Selasa, 10 April 2012

Maryland Mega Millions Winners Collect Winnings



To practically no one's surprise, Mirlande Wilson, of Baltimore, Maryland did NOT have the winning Mega Millions ticket, as she had claimed.

Mirlande made herself an easy target for ridicule with her outlandish claims and histrionic behavior. But, in a more serious vein, it is sad that the woman, for reasons that we will probably never know, chose to court the limelight in so gaudy a manner.

The three true winners of the Mega Millions ticket quietly claimed their share of the prize yesterday, and have chosen to remain anonymous.

Congratulations to the winners - may they enjoy their new prosperity and their new lives.

Sabtu, 07 April 2012

With Love and Laughter


Two years ago today, my oldest friend, Janet, lost her battle with brain cancer. One of our goofy traditions was to call each other and discuss our favorite "Bad Acting Moment" as we watched The Ten Commandments on TV the night before Easter. Tonight, DD and I will dye Easter eggs, choose our favorite overacted scene in the movie, and remember Janet with much love and laughter.

Jumat, 06 April 2012

The Easter Basket


Of course, Darling Daughter no longer believes in the Easter Bunny. Gone are the days of dressing her in a frilly Easter frock, anklets, and dress shoes. But, even at the sophisticated age of 13, she just loves waking up to that Easter Basket. And I'm glad she does.

So, this morning found me leisurely browsing the aisle at our local Walgreen's, picking up a little bit of this, and a little bit of that for her Easter basket.

Tomorrow, we will dye too many eggs, and I will impatiently wait for her to fall asleep. Then I will assemble the basket for Sunday morning, knowing that while she may not be surprised by its appearance, she will still be delighted to receive it. And, as always, I will cherish the time with her, and revel in her delight.

Kamis, 05 April 2012

The Perils of Samantha and Her Astounding Beauty


With Darling Daughter sick with a nasty virus this week, it's been hard to get my early morning indulgences in - one of which is my regimen of reading the gossipy London Daily Mail online. Sure, on Tuesday I took a cursory glance at the stories, but in my sleep-deprived state, I glossed over Samantha Brick's ode to herself and the downside of possessing her self-proclaimed beauty. I gave her picture a quick glance, and thought perhaps she had penned something tongue-in-cheek. After all, it's not like I was seeing a face to rival Elizabeth Taylor in her young, ravishing heyday. So, I promised myself I'd get back to the site when DD's fever abated, and indulge in a much-needed chuckle.

Two days later, DD's fever is gone, so I settled down to read Samantha's tale of how hard it is to walk the primrose path of life when cursed with such a beautiful face. For Ms. Brick would have us believe that her beauty is such that she's revered by men and vilified by women. Gosh, it's just so hard being sent unsolicited bottles of wine by male admirers, and all the womenfolk hastily whisking their men out of Samantha's path, because they are threatened at their mate's inability to resist Sammy's beautiful mug.  

As if her first article wasn't tedious enough, filled with one example after another of how women hate her for simply being beautiful and an irresistable man-magnet, Sam, in a second article, now proclaims that the worldwide backlash aimed at her merely proves her point.

"While I've been shocked and hurt by the global condemnation, I have just this to say: my detractors have simply proved my point. Their level of anger only underlines that no one in this world is more reviled then a pretty woman."

She goes on to say that no one would condemn Brad Pitt, were he to announce he's good-looking, but if Angelina Jolie were to do the same, then Angie would be subjected to the same backlash that Ms. Brick has had to endure for touting her own beauty.

Samantha also feels that the reaction to her article would not be so vitriolic, were she a resident of Los Angeles. Brick's hackneyed logic? "For, in the U.S., you're expected to look good, and you're rightly applauded for it."

Hey, I don't begrudge Ms. Brick at all for having a healthy self-esteem. If she thinks she's beautiful, well, good for her. Personally, I admit to being mystified at the havoc her so-called "beauty" wreaks on the lesser mortals that cross her path, but I'll take her word for it.

I think Ms. Brick's piece was an example of masterful collusion. Certainly, the Daily Mail knew that featuring such an audacious article would give their readership a hefty boost. And I strongly suspect that Ms. Brick, despite the crocodile tears she's professed to shed since its publication, is greatly relishing her newfound fame.

If not, she can always console herself by looking in the mirror.

