SPF: How I get my music

Yep. I get it from YouTube most of the time. I have no Ipod or MP3 player. I'm so mistreated. *sigh* So, no clever picture or anything good. Just Kanye West and Daft Punk to entertain you musically. Ironically, my daughter is doing a "robot" dance in tap to the Daft Punk song. LOL

So, did you play?

Excitement in suburbia

Nothing gets a neighborhood excited like a good scandal. Driving Little Bit home from karate tonight when I'm passed by a cop running with his lights going. He beeped his siren at me to warn me he was coming around.

He turned on the next street over from mine. We're just a two street neighborhood and most of us know each other by car or looks if nothing else. So, I see the cop car driving down by where some friends of ours live. So, I drove on down. I'll be damned if there isn't three cop cars, a fire truck and an ambulance all in front of a house. Fortunately it wasn't either of my friends over there.

I stop and talk to some neighbors in their driveway watching the scene. We exchange what we know about the neighbors in that area. I was concerned in might have been the next house down where several toddlers and pre-schoolers live. I feared a kid being hit by a car. Then, I thought about the cop who lives in that area, too. Wasn't him, cuz I saw him out in the street a bit later.

Then, as I'm leaving to go back to wait for Pickle's karate to end when I see the cops blocking off both ends of the street out of my neighborhood. Then, the ambulance comes down. Next thing I know, CareFlite is landing in the field across the street from our neighborhood. They learned the hard way not to land in the street - last time they did that, they blew down a fence.

So, I couldn't see who was being loaded up in the helicopter and I needed to leave. Stopped and chatted with a few more sets of neighbors who were terribly disappointed that I didn't have the scoop on what happened.

Came home about two hours after the helicopter departed and there were still three cop cars at the house in question. So, I'm guessing there is some sort of crime scene there. Whether it was a violent domestic or what, I dunno. But, I'll be scouring the newspaper in the morning for something besides Dear Abby, the comics and the box scores.

Reasons No. 254 and 255 Why Life is Good

You know, about the time I think my life is pretty crappy, there are things that pop up to remind me that it isn't that bad.

The other night, a friend called to warn us that her husband was suicidal and talked about ending his own life and, apparently, taking others down with him. She wanted us to know for our own safety.

Then, this morning, another friend (who is pregnant) emails me to let me know that she discovered her husband has been doing meth and he is starting an out-patient rehab program.

Suddenly, my husband looking for a job doesn't seem so bad. He isn't on a killing spree or doing drugs. *sigh* So, add Reason No. 256 why life is good and that is a job interview next Wednesday. Woo hoo. Say prayers, do a dance, light a candle. We'll take whatever you send.

Hot Rod in Goal

There he is, my studly little keeper kiddo standing out as he likes to do. No soccer for a few weeks, which has been nice for all of us. We can save that gas and time, for one thing. But, it is good to have a break, too.

Poor Andy Morris

Poor Londoner appeals to me for assistance and I turn my back. *sigh* What will the fella do now?

Kindest Attention:
My name is Mr.Andy Morris, I am from London . I have been diagnosed with Esophageal cancer. It has defiled all forms of medical treatment, and right now I have only about a few months to live, according to medical experts. I have not particularly lived my life so well, as I never really cared for anyone (not even myself)but my business. Though I am very rich, I was never generous, I was always hostile to people and only focused on my business as that was the only thing I cared for. But now I regret all this as I now know that there is more to life than just wantingto have or make all the money in the world. I believe when God gives me a second chance to come to this world I would live my life a different way from how I have lived it. Now that God has called me, I have willed and given most of my property and assets to my immediate and extended family members as well as few close friends .I want God to be merciful to me and accept my soul so, I have decided to give alms to charity organizations, as I want this to be one of the last good deeds Ido on earth. So far, I have Distributed money to some charity organizations in the U.A.E, Somalia and Malaysia.Now that my health has deteriorated so badly, I cannot do this myself anymore. I once asked members of my family to close one of my accounts and distribute the money which I have there to charity organization in Bulgaria and Pakistan, they refused and kept the money to themselves. Hence, I do not trust them anymore, as they seem not to be contended with what I have left for them. The last of my money which no one knows of is the huge cash deposit of Ten Million United States Dollars($10,000,000,00) that I have with a Finance Vaulting Unit Abroad. I will want you to help me collect this deposit and dispatch it to charity organizations.
N/B:Kindly note that 35% of this funds must go to the tsunami victims, 55% to other Charity Organization and 10% for your effort and time. Icannot talk with you on the phone due to my health situation, as I am using my Lap Top Computer to communicate with you. You should respond to this e-mail{andy_morris_79@hotmail.com} if you are interested in carrying out this assignment on my behalf.
God be with you.Mr. Andy Morris
Email:andy_morris_79@hotmail.com

