Miss America was singing my song - Caressa Cameron

Congratulations to the former Miss Virginia, Caressa Cameron, on being crowned Miss America 2010 last night. Cameron, a 22-year-old from Fredericksburg, Va., won a $50,000 scholarship as part of the prestigious title (can anyone spell h-a-p-p-y  p-a-r-e-n-t-s!).

Cameron is a broadcast journalism student at Virginia Commonwealth University, and wants to become a television news anchor. Her platform issue was "Real Talk: AIDS in America".

The beauty scholarship pageant originated in 1921. The Miss America Scholarship program, along with its local and state affiliates is the largest provider of scholarship money to young women in the world....not bad for a beauty pageant

The pageant began in Atlantic City, New Jersey and was held there every September (originally designed to keep tourist in Atlantic City until after Labor Day) until 2004 when it was moved to Las Vegas.

Margaret Gorman was the first lucky lady and also a Jersey girl which made her win that much sweeter.

Another interesting bit of trivia about the pageant....The only states to have produced Miss Americas in consecutive years are Pennsylvania, Mississippi (woo hoo!!), and Oklahoma.

It's been years since I watched a Miss America pageant and I don't plan on watching any in the near future. When I read the headlines this morning I smiled just a little when I found out she sang my song during the talent competition...Best Wishes and have a great year, Miss Cameron America!

I Graduated With Tyrone Biggums....WTF!

One of the disadvantages of working in a hospital in the same town you grew up in is the fact that you'll run into people you know, have known or wish you'd never met.

There's something unsettling about having to possibly perform "invasive" procedures on people you've known all your life but just didn't ever want to know like that!

A few nights ago I noticed a name on the ER tracker that sounded familiar to me.

The first name threw me but the last name was a dead give-a-way. The person was 41 years old which is one year younger than me. So, I figured it had to be this guy I'd gone to school with.

Just as I was about to walk into his room to say hello and give him the old I-hope-you-start-feeling-better-soon pep talk the guy started arguing with the nurse who had gone in before me to give him a shot for pain.

Absolutely Trivial Trivia - The Pakuni....the Pakuni! I found 'em

A fews weeks before Christmas I started thinking about this series that I watched as a child. I couldn't think of the name of the show or any of the actors.

All I could remember were these strange looking green lizard-like "bad guys" with big shiny eyes.

I can't tell you how friggin' excited I was to find a pic of these "nightmarish" creatures online last night.

Rick Marshall and his children Will and Holly encountered these strange looking creatures, the Pakuni, a race of ape men during their struggles in Land of the Lost.

I don't even remember how or why the Marshall family wound up in this strange, pre-historic world. But I loved that SHOW!!!

This would be viewed by kids today as the CHEESIEST show ever!!!!!! The Pakuni would creep me out so bad. I can remember having nightmares about those little rubber-maid men!

Was this part of your television line up or are you too young to remember?

Calling It Quits....

This is one of those days that I will probably sleep straight through...no potty interruptions, no phone calls, no un-ANNOUNCED guests....not one single thing can disturb the slumber I'll be embarking on in the next couple of hours.

It is the last night of a 7 day long....12 hour night - rotation. Looking forward to 7 days off only has one draw back....I will most certainly sleep through the entire 1st one...

Don't get me wrong...I'm not complaining.

So enjoy your car pools, blog hopping, office chit chat, much deserved lunch breaks, meetings around the water cooler, and feelings of jubilation when the clock strikes 5pm. You deserve it!

And with that being said....I bid you all a good night!

Stop Knocking...I'm Pretending Not to be Here!!

Am I the only one that takes offense to people showing up at your house unannounced?

Don't get me wrong I am a true real life people person. I love chatting it up at work or at play. But there's just something about my crib that's off limits for that type stuff unless we've made plans to make it happen.

When I was younger I would feel pretty rotten about not answering the door for uninvited guest...especially if my car was in the driveway or I had just finished yelling at the kids...oops..

Wonder if they heard me.

