"Life's A Garden, Dig It"

Okay, I don't get it, but if you think you look good, or your S.O. finds you irresistible, well, more power to you.

I saw one. The mullet. Not just the mullet, but the whole 'Joe Dirt' ensemble. And it was for real.

It was a real beaut, too. Short in front, flowing to long curly locks in the back. He wore a skin tight uniform with the sleeves rolled up.

For you, man, I give you a 'Thingy' for being so brave and following your own head music.

Rock on.

*Joe Dirt quote/ Joe Dirt aka David Spade

See Ya

Well, this will be my last post for a few days. I will leave you with bits of my brain matter, though.

I just finished the true account of one George James Grinnell and his trip way up North that did not end well. The fact that two of his children died almost 30 years later attempting the same route makes the tale truly harrowing. Grinnell comes from a long line of mucky mucks and thieves. He himself confesses that his great grand pappies got their money in the slave trade biz and from other nefarious deeds.

There is a Glacier named after one of the Grinnell's. (One of the good Grinnell's, I think) And that is where we find Jack Hanna and his wife, hiking along the trail when they come face to face with Mama Grizzly and her two cubs. Mama saunters off, but one of the cubs comes straight towards the group of hikers and that's when Hanna pepper sprays the dumb kid and he runs off to Mama. I always thought Hanna was a bit of a jinx. Bad things always seem to happen around him. But, he also seems to somehow survive to tell the tale. If I was ever invited to join him on one of his trips, I'm not sure If I'd go. That luck has got to run out eventually.

Speaking of trips. I'm tripping over this. A fourteen year old girl has been given the go ahead to sail around the world, solo. WTF!? I'm sorry, but truly, I think this is bad parenting to say the least. She lives with dad who thinks it's a great idea and he wants everyone to know it was her idea, not his. Uh, hell0... who's the adult here? By the way, her boat/yacht has a cartoon character painted on the side and her boat is named, 'Guppy.' Jeez.

And speaking of dads... I get mighty peeved when I hear people "ooh" and "aah" when they find out a single man is raising his kids. Big fucking deal. It's what he should be doing. Women have been doing it for eons. I just don't get that. He's not a hero. Maybe that's the problem, not enough men step up to the plate when mom is out of the picture. I recall 'Doris' telling me about her future hubby who was widowed when his very young wife died of cancer. She left behind a grieving man and a toddler. Dad dropped off the child for his parents to raise and that seemed quite the okay thing to do. Bull hockey. I never did like him after that.

Okay, I guess I'll see you when I see you. : )

Aaaaaoooooowwww

Oh, I love a full moon. So pretty. I can picture the boys- Kerouac, Gingsburg and Cassady flying high, looking for the next thrill, the next bed mate- always in search of something I don't think they ever found.

Let's howl.

The Rawng Way Of Life?

I was fifteen when I found the ad in the back of a magazine. 'Miracle diet, customized for you!' Six weeks later I had my list, along with some magic pills, which suspiciously tasted like Communion wafers. The diet consisted of one hot dog for dinner. I can't recall what I had for breakfast and lunch. It wasn't enough, I do know that.

I thought of food all day long. I wrote down recipes and salivated over photos of food as I cut and pasted them in a notebook. Oh, glorious food!

My fad diet ended when I was in the kitchen ironing a blouse, and I could feel myself going down. It wasn't one one those slumping girly faints. I fell back like a steel tower. I was truly lucky the hot iron didn't tumble with me and even luckier that mom wasn't the violent type.

After that I stayed away from fad diets. A friend who wanted to lose some weight for an upcoming wedding went on the maple syrup, pepper and gahd knows what else was in it,, until she fit into her size six dress. Of course she gained all the weight back and then some. And a woman from work was going to go on the cabbage soup diet, but my snickering may have put a kibosh on that.

I have heard a snicker or two because of my choice not to eat meat. I never insisted that my daughter follow my choice, but she did. We were once at a family gathering and a distant relative overheard our conversation about being vegetarians. This relative accused me of child abuse and told me she would find a way to get my daughter to eat meat before she left.

Things are better, acceptance wise and choice wise since I changed my ways, over fifteen years ago. There are diets and then there are ways of life. I knew someone who would only eat raw food. Okay, it's her decision and she seemed healthy. She also never sermonized to others about their eating habits.

I was reading the Wiki bit about Aajonus Vonderplanitz who eats raw meat and eggs. He limits his intake of fruit to just one a day. He's been doing this for 30+ years and seems healthy, so who am I to judge? Maybe, he has found what his body needs to survive.

Our bodies obviously adjust and evolve according to what we eat. Our jaws and mouths are much smaller. Our stomachs have shrunk and our small intestine has grown longer due to the omnivorous way of life.

So maybe it's true what they say: "What doesn't kill us, makes us stronger."

Who is "they" anyway?

*Photo by Roboppy

Nice Place To Run To

Speaking of France...