I didn't edit any of this because that is part of what makes it so amusing. I can't quite select a favorite line of the email, but possibly one of the best was how the disease "defiled all forms of medical treatment." Yep, that may be it. *shaking my head* I just don't see how people fall for this shit.

On a lighter note

I think a box of rocks may have a higher IQ than the combined three women pictured. Is it just me? Also, I think Gwyneth is cute in a knock-kneed girl kind of way. Liv is cute in that stupid girl kind of way and Maggie ... well, Maggie isn't very pretty to me. She looks like she should be sucking on a cig and tossing back beers at the honky tonk and hooking up with whatever guy bought her the last round. *shrug* Not that I have a lot of room to talk about women, but ... just saying is all.

You know you wanted it

Occasionally, I am truly moved by writing. Sometimes, it is just compelling and you don't want to stop reading, even when the subject matter may be disturbing. You want to see how the story ends.

That was the case with the package of stories by Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter Joanna Connors. She wrote, in detail, about her rape and the aftermath in a five-part series. I can't begin to give this woman enough props for what she's done. First off, she prosecuted the SOB and sent him to prison. For that alone, I applaud her.

But, she has done more. She put it out there for everyone to see. Everyone, like me, who has been through it and been ashamed. Not really ashamed because it happened to me, but more ashamed because I truly feel like it was my fault because I was stupid.

Thinking about it today - while reading Ms. Connors' articles - it dawned on me that it was 20 years ago this spring when I was raped. And, I'll be damned if I don't still struggle with it - maybe more now than I did then.

I can still feel his breath in my ear and his hand on my throat. Relax. Relax, he said. You know you want it. Yeah, he actually said that, too. You know you do. Relax.

Oddly enough, it is a little hard to relax with your hand on my throat. Relax. I still hate it when people say that to me. Typing this right now, I feel like I'm going to throw up. Joanna Connors not only wrote down the small details, she wrote down almost all of the details. About what it feels like to wonder if you didn't fight enough. About feeling stupid. Embarrassed. Worried about disease.

For me, trust has been a huge issue. I was dating this man. We had gone out and had a great date, came back to my apartment, smooched a bit on my roommate's bed and then I fell asleep in his arms. I've always loved to sleep next to someone. It has been a comfort thing for me. Even my friends growing up, I loved to cuddle up next to them when I slept. Totally creeped out my best friend. :) But, she learned to live with me like that. It was something that made me feel safe, loved and relaxed (oddly enough). So, to fall asleep in his arms was something that made me feel protected.

He was tall and blond. Pretty cute in a dorky sort of way - I always had a thing for different kinds of guys. He was athletic without being a jock. I liked that about him. He reminded me of the elf who wanted to be a dentist on Rudolph. He wasn't threatening at all and I trusted him. He lived in the same apartment complex as me. Waking up with him on top of me, hand on my throat - I thrashed my body, tried to push him off with my arms, but he was stronger and clearly determined to get what he felt he was entitled to.

