More Help for Flood Relief

Wow!

Garth Brooks' Nashville Benefit: 9 Sold-out Shows, $3.5 Million for Flood Relief

Garth Brooks’ Dec. 17 benefit concert in Nashville for victims of flooding across middle Tennessee has turned into a deluge of its own.

When tickets went on sale Saturday morning, demand was such that the country superstar, who hasn’t performed in Nashville for 12 years, added shows until he had amassed a string of nine over six days. Those concerts are expected to generate $3.5 million for ongoing flood relief efforts.

"It's great to be part of the healing," Brooks said Saturday. The feat almost doubles the previous record in Tennessee for ticket sales by a single performer, set by Michael Jackson, who had sold 72,000 tickets for a stadium show in Knoxville.

Brooks will play Dec. 16, 17, 19, 20, 21 and 22 at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. Tickets were priced at $25, his standard maximum ticket price over the years, outside of his current engagement doing solo acoustic shows at Steve Wynn's Encore Theatre in Las Vegas. Brooks said 100% of the ticket revenue will be donated to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to help those who are still rebuilding after the flooding that hit the area in May.

When the concert benefit was announced late last month, Brooks told The Times that he didn't anticipate doing an extended series of shows, as he had done in 2008 to raise money for victims of Southern California wildfires the previous fall. But he said if the demand was there, he would add performances to generate more money.

He said the decision to hold the shows shortly before Christmas reflected his belief that "around Christmas time is when people seem to need the most help, and when people feel the most giving, so the timing just seemed to make sense."

-- Randy Lewis

Oh No!

Jill Clayburgh died. She was just 66 and died from chronic leukemia she's had for twenty-one years. I've enjoyed her performances and am sad about her death. She was most recently on Dirty, Sexy Money. Article HERE.

Despite her acclaim, Ms. Clayburgh, by all appearances, had a healthy sense of herself. “People think about me, ‘This wonderful lucky woman, she’s got it all,’ ” she told The Times in 1982. “But gee, that’s how I feel about Meryl Streep.”

Keith Olbermann

Guess most of you have heard by now that Keith Olbermann has been suspended from MSNBC for contributing to two Democratic candidates. NBC has a policy that journalists cannot contribute to campaigns unless they received approval. Rachel Maddow's commentary on this situation was excellent!

Women Bloggers

Excerpts from a couple of blogs I enjoy:

From Ronni Bennett's "Time Goes By" - Full post HERE

On a bi-gender basis, here are some of the extreme beliefs of the freshman Republicans who will join the 112th Congress in January, as compiled by ThinkProgress:

• 91% have sworn to never allow an income tax increase on any individual or business – regardless of deficits or war

• 79% have pledged to permanently repeal the the estate tax

• 50% deny the existence of man-made climate change

• 25% want to end birthright citizenship

Although those are all House members, the supposedly “adult” side of Congress doesn't appear to be even thinking about policy. In late October, Senate Minority leader, Mitch McConnell, told the National Journal - and repeated on television on election night - that

"The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president."

Margaret and Helen have done it again! Gotta read the whole thing HERE!

Sarah Palin has a clear path to the Presidency in 2012… which means we’ll have another presidential election in 2014 when she quits. No problems though. Michele Bachmann has been talking to God and he assures her that the two years as Vice President will fly by and she will be in the Oval Office before she knows it. Let’s all start a prayer group for her now.

I found it interesting that John Boehner declared that Washington has been put on notice. Considering how long he’s been a part of Washington, I say Politician heal thyself. Yes. Washington has been put on notice indeed. It’s been put on notice that Americans have the attention span of a gnat.

If there is one thing we learned last night, it is not that Americans are mad at their government. It’s not that Americans want lower taxes. It’s not even that Tea Party Americans who voted for McCain don’t like Barack Obama. We knew all that. What we learned last night is something we really should have known all along. Americans want what we don’t have. And once we have it, we no longer want it. 2012 will be here before we know it, and I wonder how we will feel then about what we have now.

New Speaker - Ack!

Sharron "Obtuse" Angle and Christine "Not a Witch, Not Me" O'Donnell would tell Orange Boner to "man up" and "put his big boy pants on" when he blubbered through his acceptance speech. I think they were out of line saying what they did to their opponents. It was very Mean Girl of them. If a man had said something like that to/about a woman, all hell would have broken loose! That being said, what he did looked like dronk crying.

Quotes

“Bad politicians are sent to Washington by good people who don't vote.”

- William E. Simon


“The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.”

- Sir Winston Churchill

The Election

I voted during early voting. We can see the writing on the wall and know there are going to be sad results and horrific ones, too. Besides having nutjobs in office will be dealing with Republican smugness. Let's hope the Teabaggers don't get in there. Sharron "Obtuse" Angle and the others are scary. Hoping for the best but expecting the worst.

Got this from Move On:

Don't watch the election on ABC! They've lined up known liar and race-baiter Andrew Breitbart to do Election Night commentary. Remember him? He got African American USDA employee Shirley Sherrod fired with his highly edited video appearing to show her giving a racist speech—when the full video showed the opposite. Viewers depend on news for facts—Breitbart lies. Watch anyone but ABC on Election Night!

