Cheer Camp 2010

The saga continues...

Well, here we are on the eve of the continuing saga of the Twilight series, "Eclipse." Most of my 13 year old's friends have been counting down the days until the movie opens, and have had tickets for weeks... I've always had a bad feeling about these movies. Many say they are inoccuous, but I beg to differ. What I DO know that they are doing, is desensitizing people to demonic stuff. THAT we know. And, like Harry Potter, they are displaying 'good' evil and 'bad' evil. What I mean is that there are no good vampires. I know what you're saying - there's no such thing as vampires. Well, maybe not the kind that live forever like in the movies, but there are very evil people calling themselves vampires. Google it and you'll see what I'm talking about. There are very disturbed people who drink other people's blood. There are even more disturbed people who kill others to drink their blood. And it's very wicked. I read a story a few years ago about these young twenty-somethings in Austrailia, who would befriend someone on the beach, then lure them somewhere to murder them, and then 'feast' on them like a vulture. I have read that most of these tween-aged girls (and older) really just like the love story about the Twilight series, so why not just watch better love stories than this trash? The movies are so dark and goth, and depressing. My daughter has a girl in her class from a troubled background, who has been wearing black, cutting herself and wearing Twilight shirts and red contacts since becoming obsessed with the saga.

THAT'S what I'M talking about...

"Leave the drama for your mama!"

Yes, it's THAT time of year again.... Cheer camp... Cheer camp in Texas, no less... OMG, way too much estrogen... these girls are SO competitive on everything. Who's better friends with who. Who is the captain. Who is the teacher/coach's pet. Who talks to the most guys. Who is the skinniest. Who gets there the earliest. Who has the most friends. Who is most popular. Who is the richest. Who is the prettiest. Who has the best hair. Who looks best in the uniform.

The list goes on and on...

I guess the 'Bring It On' cheer movies are more accurate than I thought...

"A picture's worth a 1,000 words."

"We hold these truths to be self evident..."

A US Senate committee has approved Liebermann's wide-ranging cybersecurity bill that would give the US president the authority to shut down parts of the Internet during a cyberattack.

Does this smack anyone up side the head??? If we do not keep the internet open and free like it is, when someone evil is in power, they can stop Americans from talking to each other. Yes, free speech.... supposed to be guaranteed to us in the First Amendment.

This is the scariest legislation I've heard of, scarier than government taking over healthcare or GM. This makes no sense and has hardly gotten any press. Here we are in the summer time when Americans want to just vacation and be with friends and family. As we approach the July 4th weekend, the majority of vacations will be taking place in the next few weeks. Most people are tired of listening to politics and are weary of the battering of legislation at break-neck speed since the inauguration almost a year and a half ago. And this is insidious to pass this when Americans are vacationing. Pay closer attention everyone.

We're one step closer to the U.S.S.A....

Signs of the times....

Here's a story I read on the Drudge Report today:

June 25, 2010

‘Don’t Taze My Granny!’

Posted by William Grigg on June 25, 2010 08:03 AM

Lonnie Tinsley of El Reno, Oklahoma made a nearly fatal mistake last December 22 when he went to check on his grandma, Lona Vernon.

Concerned that Lona hadn’t taken her medications, Lonnie called 911 in the expectation that an emergency medical technician would be dispatched to the apartment to evaluate the bedridden 86-year-old woman.

Instead, that call for help was answered by nearly a dozen armed tax-feeders employed by the El Reno Police Department.

Understandably alarmed — and probably more than a little disgusted — by the presence of uninvited armed strangers in her home, Lona ordered them to leave. This directive, issued by a fragile female octogenarian confined to a hospital-style bed and tethered to an oxygen tank, was interpreted as “aggressive” behavior by Officer Thomas Duran, who ordered one of his associates : “Taser her!”