Lord Help The Sister

They're on the run in France. No, not the Tour de France, but the running of the nuns.

Seems three nuns were going to be sent to a nursing home after years of dedication to the man above. They snuck out and two have yet to be found. Unfortunately, Sister number three fell and broke her hip. Aaw.

Go sisters, go.

MacThingy

It's not like I'm in the Barrens of B.C., or living in a remote cabin in Montana. There is a store for every need within walking distance, but maybe I'm just lazy, or perhaps, I'm the female MacGyver. If I don't have the right tool for the job, I'll look around for something that could work; something really close by. I have used rocks to pound in nails. I have used toe nail clippers to cut plastic tags. I have even used an old ashtray as a drinking vessel, cause...it was there.

I once lost a wheel from my electric lawn mower. Yeah, I was already a freak cause I dragged a long cord around the yard to mow my lawn. An old discarded Big Wheel tire worked pretty fine, if I say so myself. Hey, the neighbors already thought I was nuts. I didn't mind bringing some entertainment to their dull lives.

If I need cream for my coffee, Oops, no cream, no milk? Why, vanilla ice cream will do. When my last Barbie band-aid had been used, a little toilet paper and tape worked okay.

And speaking of toilet paper... napkins, paper towels sanitary napkins, whatever works. I'm not proud.

I was just thinking about this, because of my paintings. I have not counted them, but I do know I was not going to lug each and every canvas, framed print or fabulous work of art down one flight of steps, then up another flight of steps, one frame at a time. I had to give it some thought and there it was... the cloth bags from the grocery store. I just cut them on each side and voila!, a handy carry-all for at least three to five objets d' art.

As MacGyver once said, "There always seems to be a way to fix things."

Don't I know it.

Honey, I'm Going To Menard's For A Gallon of Milk

I think it's a Chevy Impala, but I could be wrong.

Speaking of wrong- groceries in a hardware store? Hmm...

You know what else is wrong? Well, I'll tell you. Perfectly able bodied young women who park in a handicapped zone. I did notice she had a hard time walking, but that may have been from wearing three inch cork sandals.

Falling From Graceland

Eeewwww.

The Leslie Hindman Auctioneers had planned to auction off a few items allegedly used in Elvis' autopsy. An embalmer, who wishes to remain anonymous, claims he kept (stole) the toe tag and some embalming needles.

Due to some choice words by those who thought it was an incredibly bad idea, the items have been removed. Hindman Auctioneers expected to get between $4,000 and $8,000 for the gruesome memorabilia.

Hindman once autioned off a lock of the king's hair for $18,000 and a syringe used in Abe Lincoln's last moments, for $10,000.

I'm not sure who is creepier, the auction house for selling items or the people who bid on this stuff...or the bad people who steal items, thinking it may make them rich one day.

Ugh.

On another note. I noticed a blogger that I have followed has called it quits and has shut down her site. I'm sorry to see her go. She was a terrific writer and lover of Elvis and music and words and family. So long, BB. Thanks for sharing with us. : )

*Graceland

Watery Tales

I hear the roofers working on fixing the leak. I have a nice chunk of plaster coming off of the bedroom ceiling. Mother Nature is partly to blame. Wisconsin got 7.5 inches of rain in two hours.

I love this photo. Somewhere down there is an Escalade, and a bunch of guys have just got to look. Yesterday, a co-worker was so excited cause he was taking a plane in the morning to spend a week in Cancun. Sigh. The airport became a lake, so all flights were cancelled. Darn you, mother.

This guy is a joke. Il. Congressman, Mark Kirk has been caught lying about his military career, yet he still continues to engage in fairy tales. When Kirk was sixteen he took out a sailboat and it capsized in the lake. He claims his temperature dropped to 82 degrees, yet he managed to swim a mile in 42 degree water temperature. He then claims he watched the sun set while he waited to be rescued and when the Coast Guard finally rescued him (30 minutes later) it was a life changing experience.

First of all, hypothermia sets in at 95 degrees. At 82 degrees, he would not be doing any swimming, or much of anything. Records show Kirk was treated and released that same day. A witness states it was afternoon, not dark, when Kirk capsized and was then rescued. Kirk now states, well, he thought about the sun setting while he was fully secured to a flotation device in the water. Laugh.

They have a seat for you at the Liar's Club, Mr. Kirk.

*Photo by AP *Kirk source/Chi-Trib.

Yes, Yes! Okay, Go Away Now

Hey, it's Friday already! That seemed to go by too quickly. Last night it rained so hard, the roof leaked. The rain is not going to give us any relief from the heat, though. Anyway....

Perry is blooming. I see a large crowd has not gathered. Meh.

Was it good for you?

