Freaky Friday - Grammys

Ugh. I'm having a hard time lately narrowing down what I want to post about. I actually wrote 2 different pieces yesterday but just saved them for another day. I usually wait for something to inspire me, but nothing was jumping out.
But today the article that catches my attention has been talked about a few days. Evidently the Grammy's sent out a 'private' notice that is calling for these dress code restrictions on Sunday night -- "Please avoid exposing bare fleshy under curves of the buttocks and buttock crack. Please be sure the genital region is adequately covered so that there is no visible "puffy" bare skin exposure. Avoid sheer see-through clothing that could possibly expose female breast nipples. Bare sides or under curvature of the breasts is also problematic."
While I am in TOTAL agreement that these "costumes" are nastier and more revealing than what actual prostitutes wear, I am not sure how the Grammy's intends to 'police' what the celebrities are going to wear. Will it be like my daughter's high school when they deem something inappropriate, so they have to put on an ugly, thick, man's painter shirt over said outfit? Who will be the person(s) policing this? And if no one is policing the outfits, what actually is the point? Was it the smartest marketing ploy ever so that more will watch the show to see if anyone breaks dress code?? I mean I DO agree that the Grammys in particular has gotten really raunchy in the stars' one-upmanship to see who can top the last. I think Jennifer Lopez set the bar with that green dress cut down to her navel that everyone still talks about.
Sigh.
Don't we all just figure these days that you have to choose your battles and this probably isn't one of them, given the dire circumstances this country is in financially? But... it is a start. So, yeah. You go Grammy's.
I'll be watching...

This is a pic I took with my iPhone on the way home from work today - no filter.
It looks apocalyptic...

I didn't realize how much I love clouds until I got an Instagram. It's God's canvas that changes by the minute...

(Will post tomorrow.)

Last danceteam performance at basketball this year.
Time is flying...

"After all, is football a game or a religion?" - Howard Cosell

Yes... I still watched the Super Bowl - well, most of it. I watched the pre-game show, which was very touching and also patriotic. (Jennifer Hudson and Alicia Keys were awesome.) I mean, it IS a huge AMERICAN past time, and the Super Bowl is one way to unite America when everything else divides us. I left for a while but returned in time for the half-time show. I'm sorry. I just wasn't impressed. Beyonce IS beautiful, (I call her the African-American Barbie.) But it was just so one dimensional. Just a lot of girls dancing in black, thrusting their pelvis' at us. I realize that I am hard to impress since I watch a lot of dance competitions, but she just isn't that good. Sorry to disappoint all you Beyonce fans. Too, lots of little girls look up and emulate her, and she was a bit too nasty for prime-time TV. Maybe I sound prudish in this day and age but she was licking her fingers and touching very close to her private area, and the camera was zoomed in on her face (and body.) The Destiny's Child reunion was also not surprising, since it had leaked when last week the media said, "There will NOT be a surprise Destiny's Child reunion," which, of course, there was. I don't know. I guess after you watch the Olympic opening ceremonies, everything else pales in comparison...
Lots of fun little side stories. Like I didn't know until AFTER the game that the 2 head coaches were brothers. I just kept hearing the name Harbaugh, so I finally googled it to see what they were talking about. Even the 49ers coach's son works for his uncle with the Ravens, so that was a "house divided." And the guy from the movie, "The Blind Side," Michael Oher,  is a player for the Ravens, so his adopted family and Sandra Bullock and son were there to cheer him on. It was Ray Lewis' last game. And truly, the power outage was the most interesting thing about the game, since it made them scramble and ad lib, and on live TV anything can happen. So there's that.
And the commercials. I didn't see them all, but my favorite one was the Dodge Ram ad regarding the American farmer. Wow. So surprised that something so basic to this country was honored. My second favorite was the Jeep commercial about the military connection. Loved it. As an advertising gal, thought it was genius. And my third favorite was the Clydesdale Budweiser commercial. How touching. We all can unite in our love of animals, so thought that too was pure genius.
All in all, I thought the Super Bowl was great. The producers united us all in this very divisive environment we've been in the last 4 years. I noticed when the screen showed the active military in Afghanistan, the whole crowd cheered. Right on!! There IS still hope for this country. There ARE still really good people who are trying to preserve the best country on the planet.
God bless America!!

"You've come a long way baby"

Well, here it is - Super Bowl Sunday here in the U.S. A day of the year that is the final farewell to another season of football with the grand finale. Most Super Bowls are in the South for the good chance of good weather - places like Miami or New Orleans, where it happens to be this year. A day when the world stops rotating, and all sit down to watch the most creative 30 seconds of advertising, a half-time show looking for wardrobe malfunctions and lip syncing, and yes, maybe even a little football.
This year, as most, I don't have any "skin in the game." The 2 final teams are the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens. I noticed a story on how NFL cheerleader outfits have changed over the years, (see above) for the visual proof of how much our nation has changed - like you even needed someone to show you...
If you've read my blog  in the past you may have noticed that this is one of the days of the year I get SUPER down. For some, Christmas is the barometer of how far their lives are from perfect, but for me, it's the Super Bowl. When I was young, through high school and college, I had tons and tons of friends.  And, for me, friends are SUPER important. And, even through my younger years, I managed to have many friends - I guess because I was wild and crazy. Through a course of events, I eventually self destructed and when I hit rock bottom, I said, "Jesus, take the wheel," and He did, and have been on the road to recovery since DD was born.
The problem now? Now that I don't "party," I can't seem to find any friends. And, too, since I am not married, it's a couples world. I'm ALWAYS the fifth wheel - just not fitting in. And, by my own choice, I live in a small town where it's even more couples-ish and even more awkward. It's still a wonderful place to raise kids, but very lonely for a baby boomer single mom. All of DD's friend's parents are much younger, and 90% are married, and the ones that aren't still have age in common. I have been a member of 2 different churches here but somehow, I just don't fit in. Another problem is that I'm still a city girl at heart and this area is pretty rural. I didn't even know what a stock show was until I moved here, but once a year the ranch kids all "show" animals and win thousands of dollars, which helps them pay for Texas A&M. It's kind of a racket but it's been done for years, so...
Anyway. I'm not invited to any Super Bowl parties, once again, and it depresses me. It's not ANY fun to watch it alone, or have anyone to see the commercials with. I think I'm going to move when DD graduates...
Sigh.

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound..."

Just a quick post because it's a Red Letter Day in my family. The preface to this story is that my grown son has been unemployed for a year and a half and my ex-husband was laid off from his job of 30 years last March. Both got jobs this week in Austin in the professions they were in and will not be underemployed!! And my grown daughter's husband (also in Austin) got a raise this week, which is also awesome, because with the expenses of their first baby, they have been really struggling.
Praise God!!! I have really buckled down lately on my prayers because my ex's unemployment was getting close to over, and it already was over for my son. And my son was truly at his wit's end. In my deep and earnest prayer today I reminded the Lord that He promised in His Word that He would not give us more than we could handle. I felt like my son was at that edge. It's a time for celebration in my family.
Hallelujah!!