It's been a gradual thing, this campaign against Christmas. It's seems like a lot of people get all "Scrooged" up about the celebration of Christmas.
I remember when back in the day nobody walked on eggshells. But, now that we're in Life As We No Longer Know It, you would think that saying "Merry Christmas" is like using the "N" word. If you don't celebrate Christmas, fine, not a problem. Growing up and going to school with many Jewish kids, there was never a problem. I never had a problem with Happy Hanukkah, either.
Now though, we've come into this weird thing where Christmas can't be mentioned. It's really odd watching TV ads with the word "holiday" but you're looking at Christmas trees and lights. I applaud those that use the word "Christmas" in their advertising because it is what it is.
Okay, there are many who argue why Christmas shouldn't be celebrated, but it seems like all of this controversy over a celebration that happens only once a year is much ado about nothing.
I was watching a show where the characters were singing what they called "holiday songs", but some of the songs they were singing were religious in nature and the word Christmas was in the lyric. It was like eating a pizza with no cheese. Every year some town in the US is banning the use of the word Christmas in some school or organization or public venue. Give me a break!
Can you imagine how strange it would be if the words of Christmas carols were changed? Let's see.
"We wish you a Merry Holiday, We wish you a Merry Holiday, We wish you a Merry Holiday and a Happy New Year."
How about this one from A Charlie Brown Christmas? Oops, I mean, A Charlie Brown Holiday
"Holiday is hereHappiness and cheer
Fun for all that children call
their favorite time of the year"
Ewwww! Okay, how about this one:
"I'm dreaming of a white Holiday Just like the ones I used to know."
Oh, I must share one more: The lyric to Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer
"Then one foggy Holiday EveSanta came to say:"Rudolph with your nose so bright,won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
So in essence, what I'm really saying is why not let things go? Whatever is your flow is your flow. Really. We are majoring in minor things with this damnation of Christmas every year. I grew up with Christmas and that is what I wish folks. I also wish them Peace On Earth…It is not my intention to rain on anyone's parade for what they don't want to celebrate. But I don't think its good to rain on someone else's choice for celebration. Christmas is a tradition that has been celebrated not just in this country for many years.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Peace on Earth...
Walking is a great way to chill and get with your thoughts and basically plan your day. So this morning, as I am enjoying the brisk, chilly November air and gathering my mental "to do" list, I hear a sound like a bird. It wasn't. It was a man in a car cruising on the main street where I was walking, trying to get my attention. I turned at the sound, ignored him and continued on, approaching the huge, wide open parking lot where the movie theatre and other businesses were. As I'm looking toward the parking lot deciding which way I would exit, here is this guy in the car waiting for me on the other end! So I went the other way. Good thing I'm in good physical shape and can run. Was I scared? No. But I was mad as hell. For him to go through this trouble to try to head me off was an indication that he had done this before. I guess he thought he was gonna get an early morning piece of ass and then throw me away like a ragdoll.
How dare he think that he was going to intrude on my life and take my right to my own personal space! My thoughts were basically, "Hell no! No one is going to hear about me on the news. I am NOT going to be a statistic. I am NOT going to be a missing person. It ain't gonna happen." Years ago, in my youth I had my palm read and was told I had an extraordinarily long life line. I was not going to let them be wrong about that!
This is the thing about "Life As We No Longer Know It", predators out there believe that they have the unalienable right to you! I'm not a victim and am pissed off about the many people who have been viciously taken and found dead days later. So here are my common sense tips on walking or running. It doesn't even matter if you're walking with someone. Predators may see it as a two for one sale on the victim smorgasbord.
There is no such thing as a safe neighborhood. Safe neighborhoods only exist in the movies, because the screenwriter wrote it that way.
Avoid greeting people. I know this is a tough one. It's not worth a "good morning" if it could lead to danger. Trust no one.
Don't take shortcuts. Shortcuts may be easy, but sometimes they're not well travelled and can "hem" you into a place where you can't get away.
Don't walk with an IPOD or MP3 player. You may be engrossed with the music in your ears, but it renders you totally defenseless.
Use common sense. Don't think that anyone will help you if you're in a bind, because a lot of times they won't. You have to depend on the only person you know well and that's you.
Don't walk at night. No brainer. Talking on a cell phone at night while you walk will not ensure your safety.
Trust that first instinct. You know, the one we always seems to blow off.
So, in review, here's my memo for anyone thinking about abducting me.
I am that crazy bitch who is too much trouble to abduct. This is not going to be easy for you.
I have no qualms about shooting you and if I do, I'll make sure that you don't have the opportunity to do this to anyone again.