Lee and Millie

I wish I knew more about this drawing. While packing, I found this under my bed, where I had kept unframed prints and dust bunnies. I bought this at an antique store for about $10. I have no idea if it's authentic, but the paper is very brittle and it does have a date of Sept. 11, 1929- One month before 'Black Tuesday,' the day some analysts say was the beginning of the Great Depression. I'm not going to get into the hows and whys of what happened. Frankly, scholars and far more educated people than myself cannot seem to agree on what went wrong back then.

I wonder about this couple, Lee Henry Abegg and Millie Wrench. They were just beginning a new life together. Did their love for each other get them through or was the hardship and struggle too much to endure? Perhaps they sat at the supper table in silence, wondering if they would have food for a next supper. Or, maybe while they ate, they shared secrets and just didn't care about what was happening out there.

They were dark days. I want to believe they made it through together, and when life became a bit easier, I hope they looked back and smiled because they knew they were the fortunate ones. Lee Henry and Millie had each other, and that was enough.

He's Shy

WTF!? Perry refuses to unfold for the masses. Laugh. I like how the brains over there seem to have given up on predicting an actual time. The site now states, Friday! or maybe later...

Are you as excited as I am? Tee-hee.

Aim, Fire...Oops

Hey, Ann Coulter says that Andrew Breitbart is a victim. He was given false and edited evidence used to try to cause some serious shit.

Well, okay, I don't hear any apology to Ms. Sherrod from Andrew.

After all, Tom Vilsack apologized for believing some right wing blogger over his own employee.

Looks like no one likes to do homework.

The Banded, the Pinned and the Stuffed

Okay, this is all hearsay, cause I heard it from a friend of a friend who found a pigeon that seemed to be lost (fill in your own thoughts on how she would know that) She noticed the bird had a band around its leg and perhaps had an important message to get to (fill in your own guess as to whom that might be for) She took it to the veterinarian who thought she wanted to be rid of said bird (you know what I mean) She said something like, (------) No! She just wanted to know how to get the bird back to where it came from.

Well, I don't know any more about that (fill in adjective on how you feel) but I do know there was an amazing pigeon named Cher Ami who saved the lives of over 200 men in WWI.

October 4th, 1918- 500 men were trapped and surrounded by the German army. On that day, almost 300 men were killed. Messages were sent out via pigeons giving their location. Unfortunately, the 77th Infantry Division was also being attacked from their own side. They were down to one pigeon, Cher Ami. The message that was written: "We are along road parallel to 276.4 Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven's sake, stop it."

The story becomes hazy on whether Cher Ami was wounded on that flight, but he did sustain many injuries during his valiant tour of duty. He lost an eye, was shot, and even lost a leg.

He did receive a medal from the French and for his bravery, 'Dear friend' was stuffed, and now, is somewhere in the Smithsonian, in Washington, D.C.

*Did you really want to see a stuffed, one legged bird?

**Wiki source, of course.

Void

As long as I'm doing updates, I just read that Roddee Daniel's will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Daniel's was fifteen when he broke into his neighbor's home while she slept, to steal a jar of coins and an X-box. He could have left after that. Instead, he walked into Capri Walker's bedroom and beat her to death with a baseball bat.

He has no remorse. He has no human feelings at all.

At seventeen, kids are going on first dates, thinking about college, planning trips. A future.

Daniel's will be nothing but a burden to society.

Brrrffffpppp...copy

One thing I hate about the TV series 'Cops' is that they never update us on what happened to the 'perps.'

I wanna know. It happens with news stories all the time. I'll never know if there was a happy ending or a sad conclusion.

I do have a few updates. Just a few things I've written about in previous posts.

I am so glad to hear that Will Philips has many supporters over his refusal to say the Pledge of Allegiance until gays are allowed to marry legally, and are afforded the same rights as any married couple. He has won numerous awards (including the Thingy) and was Grand Marshal in the NWA Pride Parade last June, in Fayetteville, Ar.

Good on ya, Will.

Here, I see that Constance McMillen has won a $35,000 settlement from her high school district. She only wanted to go to the prom with her significant other, who happened to be of the same gender. She was told not to bother coming to the prom. It got nasty in Mississippi. The school district finally promised to have a prom, which turned out to be a sham. The real party was held elsewhere. Constance had to finally move because of the viciousness from former students and parents. She plans to use the money to further her education and I wish her well. She deserved a whole lot more and I don't mean monetarily.

Lily and Hope. What a strange, and to me, sad turn of events. Lily deserted Hope when she was only four months old. For six weeks, Hope managed to survive on her own. (with a little help from the researchers) There have been a few false reunions, and then Lily would take off again, leaving a confused and bereft little bear on her own. As of this morning, they are together, but... I keep telling myself to stay clear of that mamadrama. It's too heartbreaking. But, I'm a mother. I worry.

What else.... Oh, Perry will let loose, Thursday. If you really want a full sensory effect, take out a package of hamburger and leave it in the sun for a day, then put it front of your monitor while Perry blooms. Glorious. : )

U R Palooney

Sarah and I do have one thing in common. We make up words and both of us could use a good editor. In any event, it's the message that one is trying to convey that is ultimately important.

