My Favorites

Although I haven't accomplished what many would label a killer post, I still have a few that are real jewels in my mind's eye. It's a pretty good list. Check them out and/or view the archives for even more



Complete Randomness and Reflection

2009 - Year in Review Meme

What's At The End

Getting Acquainted With Mortality

January 10, 1982 - Anything is Possible

My Mama Visited Me Today



Race and Culture

The Black Frame of Mind

I Once Was A Racial Profiler

So What Do You Want To Be Called? - Hurry Up and Make Up Your Mind!

The Promissory Note

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

The Ole Miss Rebels - Same Words...Uglier Mascot,/a>

Acting White

I Am Not Afrocentric - I Am A Black Woman

Sorry Guys - Beyonce and Her "Black Face" Don't Offend Me



Love

King David

When You're Afraid to Love (Excerpts from the writings of David Hammond)

Sharing is Hard to Do

I Choose Me

Violence Unsilenced





Nursing and ER Stories

Bandaids, Stethescopes and My Nine

The Eyes - Sometimes Uninviting Windows to the Soul

Open Letter To Prospective Emergency Room Patients

I Was Attacked by a Grandmother



Life As A Parent

What Do You See When You See My Child?

My Son's Such a Liar

The Tender Years

So If This Ends Badly....

Mommy Issues

Why I Watch You Sleep


Blogging

Blog Honesty - Are You Guilty of Self-Censorship

5 Ways to Utilize Your Blogging Down Time

Keeping Your Blog Posts Readily Accessible


Life

I Graduated With Tyrone Biggums...WTF!

Sometimes There Aren't Words...But I'll Try

Garden Gnomes and Grave Diggers Be Warned

Just Kick Yo Feet

Yesterday Was The Beginning At The End

The Truth About Cougar Sex

Camille Paglia - You Need to Get Laid

Not Feeling Tingly Down There Anymore?

Ladies...Eat Now or Starve Later


Celebrity-itis

The P is For Philanderer Not PIMP!

Mel Gibson Should Be A Rapper

Street Credit - Ride or Die With T.I...No Thanks

Where's My Damn Soap Box!

Charlie Sheen - My 2 Cents


Women

If You Thought Burning Bras Was Awesome, Try Burning Your Thong!

Suffer For The Sake of His Fragile Ego

Attack of The Bimbo Journalist


Religion

That Ain't The Lord Speaking To Ya

I Asked. I Received...and I Rocked - Subjectively Speaking!

Back in November I stumbled across a terrifying interesting blog. Ask & Ye Shall Receive is a unique entity dwelling on a hill all alone in this place we call the blogosphere. If I allow my mind to visualize the blogosphere as a real life community...with houses, picket fences, neighborhood convenience stores and all that other real life stuff, the AAYSR blog would be that one house that's been talked about for years....

The one place that was so mysteriously delightful only the bravest community members dared go there...and when they did...none ever came back the same.

AAYSR is written by a group of characters who've blogged for quite some time and are head over heels in love with writing.

In their own words....since they can explain their mission a hell of a lot better than I can:

Think of us as the most benevolent dominatrixes you have ever encountered, with really great boots and a thin whippy riding crop. We want to help you help yourself. We want to make you better, not bitter. We want you (well, some of you) to succeed. We are hopeless blog-addicts, and it amuses the bejeezus out of us to find good new blogs. Seriously. So, try not to suck.

Submitting your blog for review is totally voluntary and shouldn't be taken lightly. In other words, you might wanna sleep on it before you decide to enter the house on the hill. Once you do there's no turning back.

The last question you're asked before you submit your blog for review is.... Feeling brave? And since bravery is nothing more than not being afraid to be afraid....

I submitted my blog back in November of last year....had completely forgotten about it, of course....until I received an email the other day that stated...simply:

You asked. You are .....or something like that... I followed the link and there I was front and center....

I could feel this huge lump swelling in my throat...for I had seen....with my own eyes....some of their reviews...like this one or this one or even this one. (please God....give me the strength to take whatever these guys have said light-heartedly, open-mindly, and without any thoughts of running my car off into an icy pond thoughts of hunting them down like dogs and ambushing them one by one shame)

I'll let you read their review of me for yourself here.  Now after reading that some may wonder what in the hell I meant in the title of this post by claiming to have rocked..... If that question enters your mind at all, obviously you didn't take the time to read the other reviews I linked to in this post.

I don't want to misrepresent these guys...cause I think they're awesome. Occasionally there have been blogs that have received really awesome reviews.....who knows...you could be the next one...

