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Thursday, March 26, 2009

Whatever Happened To...?

We have a little malady here in Alaska that we call "Cabin Fever." It's something that strikes at different times depending on the individual, but for me, it usually creeps in after around the third or fourth snowfall of winter. It's when I've lost that "Oooh, look at the pretty snow" glow & edge toward the personality of Jack Nicholson in The Shining. Some people eat and gain what they stupidly call their "winter fat" (as if fat understands seasons), other people sleep in a lot - and that's why there's usually a boom in baby bumps come spring time. Me - I get manic-depressive and have fits of insomnia. The upside to this is that PMS no longer matters. My bitchy alter-ego moments are not limited to "pre-" anything; it's all one long cycle of crazy.

Anyway, I have a loving and understanding circle of family and friends. We can spot the winter blahs in each other and manage to head off the worst of them with some our own remedies. Cooking is great (which explains that winter fat b.s.), drinking... Yeah - a lot of drinking gets done in the winter. Talking is the best though. It's low-cal and non-alcoholic. Which is a good thing because, not surprisingly, along with pregnancies, the rates for suicides and alcohol related crimes in Alaska shoot right up in the winter months. How sad is that?
(This is why I'm not a big drinker. A couple glasses of wine & I'm adorable and a little less inhibited. More than that and, well - I think you have seen my posts on my famous drunk moments...)

So, practicing our brand of talk therapy, my sister and I were chatting today about how Cedric the Entertainer is coming here to Anchorage & somehow the name Sinbad came up. Remember him? The comedian who had a television show and then did a few movies? Big, tall, red-haired dude? Well, what the heck ever happened to him? **shrug**

Once we started talking about Sinbad, we moved on to other folks we haven't heard much about in a while. Like Kid 'n Play. The rapping duo of the House Party movies. Remember? And Florence, the maid from The Jeffersons?

See what I mean? It's like these people just dropped out of existence. Or maybe it's just that me and sis are getting old! Most of the people we were reminicsing about were in the spotlight back before televisions had remotes. My sister does not like computers & feels her life is complete enough without them, but she wants me to start doing searches to find out where these folks have gone off to. (I guess her life IS complete without a computer as long as I'm around!)

Anyway, we started ticking off on our fingers who we were wondering about. There's the guy from Fresh Prince - Carlton - and the oldest sister from The Cosby Show... All I could remember about her was that she had a French last name. And getting back to the Fresh Prince, what the heck happened to the parents? All three of them? Because remember there were two actresses who played the mom.

Surprisingly enough, I know that Sherman Helmsley (who played George Jefferson) is still around. I saw him on some gossip site a while back. He might not be working all that hard anymore, but he's doing something since he was on somebody's gossip list.

And of course, that damn J.J. from Good Times is still around. Still acting the dusty-assed fool, but still around. (That man just made me embarrassed for all black people.)

Now, who I'm really curious about is the little kid from the Jerry McGuire movie. The one with the spiky hair. I'm pretty sure I've seen him in something since then, but I can't recall what exactly. Hmmm.

See, now this is what happens on an almost-end-of-winter day in Alaska. Not a dang thing much to do, so you sit around having mindless conversations to get your mind off seven months of winter. The only other thing to make you survive living through a winter in Anchorage is to give thanks that you don't live in Fairbanks... Fairbanks with the temps down somewhere the same as dry ice. Fairbanks where a good sight-seeing tour takes about 32 seconds. (This is why even after being here some almost 40 years, the closest I've been to Fairbanks is passing the turn-off to it on my way back via the AlCan Highway.)

Yeah. So. I figure we've got another few weeks of this nasty, hateful winter crap. That should give me and sis time to have some more of our Whatever Happened To talks. See how exciting my life is right now? Damn.

Peace
--Free


(By the way, if you really are curious, here is a site called... Whatever Happened To...?)

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Tragic & Sad

I saw this article about Nicholas Hughes, the son of poet Sylvia Plath, committing suicide. What a tragic and sad ending to a life that seems to have been plagued by family history.

Interestingly enough, Hughes lived here in Alaska, in Fairbanks. When I read that, I immediately thought that this was a man who wanted to be away from things while living his life.

Here's part of the news as it runs:

When Nicholas Hughes was in his early 20s, his father, poet Ted Hughes, advised him on the importance of living bravely.

"The only calibration that counts is how much heart people invest, how much they ignore their fears of being hurt or caught out or humiliated," Hughes wrote to his son, who committed suicide at 47 last week at his home in Fairbanks, Alaska, 46 years after Nicholas' mother, poet Sylvia Plath, killed herself.

I imagine that, since he survived and fought under his burdens until he was 47, Mr. Hughes lived as bravely as he could. After all, he was practically born into tragedy...

Hughes was only 9 months old when his parents separated and was still an infant when his mother died in February 1963, gassing herself in a London flat as her children slept. A few months earlier, she had written of Nicholas: "You are the one/Solid the spaces lean on, envious/You are the baby in the barn."

...and it seemed to follow him and his father -

Ted Hughes relived the tragedy not only through the constant reminders of Plath, but also through the suicide of Wevill, his second wife, who in March 1969 killed herself and their 4-year-old daughter.

He didn't even lose his father gently; Ted Hughes died in 1998 of cancer. I love that the father did try to reassure the son about life:

"The only calibration that counts is how much heart people invest, how much they ignore their fears of being hurt or caught out or humiliated," Hughes wrote to his son, who committed suicide at 47 last week at his home in Fairbanks, Alaska, 46 years after Nicholas' mother, poet Sylvia Plath, killed herself.

"And the only thing people regret is that they didn't live boldly enough, that they didn't invest enough heart, didn't love enough. Nothing else really counts at all."

I just have to think to myself that maybe Nicholas Hughes lived as boldly as he could, invested enough heart, and loved as much as he knew how and it still wasn't enough to sustain him.

My heart mourns for this man and for the people who loved him. I hope that there is a place of peace for people who suffer as he did.

Peace

--Free

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

She Blew It (Redoubt, that is)

Well, hell. Just when I might have to travel, that dang Mt. Redoubt decided to blow her top. We've been waiting for weeks now & until last night, all we got was burps and hiccups. Until, like I said, last night (or night before last...)

Here's the thing: last time this volcano acted a fool, we were covered in ash forEVER. I remember planes being grounded. I remember people wearing masks. I remember blowing dust out of our cars forEVER.

**sigh** Anyway, some folks managed to get it on video...






And traveling... Well. Certain airlines have already cancelled some flights while others are trying re-route theirs. Such a mess. It's not like we have but three ways out of the state: via that damn Alcan, by boat or by plane. I've already told y'all about that scenic drive from hell that the Alcan is & you know I don't swim (so I don't do boats).

Things don't look good.

Here's info from the Volcano Observatory:


Beginning last night (Sunday March 22, 2009) at approximately 22:38 AKDT, Redoubt Volcano produced a series of five explosive eruptions that each lasted from four to thirty minutes. The last one ended at 5:00 AM AKDT this morning (March 23). National Weather Service radar, pilot reports, and AVO analysis of satellite imagery suggest that these events produced ash clouds that reached 60,000 ft above sea level (asl), with the bulk of the ash volume between 25 - 30,000 ft asl. Traces of ash fall have been reported in Skwentna, Talkeetna, Wasilla, and Trapper Creek.

You can see pics submitted by readers over at the Anchorage Daily News. I don't know WHY you'd want to see them, but... I'm just depressed now, so bye.