Black women don't make the best victims.
It's been almost 28 years ago, that a friend of mine was abducted off the street walking home from work at night. It was an unbelievable experience for me because she was staying with me and came in at two o'clock in the morning. Yep, she lived to talk about it. So here she is making a phone call to the police, not even telling me what happened. I had to hear the conversation. I got up to see her hands nearly shredded from a carpet knife. She had put her hands up to her neck, palms facing out to keep he attacker from slitting her throat! She told me that she saw the guy standing by a car on a very main, very well-lit street in LA. I asked her why she stayed on the same side of the street when she saw him there. She just shrugged, she didn't know. The guy spoke to her and had the knife in his hand as she approached and told her if she knew what was good for her, she'd get in the car. So- SHE GETS IN THE CAR!
It was the most terrifying night of her life. She ended up in a not so good area of LA and had escaped from her captor once, bleeding from the hands. She approached someone for help who said, "Don't put your hands on my car and mess it up!" Unbelievable! Well, her abductor caught up to her and told her to get back in the car and she did! No one came to her aid. WTF! He finally let her go. I don't remember the details of how she got home. It's been so many years.
We have to be in control when it comes to protecting our lives. We can't just assume that we can get protection from anyone, not even the police. We have to be preventive with regards to our own safety. There are so many criminals on the streets we have to sharpen our radar for our own protection. They think they have the right to hurt you, but you have the right to live.
Every day I grieve for the people who don't make it; who leave this world when they have the probability of so much more life ahead. This is "Life As We No Longer Know It" and it's just the reality of our times.
I love filmmakers who dare to "go there" with their work, who aren't going to push the "feel good" element that makes it okay when you leave the theatre. In reality, life is not a movie and sometimes things don't work out okay. Precious is not the kind of film that can be made "feel good". It exposes some of the starkest elements of the things we all wish would just go away, that we can bury in an unassuming place and not confront. "Precious" is a film whose time has come. Brilliant, dark and decadent, I found myself immersed in the middle of broken lives and dreams, not watching a film. This is one that you can't say, "It's only a movie", because there's just too much reality in it.
With "Precious" we are in a jarring multi-faceted world of hopelessness with hope, dreams without promise and escape without leaving. Mo'Nique's portrayal of Mary, a sadistic, disheartened mother is worthy of every accolade and award available for a performance that was bare bones and in your face. She pulled her portrayal from an abyss that was so dark, it was terrifying. One can see that Mary, in her abusiveness is the victim of her own concept of self-worth, which she attempts to pass on to her teenage daughter. I found symbolism in the way that Mary thrived in her dark apartment with the curtains drawn, but once she was later brought into the light we can see a little of who she was before her world had crashed and beginnings of her victimization. It appears that from Precious her mother and grandmother, a cycle was being set into stone.
I don't think there was one time that I saw anyone "acting". Everyone in this film "worked" their part. I didn't see Mariah Carey, I saw Mrs. Weiss, didn't see Lenny Kravitz, I saw Nurse John. As for Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe, I can't say enough about her being a natural. She played Precious with a familiarity and understanding that is breathtaking for a new talent. I have seen many of her interviews and she is a charmer, far from the "heroine" that she portrays. Yes, Precious is a heroine for her endurance and perseverance in spite of the odds against her.
For me it was well worth the drive to see it, as it opened on Friday, November 6 with a limited run in theaters. That's the only thing that I didn't like about this film: an assumption that it couldn't pull an audience if it premiered in all theatres. Precious is one film that does not have to prove itself. I was a part of an audience of people from all walks of life and I was drawn to it from the first time that I saw the trailer. I'm sure I'm not alone as a viewer who fell under its spell.
As I sat in the theater with my oldest daughter, (my movie watching buddy since she was a kid), a myriad of feelings came to me. It was wonderful to watch this film with her, knowing we would be passing the Kleenex, but more so the blessing of being there with her; the sheer contrast of the film's mom and daughter relationship in a life that is not always good to all people. Precious is worth it on every level.
I had to watch ABC's "Cougar Town" twice to make sure I wasn't missing the point. Yep, this show stinks! So I wasn't wrong the first time I watched it! It is the weakest most horribly degrading piece of unfunny trash to premier in a long time. The storyline: a 40 year old divorced woman, played by Courtney Cox facing the reality of growing old which probably won't happen until she grows up.
This show struggled to be funny and I found myself gasping for air at every line. Okay, so I had to lose Life On Mars, one of my favorite ABC promising new shows (which premiered last year) for this? How old is the story of an older woman trying to snag young men? How new is the story line of Life on Mars, a cop in the middle of a chase ending up back in 1973? Okay, if you've lived in 1973 once and have to do it again knowing what you know, it's real different!