Feeling brave?


  

Camille Paglia, You Need To Get Laid!!!

The implication is that a new pill, despite its unforeseen side effects, is necessary to cure the sexual malaise that appears to have sunk over the country. But to what extent do these complaints about sexual apathy reflect a medical reality, and how much do they actually emanate from the anxious, overachieving, white upper middle class? - Camille Paglia

I would like to take this opportunity to give the creator of these words a big fat WTF!!!

Camille Paglia, an Op-Ed Contributor for the NYTimes, published an article recently about the prospects of a new female Viagra, flibanserin. This drug is for women with low libido. The FDA rejected an application to market the drug in the U.S. but endorsed the potential benefits and urged further research.

I'm curious as to what sexual malaise Ms. Paglia has reference to and will this medical reality only be made manifest if it's welcomed by anxious, overachieving, white upper middle class.

A description I'm sure the white upper middle class would offer up a hearty eff you too lady to Ms. Paglia!

Ms. Paglia spanned the gamet on this one...from Victorian prudery to society in America today...a media environment drenched in sex.

The more I read...the more I became aware of how angry this chick is...and the only reason I can fathom is ....she needs to get laid rapido!

Referring to middle class men of today as cogs in a domestic machine commanded by women...who by the way are nothing more than super-managers of a complex operation focused on the care and transport of children. (Seriously, what has she been smoking?)

Oh...but it gets better. The article offers up more reasoning as to why sex is dead and can't be revived at her house in today's society -

Nor are husbands offering much stimulation in the male display department: visually, American men remain perpetual boys, as shown by the bulky T-shirts, loose shorts and sneakers they wear from preschool through midlife. The sexes, which used to occupy intriguingly separate worlds, are suffering from over-familiarity, a curse of the mundane. There’s no mystery left.

I can't ever recall living in a separate world from the male species. And there's nothing mundane about a fine male specimen. Hell, if you listen to her, the male physique is shrouded in the very mystery she claims no longer exists.

Heaven only knows what pleasant surprises await an excited and stimulated woman underneath those bulky T-shirts, loose shorts and.....well let's skip the sneakers. (unless you prefer your man dressed like this)

didn't think so...

Wait! There's more -

Furthermore, thanks to a bourgeois white culture that values efficient bodies over voluptuous ones, American actresses have desexualized themselves, confusing sterile athleticism with female power. Their current Pilates-honed look is taut and tense — a boy’s thin limbs and narrow hips combined with amplified breasts. Contrast that with Latino and African-American taste, which runs toward the healthy silhouette of the bootylicious Beyoncé.

Is it me or does this sister just really not like white people? And how the hell does she know what my taste is!!! You'd damn well better value an efficient body! Those overly voluptuous ones are dropping like flies every day....ever heard of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension...yeah Miss Thang Ms. Paglia...that's what being bootylicious can get ya...

I'll never be a boy's skinny with narrow hips...the genes won't allow for that. But her supposition that athleticism...i.e. Pilates....and not anorexia desexualizes the female body is insanity!

I'm certainly not a professor of humanities and media studies at the University of the Arts like Camille...but I am an American HIGHLY sexual woman creature who was appalled while reading this garbage.

Mired in with all her insults was a big shout out to Victoria's Secret lingerie. It seems that multiracial lower-middle-class and working-class patrons have a greater affinity for this racy lingerie. She did manage to ever so subtly bunch the white middle class in with these miscreants. Apparently, the fact that Victoria's Secret lingerie is sold in suburban shopping malls, which otherwise trend toward the white middle class, establishes some commonality between these classes of people. .

Maybe it's just me but this op-ed pissed me off, royally! I couldn't find a section to comment there. So, I brought this dirty laundry home to air it myself!

What do you think?

I'm with Snoopy....BITCH PLEASE!!!!!

Was Chris Brown's BET Performance Staged for the Stage?

As a former victim of domestic violence, I can only hope that Chris Brown's tearful performance was sincere. But friends let me tell ya....it takes a lot more than tears to change one's tendency of violence towards women.

Let's keep hope alive.....

Well....Just Suck It Then!!!

I don't know whether to chalk it up to a sixth sense, life experiences, or divine intervention. What I do know is the older I get the more tuned in my radar becomes to the trouble maker frequency.

I usually get really tense and feel a sense of detachment from the person and/or situation. It happens almost instantaneously. So, if I'm off the mark, I've probably dismissed some people who could have possibly enriched my life in one way or another.