Peace
--Free

Sunday, March 22, 2009

The Truth About Paradise

I got a message from someone organizing a reunion for the high school I graduated from THIRTY years ago. Wow.

Depressing fact #1 - I was a G.I. brat back in those days, so I spent all of 20 minutes at the school I graduated from.

Depressing fact # 2 - It's been 30 years...

Man. Let me tell you - I just didn't realize how long it's been. I mean, I look in the mirror & it's as if I'm looking at the same face from all those years ago. I don't feel like it's been 30 years. And yet... I do. I don't really feel older, but I do feel wiser. I've had so much happen in the past 30 years that I am a little overwhelmed to think about it all.

I've always connected to my own feelings best through music and words, so when I thought about the reunion, this is a song that came into my head:

Hey lady, you lady, cursing at your life
You're a discontented mother and a regimented wife
I've no doubt you dream about the things you'll never do
But, I wish someone had talked to me

Like I wanna talk to you.....

Oh, I've been to Georgia and California and anywhere I could run

I took the hand of a preacher man and we made love in the sun
But I ran out of places and friendly faces because I had to be free

I've been to paradise but I've never been to me

Please lady, please lady, don't just walk away

'Cause I have this need to tell you why I'm all alone today
I can see so much of me still living in your eyes
Won't you share a part of a weary heart that has lived million lies....
Oh, I've been to Niece and the Isle of Greece while I've sipped champagne on a yacht

I've moved like Harlow in Monte Carlo and showed 'em what I've got
I've been undressed by kings and I've seen some things that a woman ain't supposed to see
I've been to paradise, but I've never been to me
Hey, you know what paradise is?
It's a lie, a fantasy we create about people and places as we'd like them to be
But you know what truth is?
It's that little baby you're holding, it's that man you fought with this morning
The same one you're going to make love with tonight

That's truth, that's love......

Sometimes I've been to crying for unborn children that might have made me complete
But I took the sweet life, I never knew I'd be bitter from the sweet

I've spent my life exploring the subtle whoring that costs too much to be free


I guess some people would think of that as a sad song, but I really feel okay about it. None of us can go back and change one thing about our lives. I mean, there are things I wish I had done differently in my life, but I don't really regret what I've had. Of course, my feelings change from day to day (that's the Cancer in my sun sign), but mostly I'm feeling like I've had an all right life - good and bad - and I've got more memories to make.

I'll eventually get to me.

Peace
--Free

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Prayer. Fasting.

I have so much to be thankful for. (I know I say this a lot, but it is so true.) I have some problems in my life right now, but one of the things I am thankful for is that I have a God, a Father, I can turn to.

The big thing with me lately has been my inability to stay focused in prayer. So I am going to be starting a fast this coming week. I don't know yet what I will be giving up during the fast, but I am going over the possibilities. Food? Reading? Television?...

Anyway, while I think on it, I am asking that all of you include me in your daily prayers.

I will be asking that God touch on my marriage and peace of mind. I am also going to be asking that He help me learn to be more forgiving of past hurts and slights. I know that forgiveness of others is what leads to me being forgiven by the Lord. (I haven't been doing too well in that whole forgiveness areas lately!)

Mark 11:24-25 (NIV) "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

Peace
--Free

Love Hurts. Really, Really HURTS.

Now this right here is just strange. How do you start out having an intimate encounter and have your story end up in the paper with this kind of mention: ...injured in an incident involving a sex toy attached to a saber saw blade...?

I mean, what the hell were these people thinking? I can understand trying to keep the fire in a relationship. You know, trying something a little different every now and then, but - damn! I don't want to even THINK about putting the words "sex" and "saw blade" together.
Saw? Blade? Now, oil, feathers, chocolate - okay. And we've all probably seen the commercial for the battery operated toy that even some little old lady was happy about. But something that (quoting the news): cut through the plastic toy and wounded the woman... CUT THROUGH???

No. Notta chance. Never in my wildest moments. Not even with Keanu Reeves begging me with tears in his eyes.  
(We all know there's not much I would deny THAT man or Denzel Washington.) 


Hell. No. That's not having sex. That's an audition for a horror movie.

Even if you get over the idea that you are possibly flirting with endangerment to some very important parts of your anatomy, what would make you think that this could feel good? How hard is it for you to get aroused that you need a freaking
POWER tool??? I don't know about you, but I can put on some Barry White and lay close enough to a speaker to get kinda "happy." Or drive across speed bumps going just fast enough... Or - okay, lemme just quit.

And the article reports that
The injuries were severe enough for medivac, but the woman was released from the hospital Monday... Released to where? A mental hospital?

I will tell you something very private about myself right now: the only sex-related injuries I
ever want to deal with are ones I can solve with a hot bath, a couple of aspirin and some rest. Just like any good workout, but having sex and being medivacced should have not a damn thing to do with each other.

Now, I was torn between wanting to feel sorry for this woman and wanting to laugh my behind off. I mean, dang, going to the doctor for a pap smear is embarrassing enough. I can tell you now that I would have literally DIED of this embarrassing situation because there is no way I'd've gone to the hospital for this. No way at all.

You have to wonder what this couple talked about when they got home. And will they ever have sex with each other again? Is she even CAPABLE of having sex with anyone again? Damn. Will they ever listen to the song "Love Hurts" again?

**smh**

Lord, Jesus, set my people free...

Peace
--Free

Friday, March 20, 2009

My Auntie Liz

I know that everyone has their favorite relatives. One of mine is my Auntie Liz. The thing is, she's not really my aunt, but you know how we black folk are! She is my Aunt's daughter (my mother's niece & my cousin), but she's older, wiser & to be respected, so I call her "Auntie."

My Auntie is one the coolest people ever. I don't mean cool as in she knows all the latest and trendiest. I mean, she's real. Very, very real. If she has something on her mind, she will say it. She doesn't mince words, my Auntie Liz. This is not to say that she is rude, because she isn't. She is nice if you are nice. You piss her off & you may never piss again.

Here's the thing I love most about my Auntie Liz: you don't have to worry that she is smiling in your face and stabbing you in the back. If you ask her advice or opinion, you don't have to wonder if she is telling you the truth or just saying what she thinks you want to hear. Know why? Because she will always tell you exactly what she means.

The other thing I love about this woman: she will never beat you down when you are down. She might tell you what a dumbass you are, but only when she knows you can handle it! lol

Anyway, a while back, after I had made many, many bad judgement calls & gotten my life into such a mess, I had to sing the chorus of "Take me home, home to my fam-ily...." I called my Auntie, told her I was coming & I showed up at the bus station with my raggedy self at some crazy hour of the morning. I was not only raggedy in body, but my mind and soul were a wreck. My Auntie made sure someone was there at the station to get my sorry behind. When I got to the house, she made sure I was fed, cleaned up and bedded down. And then she just let me rest. No questions or discussions about the bad decisions I'd made for having left then gone back to a man who didn't treat me right. No head-shaking or finger-wagging. Nothing except open arms for a hug before telling me to lay my "little narrow behind" down and rest.

I was able to just stop and breathe for a while. Just think and cry, cry, cry and try to collect up the battered & scattered pieces of my heart. I weighed 107 pounds and had had the will to breathe deeply knocked out of my soul.

After I spent about a week just sleeping (seriously sleeping, only waking to sip broth and go the the bathroom for showers), I was able to stand up on my own without my legs shaking. I think I was really sick from having lost around 30 pounds in a short period of time and not having slept well  for over a month because of fear that "he" would go into a drunken rage...