“Don’t taze my granny!” exclaimed Tinsley. According to a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court, Tinsley’s “obstructive” behavior prompted the police to threaten him with their tasers. He was then was assaulted, removed from the room, thrown to the floor, handcuffed, and detained in a police car. At this point, the heroes in blue turned their attention to Lona.

The tactical situation was daunting; at this point, the police had only a 10-1 advantage over a subject who — according to Duran’s official report — had taken an “aggressive posture” in her hospital bed. The sacred imperative of “officer safety” dictated that the subject be thoroughly softened up in order to minimize resistance.

Accordingly, one of the officers approached Lona and “stepped on her oxygen hose until she began to suffer oxygen deprivation,” narrates the complaint, based on Lona’s account. One of the officers then shot her with a taser, but the connection wasn’t solid. A second fired his taser, “striking her to the left of the midline of her upper chest, and applied high voltage, causing burns to her chest, extreme pain,” and unconsciousness. Lona was then handcuffed with sufficient ruthlessness to tear the soft flesh of her forearms, causing her to bleed.

After her wounds were treated at a local hospital, Lona was confined for six days in the psychiatric ward at the insistence of her deranged assailants from the El Reno Police Department.

It has long been established that the worst thing to do in an emergency is to call the police. In this case, Lonnie Tinsley didn’t call the police, yet they barged in anyway and quite nearly “helped” his grandma to death.

The difference between Knight and Day...

Tonight we saw the new Tom Cruise movie, "Knight and Day." I hate to say this, but it was really entertaining. It reminded me of the movies they made in the 70's and 80's - lots of action, not too deep, and lots of crashes. It was a great oasis in my day. Just great escape for two hours.

Now back to reality...

"Bad isn't good 'til worse happens."

Today I looked through the help wanted ads in our town. I saw a classified ad for someone to help a 28 year old paraplegic 2 hours a night with showering.... I know who this young lady is. She used to be this vibrant gal until she was in a Jeep accident and it paralyzed her from the neck down. Suddenly my problems didn't seem too bad.

I think I'll stop complaining now...

I really don't take pleasure in vindication...

Oh Jake, I told you so... we ALL did... You obviously cannot see through these gold digger gals, ones like Vienna who was a Hooters girl, and while her quickie marriage husband was fighting in Iraq, went and drained his bank account for a boob job.... and then left him. Yeah, that one... Ali tried to warn you along with almost all of the potential gals on The Bachelor, but you were thinking with the wrong brain. All you could see were those fake boobs and puppy dog eyes...

Evidently the stories out of both camps are vastly different, but who are you going to believe? The blind pilot from a good family or the Hooters gal from Florida who's a tramp with lots of pictures and witnesses to prove it.

I could see this coming... I mean, obviously from the beginning, but also when he was voted out on Dancing With the Stars and he said they would be going back to Dallas. I could just see it in her eyes, "No I'm not, I'm staying here in L.A. with the stars." It was written all over her face. That's the problem with these so-called reality shows now. They are only on to become reality stars - not for love or whatever else they say it's for.

Evidently the same was said for Jake when he was one of the potential bachelors on a Bachelorette show and wasn't chosen. Many of his cohorts said he was just in it to get face time and be a star. So maybe, he got what he deserved. Maybe he just wanted his 15 minutes of fame, or in his case, almost a year. But at some point, it will die down, and he will go back home and be a pilot again. And people will say, 'Hey, there's that guy...' And people like me, if they get on a plane and see that he's the pilot, will think twice about taking that flight....

The BEST advice I've ever heard my entire life...

Of all the advice I've given on this blog, albeit through quotes, the best advice I can think of to pass on is something I heard years ago at a newspaper I was working at. This paper was so screwed up, there was no hope, and yes, they DID go out of business. But before that happened, about two years before that, I was complaining non-stop about how screwed up it was. It got to the point that management selected about 15-20 of the worst complainers (yes, it included me) in the whole company (and it was a huge company) from every different department to meet with this gal who had previously worked at the Houston Chronicle. Now, mind you, my entire career, I have been sent to a gazillion sales seminars, but this? It was, to this day, the best advice in life a person (like me) could go to. It was sort of 'How to de-stress yourself' kind of meetings. We met once a week for several months, and I never was so sorry when it ended.