I would gather my oldest son up (he was a toddler at the time) and press my finger to my lips...you know...the universal hush signal. And I gotta give it to the little kiddo...he was always spot on. He'd mimick me with his little hush signal...and there we'd be...standing in the middle of the floor listening to the doorbell all but blow up....completely frozen.

Open Letter to prospective emergency room patient

Dear ER patient that's wasting my time on the phone,

I understand that somewhere down the line you were misinformed about what a true emergency is. And since you DON'T know what a true emergency is, I can only imagine that the uncontrollable itch your female parts has been afflicted with is absolutely terrifying for you.

However, considering the fact that I have one patient puking up his toenails in Exam room 6, some guy trying his best to have a heart attack in Exam room 10, a 13 year old who doesn't know whether she's pregnant or not (WTF!!!) in Exam room 2 and a psychotic patient running loose in the emergency room while every male member of the staff tries to catch him....I don't have time to make it better for you over the phone.

You lost my interest and concern when you asked how busy we were....like your emergency has a schedule it needs to keep.

I'll let you in on a little secret since I pledged to be devoted to the welfare of those committed to my care.....if you have time to call an emergency room to see how busy we are before you come....WE'RE ALWAYS GOING TO BE BUSY!!!

Just one of the many tricks of the trade you learn along the way...

The P is for Philanderer NOT Pimp

Fans at the Australian Open decided to take a shot at Tiger Woods in light of the recent revelation of all his extra extra extra marital affairs.

The crowd held signs reading I've Been With Tiger and also displayed the poster sized pic on the left. The large purple hat with a sceptor in his hand instead of a golf club, a gaudy diamond bracelet, and money sticking out of his pocket give me reason to believe they are insinuating that Tiger's a pimp.

Sorry folks but you seem to have it twisted. A pimp is someone who procures customers for whores. Tiger slept with the whores himself which would make him most definitely an adulterous philanderer but not even close to pimp status.

I certainly wish Tiger and his family the best. To err is human; to forgive is divine.

If Elin decides not to forgive, I hope she gets every single million she and their children deserves. Betrayal is a terrible thing. And I'm most definitely ON HER SIDE. Regardless to what was going on....he was wrong!

As for these other nitwit, judgment passing fair weather fans....if you can get past Brad Pitt and his extramarital affair with his current main squeeze, Miss Global-Humanitarian-husband-stealing Angelina Jolie, or Kobe Bryant's escapades with a 19 year old hotel employee, or home wrecking Lee Ann Rimes, or late night cheater - David Letterman, or Woody Allen leaving his wife of unkteen years for HIS DAUGHTER, or Sen. Larry Craig soliciting another dude for sex in a public bathroom, or the Bill and Monica fiasco, or the forgive-me-father-I-have-sinned Jimmy Swaggart....then give this guy a break too!!

For God's Sake - Blog....blog....blog I say!!!

Now when the Pope says blog...you might ought to listen...especially if you're Catholic.

Pope Benedict XVI urged priests on Saturday to use all multimedia tools at their disposal to preach the Gospel and engage in dialogue with people of other religions and cultures.

Maybe it's just me but I hadn't really thought of priests, nuns, ministers (not talking about the televangellies) and folks like that being interested in something so "worldly"...maybe it's just the blogs I read.

But any how....a little research of my own revealed that many priests are already blogging and have been for quite some time. Father Tim Finigan's blog The Hermeneutic of Continuity was a pretty interesting read.

Did you know that the Vatican...that's right...the Vatican is on twitter @vatican_va.

Only 3 Parachutes

Found this 3 parachute scenario over at That's My Answer...The four choices were all my idea!

You’ve been given 3 parachutes, but there are 4 people who need them. Who will you not give one to: Tyra Banks, Jerry Springer, Dr. Phil, or Nancy Grace?

(Of course, all 4 of them are up really super duper high in the air, and the parachute is truly the only way to save them. You are safe on the ground, so there is no need to give yourself a parachute.)

Our democracy is pretty much screwed....according to hashtags!

I love social media. There should be no doubt in anyone's mind that has been a frequent flyer of this blog about that fact.