I don't remember much of what happened after he was done. I think he kissed me on the forehead. Whether he left then or the next morning, I don't remember. I do know he sent me a dozen red roses the next day. I gave them to a neighbor and didn't talk to him again.

I vaguely contemplated telling the police, but I knew what would be said. He's in bed with you, what did you think was going to happen? Earlier that year, a Baylor student visited some politico at his hotel room and she claimed to be raped. She was crucified by our peers and the media. What kind of harlot goes to a man's hotel room and doesn't expect to be sexually assaulted? If they did that to her, I'm certainly getting labeled a whore. So, I never reported it.

Anyway. I didn't intend to bring this up, but reading Connors' stories just brought it all the forefront. She wrote so incredibly about her experience. It was actually reassuring. I knew how she felt - how she feels. It made me feel better to see an educated woman who totally understands how I feel.

Give me a break

Apaprently, there is some talk about banning girly mags on military bases.

There are all the moral arguments, one idiot's allegations that checking out an airbrushed naked chick in Playboy is somehow going to cause sexual assaults to rise. *rolling my eyes*

Personally, if my hubby were on some military base in Germany, I would prefer he take a Playboy into the latrine with him than to take his leave in town and pick up a cute little fraulein at the biergarten for a roll in the hay. *shrug* Silly ol' me.

I don't think checking out the unrealistic little gals in the magazines is going to cause the downfall of my marriage or family. Come on people.

Give the soldiers and military fellas a little sumpin from home to distract them while they're gone from their families for all that time. Gees.

Too late for apologies

Sometimes, it is too late to say 'I'm sorry.' That is just all there is to it.

Apparently, this gal cried rape when her old man busted her boinking her boyfriend. Doing what most men would want to do if they thought someone was raping their wife, her husband shot and killed the man. Only, oops, it wasn't a rapist, but her boyfriend of two months.

Yeah, she must have missed the memo that reminds you NOT to have a boyfriend WHILE you're still married.

Anyway. Her husband was no-billed in the case, but she was convicted of manslaughter and is now in the sentencing phase of the trial. Damn. Women who cry rape sicken me. For those of us who have endured rape, it is insulting and it makes people doubt our accusations. Somewhere in the back of everyone's minds when they hear about a rape - in some teeny tiny part of their brain - they wonder if she's making it up. And, I blame women like Tracy Roberson. She didn't want to get busted by her husband. So, instead of fessing up and dealing with it (or having just left if things were that bad) she throws her lover under the bus and he dies as a result of his bad judgment of sleeping with a married woman (hello, dude, you live in Texas, what did you think was going to happen if you were caught?)

*shaking my head*

Nothing good will come from this. It is horribly tragic for all involved. But, maybe, some woman will think twice before crying rape falsely.

I am Iron Man

We went to see Iron Man on Saturday night, just me and Army of Dad. I had thought about taking Hot Rod with me, but I'm glad I didn't. I think it would have been way too intense for the 8-year-old. There were plenty of little kids in there and none seemed to emerge from the theater with a 1,000-yard stare, but ... I would NOT recommend this movie for kids under 10 or 11. Or, at the very least, see it before you take the kids.

The reason I say this is because the main bad guys in the movie are terrorists. With the world the way it is today, I just fear that some of the themes are a little too intense for small children. Plus, the violence is pretty rough. There were plenty of times that I shielded my eyes in Army of Dad's chest (ok, that is a bonus for me, but I am not a 7-year-old kid). With my disclaimer in place, let me just say that the movie effing rocked. Yes, it did, ladies and gentlemen. I highly recommend it. It has a great plot beyond just a groovy action hero comic book guy. You actually see some character development. Is some of it predictable? Well, yeah, but its based on a comic book for cripe's sake, what do you want for your $7? I loved it, though. And, ladies, let me just say that you'll be panting at a few scenes of Robert Downey Jr. *fanning self* OMG. I've always thought he was cute. But, he has since graduated to HAWT! Oh yeah, guys, there is also a very downplayed but beautiful Gwyneth Paltrow. *purring* She, too, is beautiful.