Of the group, over half of them quit the paper we were at. But that's good... you see, she (I think her name was Vickie) kept saying, if we were THAT unhappy, we should find another job. Sometimes people think they need to ride everything out, but no one's holding a gun to your head to stay. It sounds simple but if you're unhappy, leave.

She also said that stress adds up, one by one. So.... if you have, say, a tiny toilet leak that hisses or something, and you just let it bother you every day for six months - then FIX IT. If you have a cracked car windshield that irritates you every time you drive, replace it. We let all these things add up that don't have to. In other words, poop or get off the pot. Quitcherbitchin. Stop all the belly aching and DO something. We don't live in a communist country (yet) where they tell us where to work. You are free to leave.

Here's the biggest thing she said that was an epiphany for me:

People want to be around other people who are FUN and INTERESTING.

Ok, let that sink in. I'll say it again. People want to be around fun and interesting people. No one likes Wendy Whiner or Nancy Negative. Negativity brings everybody down. It's a poison (which is where the expression, 'One bad apple' comes from.) I mean let's face it, family will put up with the complaining, but friends, after awhile, won't. If you watch people who have a lot of friends, they are always very positive, fun people. It's why the book, 'The Secret' sold so many copies. The author said there is a 'Law of Attraction,' which says negative draws negative and positive draws positive. For example, think of the really bad days you've had, and it just keeps getting worse and worse, and you finally say, "What ELSE can go wrong today?" and then you find out! Your law of attraction has negative drawing negative.

I guess this might sound like it's common sense, but you'd be surprised at how many still want to complain non-stop. For instance, I have 3 blogs. My negative one where I get the bad off my chest so I'm not complaining to others, the reality blog (this one) and then my super positive blog. But, I only have this one with my picture. The others are character builders.

So, may I leave you with this. If you keep smiling, it produces some kind of chemicals that makes you happy, even if you didn't start that way. Perception is reality. Start looking happy. Start renting tons of funny movies, because, as the Bible says, "Laughter is the best medicine." And also do what the Bible says, "Don't let ANY unwholesome word come out of your mouth." And this doesn't just mean to not cuss. It means, whatever doesn't build someone up, then don't say it. Only say positive things.

This can really change your life. You should try it. You've got nothing but negativity to lose.

And you'll be amazed at how quickly things will turn around for you...

"It's not the years but the miles..."

It was a great birthday today... which is also Father's Day, so it started out nice because my entire family went to a church we visit when we're in Austin, Christian Life Church - which had a wonderful message for dads. They had 2 wonderful speakers, Texas Supreme Court Justice Wainwright and Dr. Stewart, on fatherhood and Fatherhood. So we honored my children's father because he's a fabulous father and is well-deserving. Then headed to Salt Lick, which is a central Texas tradition for barbecue, and the ribs were deeeeeeeelicous!! Then, as if we weren't 'full as ticks' (as Memaw used to say) we went to the house for chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream (yes, I'm a chocoholic) and opened a WONDERFUL gift (see my Tom Selleck pillow photo.) If you're a regular reader, you know I love moustaches and Tom Selleck, and this pillow is even furry on the moustache. I LOVE IT!!!! And I love my family! And it was a great day!! Thank you for everything, guys!!

"I wish they all could be California girls"

California Dreaming....

"Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking."

Rep. Joe Barton of Texas made an apology yesterday to BP CEO Tony Hayward that he was sorry for the shakedown from the current administration over the $20 Billion escrow fund. He said it would just be a slush fund.... He later retracted his apology after some Republicans berated him.

I've heard both sides yesterday and today; liberals were enraged, some conservatives were embarressed and some conservatives sided with Barton's statement.