Good News

Latest news on the HP laptop. I called a former student who has a computer repair place here in town who asked me to check to see if it's still under warranty. YES!! I found the paperwork on that in the computer case. Who knew I'd put it somewhere logical where I could find it? Yay! He suggested that I call Staples where I bought it and go from there before doing anything else after I told him the problems I'm having with the computer. He said it will probably be very expensive to fix.

Staples directed me to their tech center where I talked to an American in the US. Very helpful and encouraging. I realize this sounds politically incorrect. So what? There are too many people here who need jobs without outsourcing them to India or wherever because of corporate greed, but I digress.

After doing some things like taking out the battery, holding down the power button, and trying to turn it on, the guy said they'd have a repair place send me a box and mailing labels with instructions on how to send it to them. It should take about 2 weeks to get it back. None of it will cost me anything since it's under extended warranty. Best $70 I've spent in a long time! So glad I did that!

Jim at the computer repair shop is going to transfer my data tomorrow, which he'll put on that intimidating external hard drive and give me another lesson on how to use it. Yes, this is the same person Dan blogged about and respected my request not to contact. I understand Dan's feelings and reaction but think I can do more good with the conversations I've had and will continue to have with him. He listened and heard me, which is at least a beginning. I definitely don't understand why this conversation even needs to take place with anyone anywhere, but obviously it does. It's totally foreign to me.

This little netbook helps with some things. I can keep doing my part-time job grading assignments for the Virtual High School. That has to be done daily. The volunteer work is over now that the election is finally happening. No more data to enter for the Democratic HQ here, but I was able to finish it.

There are limitations on this netbook. The main one is that it won't let me play Scrabble on FB, so I won't get back to my games for a couple of weeks or so. I downloaded Adobe Flash Player and Shockwave and tried playing it on Internet Explorer since I use Firefox which worked fine for me on the other laptop but apparently has a conflict with Scrabble. Still wouldn't load. So no Scrabble for me! :-(

Back!

I'm back! My HP laptop died. It kept trying to turn on but kept turning off and trying again. It also has NVIDIA graphics problems. I got mail about that chip. I'll get it fixed but needed something now for my part-time job grading assignments for the CWHS Virtual High School. I bought a cute little 10" Acer Aspire One netbook for just $240. It's going to be great to take places with me. The 17" HP was a bit unwieldy for that. Mine's dark red.

Outrage

I'm devoting a whole paragraph to Jimmy Smits - for obvious reasons. They're also canceling Outlaw. Since he was on NYPD Blue and LA Law, he hasn't been on another long-running series on his own. Just as he was elected President on The West Wing, it was canceled. I've never gotten over that, either. It is my favorite show of all time even though it was never as good after Aaron Sorkin quit writing it. I remained loyal, but alas! Then Cane didn't last too long, which I could understand. I watched it but didn't like his character.



Now Outlaw will be gone! I like that show and his character is interesting and complex. But no! They'll keep those horrible bachelor shows on along with various mind-numbing reality shows because they are cheaper to produce - so are comedies. Dramas cost more, too, so they cut their losses and don't really give them time to develop the way they used to. Networks, movie studios, and music labels are run by MBA's who won't let producers and writers and performers find their audience or get better. I realize they're in business, but those are creative endeavors. The creativity part needs to be considered not always what is most marketable. Sometimes audiences can be brought up to a higher level.


We know there are way too many dumb people. Look how they vote and not just on American Idol and DWTS. Some of them are running for office and bask in their ignorance. Instead of pandering to the lowest common denominator of humanity, TV could have some quality shows on. Music could produce options to Taylor Swift. Movie studios could be original instead of having so many remakes and sequels.

Thank goodness, for The Good Wife! Hope they don't cancel that.

David and Ginger, you're absolutely right! I added pictures of my favorite hunky actor!

The Whole Truth

I've read that ABC plans to cancel The Whole Truth. I don't know if any of you watch it, but I like it. Rob Morrow and Maura Tierney play opposing attorneys. He for the defense and she with the DA's office. The show lets us see preparation for both sides of the trial and then know the truth after the verdict. It's well-written and has a good cast. Many people didn't know what it was about, and ABC didn't let it stay on long enough to find an audience. If you feel inspired, please go HERE and ask them to reconsider and put it back on the air. Too many people thought it wasn't fiction but some kind of reality show. I contacted them to be counted in the ones who want it to stay on the air. Hope it helps.


And btw do any of you know why Criminal Minds wrote JJ out of the show? The show needs that character because she gave it some humanity and relieved tension.

I contacted both networks. They make it easy to get in touch with them, unlike NBC. Figures.

THEY WON!!!

Yesterday I went to the state volleyball tournament at MTSU to watch my two granddaughters play. Right now they're playing for the state championship in their division (District 1 A). It's on the computer on the TSSAA Network website HERE where you can see games already played, I think. Anyway, just wanted to let you know. They're numbers 6 and 7.

ps ... They won in an exciting close game!

Melissa the Talented

Melissa did all the art for HERO Games Fantasy Hero 6th Edition! Check it out HERE. She's on Facebook and also has a website HERE which many of you have seen. I'm thrilled for her!

Here's the cover.