But this time I hit the nail on her the head!

A few nights back I was working in the Chest Pain Clinic portion of the ER. It's sort of an over night observation unit for patient's who've come in with a complaint of chest pain but all their labwork and other diagnostic testing have been negative. Since signs of damage to the heart muscle can take hours to show up, it's a common practice to remain in an acute care setting for additional testing to make sure everything continues to look good.

I mean the heart is the only muscle that NEVER stops working. Or if it does....let's just say....you'll be getting fitted for your halo or pitchfork!

Back to the story....

Hospital policy is no over night visitors for patients who have been sequestered admitted to this unit.

After arriving for my shift and receiving report from the off going nurse, I made my customary rounds....visiting each patient for the initial introduction, assessment, and general chit chat.

Everyone was lovely.......

I rounded up all the water pitchers for refills, grabbed a few extra blankets from the warmer (don't you just love those warm blankets) and headed back to start my shift. As I was rounding the corner, a short, round woman was standing at the nurses desk. She looked like she smelled something that stunk really bad. Then that uneasy feeling I get around mean spirited people hit me.

Oh boy. I thought

She wanted to know if she could spend the night with her mother, my patient. I explained the hospital policy about over night visitors which was not what she wanted to hear. I did tell her she was more than welcome to stay an hour or two past the end of regular visiting hours. (smile)

She didn't say thank you...okay....that's crazy....NOTHING. She simply turned walked away mumbling.

Once she reached her mother's room she told her "SHE said no".

I wanted to head right in that room and say...No, I didn't. What I did was share with you the hospital's policy...not mine on over night visitors. But I thought it better that I didn't. Somehow I just don't think the short, round woman would have been receptive to anything coming out of my mouth.

A few minutes later two more women came in to visit with the patient. I directed them to her room.

And wouldn't you know it....the first thing the daughter says to the new batch of visitors is "I wanted to stay all night with Mama BUT SHE won't let me".

Lady, what part of hospital policy don't you understand? I didn't make the rules. I'm just a working stiff like everyone else trying to keep it all in the middle of the road. If I bend the rules for one, I'll have to bend them for all. That's just how I roll.

And in your case...something about you tells me I'd be making a paramount mistake by allowing you to spend the night. Mama needs her rest and I don't need the drama.

So, we'll see ya bright and early in the morning. Have a good night....

I'm A Marked Woman With Awesome Furniture and Window Treatments

In the immortal words of Tupac, Only God Can Judge Me

Now...for the story ~

I moved into my first house about a month ago. My crib....my piece of the pie....my sanctuary....MY MORTGAGE!!!

In working out the details of the biggest contractual agreement of my colorful life, the previous owners agreed to leave the window treatments in the house....some really nice, custom made ones....might I add.

I told my girlfriend about the awesome curtains and she got all excited and did a little happy dance with me! I only had one pair of curtains in my apartment and to the nekkid eye you'd think Freddy Krueger and Wolverine had arm wrestled one another to see who'd get a chance to hang 'em for me.

My girlfriend took one look at the tattered, mangled mess that sheltered me from the sun during my day sleep and informed me that Seymour and Coco would have a blast breaking my new 'really nice, custom made window treatments' in.

I thought for a minute. Surely my little angels wouldn't think of destroying my curtains. Then I realized....they'd never intentionally planned to ruin the one pair I did own....or had they?

I remembered all the times I was awakened by the two of them fighting and literally climbing that one pair of curtains like Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay must have done before reaching their summit!!

Then I started looking around at the rest of my furniture. The ottoman was covered with scratches and so was the back of my couch. This really had never mattered that much to me since the items were only temporary stage props until I found my forever home.

It was a no brainer....I was going to have to have them de-clawed...(queue the music from the shower scene in the Psycho movie!)

Their appointments were scheduled the day I planned to move. I dropped them off the night before and finished packing in preparation for my big day.

.....I picked the kitties up the day after surgery. They looked so pitiful....frightened, confused and BETRAYED!!!

To make matters worse, I didn't bring them to the home they remembered I brought them to this new place....a bigger place with tons of curtains, no carpet and STAIRS!!!

My poor babies stayed under my bed almost 3 days! I moved the food and water bowl into my room along with the litter box. I would lie on the floor and coo talk to them all the while hoping I hadn't made the biggest mistake ever....especially after researching what the process actually entails.

Thank goodness my vet performs the procedure with a laser...I still feel bad...at times....until I see the two of them pawing...clawlessly at the curtains and furniture!

