so he wouldn't miss a moment of Farrah on Charlie's Angels. She was sexy and classy and if I couldn't have Ryan O'Neil I was glad she had him. I watched her on Farrah's Story and admired her tenacity and bravery. I feel sad, just sad.
And while the public knew that Farrah close to death we didn't know that Michael Jackson was. When I heard that Elvis had died I was in the hospital with my soon to be first and eventually ex-husband, he'd crushed his hand trying to catch a truck transmission at work. I wasn't a big Elvis fan and didn't get the enormity of his death. I was in the basement doing laundry and heard about Jackson. I was shocked and wasn't sure I heard it right. I get it now.



Despite how odd he became in later years he was a still a superstar. I loved his music from his very young innocent days with the Jackson 5. In my mind The Osmonds just couldn't compete with them. We were the same age within 3 weeks of each other so I feel as I grew up with him. MJ had many issues in his adult life but his formative years were no where near normal. He never had an opportunity to be a child and I feel that's mainly the reason for his foibles. I will always think of him as a little boy who grew into a young man and became a music icon. May he rest in peace and be remembered for the singer he was.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

I knew it!

I had another post written about how I would bet my next pay check that South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford was involved with a woman who wasn't his wife. Going off on a clandestine get-a-way as well as being incommunicado is a huge hint. Even his wife didn't know where he was. God forbid, what if something had happened to one of his children while he was off "finding himself"? I'd be pissed if I was Jenny Sanford.
So it turns out that I didn't have to speculate, there is another woman. Gov. Sanford goes missing for SEVEN days, for five of those days there was no contact at all between him and his staffers or his wife. When he finally did check in he was surprised by the attention given to his surreptitious vacation.

Sanford preceded to tell his office that he was hiking along the Appalachian Trail, meanwhile a TV station had his car staked out at the airport. Apparently it's not unusual for the Gov. to take off like this for a little "alone" time. Now we know why. Sanford has admitted to an affair with an Argentine woman referred to as a "dear, dear friend". He's known her for the last eight years but he didn't become an adulterer until a little over a year ago. Supposedly his wife found out about it 5 months ago. No wonder she didn't seem too concerned about his magical mystery tour. She didn't know where he was either but offered up this nugget; "He was writing something and wanted some space to get away from the kids." Say what?!! Don't bring your children into this and be using them as an excuse. As a mother she should know better.



So he spent "the last five days of my life crying in Argentina" are we supposed to feel sorry for him? Boo Hoo. Not gonna happen. If it seems like men cheat more than women you'd be right but the percentage is closer than you think. Click here for some interesting info. Maybe we just hear about more men than women getting busted.



Citizens of S.C. I have this to say, your governor will be the center of attention and the butt of jokes for a while but it will fade away. How do I know this you ask? I live in New York and our illustrious governor was Elliot Spitzer.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Enough said...


Sunday, June 21, 2009

Rain, rain, go away

What an extremely dreary day yesterday. It was cool and rained all day. My poor flowers are drenched after many a deluge. It was the kind of day that makes you either stay in your jammies all day with a good book or go out and spend money. I felt like spending. Rather than going to the mall which could've been dangerous we decided on dinner and a movie.
We started at Five Guys for burgers.

They make their own fries from fresh potatoes.


mmmm, mmmm, good



Next stop, the cinema for a film. That sounds so artsy fartsy but the movies we saw were far from it. Yes I said movies, we saw two and my buttocks are numb. (Ssshhhhh, we only paid for one flick) Movie number one was Year One with Jack Black and Michael Cera. I'm not crazy about J.B. but have liked Michael Cera since Arrested Development, a very quirky and funny TV show and Juno. Year One was funny but not as funny as the second movie, The Hangover. I wasn't sure if this was one of those teenage/college male movies but there were people of all ages in the theater and it was good. If you can only see one of these movies, see The Hangover especially the end with the photos.










Saturday, June 20, 2009

Uh oh...

Aren't they adorable?
Their snouts are so cute...

Mmmm, chocolate pigs...
I love their ears...



BUT...
There are 15 students at our school that are home sick, each with the same symptoms that happen to be symptoms of that pesky little bug making it's way around the world. They've been told that they have to stay home the rest of the year even if they're feeling better. Luckily we have just 2 days left. Two of those students are in my kindergarten class. One I work closely with every day. He was in school at the beginning of last week. According to the CDC the incubation period of the H1N1 flu can be as short as 1 to 4 days or 1 to 7 days. Now these are not confirmed cases of it or even being officially called suspected cases but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the little ones and me.