When I did finally get out of bed and start moving around during the daylight hours, my Auntie Liz would sit with me while we drank coffee and talked about everything except my mess of a mess. Somehow she even managed to make me laugh. And I never felt like she was ignoring my heartache and despair. She was just giving me what I needed (when I didn't even know what that was).

So, yeah, my Auntie is one of my favorite people in the whole world. I never tell her that with words, but I do hope that I've shown her. God knows, she has shown her love for me.

I love you, Auntie Liz.

Peace
--Free

(I am reading this over again in 2011. I have been diagnosed with some strange illness. I have to wonder if I wasn't having symptoms back when all this happened. I've been told by a good friend now - who saw me around the time I was with my auntie - that I didn't seem to be myself at that time. This friend says that because I didn't seem to be able to think and express myself clearly, she thought I'd had a nervous breakdown. Now I have to just wonder: was it a breakdown or this certain illness I have?) December 2011, Anchorage.

Albino Moose

I got these in an email from my niece. Beautiful & interesting pics of some albino moose. As long as I have lived in Alaska, having moose come all up in your yard & on the porch and such, I have never seen this. Come to find out, these pics were taken in Michigan. According to the email (I sure don't know), it's rare enough to see ONE of these moose, let alone two of them. Nice though.










Thursday, March 19, 2009

Totally Random Riff

  • Every now & then, I like to put brown sugar in my coffee. I like the different kind of sweetness that I get with it.
  • No matter how broke I get, I always keep Ambi & Oil of Olay Rengenerist on hand. I mix them and use every morning and night.
  • I hate my hair right now. Too dry. Too unpredictable.
  • I belong to too many sites online. Can barely keep up.
  • I think people with dimples are cute.
  • I have no idea who "Nas" is, but I like reading about him & his wife on the gossip sites.
  • I think Anderson Cooper is hot. I read somewhere that he is gay. I hope not (and how selfish is that? Like I'll ever meet him anyway.)
  • I love sardines.
  • I hate anchovies.
  • I get daily Bible verses by email & sometimes I delete them without reading them.
  • I'm really jealous of Beyonce (but, well, who the hell isn't?)
  • I think that Steve Harvey is hot. He has dimples, damnit.
  • I had a secret crush on a minister once. A married minister. (Not so secret since my husband knew. He told the minister I had a crush on him.)
  • I'm always ordering things out of ignorance in restaurants. Once I ordered Crudités because the name sounded cool. I didn't know they were raw veggies. (I also had to look up the word because I'd forgotten how to spell Crudités.) My mother was with me & she laughed through the whole lunch.
  • I have a weakness for pickled beets. And also garlic stuffed olives. I'm a garlic-aholic. I can't wait to try garlic ice cream.
  • I often boldly criticisze things that I later end up liking. Example One: The Show "American Gothic." Example Two: The Harry Potter books. Example Three: liver and onions.
  • I don't like pictures/paintings of people in the bedroom walls. I feel like the eyes are following me.
  • If I am really tired, I will sleep "ready roll." My husband hates this.
  • I have insomnia.
  • I am slightly manic-depressive.
  • I don't like to walk on dirt, mud or grass. Even with shoes on.
  • I have never smoked pot, but I got a really deep contact high when I was young. Scared the crap outta me.
  • I'm very picky about my alcohol. I only like very sweet wines, Corona beer, but I can't drink any whiskey straight. And I love cognac.
  • I'm addicted to sunflower seeds. Salted and in the shell.
  • I've never lived alone for any long period & I have a fear of it. Can't sleep, hear noises. Will usually stay awake all night & day sleep.
  • I'm extremely generous when I have anything to give, but I can be selfish with my time.
  • I'm a loner.
  • I'm no rocket scientist, but I find smart men very sexy.
  • I got so drunk one time that I thought I was going to die. Well, not really, but I kinda hoped I would die.
  • I have a big family & I love it. I don't like everyone in my family, but I love everyone in my family...
  • I love to cook. Sometimes I can really mess up a recipe.
  • I love cheesecake, hot biscuits with butter and apricot-pineapple preserves.
  • I don't know why I shared all this, but I feel better.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Motivating Women

So... I tagged Soulfull & the sister came back strong with her post on the "5 and 5" list I tagged her with. Let me tell you something: this chick has her stuff so together that she sent out motivating vibes to me.  Any woman, any mother, any daughter - y'all should go check her post. (We are both on Twitter, so I'm gonna get to thank her today! Does anybody else reading this Twitter???)
 
Everyone has a vibe. You can be around some people & start to feel dragged down. You can be around other people who make you feel pumped up and energetic. Some vibes are weak & some are strong. I have the feeling that Soulfull is one of those people who gives off a power vibe. You know, she can make other people want to feel ready to get things done.

A long time ago, when I had first started working in the customs brokerage industry, I had a female boss named "J." At first, I really looked up to this woman. She was smart and efficient and I wanted to be just like her. For the first 6 months or so - while I was learning the basic ropes of the various duties - "J" was really cool. She acted as a sort of mentor to me. I caught on to the job quickly (probably because I enjoyed it so much) and was promoted from clerk to department supervisor. This brought me to the attention of J's boss. He seemed to be pleased with the job I was doing in one department and within another six months or so, he promoted me to head a larger department. Of course, I was thrilled. Like I always had before, I would turn to J for advise about different situations I had to handle. Funny thing: the better I became at my job, the less pleased J seemed to be. Instead of offering advise and constructive criticism, she began to act peevish about anything I did. She stopped dropping by during the day to chat and she no longer emailed me to point out helpful articles and information.

J eventually relocated out of state to another division. I stayed with the company for over 15 years. I worked under a lot of different bosses - male and female. Some of them had mentoring personalities and some didn't. A lot of them made it clear that they were just passing through to the next rung on the ladder.

The thing is, J had started out being such a motivating and energizing presence in my professional life. The way she dimmed her enthusiasm really affected the way I related to co-workers (above and below me). For one thing, I learned how to mentor and be consistent in my approach. But I also learned how much we can affect the people we come into contact with. We can be motivating, apathetic or damaging.

Ever since those first days in that job, I always watch for the kind of energy people give off. I don't mind working with people I might not personally like, but it's a real effort to deal with people who are a drag on energy. It's not productive and it can spread through a workplace like a virus.

Hopefully, in my life, I will meet more people like Soulfull. Because of my old boss, I can deal with people like J, but I prefer positive energy.

Go check out Soulfull's blog & try to soak up some of that motivation (then go out and spread some around).

Peace
--Free

Monday, March 16, 2009

Playing Tag

Two things led me to do this post:

1. I read about Altovise Davis (Sammy Jr's widow) passing away. She was 65. 
2. I got to wondering what "middle-age" is. Found out it is defined as being aged between 40 and 60 years. (So...I've been middle-aged for SEVEN damn years & didn't realize this???)

That all kind of depressed me until I realized (modestly, of course) that no one who meets me believes I am over 35. That helps a little on most days. But, damn - I'm considered middle-aged! And not just middle-aged, but almost 10 years in... Wowwwww.