Sabtu, 31 Maret 2012

We Have Winners!



Well, life is surely going to change for the lucky people who have the winning Mega Millions tickets! The news is reporting this morning that there were three winning tickets sold - in Maryland, Illinois, and Kansas. Congrats to the winners, and wishing them the best of everything as they embark on their new life of prosperity.

Senin, 26 Maret 2012

Back to Reality


And, so, the wonderful Spring Break and time with Darling Daughter is over. Now Mom's on countdown till the end of the school year - only 52 school days until Summer Break!

Sabtu, 24 Maret 2012

Oh, The Horror!

Yesterday, with the temps outside hovering close to 90, I donned a tank top, scraped my hair up into a foxy clip, and headed off to the tax collector's office. I needed to correct the address on my driver's license, and renew the registration on the car.

Having had the same unattractive photo on my license for the past nine years, I assumed that I would waltz back out into the heat, carting the new license, bearing the same awful picture. Consequently, I didn't bother to dress for the occasion, let alone liven up my pasty face with any sort of makeup.

To my surprise, the cheerful clerk informed me that she'd be snapping a new picture for the license. Without further ado, I am standing in front of a blue curtain, and she snaps a new pic. Mind you, I looked like hell.

Driver's license photos are rarely flattering. But I can truly say that my new picture has to rank as one of the most dreadful ever snapped. Yes, I could fix myself up and get another photo, but I am too cheap to spend the money to do so. So, until 2018, I am stuck with a hysterically hideous photo. 

Perhaps I'll affix a small "Thank you for not laughing at this picture" sticker on the bottom of the license. And I'll make darn sure, the next time I need to diddle with the license, that I'm wearing makeup!

Jumat, 23 Maret 2012

Selasa, 20 Maret 2012

An Answered Prayer


2012 has been a challenging year for us, thus far. Though I am a woman of faith, it has been hard to hang in there and pray, especially when, on the surface, it looked like things weren't changing.

February was especially tough, and March hadn't really been shaping up to be much better. But I hung in there praying, even though those prayers were faint and halting at times.

Then, this week, everything changed. I received some great news on Sunday, and today received a specific blessing that I had been praying for. In fact, I received EXACTLY what I had been praying for.

So today's blog post is my testimonial to God's many blessings that he has showered us with this week, and I am filled with gratitude, thanks, and praise!

Jumat, 16 Maret 2012

Remembering Tyler Clementi



No one will ever know if Tyler Clementi was wrestling with his own inner torment the day he killed himself, or if the utterly despicable actions of his roommate, Dharun Ravi, drove him, in a moment of dark hopelessness, to take his own life.

Today, Dharun Ravi was just found guilty of nearly all charges against him. Ravi had many choices. He could have chosen to not tape Tyler in an intimate situation with another man, and trumpeted to the world that he was going to do so. He also could have chosen to plead guilty of the charges brought against him. But Ravi also appeared to be a young man blissfully unconcerned with those small matters of morals, decency, and, more importantly, accountability for any of his actions.

Ravi just got a much-needed and long overdue reality check/smackdown. At most he will be sentenced to 10 years in prison. He will still be a young man, still with the gift of time to fashion a new life for himself.

Tyler Clementi lived the last hours of his life in grief and torment. And though the verdict provides a measure justice, it is scant comfort, as nothing will bring Tyler back.

Kamis, 15 Maret 2012

The Final Countdown


Darling Daughter's Spring Break starts TOMORROW at 3:35pm. After a hectic week of assisting with a design project, a TV production project, and yet another science project, we are looking forward to it!

Selasa, 13 Maret 2012

One Big Whitewash


On the night of February 26, Trayvon Martin, 17, walked to a convenience store to buy his little brother some candy. As he was walking home, he was murdered.

The shooter, George Zimmerman, 28, is a volunteer crime watch captain in the predominantly white gated community where he lived. So, upon seeing an unknown young black man walking in his neighborhood, he did what any good old boy would do, and called the cops.

Despite being told by police to NOT approach Trayvon, Zimmerman got out of his car and confronted Trayvon. By the time police arrived, Trayvon was dead

George Zimmerman was toting a gun. Trayvon was found with the candy he'd bought for his little brother in his pocket.