Twitter, Facebook, Skype, Digg, Delicious, StumbleUpon....all have a warm fuzzy place in my heart.

Recently, I re-discovered Twitter all over again. Prior to last week, I would dip in, dip out - never really giving myself an opportunity to really connect with my fellow tweeters.

 After investing a little time and effort into being more "sociable", I've grown to love Twitter more than any of the other social media platforms.

 One of the most complex features of Twitter for new users to understand is the hashtag, a topic with a hash symbol (“#”) at the start to identify it.

Twitter hashtags like #followfriday help spread information on Twitter while also helping to organize it.

Early this a.m. a popular hashtag was #3wordslibshate.

People use randomly use hashtags all the time. Occasionally, a hashtag will take off like wildfire...climbing to the top 10 "trending topics" which is what happened with #3wordslibshate.

Evidently some of the teabaggers conservative tweeters thought this would be a neat little exercise in further embedding the wedge that's on the verge of dividing this country.

Be Strong...and I Love You

A man escapes from prison after 15 years. He breaks in a house to look for money and guns but finds a young couple in bed. He orders the male out of bed and ties him to a chair.

While tying the girl to the bed he jumps on top of her and kisses her neck and then he jumps up and goes into the bathroom.

While in the bathroom the husband tells his wife listen:

This man is an escaped convict, just look at his clothes. He has probably been locked up for years, and has not touched a woman in years!! I saw how he kissed your neck. He probably wants sex.

Don't resist or complain...just let him do what he wants. If he gets angry he will kill us. Be strong honey. I love you!

And the wife responds:

He wasn't kissing my neck. He was whispering in my ear. He said he was gay and you were cute and wanted to know where the Vaseline was. I told him in the bathroom!

So be STRONG honey and I LOVE YOU TOO! *



* I received this in the form of a text message a couple of nights ago. I almost rolled on the floor laughing!....literally

Oh Cindy McCain - What on earth will McNasty Think?

Cindy McCain I am so proud of you...and you too Meghan!

Cindy and her daughter both have appeared in these type ads supporting same sex marriage in California.

I honestly never thought she had it in her...considering how ultra-right, pro-life, anti-a woman's right to choose, and completely opposed to same sex marriage her dear sweet hubby is.

The senator’s camp, however, reiterated that while the Arizona senator respects the views of members of his family, his feelings regarding same sex marriage have not changed.

Meghan's response to her mother's decision to appear in the ad was "I think more Republicans need to start taking a stand for equality".

So They've got PETA but what about me

I've always loved dogs and have owned a couple of really great ones in my life. However, living in a two bedroom apartment and working crazy hours has made owning a dog impossible.

So, to satisfy my pet lover's addiction I was convinced by a couple of coworkers (we'll call them the cat ladies) to consider getting a cat.

I'd never owned a cat before but certainly wasn't opposed to the idea. So, I made ready. I bought litter boxes, pet taxis, kitty litter, cat toys, cat furnishings and cat food.

I convinced myself that if I bought all this crap first there would be no way I could back down on getting the cat.

When the big day came I went to pick up my kitty. He was almost 6 months old and the sweetest tom cat you ever want to meet.

Avatar - I finally saw it and you should too

Okay...here's the skinny.

A few posts back I gave my opinion on the Post Avatar Depression some movie goers seem to be suffering from after leaving movie theaters across the country....the world, actually.

My 8 year old son and I went to see Avatar last night....all 160+ minutes of it! I thought Jake would fall asleep at least an hour and a half into it but to my surprise he lasted through the entire thing.

My nephew was a different story. He was snoring so loud I thought my fellow movie watchers were going to call security to have the poor 6 year old thrown out on his light up sneakers.

Long story short...it was an excellent movie. If anyone that takes almost 3 hours out of their day to watch it, the only feelings they should leave with are contentment and the sincere knowledge of knowing whatever the cost for tickets, popcorn, candy and sodas....was money well spent.

Without giving the story away....you'll feel a bit of sorrow, anger, jubilation and amazement. Depression never entered into the mix.