And, stay till after the credits are over ... you'll be glad you did. The voice of one of my favorite actors comes across the theater before you see him - with a promise of the next film in what is going to be a great series.

We are the champions

On Saturday, Pickle had his karate tournament. Currently, he is an adult orange belt. He had to spar in a field of four boys in his age group. I think a couple of the boys were adult blue belts, but they're around the same age and size, so they get lumped together. Pickle had to win his match and then the winner of the other match to make it to the championship sparring match. He won both, taking first place.
I think this shot was the definitive moment in his decision to beat that ass. Yeah, that is my boy taking a shot to the nuts as a reminder why it is important to wear a cup when sparring. To say he was unhappy was quite the understatement. He did come back to win after this.

And, here he is with his first place plaque. Of course, Uzz took all three of these pictures. My camera won't shoot still shots in this lighting. So, I usually video the matches.

And, Little Bit had her first sparring match, too. It was really cute to see her going head to head against this other very cute little girl. Who won, you ask?

Well, of course, my daughter smacked that ass down. She won 3-1.

And, boy was she proud of herself. She loves that trophy and carried it around most of Saturday night.

Go Stars: Dontcha know?

Quadruple freaking overtime.

I tried to stay awake. I made it through the second overtime, then I made the mistake of laying down in front of the TV with a folded up comforter for a pillow and a Sports Illustrated fleece blanket over me. I would doze in and out of consciousness after the third OT. Army of Dad did the same. He finally woke me in the fourth OT to announce the Stars at finally scored. That was 1:30 a.m.

At that point, we both stumbled to bed.

My hubby - who is from Minnesota still mourns the loss of the North Stars and hates my Stars - but he gave me this one, I suppose.

Go Stars!

Rest in peace

I have a feeling that Army of Dad would pick one constructed from Sam Adams or Shiner bottles. So, not sure how it would work.

Better late than never

Friday was my dad's 71st birthday. I think he is doing pretty good for an old fella. Here he is on Saturday with Little Bit during Pickle's karate tournament. She loves her PaPa. He took her to dance classes for me, which both of them enjoyed. :) I think my dad enjoys watching Ms. Rachel (the dance teacher) more than watching Little Bit, but thankfully for a whole other reason. *wink* Ms. Rachel is pretty hot. Anyway. Happy belated birthday dad.

Happy late birthday wishes, too, for my fabulous sister-in-law who treated my family to the Disney trip in October. Her birthday was on Saturday.

Do Not Stand Silent: Remembering Kristallnacht 1938

http://www.ushmm.org/remembrance/dor/years/detail.php?content=2008


April 27 – May 4, 2008

Do Not Stand Silent: Remembering Kristallnacht 1938
“If you saw a fanatical mob pillage and burn a church or synagogue you would not stand silent...”— Thomas E. Dewey in The New York Times, November 12, 1938, p. 4.

The United States Congress established the Days of Remembrance as our nation's annual commemoration of the Holocaust, just as the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is our permanent living memorial to the victims.

This year Holocaust Remembrance Day is Friday May 2, 2008. The Museum has designated “Do Not Stand Silent: Remembering Kristallnacht 1938” as the focus for the 2008 observance.

Seventy years ago, on November 9-10, 1938, the Nazis staged vicious pogroms (state sanctioned, anti-Jewish riots) called Kristallnacht against the Jewish community of Germany. Initially a cynical reference to alleged Jewish wealth (hence the literal meaning, “Night of Crystal”), the name Kristallnacht (now commonly translated as “Night of Broken Glass”) refers to the untold numbers of broken windows of synagogues, Jewish-owned stores, community centers, and homes plundered and destroyed during the pogroms. For over 48 hours, violent mobs—made up of Nazi Party officials, Nazi storm troopers, and Hitler Youth dressed in street clothes and joined by some civilians— rampaged through the streets of German cities assaulting Jews and vandalizing their property. They destroyed hundreds of synagogues, setting many of them on fire. Under orders to let the fires burn but to prevent the flames from spreading to other buildings, firefighters stood by. Antisemitic mobs smashed shop windows and looted thousands of Jewish-owned stores. They desecrated sacred artifacts such as Torah scrolls and ravaged Jewish cemeteries. About 100 innocent Jews lost their lives in the violence.