My thoughts? Yes, BP has really screwed up here. There are strong indications that they cut really important corners to save money. They put profits over safety, and the results? Eleven deaths and the worst environmental disaster in American history. Did they think it could happen? Evidently not. They were careless, so it's like manslaughter, but involuntary manslaughter. I doubt they would've made a move that would cut their company's worth in half, and have their future uncertain. It also seems that they were not telling the whole truth in the beginning of the gusher. It was first reported that 1,000 gallons a day were spilling, and then 5,000 gallons. (We now hear estimates like 10,000 gallons a day.) They knew it was much more, but since they are fined for the amount of oil, they weren't 'spilling.' (pun intended!) They just stayed quiet, obviously trying to minimize losses. But had we known that that amount was leaking, more could have been done in the beginning. Like getting a lot of boats and berms and skimmers and whatever else SHOULD'VE been ready for an emergency plan, which there was not. We now know the other oil companies had the exact same backup plan - NONE. What a nightmare... for everybody...

But back to Barton... my thoughts are that if we had a trustable administration in charge, I would feel a lot better about what can be done to mitigate this. But we have Chicago thuggery in the White House, so Barton's fear, along with some conservatives, is that this escrow amount will be another liberal slush fund to pay to their cronies to reward them. They've already said some of it will go to healthcare. AND they are the ones who are in charge of dealing it out. I understand that no one wants to be caught up in lawsuits for decades in trying to get a payout. So my answer would be to have a special committee of non-political people put in charge of doling out these billions of dollars instead of going to the liberal's pet projects like the 'stimulus' money did. You see, we already have a recent precedent on just how much we can trust them with the cookie jar...

Hot in the Summertime

Yes, I know. Television in the summertime is 'slim pickin's.' But last night as I was surfing on the remote, I landed on the first episode (pilot) for the new show, "Hot in Cleveland." Since I like the actresses, Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves (from Frasier), and Wendy Malick (from Just Shoot Me) and Betty White (still going strong at 88 years old), I thought I'd check it out. Surprisingly, it was really good. I say surprisingly, not because of the actresses, which are all veterans and wonderful, but because I'm so accustomed to crap, like reality shows, so it was a pleasant surprise. The writing really cracked me up. I know, they are Baby Boomers like me, so I can relate, but even if you're young or a man, or a young man, you can still appreciate good writing. Too, you can't create chemistry - it's either there or it's not. And they've got it. It didn't even seem like a pilot. It seemed like they had started their second year. Any time you've got good writing, good chemistry and good actors, you've probably got a hit. The only problem is that it's on a cable network, TV Land, so I'm hoping people will still see it. But then Glee is on Fox, and it's taken off in a huge way. Of course, word gets around when a show is actually worth watching.

So try it. You might like it. It's on Wednesday nights.

You know you're a Redneck when...

Wow... today the BP chairman said, "We care about the small people." He ACTUALLY said that! (He, of course, has apologized now that everyone is up in arms over the statement) but it speaks VOLUMES doesn't it?? And BP needs to stop using the dispersants they are using, as they are terrible for people and terrible for the environment, and HAVE BEEN BANNED IN THE U.K. Again, wow.... I guess England still is in the royalty/serf viewpoint - God save the queen, and to hell with the little people. I've been saying this for awhile. They think the Gulf is a bunch of rednecks, a bunch of little people.

This INFURIATES me. How DARE he say that!!?? So because he's a big wig at BP and they are shrimpers or whatever, they are little people?? Well, he's going to have a rude awakening some day. The Bible says, that someday in heaven, the first shall be last - and THAT'S if this guys makes it at all. One of the 7 things God hates is arrogance...

We have got to wake up that these people CANNOT be in charge of our livelihood - our health, our environment, our children's future....