Here she is with Brian and their friend Todd in the middle. She's wearing the t-shirt I bought for her at Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia. It has a caffeine molecule on it. She loves coffee and is a science geek, so I had to get it for her. She's an enthusiastic little thing - an artist, wonderful wife to my son, fabulous mother to my grandson, and most excellent daughter-in-law!!! Love her and am proud of her always!

Photo grows larger when clicked. Woo!

Donuts I Don't Like

I'm in the donut hole which none of you know anything about unless you're over 65 or are a pharmacist. This explanation and chart from Wikipedia (not always a reliable source as we know but is in this case) gives you the idea.

The following table shows the Medicare benefit breakdown (including the donut hole) for 2009, for 2010 the total TrOOP has increased to $4,550 before catastrophic coverage begins.

• "Total drug spend" represents the actual cost of the drugs purchased, factoring in any Medicare discounts.
• "TrOOP" (true out-of-pocket expenses) represents the amount of their own money that the patient has paid.
• The donut hole is shown below in grey.

2009 Medicare Part D payments

Total drug spend	TrOOP	Out-of-pocket cost	Portion covered by Medicare
$0–$295	$0–$295	Deductible is out-of-pocket	No Medicare coverage of costs
$295–$2,700	$295–$896.25	25% out-of-pocket	75% covered by Medicare
$2,700-$6,154	$896.25-$4,350.25	All costs are out-of-pocket	No Medicare coverage of costs
over $6,154	over $4,350.25	5% out-of-pocket	95% covered by Medicare

Last year I got in the donut hole a little over a month before the year was over. This year I got there in July, which means I pay full price for all my prescriptions from August until the end of the year. I won't reach that out-of-pocket amount (thank goodness) which would let me get more coverage later on. This means I'm stuck paying around $500 for my prescriptions a month along with what I pay for Medicare and the Advantage Plan I have. That brings it to over $700 a month. That's a big chunk out of my teacher retirement and social security, which together is maybe 70-75% of my salary as a teacher, which in rural Tennessee isn't that much to begin with.

The Healthcare Plan is supposed to do away with the donut hole next year. I hope the Republicans that get elected don't do away with the new plan. Can they? Since this donut hole idea started in 2006, we know who was president and which party had the majority in the legislature.

I would be happy and willing to pay more in taxes to help provide national healthcare coverage. I believe it is part of being a caring, concerned citizen to help those who need it however we can. Any taxes I'd pay would definitely be less than I'm paying now for my meds, which is not the whole point but a factor for sure. I can't wrap my head around personal and corporate greed and am glad I can't. There's help out there for those who can't pay for their meds, but typically, I make too much for that but not enough to comfortably pay it. I'm making it but will do better next year when this isn't an issue.

What is a major concern are those people who pay much more for their meds than I do and have to decide between medication and food or heat. This is just wrong. People shouldn't lose their homes and businesses because of medical costs, but it happens. We fall short in so many ways "compared to other industrialized countries" - a phrase seen too often in vital issues.

NPR Repercussions

Now look what Bill Kristol and Liz Cheney are up to HERE. Karl Rove tweeted about it, of course. That's why I'm following him - to see some of what they're up to. They're circulating a petition to ask the federal government to quit funding NPR. I'm so glad I contribute to NPR and have the t-shirts to prove it!

Grandson Visit

Weekend with The Boy! Never a dull moment.

Hmmm

The male sea lion may have more than 100 wives.

Casting Trivia

For the role of Mike Brady, the father on TV’s The Brady Bunch in the 1970s, Robert Reed was ultimately selected. However, a strong contender for the patriarchal part was actor Gene Hackman.

Might Come in Handy During the Olympics ... or Not

To a competitive swimmer, "d.p.s." means distance per stroke.

End Hate

RIP

First Beaver's mom..NOW Richie Cunningham's dad...Tom Bosley...he was 83

Computer Woes

I'm having problems with my laptop and hope it's not dying. I mostly noticed the problem when I was playing Spider Solitaire that came already on the computer. The screen would freeze, and I'd have to manually turn off the computer which it doesn't like. I have Vista and read online that others had the same problem, so I followed some instructions and after wandering around the internet found a site where I could scan and download updates for drivers. This took quite a while. I haven't tried playing Spider Solitaire again yet, but the screen went black while ago when I was on Twitter. I keep several tabs open all the time - my blog, FB, iGoogle, and Twitter. They are set to come on when I open Firefox. Generally I'll open a few articles I find on Twitter that look interesting and other blogs I read (one at a time).

So now what? Guess I'll have to take it to someone who knows what to do. I'd rather not have to buy a new one or pay a fortune to get it fixed.

What Did They Use Before? Lanterns?

The first lighthouse to use electricity was the Statue of Liberty in 1886.

Have a List?

During the Middle Ages, murdering a traveling musician was not considered a serious crime.

Opposite from What We've Heard

Our advice is to take a cold shower before sex. Cold showers actually increase sexual arousal.

Fall Break

My teacher friends are on fall break here, so I've been able to do things during the day with them. The trees are turning colors, but it's been so dry here that the leaves are falling off before there's a chance for the beauty we usually have here. It rained some the last two days, so that might help with the fall colors. These were taken last year of across the street and my back yard. Not as colorful this year but might get there.