I haven't noticed any behavioral changes and they both seem to be adapting well.

In hindsight, I think I would have tried other approaches - claw covers, tape, etc. But what's done is done.

I hope they've forgiven me....their forgiveness and affection are all that really matter....so there!

I'm done!!!

WTF....are These People Thinking

Lately I've had the tiresome-sick-of-this-ish task of dealing with far too much work place drama. You'd think some of these folks were 4th graders on the school playground vying to be king of the hill - throwing any and everybody under the bus that gets in their way.

Granted I work with mostly women - statistically speaking, nursing is probably about 99.9 percent female which means you've got hormonal sways, family issues, bad hair days, my-ass-is-too-fat complexes, and other miniature crises that only those who carry the XX chromosomes are faced with.

We, women are strange creatures. Even with our inate nurturing ability...we can easily morph into one of the most heinous, vile creatures you've ever encountered. You know what they say about that whole Hell hath no fury thing!

Without boring you with all the over-the-top theatrics here's a brief synopsis of the dark underbelly of employee relations in the local ER.

Facebook isn't being used to connect and enjoy...it's being used to dissect and destroy - reputations, relationships, friendships and anything else these alley cats make an attempt to vilify. The shouting matches and confrontations at the nurses desk often render me and googley-eyed patients speechless!

I've tried the old stay-away-from-the-gossip mill, keep-your-head-down-and-your-nose-clean strategy, be-nice-to-everyone-and-don't-get-close-to-anyone approaches. But somehow these folks still manage to draw you into their web of bullshit!

Spending twelve...that's right...twelve solid hours with these people seven straight nights is more time than I normally spend with my family...if we're talking consecutive hours!

Maybe the stars just didn't line up in my favor and I've been cursed to have to work with former teen drama queens, bullies and folks who rode the short bus to school. Don't know. Don't care.

Just wish they'd all grow up before I have to take a mace to somebody's head!!!

Better Start Saving Up...Cause I Will Need Dr. 90210

A couple of days ago the Bloggess posted a link to this website. For everyone who doesn't have an inquiring mind and doesn't want to know, the site gives you an opportunity to take a peek into the future and see what you're most likely gonna look like in 20 years and 30 years.

The only things required are your gender, which age you want to check out and whether or not you're a drug addict. Apparently, not saying no can most certainly have some pretty significant effects on your golden years.

Although both pics say In20Years.com, the first is me in 30 years (age 70) and the second is me in 20 years (you add it up!)

Sweet Baby Jesus! 70 ain't looking real good right now! Surely there's something I can do to improve my outcome. BUT ...the teeth are rocking hot!! ....

 Now this is 20 years from now. Not bad for a 60 year old cougar!

Updated!

 Poor Jacob (my 9 year old)! The hardest looking 29 year old I've ever seen. But eerily...a lot like his 60 year old mama!!!!!!!!

Our Little Adventure

About a week before the move Jake and I decided to take a little road trip to visit a dear friend in Mandeville, Louisiana. Mandeville is about 25 minutes from New Orleans so any reason to head to NOLA makes the 4.5 hour drive a walk in the park.

It was Jake's first time ever in the Big Easy and my first time since Katrina.
Remembering the devastation of Katrina was pretty heavy on my mind as we crossed Lake Pontchartrain. It's funny how time dilutes bad memories and magnifies good ones.

But anyhoo....just thought I'd post a few pics of some of the sites and sounds of our weekend adventure:

This little bad boy makes me feel invincible....just keep "re-calculating" and we'll be fine!

 My big guy dumping all the "loot" at a service station on the way! We are many things but litter bugs we are not!!

 Nice :)

Okay...time to get excited...

 ....having a ball in nearly 100 degree weather...ugh!!

Ummmm...no thanks. RIP Steve Erwin

courageous little people....and a couple of big people

Now this is the part I love......

My Perspective Has Changed Once Again

When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. - 1 Corinthians 13:11

This story may take a while. So, please bear with me....

Back when I was...oh...I guess about 20 years old I landed a job with a local insurance company. I was taking college courses at night and in desperate need of some spare change during the day.

The job promised $300/wkly plus commission. Little did I know but the $300/wkly dwindled each month you weren't able to meet your sales target. Let me just tell you that selling anything to anyone is one of the hardest things in the world to do.

Add the fact that I was selling burial insurance to the equation and you do the math! Family and a few of my close friends were my prime prospects (isn't that always the case) which was the main problem.