So, God bless those suffering from the Post Avatar Depression. I hope they find the help they need. Help they evidently needed prior to seeing this awesome movie.

The Promissory Note - My Thoughts about Martin Luther King and his legacy

Today our country celebrates the memory of a truly great man, Martin Luther King.

This national day of remembrance was hard fought and long over due in being recognized. And now that it's here what does it really mean.

The school children love the idea. I know I certainly was all for anything that meant a day away from sentence structure, algebraic and chemical equations, and history lessons.

The black community will have it's fair share of programs honoring Dr. King today. Singing, plays, and speeches will fill many churches and community centers with a warm tingly feeling of unity and change.

Words about how far we've come as a people, as a nation, as a world will echo throughout the minds of the listeners for most of the day. We will swell with pride realizing how much things have changed and share an optimistic vision about a not to distant future when the color of your skin won't make a difference.

Ladies - Eat Now or Starve Later....

For the sake of leveling the playing field to get the point of this post across, let's remove a few things from the equation.

Exclude the fact that women are incubation chambers solely responsible for the world's population or the dirty hand we were dealt by God that gives most women the metabolism of a sleeping snail.

Another culprit may be the source for the ballooning waistlines many women have to battle constantly after marriage.

A recent study at McMaster University revealed that women consume less calories when dining with men (especially men they're interested in) than when dining with the girls.

Of course, the caloric intake consumed by men remained the same...go figure!

When I first read the results of the study I was immediately transported to those days of old when my ex-husband and I were dating.

He would order all sorts of delicious looking goodies off the menu. And what would I order.....a salad.

The Devil Addresses Pat Robertson...Personally....Sort of

Every now and then you run across something via the world wide web that...to mildly put it...is a real keeper.

Lilly Coyle of Minneapolis provided me with just that. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune published a letter from Satan to Pat Robertson. In actuality the letter was from Ms. Coyle. It's a great read. I only hope someone plasters it to Robertson's bed pillow. A little food for thought before Mr. Self-Righteous drifts off to sleep at night.

Could Social Media Turn Us All Into Hermits?

I can count my closest friends on two fingers. So, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that I only have two people I consider my best friends.

Sure, I have quite a few acquaintances, coworkers, former classmates and others that I am friendly with.

I've just never been the kind of person that was surrounded by lots of people...always seemed to be a good way to stay out of trouble.....until now.

Thanks to Twitter, Facebook, blogging, and other forms of social media I now have more friends than I've had in my entire life.

I find myself looking forward to logging in to check on how their day has gone....what their kids are up to....what they decided to do about that problem they've been dealing with for the past few days. And surprisingly, it matters!

The rise in social media popularity has some theorizing that pretty soon...not only will we have no need to venture out of the house for clothing (don't really need that in the house anyway), food and other necessities....we won't need to step outside for social interaction either.

All my friends live right here in my laptop. So, why would I need to go out?

It's something to think about. Are you more connected to people online than you are to people you encounter on a daily basis?

What Kind of World Do We Live In?

Two of my greatest contributions to this world arrived almost a decade apart.

The first of these contributions was delivered in 1991; all five pounds and six ounces of him. He instantly made me aware that my life would never be the same.

The love I felt for him was something I didn't even realize existed.

I wondered (almost 10 years later in the spring of 2001) if I would be able to feel that exact same love again when my second contribution was moments away from making his grand debut.

And amazingly, that same overwhelming feeling of love came pouring out.

There's an old say that goes - "to the world you are just one person but to me you are the world". This quote does a pretty decent job of summing up what a child means to his mother.

Oh, I'm sure father's feel the same way. But I am not a father. So, I dare not try to imagine or assume to know what a father feels when he stares at his sleeping son or daughter, or how much his heart aches when his little one comes home and falls in his arms and sobs uncontrollably because he doesn't think he has any friends at school, or how fast his heart races when he senses that his child is nervous or afraid of some seen or unforeseen obstacle.

I only know what I've felt. The joy. The pain. The amusement. The frustration. The pride. The love. And then....there's the fear.