I watched most of the rescue of the Chilean miners and the special Diane Sawyer hosted last night about them. The world watched with hope and happiness that they survived and were rescued. What a tribute to the human spirit that they did so well! Chile accepted help from experts around the world but is known for taking effective action during disasters. I wish for the best for those 32 men and their families and loved ones after this life-changing experience!

Shark Trivia

The biggest fish in the world are the whale shark at 50,000 pounds, the basking shark at 32,000 pounds, the great white shark at 7,000 pounds, the Greenland shark at 2,250 pounds, and the tiger shark at 2,070 pounds.

October

Mostly because of the beautiful weather, all kinds of neat activities happen in October. Last weekend was the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN. I've been wanting to go to that for ages but never have. Next year I hope to get there. It's a big deal in storytelling events. Read about it HERE.

This weekend is the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville which is always interesting. Authors, panels of authors, books, music, and more books! Check it out HERE.

Helena, Ark, has the King Biscuit Blues Festival this weekend. I've mentioned this before. They finally got their name back and will be able to use it again next year. That's a story filled with litigation. Website HERE.

What is the Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival?

It's when Delta Blues fans head on down to Helena, AR for 3 days of the best Blues in the Delta.

The King Biscuit Blues Festival began in 1986 as a one-day musical tribute to the Blues roots of Helena and the man at those roots, Sonny Boy Williamson. The "King Biscuit" in its name stems from the fact that Sonny Boy Williamson was a founding performer on King Biscuit Time,a live Blues program on the radio. The program was sponsored by King Biscuit Flour.

What started out as a small festival has gained a reputation throughout the nation and always draws a big crowd. Despite all the growth, the festival organizers have remained loyal to their roots. The festival is still dedicated to the Blues as performed by the musicians that were directly or indirectly influenced by Sonny Boy and his contemporaries. These artists include Pinetop Perkins, James Cotton, Robert Lockwood, Jr., Billy Branch, Kim Wilson of The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets featuring Sam Myers, Charlie Mussellwhite, Frank Frost, Sam Carr and a host of others.

The festival has four stages and it is estimated that over 100,000 people will be in attendance this year. They have dozens of Blues musicians and even a Gospel stage.

Brian, Melissa, and Brendan are going to the Stone Mountain Highland Games in Atlanta next weekend. WEBSITE I went one year and want to go back. It's so much fun to see the border collie demonstrations. They are so incredibly smart with natural herding instincts. If you ever get a chance to watch them in action, it's fascinating. The owner by voice or whistle commands them to sit and wait, select a specific sheep, herd him back, and then stay or do whatever the owner tells them to. Many of those guys look really hot in kilts, too! I just looked at the schedule and didn't see any events with the border collies. Sports, dancing, music, games, food, clan representatives, and booths. Lots of fun.

Then there's Oktoberfest this weekend in Nashville. I've been to that and enjoyed it. SITE

So what am I going to do this weekend? My granddaughter is in the area for a volleyball tournament I'm going to try to see some of. I have a meeting Saturday morning and decisions to make after that. Hope all of you have a wonderful weekend with beautiful weather.

"I Love Mankind. It's People I Can't Stand."

I've been feeling that sentiment from the Peanuts character Linus quite often lately. Lots of encounters, comments, and items on the news have bothered me and gotten on my nerves. Glad I'm on blood pressure meds. I'm having a clumsy day. Last night my cat knocked over my bottle of water, so I cleaned that up. While ago I knocked over my Coke Zero and then my bottle of water myself. Sheesh!!

Dan and I are having a conversation on the comments section of his blog about part of it. I copied and pasted this in Facebook which I thought wasn't controversial but basically The Golden Rule and "judge not" which are part of the Bible some who call themselves Christians choose to ignore. I want to get the word out against bullying which was part of my job when I taught school.

1 in every 10 people born are gay. That means 1 in every 10 people are
instantly put down, given bad labels, left alone, put in a minority and
so much more... all for something they didn't ask for. Many gay teens are
committing suicide as a way of escaping. If you want to tell them life
will get better and you respect them for who they are, copy and paste
this.

So anyway, I got a comment from a former student Teabagger that I deleted. This is it:

Landon wrote: "Oh, I didn't realize that science had found "the gay gene" to prove that people were "born" gay.

My dear friend, with all due respect...it is a "choice"."

Well, he's not a friend and that wasn't respectful (all due or not). I ignored him and deleted it. Then I decided today to go to his FB page and wrote, "I see you are pro-choice." Having no sense of humor, Landon wrote: "Yes. I "choose" to believe in the teachings of the Bible." I replied, "I noticed. You pick and choose." He won't end there, but I will.

I was away from the computer for a while, and when I got back to it, I noticed all this activity that took place. Jim joins in and posted a few comments that Michelle (former girlfriend of my son's and still a friend of ours) who went to school with Jim (also a former student) made. He'd already deleted his comments by then, but I have them in my email. He also unfriended me. Well, Michelle said he got entirely off of FB she thinks. This is what he wrote:

Jim wrote: "No, I am sick of this debate. I am tired of people telling me that because I don't support the homosexual agenda I HATE THEM....I do not. We will all answer to God in the end for our sins and I say let Him deal with it. If that puts me in the idiot class then find me that rocketship and I'll gladly leave."