A 20 year old would stand a better chance selling ocean front property in Baghdad than burial insurance!

You see....here's the thing....young people between the ages of 18-24 generally don't have a sense of mortality. The fact that one day they won't exist doesn't enter into the picture until around the age of 25.

So me waltzing up to a crowd of my peers with a book full of the best looking caskets and a contract for a pre-arranged funeral was not a welcomed sight.

It's funny but I can remember how I didn't think twice about hopping on the back of a truck....riding down a dirt road at a high rate of speed, or riding on the back of a motorcycle with no helmet or partying from Thursday night to Sunday night or eating burgers, fries and pizza day in and day out.

I can't say that having children changed my perspective about doing crazy stuff. I think we just wise up and begin to realize (if we're lucky) our own mortality. Hopefully, we haven't done any irreparable damage during our Wonder Years youthful indiscretions.

We pledge to eat right, quit smoking, head out to Wal*Mart and buy vitamins A thru Z, and start those rigorous exercise programs that last about as long as I would in the ring with Mike Tyson.

I've got all the best DVDs - Hip Hop Abs, Yoga Booty Ballet, Slim in 6 and even the P90X...ha, just kidding about the P90X....I wanna be healthy...not DEAD!

Typically, these lifestyle changes aren't lifestyle changes at all. They're quick fixes. And quick fixes never last.

If you want to be healthy, you've got to live healthy.

During this year I've cared for so many people my age (fabulous forty)....give or take a few years.....with some really serious medical problems - diabetes, hypertension, congestive heart failure, chronic renal failure....just to name a few.

I often find myself wondering if the root cause of their problems was unhealthy living, heredity or a combination of both. Usually it's the latter but knowing is half the battle, right?

If you know Aunt Lucille, Uncle Bob and Grandma Jenny had diabetes, heart disease or some other God awful infirmity, make an effort to head any future problems off at the pass!

And I'm making an effort to do just that. No more fast food every other day....no more venturing outside just to drive my car to the mailbox. No more fooling myself into thinking that big fat SuperSize Fry satisfies my serving of vegetable for the day...NO MORE!

If I want to continue to be forty and fabulous....in hopes of reaching ninety and naughty...it starts today!

Get out and do something folks......I dare ya!!!!

My Version of Design Star

Things are truly coming together in the new house. I can finally say that one room is COMPLETE. I wish each and every one of you could come over for the house warming (tentatively scheduled for Saturday after next).

I promised I'd post photos and I am a lady of my word. So, here we go:

This is my living room. I'm so thankful to HGTV for tons and tons of decorating ideas. I'm a total goober when it comes to that type stuff. But after visiting their website, watching Design on a Dime, Best Bang for you Buck, Candice Olsen (love her!!) and House Hunters and Designed to Sell...I don't think I did to bad.....

The black entertainment center was just plain pseudo-wood/cardboard. Thankfully a great friend of mine painted it black and gave it a sort of distressed look. As you can see I'm watching Income Property...lol! Oooh,....almost forgot...love my zebra print ottoman .....COUGAR ON BOARD!!!

 This is a view of the fireplace and built ins. I switched the white candles out for honey colored scented ones...(just forgot to move the white ones O_O). The room with the green striped window treatments is the kitchen...

This is a view of the wall opposite the one the entertainment center is on. The patio door window treatments were left by the previous owner. So, I tried to make color choices that would help bring out the colors in them. I love my couch, ottoman, chairs and coffee table. Since this is the only room I can actually entertain in besides the kitchen and dining room, I wanted the pieces I chose to have a multi-functional purpose....I think I got it right. Just about every piece of furniture in the room can be SAT ON! So....if you're still thinking about coming....I should have plenty of room...lol! BTW...check out Seymour's tail on bottom right of photo. He and Coco are so funny. Every new piece I brought into the house had to be thoroughly sniffed and tested for comfort!

Just another view of the room. There's Coco with those eyes! The desk behind the couch is where I surf the net and blog.

 Like the folks say on Cribs....this is where it GOES DOWN...except I'm referring to blogging, tweeting, facebooking and all other things related to the net.

 Love this bar (got it for a steal)....cocktails anyone? Oops, there's one picture in the corner that I haven't found a spot for yet. Oh well...I'll get around to it.

Last one guys. Just a different view. The little ottoman between the two chairs can hold your favorite drink, book, food or person! I love it.


And that's the living room. This room taught me two things...1) Never say never - Before falling in love with this house I never in a million years would have EVER considered painting a room 'Porcelain Red'...but I absolutely love it! 2) If you have hardwood floors - invest in a DUST MOP QUICK!!!