Wednesday, June 17, 2009

4th of July

There is something about fireworks I absolutely love. The sound, the rumble, the echoing off of buildings but the beautiful colors are the best. I'm one of those that clap for good ones and ohh and ahhh. Someone once said to me, "once you see 'em, you've seen 'em. Why go every year?" Say What??!! I've loved fireworks since the first time I saw them. I was little and knew our town celebrated with them. I wanted to go very badly but I had (and still do) two little sisters (ages 3 and 6) and I understand now that it would've been crazy to take all three of us to a dark park crammed full of people not to mention trying to amuse us while waiting for them to start. While my mom stayed in the house with the sleeping little ones my dad took me up on the roof of the house to watch. They were maybe three miles away but we could see them over the trees while on that roof. That's where I learned that the speed of light is faster than the speed of sound.
When my son was little he absolutely hated them. He would cover his ears and scream. After that we left him with my sister while we walked to the park to see them. I like to get close enough to lay on the ground while they explode over me. One year hubby had a migraine on the 4th...
So long honey, hope you feel better,
we're out the door to the fireworks.
I bring up my love of fireworks and you already know of my love of New York City because...
Hubby, Cam and I are going there over the 4th of July to visit our oldest. For me what could be better than fireworks and Manhattan?? I found a 4th of July evening cruise that's 4 1/2 hours long and gets you to the Statue of Liberty, along the Manhattan skyline and in the river to see the fireworks. Doesn't that sound wonderful? Here's the thing, it costs $74.99 per person. There would be five of us. We would pay for the three of us and I would like to treat for Kevin and his girlfriend to go. That would cost us $374.99 plus tax. Ouch. Is it worth it? To me it is. It's a once in a lifetime event. We're driving to NYC rather than flying and staying with our son in Queens rather than a hotel in Manhattan so we're doing it somewhat cheaply. I'd also like to do this. I haven't spoken with hubs about this yet. I'm pretty sure about what he's going to say after he questions my sanity. But it's only money right? Stay tuned to see how this pans out.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

His real name is William



While I like music, I'm more of a peace and quiet person. I'd rather listen to the birds sing or be alone in my own thoughts. I do like music and do my listening while driving. I enjoy most types but what I love are songs from different years of my life, it may be from the 60's and 70's, The Who, Janis Joplin, Mamas and the Papas to name a few, disco; KC and the Sunshine Band, love songs, southern rock, Motown, not so much new stuff. I'm not really a concert person. It always seemed to me that the band wasn't that great. They would change their songs around or sing them differently or maybe they weren't that great to begin with and the studio recording worked miracles. Not a fan of live music. But...


Last night was the opening night of the 9 day long Rochester International Jazz Festival and we went to the Eastman Theater to see Smokey Robinson. It was wonderful.






This was the best pic I could get before the usher told me she'd take my camera away if she saw it again and I can't have that. He's got on a baby blue silk suit and looks like he's glowing.




Smokey sang some hits from his Miracle days, songs he wrote for the Temptations, songs celebrating 50 years of Motown and just so much more. Smokey has a beautiful voice and at age 68 hasn't lost a bit of it. He is so smooth, not one bad note and sounds better than he did all those years ago if that's possible.




The show stopper for me? Tracks of my Tears. I truly wish you could have heard it, it brought me to tears. The raw emotion and anguish he put into it was astounding.






If you ever have an oportunity to see Smokey Robinson don't hesitate, you won't be disappointed.


Thursday, June 11, 2009

Oh Canada

I had a Falling Down moment at the DMV today. As of June 1, 2009 in order to get into Canada you need a passport or enhanced drivers license (EDL). Since New York is a border state they're one of the few that offer enhanced licenses. We go to Canada every summer and decided to get EDL's. You must provide the appropriate identification; birth certificate, 2 proofs of residency and social security card.

After waiting in the information line for 20 minutes we finally got up to the counter, presented our documentation and had our new photos snapped. Then the clerk hands us our ticket slip, we were number A195 and the wait time printed on it is 55 minutes.They were on number A174. Ok, why didn't I bring a book?

Fifty five minutes slowly crept by, I amused myself by listening to all the different cell phone ring tones. It seemed like everyone was getting phone calls. So after an hour our number was up. Up to the window we go where she tells us that she has to scan our documents, ok. She comes back and says things are backed up at the scanner, three people ahead of us, it'll be a few minutes she'll call us when they're ready. Ok.


After we leave the window a young kid comes up to it,yet she hadn't called another number. Ten minutes tick off the clock, he's still there, 20 minutes, still there, 40 minutes, still there. They're calling number A235. Now my blood pressure is rising, my chest is getting tight and I'm so frustrated I feel like I'm going jump out of my seat or burst into tears.



Finally he's starting to walk away from the window and we go up not waiting for her to call our name or worse yet another number. I said to the woman, who knows what her name was, no name tag or name plate in sight, "I could never do this job", I don't remember what she said but long story short we started arguing. I said we'd been here over 2 hours,we should have waited at the window for the scans, her response in a nut shell was, too bad. My point was if this guy had an issue that was taking so long, give our paperwork to someone else because we've been waiting. Very poor customer service skills. Here she has a customer that is clearly going over the edge and rather than use a calm voice acknowledging that we have indeed been waiting an
extraordinary long time, she's arguing. Hubby is getting tense and tells us both to stop. I then say, "I'm done speaking" her next words, "I sure hope so". I wanted to climb over the counter.


