RIP Ben Breedlove

Ben Breedlove was an 18-year-old Texan with a lifelong heart condition. He posted these videos on YouTube on December 18th - a brief summary of his life and near-death experiences, in two parts.

He died suddenly on Christmas Day.





More here and here.

A sweet video Ben made about himself in summer here.

Christmas Hodgepodge

Love this song, this singer, and this lipsync




Did you catch that cut-off reference at the end to S&H Green Stamps? What a blast from the past that is!


"I don't get books for Christmas!"




One year later - an attempt at YouTube rehab?




Here is a chattering Christmas porcupine enjoying a gingerbread man




Enjoy your day :)

A brief respite from holiday madness...

Here is a cute bearded dragon playing a video game on his human's smartphone



...and a pic of our beardie, Fred (RIP) back in 2008 texting his homies on my BlackBerry Pearl (also RIP)

Link Dump

Odd crafting for the holidays

This might be me

This is handy

Swear in any language

My sister sent me this and it made me smile - French and Saunders "Ponies", and then saw this sweet video of a very bratty pony - Ed Being Very Naughty

Clark is offline (get a Kleenex)

The 5 Browns speak out about their abuse by their father

A stunning story of a child pornographer in the Catholic church in Kansas

What is the deal with using an initial as a first name?

Protection from tracking of your online searches

And finally...Herman Cain admits he quoted the POKEMON movie song! Love it :)

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Questioning your turkey cooking abilities this year? Have no fear - follow the advice these esteemed culinary experts offer to make your turkey a hit!



Martha Stewart spices up her turkey in honor of the Occupy UC Davis pepper-spraying cop



Hope everyone has an enjoyable holiday, even the people who run those damn Russian bots :)

Hey F'n ass Russian bots

I asked nicely the first time

Presented without comment (for now)

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

"These (offenders) are not milling around looking like monsters. They are like all of us, they do a lot of good things, people love them, and then they have this other behavior that hurts people"

"...imagine seeing all the adults around you fawning over your abuser because he is “such a great guy.” Do you think for a moment you would speak up and tell people that this great guy is abusing you?"

ESPN analyst struggles to process the Sandusky he thought he knew vs. the person he really is, via SportsGrid

Grand jury report (pdf)

Dear Russian bots

Please stop jacking my blog. Thank you.

Is Herman Cain yanking the entire Republican party's chain?

Rachel Maddow thinks so, and she offers compelling evidence



The "poet" was the writer of the "Pokemon" theme? The 9-9-9 plan came from Sim City?

He is getting people to give him money to do this? He is the FRONT RUNNER???

OhGodohGodohGod I hope this is true! It will be the most fantastic prank in the history of American politics, and will make professional grifter/quitter/perpetual noncandidate Sarah Palin look like an amateur :-0

He Carried Yellow Flowers, the short film/Cain campaign ad Maddow references above.

WTF? Love it :)

Murmuration

Two women canoeing on the River Shannon in Ireland encounter and film an amazing event

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

Murmurations Signal Winter Is On its Way, pics via TIME Lightbox

Jimmy Kimmel organizes a mass torment of American children :)

Kinda mean, but lolsome also



The older brother at the end is my favorite - he clearly feels his parents are idiots, and patiently attempts to process their cluelessness

via Laughing Squid

Lindsay Lohan probation revoked blah blah blah...

Link - with video goodness! - via TMZ

How many times have we seen this? What is she even on probation for anymore? And most importantly, who put that awful makeup on her face? She should be going to jail just for that!

Anyway, I don't really care about that. This just gives me an excuse to post some pictures I've captioned in the past that have a LiLo theme. Actually, the first picture I ever captioned and posted online anywhere was of her



That was in 2007, for God's sake!

This LiLo LOLcat was made ahead of some court date she had where she was supposedly going to be hauled off to jail afterwards (which she was)



And this series commemorated that stay







I'll have to create a separate LiLo LOL pics folder if she keeps this up!