How I Celebrated Father's Day 2010

Yesterday day I decided to spend Father's Day with my parent instead of just the usual dutiful phone call.

When my dad arrived we started chatting about the house (of course) and the moving, rearranging and discussions about what looked better where began.

Between Jacob taking short bike rides (it was hot...smart kid!), playing on the computer and scavenging for food...the day was basically all ours.

I baked my dad a delicious loaf of banana nut bread. After dinner, we sat around stuffing ourselves with that and channel surfing between the golf channel, VH1 and HGTV.

It wasn't until later on when dad decided to spend the night that I realized I hadn't actually said Happy Father's Day ALL DAY!!!

I mean how much of a knit-wit could I possibly be? Here's the one person that was always there for me....protected me from dangers seen and unseen, cheered for me when I was victorious and gave me extra hugs and kisses when I wasn't.

I have been so blessed to have such a wonderful Father and I can't thank the Supreme Being that IS for enough for sending me to this wonderful human being.

So....just like I told my dad yesterday (finally...lol).....I'll say it again

Happy Father's Day!!

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful men and women out there! Today we celebrate you!!!

The 8 Biggest Myths About Sex

Don't worry...I haven't gone all Freudian on ya. Just surfing the infinite web and ran across this post. The big myths lists includes everything from getting your cervix bumped during intercourse (ouch!) to blue balls.

To be honest, I always get a laugh out of these types of lists. The only myths about sex are the ones you decide are or aren't. People are too individual and far too complex to generalize such things.....but if they didn't....what on Earth would I read at 4am!!

BP takes out one of my favorites!

Gotta love the internet and the genius of those who call it their home away from home.

(The AquaMan Shrine)

Childhood Stardom: An Oxymoron of Epic Proportion

I remember as a child fantasizing and envying the child actors of my day. Gary Coleman, Dana Plato, Kim Fields, Kristy McNichol, Lisa Bonet....and so many others. They were cute, talented and super rich....wow, what a life!

Now that I'm older I've watched the stars I admired battle all sorts of demons. Would these problems have occurred if they'd been average Joe and Jane Blows like me? Maybe. Did stardom play a part in many of the problems they faced, overcame or succumbed too? Definitely.

Just last night on HuffPo I read an article about Miley Cyrus. Face it...she's eclipsed her father Billy Ray's stardom in a way I'm sure he never imagined. I've been forced to watch so many Hannah Montana episodes (by default...lol) I consider myself a fan too. And I do realize Miley couldn't stay a child forever. Everyone has to grow up but how they grow up is the real meat of the matter.

In a recent interview, Miley wanted to make it perfectly clear that she's not trying to be slutty. Adding that she's just trying to make a point with her record and wants the way she's been dressing lately to be consistent with that.

WTH! Consistent with what?!....being slutty? Millions of "little" girls idolize this young lady. Yet, for some reason it seems that Miley has jumped on the sex-sells bandwagon.

Maybe her parents are trying to give her some advice....maybe not. Or is the fact that you're the "bread winner" for the entire family a free pass to do, act, say, and dress however you please.

Speaking from experience I would have been tarred and feathered if I'd left the house in some of the outfits Miss Cyrus has performed in lately...and I most certainly would have been flogged if my mom had seen photos of me like the ones I've seen online of little Miley.

It's almost like holding your breath waiting on the axe to drop. We've seen it so many times with Hollywood child stars like Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears.

Just earlier this month Miley performed in Madrid in front of thousands of "Hannah Montana" fans in this racy costume.

She has a beautiful voice....why does she feel like she needs to look like a street hooker to be "grown up".

Is the pressure in Hollywood that great?....Does sheer talent not count for anything anymore????

I'm wishing this kid the best and hope she Can Be Tamed. It seems like she needs it.......

Spent the Night With Coltrane and Davis - Thank You Pandora!

Get Pandora radio for your smartphone!

I've been serenaded by Coltrane and Davis all night and I'm so mellow right now...I feel like I could just float away.

That is all..........

WWJD? - certainly not what these creeps did!

If someone doesn't put an end to this type of holier than thou crap...we'll all be walking around in worse shape than Hester Prynne and Dimmesdale!!

Perhaps she would have been better off if she'd done what most good Christians would have in her situation........LIED!!!

(Thanks for the pic Buelah!)

Happy Flag Day and All The Irony That Goes With It!