She enters hubby's info into the computer, no problem. She gets to mine and I have a funky birth certificate. The state of Ohio where I was born put the wrong name on it and the wrong sex! My parents actually had to file an affidavit and have my name and sex legally changed. Hence whenever I have to use my B.C. I have additional paperwork with it. She questions it and hubby tells her about the affidavit because I'm done with her. Bad news, she didn't have that scanned so back to the scanning que. I think I must have looked like I was going to have an apoplectic episode and stroke out so hubs says we'll wait right here at this window while you go and express scan it. She didn't like that but the words didn't come from my lips. I swear if she had said one more antagonist word I was going to tell her "thank God I don't have your shitty job."


It wasn't my proudest moment but dayum I'm going to Canada even if I don't want to just to use that drivers license.



Wednesday, June 10, 2009

I've never responded to a comment left on my blog actually on the blog but there's a first time for everything. Regarding my last post about Adam Lambert and his "coming out". To bring you up to speed read the comments left.

Ok, all done?


I'm not a religious person. I don't go to church. I'm certainly not a scholar of the bible. I live my life as a kind, giving woman who knows right from wrong and how to treat people regardless of their ethnicity or sexuality. I don't judge people based on that criteria.


Religion does have a place in people's lives, I don't deny that. It gives them comfort and something to believe in. If my plane is spiraling down to the ground maybe then I'll find God but that plays no part in my life at the moment. Should you think any different of me? You can if you want but don't preach to me about it. It's my choice.
So countless wars have been and still are being fought over religion because one side or another thinks that everyone should believe in their perception of God. If you don't then you should be terrorized. That isn't right or very religious. I highly doubt your God, whomever it may be wants you to kill in his name. That goes for people that kill doctors that perform abortions. But these issues are a whole 'nother story.
People in this country have rights and I hardly think that they should be discriminated against by religious groups. Who gives them the right or authority or audacity to do so.Our first settlers came here to escape religious persecution. Since the beginning of time there have been homosexuals, this isn't a new thing, it's just becoming more main stream. Because you don't agree with it that makes it wrong? In case you're wondering I believe that people are hard wired to be gay, it's something in the brain. I do not think that 99% of the people choose to be gay. Being gay isn't something contagious, no one can force you.
Of course people don't want to live in Sodom and Gomorrah but to me S & G means drugs, murder, riots etc. not the fact that you may love a person of the same sex. I see more straight people making a spectacle of themselves with their PDAs than gay and lesbian. In NYS there is complete separation between church and the public school system. They certainly don't teach about homosexuality. I'm not sure what they teach out in California that would cause one to pull their children out of public schools but prove it to me if it's the teaching of homosexuality.
And per the usual, everyone is entitled to their opinions, the difference being when it's carried to the extreme or when it envolves discrimination.

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

OMG, Adam Lambert is gay!!
I didn't see that coming I say while rolling my eyes. Does anyone really care? Does it matter? I don't hear other Idol contestants being questioned about their sexuality. What I'm interested in is his voice and being gay doesn't change that.
Sure there are people out there that will say his career is over before it gets started because he's gay. Off the top of my head I think of Elton John, Freddie Mercury, George Micheal, Neil Patrick Harris, Ellen, all who have a successful career while being gay. I don't think Adam has to worry about his choice of partners affecting his record sales. The people that have a problem with it most likely don't listen to his type of music and wouldn't listen if he was straight either.
If you're gay it should be your choice if and when you come out of the closet. Should gay activists like Perez Hilton force you to come out or berate you if you don't? I don't think so, straight or gay, it's not any of our business. It's too bad in this day and age people make judgments based on this rather than on their merits.

Sunday, June 07, 2009

Breakfast at McDonald's

Dear Ron,
Can I call you Ron? You know I love your breakfast. My favorite is the sausage biscuit. The fluffy biscuit and sausage, not too spicy and tender, mmmm. Today I splurged and went with a sausage biscuit with egg and cheese. It was okay but I like just plain sausage better. But that's not what this is about. Hubby went through the drive through this morning and when he got home this is what was in the bag...
Can these hash browns be any more crispy and gross and ineatable. There's not even any potato left in them. You'd break your teeth if you tried to eat them. I've long suspected that when you go through the drive through you get food that's been sitting around. How often will people return to ask for a replacement? How could your employees serve these?? The hash browns just confirm my drive through theory.

Summer



In other weekend events we hit the garden stores looking for a replacement for our monstrous 15 foot burning bush that was taking over the front of our house. Of course I had to look at the flowers even though I have absolutely no room to plant anything else. I love marigolds. There's something about the warm yellow, orange and red colors plus the fact that they're a very rugged flower, you can't kill these things. I even like the smell of them.


The edge of the leaves of this coleus make me think of a costume from Dancing with the Stars.



Lily of the Nile. I wish I had room for this.




As the weekend came to a close we walked over to the pond by our house to look for some tadpoles for my kindergarten class. There were plenty of them there but this Canadian goose family kept swimming over to us and stirring up the tadpoles. I think they thought we had something for them to eat. These things are big and I didn't want to get too close since sometimes they can be mean. What ever you did this weekend I hope you had fun doing it :)
Off to watch Gene Simmons Family Jewels now. See ya





Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Have you had yours this year?