One of those foot in the mouth moments

I wish I had the actual audio for this... So I'm listining to my local country station today. This guy calls in and requests "Shutting Detroit Down"...

Host: We've got Rick calling from Detroit, hi Rick, what would you like to hear?
Caller: Uhh, I was wondering if you could play "Shutting Detroit Down" by John RIch?
Host: Of course! That sure is horrible what's going on up there. So are you listining rom work today?
Caller: Uhh no. Detroit is SHUT DOWN.
Host: OH! Well... Ok. Have a good day!.. Here we go with "Shutting Detroit Down" [Song Plays]

AWKWARD!!!

Public Breastfeeding

So I'm watching the news and this article got brought up. North Carolina mom, breastfeeding her 1 year old in the middle of a Denny's restaurant. Not covered up or anything, just out there for all to see. The female manager walked up and asked the mom to "cover up", never told her that she needed to stop, but merely informed her that costumers had complained and they had a "discretion policy" in place and would need to cover up.

Denny's "discretion policy" is as follows:

“We at Denny’s work very hard to insure all guests have a pleasant dining experience. Breastfeeding is absolutely allowed in our restaurants; we do request that it be done with respect and discretion, as we are a family restaurant. We defer to our managers to carry out the company’s position.”

I'm sorry but I'm very, very, very PRO-breastfeeding... But in your booth, in a restaurant with no cover? Seriously, it's called consideration. I've been there, and I would have loved to just ignore everyone else around me and just pulled up my shirt to feel my baby while still finishing my meal... But like Denny's said, it's a family restaurant. And yeah, I know breast feeding's natural, and like the mom said to the reporter "it's not like I was dancing on the table" but still. Some 10 year old boy isn't going to see it that way.

And I really don't want or need to get any angry emails from any of the 30 moms who showed up for the Denny's protest... I mean feel free to attacks Denny's policy, but there's no need to personally attack and belittle me for not liking seeing strangers nursing uncovered in public. Like I said before, I'm incredibly pro-breastfeeding. Exclusively nursed my daughter for her 1st year, head the "Breastfeeding Support Group" on our last duty station HUGE breastfeeding advocate... And I mean I've defiantly breastfed in my fair share of weird places... The beach, The backseat of my car, Restrooms, A moving San Francisco trolley car, Atlanta Airport, Cleveland Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, LAX, San Diego International, in the middle of Yosemite National Park, airplanes... I could go on and on... But one place I've NEVER nursed was a restaurant... Now I've gone into the restroom of restaurants before... And drug chairs in there is they didn't have a couch... But I just didn't find it appropriate to nurse just feet away from total strangers eating... ESPECIALLY un-shielded.

Want FREE Pancakes?

Known also as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras, National Pancake Day dates back several centuries to when the English prepped for fasting during Lent. Strict rules prohibited the eating of all dairy products during Lent, so pancakes were made to use up the supply of eggs, milk, butter and other dairy products… Hence the name Pancake Tuesday, or Shrove Tuesday.

So join IHOP on Tuesday February 24th, 2009 between 7am and 10pm and receive a "short stack" of their famous buttermilk pancakes!

Since beginning of IHOP's National Pancake Day celebration in 2006, IHOP has raised nearly two million dollars to support charities in the communities in which it operates. All they ask is that you consider making a donation to support your local Children's Hospital through the Children's Miracle Network.

www.ihoppancakeday.com

Mommy Cliques

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Joan Ryan recently wrote: "It is said that we never really leave high school. The workplace is high school with cubicles. Our neighborhoods are high school with cocktail parties." But she left out motherhood, which in my experience is by far the biggest high school scene, ever!

I found this article on TidewaterParent.com titled "Mommy Cliques – Are You In or Out?" (By L. Finneran) who told a story of Kate, a Air Force mom who recently PCSed to Hampton Roads. She said Kate took her 2 year old to a Hampton park, and when she saw a group of moms with kids about her daughters age, she quickly approached them and tried to strike up a conversation, but quickly felt like the odd mom out. “They just seemed very clique-y” she said, “I talked to them a little bit, but I realized they had their own clique and I wasn't part of it.”

Finneran went on to explain that Kate's case wasn't unique, "While often associated with teenage girls, experts say cliques, tight knit and seemingly impenetrable groups of girls or women, are alive and well among moms. While their children play or are at school, the moms meet, bond and socialize, often becoming so close that they exclude others, making it difficult or impossible for other moms to break into the circle. Cynthia Eller, professor of women's studies at Montclair State University, said her first experience with mom cliques was when her daughter was a baby 13 years ago. “I went to my first mommy and baby group, and it seemed the rules among the moms there were written in stone, and it reminded me of another time in life when we were going through very powerful changes,” Eller said. “Mothering was a one-way ticket back to high school.” ... Becoming a mother and going through adolescence are similar in that both are major life changes, a time when a woman often redefines herself. Which could be why women who in their teens felt like outcasts have a hard time breaking into cliques as moms and vice versa. “Who you are in high school certainly bares a resemblance to who you are in your 30s, 40s, and 50s,” said Janice Sanchez, chairwoman of the psychology department at Old Dominion University.

If you haven't heard of the book Queen Bees & Wannabes, you obviously don't have a teenage daughter, or sister in my case, it was the the inspiration for the 2004 movie Mean Girls. Author, Rosalind Wiseman recently did an interview with Parenting Magazine where she riffs on the mom clique world. Wiseman says she's often approached by moms saying "You know, this Queen Bee stuff doesn't end in high school. Our faculty/PTA/staff/office is so cliquey. You really need to write about how adults act just like they did in high school." In the Parenting Magazine article, Wiseman assigns labels to moms - Queen Bees, Sidekick Moms, Starbucks/Sympathy Moms, Torn Wannabes and Desperate Wannabes, Steamrolled Moms, Reformed Moms, Floater Moms, and a category for those moms that are "the left out" crowd. I found this all incredibly interesting (I mean obviously, I'm spending an hour blogging blogging about it). As I read through the following descriptions I could put a face and name to each... Some mom I've encountered in the past three years... And some that I shamefully believe that I have or possibly currently do fall under. (The following descriptions are paraphrased from Wiseman's Parenting Magazine article)

♦ The Entitled ♦

Queen Bee Moms
♦ Queen Bee Moms appear to have perfect lives.
♦ They're often very charming, and they really, really like being in charge.
♦ They're often coaches, class parents, or heads of the PTA.
♦ The hallmark of a Queen Bee Mom isn't that she's in a leadership position (not all class parents are Queen Bees); it's that she has to be in control.
Tell-Tail Signs:
♦ She organizes her child's social activities 24/7; no free time allowed.
♦ If other parents don't like her, "that's because they're jealous."
♦ If someone else is in charge of something, it's because the Queen Bee Mom has explicitly permitted it, and even then, whatever "it" is, it has to be done her way.
♦ She's skilled at telling confidential sad/bad stories about another parent, child, or teacher, but she doesn't see this as gossiping. She shares the hard-luck story with the understanding that the person in question should be pitied, but her not-so-hidden message is that the person is pathetic, incompetent, or a social liability.
♦ When she or her child includes you or your child, you feel special. On the other hand, if you or your child has a run-in with her or her child, your dread of dealing with the situation propels you right back to junior high.
♦ She's a believer in the "let's let the kids work it out" parenting philosophy -- until it's her kid who's being wronged.
♦ She won't apologize for her child's behavior. She sees other children as overly sensitive.
♦ If she or her child does apologize for something, they expect a return apology: "Well, I'm so sorry that you took it the wrong way."
♦ Queen Bee Moms aren't dangerous to you or your child as long as you don't challenge them.
♦ They're often their own worst enemy, though, because they can't admit when they need help or feel overwhelmed.

Sidekick Moms
♦ These moms define themselves in relation to a more powerful peer.
♦ They are second in command beneath the Queen Bees.
A Sidekick Mom typically:
♦ Organizes her child's calendar so he or she is in the same activities as the Queen Bee Mom's child.
♦ Forces her child (she would say "encourages") to be friends with the Queen Bees in the class or the child of the Queen Bee Mom.
♦ Finds any opportunity to share her child's latest accomplishments but is careful not to overshadow the Queen Bee's child.
♦ Is very much a believer in the "let's let the kids work it out" parenting philosophy - until it's her child who's being wronged. (Just like Queen Bee Moms.)
♦ Won't usually apologize for her child's behavior unless the "wronged" child or his or her parents are considered to have higher social status, or there is no social or other cost. Then she is graciousness personified.
♦ Is very focused on getting her child into the "right" activities and classes and sees her motivation as based solely on acting in the best interest of the child.
♦ Joins in when other parents gossip about another child, parent, or teacher.
♦ Can start gossip but looks to the Queen Bee Mom for affirmation.

Starbucks & Sympathy Moms
♦ They're very smart but also good at hiding it.
♦ Their strength is figuring out where other mothers feel vulnerable, gathering that information, and spreading it around when it's most advantageous to themselves.
♦ Queen Bee Moms are also fond of using gossip strategically, but they're more clearly trying to run the show.
♦ Starbucks & Sympathy Moms are happy to have their power and position based solely on their ability to wield power behind the scenes.

♦ Middle of the Pack ♦

Torn Wannabes and Desperate Wannabes
Wannabe Moms are looking for opportunities to raise their stock in the social marketplace - which often means selling someone else short. They're apt to support you in private but say nothing or even take the opposite stance in public.

Torn Wannabes
♦ They know better but can't help themselves
♦ They are unpredictable and frustrating
♦ She's the mom who privately supports you when you're in conflict with someone but abandons you at the moment of confrontation
♦ She never tells you exactly what she thinks. It's not that she's deliberately being deceptive; usually she genuinely doesn't know what she thinks because she wants to please the person in front of her or the one with the most power.
♦ She's a conflict avoider, but when she can't escape, she can be really nasty.

Desperate Wannabes
♦ She doesn't realize when her actions don't match her purported values.
♦ But at least she's predictable.
♦ She'll always please the person with the most power, and she will always back her up.
♦ She frets a lot about whether she, and by extension her child, is keeping up.
♦ She name drops, a lot.
♦ She's a conflict avoider, but when she can't escape, she can be really nasty.

Steamrolled Moms
♦ She sacrifices her needs and judgments because she wants to avoid conflict
♦ She's the one who's always saying, "Whatever you want is fine." She's unlikely to stand up for what she thinks is right because she's afraid to offend and wants to be "nice."
♦ She's been so beaten down by the relationships in her life that she doesn't think she can speak out.
♦ When she does get up the courage to say something, she's likely to salt her words with apologies.
♦ When she hears gossip from other parents, she'll stay silent even if she disagrees. Then later, she'll rehearse all the things she wished she'd said.

Floater Moms
♦ They can move easily from one group to another without arousing resentment.
♦ They embody "nice popularity" in that they're genuinely liked for who they are.
A lot of moms fall into this category, but here's the catch: You might assume that Floaters are generally the peacekeepers, but this role isn't exclusive to them. In fact, I've seen Queen Bee Moms become peacemakers because they have the power to call an armistice. This is because Floater Moms have the understandable attitude that they already went through this ridiculous drama when they were girls -- and they're not going to waste their time on another parent who still acts like she's running for prom queen.

Reformed Moms
♦ They are able to analyze their behavior and make improvements when and where necessary.
♦ These moms (especially the ones who used to be Queen Bees) often have the best sense of humor.
♦ Reformed Queen Bees have kept all their positive attributes (they're charismatic, fun to be around, intelligent, capable, and can make fun of themselves) and lost most of the attributes that made everyone (including themselves) miserable.
♦ Reformed Moms aren't just former Queen Bees, there also Sidekicks, Wannabes, and Outcasts walking around who have become genuinely amazing women you'd want as friends as you go through parenthood.
♦ This doesn't mean that Reformed Moms don't have moments when they revert to old behavior, but when they're called on it, they can admit it, apologize if necessary, and move on.

♦ The Left Out ♦

Invisible Moms
♦ They are well-meaning parents who attend school functions but never, ever say a word.
♦ They have a few close friendships with other Invisible parents.

Outcast Moms
♦ They don't live in the "right" neighborhoods or go to the "right" church, or are raising their children alone.
♦ A woman who goes through a divorce, particularly when her financial stability suffers, can easily find herself an Outcast.
♦ These moms would be invisible but for characteristics that highlight their differences.
♦ They might be gay parents living in politically conservative communities, or people of a minority religion.
♦ But they can also be conservative parents who send their children to more liberal schools because of their academic excellence, or religious people in a secular community.
♦ Outcast Moms are vulnerable to dismissal or attack even if they don't speak out or call attention to themselves.
♦ Outcast Moms can also enjoy the freedom of not having to worry about their social pecking order, which means they can sometimes take the risk of speaking out

I honestly don't buy into the popular credo that there is a "Mommy War", but the mom clique? It's so very real! Mom cliques are in your face, everyday; At ballet, at the park, at birthday parties. You start to wonder when folks will ever really grow up. By highlighting these articles I'm in hopes that we can better understand what motivates us. If you identify yourself or someone you know here, it doesn't mean that you or she is doomed to stay that way for the rest of your lives. It can be difficult for adults to change, but when we do, it's usually because we've come to realize our role is hindering our ability to have honest relationships.

And the winners are...

Best Actor
My Pick: Sean Penn, Milk

The Winner: Sean Penn, Milk

Best Actress
My Pick: Kate Winslet, The Reader
The Winner: Kate Winslet, The Reader

Best Supporting Actor
My Pick: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
The Winner: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Best Supporting Actress
My Pick: Viola Davis, Doubt
The Winner: Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Director
My Pick: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
The Winner: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

Best Anamated Feture Film
My Pick: Wall-E
The Winner: Wall-E

Best Picture
My Pick: Slumdog Millionaire
The Winner: Slumdog Millionaire

I didn't do bad at all... I only missed the best supporting actress... But that was a really tough one. I was torn between Viola Davis and Penelope Cruz, but figured they'd go with Viola... But was wrong... You can check to see who the other winners were below... Slumdog Millionaire was clearly the BIG winner of the night!

BEST PICTURE

"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)

LEAD ACTOR

Sean Penn in "Milk" (Focus Features)

LEAD ACTRESS

Kate Winslet in "The Reader" (The Weinstein Company)

DIRECTOR

Danny Boyle for "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

"Departures" -- Japan (Regent Releasing)

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Penelope Cruz in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (The Weinstein Company)

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Dustin Lance Black for "Milk" (Focus Features)

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Simon Beaufoy for "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)

ANIMATED FEATURE

Andrew Stanton for "WALL-E" (Walt Disney)

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

Kunio Kato for "La Maison en Petits Cubes" (A Robot Communications Production)

ART DIRECTION

Donald Graham Burt for art direction and Victor J. Zolfo for set decoration on "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"(Paramount and Warner Bros)

COSTUME DESIGN

Michael O'Connor for "The Duchess" (Paramount Vantage, Pathe and BBC Films)

MAKEUP

Greg Cannom for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros)

CINEMATOGRAPHY Anthony Dod Mantle for "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

Jochen Alexander Freydank for "Spielzeugland (Toyland)"

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

James Marsh and Simon Chinn for "Man on Wire" (Magnolia Pictures)

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Megan Mylan for "Smile Pinki", a Principle production

VISUAL EFFECTS

Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros)

SOUND EDITING

Richard King for "The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros)

SOUND MIXING

Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty for "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)

FILM EDITING

Chris Dickens for "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)

ORIGINAL SCORE

A.R. Rahman for "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)

ORIGINAL SONG

"Jai Ho" from "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight), music by A.R. Rahman, lyrics by Gulzar

Oscar Sunday!

My 2009 Oscar Predictions

Best Actor
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

Best Actress
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, The Reader

Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin, Milk
Robert Downey Jr, Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Michael Shannen, Revolutionary Road

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, Doubt
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt

Taraji P. Henson
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

Best Director
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant, Milk

Best Anamated Feture Film
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Wall-E

Best Picture
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon; Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Obama, more revered then Jesus Christ!

Ok, check out this poll from The Harris Poll®. Notice back in 2001, no one had any clue who Barrack Obama was, let alone would call him their "hero" now fast forward 8 years... The American people reguard this guy more of a "hero" then JESUS CHRIST?!? That is sad... Really really sad! And says a LOT for this country and what we're turning into.

A low tide brings down all boats

I am so sick of hearing about this "mortgage crisis". You know what. I have NO remorse for the people who defaulted on their brand new houses, and got kicked out... Ya wanna know why? Because back in 2006 we applied and got approved for a VA Loan... We found a 3 bed, 2-1/2 bath $120k house that we LOVED in Yuma AZ. But we really sat there and debated if it was a good idea to buy. And guess what. We decided that it would be an irresponsible thing to do... So here we sit living in base house... And you know, I kick myself every time because looking at everything else that's going on... It really would have been a GREAT investment to go ahead and buy that house... Cuz we coulda got it for practical free! We wouldn't have even had to pay the mortgage on it! We coulda just sat there, living in the house and bitching the the government till they just "bailed" us out.

By bailing out folks who KNEW they couldn't afford these fancy new houses, and went out and got these low adjustable rate mortgages knowing damn good and well that they were going to inflate at some point... That's just promoting bad behavior! These folks who defaulted dug their own graves... Rewarding failure can only lead to an economy that rots from the inside. But you know what, that's turning into the American way! You go out, spend as much money as you want... And when you get far enough in debt, oh, you just turn into the government and they'll bail ya out. No need for any personal responsibility!

I mean really, how many of you people want to pay for your neighbor’s mortgage? Now those of us who chose to be responsible and pay our mortgages on time... Or hey, those of us knew KNEW we couldn't afford a house, and did the responsible thing, and didn't go out and take out some $200+k loan. Now we're going to be punished.

I am just so sick of hearing about this crap... Especially knowing there's NOTHING I can do about it! Ugh. I wish someone was having one of these protests around here... I Love these signs folk have got!

Taking Chances [part 2]

I know I posted about this last month, but I was just reminded by a friend that Taking Chances is on TONIGHT at 8pm on HBO. I'm so glad she reminded me cuz I had totally forgot! I am just soooo excited... I mean, 1, KEVIN BACON! Come on now... And I mean 2, he plays a Marine. I can never get enough Marine movies. Plus the plot line just looks really interesting... I can't wait!

HBO film chronicles final journey for Marine
By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer

With the war in Iraq raging in 2004, Lt. Col. Mike Strobl found himself at Dover Air Force Base, Del., waiting to escort home the remains of a fallen Marine he had never met.

So began his relationship with Pfc. Chance Phelps, who was shot and killed in April 2004 while defending fellow Marines from a convoy attack in Anbar province, Iraq. Over the next few days, Strobl made the solemn trip from Dover to Phelps’ final resting place in Dubois, Wyo., shepherding the Marine’s body through stops in Philadelphia; Minneapolis; Billings, Mont.; and Clifton, Colo.

For Phelps, later promoted to lance corporal, the journey ended in a quiet Wyoming cemetery. For Strobl, though, the experience continues to play a major role in his life, as the retired officer prepares for the TV premiere Saturday of a film chronicling his trip.

“Taking Chance” is an HBO film based on the journal Strobl kept of his time with Phelps and the powerful yet subtle ways a nation reacted to one Marine’s death.

“Taking Chance” premieres Saturday at 8 p.m. EST on HBO.

Strobl first shared his journal with his wife and a few Marine friends after returning from Wyoming. But the memoir was passed around and eventually took on a life all its own.
“When my story started circulating via e-mail and I started getting a lot of responses ... I thought, ‘OK, I’ll get a few responses and then people will move on and forget about it,’” said Strobl, who helped write the screenplay. “But it just kept snowballing.”

Nearly five years later, it still is. With actor Kevin Bacon starring as Strobl, the film aired six times in eight days last month at the Sundance Film Festival, the largest independent film festival in the U.S. HBO is promoting the film heavily, and Strobl now counts the Phelps family and Bacon as family friends.

Unlike many other films and TV specials to develop from the Iraq war, Strobl’s story has neither political bent (think “Stop-Loss”) nor battlefield anger (HBO’s “Generation Kill,” among others). Instead, the film makes its mark with quiet, painstaking detail, playing with symbolism and the gestures of solidarity and gratitude Strobl witnessed along the way.

In one example, a flight attendant gives him a small gold crucifix, saying simply, “I want you to have this.” In another, Strobl has a conversation on a Minneapolis tarmac with a soldier also serving as a casualty escort. The sergeant is bringing his brother’s remains home, he divulges at the end of the conversation, trying to maintain composure.

The film also explores in detail the multilayered process of caring for the remains of a fallen service member. Phelps’ face is never shown, but viewers see everything from blood and mud being scrubbed from his fingernails to his watch, still set to Baghdad time, being steam-cleaned.
Bacon, who also played a Marine in “A Few Good Men” and “Frost/Nixon,” said there were advisers from both the Marine Corps Motion Picture and Television Liaison Office and Dover’s mortuary affairs team on hand during the 2007 filming.

“I got the impression that the Marine Corps felt like the movie was going to be handled respectfully and that it was time for this story to be told,” Bacon said.

Bacon himself delivers a powerhouse performance, playing the squared-away Strobl as alternately cheerful and deeply conflicted about his own choice to avoid a war tour and request a second stint crunching manpower numbers at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. In a particularly memorable scene, Strobl questions his decision in a conversation with a Korean War Marine veteran who greets him after he arrives in Wyoming.

“The guys I was in Desert Storm with went [in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom], and I stayed home,” Strobl says to veteran Charlie Fitz. “Those guys, guys like Chance ... they’re Marines.”

“And you think you’re not?” Fitz fires back. “You brought Chance home. You’re his witness now. Without a witness, they just disappear.”

Asked about the scene, Strobl said he didn’t volunteer to bring Phelps home to “treat his guilty conscience.”

“I think there’s always conflict for the Marines who are doing the jobs back stateside that have to be done, when so many of their buddies are over fighting,” Strobl said. “What was unique about my case is by the time I did the escort mission with Chance, I had volunteered to do another tour here at Quantico, so I did feel like maybe I wasn’t quite doing my share.”

In filming the movie, Bacon said he developed the sense there was “something bigger” about participating in the project. Much like Strobl’s journey from Dover to Wyoming, the production prompted an outpouring of emotion as it shifted from locations in New Jersey to Montana.

“I would go from scene to scene to scene, and ... as we would go through this, we would have new actors all the time and new extras, and sort of the only constant was me and this box,” Bacon said. “And even though there was nothing in our box, the people I would run into — the actors, the extras, crew people, the people who were watching us film — were incredibly moved by the whole thing.

“This one felt like we were dealing with an issue that was a little bit bigger and had a little bit more import — that it was an important story that needed to be told.”

Bad boys, bad boys, watcha gunna do...

Ok seriously what are the chances... So I've been driving around with an expired registration and inspection stickers for the past 3 months. We were planning on driving back to my husbands permanent home of residence (Ohio) and just re-registering the car there... But obviously never got around to it. We were trying to do it though the mail, but it was just taking sooo long. So my husband took drove up the Cleveland Thursday after work and took leave Friday and spent the morning going between the DMV and title office up there...

So like every Friday, I got up and got the 3 year old ready to ballet. I drove 30 minutes across town for that. After class, I text my husband to see what he had accomplished so far and he said "I'm sitting in the DMV waiting to get the plates, call you in a few minutes". So I take off... I make it 5 minutes down the road... And finally after 3 months with an expired tags, I get a cop behind me and "Woot woot" lights go on and I get pulled over. Seriously go figure! As my husband is sitting in the DMV re-registering I get pulled over. LUCKILY this officer saw the humor in this and just gave me a long lecture and let me go.

So I pull out of the 7-Eleven I had pulled into, pull out onto the main street and stop at the red light that was right there. So out of the corner of my eye, I see a cop pull up next to me, I just assume it was the guy who just pulled me over. So the light turns green and I accelerate. Then I notice the cop kinda pacing me, but back a little bit. I was goin the speed limor but was kinda weirded out that this guy wasn't passing me, so I slowed down 5MPH and so did the cop. At this point we were totally holding up traffic, so what's he do? gets behind me and "Woot Woot" lights go on. UGH!!! So I pull off the road again! Turns out I hadn't even made it a BLOCK and some other cop had seen me... Personally I think they were all screwing with me. Well this cop wasn't nearly as cool as the other guy. This guy wanted to lecture me AGAIN, and even after I explained to him my husband was sitting in the DMV re-registering the car, he insisted on running my plates and licence to make sure I "didn't have a record" ...And just FYI for all the readers... I don't. Anyways, after sitting there for 20 minutes the guy finally let me go...

I just thought it was a little too ironic that I drove around for 3 months without getting pulled over, and as soon as my husband goes to re-register the car, I get pulled over twice in a matter of minutes.

Forced to be politically correct

Will we still be the Country of choice and still be America if we continue to make the changes forced on us by the people from other countries that came to live in America because it is the Country of Choice??????

Think about it! All we have to say is, when will they do something about MY RIGHTS?
I celebrate Christmas but because it isn't celebrated by everyone, we can no longer say Merry Christmas. Now it has to be Season's Greetings. It's not Christmas vacation, it's Winter Break. Isn't it amazing how this winter break ALWAYS occurs over the Christmas holiday?

We've gone so far the other way, bent over backwards to not offend anyone, that I am now being offended. But it seems that no one has a problem with that.This says it all! This is an editorial written by an American citizen, published in a Tampa , FL Newspaper.

IMMIGRANTS, NOT AMERICANS, MUST ADAPT.
I am tired of this nation worrying about whether weare offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Americans. However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the 'politically correct! ' crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others.

I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to America .Our population is almost entirely made up of descendants of immigrants. However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand.This idea of America being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. As Americans we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle. This culture has been developed over centuries of struggles, trials,and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom.

We speak ENGLISH, not Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic , Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language.Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, learn the language!

'In God We Trust' is our national motto. This is not some Christian, right wing, political slogan. We adopted this motto because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home because God is part of our culture.

If Stars and Stripes offend you, or you don't like Uncle Sam, then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet.We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don't care how you did things where you came from.This is OUR COUNTRY, our land, and our lifestyle. Our First Amendment gives every citizen the right to express his opinion and we will allow you every opportunity to do so! But once you are done complaining, whining and griping about our flag, our pledge, our national motto or our way of life I highly encourage you to take advantage of one other Great American Freedom... THE RIGHT TO LEAVE.

VetDogs

I first heard about The VetDogs Project today on the Rachael Ray show from my favorite comedian Kathy Griffin!

The VetDogs project is a new program from the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Inc. Since its beginning in 1946, the Foundation has always served the needs of veterans, but it has done so as part of its overall mission to improve the quality of life for people who are blind or visually impaired.

In recent years, the Foundation has come to recognize that as veterans age, and as wounded Soldiers and Marines return home from Iraq, there would be a greater need for guide dogs and specialized service dogs to help them maintain mobility and independence. Thus VetDogs was born. They realized that it was important to reachout to disabled veterans and address these increased needs. By building cooperative relationships with the military and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and by forging strategic partnerships with other guide and service dog schools to widen the options and availability of services to the veteran, they were able to ensure that disabled veterans receive all the benefits they need to live in dignity and independence

Barracks Rats

Death of girl, 16, thought to be drug-related
By Michelle Tan - Staff writerPosted : Wednesday Feb 18, 2009 11:08:45 EST

The death of a 16-year-old girl in a barracks room at Fort Lewis, Wash., is being investigated as a possible drug-related case, the spokesman for Army Criminal Investigation Command told Army Times on Wednesday.

“We’re speaking to numerous people that reside in that barracks and are familiar with the post,” Chris Grey said.

Another 16-year-old girl was in stable condition at Madigan Army Medical Center and is expected to make a full recovery, said Joe Piek, a spokesman for Fort Lewis.

Emergency response personnel, responding to a 911 call placed by the person manning the staff duty desk, found the girls about 3:30 a.m. on Sunday in a barracks room on post. The girls were unresponsive, and one of them was pronounced dead at the scene by a doctor from Madigan Army Medical Center. The other girl was taken to Madigan for treatment and she is expected to stay there for several more days, Piek said.

It appears that the girls were acquaintances [Barracks Rats] of a soldier who lived in the barracks, Grey said. He declined to say if the girls were found in that soldier’s room. [Meaning they were]

There were no visible signs of trauma on either girl, said Piek, who declined to name the girls. He did say that the girls, who are from the local South Puget Sound area, have no known affiliation with the Army and neither is a military dependent. [That's because they were Barracks Rats!]

A soldier, whose name also was not released, has been questioned by CID special agents.
On Tuesday, Piek said he did not know if alcohol or drugs played a role, and that the investigation will include when and how the girls got onto the installation. He declined to provide more details.

“Anything about the scene or the circumstances leading up to the event are part of the investigation,” he said.

Piek said Fort Lewis leaders are monitoring the investigation and a review of installation policies and procedures is underway.

Currently, civilians who are not members of military families can access Fort Lewis if they are sponsored and escorted onto post by someone with a Defense Department identification card, Piek said. Everyone 16 and older must provide a photo ID before they are allowed on post.
In the barracks, soldiers can have visitors from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and any day preceding a holiday. No overnight visitors are allowed.

Civilians younger than 18 who are not members of the host soldier’s immediate family must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Also, all visitors must be signed in and out of the barracks building through the unit’s charge of quarters or staff duty noncommissioned officer, Piek said.

“The Fort Lewis leadership really considers this a really tragic event, and we feel very badly that a young lady has died in one of our barracks on post,” he said. “We will ensure that a thorough investigation is conducted and then take appropriate actions, depending on where the facts lead us.”

The new stimulus plan

You've heard about this new stimulus plan Obama just signed right? $13 added to your weekley paycheck?

Ya know, I find this kinda funny, cuz if I remember correctly, back when there was that $600 stimulus check rolling down the road... Well $1,200 for a married couple. What was that, last May or June? Mrs. Obama totally sneered at it! “You’re getting $600. What can you do with that? Not to be ungrateful or anything. But maybe it pays down a bill, but it doesn’t pay down every bill every month... Barack’s approach is that the short-term quick fix kinda stuff sounds good. And it may even feel good that first month when you get that check. And then you go out and you buy a pair of earrings.”

HaHaHa, earrings?!? I’m not sure I understand how $13.00 a week, reduced to $8.00 a week in January, will do much for “paying down every bill every month.” What am I supposed to do with $54 per month (which turns into $32), especially when it's offset by the increased taxes that will come from ending the Bush Tax Cuts (which stimulated us out of a recession and brought 7 years of unimpeded growth before this time) suspect strangeness occurred and the additional tax increases that will accompany our ramped-up spending, plus the million little laws, fees and fines that will eat into our incomes…help me out, I’m not really seeing the stimulus, here.

Take a look at this list from Courier Journal to see what's REALLY going on with this stimilus bill:

Aid to poor and unemployed
$40 billion to provide extended federal unemployment benefits through Dec. 31, and increase them by $25 a week; $20 billion to increase food-stamp benefits by 14 percent; $4 billion for job training; $3 billion in temporary welfare payments.

Direct cash payments
$14.2 billion to give one-time $250 payments to Social Security recipients, poor people on Supplemental Security Income, and veterans receiving disability and pensions.

Infrastructure
$48 billion for transportation projects, including $27.5 billion for highway and bridge construction and repair; $8.4 billion for mass transit; $8 billion for construction of high-speed railways and $1.3 billion for Amtrak; $4.6 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers; $4 billion for public housing improvements; $6 billion for clean- and drinking-water projects; $7.2 billion to bring broadband Internet service to underserved areas; $4.2 billion to repair and modernize Defense Department facilities.

Health care
$24.7 billion to provide a 65 percent subsidy of health-care-insurance premiums for the unemployed under the COBRA program; $86.6 billion to help states with Medicaid; $19 billion to modernize health-information-technology systems; $10 billion for health research and construction of National Institutes of Health facilities; $1 billion for prevention and wellness programs.

State block grants
$8.8 billion in aid to states to defray budget cuts.

Energy
About $50 billion for energy programs, focused chiefly on efficiency and renewable energy, including $5 billion to weatherize modest-income homes; $6.4 billion to clean up nuclear weapons production sites; $11 billion toward a so-called "smart electricity grid" to reduce waste; $6 billion to subsidize loans for renewable energy projects; $6.3 billion in state energy-efficiency and clean-energy grants; and $4.5 billion to make federal buildings more energy efficient.

Education
$44.5 billion in aid to local school districts to prevent layoffs and cutbacks, with flexibility to use the funds for school modernization and repair; $25.2 billion to school districts to fund special education and the No Child Left Behind law for K-12 students; $15.6 billion to boost the maximum Pell Grant by $500, to $5,350; $2 billion for Head Start.

Housing
$4 billion to repair and make public housing projects more energy efficient; $2 billion for redevelopment of abandoned foreclosed homes; $1.5 billion for homeless shelters; $2 billion to pay off a looming shortfall in public-housing accounts.

Science
$3 billion for the National Science Foundation for basic science and engineering research; $1 billion for NASA; $1.6 billion for research in areas such as climate science, biofuels, high-energy physics and nuclear physics.

Homeland security
$2.8 billion for homeland-security programs, including $1 billion for airport-screening equipment.

Law enforcement
$4 billion in grants to state and local law enforcement to hire officers and purchase equipment.
TAXES

New tax credit
About $116 billion for tax credits of $400 per worker or $800 per couple in 2009 and 2010. Starting around June, workers could expect to see about $13 more in their paychecks each week. Millions of Americans who don't make enough money to pay federal income taxes could file returns next year and receive checks. Individuals making more than $75,000 and couples making more than $150,000 would receive reduced amounts.

Alternative minimum tax
About $70 billion to spare about 24 million taxpayers from being hit with the alternative minimum tax in 2009. The change would save a family of four an average of $2,300. The tax was designed so wealthy taxpayers can't use credits and deductions to avoid paying any taxes. But it was never indexed to inflation, so families making as little as $45,000 would see significant tax increases without the change.

Expanded college credit
About $14 billion to provide a $2,500 expanded tax credit for college tuition and related expenses for 2009 and 2010. The credit is phased out for couples making more than $160,000.

Child tax credit
About $15 billion to provide the $1,000 child tax credit to more families who don't make enough money to pay income taxes.

Earned income tax credit
$4.7 billion to expand the earned income tax credit for low-income families with three or more children.