So. The post is going to be about 5 things I absolutely want to acheive before I die and 5 things I'm happy I have already done. Then I'm going to tag a couple of folks that I haven't messed with in a looooooong time. (Just because the idea of playing tag - even online - sounds young and fun!) Here we go:

5 Things I Wanna Do Before Dying
(sounds like a Tupac song, huh?)
  1. Lounge on a boat in the middle of a beautiful lake on a beautiful day. (Doesn't have to be a big boat - shoot, it can be a raft!)
  2. Take a cruise. (I don't know why exactly. I've never learned to swim because I'm afraid of deep water. And of drowning.)
  3. Walk on a beach at sunset. (A real beach - not the sandy, litter-filled trench that is called Goose Lake here in Anchorage...)
  4. Spend a night on a screened-in porch, talking and listening to night sounds, drinking something warm and comforting.)
  5. Walk around Paris or Rome just people-watching.
5 Things I'm Glad I've Already Done
  1. Held a newborn baby, smelling their skin and watching those little movements they make.
  2. Spent long evenings with my mother, laughing and talking about her childhood.
  3. Made up with my father & had wonderful times with him before he passed away.
  4. Gotten dirty and dusty and played for hours with my cousins on both sides of the family.
  5. Had a grown-up slumber party with a bunch of girlfriends.
I'm going to tag Supa and Soulfull and Mz Newy... Hope they catch it; I been out of touch for a long while! Go get it, sistas"

Peace
--Free

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Real Battles

I have a very, very close girlfriend who is going through some major relationship drama. I mean her drama makes my situation seem like a two-bit stumbling block. So right now she is very down - feeling like her world is coming apart (anybody been there before?) and we were talking about ways to use your faith to get through.

Anyway, we got on the subject of the fear and anxiety and depression she is dealing with (yeah, when I say she is going through some stuff, I do mean through some s t u f f!) and using our faith to combat all that. I remembered some books I had read that dramatize how demons prey on us. There was a series written called "Chronicles of the Host" that tells the story from the war in Heaven to the Crucifixion and Resurrection - but all through the eyes of angels. The other books were Frank E. Peretti's. He told stories of people (and ideas) under attack from demonic forces and he showed the battle between angels and demons.

The point I wanted to encourage my friend with is this: we are not just random things here on earth. We are created beings and there really is a war going on over our souls. We just have to remember that we have a choice in getting and hanging on to our faith that there is a God in Heaven Who does love us. The demons aren't little pointy-tailed imps with pitchforks. The demons are Despair, Pain, Misery, Fear... You know - all the things that keep us focused on darkness. But God is there always. Sometimes, we get so surrounded by our problems that the darkness shrouds us, but even so, there is always that light of our faith out there. The light might at times be just a pinprick of light, so dim or seeming so far away that we feel like we aren't ever going to be close to and warmed by it again - but it is there.

Anyway I was trying to encourage my friend to just try to stay focused on that light. I (yeah, me, with my sad, depressed behind!) wanted her to keep in mind that in life or in death, that darkness can only overtake us if we give up on the light.

I guess I needed to say all that to her to hear it for myself. As I was talking to her, I was thinking how low I have let my faith get.

So, everyone out there, pray for my friend (and for me). Pray for all the women and men who are in those relationships that are dangerous, unhealthy, unloving - whatever. Don't criticize, but just try to offer up some love and comfort.

And those books I told you about? Please do take a look. Those authors were writing under a blessing.

The Chronicles of the Host
that's the author's site
Here is where you can peek at Book 2 of 4
Here is where you can peek at Book 3 of 4
(by D. Brian Shafer)
***
This Present Darkness
The author's site
sneek peak here, or here
Piercing the Darkness
sneek peak here
(by Frank E. Peretti)

**If for some reason the links don't work for you, just Google Booksearch for them**

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Words Just Fail Me

I wandered over to Hot Ghetto Mess to see what it was all about (because I'm always hearing about it), and one of the first pics I saw was this one:


I just.... Oh, my, my, my. I have no idea what to say. These people here - they must be just so... confused? Drugged? In a cult????

Think about it: they actually got up and got dressed and got themselves down to a studio to have this picture taken. On purpose. By a person who could see them. By someone probably trying their damnedest not to fall over laughing.

Is this photo now being displayed somewhere in someone's home? Where anyone can come in and see it??? (I bet you money that I don't even have right now that the studio uses this picture in some way - either as an example of how NOT to pose or just as a good laugh-inducer.)

Foolishness. Just plain foolishness. And don't blame this on the "ghetto." This is just pure mess. Ghetto has nothing to do with this kind of shameful ignorance.

Oh, Lord, someday we all will be free - just not today.

**smh** sigh.....

Peace
--Free

Friday, March 13, 2009

Rest in Peace, Dr. Shannon

I wanted to express condolences to the family of this wonderful doctor.

Too often, we don't hear about people who do worthy things with their lives and careers. This man did so much. And I love the fact that he had a passion separate from his work. I'm glad that he spent his last days enjoying himself dancing and spending time with his wife.

The man was only 55 years old, and I can't help but think "Why?" Why someone like that, with so much to give and live for? Things like this make me question how God deals with us. Not to be fatalistic, but I did immediately think: "Lord, I'm not curing people. I'm not even handling my own life in the best way. So why take this man. Why take someone with his drive and ambition and abilities to do so much good?"

Well, I just wanted to note his passing. Make people aware that there are so many amazing people out there, doing good and living life the way it's meant (I guess) to be lived. I didn't want to NOT note the death of someone like this. (And, of course, the writer in me wonders what on earth caused his death. I mean, is this going to turn out to be something strange and mysterious?)

Anyway, rest in peace, Dr. Shannon. I wish comfort and strength to your family and friends.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Pet Peeves & Mood Swings

I have a bunch of pet peeves, but I have learned that there are bigger things in life to concern myself with than the petty stuff - so I usually ignore my pet peeves and just thank God for my blessings.

But.

I have two pet peeves that just hang with me -

Number One: people who ask you something just so they can argue their own point. You know what I mean - the person who asks something like, I don't know, how you like A-line dresses. Then when you say that you like them fine, they look all right - or whatever you have to say about A-line dresses - the person who asked your opinion proceeds to tell you all that is wrong with A-line dresses and why THEY prefer wrap style dresses with less of a flounce...

What the hell??? You didn't start this conversation with them. And you don't really care which style dress they like. But. THEY asked YOU YOUR opinion. So why then are they going to get into a pissing match with you about it?

So that's my biggest pet peeve of all because before you know it, the person has got this self-satisfied SMUG look on their face while they shrug you off and turn to the clerk and ask to be shown all the A-line dresses in stock. And, of course, it looks as though YOU were challenging their opinion...

Why do people play these games? Boredom. Unhappiness. Spite. Passive-aggressive issues to do with their feeling of importance? Bad day at the office? What? What they hell causes such mean-spirited bullshit?

**shrug**

My peeve was more personal to me, but the next one is maybe more irritating because it can happen anywhere to anyone.

Number Two (and this is one that a blog buddy & I have emailed back and forth about since she had some issues in her life): People who don't know the meaning of "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" (or however the actual saying goes).

Blog Buddy (BB) and I had a good laugh over a co-worker of hers who just LOVES to point out the faults of other people - when she has some of the exact same faults. For instance - and this is the one that had BB really heated up - the time when Ms. Critic had the nerve to say that another co-worker was ..... wait for it, wait for it.... "too critical." Yeah. And this is after she had sent another co-worker to the bathroom in tears after ranting about how poorly she had done a particular duty. (BB says that the tearful co-worker is one of the sweetest folks you'd want to work with.) Of course, BB is no timid Milly. She had to go off (just a little) and point out to Ms. Critic how insensitive she was. BB reminded this chick that she tended to be a little bit nit-picky herself. Of course, Ms. Critic couldn't see this at all. BB says the woman looked absolutely stunned to think that anyone saw her as being "critical."