Nazi officials proclaimed the Jews responsible for the riots, and imposed a collective fine of one billion Reich marks (about $400 million at 1938 rates) on the German-Jewish community. Acting on orders from Gestapo (secret state police) headquarters, police officers did nothing to prevent the destruction. Instead, they arrested nearly 30,000 Jewish men aged 16 to 60 and deported them to concentration camps simply because they were Jewish. There the SS subjected them to brutal treatment. Most of the men were released over the next three months on the condition that they begin the process of emigration from Germany.

Many ordinary people looked on as Nazi mobs assaulted Jews and Jewish-owned property. Most disapproved but took no action. Some, especially young men, were drawn to the wanton violence and plunder and joined in the destruction. Some few individuals attempted to provide aid and support to the victims of the riots. Their actions illustrated the limits of Nazi antisemitic propaganda and were a reminder of the many opportunities for individuals to show compassion and concern, without necessarily endangering themselves or their families.

One of the most striking actions on Kristallnacht was that taken by police Lieutenant Wilhelm Krützfeld, the commander of a police precinct in Berlin. In the early hours of November 10, 1938, Nazi hooligans prepared to set the Oranienburger Strasse synagogue on fire. Lieutenant Krützfeld rushed to the scene and ordered the mob away. He explained that the synagogue had been a protected historical landmark for decades and, drawing his pistol, that he would uphold the law requiring its protection. Krützfeld ordered the fire brigade to stand guard to ensure the integrity of the synagogue. Additionally, in at least three German villages (Warmsried, Derching, and Laimering) civic leaders and local clergy acted to stop the riots against Jews in those villages. In Leipzig, sacred Torah scrolls were saved from destruction and desecration when an anonymous phone call warned the community of the impending violence. Long thought lost, the scrolls were discovered in 1998 hidden in the roof of the library at the University of Leipzig.

During the pogrom and its aftermath, some sympathetic officials quietly informed Jewish friends that their names appeared on lists for arrest. Jewish men across Germany sought desperately to hide. Some ordinary Germans and Jews holding non-German passports (who were exempt from the police action) offered them sanctuary and assistance. Ephraim Handler, the leader of the Jewish community in Magdeburg, for example, escaped arrest. With the help of friends, he was able to book passage on the train to Berlin and back, thereby avoiding arrest. Famed German boxer Max Schmeling hid the two teenage sons of his Jewish friend, David Lewin, in his rooms at the Excelsior Hotel in Berlin. Other Germans made clear their disapproval of the pogroms. Father Bernhard Lichtenberg, a Catholic priest at St Hedwig's Cathedral in Berlin, closed each evening service after Kristallnacht with public prayers for Jews and those held in concentration camps.

Kristallnacht was a turning point in history. The pogroms marked a shift from antisemitic rhetoric to violent, aggressive anti-Jewish measures that would culminate in the Holocaust—the systematic, state sponsored murder of Jews. The violence shocked the world that had been hopeful for peace in the aftermath of the Munich agreement less than six weeks before. As President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States commented in a press conference on November 15, 1938, “I myself could scarcely believe that such things could occur in a twentieth century civilization.”

---
FDR's words strike me deeply. I never thought something like 9/11 could happen in the US either. Not in the world today. I was wrong. Let's not let genocides like this continue.