The fear of realizing how ugly, bitter and cold this world can be; facing the realization that I (a mother) can't protect my children from the harshness life has a way of inflicting on us all at some point and time.

It seems that with each passing year we (mankind) become more and more desensitized to the needs of our fellow man. Somehow we feel we can live in this world without giving a damn about this world.

We turn our heads when a woman is being assaulted on the street. We speed off as that homeless guy is approaching our vehicle to ask for spare change. We cut clothes into shreds instead of donating them to charity.

We see photos like this and make the following comment

"Haiti is like New Orleans but 100 times worse… The population really has nothing to offer the world or its local economy sadly – its unlikely people are not going to give anything I think. Haiti like many poor counties need to realize if you have nothing to offer the world except being poor with no skills then they will receive little if any aide or help.

I just hope they all don’t end up on Americas’ door step looking for a place to live or more handouts…"

What kind of world do we live in......

We'll Miss You Too Teddy...

Before his name became famous, Teddy Pendergrass' voice was. Here's a classic from the group he made so very popular - Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes "I Miss You"

Theodore DeReese Pendergrass  March 26, 1950 - January 13, 2010

Post-Avatar Depression - Why Am I Not Surprised...

The longer I live the less likely it is that I'll be surprised by anything I see, read, hear....or smell!

Blame it on sensory overload, growing pessimism or accepting the reality that we all are some how scarred in one way or another from life's adversities and therefore the fairy tale about the perfect person, the perfect mate, the perfect life, at some point, cease to exist.

The latest revelation which failed miserably at surprising me was the news that thousands of Avatar fans have sunk into the worst throes of depression since Ken left Barbie.

Almost Wordless Wednesday - WTF!!!

Three words......WHO AND WHY

Okay...You Are Kidding, Aren't You?

With the new year well under way I'm not going back on my promise NOT to make any resolutions but I never said I wouldn't strive for a little self improvement here and there.

I've been hearing quite a bit about this website called ZenHabits.

Zen is school of Mahayana Buddhism asserting that enlightenment can come through meditation and intuition rather than faith....(whatever...). So,....I decided to check it out.

The most current post at the time was titled 8 Uncoventional Ways to De-stress and Release Tension.

The post was written by a guest blogger and the information was....well...let's just say instead of de-stressing and releasing tension....I'm guessing if you tried any of the 8 choices you might wind up in a heap of hot water.
Here are the 8 unconventional ways to de-stress and release tension followed by my irrational rational explanations as to why they may not work quite as well as you'd hope.

Google Living Stories - Your Own Storyteller Just a Click Away

Have you ever heard a breaking news story being discussed at work or while standing in line at the convenience store and couldn't wait to get online to get all the sorted details for yourself.

When something really "newsworthy" hits I spend hours scowering the net trying to find different news articles and opinion pieces about that one particular story.

Well wouldn't you know Google (damn...they're good) has come up with "Living Stories".

The Living Stories project is an experiment in presenting news, one designed specifically for the online environment. The project was developed by Google in collaboration with two of the country's leading newspapers, The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Complete coverage of an on-going story is gathered together and prioritized on one URL. You can now quickly navigate between news articles, opinion pieces and features without long waits for pages to load.

Living Stories even has an evolving summary of current developments and an interactive timeline.

Being Annoyed - Just a Sporadic Rant!

The other day I was thinking (I know...very dangerous) about some of the things that really irritate me.

For the most part, I'm a pretty laid back person. I love joking, having fun and consider myself relatively optimistic...about most things.

But even the bubbliest personalities have flaws.

So today I want to rant and rave about some things that annoy the hell out of me....some, for no reason at all and others for very legitimate and obvious reasons.

Here's a list of things that irritate/annoy me -

1. Why is it so hard to open a CD but light bulb packaging is almost non-existent...

2. What genius thought up Reality TV and don't they know it's the most unrealistic realistic, unscripted scripted glimpse into the day to day life of people we don't really give a rat's pa-tooty about anyway...