What makes Cougar Town so bad? It could be the obvious use of stereo-types and the negative portrayal of the male characters all whom appear to be empty headed boobs.
What disgusts me more is the relationship Jules, Cox's character has with her teen-aged son, Travis. The inappropriateness of her sexual humor with her son eerily crosses the line. It's clear that the son is more mature than his mother, who she relates to as a male buddy more than accepting her role of being a responsible parent. My favorite line in the show is when Travis says, "Why can't you just be a normal mom and stop torturing me?" Don't worry, Travis, all of us were tortured on this one.
If this story had to be done, it could have been done with a lot more tact. It's overdone writing that doesn't work and the characters are weak. . . Oh, did I mention the scene in the show where Jules is hanging out with her son and younger assistant(or who ever she is) at a high school game and ogles over a high school boy? At least the writers could have Jules interested in men in their 20s and 30s instead of having her hot for still pubescent high school boys who aren't really old enough to understand what a wet dream is really all about.
Then there's Jules' ex husband. He kind of floats into her home at whim. It proved to be a little more than awkward when he walked in along with their son to find Jules giving oral (or shall I say, feeding the snake) with a young conquest she met in a bar and bedded that same night. The cards are so stacked against this abysmal attempt to make 40 the new 20 that it makes me gag.
If I were to start a pool on how long this show will last, I would wager maybe four episodes. We'll all wake up one day, hopefully soon and say, "I had a bad dream that ABC aired this disgusting new un-funny comedy."
One thing for sure, this sitcom only achieves only one thing successfully: making both men and women look bad.
Many of us remember "Baby On Board": those cautioning yellow signs that people put in their rear car windows. Then it became contagious and became "everything "to "anything" on board.
So what's the new thing in rear windows these days? The family decals! Those stick figure people with the names underneath. I don't know what you call them, but it looks like every family that has an SUV has to announce how many stick figure people live in their house and what their names are, including the family pets. Excuse me for a minute. Can I scream here?
I came real close, I had to bite my bottom lip not to go up to someone who had this "info sticker" on their vehicle and ask them did they know how dangerous this was. I just had to listen to the little voice in my head and obediently not go there. But I know I will. It's coming and I'm sure I'll blog about the experience.
Here's my perspective on this issue.I don't have to tell you that we're living in Life As You No Longer Know It, and we really must exercise caution with some of the simplest things that we do. People who put these stickers on their cars don't even realize how far out on a limb they are going with giving up personal information.
We're living in an age of predatory demons. These demons are so consumed with hijacking their prey and creating havoc, that they will stalk and study your every movement: what time you leave your house, what activities you're involved in, etc. They watch. They watch and gather everything they need to prepare for the "kill". I know, it's a bad choice of words, but hey.
I believe that these decals are making it easy for predatory demons to commit crimes such as child abductions, home invasions, whatever they like, because they have all the info in the rear window. Since most people show that they have a pet, the demons can schedule a time to distract the dog or whatever they need to do to gain access. They also know the names of the kids because innocent people, haven't considered that adding the kids names will undoubtedly erase the "don't talk to strangers" rule. If a stranger comes up to a kid and calls him by name, the child automatically assumes that he's not a stranger.
These stick people on the backs of rear windows are giving out too much information. It looks like a clever idea that gets shrouded due to the hazards it presents. With the way people are taking on other people's identities and abducting children, these rear window clings aka "info stickers" should have been the first thing that set off a red flag.
I remember when a virus was something you caught that was a little more than a cold. Now when I hear the word "virus" I think of computer health and not human health. The thought that some geek is out there getting his jollies by wreaking havoc on computers is like someone sneezing in a crowd with swine flu or something else contagious.
I remember when a bit and bite had to do with food like: I'll have a little bit of this cookie and a bite of this apple. But of course in life as we no longer know it, a bit and byte have to do with computer memory. A megabyte or terabyte is ok in the computer, but a mega bite when it comes to food simply means you're over eating.
Now, agig used to mean a job. For musicians, the more gigs you have the more you can support yourself as a working musician. In "computer speak", the more gigs you have the more space you have on your computer to add more programs and files.
Back in the day, there was no such thing as software. Hardware was from the hardware store, but had absolutely nothing to do with computers; because when computers started to became mainstream, they only thing they could do with regards to software was let you play a game called "Pong". Looking back? How prehistoric!