Amazing. Throwing stones, caught HOLDING the damn rock with shattered glass all around your feet, and still being surprised when someone calls you on it. "Who? Me? Why, nooo, I was just cleaning up these stones and all that pesky glass...."

BB is now on a mission. She says that she talked Ms. Critic into thinking that it will be for her own good if someone is kind enough to point out to her when she is being a little critical. And BB has appointed herself as the lucky "someone." Kind of has Ms. Critic backed into a corner, huh? The whole time BB is smiling at her, Critic just knows she's waiting to pounce whenever she makes a nasty move. Brilliant.

Like I said though, people just amaze me. I guess they don't ever remember every good Mama's rule of thumb about treating people the way you want to be treated. Nasty is as nasty does, and all that. I mean, do people think they're always going to be the one with the upper hand? Don't they ever stop and think that the power, money, position - or whatever it is they have is not just a blessing but also a test? I mean, if you can't be a decent person when things are going well for you, what the hell kind of person are you going to be if things get tough for you?

I just don't understand people. Oh well, that's why I have my blog. I can get all this kind of stuff off my chest and I don't go nuts. I pack all this away in my little notebook on the study of Why People Do The Things They Do and call it another lesson in the course on humility that God is putting me through - hahaha...

So, Blog Buddy, maybe we should do a post together one day on all the rest of our pet peeves?

Peace
--Free

Tent Cities, Rolex Watches, Apathy... Ignorance?

I have not been watching much of the news lately and it wasn't until last night that I became aware of the tent cities in California.

Tent cities are springing up in California as thousands of people hit hard by foreclosures and big job losses say they have nowhere else to go.
A friend called me and we were talking about our own tough times. I was crying to her about this and that when she reminded me that there are people so much worse off than I. Then she told me about the tent cities. My heart just broke.


Where will all this end? So many people losing everything. So many people just trying to find a way to hang on. And then I see stuff like this item about Miss Lohan (doesn't she live in California), on a shopping spree. She can spend $50k on watches? Her money, but has SHE heard about the tent cities? How much food or water or toiletries would $50k buy for the people living in the tent cities?

But I can't just point at the celebrities. There are businesspeople, other artists, etc, who have vast amounts of money - and who live right there in California. Don't they see the problems? And, yes, I know it's not just California - the financial pain is being felt everywhere - but the state that is such a symbol of fame and wealth... That's just sad.

Here's the thing. The friend who was telling me about the tent city in the first place is just an ordinary woman. She is single and doing okay financially. She was thinking of taking a vacation to California in a couple of months. When she realized what was going on with the tent cities, she came up with the idea of spending her vacation handing out food and water and (she's an animal lover) pet food. She thinks that maybe she can buy some diapers and toiletries, some second hand cookware and give it to these people. She thinks that she would not enjoy a regular vacation when she could be doing something to help those hurting people.

Okay, so if SHE can think about how to help - she, who is not anywhere near wealthy by any means - why can't some of those people who get to live in such luxury?

Maybe I'm missing something. Maybe there are wealthy people trying to help. Maybe. I don't know. Haven't heard about that, but I will try to find some examples.

Remember Mr. Diddy - from my post yesterday? Well, when he was on Ellen's show, he talked about how he likes to Twitter out "positive messages" of encouragement to his followers. Okay. He says he has over 100,000 followers on Twitter. Maybe he could send out a message about taking some positive action and helping those less fortunate. Just think, if Mr. Diddy asked each of his followers to donate at least one dollar to help the poor, that would be some serious help for those in the tent cities. Look where they could help.

I don't know. It all depresses me. It depresses me that I missed the story. It depresses me that people who didn't miss the story aren't speaking up more. It depresses me that there has to be a story. The California mess is just one of many that I am sure is happening all across the country.

Anyway, I am going to be thankful for my own blessings. I'm down about as far as I ever thought I would get, but I'm not living in a tent city. Yet.

I don't have money to give, but I can and will try to remember those people in my prayers. I will pray as much for their minds as for their bodies because I know that one of the "side effects" of a financial crisis is depression. When you get depressed, you lose a lot of the energy it takes to pull yourself back up & believe that you can help yourself.

Peace
--Free

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Cold-Blooded (or maybe not)

Got a call from my brother down in AZ. He says he was over at the unemployment office (thank God, just to give a friend a ride there and back) and saw the funniest (or saddest) thing happen. Some brother was up in there and tried to "talk" to a woman who was there in line with a friend. Apparently, this woman got a little bit offended that a man would try to pick her up in the unemployment office. My brother says she looked this man up and down and went into a Broadway act.

"Lord Jesus, I KNOW I asked You to send me a man. I KNOW I've been praying for a man to come into my life. But Lord, LORD, I didn't mean for You to send him to me from the unemployment line!"

My brother says he just about fell over trying not to laugh. And I guess when the embarrassed REJECTED man slunk off, the woman still wasn't finished with her lament. She went on and on to her girlfriend standing there about why somebody would have the nerve to be up in the unemployment office scrounging for dates.

"What can he do for me? And what can I do for him? I have kids to feed with this money. Neither one of us has a job? And he's gonna come all up on me in the unemployment line?"

My brother says that the woman finally let her girlfriend calm her down, but - DANNNNG! That's embarrassing. I mean, can you imagine? And, according to my brother, the guy didn't even leave the office - he just went over and sat in a corner trying to look innocent.

Now. First off, I wanted to laugh at the guy. But then, I started thinking: this could have been like one of the moments in a Tyler Perry movie. I mean, the guy is out of a job (obviously), but he sees an attractive woman and tries to make conversation. Could turn out that they ended up being an encouragement to each other. Could be, she's the rock that holds him steady while he gets on his feet in life.

Yeah. Right.

On the other hand, that is a little pushy. Asking someone out when you need to be concentrating on getting yourself together. I mean - the unemployment office? Really?

So, I did think it was funny (although, knowing my brother, he probably exaggerated some of the story...)

What do you think? As a man, would you ask someone out while in the unemployment office? As a woman, would you be offended? Anybody feel sorry for this guy & think this woman was a little bit harsh?

I don't know what I think. I'm still just kind of shaking my head... **uh, uh, uh** Kinda made me think of the TLC song about "I don't want your number and I don't want to give you mine."

Peace
--Free

Saturday, March 07, 2009

In The Deep

Describes just the way I'm feeling today.
Thanks, Bird York for a beautiful, beautiful song.




Thought you had
All the answers
To rest your heart upon.
But something happens,
Don't see it coming, now
You can't stop yourself.
Now you're out there swimming...
In the deep.
In the deep.

Life keeps tumbling your heart in circles
Till you... Let go.
Till you she'd your pride, and you climb to heaven,
And you throw yourself off.
Now you're out there spinning...
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep.

And now you're out there spinning...
And now you're out there spinning...
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep.

And the silence,
All your secrets will
Raise their weary heads.
Well, you can pin yourself back together,
Well, who here thought you would?
Now you're out there livin'...
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep.

In the deep...

Now you're out there spinning...
Now you're out there swimming...
Now you're out there spinning...
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep...


Sometimes, it's good to be in the deep; that's when you learn how to swim.

Friday, March 06, 2009

Not My Mama's Church

I don't know what I'd do without C&D pointing out this kind of foolishness to me. I'm still not sure if this is really a church or just somebody's creative rent party...