3. What purpose does the 5th pocket on jeans really serve...I know it's supposed to be the "change" pocket but who's gonna get the change out once you put it in there - Tiny Tim?...

4. Why oh why did they ever decide to include a "SNOOZE" button on alarm clocks! Once you're jolted awake by that horrible beeping, bonging or chirping - because most of us are gluttons for punishment - we hit the SNOOZE...just to relive that same horror 7 minutes later!!

5. Sliced bread is awesome! It's the ends I can't quite figure out. Everyone I know...including me hates the "ends". But no matter how many times I grab a piece of bread from the loaf...I bypass the end....WHY CAN'T I JUST TAKE THE END OUT OF THE PACKAGE AND THROW IT AWAY THE FIRST TIME I OPEN A NEW LOAF OF BREAD....

6. Bill collectors that call MY HOUSE and block their number. Since you don't want me to know who you are, I'll pretend I don't know who you're looking for.

7. Family members who use the last toilet paper off the roll and fail to replace it...Jokes on you...cause guess who I'm calling at 2 in the morning to bring me a new roll out of the hall closet...PEW-etic justice!

8. Self-flushing toilets - As a squatter (when tinkling in public restrooms), I guess I must confuse the sensor or something because when I get finished...the toilet never flushes.

I have to shake my booty, bounce up and down like I'm in a Beyonce video or just stand there waving at "it" and praying to the porcelain gods - hoping they'll send a flush my way.

9. The Antiglare Laptop Burka - If you or anyone you know has purchased this travesty....I can no longer be your friend.

10. Extenze - "I'm bigger!"...."I can't believe how much bigger he is now!".....People please!!....if there were a product that actually made men "bigger"....not one single woman would ever have to say...."Ummm....Hold that thought"....(and mean it, literally)

Hi there! Enjoyed this post? Make sure to Subscribe to our Feed to get Regular Updates. Or Enter Your Email address Here to get them in your Mail-box!

January 10, 1982 - Anything is Possible

Call me geeky but from time to time I venture over to History.com to check out their "Today in history" section.

28 years ago today, January 10, 1982, I was a 12 year old San Francisco 49ers fan sitting on the edge of my seat. It was the NFC championship game between the Dallas Cowboys and my 49ers. To make matters worse, it was third down and three for Joe Montana and his squad and Dallas was leading.

There were 58 seconds left in the game and Joe Montana was scrambling like crazy to try and find an open receiver.

With 51 seconds left Montana threw a high pass to the back of the end zone that seemed destined to sail out of bounds until Dwight Clark caught the game winning pass with his FINGERTIPS!! This pass, hands down, is one of my most memorable moments in football.

Dwight Clark caught 8 catches for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns that day.

I doubt if anyone remembers Clark's first touchdown but millions of people will forever remember "The Catch".







The Catch validates several things -


1) Anything is possible.

2) When it's your time to shine circumstances, even though they may seem insurmountable, can't prevent you from achieving greatness. 

3) Position yourself to receive what you've been waiting for.

4) Never lose hope.

5) Once you reach your goal...those who attempted to stop you pale in comparison to your accomplishment.  Sorry Everson Walls...

6) People sure did look weird back in 1982.

Hi there! Enjoyed this post? Make sure to Subscribe to our Feed to get Regular Updates. Or Enter Your Email address Here to get them in your Mail-box!

Harry Reid - You Sho Is Done Cooked Yo Goose Wit Me!

I get so sick of bullshit apologies issued by racist pricks after their true feelings, beliefs, and bigoted views are aired like dirty laundry with a stench far worse than anything you can ever recollect.

On Saturday Majority Leader Harry Reid pseudo-apologized to President Obama for racist remarks he made concerning the Commander-in-Chief back in 2008.

Reid, a Democrat from Nevada, was quoted in a new book as having said that Obama did not have a “Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one” and that he was popular because he is “light-skinned".

These aren't Reid's first racist remarks. He had plenty to say about the idea of a black Senator replacing the president's vacated Senate seat in Washington.