The po-po took Zimmerman in for questioning, but released him, once Zimmerman told them there had been an altercation, and that he'd shot Trayvon in self-defense.

Sanford police chief Bill Lee says there's not enough evidence to arrest Zimmerman. “In this case Mr. Zimmerman has made the statement of self-defense,” Lee said. “Until we can establish probable cause to dispute that, we don’t have the grounds to arrest him.”

I call bullshit on Lee's lame statements. The police are refusing to release the transcripts of several 911 calls that came in, purportedly from people who claim Zimmerman and Trayvon were fighting prior to Trayvon being murdered, as they claim their investigation is ongoing.

How did the supposed fight start? Zimmerman was advised to stay in his car and wait until the police arrived. Trayvon was killed less then 70 feet from his father's home. Had Zimmerman ignored his itchy trigger finger and stayed put, Trayvon would more then likely have been safely home by the time police arrived.

And I call bullshit on Zimmerman's lame self-defense story. Zimmerman was trolling "his" neighborhood, with a gun in his car. He got out of the car, with his gun in hand. I don't know of any young kid, black, white, or green, that might not have thought he was about to be attacked, or robbed, or worse, if someone had approached them with a gun.

If a fight erupted, as Zimmerman said, one has to ask who instigated the altercation? The police, for the moment, are professing satisfaction with Zimmerman's self-defense claims, based on the fact that Zimmerman had blood and grass stains on his shirt.

Zimmerman got out of that car expecting trouble with Trayvon, because Trayvon was unknown, but, more importantly, because Trayvon was black. Had Trayvon been white, I strongly doubt Zimmerman would have given him a second glance.

Yet Zimmerman remains a free man - a free man who also was arrested back in in 2005 for resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer.

The tragic death of Trayvon Martin begs for justice to be served. Unfortunately, it appears that all that's going to be served in this case is one big can of whitewash.

The police appear willing to sweep the entire incident under the rug.

Zimmerman will remain free, his lame claim of self-defense sufficing as a worthy excuse for a cold-blooded murder.

And Trayvon Martin, who deserved so much more, got nothing but a bullet.

Sickening.

Sabtu, 03 Maret 2012

Kamis, 01 Maret 2012

Remembering Davy Jones


He was my first pre-teen crush. I was already 5' 7" at only 11, and he stood only 5' 4". No matter. I loved him, and like millions of other girls around the world, I fantasized about having him for a boyfriend.

Davy Jones.

My bedroom walls were papered with posters of Davy and The Monkees, all carefully pulled from the pages of Tiger Beat. My love of all things Monkees was inexplicable, even to me, a girl raised on the truly great music of Motown. But somewhere, between Marvin and Tammy, Stevie, The Temptations, The Supremes, and Smokey, the music of The Monkees is inextricably woven in the fabric of my youth.

The Monkees, known among wags as the Pre-Fab Four,  were America's answer to The Beatles. For The Monkees were created by a canny group of men in the entertainment industry, who, upon seeing the massive amounts of cash being raked in via the success of The Beatles, wanted a cut of that particular financial pie. Auditions were held...Davy Jones, Peter Tork, Mickey Dolenz, and Mike Nesmith were considered pleasing vocally, and attractive enough, and The Monkees were launched.

Then, in a few short years, it was over. The execs didn't factor in the possibility that Davy, Peter, Mickey, and Mike might be real people with their own dreams and serious musical aspirations. When they didn't go along with the program, the boys in the band found themselves abandoned by their mentors, who went on to other successes. The former Monkees were left to struggle on past their former Teen Idol status.

They did well, despite their abandonment. Davy seemed the one most at peace with realizing what he had been, and content to give the once-young fans what they wanted - the infectious pop of their youth, and a welcome trip down Memory Lane, a safe refuge from the craziness of their present world.

He did it well, and he did it cheerfully. Davy never took his fans for granted, never took the music that made so many smile for granted. He was a class act.

Last night, as has happened all too often recently, I took my own trip back to my youth. The night was filled with the music of The Monkees...my daughter, as expected, smiled in bemusement, as she shook her head gently, not understanding my sadness.

We all have to die. But I thought that Davy Jones, with his eternally youthful face, and his joy in the music that had made him a heart-throb so many years ago, would be around for many more years. But it wasn't to be.

Thank you, Davy, thank you, for the music, for the joy, and the wonderful memories.