I happened to tune into John William's radio show in time to listen to his guest, Ahmed Rehab respond to Palin's tweets, and her fears of having a Mosque so close to Ground Zero.

Before Rehab spoke, William's noted how odd for Palin to tweet about such a controversial and grave subject with abbreviations and made up words. He thought perhaps she could have used a better means of communication to get her message out.

Ahmed Rehab is the Executive Director of the Council of American-Islamic Relations. (CAIR) Although, I have never heard of him prior to this, he is a media activist who has been a guest on many of the political pundit's shows, trying to get the word out that not all Muslims are terrorists. In fact, it is such a small number, yet, there is such anger aimed towards hard working, law abiding people who strive for the same dreams and goals as everyone else. ( I highly recommend that you listen to the very short interview at WGN radio.)

At this point, I am not frightened by Palin's rhetoric, but I am very troubled that many Americans give this woman credence and her words any merit.

If the day comes when she is elected to a higher office... Oh, yes, I will be very afraid. But, I will not run, I will not leave. I will never be as articulate as Ahmed Rehab, but, I do have a message to get out, too.

'Here Comes The Sun'

Well, they were no Bread, but I hear they were pretty good. There is even a live cam of Abbey Road.

*On Earthcam, of course.

I Believe In Rainbows And Loooaugh...

I never pass judgement on someone's musical tastes. My own musical tastes tend to change over the years. I cringe when I think of all the hours I spent listening to "Such profound lyrics."

In my now daily activity of moving my "stuff" from one place to another, I had to walk around two young guys who were doing some tuckpointing. They must have had an oldies radio station on, or perhaps they found mom and dad's old stash of cassettes.

Of course I recognized the song. I once played it over and over and...

'Heeeey, have you ever tried

Really reaching for the other side?

I may be climbing on rainbows

But, baby here goes'

Yeah, they hit me hard, those words. It could be that I still believed in possibilities, still believed there was one someone out there for me.

I don't anymore. We grow up and learn life's lessons, and songs we once cherished and cried to, have no meaning anymore. Kind of sad in a way. It's like letting go of a friend.

As I moved my belongings and listened to David pour out his heart, I had to laugh. It was becoming downright fucking annoying, but the guys seemed to like it. I didn't see anyone reach over to shut it off. It could be cause they still believed. Laugh. Oops, no judgement.

And if I chose the one

I'd like to help me through

I'd like to make it with you

Sigh...

(Yes, that was my Peter Frampton poster)

You'll Like This

Usually waiting-in-line conversations are pretty boring. The baggers can still be relied on to entertain, but they are slowly becoming an extinct species.

As I waited in line today at, yes, another trip to get some forgotten item, I listened to the conversation behind me. A young girl only had one item and the elderly man behind her made some comment to her that she should head on over to the self check-out lane. She was very polite and sweet and told him she always has trouble with the automated machines. He then asked her how old she was, which I thought was none of his business, but what the heck, I was

eavesdropping myself. She laughed and said she was twenty-six. He then told her she looked to be about twelve. I think about this time she became a tad creeped out by the guy. I know I was, but I heard her softly laugh in reply. I then heard him ask her if she paid her credit card off each month? I turned back to look at the guy and noticed he was practically nose to nose with this girl. Well, he would have been, except she was trying to turn her back on the guy without being rude. She truly seemed to be a very nice girl and as I looked at him, it dawned on me that he knew she was sweet and vulnerable and for some reason needed to chip away at her goodness.

A certain blogger, who shall remain nameless, hinted that I tend to interject my own assumptions about how others are feeling or what they are thinking about in a given moment.

Guilty as charged.

He wanted to make her uncomfortable and he succeeded.

I'm assuming.

Taking the Bullet

I don't go back this far, but who hasn't heard of Roy and Trigger? Of course, there were rumors... but, Rogers seemed like a genuinely nice guy who could love his wife and his horse.

The Roy and Dale, Branson, Mo. museum closed in 2009 and most of the items were sold at Christie's the other day for a very good sum of money.

Trigger was sold for $266,000 and Bullet the dog, sold for $35,000. They are going to a new home in local cable. As Roy's shows are played, Trigger and Bullet will be standing in the background. Kind of weird, but weirder things happen in life.

The saddle went for $386,000. Dang.

I forgot to see who is getting all this money. It's not about the money anyway.

It's about a man and his horse and... oh, yeah, Dale.

'Baby Come On Home'

You have five minutes to go back in time. You cannot change anything. You will see it as it was.

What will it be?