It all went on for a little while between Michelle and me which is how Dan got his information. Good grief!

My final comment on all this on FB:

The cruel and inhumane experiences gay people tell about how they were teased and bullied in school, rejected by parents, and attempted or seriously considered suicide when they were children and teens are heartbreaking. No one should have to endure that abuse.

Yes, it also happens to children who are overweight, unattractive, nerds, disabled, and "different" from the children who tease and bully them. Being a hater is a choice and one they are taught at home.

Too many teens suffer in silence and end their lives or become too damaged to have a life. A testimony to the human spirit are the ones who survive it all, become stronger, and thrive. Yes, it does get better.

That's just part of my irritation and rage against intolerance and hate. Add to it the way our educational system is so messed up that it will take decades to get it back on track, the political climate, Sherri Shepherd, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, and a whole list of other things that put me over the edge. I'm going to the yarn shop and try not to screw up Charlie's scarf. See you later!!

The Lost Weeks

Have you ever gone through a period of time when you slogged through life and everything was an effort? That's what's been going on. I wasn't sick but didn't feel good. I couldn't seem to get anything done quickly. My sleep pattern was off again, too, and I was on a rock musician's hours. I've been going to the classes at APSU with Tina on Mondays and Fridays. Well, one class and waiting in the gallery during the Wednesday night class. Other than that, I can't say that I've been productive.


Somehow, I haven't felt motivated and just couldn't make myself blog, answer email, or do other things I enjoy doing. Weird. Everything seemed like too much trouble. I'm feeling better now. It started yesterday, so maybe this age is better for me, and I'll have a great year.

But I had a good birthday yesterday. I got cards in the mail - even one from David!! Thank you so much for that! Mother, Brian, Brendan, and I met for lunch at Calypso in Nashville. Melissa wasn't feeling good and couldn't make it. We had a good time and a good meal. I got home and read some of the book Brian gave me. It's a science fiction novel Pattern Recognition by William Gibson. My brother brought me some peanut butter fudge he made, and he makes the best I've ever eaten. He's the one of the two of us who cooks. Then my sister-in-law came over, and we all visited a while. Then they took me to dinner. Mother made an angel food cake with fudge-like chocolate icing for my birthday. Good day!

I also appreciate so much the birthday wishes you left in my comments and the ones I got on Facebook. All that made me feel special. Charlie sent an email recapping my latest year which was a happy reminder of some blessings and activities. Maybe I'll have some to add to that this next year. Thanks, Charlie! You've been a wonderful friend for over 15 years. How long has it been? Then there's the big package of chocolate from Maddie. Say no more! LOL I appreciate all of your comments, your blogs, and you!!

Miss Me?

Have you missed me? I'll be back. More posts and catching up on reading blogs to come!

First the Opry - Next Opryland Hotel!

Nashville, Tenn. - "Tune In" live on Tuesday, September 28th at 9/8c as The Opry returns home to the Grand Ole Opry House for the first time since the devastating floods hit Nashville, TN, nearly five months ago. This sold-out performance will be a night to remember, and the Grand Ole Opry will give a copy of the evening's commemorative program as a memento to 25 randomly selected fans who sign up here.

The Opry will be welcomed home by Trace Adkins, Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Charlie Daniels Band, Jimmy Dickens, Martina McBride, Del McCoury, Montgomery Gentry, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Josh Turner, Keith Urban, and more. Listeners can "Tune In" for the historic return to the Opry House on Tuesday, September 28th at 9/8c by watching the concert special live on GAC: Great American Country or by tuning in to WSM-AM. No matter how you "Tune In," be sure to sign up here to enter to win a piece of Opry history. The randomly selected winners will receive their complimentary program from the broadcast via mail.

After opening it's doors in 1974, The Grand Ole Opry House has been the home of The Opry, the longest-running radio program in history. During the Opry House's restoration, past homes like The Ryman Auditorium and the TPAC War Memorial Auditorium have hosted the show.

The Opry House's integral wooden circle, taken from its Ryman stage in 1974, sat submerged on the Opry stage before the waters receded. This oak circle, painstakingly refurbished, came back home in August and will set the stage for the "Country Comes Home" event. The return to the Opry House comes just in time to celebrate the Grand Ole Opry's 85th birthday, and the celebration will continue throughout 2011.

Source: The Latest from Jimmy Carter in Nashville (no, not the former president)

Busy

I'm feeling good lately and am doing more. Friday I went to the Democratic Headquarters and entered data in the computer program. Now I know how they have so much information about me when they call from various Democratic organizations.

The DVR is getting a work-out with all the new and returning shows I am recording. Castle had an excellent episode for the first show of the season. I love that show. My other favorite is The Good Wife, and I'm looking forward to it this week. The Big Bang Theory is another show I don't miss.

House was a disappointment. I don't like this new relationship between House and Cuddy. It doesn't work for me at all. It did with Sela Ward but not with these two. Sometimes the writers go astray on this show. That whole season with David Morse is a good example. Hugh Laurie rises above the material.

