Memorial Day ... A Day to Remember

I know I said I would try NOT to post the same thing as any of the other blogs I read but this is an exception ........ Pictured is Christopher Barton. He is the son of another blogger from another site I read often ..... I don't think she reads here but it doesn't matter ........ From what I read he died in Afghanistan on Monday, May 24, 2010. His mom goes by the name This.Army.Mom and has a site she writes on ... it may have been a Facebook .... about him. I visited it once when she left a link on TheDirtyDisher blog site.

I personally do not know this woman but, I could tell she was very proud of him. I don't think she will mind he is on my site too. I believe she would want as many people as possible to know what her son gave for his/our country. A scholarship has been set-up for that purpose .. click here.

Here is wishing the Barton family well and wholeness and peace!

An example of selling your soul?

Aside from being brought up in a 408 acre English county side manor, Fergie claims to have struggled financially on her own in her early 20’s. It did not stop her from enjoying a jet set life style then and undoubtly, high living became the norm more so than the exception once she married a Prince. Her divorce settlement from same said Prince was based on her husband’s professional income as a Naval Officer. Netting her with the mere pittance of alimony worth roughly $22,000 a year …. Sounds a little low to me! What about child support in this country? ……. I don't know that. Is it what led her to overwhelming debt and "selling" out family members?

In some ways, I say its her own fault but then again …… think about it …. her ex-husband of 10 years is a millionaire prince, a billionaire queen for a mother in-law, and her daughters are princesses! How did she end up with the settlement income of an US office worker? Even though she had every opportunity to cash in on her notoriety …. AND she did ……. her actual spending never matched her overall earnable income. Her “stock” fell as the years went by and income opportunities were far and fleeting. What is a former scandalous Duchess to do? Keep being a scandalous Duchess of course! Hence her “selling” out her children’s father’s … and supposed close friend … private life. What else could/can she do but be “Fergie”? Fergie who is now a long way from that 21 year old girl that once had the fortitude for monetary struggle and that fun loving shot of vivacity into an aging royal family known to have a penchant for a stiff upper lip. Maybe they … the royals ….. should have thought far ahead enough that at $22,000 a year, what she would become is a bitter, looking for a little revenge, aging, raging redheaded woman.

WHAT DOES STOP A PACK OF FAME HOUNDS?

Apparently ..... the Secret Service can! The Salahis ….you remember the obnoxious fame-seeking husband and wife that crashed a State Dinner last November …… were stopped outside … this time …. the White House last night (Wednesday). Another State Dinner was in progress .… where they were once again NOT INVITED ….. in honor of the Mexican President. The hounds were stopped for running a red light and turning into the Ellipse parking - a restricted area! Though there is no proof of it, undoubly the Secret Service caught them before they could try and make a run for it to the check-in gate. This time the crash attempt included a pack of friends in tow ….. AND cameras! Cameras? Oh yes … they got their reality show in case you did not hear. They are now part of the cast/circus in Bravo’s “The Real Housewives Of Washington DC”!

Just what every disgusting fame hound needs to lap up and gorge on any scrap that falls into their disgusting filthy; self-serving; notoriety hunting dog bowl: a reality show ….. YUM! Seriously, what is wrong with Bravo? The couple is still under investigating for their first attempt and could be charged, fined or jailed. I like the last option the best! If it comes to light that BRAVO’s production company knew this …aka … the cameras ready in position … they too should be held as an accessory in putting the life of the President in danger. At the very least, since they tried it again, criminal trespass!

With the Salahi’s attempt to put the lives in jeopardy of every statesman at this dinner by showing every probable terrorist how to accomplish an assassination attempt on high profile Politicians aborted, what would any fame seeking whore bitch hound do? Why go to dinner with their entourage of loser wanna bes at a restaurant ……. literally 2 blocks from the grounds of the White House ….. instead.

Eat up hound dogs! If fame is your master. Then remember the hunting dog sometimes gets his tail accidentally shot off by its huntsman!

****************VOTE!********************

In many states the primaries are tomorrow and according to the AP: "all the primaries testing tea party clout and veteran senators' ability to survive". Tea Party clout? ....hmmmm ... According to the New York Times (via Wikipedia) : 18 % of all Americans consider themselves in favor of this movement. Of that 18% the majority is "white, male, married and older than 45." They are "wealthier and more well-educated" than the general public, and hold conservative views on a range of issues. Although most are registered Republican, they tend to be more conservative than Republicans at large.

Waaaaaaaait a minute ..... aren't these the very people that got this country into the mess it is in right now? And in a year a half of a new administration they expected all the mess to be gone when it took the out going admin 8 years to create the world chaos. Where were they, oh say, eight years ago ......I know ....I know .....(raising hand) .... I know.