Nobody loves you like your dog does

The Perfect Day

Better get a Kleenex before clicking that link

Bad Lip Readers skewer Rick Perry

Another political ad season is drawing near, so it is time to start giggling at some of the funniest or most ridiculous of the lot, as well as parodies. Here's a great start :)

Bad Lip Reading, an anonymous group of video editors and parodists, took scenes from Rick Perry's ad announcing his candidacy and cleverly replaced his words with what he appears (to them) to say

(click on the links at the end of the video for more silliness from them, or click here.)



In the interest of equal time, here's "Trick the Bridesmaid," featuring President Obama, also by them

Seeing these reminded me of (apparently former) YouTuber Buffalax, who was known years ago for making hilarious mondegreen "translations" of popular Indian and Middle Eastern music videos, subtitling them with what he perceived the singers to be saying in English. He seems to have disappeared or been banned from YouTube, but others have reposted some of his stuff for posterity. This is one of his best



Another silly Buffalaxed video preserved by a fan - Tunak Tunak Tun

Internet people are so funny :)

10 years ago...

...I was waiting in the left turn lane of Goldenrod Road to turn onto University Boulevard on my way to work. Heard the news from Howard Stern

Audio of the Howard Stern Show as the attacks began

Got to work a few minutes after the first plane hit. Heard and saw the second plane hit there. Gave chemo all day while the TV was on. Everyone - patients, family, practitioners, staff - trying to continue while chaos ensued, our hearts collectively breaking.

After work, got home and made the mistake of turning on the BBC, which was showing footage of jumpers and fallers that was not shown on American TV. Fell apart.

Visited the site in Manhattan in 2003 and was shocked by the size of the hole and the unrepaired damage to it and the surrounding buildings. Was sickened by the vendors hawking “souvenirs” at the site. I wanted to hurt them. Reminded me of Jesus in the temple.

Nothing else to say here that isn't being said more eloquently by millions of others elsewhere.

Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me recap show - beauty queens, presidents and bronies

This weekend, NPR's "Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me" radio show presented favorite segments from the past year voted on by Twitter and Facebook followers. The show includes Miss America discussing the etiquette of scooting across a car seat in a skirt, a caller possibly shooting himself, and much more. A hoot from start to finish :)

A feature of the show is famous people playing a game called "Not My Job," where a celebrity answers three questions on a (usually silly) subject they know nothing about, playing on behalf of a listener for the prize of esteemed scorekeeper Carl Kasell's voice on their voicemail. Both Dick Van Dyke and President Bill Clinton's games are replayed here, and both are engaging and entertaining, as are the panelists.

President Clinton earned respect from an odd subset of the North American population after his appearance on WWDTM first aired in June of this year - bronies, geeky fans of the animated show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I am not going to attempt to explain this - just putting this here because the whole thing gave me giggles the first time it was broadcast, and the recap episode this weekend contained Clinton's part unedited and I giggled even more :)

Listen to the show here. President Clinton's interview and game is last in the player if you want to skip ahead, but the whole show is hilarious.

A little more about bronies here

A couple more brony sites' reaction to President Clinton's quiz here and here.

More pony images

BTW, President Clinton is vegan now

"Gems" and other neat stuff

Like some people (but maybe not so much anymore), when I was a young wife and mom I would clip interesting or thought-provoking items from the newspaper and occasionally put them up on my fridge with (mostly ridiculously goofy looking) magnets. I kept a few when we replaced our fridge several years ago - good God, you'd think from the looks of them they were from the 1800's!

Most of them were "gems" that appeared in Ann Landers' syndicated advice column. I preferred "Ann" over her twin sister Dear Abby, although they were both great. They both took on controversial and taboo subjects with plain-spoken forthrightness. (Dear Abby's daughter gives advice under her mother's pen name today, and IMHO she does not have near the common sense her mother or aunt did. