Posts
AN EASY PEASY WAY TO POST AMAZON REVIEWS
2 weeks ago
Showing posts with label celebrities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label celebrities. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 09, 2015
My anti-celebrity tirade
If you were to ask me which one I would pick – the celebrity or the soldier – then I would pick the soldier.
If you were to ask me which one I would pick – the celebrity or Average Citizen – then I would pick Average Citizen.
If you were to ask me which one I would pick – the celebrity or some animal – then I would pick some animal.
Notice a pattern here?
Guess what? I am anti-celebrity. I don’t give a $#!& about celebrities. And I don’t think I will for a long time either.
And no matter what a certain celebrity does with his/her life, I STILL will not care! I will STILL root for the soldiers! I will STILL root for the Average Citizen! I will STILL root for the animals!
It’s sad that there are people in this world who don’t understand that, let alone accept it.
I will still NOT CARE about celebrities no matter what people say and no matter what they do. That is especially true if said celebrity is a celebrity athlete.
And guess what? I have every right to feel that way. Last time I checked, this was a free country. I have the right to feel the way I do and be the way I am. So deal with it!
I think it’s awesome Bruce Jenner was courageous enough to transform into Caitlyn Jenner. More power to her. Please excuse me for not being a part of the crowd making a fuss over it. I am totally in support of changing your life completely and turning into a completely different person. Heck, that is what I am trying to do myself, with my own life.
But if I was to make a choice about who I care MORE about, then hands down, I support our troops 110%.
Now, I know when I am wrong, and I am willing to admit to as much. If something I share on Facebook or post on MY timeline is inaccurate, judgmental, discriminating, hateful or part of some government conspiracy to spy on all Facebook users, then I WILL remove it! Give me some credit for having a heart, okay? If I don’t have a clue about something, then for God’s sake, say so! Do not instead accuse me of being discriminating, judgmental, hateful or bitter. Although I do get into a bad mood sometimes and post REALLY angry and offensive crap! LOL That’s what people DO! That's what I have done on Facebook and that's what I will always do on Facebook! (Though I am trying to make an effort to STAY OFF the freaking Internet when I am in one of my homicidal moods, as well as turn off my phone, stay in my house, avoid people, etc.
But I digress.
I just don’t really care about celebrities at all. Seriously. That’s all there is to it. If you tell me about something an actor or actress did, I’d be all like, “Eh.” A celebrity athlete did something? “Don’t care.” A musician has a song that’s getting a bazillion likes on YouTube? I’d be all like, “So what.”
The truth is, I. Don’t. Care. All the celebrities in the world could all jump off a cliff and guess what? I still won’t care! (But first I would suspect some nefarious conspiracy cooked up by the government using alien technology and … oh, I’ve said too much.)
So, yeah. That’s me. That is just me. I care about everybody else and ALL the animals MORE than I do about celebrities. Our soldiers mean more to me than our celebrities do. That doesn’t mean I’m discriminating or judgmental against something going on with a celebrity – ANY celebrity. It just means I don’t care. I won't jump on the bandwagon going all crazy about it. I just don't say anything. That’s all. That’s me.
Saturday, June 05, 2010
Excerpt from Bringing Up Girls, Dr. James Dobson's opinion of the movie Grease
As we have seen, the popular culture refers to public nudity as "becoming comfortable with your body." Huge numbers of girls have accepted that interpretation and brazenly disrobed for Playboy, for movie producers, for soft-core and hard-core pornographers, and for anyone else who offers to pay them. It is another form of prostitution, of course. Some teenage girls seeking attention receive no compensation in return. In a transmission called "sexting," they send nude or sexually explicit photographs through their cell phones or the Internet to boyfriends, who download the images. The guys can then distribute the pictures widely for decades to come. More than 20 percent of teens have engaged in this activity.Whatever happened to the voice of conscience that told generations of young women that disrobing before strangers was wrong and cheap? It has been perverted by a popular culture that instead condemns modesty and morality, urging girls to get comfortable with nudity.
Everywhere teens turn, they hear versions of the same party line. I am reminded of the enormously successful movie Grease, which subtly helped to weaken what was left of traditional morality. It was released in 1978 but set in the 1950s as a fluffy, glitzy, relatively tame musical about teenage love. The film starred John Travolta as Danny Zuko, a big man on campus who made the girls swoon. Olivia Newton-John played a cute little blonde named Sandy who was a newcomer from Australia. Clearly, she didn't know the ropes. She was a "good girl" who usually dressed in white or pale yellow. Every other girl at Rydell High seemed to be having more fun than she was, and in fact, her new friends were concerned about Sandy's embarrassing innocence. They invited her to a sleepover to toughen her up.
Sandy's virginity was the focal point of the party. When one of the girls, Frenchy, offered to pierce Sandy's ears, another girl handed her a "virginity pin" to penetrate the lobe. Get it? the blood was symbolic of the loss of virtue. The girls introduced Sandy to wine and smoking, which sent her scurrying into the bathroom to throw up. While she was inside, the brashest member of the clique, Rizzo, said, "Little goody two shoes makes me wanna barf." Then she put on a blonde wig and began to sing, mockingly:
Look at me, I'm Sandra Dee, lousy with virginity.
Won't go to bed till I'm legally wed,
I can't, I'm Sandra Dee.
The lyrics went on to lampoon Sandy's good-girl image. The relationship between Sandy and Danny continued to go sour in the days that followed. He took her to a drive-in movie and gave her his school ring. "That means so much to me," she said. "It means you respect me." Then Zuko made his move. He tried to touch Sandy's breast and then pinned her down on the front seat of his car. Sandy screamed and struggled free, then stumbled from the car. The incident frustrated Zuko and caused a rift between them, after which they drifted apart. Sandy was very confused by what was happening.
Then a drag race was staged at the Los Angeles River, pitting Zuko against his rival. Sandy is seen sitting in the distance and thinking about what had gone wrong in their relationship. Suddenly, it hit her. She realized she was altogether "too good." That led her to sing Rizzo's sleepover song sadly,
Wholesome and pure, of so scared and unsure,
A poor man's Sandra Dee.
The last words of the song are, "Good-bye to Sandra Dee." Remember that Sandy was said to be "lousy with virginity." That was the big problem.
Sandy knew exactly what she had to do. She asked Frenchy to oversee a makeover, and in the next scene a vampish-looking Sandy emerged wearing a leather jacket, skintight leather pants, and spike heels. She saw Zuko and said, "Tell me about it, Stud." They pranced through a dance number at an all-school carnival, at times moving their hips toward each other symbolically to the beat of the music. Then they got into a futuristic car and soared into the clouds while the students at Rydell High danced with glee.
I have described this entertaining movie in detail, not because it is the worst movie that has ever been produced. It is actually rather tame and quite funny. I have singled out Grease because it subtly and convincingly destroys virginity as a virtue. It illustrates precisely the point Shalit and Liebau make in their books. Being "wholesome and pure, oh so scared and unsure" is how girls are told they will feel if they are too virtuous. ... Girls today, like their predecessors, look to Sandy's character as a role model who teaches them why they also need to get rid of their lousy virginity. Today's girls are warned that they'll never get the attention of guys if they continue to look and act like Sandra Dee.
Excerpt from Bringing Up Girls by Dr. James Dobson. Copyright 2010 by James C. Dobson. Published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. The excerpt was taken from the hardcover edition of this book, which was a gift to me. The excerpt is from pages 158-60.
Bringing Up Girls: Practical Advice and Encouragement for Those Shaping the Next Generation of Women by Dr. James Dobson
Everywhere teens turn, they hear versions of the same party line. I am reminded of the enormously successful movie Grease, which subtly helped to weaken what was left of traditional morality. It was released in 1978 but set in the 1950s as a fluffy, glitzy, relatively tame musical about teenage love. The film starred John Travolta as Danny Zuko, a big man on campus who made the girls swoon. Olivia Newton-John played a cute little blonde named Sandy who was a newcomer from Australia. Clearly, she didn't know the ropes. She was a "good girl" who usually dressed in white or pale yellow. Every other girl at Rydell High seemed to be having more fun than she was, and in fact, her new friends were concerned about Sandy's embarrassing innocence. They invited her to a sleepover to toughen her up.
Sandy's virginity was the focal point of the party. When one of the girls, Frenchy, offered to pierce Sandy's ears, another girl handed her a "virginity pin" to penetrate the lobe. Get it? the blood was symbolic of the loss of virtue. The girls introduced Sandy to wine and smoking, which sent her scurrying into the bathroom to throw up. While she was inside, the brashest member of the clique, Rizzo, said, "Little goody two shoes makes me wanna barf." Then she put on a blonde wig and began to sing, mockingly:
Look at me, I'm Sandra Dee, lousy with virginity.
Won't go to bed till I'm legally wed,
I can't, I'm Sandra Dee.
The lyrics went on to lampoon Sandy's good-girl image. The relationship between Sandy and Danny continued to go sour in the days that followed. He took her to a drive-in movie and gave her his school ring. "That means so much to me," she said. "It means you respect me." Then Zuko made his move. He tried to touch Sandy's breast and then pinned her down on the front seat of his car. Sandy screamed and struggled free, then stumbled from the car. The incident frustrated Zuko and caused a rift between them, after which they drifted apart. Sandy was very confused by what was happening.
Then a drag race was staged at the Los Angeles River, pitting Zuko against his rival. Sandy is seen sitting in the distance and thinking about what had gone wrong in their relationship. Suddenly, it hit her. She realized she was altogether "too good." That led her to sing Rizzo's sleepover song sadly,
Wholesome and pure, of so scared and unsure,
A poor man's Sandra Dee.
The last words of the song are, "Good-bye to Sandra Dee." Remember that Sandy was said to be "lousy with virginity." That was the big problem.
Sandy knew exactly what she had to do. She asked Frenchy to oversee a makeover, and in the next scene a vampish-looking Sandy emerged wearing a leather jacket, skintight leather pants, and spike heels. She saw Zuko and said, "Tell me about it, Stud." They pranced through a dance number at an all-school carnival, at times moving their hips toward each other symbolically to the beat of the music. Then they got into a futuristic car and soared into the clouds while the students at Rydell High danced with glee.
I have described this entertaining movie in detail, not because it is the worst movie that has ever been produced. It is actually rather tame and quite funny. I have singled out Grease because it subtly and convincingly destroys virginity as a virtue. It illustrates precisely the point Shalit and Liebau make in their books. Being "wholesome and pure, oh so scared and unsure" is how girls are told they will feel if they are too virtuous. ... Girls today, like their predecessors, look to Sandy's character as a role model who teaches them why they also need to get rid of their lousy virginity. Today's girls are warned that they'll never get the attention of guys if they continue to look and act like Sandra Dee.
Excerpt from Bringing Up Girls by Dr. James Dobson. Copyright 2010 by James C. Dobson. Published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. The excerpt was taken from the hardcover edition of this book, which was a gift to me. The excerpt is from pages 158-60.
Bringing Up Girls: Practical Advice and Encouragement for Those Shaping the Next Generation of Women by Dr. James Dobson
Friday, January 15, 2010
Twitter can bring out the worst in people
I recently had to unfollow some people on Twitter. It's not because of harassment or a hundred thousand tweets they made every day (though one of them DID send out a heck of a lot of tweets every day, but that didn't bug me so much, really). No, the reason why I stopped following them is strictly for personal reasons.
Two of them, in particular, enthralled their followers with their ongoing soap opera of a romance. I thought the whole thing was funny, really. It just made me roll my eyes and chuckle. I even poked fun about it with one of them. Then one day, I started to wonder, what is the press saying about these two and their tweeting romance? They ARE celebrities, and I know that journalists use celebrity tweets for information. So what are they saying about these two?
I decided to do a Google search to find out. One article made my jaw drop. Some of the tweets by the female in this whole affair were pretty graphic, if not a little over the edge. What's worse is that she publicly acknowledged she was sleeping with a married man. (Shame! Shame! But then again, she IS an actress living in Hollywood. Hollywood has no shame.) As I read her tweets, some of which she later managed to delete (I thought you couldn't delete your tweets??), a thought struck me: I never knew she was such an s-word.
Wow. Seriously. I never realized their sexcapades were THAT obscene. And it was a huge turn-off how she kept tweeting about her sexual adventures with two men. TWO! (Ugh.)
I mean, show a little restraint, people. Good grief. I know there are nymphos in this world, but do they REALLY need to share that stuff on Twitter?
Well, I don't follow people just to read about their (disgusting) sex life. That stuff is NOT for public knowledge! Sex is something special and sacred to be shared between a couple, not something to tweet about. I really don't care for women who spread their legs for several men. I had already grown weary reading her tweets and this was the last straw. I unfollowed her, and I don't think I'll refollow her because now I know her wild side and I don't like what I'm seeing about her. Some people just can't control themselves or actually LOVE bragging about their sexual exploits. Well, I'm not interested.
And as for the other one, I unfollowed him, too. Now that I knew HIS wild side, I'll admit I lost all respect for him, mostly because EVERYBODY talks about what a "gentleman" he is but now it's obvious to me that a gentleman is something he is NOT! He'd rather bed a woman instead of making a commitment to her. And there ARE men like this, too. I was sad to see that he is one of them, but at least now I know the truth about him. I guess he has no qualms about sleeping with a woman he KNOWS is also sleeping with a married man. Let alone the three of them participating together. I guess nothing is sacred or special to him when it comes to that sort of relationship with a woman.
This whole thing reminded me of how celebrities and even famous authors were tweeting about things they shouldn't in the past, and how the press picked up on all of it. The press would catch something and, in the blink of an eye, it was all over the Twitterverse. One famous author, for example, ranted about a bad review she received for her book. After her public shame and ridicule, she was forced to delete her Twitter account.
People SHOULD be careful what they tweet about, because it WILL come back at them, especially if they are a celebrity. After I unfollowed this woman (who I will NOT call a lady), I went back to her page the next day to find her ranting about journalists who use Twitter as a source and telling them off and, oh, gee, "guess I should be careful what I tweet about."
Ya think???
I am not being fooled by those rants. I seriously doubt someone hacked into her account and made all those tweets about her affairs with two men. And, anyway, her whole admission of how she should be more careful with what she tweets about is the dead giveaway that those particular tweets used by journalists did indeed come from her.
Now, I am not prudish, but I AM a Christian with certain principles. And while I KNOW there are people out there who have no problem with the fact that they sleep around or have no shame in admitting they commit adultery or even a sex crime, I have certain limitations in what kind of tweets I want to read about. I don't want any association with them. I'm not following people on Twitter to get my jollies from their adventures or to live vicariously through them. And if they think that tweeting about their sex life or about being someone with a questionable character, then they've really lost my interest in them altogether.
Two of them, in particular, enthralled their followers with their ongoing soap opera of a romance. I thought the whole thing was funny, really. It just made me roll my eyes and chuckle. I even poked fun about it with one of them. Then one day, I started to wonder, what is the press saying about these two and their tweeting romance? They ARE celebrities, and I know that journalists use celebrity tweets for information. So what are they saying about these two?
I decided to do a Google search to find out. One article made my jaw drop. Some of the tweets by the female in this whole affair were pretty graphic, if not a little over the edge. What's worse is that she publicly acknowledged she was sleeping with a married man. (Shame! Shame! But then again, she IS an actress living in Hollywood. Hollywood has no shame.) As I read her tweets, some of which she later managed to delete (I thought you couldn't delete your tweets??), a thought struck me: I never knew she was such an s-word.
Wow. Seriously. I never realized their sexcapades were THAT obscene. And it was a huge turn-off how she kept tweeting about her sexual adventures with two men. TWO! (Ugh.)
I mean, show a little restraint, people. Good grief. I know there are nymphos in this world, but do they REALLY need to share that stuff on Twitter?
Well, I don't follow people just to read about their (disgusting) sex life. That stuff is NOT for public knowledge! Sex is something special and sacred to be shared between a couple, not something to tweet about. I really don't care for women who spread their legs for several men. I had already grown weary reading her tweets and this was the last straw. I unfollowed her, and I don't think I'll refollow her because now I know her wild side and I don't like what I'm seeing about her. Some people just can't control themselves or actually LOVE bragging about their sexual exploits. Well, I'm not interested.
And as for the other one, I unfollowed him, too. Now that I knew HIS wild side, I'll admit I lost all respect for him, mostly because EVERYBODY talks about what a "gentleman" he is but now it's obvious to me that a gentleman is something he is NOT! He'd rather bed a woman instead of making a commitment to her. And there ARE men like this, too. I was sad to see that he is one of them, but at least now I know the truth about him. I guess he has no qualms about sleeping with a woman he KNOWS is also sleeping with a married man. Let alone the three of them participating together. I guess nothing is sacred or special to him when it comes to that sort of relationship with a woman.
This whole thing reminded me of how celebrities and even famous authors were tweeting about things they shouldn't in the past, and how the press picked up on all of it. The press would catch something and, in the blink of an eye, it was all over the Twitterverse. One famous author, for example, ranted about a bad review she received for her book. After her public shame and ridicule, she was forced to delete her Twitter account.
People SHOULD be careful what they tweet about, because it WILL come back at them, especially if they are a celebrity. After I unfollowed this woman (who I will NOT call a lady), I went back to her page the next day to find her ranting about journalists who use Twitter as a source and telling them off and, oh, gee, "guess I should be careful what I tweet about."
Ya think???
I am not being fooled by those rants. I seriously doubt someone hacked into her account and made all those tweets about her affairs with two men. And, anyway, her whole admission of how she should be more careful with what she tweets about is the dead giveaway that those particular tweets used by journalists did indeed come from her.
Now, I am not prudish, but I AM a Christian with certain principles. And while I KNOW there are people out there who have no problem with the fact that they sleep around or have no shame in admitting they commit adultery or even a sex crime, I have certain limitations in what kind of tweets I want to read about. I don't want any association with them. I'm not following people on Twitter to get my jollies from their adventures or to live vicariously through them. And if they think that tweeting about their sex life or about being someone with a questionable character, then they've really lost my interest in them altogether.
Monday, September 28, 2009
American Idolatry
Yesterday, I bought an issue of People Magazine for my daughter. I bought it for her because it was a special iCarly issue, and she LOVES iCarly.
While Jen was happy to get the magazine, my husband was not. When I asked him why, he explained he didn't want her to idolize people or things or...well, whatever else you can idolize!
I told him she already "idolizes" things. Like the TV show Avatar. Even though Avatar is over, she still loves that show and often plays Avatar with friends at school.
And it's not just Avatar she's crazy about. She also likes Scooby-Doo (she's got a Scooby-Doo plate and a Scooby-Doo lunch box!) and she's nuts over the Pet Shop toys. (Heh, I almost typed Pet Shop Boys!)
As to music, she does like Hannah Montana.
She already "idolizes" people and things. But I have made sure she doesn't get fanatical about them. And I don't see how buying her the iCarly magazine encourages her to idolize people!
If you want to talk about idolizing celebrities...well, I know a certain little girl in Eugene who is OBSESSED with Hannah Montana. Of course, I won't say her name. But I did notice how she has EVERYTHING Hannah Montana. Clothes, pillows, DVDs, accessories. Even a Hannah Montana peg board! As I noticed all of this, I could only shake my head and inwardly grumble over girls idolizing celebrities. And that was my husband's complaint, too. The way he put it, he doesn't want Jennifer to get all starry-eyed and weak in the knees and screaming "OH MY GOD! IT'S CARLY!!" every time she sees anything...with iCarly on it.
I'll admit, that kind of infatuation with celebrities and musicians was in my past, but as a tween and teen. Not as a child. I had a HUGE crush on Ricky Shroder and went nuts over bands like The Police and Heart, and singers like Michael Jackson and Cyndi Lauper. I was TOTALLY crazy about them and my parents pretty much just put up with my infatuation. They realized it was just a phase all girls go through. My dad would roll his eyes and mutter jokes whenever I bought those Teen Beat and Sweet 16 magazines. But he didn't freak out over it and start worrying over me idolizing people or things.
I really don't think Jennifer is at risk of idolizing iCarly, or any other TV show or celebrities. She's just a normal 7-year-old kid (almost 8!!) who just likes to watch iCarly and listen to Hannah Montana sing. Heck, sometimes she'll even dress up in her Hannah Montana costume and sing! But she's not obsessed with them. Her room is not covered with iCarly stuff or Hannah Montana stuff. She likes a variety of people, a variety of shows and a variety of things.
And as long as she has that variety, I think we'll be okay.
While Jen was happy to get the magazine, my husband was not. When I asked him why, he explained he didn't want her to idolize people or things or...well, whatever else you can idolize!
I told him she already "idolizes" things. Like the TV show Avatar. Even though Avatar is over, she still loves that show and often plays Avatar with friends at school.
And it's not just Avatar she's crazy about. She also likes Scooby-Doo (she's got a Scooby-Doo plate and a Scooby-Doo lunch box!) and she's nuts over the Pet Shop toys. (Heh, I almost typed Pet Shop Boys!)
As to music, she does like Hannah Montana.
She already "idolizes" people and things. But I have made sure she doesn't get fanatical about them. And I don't see how buying her the iCarly magazine encourages her to idolize people!
If you want to talk about idolizing celebrities...well, I know a certain little girl in Eugene who is OBSESSED with Hannah Montana. Of course, I won't say her name. But I did notice how she has EVERYTHING Hannah Montana. Clothes, pillows, DVDs, accessories. Even a Hannah Montana peg board! As I noticed all of this, I could only shake my head and inwardly grumble over girls idolizing celebrities. And that was my husband's complaint, too. The way he put it, he doesn't want Jennifer to get all starry-eyed and weak in the knees and screaming "OH MY GOD! IT'S CARLY!!" every time she sees anything...with iCarly on it.
I'll admit, that kind of infatuation with celebrities and musicians was in my past, but as a tween and teen. Not as a child. I had a HUGE crush on Ricky Shroder and went nuts over bands like The Police and Heart, and singers like Michael Jackson and Cyndi Lauper. I was TOTALLY crazy about them and my parents pretty much just put up with my infatuation. They realized it was just a phase all girls go through. My dad would roll his eyes and mutter jokes whenever I bought those Teen Beat and Sweet 16 magazines. But he didn't freak out over it and start worrying over me idolizing people or things.
I really don't think Jennifer is at risk of idolizing iCarly, or any other TV show or celebrities. She's just a normal 7-year-old kid (almost 8!!) who just likes to watch iCarly and listen to Hannah Montana sing. Heck, sometimes she'll even dress up in her Hannah Montana costume and sing! But she's not obsessed with them. Her room is not covered with iCarly stuff or Hannah Montana stuff. She likes a variety of people, a variety of shows and a variety of things.
And as long as she has that variety, I think we'll be okay.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Weekend fun
I had plans for Saturday that we would have some "family time" and just all do stuff together, since all of us RARELY do stuff together. But hubby's friend came over and he wanted to go have coffee with him. It was important to me that we do family stuff and I wondered if we could move it to Sunday. I had to call one of the places on the itinerary first to see if they were opened on Sundays and, finding out that they are, I said, "OK, we'll do the family stuff tomorrow, then."
Before hubby could meet with his friend, though, he had to run some errands. One of those errands was to take Jesse for a haircut. (Later, after seeing the curls gone, I started to cry. I loved those little curls!) While he and Jesse were getting ready to go out, me and Jennifer were getting ready to go out. Jen and I would have our "mother and daughter" day like last weekend. Woot! I told Jen, "The men are going in one direction and the girls are going in another direction." With two boys and two girls in the house, we often say stuff like that. "The boys are asleep and the girls are awake." "The boys are watching TV and the girls are reading books."
I will post "before" and "after" pics soon. It's hard to get Jesse to sit still long enough for a decent pic!
I will also post another pic soon. I ordered a "Knight Fever" tank top. It arrived on Saturday. And, oh my gosh, it is AWESOME!! They only have it in "large" and I was worried it would be too big. (I don't like wearing loose tank tops.) But it fits really well. Not loose at all. It's not all glittery like in the picture. Just a normal cotton tank top. "Knight Fever" has glitter on it, as shown in the picture. I asked to have the name "Jonathan" put on the back, like with my other "Knight Fever" shirt. And now to get one more!!! LOL I want to get the red one. Maybe I should go with Jordan's name this time.
Anyway, our first stop was the library. While there, I saw the book QUERY LETTERS THAT WORKED! Real Queries That Landed $2K+ Writing Assignments by Angela Hoy. (A shout out to Angela!) I also got a book on book publicity, and another one on poetry. Jen left the library carrying a stack of nine books. Sniff, I was so proud.
After the library, we headed over to Sweet Life. Jen got a chocolate cupcake (yay for chocolate!) and I got a canoli. I've never had one before so I wanted to try it and see what all the fuss was about. (It was gross. YUCK!!) Then I took her to PlayLand and, while she was there, I did a little reading and a little shopping. One of the things I got was a BIG notebook for Jennifer, because she draws and writes so much, she keeps running out of paper! So I got her MORE paper and the latest issue of National Geographic for myself. (I'm an armchair traveler. LOL)
After PlayLand, it was time to do the "boring" stuff. We took the car to the car wash then got some groceries, as well as pizza for dinner. At the store, I let Jennifer get a Redbox movie. After dinner, I bathed Jesse and put him to bed. Jen and I both read books while waiting for the baby to fall asleep, then we watched the movie, Hotel for Dogs. I thought it was such a cute movie. Jennifer started to cry when the brother and sister, who were in a foster program, were separated. She kept telling me she would NEVER leave her little brother. She never wanted to be separated from him. She just bawled her heart out over that. I hugged her and assured her that her dad and I made arrangements for her and her brother to ALWAYS be together if something happened to us.
After the movie, she went to bed and I watched an episode of Trading Spouses that I'd DVRed earlier in the week. Then it was MY turn to cry and get upset, when the little boy was so sad over his mother leaving for a week. It made me want to run to the baby's crib, pick him up and hold him really tight! Every time I watch a show like that, I keep thinking I could NEVER leave my babies for a whole week. I'd probably spend all that time thinking about them and missing them!
Sunday morning, I woke up with a huge headache. I wanted to just stay in bed (and lie there mumbling "my head is pounding, pounding, pounding") but I knew I had to get up and get the children fed, dressed. I finally managed to get out of bed and just felt sick. (I blame the canoli!) I took some Tylenol but when my headache went away, I had serious stomach pain. GAH! Darn canoli. I wasn't feeling so great because of that stomach pain and I was worried we'd miss church. When I finally got to take a bath and get dressed, the stomach pain just got worse. After my bath, I said a short prayer that the pain would lessen or go away so that we could go to church. I ended up feeling well enough to go, even though we arrived there really late. But at least we were there! And it was so good to see my "friends from church" there, too.
After church, we went to the bookstore and got some magazines. We also bought Jesse a new cloth book. I can't buy him board books; he tears them up! Eek!
From the bookstore, we went home and just relaxed. Hung out. Watched some TV. Did a few chores (laundry, changing ALL the sheets on the beds -- which is a weekend ritual even if the sheets are not dirty! -- vacuuming and dishes). When we finally ready to go to have our family outing, we went to Roaring Rapids Pizza Parlor to make a reservation for Jennifer to have her birthday party there. (Yay! We'll have so much fun!). Then we went out for ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery.
Overall, it was a fun weekend. Now to relax some more because fun time is coming to an end. Tomorrow is Monday -- time to get up early again and get back to work!
Before hubby could meet with his friend, though, he had to run some errands. One of those errands was to take Jesse for a haircut. (Later, after seeing the curls gone, I started to cry. I loved those little curls!) While he and Jesse were getting ready to go out, me and Jennifer were getting ready to go out. Jen and I would have our "mother and daughter" day like last weekend. Woot! I told Jen, "The men are going in one direction and the girls are going in another direction." With two boys and two girls in the house, we often say stuff like that. "The boys are asleep and the girls are awake." "The boys are watching TV and the girls are reading books."
I will post "before" and "after" pics soon. It's hard to get Jesse to sit still long enough for a decent pic!
I will also post another pic soon. I ordered a "Knight Fever" tank top. It arrived on Saturday. And, oh my gosh, it is AWESOME!! They only have it in "large" and I was worried it would be too big. (I don't like wearing loose tank tops.) But it fits really well. Not loose at all. It's not all glittery like in the picture. Just a normal cotton tank top. "Knight Fever" has glitter on it, as shown in the picture. I asked to have the name "Jonathan" put on the back, like with my other "Knight Fever" shirt. And now to get one more!!! LOL I want to get the red one. Maybe I should go with Jordan's name this time.
Anyway, our first stop was the library. While there, I saw the book QUERY LETTERS THAT WORKED! Real Queries That Landed $2K+ Writing Assignments by Angela Hoy. (A shout out to Angela!) I also got a book on book publicity, and another one on poetry. Jen left the library carrying a stack of nine books. Sniff, I was so proud.
After the library, we headed over to Sweet Life. Jen got a chocolate cupcake (yay for chocolate!) and I got a canoli. I've never had one before so I wanted to try it and see what all the fuss was about. (It was gross. YUCK!!) Then I took her to PlayLand and, while she was there, I did a little reading and a little shopping. One of the things I got was a BIG notebook for Jennifer, because she draws and writes so much, she keeps running out of paper! So I got her MORE paper and the latest issue of National Geographic for myself. (I'm an armchair traveler. LOL)
After PlayLand, it was time to do the "boring" stuff. We took the car to the car wash then got some groceries, as well as pizza for dinner. At the store, I let Jennifer get a Redbox movie. After dinner, I bathed Jesse and put him to bed. Jen and I both read books while waiting for the baby to fall asleep, then we watched the movie, Hotel for Dogs. I thought it was such a cute movie. Jennifer started to cry when the brother and sister, who were in a foster program, were separated. She kept telling me she would NEVER leave her little brother. She never wanted to be separated from him. She just bawled her heart out over that. I hugged her and assured her that her dad and I made arrangements for her and her brother to ALWAYS be together if something happened to us.
After the movie, she went to bed and I watched an episode of Trading Spouses that I'd DVRed earlier in the week. Then it was MY turn to cry and get upset, when the little boy was so sad over his mother leaving for a week. It made me want to run to the baby's crib, pick him up and hold him really tight! Every time I watch a show like that, I keep thinking I could NEVER leave my babies for a whole week. I'd probably spend all that time thinking about them and missing them!
Sunday morning, I woke up with a huge headache. I wanted to just stay in bed (and lie there mumbling "my head is pounding, pounding, pounding") but I knew I had to get up and get the children fed, dressed. I finally managed to get out of bed and just felt sick. (I blame the canoli!) I took some Tylenol but when my headache went away, I had serious stomach pain. GAH! Darn canoli. I wasn't feeling so great because of that stomach pain and I was worried we'd miss church. When I finally got to take a bath and get dressed, the stomach pain just got worse. After my bath, I said a short prayer that the pain would lessen or go away so that we could go to church. I ended up feeling well enough to go, even though we arrived there really late. But at least we were there! And it was so good to see my "friends from church" there, too.
After church, we went to the bookstore and got some magazines. We also bought Jesse a new cloth book. I can't buy him board books; he tears them up! Eek!
From the bookstore, we went home and just relaxed. Hung out. Watched some TV. Did a few chores (laundry, changing ALL the sheets on the beds -- which is a weekend ritual even if the sheets are not dirty! -- vacuuming and dishes). When we finally ready to go to have our family outing, we went to Roaring Rapids Pizza Parlor to make a reservation for Jennifer to have her birthday party there. (Yay! We'll have so much fun!). Then we went out for ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery.
Overall, it was a fun weekend. Now to relax some more because fun time is coming to an end. Tomorrow is Monday -- time to get up early again and get back to work!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
RIP, Michael Jackson
As a kid, there was one music sensation who I enjoyed listening to and adored: Michael Jackson. Songs such as "Beat It" and "Billie Jean" often played on high volume in my parents' home, and we all enjoyed singing and dancing along. I collected his posters, joined an unofficial fan club, watched his videos and stayed updated on what Michael Jackson was up to. He was called the King of Pop, and rightfully so. He blew millions of fans away with his music and self-styled "moonwalk." That famous dance move became the dance style many people and many singers alike tried to imitate, but never could master except for the Man himself. I dreamed of meeting him someday. And I almost had that chance had I listened to my mother who grabbed my arm and told me, "THERE'S MICHAEL JACKSON!!" But I thought otherwise. At least I can say I was once in the same room as Michael Jackson.
And despite the controversy surrounding his personal life, I still loved and admired Michael. I understood why things happened and how hard it was for him to have some kind of "normal" life while in the spotlight. It seemed that controversy awaited him everywhere he went, and the media ruthlessly hounded him and tore any shred of privacy he had left to pieces.
So it was with shock and sadness that I learned that Michael Jackson died today. He was 50 years old. He died of cardiac arrest in his Southern California home.
I actually found out about his death while on the Internet. (No TV today because we had our carpets cleaned and everything was moved out of the room while the carpets are drying.) I came across a blog post I am subscribed to which revealed the blogger's shock over his passing. My reaction was, "What? Oh, my God! No!!" But I started checking around on other sites and was dismayed to learn that this was true. Michael Jackson has truly left us. And he was only 50 years old.
I started watching some of his videos on YouTube and tearing up. I started to cry as I watched him perform "Billie Jean." He was so amazingly talented and had a wonderful voice. I am grateful I was able to hear his voice before I lost my hearing. His songs will remain in my memory and my heart forever.
I chatted with my publisher about this today. We both think it is very sad that he is gone. He was taken from this world too soon. My publisher expressed her outrage that there were people saying mean things about him, even now that he is dead. I was reading on the 'Net comments people left when they heard the news and I started to get angry, too. Some people said "it's better off that he's dead" and "now little boys will be safe." I thought that was really cruel and heartless. The man has just died! Show a little respect! I think you should NEVER speak evil of the dead. Not ever. My publisher noted that these people are inviting bad karma.
In my opinion, he should be remembered for the POSITIVE things that he has done. And he HAS done good things. He helped a lot of handicapped children. He has done charity work. That's got to mean something, doesn't it? Remember him for the good things, not the bad things. No one is perfect. No one will EVER be perfect. Despite Michael Jackson's faults, let us not tarnish his memory, or his legacy. He was not a saint but he DID still try to do good in this world. He has three children he has left behind. Do you really want them to grow up in a world that would rather stomp on their father's legacy instead of love him and remember him for the good things that he has done?
That said, I will always love Michael Jackson and remember how I was once such a big fan of his. My heart is broken because he has passed on, but I am thankful for what he leaves behind in this world. I am thankful that the world got to enjoy and participate in his talent and his musical gifts. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Jackson family. Michael will be sorely missed and remembered forever. May he rest in peace.
And despite the controversy surrounding his personal life, I still loved and admired Michael. I understood why things happened and how hard it was for him to have some kind of "normal" life while in the spotlight. It seemed that controversy awaited him everywhere he went, and the media ruthlessly hounded him and tore any shred of privacy he had left to pieces.
So it was with shock and sadness that I learned that Michael Jackson died today. He was 50 years old. He died of cardiac arrest in his Southern California home.
I actually found out about his death while on the Internet. (No TV today because we had our carpets cleaned and everything was moved out of the room while the carpets are drying.) I came across a blog post I am subscribed to which revealed the blogger's shock over his passing. My reaction was, "What? Oh, my God! No!!" But I started checking around on other sites and was dismayed to learn that this was true. Michael Jackson has truly left us. And he was only 50 years old.
I started watching some of his videos on YouTube and tearing up. I started to cry as I watched him perform "Billie Jean." He was so amazingly talented and had a wonderful voice. I am grateful I was able to hear his voice before I lost my hearing. His songs will remain in my memory and my heart forever.
I chatted with my publisher about this today. We both think it is very sad that he is gone. He was taken from this world too soon. My publisher expressed her outrage that there were people saying mean things about him, even now that he is dead. I was reading on the 'Net comments people left when they heard the news and I started to get angry, too. Some people said "it's better off that he's dead" and "now little boys will be safe." I thought that was really cruel and heartless. The man has just died! Show a little respect! I think you should NEVER speak evil of the dead. Not ever. My publisher noted that these people are inviting bad karma.
In my opinion, he should be remembered for the POSITIVE things that he has done. And he HAS done good things. He helped a lot of handicapped children. He has done charity work. That's got to mean something, doesn't it? Remember him for the good things, not the bad things. No one is perfect. No one will EVER be perfect. Despite Michael Jackson's faults, let us not tarnish his memory, or his legacy. He was not a saint but he DID still try to do good in this world. He has three children he has left behind. Do you really want them to grow up in a world that would rather stomp on their father's legacy instead of love him and remember him for the good things that he has done?
That said, I will always love Michael Jackson and remember how I was once such a big fan of his. My heart is broken because he has passed on, but I am thankful for what he leaves behind in this world. I am thankful that the world got to enjoy and participate in his talent and his musical gifts. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Jackson family. Michael will be sorely missed and remembered forever. May he rest in peace.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Can we handle the truth?
Yesterday, I saw the movie Iron Man. GOOD MOVIE! I loved it. The ending of this movie really threw me off guard, though. I'm not going to give it away, but I walked away from it thinking, 'Aren't superheroes supposed to keep their identity a secret?' I thought that was the whole part of being a superhero. No one REALLY knows the true identity of the man or woman behind the mask. Save one or two people (but it's usually one). Clark Kent kept his superhero alter ego a secret. So did David Banner and Bruce Wayne. The world at large didn't know who they REALLY were. Except for a couple of people who they felt they could trust.