Summers, like everything else, just ain't what they used to be

I remember when I was growing up, and everyone would look so forward to school being out for the summer. Back then (in the Stone Age) we would go to school from Labor Day until Memorial Day and summer was a full three months. AAAaaaaaaahhh! It was GREAT!! I can feel the hot, Texas sun, I can feel the cold, frigid air of the air conditioner, I can hear the loud cicadas, frogs and owls on the creek in our backyard almost in symphony. It was a lot simpler back then... You got up in the morning, ate Captain Crunch, called your friends on your land line phone, and stayed gone all day, often until the sun set and your mom started looking for you to come home and eat.

Dinner was always some delicious home-cooked meal, while the tv played 'Laugh-in' or 'Brady Bunch.' In my younger years, we headed to Durango, Colorado every year with a few other families to ride the Silverton antique train, and our dads would drink and drive their long station wagons, and race each other. Good times. We went to Ruidoso, New Mexico several times too since my parents loved either the mountains or the beach in the summers, and they loved the horse races.

My sister was pretty introverted and read books all summer, and my brother liked to build model airplanes a lot, until he got a little older, and then was always on his mini-motorcycle all over the land behind our house. At the back creek, my friends and I would climb trees and sit up there forever looking out on the world and talking about what we would do when we grew up. We built our girl forts and my brother and friends built their forts, and we would have 'wars' between the guys and gals (which usually was just chunking stuff at their fort.)

We would get on our bikes and ride and ride - I can still feel the air hit my face when I close my eyes. There were only 3 tv channels back then, and during the days it was soap operas until the afternoon, when Batman and some cartoons came on.
Now? Well, when my junior high age daughter has friends over, all they do is text, make You Tube videos on the webcam, get on the internet & Facebook, or play with the Wii. It's all electronic now. Yes, she's starting to venture out on a bike, but it's so much scarier than it used to be, but we try. They have access to a gazillion cable channels and can rent movies on the computer, tv or Blockbuster, so there's lots more access. We had Sunday night's show, Wonderful World of Disney, and now there's an entire Disney Channel. And now, almost all of the moms work, so there are no wonderful meals like I used to have, but a lot of Hamburger Helper and quick 20 minute meals. (Yes, I'm sorry that I'm so tired...) TV shows that play during meals are Glee, iCarly and Wizards of Waverly Place.

And her friends just don't have her back like they did in my day. They are so uber competitive, that if she does something cool, they are not happy for her, but only are jealous and try to bring her down. With 'friends' like that, who needs enemies? as the old saying goes. Too, the schools keep up sports camps and conditioning, and her dance school continues in the summers, so it's not a huge break from everything like it used to be. Cheerleading practice continues much of the summer, and life in the fast lane continues.
That's what I need to have embroidered on a pillow:

Life in the fast lane...

Check it out

Just a postscript to say that on the Drudge Report I saw that in the last 24 hours lightning has been interesting...

It struck the 5 story tall Jesus statue in Ohio and it burned to the ground
AND it struck the BP vessel collecting oil in the Gulf of Mexico and started a fire.

Wonder what this means??

Heaven is starting to look real good...

I always used to wonder why you used to hear, "Rest in peace" when someone died. Now I know. This life is hard, real hard. And if you're single, it's double hard. It's a couples world, and the loneliness gets overwhelming sometimes. And the financial burden is twice as hard on a single person. And a single mother? Five times harder. I don't know how I'm going to make it. I've been in this situation before, but I was younger, and there is always more hope when you're younger.

Let's face it, I'm in sales and they always want young and pretty, and I'm beyond that now. I've heard, "You never miss what you never had," but I grew up with very stable parents with a father that owned his own business, and life just seemed so secure with him. I'm terrible with money, which is scary, and I keep trying to be better, but that area of my brain is damaged. They say, "it takes a village to raise a child." I certainly agree with that. It did with my older two children. There were 4 grandparents, 2 parents, and lots of people to help back then. My village is much smaller for my youngest, and she has a different 'village,' but even with that, I'm not sure we can remain in this town, as there are NO jobs, and the ones that have been here are drying up... Getting older is hard and scary, but so much worse when you're alone. No wonder the stats show married people live longer lives than single people. When it's just you, it's extremely stressful. God is helping me; it's how we've made it this far. And I don't know how we're going to make it in the future, but we're in His hands, so He will have to make a way. I need a 'Moses moment,' where He parts the Red Sea. The Israelites are chasing us and we're cornered at the edge of the water.....