Now, I don't know how this happened, but somehow, computer terminology started to sound a lot like food. When you're browsing the web there is something called a cookie that's just a message that's stored on your computer . When you visit a web page, your cookie is like a dog-tag that recognizes you. Sometimes you just don't want share your cookie! A lot of people like their PCs, but others love their Apples.
Spam started out in 1937 as meat made of chopped pork shoulder with ham pieces. Interestingly enough, 3.8 cans of Spam are consumed every second! So when we talk about internet spam, ( which is not for eating), but annoying the hell out of you, ten times the amount of spamming emails are "consumed" in a virtual mailbox every second than cans of Spam consumed. Spamming is actually a job and a duty for the people who send them. They're called spammers.
They inundate your email with messages on how you can make your penis bigger, to how you can make an income licking envelopes, or buy a huge house from the profits of your home based business. Anyway, it's the most annoying, aggravating garbage to inundate our lives with foolishness in the new millennium to date. Spam is your virtual pain in the butt.
The people who send out these insane emails have no regard for you. They don't care. It's just what they do and they feel an entitlement in doing it.They can even send out spam with "your" email address without you knowing it and your email could get shut down from the spam police!
We no longer have just a home address or a mailing address, but an email address. We no longer hang wallpaper on our walls, but put wallpaper on our desktops. A registry has now come to mean an area where your software serial numbers and passwords are stored on your computer, not just where a betrothed couple can share their gift preferences for their upcoming nuptials. Most of us enjoy a cup of Java to start the day, but without Java on your computer many programs just won't run.
Peripheral used to be connected to vision, still is, but it also means additional hardware that you add to your computer, like a mouse, monitor or external drive. No longer just a rodent, the mouse is a necessity when using your computer to browse or work with programs. When I Google the word RAM , I don't get the animal, or even a reference to the 1971 album by Paul and Linda McCartney, in the top 12 search results. I get Random Access Memory, which provides space for your computer to read and write data to be accessed by the CPU or computer.(central processing unit). I know, CPU sounds like a government agency.
So are you confused? I know a lot of folks can't get with this new fangled technology, but it was the baby boomers generation that really mainstreamed it. It was the generation of the parents of boomers that pioneered the concept of the computer. We are moving so fast in this technological age that we must get with the program. Pardon the pun.
In a minute, paper will be a thing of the past. Everything will be functionally virtual. I admit, I am a virtual girl in a virtual world. I love the technology. It's an integral part of my life.
Everything involves a chip, from the Ipod to the Bluetooth to the GPS to the bag of Keebler cookies. How did we get here? I don't know, but sometimes it's a good thing for the expediency it creates, but on the other hand can lead to ultimate confusion. So breathe---because this is the world as we no longer know it.
I will say that I appreciate the convenience of a computer for copying and pasting, or my favorite: hitting the undo button. Now, if only my life had had an undo button, that would've been great! People could undo bad dates, experiences and bad marriages. Instead of a divorce, you could just delete your spouse to end the marriage. Hmmm. I'm sure it's coming.
Flash is not just to add light to your camera in a darkened room when you're taking a picture, but a computer program that makes for great widgets and animation. We drive cars, but now we must have a drive to store our files. Memory is something that I think I need more of as I get older; more than my computers.
Word is not just a collection of nouns, adjectives and verbs that you say, but a word processing program that makes writing easier and how I write my blogs. Excel doesn't just mean "surpassing in accomplishment or achievement", but is a spreadsheet program that knocked a program called Lotus (which was also the name for a flower) into anonymity. An extension is something you ask for from the IRS to get more time to file your taxes, or an extra phone line in the house, but it's also used to describe a computer file type.
Joystick? I just remember the name of the hit song by the Dazz Band in 1983. But in computer speak, it's a device typically used to control objects on a computer screen. And while you have windows in your house, on your computer windows can crash or give you this message like "fatal exception". It means only one thing: your computer may have had a heart attack.
It's amazing how words have changed but really more amazing how we have to keep up with them to survive, especially when it comes to computers.
On October 23, 1989, a horrible crime occurred: someone shot and killed Charles Stuart's pregnant wife, Carol in Boston. In South Carolina, Susan Smith reported the kidnapping of her two young sons and the carjacking of her vehicle, in 1994. In the last week of May 2009, Bonnie Sweeten and her 9 year old daughter were abducted and stuffed in the trunk of a Cadillac. Sweeten made a frantic 911 call in hopes of her rescue.
What do these infamous crimes have in common? The black boogie man. This is a telling statement on the unchanged, state of our nation: when you can't blame it on the butler (and who can afford one) let's blame it on the bogus black boogie man. Not only does it get attention, it seems to heighten the story where it goes screeching out of control, becoming the main headline of America.
