Quote Of The Day

Michael Jackson's lawyer said Tuesday that the pop star is going to be more careful from now on and not let children into his bed anymore because "it makes him vulnerable to false charges."
-AP

So...he still doesn't think it's wrong...he just doesn't want to get in trouble for doing it.

Still, Still Celebrating

Went to the 80th birthday party for a friend's father this weekend. Two statements overheard before and during the party worth repeating:

1. Said by my husband while he and eight other people where hanging tarps over the party area:

"There are too many people educated beyond their natural intelligence helping out right now."

2. One of the deserts was a wonderful homemake carrot cake:

Me: "That carrot cake was great."
Cowboy standing next to me: "I didn't get any and I told my wife that I would eat at least one vegetable while I was here."

Still Celebrating

But I thought I would share an entry about writing that I found at Changing Places.
(Scroll to top of page)

Not Blogging Today

And unlike other times that I have not blogged I don't feel a bit guilty. It's my birhday so I'm taking the day off. :)

What The Hell Were They Thinking?

A Canada resident who arrived at a Maine crossing with weapons and a bloody chain saw was allowed to enter the U.S.
-Denver Post June, 8 ,2005

Oh, wait, it's Ok. He's white, can speak English and is not willing to work at a low paying job that most Americans would not touch with a ten foot pole.

Stand Back!

We just purchased a 19" Samsung SyncMaster 930B LCD monitor. We are replacing an old 17"(which really only measures 16" across) flat screen CRT monitor. The difference in size between the two monitors is so great I feel like I have to sit so far away from the screen that I can no longer reach the keyboard. This will be all that I type today.


(I forgot to mention that NiC's photos are outstanding on the new screen.)

Is Tom Cruise Loosing it? Not Completely

Lots of talk about Tom Cruise this month after his appearance on Oprah, his criticism of Brook Shields, and his complaint that ""the psychs are putting everyone on drugs."

I must say his behavior on Oprah was disturbingly similar to the behavior of his character (Frank T.J. Mackey) in the movie Magnolia. Compare the movie scenes where Frank is being interviewed by the African-American women reporter with the tape of Cruise's interview with Oprah Winfrey and you will see what I mean. As for his cheap shot at Brook Shields, he can criticize her all he wants to after he goes through a postpartum depression himself. But the thought behind "the psychs are putting everyone on drugs" statement, that I can understand.

Doctors in this country are quick to give out drugs. I don't know how many times I've talked to someone with an older family member who's health has been getting worse and worse simply because that person is on so many drugs, most which were given to counteract the side effects of the drugs previously given, that it has become harmful to their over all soundness. I also think Cruise is right when he complains that doctors are quick to give children drugs. Heck, South Park did an episode about two doctors prescribing Ritalin for all the children in town after "discovering" they all had ADD.

What I don't understand is why doctors are quick to hand out drugs in the first place. Well, yes I do, it's easier to treat the symptom than to find out the cause of it. I think we should be looking at the food we are eating. Have you read the ingredients list on the packaging for most of the prepackaged food we eat? Almost all have chemicals added to them, chemicals to stop spoilage, chemicals to enhance color, chemicals to add sweetness, chemicals to add flavor, and chemicals that are thickening agents and emulsifiers. I for one get migraines when I eat or drink anything with Aspartame it and I don't take antihistamies because they make me feel wired and anxious at the same time. Who knows how our children's bodies are reacting to the chemicals that we feed them from the time they start eating solids.

Friday Random Ten

Another round of set your MP3 player on random and list the first ten that play.

1. Johnny Cash- I Walk The Line
2. Blossom Dearie- Put On A Happy Face
3. Buckwheat Zydeco- Zydeco Boogaloo
4. Dionne Warwick- Are You There (With Another Girl)
5. The Chi-Lites- Oh Girl
6. The Mamas & The Papas- Words Of Love
7. Stevie Wonder- Masterblaster (Jammin')
8. Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys- Texas Playboy Rag
9. Glenn Miller- American Patrol
10. Gloria Estefan- Traces

Question

Does anyone else besides me use Google as a spell checker when nothing else is available ?

Small Town Life

You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade
-from the musical South Pacific

A little while back I ran into an older woman I know at the coffee shop and I stopped to chat. The woman who manages the coffee shop was right next to us cleaning off a table as we talked. This older woman, who I have known for ten years, started telling me about a out-of-state trip she was going on that weekend. Since it was a short trip she would not be able to see all the things she wanted to see while there. She wasn't sure how she would decide which things to see and which things to pass on. Then she playfully started chanting:

Eenie, meenie, minie, moe,
Catch a nig*er...

At that point I blurted out, "Hey! Hey! Don't even use that word!"

She clapped both her hands over her mouth and then brought them down and said meekly, "I shouldn't have said that."

The other woman cleaning the table said, "That right, you have to be careful now a-days because they're everywhere. You can't say anything anymore!"

The older woman nodded in agreement and started again:

Eenie, meenie, minie, moe,
Catch a....

She stopped, searching for the next word. I said firmly, "Tiger..."

At the same instant I said tiger she said, "Monkey by the toe."

I always feel disappointed when I find out someone I think is a good person turns out to be a bigot. And I always feel insulted when someone assumes I think the same way they do just because I have the same color skin as they do.