I'm ready for the sea to part now.

Redneck Riviera - Day 56

Well, the first thing you need to know is... every night I try to think, "What is the thing I feel the most passionately about, and I will write about that." So, I'm sorry, but it is still the oil spill. I had told myself that I wasn't going to write about it anymore, but again, never say never. It just keeps getting worse. And it's totally irritating me that it is still in FREE FALL after 2 months of this!! I heard today that it's the amount of the Valdez EVERY DAY! Americans look down at the Gulf coast region and think we're a bunch of dumb Southerners, hick rednecks, and the Gulf coast is the 'Redneck Riviera.' Consequently, they don't really care if it gets polluted or not.

And the liberals are pissing me off even more! How TRANSPARENT are they???!!! They have their template - that conservatives are racist and that they are the only ones that care about African-Americans. Well, there are a lot of African-Americans that are really hurting right now (along with a lot of white people and Hispanic people) in our region, but they keep pretending there is no elephant in the room. And where are the environmentalists?? Wildlife are dying in DROVES, but they don't care. It was really about the Global Warming cover, which was supposed to squash Capitalism. That's what THAT is really all about. It's not about pollution or the temperature of the earth. It's about new laws that will hurt 'Big Business.'

And what about the President? His lack of leadership is SCARY... Someone said today, what if this had been a nuclear bomb or explosion? Wow... how much faith do you have now in this administration that they could handle any kind of real emergency? He never had any experience running anything. The guy has stayed in campaign mode. When the families of the 11 that died on the oil rig came to Washington this week, President O was heading to California to campaign for Barbara Boxer. No one even realized that he hasn't even met with BP CEO Tony Hayward yet... Huh? Wouldn't you have done THAT in the first few days? And here we are 2 months down the road...

And BP? They are still in shock evidently. They are very similar to how President O is acting - complete denial. They are cool, just like the president, and just keep pushing the public relations to the tunes of millions instead of sending it to the fishermen and those out of work due to all of this. THIS COMPANY SHOULD NOT BE IN CHARGE NOW. They should pay for the cleanup but not be in charge of it. They are looking out for themselves and trying to minimize their expenses above caring about the health of those affected or the environment - OUR environment.

Which takes me to what I've been saying about large companies. They used to be run by decent, moral people but MOST of the big shots at these huge corporations (AND in government), are only worried about themselves and their own bank accounts. They pay themselves a gazillion dollars and think the little guy doesn't really matter. THEY ARE PUTTING MONEY OVER SAFETY. We cannot trust them!!!! Does anyone hear me??!! Does anyone care??!!

Let me give kudos to who I think deserve it: Fox News, for their fair reporting. Anderson Cooper at CNN - who 'gets' it and has been in southern Louisiana for 4 weeks and interviewing the ones affected and bringing attention to the plight of these folks.

The Hurricane Katrina Lt. General Honore says we need to attack this like it's World War III, because it is.

Amen.

The Next Big Thing....

I'm still so mad about this I can hardly write, but I guess I'll try. A week ago, my 13 year old and I were driving to the city, and listening to the radio (her station.) This is unusual because I usually cannot stand all that pop - hip/hop - boy band stuff and she listens to her iPod, but, as fate would have it, we were that day. She had just said she wanted to go on a casting call (which there are next to none in Texas) when a commercial came on and said, "Do YOU want to be on a Disney show with Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato? Well, here's your chance... call this number, blah, blah, blah. This seemed propitious, and too good to be true! (Always tell yourself, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, but I digress.) She put me on the phone and the guy said to show up at this hotel in downtown San Antonio this weekend with a headshot and body shot and read a script. Oh, and he says to dress nicely.