All three "victims" in these stories are actually the perpetrators. It's a sickening thought that someone would do something so morally unconscionable as conjuring up someone who doesn't exist and then adding the "color" wheel for effect and sensationalism. Yet, historically these stories have been manifested through decades and decades of American history. To see that these stories continue to have life and legitimacy in the new millennium is beginning to look like a remake of "To Kill A Mockingbird". And for all three of the above mentioned stories, in the time that the accusations hit the airwaves and media, every black man in the cities of Boston, Union, South Carolina, and Philadelphia was under the Red Eye of the law.
To falsely accuse anyone of something that they absolutely didn't do, especially if they don't exist to begin with begs to question the continuous lies that the "victims" would go so far to tell. Charles Stuart was actually the perpetrator who killed his pregnant wife. My question is, if you didn't want a wife and a kid on the way; why not get a divorce, not a "dead-vorce?"
Susan Smith gave investigators her description of the "the black boogie man" and the police sketch that was rendered looked like an ad from a minstrel show back in the 1800s. Susan Smith, who ,with her sinfully, dry eyed crying bout before the cameras at the news conference regarding her little boys, drowned her own children because her new boyfriend didn't want to be bothered with kids. My question, why didn't you give the boys to your estranged husband who wanted full custody of the children?
And now we come to our latest "side show" with Bonnie Sweeten who dredges up this over sensationalized story all for a trip to Disney World resort. My question to her is, couldn't you just call in sick if you wanted a mommy and me day? Sweeten is also accused of ID theft and embezzlement. Oh, did I forget to use the safety net word "allegedly"? Her ex husband, Anthony Rakoczy responded to the incident, "This whole media hype, it's not the person that she is. I've known her for 20 years."
Well, if this isn't a WTF moment! Yep, this is hype alright, but not at the hands of the media! If Sweeten isn't the person that she is, then why aren't they still married? So if you read between the lines of Rakoczy's "get over it black people" statement, he's basically discounting the innocent black males who were suspect during the search for Sweeten.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think this investigation started out with the possibility of it being a hoax.
I think more and more as time goes on, everyone will have to serve on a jury at least 20 times a year, based on how much crime is going on. So I open my mailbox and there it is: a summons to serve jury duty. When the hell do I have time to serve on a jury?
So, now I am working on ways to get out of it. As I'm reading the back of the jury summons there's an option to be excused or transferred. Let's see:
I have a physical or mental incapacity that prevents me from serving. Well, that might be true. I physically don't feel like wasting a perfectly great day or a few) and I get mental at the thought of having to serve on a jury.
I have a personal obligation like a dependent. Well, that may be true to. Since my kids are grown and gone, I have one dependent left and that's me.
I have no reasonable means of transportation to the court location. Well, can't get out of that one. I have vehicles and they know it. They picked me by my driver's license, so this isn't an option.
Other reason. Breastfeeding a child will qualify for postponement of service (Please explain in Section D). Well, can't use the breastfeeding defense. Well, I could say that—no, never mind. I plead the fifth.
Financial hardship. (Failure to properly explain may cause automatic qualification for jury service.) Ok, did anyone explain to the Court that we are in a financial crisis all over the country right now? That would qualify maybe since everyone is getting jacked one way or the other. Don't they get that serving on a jury where you get fifteen bucks a day creates a financial hardship? The court gets a freebie on the first day and you won't get paid for that but you will get paid for the subsequent days. They also give you 34 cents per mile which doesn't kick in until the second day. And you only get paid for one-way travel.
Now what I find amazing is that if you want to explain the reasons in Section D, and you're over 70 years old, you have to explain your medical condition. Now I'm wondering if the court gets to decide what medical condition is okay?
Then they have this Section E. Medical Excuse/Transfer. Okay, so if you're under 70, a doctor must complete this section. But here's the kicker. If I get my doctor to answer this questionnaire, he may be called in to testify before the Court about my inability to perform service. So if my doctor were like to say I am hormonally unbalanced, then they would want to know when I may be able to serve. The answer: never.
Okay, so I have no options. Well, there are two left which make you exempt. If I were convicted of a felony: that means I have enough time to try to rob the bank that got a bail out within a month. Or I could become a peace officer, which means I would still be in the police academy when the date for me to serve comes around.
Now if you don't respond to the summons you will get fined up to $1500. How come they just don't fine you $15 per day kicking in on the second day?
Crazy thing about being forced to serve on a jury, if you don't report on the first day of service you could be fined, put in jail or both. Then somebody else will be picked to serve on the jury to decide what to do with you about playing hooky in court.
