Category: General

Rain is God’s way of renewing the earth. If that is true why do people display such hatred towards rain? It all begins with rain, without it the earth would dry up and become barren. I for one love the rain. I love the way it sounds on the rooftop, I love the way it feels on my skin, I love the way it smells afterward. I love the way the earth looks after a spring rain. All green and other colors, as the flowers we all love so much need it. The farmers pray for it, the crops need it to grow, not only do the crops need it, the livestock need it.
I love all kinds of weather, I am fascinated by it, I stalk weather.com for daily updates, and I look at the 10 day forecast, the maps, and the radar! Addicting! I don’t understand the complaining about the rain, complaining about the heat, that I understand. I hate summer. The only good thing about summer is the shoes. The rest of it, you can have it. I love winter, spring and fall, but summer, not a fan.
Lately I have become addicted to grapefruit. Crazy I know, but I cannot stop eating it. I found these little fruit cups, fruit naturals by Del Monte, the grapefruit is packed in its own juices, nothing added. It is so good! I add a little salt and I am good to go.
Last night I was watching All My Children and they finally had the goodbye for Palmer Cortland, OMG, I could not stop crying. The actor died in real life several months ago, but as soaps are written and filmed months in advance this was when his memorial was written in. They really did a good job, I am telling you I bawled like a big ole fat baby.
Well today is Wednesday so only two days to Starbucks day! Woohoo! Happy Wednesday everyone!

I miss my mom. Four simple words, such powerful emotions attached to them. My mom has been gone now for seven years. She was a huge influence in my life, I know what you are thinking, isn’t everyone’s mother a huge influence in their lives. I suppose so, but not everyone has a mother like I had.
I was very fortunate to actually end up with the mother I did, as I was adopted, it was just the luck of the draw. Being around my mom made me want to be a better person; with her being gone I don’t know that I am the person I truly want to be. She made everyone around her want to aspire to be a better person. Do you know I never heard my mother say one negative thing about anyone; she truly lived the “if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all” philosophy.
When I tell you my mom was perfect, I am not exaggerating, one time I asked her to just please tell me one thing that she had done wrong in her life. One thing she regretted, I guess now would be the time to tell you she was 80 years old at the time. She said “Angie, I am not perfect, I don’t know why you insist on this belief you have that I am” I said, “ok, one thing”. So we sat there, and sat there, and sat there, finally 5 minutes later, she says “well ok, this one time when I was 5 years old”. My mouth dropped open, I was stupefied, she had to go back 75 years to find something she was truly ashamed of, I could go back 75 minutes and find something. I know you are waiting to know what she did, however she made me promise to never repeat it. Just know it was a normal 5 year old thing. But it affected her so much that she decided then and there to strive, not for perfection, but for goodness. And she achieved it in spades.
She had a quiet spirit, one of those people that just by being near her you yourself became calm. My favorite thing to do with my mom was just sit on the sofa in total silence; you could just feel the peacefulness she felt. It was truly an amazing experience.
I did see my mom lose her temper, twice, once was directed towards me, huge surprise, I know, that I could actually make someone lose their temper. But I am not going to take all of the heat for that one; my dad was in on that as well. He was trying to teach me to drive and somehow, I don’t know how, I ended up going through the fence. My mom came flying out of the front door and pointed at my dad and simply said “DRIVERS ED!” and yes she said it in all caps.
The next time was directed at my niece, who was a very picky eater. I am not going into details on that one; let’s just say my mom lost the battle. Of course I found it amusing. I had to leave the room so she wouldn’t see me laughing; I did not want that anger directed at me!
I did inherit a lot of traits from my mom; she used to say I got those by osmosis. We both liked the heel of the bread, books, writing and mustard on our grilled cheese sandwiches.
Every day I strive to be a little more like her, my only regret is my kids didn’t get to have the kind of mom I had. If I was ¼ as good a mom as she was I think I did ok.

Ok, I cannot stop singing this song, I think everyone should sing it with me:

Jesus Is A Friend Of Mine Lyrics
Jesus is a friend of mine.
Jesus is my friend.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
I have a friend in Jesus.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
Jesus is my friend.
Jesus is a friend of mine.

He taught me how to live, my life as it should be.
He taught me how to turn my cheek when people laugh at me.
I’ve had friends before, and I can tell you that, He’s one who will never leave you flat.