I can understand wanting at least one person to know the superhero's real identity. Amid all the chaos and craziness, they NEED someone to know the truth. To know who they really are. They need that person to turn to, to lean on, to share things with. But anything more than just one or two people...well, that's really blowing the whole "secret shoulder to lean on" thing out of the picture.
Then I consider this: Maybe it's more a matter of being honest, being truthful. Maybe it's honesty that would compel someone, even a superhero, to reveal who they truly are.
When it was discovered that our president made some false allegations to get the war in Iraq started, it made a whole lot of people furious. Outraged protestors took to the street and it wasn't long before we started seeing bumper stickers reading "Bush lied" and angry diatribes in the newspapers speaking out against him. But this started a whole 'nother revolution. We didn't want to be lied to anymore. We didn't trust everything we were told so easily anymore. People started outing politicians who had lied, too. (Gee, a lying politician. How novel!) They started to reveal politicians who had been caught fibbing to the public. Then broadcasters started being called on their lies. Movie stars, journalists, musicians, writers, law enforcement officials and just about anyone else in the public spotlight with a sounding board -- ALL of them started to be called on their little mistruths.
People just weren't comfortable living in denial anymore. People didn't want little white lies, false assumptions or even fantasies just because the truth was too much for them to deal with. THEY WANTED THE TRUTH! The people have spoken. Their message is clear: GIVE US THE TRUTH!
And, apparently, we CAN handle the truth. You know why? Because the truth is better. Telling the truth, coming clean, stepping up and being honest is what we want and how we want it. We don't want to live in bubbles anymore. We want the facts. We want the truth.
And there's a lot to be said about people who embrace telling the truth. Who embrace being honest and have the courage of admitting to something.
I recently read an article in People magazine, in which new dad, Clay Aiken, admitted he is gay. He said he is telling the whole world the truth about his sexual orientation because he doesn't want his son to grow up "living a lie." But you know what? I think he did this more than just to protect his son's moral standing. I think he did this because, as a father, he realizes he is a role model now. How he lives his life is an example to his child on how his child should live life. Being honest with people is just one character he wants to instill in his child. I was shocked that he did this. You know, he has a lot to lose just because some IGNORANT people have a problem with someone who is gay. (My opinion, though, is that his personal life is REALLY none of anybody's business.) But at the same time, I had respect for him for doing this. Now I don't know this man and I have NEVER met him. I DON'T KNOW HIM! Don't send me any mail to give to him, or anything! But I respected the courage he had in doing this, in coming forward to be so honest about something so private.
And that kind of respect is deserving of someone who does step forward to tell the truth, no matter what is on the line. No matter what that person stands to lose. It is better to be honest and trustworthy, no matter how things have been done in the past. Because from now on, things are going to be done differently. That includes refusing to live a lie, refusing to indulge in fantasy, and stepping up to tell the truth.
I can understand wanting at least one person to know the superhero's real identity. Amid all the chaos and craziness, they NEED someone to know the truth. To know who they really are. They need that person to turn to, to lean on, to share things with. But anything more than just one or two people...well, that's really blowing the whole "secret shoulder to lean on" thing out of the picture.
Then I consider this: Maybe it's more a matter of being honest, being truthful. Maybe it's honesty that would compel someone, even a superhero, to reveal who they truly are.
When it was discovered that our president made some false allegations to get the war in Iraq started, it made a whole lot of people furious. Outraged protestors took to the street and it wasn't long before we started seeing bumper stickers reading "Bush lied" and angry diatribes in the newspapers speaking out against him. But this started a whole 'nother revolution. We didn't want to be lied to anymore. We didn't trust everything we were told so easily anymore. People started outing politicians who had lied, too. (Gee, a lying politician. How novel!) They started to reveal politicians who had been caught fibbing to the public. Then broadcasters started being called on their lies. Movie stars, journalists, musicians, writers, law enforcement officials and just about anyone else in the public spotlight with a sounding board -- ALL of them started to be called on their little mistruths.
People just weren't comfortable living in denial anymore. People didn't want little white lies, false assumptions or even fantasies just because the truth was too much for them to deal with. THEY WANTED THE TRUTH! The people have spoken. Their message is clear: GIVE US THE TRUTH!
And, apparently, we CAN handle the truth. You know why? Because the truth is better. Telling the truth, coming clean, stepping up and being honest is what we want and how we want it. We don't want to live in bubbles anymore. We want the facts. We want the truth.
And there's a lot to be said about people who embrace telling the truth. Who embrace being honest and have the courage of admitting to something.
I recently read an article in People magazine, in which new dad, Clay Aiken, admitted he is gay. He said he is telling the whole world the truth about his sexual orientation because he doesn't want his son to grow up "living a lie." But you know what? I think he did this more than just to protect his son's moral standing. I think he did this because, as a father, he realizes he is a role model now. How he lives his life is an example to his child on how his child should live life. Being honest with people is just one character he wants to instill in his child. I was shocked that he did this. You know, he has a lot to lose just because some IGNORANT people have a problem with someone who is gay. (My opinion, though, is that his personal life is REALLY none of anybody's business.) But at the same time, I had respect for him for doing this. Now I don't know this man and I have NEVER met him. I DON'T KNOW HIM! Don't send me any mail to give to him, or anything! But I respected the courage he had in doing this, in coming forward to be so honest about something so private.
And that kind of respect is deserving of someone who does step forward to tell the truth, no matter what is on the line. No matter what that person stands to lose. It is better to be honest and trustworthy, no matter how things have been done in the past. Because from now on, things are going to be done differently. That includes refusing to live a lie, refusing to indulge in fantasy, and stepping up to tell the truth.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