If I see another Southern Californian doing this I'm going to scream. This definitely brings me to road rage. Who the hell are these people who drive with a dog on their laps? Two days in a row I saw "dog lappers". One guy had two dogs on his lap while driving!
WTF!I see this often: folks driving with dogs on their laps and kissing and petting on the dogs when they drive. What the hell is this all about? Now here's some news. A bill was passed to fine drivers $35 who commits lapdog driving, last year. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in his infinite wisdom vetoed the bill. I guess not enough dogs have died!
What else is ridiculous? In my research, I found that there was more interest in a dog's safety than human beings. Screw people, because we have seen that pets seem to get more attention than abused children. If dogs were molested and killed, I'm sure that the perpetrators would be facing life sentences or lethal injection. If children were dogs they'd have it made. It is absolutely ridiculous how children are so neglected when it come to their rights in this country.
From what I've seen, the pet owners are clueless when driving with their dogs. If the governor vetoed this bill, then he should eliminate the bill against driving with a cell phone to ones ears. When I pass by "lap doggers", they are so oblivious to what's going on around them that it's sickening. It's quite clear that their reflexes are on pause (or shall I say paws?) and they could not respond at the drop of a dime if someone cut them off or they were about to hit something large in the road.
I say pets are cute, but the level that this pet parenting has gone to is more than borderline ridiculous. Every time I see someone kissing their dog in the mouth, I cringe. HELLO! Dogs lick their butts!
This "lap dogging" thing is stupidity gone wild. There is absolutely no reason why this absurd habit isn't muzzled. Okay pet lovers; hate me if you think I don't like pets. I've had pets in the past, but there is a lot of responsibility and common sense that goes with having a pet. Lap dogging is one of those habits that has seriously thrown common sense out of the window.
The rules of parenting have changed. Remember the good old days when you could discipline your kids in public without getting arrested or deal with some yo-yo at Child Protective Services? Now all I see is mommy counting to three, while the kid is thinking "She's got to be kidding. I don't give a damn about her counting! I don't give a shit about "time out" either!"
My skin starts to crawl and I break out in hives when I'm in the grocery store and little kids are whining to their oblivious parents about what they want….now! Or kids are running through the store aisles and pulling merchandise out of its packaging. When my children were little and we saw kids blow off their moms at the grocery store, my kids would look at them like they were crazy as they gave them the look. "You're lucky you don't have my mama 'cause she'd kill you!"
I always told my kids that I was crazy. I don't know, it seemed like the best way to impress the idea upon them that I was fearless and invincible. 'Cuz crazy folks seem to have a strength that normal folks just don't have the guts to muster up. I also wanted my children to know that I was crazy and fearless enough to protect them and their interests. Like the time I kicked the hell out of a cab that almost hit my kids in a school crosswalk.
Today, kids run the program and parents are cowards. They acquiesce to the wants of their children as if they'd pass out from "I want it fever". If kids today don't get what they want, you'd think that they'd have to be hospitalized for a terminal illness: Ididn'tget it-itous.
Somebody told kids that they had rights. The only right they have is to remain silent. Since when did a kid have the life experience to run anything? I remember Anthony (played by Billy Mumy) in that Twilight Zone episode "It's A Good Life" where he made that guy a jack-in-the-box because he thought he was "a very bad man?" Why was he a bad man? Because he was sick of being controlled by that bad assed kid!
There was no such thing as a Super Nanny when I was growing up. The Super Nanny: and that's the reality. It all but sums up the parenting style of today.
I grew up in the time where children were "seen and not heard". I knew my boundaries as a kid and stayed within them. If we were out and someone offered me seconds at dinner or dessert, my mother would give me this look. They call it "stink eye". I would politely say no thank-you to what I was being offered. Today I can tell which adults grew up with no boundaries as children. I can proudly say that I raised really good kids who knew how to behave when they went out. They were always a pleasure to have around when I visited my friends' homes or we went out on outings.
There have been many times when I have had to bite my tongue and give "stink eye" to other people's kids who misbehave in public places, but not always. Once, this kid kept begging her dad for something in the store. Now, I don't know where this comes from, but I always have the urge to shake the hell out of anything that whines. I got so tired of hearing this kid, I blurted out, "Damn, tell her she can't have that shit!" Of course the dad was insulted. He assumed that I didn't understand and didn't have any children. I replied, "Oh, I do. I have three in this store and you don't hear a peep out of them!"
There's a lot to be said about the real school. We learned that there were consequences to bad behavior. We would get a spanking if we misbehaved. There was nothing to second guess. When we got spanked, it was not child abuse, it was a message. I am not talking about extreme cases of child neglect and torture. I am making this statement for all that politically correct crap that gets drummed up and tossed in the pot with discipline.