Jesus is a friend of mine.
Jesus is my friend.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
I have a friend in Jesus.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
Jesus is my friend.
Jesus is a friend of mine.

He taught me how to pray, and how to save my soul.
He taught me how to praise my God and still play rock and roll.
The music may sound different but the message is the same.
It’s just the instruments who praise His name.

Jesus is a friend of mine.
Jesus is my friend.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
I have a friend in Jesus.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
Jesus is a friend of mine.

Funky guitar riff

Jesus is a friend of mine.
Jesus is a friend of mine.

Once I tried to run, I tried to run and hide.
But Jesus came and found me and He touched me down inside.
He is like mountie, He always gets His man, and He’ll zap you any way he can.
Zap.

Jesus is a friend of mine.
Jesus is my friend.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
I have a friend in Jesus.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
Jesus is my friend.
Jesus is a friend of mine.

He loves me when I’m right, He loves me when I’m wrong.
He loves me when I waste my time by writing silly songs.
He loves me when I’m quiet and I have nothing to say.
He’ll love me when I’m perfect if I ever get that way.
Whooo!

Jesus is a friend of mine.
Jesus is my friend.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
I have a friend in Jesus.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
Jesus is my friend.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
I have a friend in Jesus.
Jesus is a friend of mine.
J-J-J-Jesus.
Jesus is a friend of mine.

Yesterday I made a mistake; it is not one I will be making again. Other than that an ok weekend; yesterday was very lazy. Ruby was total greatness, as usual; Desperate Housewives answered some questions and gave us more. Loved seeing Captain Jack; I really miss Torchwood. Sci-Fi fans will know what I am referring to.
Listening to Christian Kane on my way to work is the perfect way to start my day. I know he is in Portland filming Leverage now, however, I hope he comes back this way soon. I would love to attend a concert of his; I bet he totally rocks the house!
Today is going to be a great day. Helping all of the people obtain access to the internet. Educating them to the fact while, yes, we are tech support, we are tech support for DSL connectivity, not PC issues. I think people get confused, or else they realize we are free support and they do not want to call their manufacturer because they are out of warranty. Either way, they will either need to educate themselves on the equipment that is in their home or call someone who actually works on computers, as we do not.
Usually when you explain things to people they understand, well the majority do. I tend to believe people don’t understand on purpose. They don’t want to hire someone so they call us. But here is the thing, when your car breaks down, do you call the people who you purchase fuel from? That is what we are, fuel.
Well, coffee has been had; I am all fired up from great music, waiting for the Kidd Kraddick in the Morning show to start. I hope everyone has a totally awesome Monday!

Today I want to talk about politics. Well, no, no I don’t, what I want to talk about is the way this country has become divided down party lines. When do we get to go back to being Americans instead of Democrats or Republicans? That is the real question. I am not here to debate politics or party lines, in fact I doubt the majority of you can guess which political party I belong to or which way I vote in any given election. I will tell you this; I am registered as one party and rarely vote it. I know what you are wondering, why not switch parties then, well, the reason being is I don’t vote party, I vote conscious. I listen to all sides, make an informed decision and vote for what is best for my family. That is all one can do.
What I am so very tired of hearing is oooohh look at me, I’m a Democrat, I am so liberal, I believe that everyone is equal, then that person turns around and puts down Republicans. That is not liberal thinking. Then you have the Republicans, oohh look at me, I’m a Republican, I am so conservative, but we are all created equal, then they put down anyone who does not agree with them. Craziness!
Where did all of the really good political debaters go? I remember my dad and I used to have the best debates, not fights mind you, real debates, a meeting of the minds, and an exchanging of ideas without the other getting angry and throwing insults. That time is gone; the era is over for scholarly debates. I hate being screamed at. I will not debate with a person who feels the need to put me and my beliefs down due to the fact they can’t come up with anything intelligent to say, I will not debate with the person who has not read all information, and yes that includes reading the other persons information. You have to have a clear understanding of both sides in any election.
My big thing is if you don’t vote, don’t complain. You have no right to say how anything is ran if you yourself did not have a say in the end result.
And people stop putting others down just because they think differently than you. Try and understand where they are coming from, it doesn’t mean you have to agree with them, it just means that you respect their right to believe that way.