SPF: Songs

This week's Stuff Portrait Friday from the lovely Kristine has to be one of the funnest assignments yet. I didn't have to take any new pictures and I really needed a diversion tonight. So, I just scanned pictures in my files and thought about what they reminded me of. So, here are my interpretations.
Sixty Minute Man by Billy Ward and the Dominoes. *evil grin* Do I really need to say more? I fell in love with this song while watching Bull Durham. I was thinking of illustrating with some baseball pics here, but decided to go with my Sixty Minute Man.
Dude Looks Like a Lady by Aerosmith. Enough said. Snapped this fella/gal last year at Anime Fest.

Teach Your Children Well by Crosby, Stills and Nash. This is Mean Old Teacher (known as MOT in comments on the blog). I totally credit her with turning Pickle's education around. Now, he is doing so much better and it is because of her tough love. Our school district lost a great one when they let her leave.

White and Nerdy by Weird Al. Yeah, I thought about using a picture of me for this one, but it is perfect for Pickle.

My Little Girl by Tim McGraw. Get out a hanky before listening to this song. It will bring tears to your eyes. Especially if you're a daddy of a beautiful little girl.

Here Comes the Sun by George Harrison. I was driving home last summer from Sam's or something in Lewisville and this site was so beautiful. I had to pull over and take some pictures.

Redneck Woman by Gretchen Wilson. Last year at German Fest, I wore my cowboy hat and Little Bit wanted to try it on. She looked so damn cute.
Sneaky Snake by Tom T. Hall. I can't even believe I remember this song from my childhood. My daddy was a big time Tom T. Hall fan. I thougth about using Spiders and Snakes by Jim Stafford. That is another favorite of mine. For some weird reason, I actually had the sheet music to that song. This is Hot Rod last year with the school snake, Edna.

All My Exes Live in Texas. Yep, that's Uzz, my ex. No more explanation needed. Him and his peeps. LOL.

Last spring, I made off to Mexico on a cruise with one of my dear friends (known in the comments as LaLa). We stopped at some tourist trap and had free tequila shots ... and me and tequila, well, it isn't too far off to say that Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off, the funny song by Joe Nichols.

So, did you play? If so, leave me a link to your page and go tell Kristine, too.

Since you asked

I had a comment requesting an update on my ablation, which I done Jan. 17. The back story, for those of you who don't know is this:

An endometrial ablation scrapes all the lining from the uterus with the goal of stopping prolonged periods, getting rid of any sort of tumors or cysts, etc. I had one to help with long periods, heavy bleeding and they thought I had several cysts. Turned out that they weren't cysts but big pieces of endometrial tissue. *shrug*

Anyway. All was well at first, then I started about 12 days post-op and bled for 25 days straight until I finally got on the birth control pills that stop women from bleeding during their cycles. After that, I spotted lightly for three days in March and again for four days in April. So, I suppose next week, I may spot for a few days. It is definitely a GIANT improvement from when I'd have heavy periods for seven days at a time.

So, that is my update. Things seem to be better. I have not had any relief - yet - from the PMS symptoms. I'm a little weepy right now and agitated. Bloating, too. Ick. But, I hope that I may get some relief from those symptoms over time, too. We'll see.

I got your stimulus right here, buddy!

I have to say that the timing of the economic stimulus package couldn't come at a better time for the Army of Mom household. We stimulated the economy PLENTY right before office politics ended up with Army of Dad being thrown under the bus.

Let's see what we've done in the last two months:
*a subcontractor $200
*the mechanic $157
*new clothes for me $131
*new Oakleys $144
*new vacuum cleaner $98
*new AC/furnace system $5775
*new water heater $900
*new gun $375
*set of four new tires $342

This isn't mentioning the liquor store, kids' activities, gas, hairdresser, class pictures, sports pictures, dance recital outfit and Hot Rod's new sneakers.

I think we could stand the money to help us get through June if Army of Dad isn't gainfully employed again by then.

Nightmares

Stress is really bad for me. I can't seem to sleep without some sort of bad dream. At least they're getting a little less intense. They started off with people trying to steal Stinkerbelle, now they're just about people wrecking my car. *shaking my car* I hate stress.