Today, I believe that every school teacher out there should get a starting salary of at least $100,000 a year: and that's only tolerance pay, for babysitting bad-assed kids with no home training. Half of the kids who start school now can't even spell their names. If real school people back in the day misbehaved in school, they were "gonna get it when they got home". Not these kids today. The parents will go to school and threaten the teacher for trying to discipline the child.
This is what we are living now: parents who don't parent. They don't set ground rules. They think that the entire world should dance to the beat of their kids. They don't teach their kids that you don't touch things that don't belong to you or act out or have tantrums. The last tantrum that I saw, this 3 year old was giving much drama to her parents, who, the weak links that they were, attempted to use negotiating tactics. I couldn't take it anymore. So I said to the dad as I pointed to his three year demon showing out, "Is that yours?" The dad acknowledged the devil in the room and with surrender just threw his hands up. So, I said to him, "She sure is lucky you're her parent, because if she were mine, I'd give her a little can of whoop ass!" To which he said with disbelief, "I would never hit my child". I paused for a moment and replied, "I see. But when she grows up and you have a bigger problem on your hands she'll have no reservations about killing you!" I walked away.
Here's a little info for today's parents: Children are not ornaments or lap pets. You can't raise kids responsibly if you're afraid to say no, or buy them everything that they want. Wants are not needs. Children require guidance, nurturing, boundaries and love. And here's a little info for kids: The tantrums and bad behavior that worked with your parents isn't going to work out there in the real world. You're in for a big reality check.
I think that the hardest thing I had to do and my greatest accomplishment was raising great kids. Yes, we had our normal ups and downs. The goal in raising kids is to raise them to be responsible human beings. Not these monstrous little beings who'll turn adults into jack-in-the-boxes and "will" them into the cornfield.
My Wiz-Doom for today: You shouldn't bake a cake in a microwave. In other words, love doesn't happen in an instant. For ABC's Bachelor,Jason Mesnick it apparently does. This guy is the most fickle, weakest character I've seen on or off reality TV. And here we go---he's a crier. I have a lot of problems with "love pageants". First of all, there are 25 girls to choose from so until it gets down to the final two, there's a lot of lip locking with a lot of different women, which seems a bit risky.
I figured though that Jason would choose Melissa over Molly. Melissa who described herself as always being the "dumpee" ended up right in that space once again. So, if Melissa always ends up with the same result, it appears that she needs a little time for introspection. I tend to believe that if something continues to happen to you, you're the problem.
I could see that this girl wanted to be in love. To what desperate ends are women willing to degrade themselves to be chosen by a man and find love? Apparently many. Love takes time. It doesn't happen in a Jacuzzi in front of a camera, or spending the night alone with him to "get to know each other". It doesn't even happen as quickly as it took the producers to film the show!
So what did Melissa do that was so horrible? She became a self-sacrificing dishrag in desperation without any practical thought to protecting the investment of herself. This guy Jason proposes on national TV and that in itself hokey. She tells him how much she loves him countless times before the engagement moment and all he can say is he's falling for her. Translation? Evidently, somebody took a trip, arrived at their destination and the other party was still travelling to get there.
From a guys point of view this whole love pageant charade is the next best thing to having a harem. There really is nothing in this for the women, but the ultimate reveal of how shallow they make themselves to appear perfect, competing for the attention of one man. This is known as the bullshit zone. When you're in the bullshit zone, there is absolutely no clarity anywhere on the horizon.
So what's up with Molly? What I found disturbing about her was that she kept bringing up the concept of fantasy. Girls need to stop believing in "the prince charming theory" of falling in love and get with the reality. Love takes time because two people's rhythm with each other takes time. If they have no rhythm, they will not have a love connection. You can't force love. You can't have what you believe are the perfect ingredients with perfect surroundings and because he's there and she's there they have a connection between them. Love is energy that manifests in its own time.
Both Melissa and Molly sacrificed themselves by professing their love to Jason. I think that saying "I love you" is like a wayward basketball being tossed in a volleyball court by a whore in a wedding dress. It's said so much it's lost its meaning as a sacred proclamation between lovers. These days it's something people say out of obligation to give another a sense of being wanted and to absolve any insecurities. Love doesn't have to be affirmed by being said or heard. Love is an action word.
I found many things about this season of The Bachelor disturbing. First, I don't think that Jason's young son should have been a part of any of these scenarios. This kid is only 3 years old and to be introduced to these two final contestants must have been very awkward. It had no place in the show. I wonder how many times they had to shoot those scenes! I also found it disturbing that Jason always kissed his son on the mouth or asking his son to give him a kiss. I don't recall many men bonding with their sons in that way, even as little boys.