Anyways for good or for the bad its your right so get out there tomorrow!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATE!

"People have grown fond of me, like some old building."

Probably my most favorite actress of all times .... Katharine Hepburn. 4 time Oscar winner, lover of many a famous man and a true stalwart Connecticut Yankee. She worked well into her 80's and lived till she was 96 years old.

"I don't regret anything I've ever done; As long as I enjoyed it at the time. "

With my mom ... who made me into an old movie buff .... I had to first see Kate in either “Stage Door” ….. with Ginger Rodgers, Adolphe Menjou, Lucille Ball, Eve Arden and Ann Miller … or maybe it was “Bring Up Baby” ….with Carey Grant …. Either way she out shown them all …. Yes even Baby! ... and made an impression on me early in life.

"I find a woman's point of view much grander and finer than a man's."

She wasn’t typical poster girl pretty only because she did not want to be. Though blessed with classic features she chose to be more remembered for speaking her mind and negotiating things on her terms. She exuded an unorthodox ultra feminine feminist style with strength and self-assurity that could never be captured in a pinup girl of the times. I always had the feeling men were slightly afraid of her. Still it made her all the more attractive.

"I never realized until lately that women were supposed to be inferior."

I like to think I’ve learned to imitate her sarcastic wit and intellectual charm I admired. I can only hope to imitate her long life, ageless/timeless beauty, undisturbed way of existence and the respect she attained.

"If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased."

MOTHER'S DAY WISHES

Happy Mom’s day! I just came home from having Brunch with my Mom. Pretty much the rest of day I plan on doing nothing …. Just the way I like it!

I hope you all have "nothing" days too.

little petty "IRRATATING CRAP MY HUSBAND DOES"…. a working title

I grew up with a dishwasher in my childhood home. My husband never did. SO, I tell “Fred Flintstone” …. he’ll go back to “God Of Organization” (G.O.O.) later …. even Wilma had a Wooly Mammoth that high pressure hosed down the dishes. You can say when I married him (G.O.O) I was dragged back to beyond the Ice Age … based on the Wooly Mammoth sighting in Wilma’s kitchen!

For years he gave me the same sad excuse … from some stored away book of excuses on Mt Olympus probably …… as to why we could not install a dishwasher in our present kitchen. My favorite?: “We’re moving.” …this is another rant for another time ….. so why put more money into a house we are leaving? 10 plus years later … you guess it …. I’m still here.

3 years ago I decided since “We’re moving” a dishwasher would actually be a selling point. Without any more discussions with G.O.O. I bought the dishwasher and hired the people to install it. He wasn’t happy and thus the real reason came forth … he saw no need for a dishwasher. And the battle began. He won’t use it!!!!!!!!!! He would rather wash the dishes by hand and dry them gulp! with a towel …. I don’t what it dried before hand either, yuck ... yuck .... yuck ……. He has actually taken dirty dishes that I put in, out of the dishwasher and washed them. I have been reduced to sneaking the dishes into my appliance and turning it on before I leave for work in the morning, all so he doesn't try to do them while I'm gone.

I thought I had a good pile of dishes this morning but he rushed in and washed them! He is a sick man!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOPANGA

No she is not a legend or even one of my favorite actresses that I usually honor. I just remember when my oldest daughter was a high school freshman everyone at school noticed the resemblance she had with Danielle Fishel. SO, of course everyone called daughter “Topanga” …. Fishel's character on “Boy Meets World” ….

I went to school one time to pick her up from some rehearsal/practice. I could not find her so I asked one of the students if they saw her. The upper classman look at me puzzled and said no he did not know who she was. Then it dawn on me ……. "TOPANGA!" …. “oh, Topanga!” …… he knew exactly where SHE was!

Sometimes it doesn’t have to hit home. Just come close ….

Photo Credit: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Yesterday afternoon I was texting my daughter in New York, trying to get her work schedule from her so she could hook up with one of my oldest friends ...and her daughter ... who happened to be in NYC this weekend. My daughter’s job is in Times Square and my friend had tickets to a Broadway show that evening. I don’t think they got together.

My daughter left work at 6PM and was home before they found a fire bomb rigged SUV … somewhere around 6:30PM ….. parked on W 45th St …. between 7th and 8th Aves … in front of the Minskoff Theater ... where The Lion King is playing ... less than a block from my daughter's place of employment. I haven’t talked to my friend yet but, I assume she made her show, even though the theater she was attending was two blocks away from the SUV. All too close for comfort!