I feel the rough bark against my arm and feel something crawl across my leg as I peer into our back yard. As I look down, I see my mother coming home from work. She doesn't know that I am spying on her. She looks tired, but as I shout and wave to her, I see her look around, then up. For a moment I think she might yell at me, but she smiles and waves, then walks into the house. I hear Tommy yelling for his ma and laugh as Mrs. H. tells him to shut up. I see mom come out of the house and take down the laundry. The smell of flour and frying chicken mingle and mix together and my stomach rumbles for something other than grandma's raspberries that I have stolen from her garden. I watch as G. burns rubber as he makes the turn for home, his car radio blaring a song from some band called Ledzeflin. I hear Mrs. P. cough and greet G. and I want to go home. I want to see my mom.

On second thought, let's leave it as we remember it.

*Google is good. *Title from Led.

Suicide Is Not Painless

Even in these troubled times, I have never thought of ending my life. It's just not an option.

There are two recent suicides I have heard about in the last few days. One, was the Coppell, Texas mayor who killed her daughter, then herself. She did leave a note and her decision may have been due to the fact her home was going into foreclosure. I guess she saw no other option. In the note she asked that her dogs be taken care of. Too bad she didn't afford the same thought to her child. I'm sorry she could no longer fight the fight, but, I will never understand how you can put a bullet to the head of your own baby.

The other incident hit closer to home. I never met the man, but I had seen him a few times walking his dog. He had been laid-off last year and because he was an older man with specific work related skills, jobs were not forthcoming. He was going to lose his home. I talked to someone who knew him and she said he seemed fine, as if he knew it would eventually come to this. His family must have known he was in dire straits and as they were driving down to give comfort to him, he was heading their way, up to the family cottage, where he took a gun and held it to his chest and pulled the trigger.

I know some believe suicide to be a crime and a sin, even when people are in extreme pain, either physically or emotionally. I get it and pass no judgement on those who know there will never be a new door, a new drug, a new life for them. I do wish those who have gone through this awful, horrific time in our Country can hold on.

But, if you have made your decision, please think about those you leave behind and if you plan to kill yourself, then let go and leave the ones you love, behind. They will mourn your loss, but they have the right to a life. You have no right to take theirs.

We're Not In Kansas

I was actually looking to find out the weather down under. I thought it would cool me off. I found this cam of the Rundle Mall in Adelaide. I only know that Adelaide has a lot of churches and a wicked women's roller derby team. I see people with coats and jackets... and, is that the Tin Man?

Hmm... so, 16c = about 60F. Is that about right, mate?

Send 'Em Back Where They Came From

The Victoria Museum is serious about keeping its ecosystem intact.

Smugglers tried to bring Tarantulas into Australia.

No way, no how.

The spiders are still there, but even James Bond might have difficulty getting inside.

There are three separate keyed locks between staff and spiders.

Only a handful of the staff have access to the spider room.

All surfaces in the spider room are painted white and every crack and crevice is sealed.

Even the spider waste is frozen to kill any parasites the spiders may have.

There is a live cam if you'd like to view them, but I don't have the right app/plug-in, myself, to see it.

It's not that Australia doesn't have spiders. They certainly do, and some can make you quite ill. If you run into the brown house spider and he bites you, you might become sick, get a headache and/or have blistering around the bite. Or, you may be A-okay.

The Golden Orb spins a web that looks like gold and is so strong, small birds can get tangled in it.

The White Flower spider is kind of pretty and blends in with the flower to wait for the victim. It can also change its color to match the flower.

We do have a number of spiders in this area, I'm sorry to say. Back in the day, when I lived the married life in our cute little log cabin home, wolf spiders were my enemy. Oh, I hated the googly-eyed things. I once had a showdown with one bold spider who decided he wanted the sofa to himself. Bastard. He won.

This one makes me cringe. The jumping spider (((aaahhh))) They are pretty cute looking actually, and are very curious little things with good eyesight. They also jump. Unlike Pink, their tether is strong, just in case they need to jump back. Ugh.

I do see a lot of cellar spiders. They like dark places and are pretty fragile. If they feel threatened, they will start to vibrate in their raggedy little webs to distract the stalker, I guess. Maybe they're the Barney Fife's of the spider world.

But, anyway, come on off that couch now, I just thought it was pretty interesting about the museum.

Me, I wouldn't take any chances with those Tarantulas. They'd be on the next boat to wherever they came from.

*Photo of Mexican Red Knee Tarantula by Dr. Patricia Jones.

"Feed Me, Seymour"

Let's see how 'Perry' is doing. Not quite. Sometime next week, he should bloom.

I love this lab. I picture Steve Martin lurking in the background.

*Quote from 'A Little Shop of Horrors.'

Kibble and Bits

Ah, Friday. Food, drink and interesting conversation...

Did you know?... Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair?

Did you know?... 23% of faulty photocopiers are due to the butt crack cracking of said copier?

Did you know?... More than 50% of people have never made or received a phone call?

Did you know?... There is a federal law that states it is illegal for citizens to approach extraterrestrials?

Did you know?... In 1879, the city officials of Belgium employed 37 cats to deliver mail? Laugh.

Well, by this time you should be fully snockered and will be ready to challenge anyone to a stare down.