Choosing a Blogging Platform

Haven't started blogging yet but seriously giving it some thought? Make sure you research the different types of blogging platforms available. Blogger, Wordpress & Typepad are the three most popular. However, there are others that might be ideal for a new blogger just getting his feet wet.

1) Tumblr: Tumblr is pretty effortless. You can customize everything, from colors, to your theme’s HTML.

I See Dead People - Okay...Let Me Help You With That

No matter how much academic or hands on training you receive preparing to become a nurse people are such unique creatures and considering the fact that every experience is different....let me just say our work is definitely a challenging task.

One thing I decided early in my course of study was psychiatric nursing WASN'T for me!

As part of our training, we spent a week at the Mississippi State Hospital. Yes, our very own Bedlam.

We toured the grounds, interviewed patients and had numerous group discussions about caring for patients with psychotic (mental) disorders.

Don't feed into their delusions, re-orient the patient, never get caught between the patient and the door (always keep an avenue for escape, in other words), treat them with dignity and never invade their personal space.

The Naked Truth - A Day in The Life of A Blogger

We open our minds, hearts, souls and homes to complete strangers. Strangers who quickly become some of the dearest friends we could ever hope to have in a lifetime.

We share stories about our triumphs, failures, hopes, dreams, and often - due to revealing such naked truths we only dared whisper before we began chronicling our life's journey on the web - we find someone we've been desperately searching for - ourselves.

Blogging has been one of the best therapies money couldn't buy.

I look forward to the conversations inspired by the things I write about. Whether it's a post about blogging tips I've learned along the way, my adventures raising two of the sweetest and funniest boys I've ever known, rants about one of the many struggles I've been faced with or just a funny little piece to make someone somewhere smile....I love what I do.

My laptop has become almost sacred to me....not because it's filled with hundreds of images I would sell a kidney for if I misplaced or the fact that it was an $800 investment.

I value it because all my closest friends live in it....not literally, of course but I'm sure you get the point.

I want to thank everyone who stops by and takes the time to read my blog. Your comments and input inspire me to keep going. And for those who choose not to comment - thank you too. I appreciate you just as much.

 It's why I do what I do. And that's the truth - the naked truth.

Blogger Confidentiality and Our Rights - Do They Exist?

Bloggers and the material we blog about span a wide variety of subject matter. The spectrum is as vast as the universe itself.

Blogs can be anything and everything the author wants them to be. Occasionally, the material can lean toward some pretty sensitive and controversial subject matter.

Michael Arrington of TechCrunch published a stinging post a few days ago about two bloggers who were visited by TSA agents and threatened with jail time if they did not reveal their source of the TSA Travel Directive that they each published shortly after the attempted terrorist attack on Christmas day.

One of the bloggers panicked and handed over his entire computer while the other stood his ground and refused to reveal his source. Since the Department of Homeland Security has dropped the subpoenas.

No It Ain't Mary Hartman....It's Me and I'm Pissed!

I should have known to pay more attention to this show!

Surely something that mirrored most of the soap operas I watched with my mom and aunt during the day had to be filled with all sorts of "adult stuff" a child shouldn't watch considering the fact that most networks refused to air it before 11p.m.

As hard as I tried to figure out Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman...I was just too young to know what the hell was going.

Guess that's why my mom allowed me to watch it with her. It's was all WAY over my head with the exception of one thing.

I do remember that no matter what news Mary received...good, bad, disastrous or catastrophic...she never missed a beat at completing whatever job she was engulfed in....preparing dinner, scrubbing the kitchen floor or staring blankly into space.

She coped or failed to cope by pretending there were no problems. If she could be a good enough wife, mother, cook, friend....all would eventually be well in the world.

Thanks Sir Isaac For The Torment!

If you're a frequent flyer around these parts, you're well aware of my unhealthy fixation with Google doodles.

Today's doodle is a partial image of an apple tree with an apple falling from one of the branches.

Blame it on the slow but most certain destruction of brain cells caused by time, alcohol, experimenting with marijuana during my teen years (don't worry I didn't i-n-h-a-l-e), raising one teenager with the absolute horror of knowing I'll have another one of these creatures to deal with in less than 4 years, or just not being creative enough to figure it out...but I had no idea what the doodle was a representation of.