I like The Whole Truth and find the premise satisfying. Rob Morrow and Maura Tierney play defense and prosecuting attorneys respectively and work well with each other. It shows both sides preparing for trial and then after the verdict at the very end lets us know what really happened.

Outlaw gives Jimmy Smits a different kind of character to play in some ways. I'll watch him in almost anything but couldn't hang in there with Cane. In this he plays a Supreme Court Justice who resigned to go back into private practice.

More to come ....

Global Warming & Population Control?

So much for hot sex. A recent study purports there are fewer births nine months after a heat wave. It found that an increase of about 21.600 Fahrenheit in summer temperatures reduces births the following spring by up to 6 percent. Researchers at the Kinsey Institute for Sex Research concluded that high temperatures could reduce people’s sense of well-being, which could result in a reduction in sexual interest. Another study found lower sperm counts and higher rates of miscarriage during hot weather.

New Post from Jackie

Somehow I missed this, but Jackie wrote about her trip to Ghana on our mutual blog HERE. Check it out. Very interesting and informative.

Look Familiar?

At least three people said something to me about my eye makeup in that photo. No, I did not put it on that way. The weather was incredibly hot this summer, remember? I was in Austin, Texas, where it was even hotter and had walked many blocks in that heat, got overheated, and had the picture taken when I got back to the hotel without looking in the mirror. Mistake. Yes, I know. Now let's all laugh about the funny Lolcat and how much our eyes look alike!!

Maddie the Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

If Maddie were a cat, this is a dronk text I might get. There were more this last weekend. :-) But wait! Were those from Maddie or the Boy Toy?

Just Because I Like It

Gravity

No high jumper has ever been able to stay off the ground for more than one second.

From Bob

Unwired!

I did it! I'm wireless! It took a while, but I finally got the router installed. The website wouldn't let me register it. Who knows what went on with that. First the CD wouldn't play, so I used the instructions for manual installation. It was one thing after another, but success at last. Since I use Comcast for my internet, the router is free. It should be, shouldn't it?

Wow - Just Wow

O'Donnell: Condoms Are An "Anti-Human" "Insult" That Reduce People "To The Level Of A Dog"

40 minutes ago — Media Matters Action Network

Since her surprising victory in the Delaware GOP primary, Christine O'Donnell has been getting a lot of attention for her extreme views. But unlike other Tea Party candidates, such as Sharron Angle (R-NV) and Joe Miller (R-AK), O'Donnell's most jaw-dropping past statements have to do with sex. Over the course of her career as an abstinence-only activist, O'Donnell has denounced efforts to promote condoms and safe sex as "anti-human" and an "insult" that reduces teenagers "to the level of a dog that can't control its hormones." Here are a few of the lowlights (quotes via Nexis):

"And to me, it's a very anti-human way to go about this. And what I mean about anti-human is even if the population is increasing, so what? So what? People aren't bad. When did humans become a bad thing? Why is it that we have to, you know, stop people from getting pregnant?" [The O'Reilly Factor, 1/6/06]

"[C]ondoms will not protect you from AIDS. So to just throw a bunch of condoms over to Africa and say, here, we're helping you with AIDS, is just going to further the spread of AIDS over there." [Donahue, 4/27/02]

"We're doing a great disservice to our young people because the only protection is abstinence, as condoms have been proven fallible....The federal government should not be telling young people to use condoms....It's also an insult to teenagers, reducing them to the level of a dog that can't control its hormones." [Washington Times, 12/1/95]

Source

OMG, NO!!!

TP candidate Christine O'Donnell has won the nomination for the GOP Senate race in Delaware! If the Democrats can't win against her, then life as we know it is doomed.

Why didn't Beau Biden run? Who is the Dem candidate?

People are voting like madmen against incumbents or "establishment" candidates in Republican races and for the Teabaggers. This could work to our advantage, but it's hard to tell. Lots of work to do!

And Paladino as the Rep nominee for NY governor? WTF?

Not that I have much faith in voters. I know what's out there. See what happens when there is so much emphasis on standardized tests at the cost of teaching critical thinking skills? I won't get on that soapbox again right now, but this makes me crazy!

Who Knew?

Natural blonds have more hairs on their heads than redheads or any shade of brunette. A blond has about 120,000 strands of hair, while a redhead has about 30 percent fewer strands, about 80,000. Brunettes are somewhere in between the two.

Bleck

I haven't felt so good for the last several days. I need to, so I can enjoy this beautiful weather we're having. And I will. How are all of you?

Update on the car - AAA came out and jumped the battery. Then he removed those bulbs from the lights on the door. I will just leave it like it is without those interior lights since the car is 11 years old. I can do without them and don't need to spend the money on having a mechanic find that short. This was Sam's idea and a good one. Tugboat has now named my car Matilda, which is funny because I don't name my cars or call them anything but "it" instead of he or she. I call it a name when I refer to my car as a Mercury Mistake instead of Mystique, which they don't make any more. It's been good and hasn't cost me extra money, so it probably just wanted to show me that I was wrong. I can live with that.

Margaret and Helen Blog

For those of you who didn't see this and read the excerpt a few posts down, Margaret and Helen is a must-read! Check it out HERE! Read the excerpt and see what I mean by scrolling down a bit.