So....... we buy a new outfit, I cajole a coworker to take her pix, and we head out yesterday. I wasn't sure if it was a scam, but we arrive, and there are lots of other sucker parents there with their children, and we are herded like cattle into a conference room. We're in a long line of hopefuls and talk with a nice grandma in front of us with her precocious grandaughter, Savannah, (who is cute) and her daughter and mine bond over singing, dancing, and Justin Bieber. My older daughter, Alex, in her late 20's is also amused as several ask us if she too is trying out (the age limit is 17) so it was kind of a "yea! I got carded moment."

We listen to 'a real Hollywood agent' and 'real Hollywood casting person' tell us that they line up and read script for 30 seconds on tape. They give us parents a packet, and tell us to email them today with phone numbers to see if our child is chosen to go to the next level, which is some big shindig at Disney World December 18-22. Already that's a conflict since it's just before Christmas, but we continue. My daughter has some stage fright but did better than all the others I saw. Then we head home and I read the packet... If she is chosen, then I have to choose between the options which range from $1950 to $7900 just for her. The 'Parent Pass' is $895. And none of this includes the transportation or hotel in Orlando.

AND it says that BEFORE you email the numbers, you have to have read the packet and IF CHOSEN today, then you have to pay all the option and pass money today, which if you're not paying attention is about $3,000. Hmmmm.... ok, and at this shindig, you meet with agents and you MIGHT get 'callbacks' or you might NOT (but they say, it's still a "really good experience.")

I cannot imagine that many of the parents I saw could afford to do this today or any other day. And in this economy? Give me a break.... Meanwhile, my daughter, who thought she would be on a Disney show soon was heartbroken.

Welcome to Hollywood...

Stop the madness

Here's what I'm tired of:

1. Vampires - aaaaaaaaahhh, with the success of the Twilight series, they keep coming like Harry Potter movies, and now we also have True Blood and The Gates, and non-stop movies about this. And a girl in my daughter's class now wears black every day and wears red contacts. Creepy...

2. Reality 'Celebs' - like Kate Gosselin, whom I REFUSE to watch or read about since all she has EVER done is blow out 8 kids, which for some reason, people find fascinating. She's not a good actor, dancer, mother, wife, or anything else I've seen, so I don't really want to waste my time on watching her show or reading about her in any magazine... But there are so many others. Heidi Montag, all the people on The Hills, and all those shows like that, Brody Jenner, all of the Bachelor people like Jake Pavelka and Vienna Girardi.

3. Tattoos - YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am SO sick of tattoos!!! They are everywhere and they are trashy and I cannot STAND them. Gang members love them, and young women get their 'Tramp Stamps' and think they are so cool. I think it's a stupid, ugly fad.

4. Piercings - obviously if I don't like tattoos, it stands to reason that piercings are stupid too. I don't like them in noses, eyebrows, belly buttons, tongues or anywhere else. I realize they are a way to rebel but they are only hurting themselves. Oh, and looking really ugly. And being uncomfortable. Yuck.

5. Stupid people - yes, the dumbing down of America has been in progress for years, and the results are coming to fruition, or as one stupid man put it, the 'chickens are coming to roost.' It's not cool any more to be smart like it was when I was young. Being smart used to go along with getting a good job and making a good living, but now with the younger generation dumbed down, they are happy to be drug dealers, gamblers, and thieves. They dream of winning the lottery, and don't even try.

6. Drugs - yes, the bane of our society. When I was young, you didn't have people doing recreational drugs, and our country was a million times better. People were sober, and more responsible, and not just living for the next party non-stop. We have musicians like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to thank for doing drugs and, as role models, others following.Young people are throwing their lives away. We only get one brain, one body, one life, and consequently one chance. Choose wisely...