Talk about some good old fashioned O-M-G...

First off, Happy Flag Day everyone...now for the good stuff.

Today isn't just the date we've chosen to celebrate and hold in high reverance "Old Glory".

Today is also the date the United States Army was founded (1775). Is that kick ass or what?

But the two events that share Flag Day's date that are truly ironic are the 1943 Supreme Court ruling that schoolchildren could not be compelled to salute the flag of the United States if doing so would conflict with their religious beliefs.

Not really sure what one's religious beliefs had to do with saluting the flag since the term "under God" wasn't added to the Pledge of Allegiance until
June 14, 1954!

And to think....folks claim the internet's making us stupid

Now top that 5TH GRADER!!!!!

I'm In Love.....mmmmmm!

Folks I work with love peddling stuff....candy for their kids, wrapping paper and trinkets you'll never use beautiful keepsakes at Christmas, Avon...and of course, the list goes on and on.

The other night a variety of Victoria's Secret body lotions were the blue light special.

I don't really need any lotion but hey,...gotta support your coworkers, right?

I bought a bottle of Pure Seduction. It wasn't the best lotion I've ever smelled but.....it was the best choice out of the three bottles that were left.

Well fast forward to today...and another coworker/customer brought the bottle of lotion she bought the other night back to work....can anyone say rubbing it in!

Well, at first, I thought I was having olfactory hallucinations cause I kept smelling coconut cake (or what I thought was coconut cake)...After searching high and low for a big piece of delicious, I was informed that it wasn't cake....it was Coconut Passion by Victoria's Secret.

OMG!!!

It smells so good!

I begged her to trade her bottle of heaven for my bottle of snake oil....no luck.

I can't blame her. I wouldn't have traded either.

So, long story short.....if you were unsure about what to get me for my birthday, ex-anniversary, house warming, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, that-heifer-sure-can-beg Day, or Christmas....

It's Coconut Passion by Victoria's Secret

Thanks in advance :)

Hemispheric Dominance Inventory

The other night at work I took a Hemispheric Dominance Inventory Quiz....yeah, I know...

But anyhow...it's supposedly determines what hemisphere of your brain you basically work from - how you think, reason, react...yada yada yada.

According to the results I have a golden brain (queue the music....)! I tried to look up the term online and couldn't really get any solid evidence that this term really means much of anything....sure as hell sounded pretty impressive.

Basically, I use the whole little spongey noodle. I'm not a left brained or a right brained person....I'm actually pretty close to being ambidextrous (brain usage wise that is).

I couldn't find the actual test I took online...since I was using an app on someone's iPhone/Touch/Thingy. Here's the link to one that was surprisingly close and again I came up whole brained...lol

Try it and let me know how you fair! Hemisphere Dominance Inventory

Be It Ever So Humble.....

You guys were with me every step of the way and for that I'm forever grateful. Your advice, input, comments, finger crossing and excitement was always with me. I've got lots more to show you but please enjoy my first video of My Home

Today is Worldwide BP Protest Day!

Facebook has definitely connected this world in a way unimaginable just a few years ago. Groups, friends, families and coworkers are interlinked via PCs, smartphones, and other social media apps like never before.

 A facebook group has emerged in protest of BP's handling of the gulf coast oil spill.

Today they're planning demonstrations and protests to let BP (British Predators, ha!...) know how enraged the world as a whole is with the root-cause of this disaster....THEIR GREED!!!

CNN has a video and a bit of info regarding the spill and Climate IMC International has a long list of demonstrations and other goings on scheduled for today.

The Daily Kos has also posted a listing of events going on around the country today.

Sure wish there was something close enough for me to get to...but after having worked 12 hours last night...I'd have to be propped up with a stick...So, all you fresh eyes, ears and legs...get out there and show 'em that we DO care about this world, our world...and are not at all pleased with how they've effed it up!!!!!!!

My Meet The Neighbors Moment

Always wondered what it would be like to have a home nestled in a quiet cul-de-sac....with well manicured lawns, pretty little mailboxes, children riding bikes, skating, and skipping happily down the street.

Well, I've found just that. Can't tell ya how much I'm enjoying myself. All the boxes are unpacked, almost every picture is hung, Coco and Seymour have finally ventured out from under my bed and are having a ball discovering all their new home has to offer.

The only thing that was missing was the welcoming committee. I'd been in the house for over a week and hadn't been visited by not one of my new neighbors. I didn't really mind it so much...as I am not a person who loves or even needs company. But I knew introductions would have to be made sooner or later. If only I could have scheduled these hello-how-are-you-and-welcome-my-name-is on my own terms.