The accelerate laden SVU was reported to authorities by the Times Square street vendors who noticed it parked there and were instantly suspicious of it. It was smoking by the time police arrived but did not detonate. It is another instance where we have to be reminded even though we live in the greatest nation in the world we must be alert to those that would do us harm for that very reason. It reminds us that ordinary everyday people have to watch, be aware and are willing to be compliant in reporting the unusual.

You know you never stop worrying about your kids no matter what age or how far. Far is a scary place to be when your kid needs you. Ordinary everyday people assisted me yesterday. Next time I’m in New York I may feel the overwhelming need to own a couple T-shirts and designer …????? … purse!

THIS IS SICKENING BEYOND WORDS ........

Photo Credit: Reuters

The oil spill off the coast of Louisiana is sickening beyond words right now. Although look forward to later I am formulating a few in my head right now for a future rant.

"Irritating Crap My Husband DOES!" ...the working title..

If you have not heard of it, there is a Twitter account called: “Sh*t My Dad Says”. The owner of the account, Justin Halpern, only tweets …. well …uh … shit his dad says! A simple yet novel idea ….. soooo novel Justin, now has a book and a TV series pilot in the making.

Not that I’m trying for a book and a TV pilot I’m just …. aaahh ... ummm… borrowing the concept .... yea that's it ...that's what I'll tell his lawyers when they call .... I’ve been thinking of adding an occasional commentary based on the Halpern twitter, to my own blog. Originally, I was going to go with “Trash My Daughter Talks” but I’ve shifted my focus on “Irritating Crap My Husband DOES!” …….the working title …… I may use the “Daughter” stuff at a later date.

Since I have gone back to work, my husband has been trying to “help” out …. even though he did not when I was working before ….. with the house work. SIGH! I don’t wanna be a beeotch about it but he is rousing me into a diatribe fest. HE actually is “Mr. Neat Nik”, "Mr. Organization", "Mr. Everything Put Back In Place" ….. way more so than me. BUT then he has the added talents of "Mr. Delegate", "Mr. I’m in Charge Now", "Mr. List", "Mr. Reminder" …. Mr. PAIN!

First case in point: I can live in a scattered mess as long as the surfaces (carpets, hardwood floors, furniture, etc) underneath them are clean/sanitized/washed/dust mite/dog fur FREE! My “scattered” system works for me …… I KNOW WHERE EVERYTHING IS! For some reason the “God of Organization” (as hubby shall be known as) can’t believe that. He feels that it is muuuuuuch better to take everything and put it in 1 BIG PILE. Better yet, take that pile and put it somewhere else … like a drawer or in a place I would never EVER EVER EVER look! Let me tell you … ONE big pile does NOT work in the “scatter system”! He is really F’ing up my things to do/ filing system!

IS WINNING THE LOTTERY A GOOD THING?

Photo Credit: AP

Uuuuuuu ..... HELL YA!!! … but do you believe in the "lottery winner's curse?"

In 2002, Jack Whittaker from W.Va won a $315 million Power Ball. 2 years later he lost most of his friends and family, had over 400 lawsuits filed against his company, became an alcoholic and the granddaughter he cherished and lavished the winnings on was found rolled up in plastic bed sheet dead dumped behind a junked van. Read his full story here.

Jack, by far is not the only one. Many winners find themselves back to where they were ... or worse ... before the win. All over the Internet are stories of suicides, murders, hired hitmen, strangers demanding handouts ... for luxuries yet, not even pretending it was for necessities or a hardship .... charities, con men/ladies, spending sprees ... before the next payout check arrived, it was spent ... lawsuits, backruptcy and faced with the most dreaded creature of them all ... the self-righteous relative .... that see your winnings as their winnings.

Take for example the newest $258 million Power Ball winner this week, Chris Shaw. I like to see people like him win the lottery. Shaw is a 29 year old, living paycheck to paycheck, $7.25 an hour, recently hired convenience store clerk living in rural Missouri. Raised by his grandparents …..orphaned? No one is saying …… missing two front teeth because he could not afford to take care of them, father of 3 kids from two different mothers, and living with another woman who has 2 of her own children.

HO HUM ... this poor schumuck doesn't stand a chance! Undoubtly, the baby Mamas have already hired a lawyer to get their child support payments raised. Nothing wrong with that, every parent should take care of the child they brought into the world. BUT, somehow I picture these women in their new BMW before the year is out ...its all for the kids don't you know! If his parents are still alive ... you know the ones that dumped him on Grandma & Pa ..... they will be coming out of the swamp pretty soon. The women he is living with? Within the next couple of years her story will be that she gave him the money to play the lottery for them "both" or that he "promised" to split the winnings with her. Either way by some means, she will end up with at least half. At least I hope he gets those new teeth out of it all.