What I found totally distasteful was Molly's acceptance of giving it a go with Jason, ignoring Jason's appalling treatment of Melissa and even when he admitted to her the horrible thing that he did to Melissa. There were so many red flags that it could've been Flag Day. So what Molly did was settle for a jerk.
Don't women get this? Jason is certainly no prize, as his behavior clearly shows, but for a woman not to think that if he did that to someone he would do it again is the biggest show of desperation Molly could ever reveal. The best thing that Molly could have done was to tell him to get lost. But ignoring her instincts and the questions she had in her mind and going for it may be to her regret. The jury is still out on that one. You would think that Jason was the only man left in the world. It gives me hives to think that she believes there are no other options.
I must applaud Melissa's parents for not wanting to be meet this guy on camera. It seems that they weren't havin' any of it. I wouldn't either. Move over Barnum & Bailey, because this turned out to be a three ring circus.
Remember when Ma Bell broke up in 1984? It was no longer the monopoly that it used to be. Enter Verizon. Now if that ain't a bit of a monopoly! They are everywhere, but are they anywhere? I have to stand in line with everybody else complaining about their internet and phone service. They are one company that makes it quite clear that they don't want to talk to you. I've called 8 times in a half hour and was told by the virtual girl that my call couldn't be completed. This after going through a b-zillion menu options, that evidently lead to nowhere. Every number they give you to access them leads to the same place! I earned my right to be in the Guinness Book of World Records when I was on the phone for 7 hours trying to work out a peace summit between Vonage and Verizon.
To their credit, I must give Verizon points for the FIOS internet service. It's excellent, but—it all seems like a set-up to me, because as I see it, they're using their "high speed DSL", which I have been informed is basically dial-up and horrible, as a means to getting everyone on their more expensive system: FIOS.
First thing is when you call them to discuss your account, the rep will ask if they may have permission to access your account. Well, dah! I'm calling them about my account. Why am I calling again? This is not a social call. So, I asked the phone rep, "Why do you guys always ask me if you can have permission to access my account if I'm calling about my account?" The rep, says, "I know," then chuckles. At that point, we both laugh and I tell him that this is great blog fodder.
I think the stellar point of the conversation was when he was checking something on-line regarding my account and he says "Bear with me, my connection is kind of slow." He admitted that they don't have FIOS there! Now ain't that a bip! Damn! If I didn't laugh at that one! Here I am talking to the internet service provider and their own reps have Verizon's cheesy "high-speed" internet!
Before I switched to FIOS, my DSL would go out every night between the hours of 7pm and 12 midnight. It were as if I were getting rationed internet time. I've gotten responses from their customer service people as ridiculous as: my modem is over worked and tired. I got several credits because I had no service. Every time I called, I think I was calling some hut in Pakistan, where the person on the other end tried to kill his accent to sound more American. There were many times where they didn't understand the technology issues clearly because of the language barrier.
But the message is clear. Verizon is looking to be everything: TV provider, phone, internet. It looks like the market is gearing up for a competition. Because when all is said and done, there will eventually be one company and we'll all be singing the Theme to Welcome Back Kotter to old Ma Bell reborn.
I see that parenting has reached an all time low. My jaw is on the floor as I'm watching a little girl being reprimanded by her mother. The child had colored the words on a handmade sign outside of the lines. The little girl, who must be between 4 and 6 years old starts crying. Her mother blandly tells her to stop crying, because the tears will ruin her makeup and it will have to be done all over again.
Welcome to the world of unfulfilled adults who spend money on gowns, hairstylists and make-up artists for little girls barely out of diapers.
Welcome to WE TVs "Little Miss Perfect". These "beauty" pageants create mini-Barbie dolls with a grown up look, adorned with overdone eye shadows, lip glosses and bouffant hair, some shaking their little asses to impress the judges. This is the show that reveals just how low our reality show psyches are willing to go. This has got to be the absolute sucking borderline.
A lot of us winced at the 1978 film Pretty Baby with Brooke Shields as a 12 year living in a brothel in the early 1900s awaiting the loss of her virginity to the highest bidder. So we've seen shock value before.
When it comes to a reality show like Little Miss Perfect with parents who have no idea of the loss of childhood being imposed on their young daughters, you have to look at these parents and who they are. It becomes apparently clear that it's all about them...
Not to mention that these pageants must be a smorgasbord for creepy pedophiles hanging out in the lobbies.
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