It’s Saturday and I have had a lot of coffee already. I have been up since 6:30, it was great getting an extra 3 hours of sleep! This day is going to be total greatness, I can feel it. Going to spend the day with fiancee, nothing planned, just hanging out.
I don’t have a lot of thoughts in my head today, so far I have watched Friday’s episode of All My Children, Merlin and Stargate Universe. I am really getting into Merlin, I love the whole King Arthur myth, I know, huge surprise. But the show has my favorite librarian, Anthony Stewart Head, and magic and knights and horses and a talking dragon. Seriously could it get any better?
Stargate Universe is also getting really good, I had my doubts after the less than stellar first season, but now, they are starting to show their writing and acting prowess. Next week Michael Shanks will be on, and, well, let’s just say he made the list. SSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHH don’t tell fiancee.
Must go finish getting dressed for the day, there is hints of rain, so I feel a curly hair day coming on! Everyone enjoy your Saturday!

Did you ever have a friend that never had anything positive to say? Well I have one. If everything in their world was perfect they would find something to complain about. A lot of times it is someone they work with, or a lot of people they work with. Or it is something else; it is one of the craziest things I have ever encountered. I am a normally positive person, 5 minutes with this person turns me into a raving lunatic. I can’t wait to get away so I can be positive again; when I try and show them the positive side of things they can twist it back to the negative! It is a gift, seriously, wow; I don’t know anyone else who can do that. I can only handle this particular friend in small doses as they drive me insane with the entire negative speak. Ok, am done, just had to get that down…..

I am currently reading a book about Abigail Adams, I love reading about strong women, and I love reading about our history. I remember when my children were learning about the Revolutionary War in school. I was horrified to learn that Thomas Paine was not mentioned at all. Not even as a side note. In my opinion he kept the masses interested in freedom. His pamphlets Common Sense were amazing. I think they should be mandatory reading. For those of you who are not familiar with Thomas Paine, Common Sense was published in 1776; it challenged the authority of the British government and the royal monarchy. The plain language that Paine used spoke to the common people of America and was the first work to openly ask for independence from Great Britain. It spoke to every person.
I grew up with a grandfather who talked about General Washington like he was our next door neighbor, it wasn’t until I went to school that I even knew that he had been our first president as well. I believe every person in this country should know our history. How can we effectively know where we are going if we do not know where we have been? We should know the good with the bad, the things we have done right as a country and the things that we have done horribly wrong. We should be aware when, we, as a country have tried to right those wrongs.
We all have a responsibility to teach our children about our past, don’t leave it up to the educators, they have a short amount of time to cram so much information into our children’s heads. I learned so much from my grandparents and my parents about the history of this country and our family’s role in it shaping it. There has been a member of my family in every war this country has ever fought in, from the first up to the current one. We have a deep history with this country, a vested interest in seeing it continue to be great. I hope I have instilled that within my own children.

I have been a single mother since 1993, so I feel that I can speak on this subject with some authority. When I got a divorce I made a very conscious decision that my children would come first in my life. You see they didn’t choose to be here, their father and I decided that they should be in this world. It was a responsibility that I took very seriously.
I had seen the new reports about child abuse and child killers, the majority of the time it was the mother’s boyfriend or the step-father that was the culprit. Now I am not saying all new boyfriends or step-fathers are bad, I am saying that I made a conscious decision to not take a chance that would happen.
I carefully vetted anyone who was going to be around my children, friends and family. I was always incredibly picky about the people that I exposed my children to. There are members of my family that my children will never meet, even as adults.
I resolved I would not be the mother who had the revolving door of men, having one in the front door while the last one was leaving out of the back. Metaphorically speaking, I seriously hope no one does that literally.
I wanted my house to be a safe haven for my children, they knew what they were coming home to every day, they never had to guess what or who would meet them at the door. I have to say I am happy that was the decision I made, to focus on being their mother.
Don’t get me wrong, I did go out with my friends, on the weekends they were with their dad. However, there wasn’t a lot of time for that normally, at one point I was working two jobs and going to school full time. Then when I wasn’t going to school, I had my full time job, my Mary Kay career, I taught Sunday School, and then there were the activities of the kids. That did not stop just because they were at their dad’s house. There were soccer games, football games, cheerleading, art classes, and dance classes, driving lessons, guitar lessons, band concerts and orchestra concerts. There is so much going on when you have children. I don’t know who has time to date!
I can’t second guess how I parented at this late date as they are all grown now; however, I do second guess myself all the time. I can only hope I made the right choice.