See, that right there is what's wrong with some churches today - not Christians and not Christ, but the churches. This is embarassing and sickening. Why not just invite Beyonce and her dancers in to do the singing while wearing something provacative? I just. don't. know. what. to. say. about. that. mess.

This makes no sense at all. None. I watched this and had to grit my teeth. I just wanted the Lord to show up right when acting a fool got so good to that choir "director." I don't know what makes me sadder - the fact that this happened or the fact that they took it so far. When did singing praise to the Lord start being about the singers glorifying themselves, or about the choir director showing her moves? And, by the way, those were some pretty sorry moves. Looked like she was having what my mother would call a 'conniption fit.' And by the other way, did that singer really believe she could sing well? Sing at all?

SMH

First of all, if they were going to put on that kind of show, those girls could have put on some good bras and girdles for that little walking-in number. All I saw (other than that really bad choreography) was bouncing titties and guts. Then, I could hear people actually laughing. Laughing like they were up in some kind of juke joint or something instead of a church.

Was this a real church? Where was the pastor or church mother or even just a regular person with some sense of reverence for a house of God?


If I am wrong - if I am being too judgemental or if I am missing anything worthy at all here, somebody let me know.

Peace
--Free

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Book Alert

Just a quickie post to shout out:

Please hit the link on the title to this post. I want you to check out the excerpt from "Stigmata" by Phyllis Alesia Perry (and remember that name!) because it is the most readable, wonderful story I have read in a long time.

Once again, here is the link to the excerpt.

Peace
--Free

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Two Traveling Angels Story

Two posts today - because I am singing because I'm happy! I finally found the angel story that I had referenced in this post. It's a nice lesson.

Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room. Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it.

When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, "Things aren't always what they seem."

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest.

When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.

The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel, "How could you have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him. The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die."

"Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied. "When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it."

"Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead. Things aren't always what they seem."

Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things don't turn out the way they should. If you have faith, you need to trust that the outcome has a purpose. You just might not know it until some time later...

Peace
--Free

We Are More Than Conquerors

 "I sing because I'm free!"

I've been on such a hard long road & I have such a long hard road ahead of me.

I am asking God to be with me as I start out on a long road of "starting again." I have worries and fears and plenty of anxiety about what life will bring, but I don't doubt God.

A while back, when I was angry about things that have happened in my life, I thought that there was no good in any of it. My mother used to say that God has a reason for everything that happens. I am just now realizing that. I'm not saying that I'm glad for the things I have been through, I'm just more aware that they have changed me for the better.

A few years ago, I was complacent and apathetic about a lot of things. I went to work, spent money, paid bills, ate more food than I needed, bought things I could have done without, and went to sleep not worrying about whether I would wake up.  I took so much for granted. I have since learned how precarious everything is: food, shelter, comfort, laying down to sleep with no known worries. I guess I'm back on the "This Too Shall Pass" thought!

When I get scared about tomorrow or even the next hour, I try to think about people who have been through the valleys and made it to the peaks to praise God from there: Maya Angelou and Tyler Perry come immediately to mind. Now I understand why Mr. Perry is so very thankful.

If you are out there, comfortable and feeling safe in your life, know this from someone who has been there: you should be ever so thankful for every single moment of peaceful rest and daily contentment that you have. Thank God every day for your blessings because it will make you stronger for anything that might come to test you.

I have been (am being) tested every moment right now, but the best way I can give glory to God is to not give up. He knows me, He knows my troubles, and I believe He is with me. I know that He won't let me get so low that I cannot get back up.

But [even] the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not be struck with fear or seized with alarm; you are of greater worth than many [flocks] of sparrows. (Luke 12:7)

My current test is to remember that His promise is for daily bread - not a week's supply or more, not a pantry full, but just daily bread.

So, the following is my favorite promise from the Bible:

Who shall ever separate us from Christ's love? Shall suffering and affliction and tribulation? Or calamity and distress? Or persecution or hunger or destitution or peril or sword? Even as it is written, For Thy sake we are put to death all the day long; we are regarded and counted as sheep for the slaughter.    Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.    For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers,   Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39)

Keep this blogger in your prayer.

Peace
--Free

Monday, February 23, 2009

Bailey Quarters

Baby, if you ever wondered, wondered what became of me...

I was watching WKRP In Cincinnati today on Hulu & something occurred to me. You know how whenever you watch a show from the 70's or 80's, you notice how not only the general fashions have changed since then, but even the way people seemed to look and act. Well, if you take a look at the character Bailey Quarters (played by Jan Smithers), you might notice that she has a look that didn't really go out of fashion. Her hair, her make-up - and even, most of the time, her clothes - would all fit in today. She was naturally pretty & didn't need a lot of make-up or hairstyling to enhance her looks. Maybe that's it.

You can see what she looked like in this pic.

Anyway, once I noticed that character, I started to really pay attention to the others. Loni Anderson's Jennifer Marlowe was, for that time period, the sexy one, but looking back, the character's look is so ...seventies.

Of course, once I got started (what can I say, I needed a 15-minute diversion from stress), I went ahead and looked for current pics of the ladies. Not many very current ones of Smithers, but from the ones I saw, she still is a beauty. What I didn't know was that she had once been married to James Brolin... Hmmm. And Loni Anderson still looks great. I mean, these ladies have to be in their 60's, right?

I checked out Gary Sandy (he played Andy Travis - remember, he had the great hair?) and he seems to have aged well too.

With all the TV Land & Nick At Nite (and Hulu and Joost), we get used to seeing these people frozen in time, playing those characters from 30-some years ago and it's hard to think of them as aging along with us. WKRP started airing the year before I graduated from high school & I KNOW I've aged (nicely, I'd like to think!), but it's still such a time-warped kind of feeling.

Just think - in 20 or 30 years, my little nieces and nephews are going to be talking like this about the Disney kids they are so into now... Time does just go on, doesn't it?

Peace
--Free

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Easy To Connect

It's amazing to me how easy the internet makes it for people to connect.

I was checking out some links for my other blog (yes, this IS a plug for Trudy's Tracks!) and I ran across the Yahoo-run MyBlogLog. (The funny thing is, I have had a Yahoo account for at least 6 years & I'd never heard of MBL.)

Anyway, while signing up for MBL, I was offered the chance to include all my other web "connections." There was a long list of sites - Twitter, Blogger, Facebook, etc - that, if I was a member of them, I could show that on MBL for others to connect with me. Like I said, there were the usual, well-known sites listed, but there were a bunch of other sites I'd never heard any word of: Bebo, Bright Kite, Dopplr... It's a long list. There was even an alternative to Twitter (Google's Jaiku).

Of course, I checked out the sites and added links to them over on Tracks, but I am still kind of amazed at the variety. If you are searching for real estate - there's a site. If you want to share your travel tracks - there's a site. If you are a DJ and want to be listed in a directory - there's a site for that too. If you want to list a product or service, share stuff you find online, network with gamers, or if you want to help people out with micro loans - there are sites out there for ya. It just goes to show, if you have an interest in something, you can always find other people with the same bent. The web just makes it nice & easy for us all to connect.

One of the sites that really caught my eye was Shelfari - a networking community for book lovers. Wow.

Anyway, I just wanted to give you a heads up about the kinds of things you will find over at Tracks.