Home-buyer credit
$6.6 billion to repeal a requirement that an $8,000 first-time home-buyer tax credit be paid back over time for homes purchased from Jan. 1 to Nov. 30, unless the home is sold within three years.

Auto sales
$1.7 billion to makes sales taxes paid on new cars, light trucks, recreational vehicles and motorcycles tax-deductible through the end of the year.

Renewable energy incentives
About $20 billion in tax incentives for renewable energy and energy efficiency over 10 years, including extending tax credits for energy produced from wind, geothermal, hydropower and landfill gas; grants to build renewable energy facilities; tax credits for purchases of energy-efficient furnaces, windows and doors or insulation; tax credits for families who purchase plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Bonus depreciation
$5 billion to extend a provision allowing businesses buying equipment such as computers to speed up its depreciation through 2009.

Repeal bank credit
Repeal a Treasury provision that allowed firms that buy money-losing banks to use more of the losses as tax credits to offset the profits of the merged banks for tax purposes. The change would raise taxes on the merged banks by $7 billion over 10 years.

Debt-limit increase
Increases the statutory limit on the national debt by $789 billion, to $12.1 trillion.


I find it VERY interesting to find out that out of the $816 billion in "new spending and tax cuts", $264 billion (32%) has been alloted for welfare spending, which equates to about $6,700 in new welfare spending for every poor person in the U.S. But this is only the tip of the iceberg! This bill sets aside another $523 billion in new welfare spending that is hidden by budgetary gimmicks!

The claim that Congress is temporarily increasing welfare spending to spark the economy by boosting consumer spending is nothing more then a Red Herring attempting to divert attention from the original issue, with the real goal being Obama's massive expansion of the welfare state.

Happy Valentines Day

Postage Rates

I can’t believe stamps are going up another 2¢ this year (As of May 11th, 2009)! From 42¢ to 44¢! I’m going to have to hurry out and get a few books of Forever Stamps...

Other changes taking effect May 11:

• The postcard stamp increases 1-cent to 28¢.

• The first ounce of a large envelope increases 5 cents to 88¢.

• The first ounce of a parcel increases 5 cents to $1.22.

• New international postcard and letter prices are, for one ounce, 75¢ to Canada; 79¢ to Mexico; and 98¢ elsewhere

Most Postal Service shipping services prices were adjusted in January and will not change in May.

Http://www.usps.com/prices/pricechanges.htm

I found this interestng... I list of postage rate increases...

March 3, 1863 3¢

March 3, 1883 2¢

November 3, 1917 3¢

July 1, 1919 2¢

Sometime in 1898 1¢

July 6, 1932 3¢

January 1, 1952 2¢

August 1, 1958 4¢

January 7, 1963 5¢

January 7, 1968 6¢

May 16, 1971 8¢

March 2, 1974 10¢

December 31, 1975 13¢

May 29, 1978 15¢

March 22, 1981 18¢

November 1, 1981 20¢

February 17, 1985 22¢

April 3, 1988 25¢

February 3, 1991 29¢

January 1, 1995 32¢

January 10, 1999 33¢

January 7, 2001 34¢

June 30, 2002 37¢

January 8, 2006 39¢

May 14, 2007 41¢

May 12, 2008 42¢

May 11, 2009 44¢

Walmart Rollbacks

This made me laugh. I was lookin at car seats at Walmart they were advertising this one as one of their "Rollbacks"... Yeah, "rolled back" a whole 34 cents.

Monday Funny

This makes me laugh because my husband was deployed for our daughters birth and that's seriously all I heard "Do you have any idea how hard this deployment is on me?" Cuz ya know, taking care of a newborn all alone is a cake walk. ::Rolls Eyes::

Valentines Day Decorations

I usually go so out decorating for Christmas... And then spending half of January cleaning it all up... Come February I really don't feel like pulling out Valentines day decorations. Buuut... I've got a toddler now... Who will actually remember stuff. My mom kinda guilted me into putting something up... So since we were all SUPER sick this weekend, I just sat around the house cutting out these little hearts, gluing backs onto them and then stitching them all together to make garlands. Also, I cheated a little... I did go to Target and buy these cute little "Valentine's Day Window Clings" for only $1.99 a sheet. Stuck them to EVERYTHING... The sliding class doors, microwave, Kitchen Aid...

Smiley

This is exactly why you should always twirl once in front of the mirror before leaving the house.

Wow

In what world does this even make sense? Monday Macy's announced that they were laying off 7,000 workers... And now today they've announced that the execs received their final installment of their $1.39 million performance bonuses.

Hmm... And folks winder why these companies are going under.

My singing 2 year old!

I sooo wish I could get a video of her singing... She comes up with the weirdest songs! But ofcourse everytime she sees me standing there taping her she flips out!

(To the tune of the Barney Theme song)

I love you!

I love me!

I love Maaaa-meeeee!

Na-na-na-na Josh

Na-na-na-na Mwwah!

I love me, kissss you!

I kiss you!

You kiss me!

Mwwwwwwah!

Huuuuug meeee!...

And at that point she just kinda trailed off and I couldn't understand a thing she was saying.