When did it become acceptable to wear cargo shorts to church? That is my burning question. The casualisation of America is in full swing. When did it happen? When did it become the norm for women to wear Day-Glo biking shorts to work? When did women think it was a good idea to wear sweat pants to a court house? Why do men think it is acceptable to wear items they would wear to a baseball game to church?
I am astounded by the lack of social graces everywhere I go these days. Before you say “oh one more old person bemoaning about young people and the way the dress”. I am the last of the baby boomer generation, born in 1964. I love clothes, fashion, dressing for the occasion and am saddened by the decay of social dressing. I am specifically aiming this at people my age and older, unfortunately the social norm now is to dress as dowdy and badly as possible.
Even business casual has taken on a whole new meaning. Gone are nicely pressed khaki’s, instead jeans with holes in them are the norm, and t-shirts. Gone are the days of nice slacks, button down shirts, ties and Italian shoes.
I miss the days that men wore suits to church and women wore dresses. Nice dresses, not horrible lavender, flowered, column dresses that went out of style as soon as they were “in”. I miss the days that women knew you did not wear hose with open toe, strappy sandals.
Where are the women and men who remember how to dress for every occasion? Where are you hiding? Several years ago I had to go to court with Elizabeth (not a juvenile delinquent, traffic court); she asked what she should wear. I told her to dress like she does on Sunday’s for church. She wore a nice skirt and blouse with nice shoes. When we went into the courthouse there were teens there with not so nice jeans, none dressed and the parents were wearing sweat pants (not juicy, wal-mart) and jeans (not Seven, wrangler). None were dressed for the occasion. My daughter was a little put out, she said “Mom, we are over dressed” I said “No, they are horribly underdressed.” It was then that I started noticing the horrible way people are dressing. At church that Sunday I saw a man in cargo shorts and his wife was in denim Capri’s. What upbringing told them this was ok? A house of worship is a sacred thing and we should show respect. We should dress for the occasion. In the workplace began noticing the 300 pound women in biking shorts, the one middle-aged woman who insists on wearing skirts so short that when she walks you see everything she has to offer. Who told her this was acceptable business wear? Before you ask, I work in an office for a major telecommunications company. Not in a small town, in a major, cosmopolitan city. A city that is known for fashion giants. If we are so fortunate to have the fashion giants in our city, why then do we not know how to dress?
How to rectify this horrendous situation? Well I do have a solution to the problem. Advertising and mandatory dress codes are a good start. Yes, there, I said it. Obviously when you leave mainstream America to there own devices they make horrendous fashion choices. They should be led; reading Vogue, W, and Lucky should be mandatory beginning in Middle School. Not only for the girls, but the boys should be included as well. The way men are dressing these days is also horrifying. There are the men who wear t-shirts with inappropriate logos in the office, men who wear jeans and cargo shorts to church. Men who wear sweat pants and pajama bottoms to the store, to work and sporting events. Men who show up for a date wearing gym shorts. Who does that you might ask? Or maybe you won’t ask that, because you know who does that. The question is who doesn’t do that. Well, the answer would be gay men. It seems that gay men are the only ones who know how to dress for the occasion. Just catch an episode of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. I have noticed even when Carson Kressley takes one to task and takes him shopping, buys him the clothes, even puts the outfit together, inevitably the man messes up. Ignores Carson’s sage advice on fashion and wears what he thinks looks good. Ok, men, the women in your life would not have nominated you if you looked good to begin with. Stick with Carson’s advice. Watch a few episodes of What Not to Wear, The Look for Less, and the BBC version of What Not to Wear. I noticed even on the Look for Less recently a woman did not take the advice of Lloyd Boston and went back to her old New Jersey ways. A pity, because she looked amazing in “The” look and looked trashy in her regular way of dressing.
Why oh why do we have to be so stubborn? With a plethora of designers, magazines and television shows, why do we insist on doing it our own way? Is it the old American independence asserting itself? Are we trying still to break away from European traditions? What is it about us that we have to be different? And not in a good way. There are a lot of things about us that is good, the whole democratic thing, the way we have to urge to defend the defenseless, wanting to help the unfortunate, getting involved. These are good things to be different in. I am just asking that we look to our European counterparts for a little fashion flare. A cognitization of our not so distant past when dressing for dinner out was a given. Dress for dinner out with your partner, male, female, whichever it is. Put a little effort, when you go to the office, church, restaurant, the mall, the library, to your children’s school. Remember the rest of us have to look at you.