THE GROCERY STORE GOT A NEW SHIPPMENT OF KARTES FOR ALL

FINALLY!!!! ... after FIVE …… count them America ….. “5” tortuous weeks of spackled on makeup …. No one else's makeup was so horrendously horrendous, was she doing it herself?…. a wardrobe of Salvation Army bridesmaid dress cast-offs, horsetail wiglets and a black & blue sprain to the profession of ballroom dancing ….Kate Gosselin …. or as you know her better as the “shopping Karte”, “bitch from hell” ... see picture left for dictionary meaning .... or “the frock on the coat hanger” … has been voted off DWTS.

Seriously folks, if she made it through another week, ABC would have had some integrity problems with the show's actual fans and the voting system.

I know I myself first predicted her to be 2nd or 3rd to go but she turned out to be soooooooo dreadful, I couldn’t see how she made it past the second week. The only answer I have is that even her haters club started to vote for her as a form of entertainment and the joke she was becoming in the media everywhere.

Other than the money, I'm not seeing how this help her "career". Being the biggest butt .... and not just on the DWTS .... of late night comedy may have actually hurt her. Her appearance was more scandalous than genuine star power. What credible network … TLC doesn’t count … Remember I did say “credible” ….. will take her seriously. What’s that I hear ….. could be the sound of the nails being hammer in her TV celebrity coffin? Its time Kate you used, abused, and pimped your … and unfortunately your children’s … 15 minutes long ago!

Now go home …. first explain to your kids who you are ….. and have a nice normal life.

SHROUD OF MYSTERY

Photo Credit: AP

Being a student of architecture, I’ve always wanted to go to ITALY! Actually, I formally announced to my husband last month I’m going within the next two years with or without him. Now I have to find someone to go with. I thought maybe my daughters would enjoy the Grand Tour …. at least part of it anyways ...... especially if mom is footing the bill!

Unfortunately, in two years I will most likely miss the opportunity to view a renowned antiquity of the Roman Catholic Church: the Shroud of Turin. The Shroud, to the faithful, is believed to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ. In my ignorance I had always believed it to be almost on constant display in Turin, Italy ..... if you are planning a trip to Italy too, be forewarned ..... Customarily, the Shroud is made available for viewing every 25 years. In the last 12, however, it has been on display in shorter periods: 1998(before that 1978), 2000 and now.

Though never proclaimed by the Catholic Church as authentic, I recall while in first grade the nuns in my Catholic School declaring it evidence to Jesus’ intensive suffering for us undeserving little innocent children …. nuns were always trying to scare us little kids back then …. They(nuns) were never teaching doubt or even mentioning for that matter the Shroud’s historical suspicion of being a medieval forgery. Recent carbon dating tests put the cloth somewhere around the 13th century. Still there are those that insist the tests were compromised by taking the test samples from/near a 15th century patch/repair. There is also the Vatican researcher’s claims ….. through her study of computer enhancements … finding faint writing on the cloth that can be attributed to the time of Christ's crucifixion.

Even if you ascribe to the substantiation of high technology, scientists cannot clarify or duplicate a method of process for reproducing the image of the wounded bearded man in the cloth. So, even if the shroud is a forgery at the very least it is a piece of religious art imitating the agonizing existence and death of a church’s Savior. I want to see it.

Asserting some good advice to the 2 million expected to make the journey to Turin, the Archbishop of Turin tells visitors to view the shroud “with their hearts rather than their minds”. The Shroud is on display at the Turin Cathedral till May 23. No official date when it will be on display again.

AN EVENING OUT FOR THE HOUSEWIVES

I just came home from a jewelry party. I did not know people still did this! … my sister in-law hosted, I like her, I went …….. 20 years ago you could not get away from these home parties. At least once a month a friend or relative had a Tupperware, CandleLite and/or Partylite candles, Home Interiors, Pampered Chef, Stanley home products, Christmas Around the World, Longaberger baskets, Sarah Coventry, Mary Kay Cosemtics, Northern Lights, Queens Way to Fashion, …. These are just the ones I remember the company name.

There were more home parties that sold original oil paintings, lingerie … AND we tried this stuff on! Now I wonder how many parties were these “clothes” tried on? Eeeeeewwww ….., decorative house crap, more candles, gourmet foods, cookies, and the oddest one ….. and I remember my friends were really in to it at one time …. Fabric paints! We did pictures … framed them too…. and clothing ….. like the paint by number stuff! What the hell were we thinking???? We MUST have been drinking to much back then ……..