Peace
--Free

Friday, February 20, 2009

Talking About In The Nick of Time (happy endings)

Just when I was thinking what a miracle it was for a woman to be saved from gunshot by her dang hairweave... I was so happy for this guy. He was in a coma and about to have his life support turned off - just before he woke up...

Wowwww.

Nothing else to say about this one really except I spotted it on my Google Reader and then discovered a site called News Monster. An interesting site, this one. Along with the coma rescue story, I noticed one about Hitler connection to the occult (yeah - big surprise there, huh?) and links for other "weird" news. You might want to give the site a look-over.

Ann Coulter Is Worrisome

I watched Joy Behar's interview of Ann Coulter on Larry King Live. I'm not sure what hits me wrong about ol' Annie. Well, actually, it's that so much about her is wrong or somehow "off." As I listened to her, some things flashed through my mind:

1. She does not really take herself seriously. She does what she does for the status and the money and the thrill of it all.

2. If she'd been born in a different time, she might have been a Hitler mistress or one of the plantation women who hated and lusted after the slaves.

3. She takes herself seriously. (That right there frightens me.)

4. If she woke up changed into one of the types of people she likes to criticize (let's say, black or Jewish or a 911 widow - ooh, or maybe a single mother) she'd never be able to survive the hardships they all have.

5. She is ignorant in morals and compassion while being book-smart. (And there really is a difference in being "book-smart" and intelligent.)

6. She is dangerous.

7. She has a hard time admitting any truth that does not fit with her opinions.

Yeah, so... I thank God that Annie is at least well-known because undercover haters can do a lot more damage.

Here's the interview I saw:

Embedded video from CNN Video


Peace
--Free

Thank You, BLOGGER GUIDE!!!

Just a quickie post to thank the the dude over at The Blogger Guide. What a life-saver.

I needed to widen the columns of my blogs - Being Free & Lotta Laughs. Well, this is no easy trick if you are a ME and have not a tech bone in your body... I went right over to Blogger Guide and he had the instructions (blessedly dummy-proof!) for changing the width of both templates (I use a Minima on one & a Scribe on the other) AND, get this: if I hadn't found the details for the templates I do have, I could email him for more. Whatta guy! Whatta nice, nice (and SMART) guy.

So, a big Thank you to The Blogger Guide Guy (BGG). He's the second person on my Tech-Hero list (Kim Komando was the very first).

If you need to fiddle with your blog, I suggest you go over and check out BGG. He's got info on adding and changing columns, customizing colors & fonts, and all kinds of other stuff to either jazz up your blog, promote it or keep track of what's happening with it. Go on over there and get schooled by the best!

Peace
--Free

Thankful

A while back I heard the story of 2 traveling angels. They stayed one night with a poor but nice family who were having a lot of troubles & spent another night with a wealthier and not-so-nice family who also had troubles. The junior angel was puzzled that the senior angel helped the wealthy family and not the poor family. The senior angel explained that things are not always as they seem and the poor family turned out in the end being blessed most of all. I don't really remember the story better than that, but I did get the lesson. Sometimes we should realize that the very things that annoy us are really blessings. My niece Gwennie sent me an email with the following that illustrates that very nicely:

I am thankful for the wife
who says it's hot dogs tonight,
because she is home with me
& not out with someone else

For the husband
who is on the sofa being a couch potato,
because he is home with me
& not out at the bars

For the teenager
who is complaining about doing dishes,
because it means she is at home
& not on the streets

For the taxes
I pay,
because it means I am employed

For the mess
to clean after a party,
because it means I have
been surrounded by friends

For the clothes
that fit a little too snug,
because it means
I have enough to eat

For my shadow
that watches me work,
because it means
I am out in the sunshine

For a lawn
that needs mowing,
windows that need cleaning,
& gutters that need fixing,
because it means
I have a home

For all the complaining
I hear about the government,
because it means
we have freedom of speech

For the parking spot
I find at the far end of the parking lot,
because it means
I am capable of walking
& I have been blessed with transportation

For my huge heating bill,
because it means
I am warm

For the lady
behind me in church
who sings off key,
because it means I can hear

For the weariness & aching muscles
at the end of the day,
because it means
I have been capable of working hard

For the alarm
that goes off in the early morning hours,
because it means I am alive

And
I am thankful
for the crazy people
I work with,
because they make working interesting & fun!

And, finally,
for too much email,
because it means
I have friends who are thinking of me


P.S.: I even like the tags at the bottom of the email. One reads: "Live well, laugh often & love with all of your heart!" The other reads: "Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is SERIOUS!" (I may have to take one of these as my blog motto!)

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Genevieve (she's a dog, people!) & Gizmo (he a dog, too)

My niece has had her shitzhu, Gizmo, for a few years. He's a character, truly. He is the only dog I know that 1) "talks" back (he does this little bark/yowl thing when you are fussing at him) and, 2) can sit straight up on his butt for the longest time (this is usually when he is trying to beg you out of something). He's a little piece of my heart.
 
Gizmo has been an only pet for all this time, so when Gabby - my niece - got another shitzhu, Gizmo was wary - but he's trying to be nice:




Giz is the bigger, lighter-colored pup. Genna is the little brat acting like she doesn't want Giz sharing HIS bed with HER...

Genevieve (Genna, for shorts) is also a character. For one thing, she looks really sweet and timid - but she's NOT. The first time Gabby brought her over, she looked so lost and helpless (you know, getting used to the big fam and the other dogs and a cat) that you just thought, "Awwwww..." Yeah. Until one of the dogs tried to take away her treat.

You do not want to tick off this little doggie. But she is a cutie:

 
  
  
See what I mean? "Awwwwww..."


Anyway, Gabs has been going through all the minor adjustments of having a second dog in her home. Genna and Giz have their jealousy issues, they compete for Gab's attention and the toys, etc. Genna is pretty opinionated & if you think a dog can't be opinionated, you will understand when you see this pic Gab sent me the other day. She had just bathed Genna and the subject of the email the pic came with said it all: "She's pissed":


I love it.

Poor Gabby.

Showmanship vs Salvation

I saw this over at C&D and I thought it was going to be a little bit humorous. Shame on me.

I'm not sure how I feel about this "sermon." I mean, there is a message and their seems to be a lot of sincerity, but... Does it really take all that? I grew up going to the Holiness church, so I'm used to the style of preaching, but when they rolled that casket out... and then when he made his "re-entrance," all I could wonder was, was he preaching to reach people for Christ, or was he just showing out? (Imagine the conversations later when people are talking about how he "Sure did preach today!")

Lately, I've been through some major stuggles and changes in my life. I have been crying out to God and literally putting my face to the floor in prayer. When I see this over-the-top kind of theatrical preaching, I'm thinking that's not what people need in these tough times. People need a pastor who is touching them in a way that matters to their situation. If I'd been sitting in that congregation, I'd probably have wanted him to stop all that carrying on and just put his hand on my head in prayer. Or preach about getting through trials. All that acting out that he did would have probably sent my nerves right over the last edge. We have to start getting real here, folks, times are really rough and souls are in pain - even Christian souls - and if I want a show, I can go to a movie. Church is for faith and strength and encouragement to hold out in this race we are in.

I know that some of you are going to think I'm being too critical, and maybe I am. I just don't know how this one makes me feel. Take a look for yourself.



Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Lotta Laughs

I am just such a glutton for punishment. I had an old defunct blog (actually, I never posted anything on it!) and I deleted it today. Could I leave well enough alone? Nooooo, not your girl. So, I replaced it with a new one. This makes, what? My second new blog in a week?? Yeah.