Cause, did you know?... We blink about 15,000 times a day?

"And Like Goliath, They'll Be Conquered"

Somewhere down there, is a ship. Archeologists noticed the ship Tuesday morning and are now slowly trying to excavate the ship. It was most likely used as landfill to extend the shore. They have also noticed hundreds of shoes around the site.

Kind of cool, eh?

'A song will lift

As the mainsail shifts

And the boat drifts on to the shoreline

And the sun will respect

Every face on the deck

The hour that the ship comes in

Then the sands will roll

Out a carpet of gold

For your weary toes to be a touchin'

And the ship's wise men

Will remind you once again

That the whole wide world is watchin'.' -Dylan

*WTC, NYC

I Don't Want You Either

Okay, I admit, I get a little angry with certain life situations. You know, bastards who destroy the ecosystem and then seem as if it's an annoyance to have to deal with it.

And the usual suspects. Rapists, child abusers, animal abusers....

But, I am so angry with the boy's club, aka, the vatican, I don't know what to do to relieve this anger.

How fucking dare they come out strong against the fuckers who abuse children and in the same statement note that it will be a crime to allow women into the priesthood?

First of all, I don't know why any woman would want to join such a misogynistic club, but perhaps, it's because she has found god and faith and wants to spread the word of love.

They don't want you sister. Not only do they not want you, you will be punished if you are ordained.

The Rev. Robert Barron, priest and theology professor, at the University of St. Mary of the Lake, in Mundelein, says it's not an anti-woman thing. They just don't want to break tradition, or some fucking lame shit like that. You may want to check out Manya Brachear's column in the Chi-Trib. She's angry, but fortunately can keep her emotions in check.

I'm not gonna sit back and poo-poo the fuckers, then shrug my shoulders and say, "Oh, well, it's what they do."

I once loved the church. For a short time, I believed in them and their world. But there is something so wrong with these people who make up these laws that prove without a doubt in my mind that they like it the way it is. They like their dirty little secrets. They like how they can use god to fulfill their own goals.

I know many of you stand by the Catholic church; some with reservations and sorrow at what has been going on. The truth is, it's been going on forever. Only now, the victims are finally speaking out.

Is this a club you want to stand by?

Go For It

Still in the building stages, this carousel was designed and built for the Akron Zoo in Ohio.

I like Ohio. I like carousels. This one should be ready on July 31st, just in case you were wondering.

Altered States

We've had some pretty stupid laws in this state of Cheddar. I would assume most laws are for our own good, to protect us. Like this law that states: In Kenosha, no male is allowed to be in public in a state of arousal. Too bad. I've never been good at gauging a man's interest in me.

And this one: In St. Croix, a woman cannot wear red in public. Maybe only women of the night wear red. How's a man gonna figure it out? Now, he'll be accosting any woman on the streets.

Or this: If you are offensive looking, it is illegal for you to be in public during the day. I just have no clue, unless Rush Limbaugh came through town one day.

I found these on dumblaws.com. I haven't verified or double checked the validity of these laws from another source, but it would not surprise me if these were once talked about in dark chambers and voted on.

Gotta protect us from ourselves, right?

France has passed a law that bans anyone from covering their face while in public. We all know who that is aimed at. The burka wearing women and the men who like their women covered up.

I am all for people being allowed to do what they want as long as no one is hurt and it is their choice. Is the burka a woman's idea, her choice? If a woman wants to stick plastic in her body, it's her choice, right? A baby has no choice when he is circumcised, yet, it is a perfectly acceptable form of mutilation. Will that be banned?

We alter ourselves to fit, whether by choice or culture or by force.

Tell me, who decides which is which?

Oh yeah. France and China and the U.S. and Russia.

And Wisconsin.

*Photo by nicpic

Hump Day

Penelope and Javier!?

Bristol and Levi, engaged?

Soooo Hot

I usually like before and afters. In this case... I don't think so.

School's Out

I love the Discovery Channel. My man Mike Rowe, is a favorite. I never watched 'The Deadliest Catch' until a friend kept telling me about it and described how dangerous crab fishing could be.

'Pshaw' thought me. They sit in a boat and catch fish. Yeah, wrong again. You cannot fathom (eh, I tried) how dangerous it is unless you see these guys in action. Seriously, crazy shit.

A man's world? Yeah. And I admire the hell out of every one of them.

Tonight, DC is going to air the last moments of Captain Phil Harris' life. He was the Captain of the Cornelia Marie and he was "old school." A heavy smoking, hard knocks, kind of guy. He was also someone who was dearly loved. His hard style life came to an end when he suffered a stroke while cameras rolled.

It's going to be hard to watch. It's a hard life with no guarantees. I don't think he would have changed a thing.

*Photos from The Discovery Channel/Deadliest Catch

Movers And Shakers

Sigh.

I need to downsize.