Life doesn't always work that way. So, wouldn't you know on the day I was dirty, hot, and sweating more than the cook on the Amistad....all my new neighbors decided to drop by.

It was like a movie rehearsal....as soon as I ventured out to try my hand at a little yard work....the troops started infiltrating my front yard.

First there was the sweet lady from next door. Young with a husband that's a minister and a crew of little energetic mini-me's....she was warm and had a sincere and genuine smile.

Then there was the nurse that works at the same hospital as I do....she lives down and across the street. She was followed by her cute little cat "Kitty". I'd already shoveled her big brown dogs left overs off the lawn earlier that day.

She was bright, funny and helped me tame my water hose...which was clearly getting the best of me.

After she left, another neighbor from further down the street arrived bearing gifts (fresh baked chocolate chip cookies and brownies...yaaay!!!).....very young with two young children, both under the age of 2! Her husband is the youth minister at a local church....

Sweet Baby Jesus....I'm surrounded by Men of the Cloth...better watch my step, huh?!

Finally, my sweet little neighbor from directly across the street (another nurse) peered out from her dinner table and saw me slaving away with those hefty bags of mulch and came racing across the street....arms outstretched and embraced me so tightly I'm certain the sweet aroma of "Man Ass" I was drenched in was more than she could bear. But she was a real trooper.

Our older sons played little league together nearly 10 years ago. So, it was a real treat to see I wasn't the only one who decided to space their babies almost a decade apart. She has a little boy the same age as Jacob. So, I'm sure I'll be seeing plenty of him.

All in all it was a great welcoming committee. I guess it doesn't matter so much that folks decided to make their intros on the day I was pretty grimey and soaked in locker room smelling perspiration.

It is the thought that counts. And it felt really good...

If You Live Long Enough...Sometimes The Truth is Revealed

Geesh...talk about eerie. On May 30th 2005 Natalee Holloway went missing in Aruba. Fast forward 5 years later Joran van der Sloot confesses to killing a Peruvian woman on that same day.

Holloway's case endured our normally "out-of-sight-out-of-mind" media coverage for months and months and months.

I never could wrap my mind around how a young woman (any woman) could go off with a group of unknown guys to have "fun". The world just isn't designed that way. Too many terrible things can and do happen.

I'm curious as to whether van der Sloot will finally confess to Natalee's murder. For years I've wondered if the poor kid suffered a fate worse than death (sex slave trafficking or worse...if there is a worse). At least knowing this monster is and was capable of murder answers a lot of questions for the family and people who've followed the case since the beginning.

(Video Coverage)

Kitty Capers, Cable Guys and Other Bits of Scrap

Can you believe it...I'm actually one week and 3 days in. The house...including but not limited to furnishings, bills, yard work, discovering crap the previous owners didn't want hidden treasures....is finally starting to come together.

On the to do list today was a trip to Office Depot and the furniture store to find ANOTHER power cord for my laptop (since Seymour and Coco decided to turn the previous one into a chew toy), a desk to sit the laptop on and a chair to sit in while at the desk that serves as a home away from home (when it's not on my lap) for my laptop. ALL DONE.

I didn't even want to bother with any of this until the dilemma with the cable company was taken care of.

Last weekend two biker dudes with big tats and piercings cable guys showed up at my front door. I purchased the Suddenlink Bundle package (landline phone, revved up cable, and wireless internet). The only problem with this "great" package is the phone works when it wants to and so does the internet....but the cable is slamming!!!

Well, yesterday a more cable looking cable guy came out and sorted out the whole thing which left me with the aforementioned chores. Finally, after running around in temperatures nearing 100 degrees, I've made it home and everything is set.

This is the first time I've typed on my laptop in months....feels good....

Feedjit

Perhaps you're a bit shy or a little taken aback by cluttered sidebars. I've never felt comfortable in surrounding that are ....eh, a little too busy. So, I tucked Feedjit away on a page all to herself (of course she's a chick, what were you thinking!)

Hope to find your face in the place!

Booby Trap!!!?

BoingBoing (I'm still trying to decide how to pronounce it) has been a favorite site of mine for quite some time.

Comprised of several contributors, BoingBoing provides tons of fresh, unique and extremely interesting content with numerous updated postings throughout the day.

I love their recent post on retro venereal disease propaganda posters which came to them via (Mother Jones)

Gives the term "booby trap" a whole new meaning!