Anyway, the new blog is Lotta Laughs. Because I always find something hilarious when I am darting all over the web. Lord knows, in these rough times, we can all use more laughter. So. Skip over and check out the new spot. I found a new fave blog to visit: Cake Wrecks (you'll love these guys) and I put in a nod or two at a couple of blogs that poke fun at celebs.

Please enjoy. Oh, and check out a site called Feedjit. I love that they feature blogs regionally. I found some gems over there today.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Words By Maya, Lesson By Life

I do so love Maya Angelou - she and Countee Cullen are two of my favorite poets. I ran across a piece Maya's poem, "Alone" the other night:

Lying, thinking
Last night
How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty


Wow - "Where water is not thirsty." That made me think of Heaven and the promise of faith. (It's even better when recited by a skilled reader.)

And, in the mood I've been in lately, there is this one by Pablo Neruda, "Clenched Soul."

We have lost even this twilight.
No one saw us this evening hand in hand
while the blue night dropped on the world.


Indeed.

But I will go back to the main source of real comfort. 2 Peter 3:10-11, 10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will vanish (pass away) with a thunderous crash, and the [[a]material] elements [of the universe] will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up.

I've heard it said that this was the inspiration for the following poem.

This, Too, Shall Pass Away
Author: Lanta Wilson Smith

When some great sorrow, like a mighty river, Flows through your life with peace-destroying power And dearest things are swept from sight forever, Say to your heart each trying hour: "This, too, shall pass away."
When ceaseless toil has hushed your song of gladness, And you have grown almost too tired to pray, Let this truth banish from your heat its sadness, And ease the burdens of each tring day: "This, too, shall pass away."
When fortune smiles, and, full of mirth and pleasure, The days are flitting by without a care, Lest you should rest with only earthly treasure, Let these few words their fullest import bear: "This, too, shall pass away."
When earnest labor brings you fame and glory, And all earth's noblest ones upon you smile, Remember that life's longest, grandest story Fills but a moment in earth's little while: "This, too, shall pass away."

Beautiful. This, too, truly shall pass. Thank You, Father.

Peace
--Free

Monday, February 16, 2009

New Site O' Mine

I can't believe I didn't mention it here (or maybe I did & in my recent state of craziness, I don't remember), but I have yet another site.

The new site is called Trudy's Tracks & it's nothing but links. I created it because the most popular posts I did on this site was one filled with links for writers. When I created BLinks, I didn't get the same kind of response & I figured it's because the links got lost in the posts I would do. So. I created the new site with very little posting and just a ton of links under various categories. Of course, the biggest set of links are for writers and researchers (since that is still my main love), but I included a bunch of stuff for other interests.

There are links for doing cool stuff with your PC (like tweaking some functions or getting free protection), shopping (so far, a lot of cosmetics, but a bunch of bargain sites and some tech sites too), some of my fave blogs, and lots of other stuff, including networking sites for us "older" folks.

The site is turning out to be a lot of fun for me. I get to share links of all the various places I seem to run across all the time and, of course, I am forcing myself to discover things that I might not have otherwise. One of the more interesting categories I worked on was for the networking sites. Like a lot of people in my age group, I knew about the Facebook/MySpace sites, but I was surprised to find that there are similar sites geared to different interests. I found sites for Baby Boomers and people looking to hook into family... Oh! And I added some genealogical sites. That was another favorite category.

Right now I am working on transferring some of the sites listed on BLinks over to Tracks. Eventually, I will be deleting the BLinks blog. Let's face it, I have way more blogs than I have time to deal with them! And it's not like I get a bunch of traffic on them. I figure if I concentrate on the content of one or two blogs, I will get more response because of the better content. Makes sense, right? Right!

Anyway, try to get over and take a look. Probably I need to change the headings of some categories, but I'll get to that later. For now, just browse through and check some out at random.

Peace
--Free

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Alone-ness

I thought that marriage was going to mean never feeling alone. You know - even at the worst of times, financial, emotional, worry, joy, tears, laughter - all that would be shared. I thought that being married meant having someone who understood you better than anyone had since you were a child & your mother could tell your mood just by glancing at you. I thought that I would feel somehow more complete.

I don't think I have ever felt more alone than since I got married.

When I was single, I never really felt alone. I guess because I realized I was single & didn't have the expectations of a married woman. I had friends and family and my writing - and that was all I counted on. But to count on another person only to be disappointed... I guess that's what the saying "You don't miss what you never had" means - except in my case it would be, "You don't miss what you never hoped for."

Now, these days, I often contemplate leaving my marriage so that I can be more fulfilled. Or at least have a reason for feeling lonely.

Wow.

But I am trying to hold on just a little bit longer. Mostly because I take my marriage vows so seriously, but partly because I am afraid of leaving just when things might actually get good & marriage might just become what I had hoped.

Isn't the mind a funny thing?

Peace
--Free

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Rescued on Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day almost sucked, but then a friend sent a poem written just for me.

Self-esteem is such a huge part of human survival. Lately, my feelings of worth have taken such a beating that I sometimes can't remember how joyful I used to be; how beautiful I used to feel. So I am very grateful that there is at least one person out there who cared today.

Thank you (& you know who you are).

Peace
--Free

Monday, February 09, 2009

I Can't Stop Myself

I've gone and done it again. I have another - yes, ANOTHER - blog.

I wanted to improve on my concept of offering useful links. My BLinks blog wasn't feeling right to me. Now I have Trudy's Tracks (and, yes, I know I need to improve on the name; I'll keep working on that. In the meantime, tho, I am really pleased with the content.

Check it out HERE and then let me know if you have suggestions for more links or categories.

I believe that fellow writers and researchers are going to like the new blog.

Peace
--Free

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Christian Bale Needs to Get a Grip (No matter what Whoopi says)

Apparently, Joy Behar has more common sense than Whoopi on ths subject of Christian Bale. The ladies discussed that maniac's rant & Whoopi had this to say: “If I have to jump out of character to tell you something you should know?” Goldberg later continued. “You’re in a zone and it’s crazy.”

Yeah, it's crazy all right because it's just a movie!

You can try to defend Bale all you want, Whoopi, but he's still a jerk. And if you think what he did was okay, then you're buying into a whole selfish argument that being an artist comes before being human. When anyone behaves the way Bale did, what they are saying is, "I am so important that I can disregard being mature or decent or in control of my temper. I am important, damnit."

In a zone, my a**. He's in a fog of his own ego dust.  He should try getting out of his zone and realizing that his "zone" doesn't over-ride anyone else's zone.

Whoopi, Bale acted like a jerk. You are being silly when you try to defend his behavior by calling him an "artist." Like artists cannot be expected to behave decently. And you have the nerve to talk about being "professional"... C'mon, that's such a joke. What Bale should do is put himself into the shoes of the guy he went off on. What if that guy had things going on in his life (and not just his "art") that Bale didn't know about? What if when Bale's rant came on a bad day for this guy and made him feel more depressed or despaired or worthless than he may already have been feeling?

I don't know about you guys out there, but I've had days where a smile or decent word from someone (even a stranger) is the only thing that kept me going for a while longer. I've also had days where I was really feeling good only to have a Bale-like jerk be rude and ruin my sunshine.

Here's what I want to know: does Bale just have anger and control issues? I think I remember hearing about his bad temper from other incidents. Hmmm... Maybe he was just being a professional then too - no, wait, the last time I heard about him going off, it had to do with his family. Want to explain that one, Whoopi?