In the beginning, it was a small trunk, then...

a carload, then...

a small van, then...

a small truck, now...

WAAAAAHHHH!!

Moving sucks.

Midnight Train To D'oh

Have you ever walked out on a movie? I have only walked out once, and not because it was a bad movie, but I got a bit emotional over the violence, which, now seems pretty tame. I sat in the lobby and waited for my friend who stayed til the end. The movie was 'Midnight Express' which I did eventually watch and thought it was terrific. Still emotional, but not as bad as the first viewing. It is a true account of what happened to Billy Hayes who got caught trying to smuggle drugs out of Turkey. The screenplay was written by Oliver Stone who took some (a lot) of liberties with the original book. Stone later apologized for portraying the people of Turkey as ruthless thugs.

Chicago Metromix asked a few people what movie they had or wanted to walk out on. 'The Last Airbender' is on the list. As is another M. Night Shyamalan movie, 'Signs' which I really like, although I may never be able to see it the same way due to both leading actors antics.

Also on the list was 'Music and Lyrics.' OMG. Yeah, so bad. Talk about two people with no chemistry. Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore were just awful in it. It was such a bad plot anyway.

There is only one movie that I absolutely detest and would have walked out on, but it was shown on video in my own home. Guests had brought it over because they thought it was the greatest movie- Ever.

Roger Ebert gave 'What Dreams May Come' 3 1/2 stars. Oi.

Truly, I wanted to poke my eyes out. I hated every minute of Robin William's portrayal as a dead guy who goes to Heaven and expects to be joined by his wife but she commits suicide over the loss of her hubby and the loss of her two children who were killed a few years before hubby and she is a wreck and...anyway, Robin finds out she's in H-E- double hockey sticks and plans to get her out. Then he walks in paintings and his children are not who they were....

Ugh. Double ugh.

I think I'll rent 'Midnight Express' again, or just watch 'The Simpsons' homage.

A Manly Flower YEAAAAHHHH!!!

'Perry' as this Titan Arum is called, lives at Gustavus Adophus College in Mn.

Perry is about ready to bloom and it's a good thing we don't have smell-a-com. The Titan Arum, which was named by Sir Richard Attenborough, is also called the "Rotting Corpse."

You can check it out on Earthcam, but I'm going to see if I can catch the flower as it blooms. It is pretty. Pretty smelly.

Sorry, Perry.

An American Splendor

Just an ordinary man... or maybe not.

Harvey Pekar. 1939-2010

Roger-Philco

I don't know why the show frightened me, but it did. It was a special program that showed us what the future would be like in the double aughts. I don't remember too much about the special, but I do recall the narrator claiming every household would own a computer. It all just seemed cold and robotic to me.

This bit was made by Philco-Ford. Philco....? According to Wiki, Philco was quite ahead of its time. From 1939-41 they made wireless radios. From '41-42, they made record players with a tiny mirror attached to the needle that produced a "beam of light" (solar) and made sound.

Too bad they were bought out over the years. Their brand name is still being used, but I wonder what happened to the creative minds that were employed by Philco?

I see women have not yet roared when this was made. Ha!

Hope You Don't Believe In Karma

Looks like the 'Barefoot Bandit" has finally been caught.

Colton Harris- Moore is a thug and a punk kid who broke into people's homes and took what he wanted. He is obviously a smart kid who used his smarts in a bad, bad way.

His two year run from the law is over. That's the good part.

The bad... There is a FB fan club for Colton and Colton's mother was/is in the planning stages of writing a book about her son. (He'll have time to write his own book, now)

I'm guessing the majority of people who think Colton is a cult hero have never been violated by having a stranger walk inside their home, touching things and taking what belonged to them.

And mom, I have no idea what went on with your son when he was in your care. Some people are just bad, but, to take advantage of the situation and make money off of this is low. Truly, low.

I'm Thinking Of A Number...

Okay, we already know Mel hates women and...just about everyone else. But, do you think it was right for his ex-gf to (allegedly) sell audio of Mel going off in a disgusting rant?

Same with Alec Baldwin and his bad daddy tirade. It was a private conversation. As horrible and disgusting as they are, they had the right to spew garbage.

Do you ever wonder what would happen if we could read each other's minds? Maybe it would do us some good. There'd be nowhere for ugly thoughts and deeds to hide.

If you hate your boss, they would know.

If you hate your spouse, they would know.

If you undress a girl and more, they would know.

If you love thy neighbor, or plan to commit a crime, or want to hurt someone or kill yourself,or....

No secrets. No hiding places in the mind.

What do you think would happen?

P.O'd

I like stamps. In one of my former jobs, I was the clerk who opened the mail and got to keep amazing stamps from all over the world. I might still have them...somewhere.

The United States Postal Service wants to hike up the price of a stamp- again. Isn't it time to say, "Something is not working?" I realize many people don't even bother with snail mail anymore, yet, when I'm at the local P.O., it's always crowded. Always. People still need to send stuff and people still trust that part of gov'ment.