Upon Further Reflection, Dumbass

Tugboat told me on the phone last night about disconnecting the lights, but that didn't process. We got off onto the subject of my buying a new car which I would like to do but have to wait since I'm now in the prescription drug "donut hole" or gap, which means I have to pay full price for all my prescriptions for the rest of the year. At the beginning of next year it all starts over again. I have three that do not have generics and are very expensive. Even a couple I thought were not expensive are when paying full price. I don't know yet how much this will add up to but estimate that it could be over $300/month. So no car payment yet. The health care reform is supposed to eliminate the gap next year which will help so many of us. I'm more fortunate than some who have to choose between their medication or food when this happens. It was created by the Republicans, of course. But as usual I digress.


This morning that light bulb did at last go off above my head, and I remembered that I had the same problem with this car when it was new in 1999. Someone showed me where the fuses are, and I disconnected it until they replaced some switch that was faulty. Now I need to reconnect the battery cables (yuck on the dirty hands again), get the car jumped off, take out that fuse, and then drive around enough to make sure the battery is charged. Well, maybe get that checked. A battery place is close by. Then I can get whatever is wrong with it fixed. I'll drive my car for another year and then get a new one. I'm a slow learner.

Energy Loss

The electric department worked on the lines and replaced some wires, they said. I thought maybe that would help and that the electricity wouldn't go off as often, but I think it's doing it more often. Suicidal squirrels are the cause of many outages and weather does others.

The lights inside my car won't go off. I slammed all the doors and jiggled with the switch in the doors, but nothing made them go off. So I removed the cover of the dome light which wasn't easy and took out the bulb in there which I ruined since it was halogen. Since I'd messed up that one, I decided not to take out the bulbs from the lights at the bottom of the doors and have absolutely no idea how to disconnect those lights. I guess I could have looked it up. Oh well. I doubt that was in the manual.

The car gave me a false sense of security by starting every time I drove it, so I had the delusional idea that I was charging the battery and would have time to get someone to fix the problem. That would have worked if I hadn't forgotten about the whole thing today. When I went out to go somewhere, the thought flitted through my mind that I hoped the car would start. No. It didn't. The lights had made the battery run down. Unfortunately, the mechanic I usually go to, didn't check his answering machine and won't be back in there until Monday.

I unhooked the battery cables so it might not drain the last bit of power from the battery since it will sit there until Monday. You don't have to say it; I've already berated myself about this for quite a while now. I also got my hands really dirty just opening the hood of the car and then even dirtier when I had to touch the terminals.

I stay too tired most of the time, and it's affecting my mind. Yeah, that's it.

New Blog Discovery

Some of you might know about the blog Margaret and Helen, but I just learned about it. It's added to my blog list, and you can read it HERE. Check it out. This is her post about the Glenn Beck rally. See what I mean? Helen is 82 and says exactly what I think as well as many others of you.

100 Grand Bore

Margaret please tell Howard that 100,000 people will show up to a tractor pull if the entry fee is cheap enough. Big deal. I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’m going to ignore them and have some pie.

As I see it dear, if more than a hundred thousand dead civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan can be dismissed, so can slightly less than a hundred thousand peckerwoods at a Beck rally.

If the civil rights of millions of gay and lesbian Americans are not important, then neither are the pathetic rants of almost a hundred thousand Palin addicts.

If millions of children without healthcare are inconsequential then why should I give a rat’s ass about a hundred thousand shitheads who actually think Beck and Palin have something worthwhile to say?

As long as millions of American Muslims don’t have religious freedom, a hundred thousand Tea Party yahoos shouldn’t be allowed to have cable television. It only seems fair…

I just can’t believe 87,000 people are dumb enough to buy that crap. If Beck and Palin want a government so focused on one God and one religion, they should visit the Middle East and see how that concept is working out. It’s gotten to the point where you can’t distinguish Fox News from the Christian Broadcasting Network. It’s nauseating.

Palin and Beck don’t care about you, me or anyone except themselves. They are getting filthy rich pandering to angry white mobs so transparent in their racist feelings toward the President that a sheet of Saran Wrap would cast a darker shadow.

The greatest threat against America is not terrorism. It’s not a mosque in Manhattan. It’s not gay marriage. It’s not healthcare reform. And, believe it or not, it’s not even Beck or Palin. The greatest threat against America are the tens of millions of Americans who won’t turn out to vote this November effectively giving power to 87,000 angry assholes.

Sarah Palin is an idiot. Glenn Beck is a moron. And I am sick of Fox News. I mean it. Really.

Ooooo! Cats!

Tests conducted by the University of Michigan concluded that while a dog’s memory lasts no more than 5 minutes, a cat’s can last as long as 16 hours, exceeding even that of monkeys and orangutans. No wonder your cat is still mad at you for kicking her off the bed last night.

Weekend

Had a great weekend with Brendan. We had lots of fun and made it to school early yesterday morning. The principal of Warner Elementary is so good! I really like her. The principal sets the tone of the school, and that one is calm control. The kids seem relaxed, well-behaved, and loved there. I do know how much Brendan has improved since going to Warner and appreciate them so much.