After scrolling across the image, my curiosity was satisfied. Today is Sir Isaac Newton's birthday.

That's right the great one - Newton's laws of motion, gravity, and scientific inventions have inspired scientists, mathematicians and astronomers for centuries.

I'm all about science and the discoveries that have been revealed through it's study and research.

I was even a big fan of Newton's until I discovered this dude is also known as the Father of Calculus!

That branch of math who's only objective is to cause a student's grade point average to plummet to the depths of hell.

Even after being assured that Algebra II, Geometry, Trigonometry and Calculus would come in handy one day....I have yet to see that day.

When one math problem requires an entire sheet of notebook paper to complete....there's something sadistically wrong with subjecting anyone to that. And to add insult to injury...there was always at least ONE person in class who knew the answer to the problem.

All I Wanted Was Kool-Aid...I Got Life Instead

When I become an adult I'll be able to drink all the Kool-Aid I want and YOU won't be able to stop me!!!

I remember mumbling this to myself at least a thousand times growing up as a kid.

My mother made it abundantly clear the only thing I could help myself to in the kitchen without her permission was water.

It may sound a little dictatorial to some. I'm sure it was just her way of making sure I didn't eat myself into an early grave by consuming 20 twinkies, 10 powdered doughnuts and gallons of syrupy sweet beverages in a 24 hour period.

It's funny how the things that are so important to you during your formative years almost cease to exist as you grow older.

Establishing lasting relationships, rearing kids, finding success in your professional career, cleaning up puppy poop, kitty litter boxes, paying bills and attempting to build a little nest egg to fall back on during your golden years all seem to diminish those paramount proclamations we make when we're too young to know any better.

2009 - Year in Review Meme

Found a great year in review meme over at Incurable Insomniac. In fact, I enjoyed it so much I decided to participate myself. With only 2 days under our belts into the new year I wanted to see if answering these questions would give me any insight on things not to do....ever again or things I'd love to do over and over again.

1. Did you keep your New Year's resolution and will you make more next year?
I don't remember making a resolution last year and have no interest in making any this year. Too much pressure! I'll take it day by day.

2. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, a good friend of mine had a beautiful baby girl on the 28th of December...(just in time to claim on last year's taxes...!!!)

3. Did anyone close to you die?
Not that I can remember. And since I can't remember....if they died, I don't guess they were very close.

Using The 'Write' Tone For Your Blog

Communication - the act of exchanging thoughts and information.

Writing blog posts we all know is a form of communication. As the writer, you're attempting to share your thoughts and provide information to potentially millions of readers.

The disadvantage in written communication as opposed to verbal communication is the limitation you encounter by not having that face to face connection provided when speaking in person.

Your nonverbal cues and verbal tone are left to the imagination of the reader. So making sure you choose the right written tone for your blog is key to capturing the type audience you're looking for.

Farewell Holiday Season

Farewell...farewell...oh holiday season. I don't know about you but I'm exhausted...

The leftovers are gone or either frozen stiff. The decorations are being boxed up and put away. The new ones you caught on sale the day after Christmas are now occupying needed storage space. The gifts you wanted are being put to good use. Those that you didn't particularly care for and you haven't found the time or energy to take back are in the hall closet settling into their new role as dust collectors. And of course, your relatives have hopefully all returned home safe and sound.

The holiday season is a lovely time of year. And as much as I love to see it arrive, I'm even more eager to see it over with.

My dysfunctional (face it...we all are) family left me enough Kodak moments to keep the kiosk at Wal Mart busy for hours.

First, my dear sweet son, who arrived home the weekend before Christmas week will be leaving for San Antonio tomorrow. He's a military man now dwelling in an 18 year old's body. As much as I wanted to pull rank and demand he do certain things my way, I bit my tongue and only offered advice. He's a good kid. So, I can't really complain.

The first few days I found myself laughing hysterically when I realized I was conversing with him more on Facebook than in person! What can I say? Thank God for Facebook.