7. Hollywood culture - it's a sick disease and it spreads to the rest of the country like a poison. These young actors may say they don't want to be a role model, but they are all looked up to and emulated. Child actors have a slim chance of not getting messed up. (See Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and 95% of all child actors in a sitcom.)

8. Oil spill - or maybe I should say cable tv as well.... ugh, plug the dang hole so we can stop hearing about it. Oh, and I'm tired of BP spending millions on PR campaigns when the money should be going to starving fishermen in Louisiana.

9. Liberals - I'm SO tired of liberals, who are really a bunch of Godless hypocrites preaching their global warming when it's based on proven lies. Where are they? Where are all the "Save the Gulf" concerts? Where are the TV benefits with celebrities and musicians giving heart felt speeches on the poor fishermen, wildlife, beaches and loss of income & suffered Gulf economy??? They were quick to help after Hurricane Katrina when they thought Bush failed, and quick to help Haiti, but not this or the gynormous flood in Nashville. I'm tired of them building government so huge, raising taxes, and spending us into oblivion. These stimulus bills were a sham (and a shame) and did the opposite of stimulating the economy. They just were ways to reward the people that contributed to their campaigns. These people in charge now are committing treason in the damage they are doing to our beloved USA with the debt into the high TRILLIONS.

10. Sports idols in the U.S. who think they are gods - like Tiger Woods, and Kobe Bryant and Ben Roethlisberger and a gazillion more. They think they are above the law and entitled to whatever they want.

I think the next election will show the anger of those of us who want the craziness to stop. Years ago, there was a saying from a movie called 'Network,' where the actor says, "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore."

Well said...

Blind ambition

I have so many mixed thoughts about Abby Sunderland, the 16 year old girl trying to sail around the world in a 40' sailboat by herself... First of all, as a mother of 3, I cannot ever imagine letting my child do this. No matter how much they thought they could, I would not be doing my job as a parent in protecting my child. When they are this young, they think they are invincible.

My parents had several boats as I grew up, and they deep sea fished every weekend from April to September. They had a 25', then 36', and then a 45' Hatteras. That may sound big, but when it took us 6 hours to get out to where they wanted to fish in the Gulf of Mexico, and you couldn't see any land, and you knew you were 6 hours back to land, that boat seemed like a grain of sand on a beach. And to be by yourself??? And to be sixteen??? And to be going around the world in that size boat??? Gosh, the mind games alone in being by yourself all that time. And the fears... And how do you sleep?

Well, as fate would have it, right now she is sitting in the middle of the Indian Ocean with nothing near by. A rogue wave disabled her boat, but it's still upright and she's had contact with a jet going over, and it will take a boat 48 hours to get to her. It's like finding a needle in a haystack. Times a million. ugh.

I do admire her guts though. What girl wants to do this at any age? If she's got that much ambition, she's definitely going to go far. I mean, she's Amelia Earheart in that category.

I have this belief that God helps those who don't know any better.

This is one of those cases...

"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children." - Native American Proverb

Well, it's Day 51 of the terrible environmental disaster, and it's like a nightmare that we all want to wake up from. I want to stick my head in the sand instead of face the fact that this is doing damage that will last for decades on our beloved Gulf of Mexico. On the marine life, on the fishing/shrimping industry, on tourism, and the economy of the Gulf states, and the entire country. Seems like the Eagle Scout's motto of always being prepared, should have been continued to be taught. There are no winners in this entire scenario. Only losers on all sides. It's even affecting the relationship between the U.S. and the U.K. And I feel sorry for the families that lost loved ones, and the people that have been directly affected. And I know that BP would never have wanted this to happen. It's clear they thought it never COULD happen. And now their company is only worth half of what it was before the explosion/leak. And what about the economy? If we don't drill, then gas is going to skyrocket. And with a moratorium on new offshore drilling, it's even worse for the Gulf coast workers that have lost those jobs.

I'm reminded of something that my mother used to say - the only comforting words I can think of - "This too shall pass...."