Monday night we were both concerned about getting up and on the road for the trip to his school. Brendan asked if the alarm clock would be too loud and hurt his ears. I told him I'd set the clock radio so that talking would wake us up. I have it on NPR. That made him feel better.

You know how hard it is to sleep when you know you have to get up early and have a deadline. Well, that's how I was. I think I woke up every hour and then was wide awake at 4:00 AM. I got up at 5:00 and made sure everything was ready and then got him up about 5:20 to have breakfast and get dressed. Traffic cooperated, and we got to school before 7:30. They open the doors at 7:30 and expect students to be in their classrooms at 5:45 but not later than 5:50. We went to the cafeteria which has a corner with seats and books for early students and breakfast for those who want it. Unfortunately, they have typical school cafeteria food. I can get on a soapbox about this. Learning would be facilitated and childhood obesity lessened if they had healthier choices in schools.

I met his CBIP teacher since they need to know he's there. Then we went to his classroom where I met his teacher and talked to her a minute. She asked Brendan if he had a good weekend with his grandmother, and he had a big smile and hugged me while he said, "YES!" I hugged him good-bye and left him in good hands.

The area around his school has some pretty historic homes, so I drove around to look at some of them that have been restored. Then I dropped off his clothes at his house and went to Publix for some grocery shopping. They have some bread there that I really like, and we don't have a Publix in Dickson.

After getting no sleep, I was out of it quite a bit yesterday and groggy. I slept well last night though and am ready to get things done again! Hope all of you are well. Sounds as if some of you had lots of activity, fun, and rest during the weekend.

PS: Friends invited us over for dinner Monday evening. Brendan sat in the living room with Carl, who was watching football. Since he's an Auburn graduate and fan, he taught Brendan to cheer for the War Eagles. Take that, Mike in Bama! LOL

Music Biz Trivia

Record label after record label signed the Sex Pistols then paid them to leave the label. In four months’ time the recording industry paid the band #350,000 to go away.

Little Visitor & Labor Day

This is our last full day of Brendan's visit. We're having a good time. We've been singing "The Banana Boat Song" this morning and watching Sesame Street and Clifford.

I got texts from Maddie, Dan, and George during the weekend. Of course included in all that was some dronk texting from Maddie. Too funny! Also saw posts on FB along with some photos from Dan and George, too. Looks like they're having a grand old time! Then there are our other ways we all keep in touch with blog comments, FB, Twitter, email, online chat, and the phone. The phone? Gasp!! Who does that any more? LOL I hear from Charlie, David, Froggy, and Sam some of those ways!

Hope all of you are having a good day off! Really hope the economy improves enough for everyone to have jobs soon.

G & B Time

When Brendan was very young, somewhere over a year old I guess, I made up this song we'd sing when he came to visit sung to the tune of "Howdy Doody Time" which most of you are too young to have any memory of. OK, here it is. Keep in mind this was the early 50's when TV was in its youth. I watched Buffalo Bill, Clarabell the Clown (played by Bob Keeshan who later became Captain Kangaroo), Howdy Doody (a marionette), and various other puppets and marionettes including Flub-a-Dub, Dilly Dally, Mr. Bluster, Chief Thunderthud, Princess SummerfallWinterspring, and Inspector.



So the lyrics to our song are:
"It's Brendan and Grammy time!
It's Brendan and Grammy time!
We'll laugh and play and sing
And also eat some things!"

Today I picked him up from school LATE for the first time EVER!! The traffic was really heavy, and I couldn't get in the lane I needed to and drove all over the place until I finally homed my way to his school. I live about 40 miles west of Nashville, and his school is in East Nashville across the river. It takes at least an hour to get there, and although I gave myself enough time, it didn't work today. I was in a panic. He wasn't at all worried about it and came out the side door where I was supposed to pick him up with his teacher just happy as could be. I apologized and discovered that a fourth grade teacher knows him when she asked if I were Brendan's grandmother. She smiled and said, "Oh yes, I know Brendan." I said that he managed to be known. She laughed and said, "Yes, he does!"

When he got in the car we had this conversation:

Brendan: I want to live with you.
Me: Why do you want to live with me?
B: Because I love it!
Me: I'm so glad! I love you, too!
B: I'll live with you forever.
Me: Will Mommy and Daddy cry if you don't live with them at home?
B: Mommy will cry. Daddy will sleep.

This was taken at my Mother's house in the spring. See the dogwood blossoms?

He played outside (beautiful weather today), ate dinner, had his bath, sat with me for us to read, got to bed at 8:30, sang several songs to me, and fell asleep around 9:00. Yes! We have plans for tomorrow that should be fun.

FYI Trivia

The gooseflesh you get when you’re cold is the body’s attempt to erect the coat of hair our ancestors lost 100,000 years ago. When an animal’s fur stands on end, the expanded air layer between the skin and the fur surface insulates the body.

From The Onion

In The Know: Are Tests Biased Against Students Who Don't Give A Shit?

www.theonion.com

This is hilarious!

Checking In

So far, so good! I'm running behind with some of the things I need to do but am working on them today. I'm also getting more and more behind reading your blogs but will catch up when I can which will probably be next week. Hope everyone is doing fine and that Earl doesn't mess up any plans, David and others on the east coast!! How are all of you doing? I miss you!