So, what's the problem? Competition? Progress? Online billing?

One suggestion has been that Saturday delivery will no longer be an option. The paper industry is not happy with that. They still like sending useless crap that no one reads and thousands of trees are sacrificed for such waste. Who else needs Saturday delivery? I can live without it and there are those other places to take your business.

According to some money analyst, the P.O. will be bailed out of the giant hole it has fallen it to. My issue with that is they haven't seemed to have come up with any other money making solutions. Perhaps they could become a mail/party favor combo. How about a mail/carnival? Instead of balloons to throw darts at: mystery mail.

Anyway, bailing out the P.O. is not the solution. Raising the price of a stamp will not relieve them of their enormous debt.

What to do, what to do...

Mounding Pressure

"More."

"Mayor..."

"More."

They filled the hole and the Mayor tamped down the hole.

"I want the public to see me. I want them to know I care."

"Sir, it's 95 degrees out and it's almost time for the parade. Mike and I can finish this."

"What is wrong here? It's like a bottomless pit. More asphalt. Hurry!"

They filled and he tamped. His red, white and blue shirt was turning dark with sweat. His breathing became labored as he brought the heavy tool down on the growing mound. The two men looked at each other, then continued to shovel black cement into the already filled hole. They could hear the sound of a trumpet as the band was getting ready to march down Main street. This was supposed to be their day off. They had planned to watch the parade with their families, not with the newly elected Mayor of the only town they had ever called home.

Jeff wasn't even sure how the guy had gotten elected in the first place. He was an outsider. He had no family, he was vague about his past, yet... he beat out Maude Bates. Maude who grew up with Jeff and Mike, the same Maude he took to the high school prom and upchucked Coors Lite all over her lime green, satin dress at Mike's after-prom house party.

Jeff felt sick thinking about that night, or maybe, it was the heat and smell of oil and chemicals that was getting to him.

"Keep filling 'er up boys."

The hole was no longer a hole, but now officially, a large bump. Sweat poured from the Mayor's face. Jeff noticed a few uneasy glances from onlookers who were sitting in their lawn chairs, waiting for the official event- the one that should have been cancelled. The last thing this town could afford was a parade, but the new guy insisted on it. "A morale booster," he told the small gathering of town employees- the ones that were still lucky enough to be around. His town was dying and Jeff knew, no damn parade was gonna save it. If Maude had been elected, maybe, just maybe... but no one wanted to sacrifice; no one wanted to pay higher taxes. So, Maude was gone. Truly and most officially gone. No one had heard or seen her since the day of the election. Jeff had called her that night to... what, say what? Her phone rang, then went to voicemail; "I'm either out, shaking cows, or milking hands..." This was followed by her great bellow of a laugh. "Leave a message. I will get back to you."

He had asked her out so long ago because of that laugh. She wasn't the prettiest girl in class, but that laugh had made him feel whole. Whole...hole. And now, he was shoveling hot asphalt into a... 'fuck on toast,' the mound was growing and the Mayor was stomping down hard with his leather mandals. He heard the roar of fire engines and police cars, always the first to lead the parade. He wished that he could talk to Joe. This was getting weird and now people not only glanced their way, but some had actually turned their chairs around to watch the unplanned spectacle.

"Hey, you think a speed bump is necessary, Jeff?" asked 'Birdie' Benson. He and others around him laughed, but there seemed a forced and uneasy note in their laughter. Jeff really looked now. That's exactly what it looked like; a small speed bump.

Come to think of it, when was the last time anyone had seen Maudy?

"MORE!"

*Photo by bookgrl

Mirror, Mirror

I don't know Le...bron James, but the media seems to think everyone wants to know his every movement.

So, he is leaving Cleveland for Miami. Whatever.

But, the majority owner of the Cavs, Dan Gilbert, is ticked off. He mentioned James' choice as a "cowardly betrayal." and a "heartless and callous action."

I think there was something about being a good role model...

Uh, speaking of role models, Mr. Gilbert...

Say What!?

We have a lot of pizza establishments in this town, so, the proprietors try to come up with some interesting toppings. Spinach is big. Goat cheese... Shrimp is another one. Thin crust is also in.

Anyway, I found myself looking at whatpoll.com, which is pretty interesting. I guess people can send in photos of the biggest, baddest, funniest....whatever, and then vote on their favorite, whatever. Like pizza.

One subject was overloaded (fill in blank) Unbelievable.

There are funny clouds to vote on, bizarre weapons, roller coasters and I liked this one- Inventors killed by their own inventions.

The site mentioned the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas. OMG! Would you go on the X-Scream that sits on top of the tower and swings you off into space? OMG! (That deserved two OMG's)

So, there you have it. Yeah, I'm suffering a bit of brain freeze, so, take a look at whatpoll and try a tofu and grape jelly pizza.

*Both photos from whatpoll.com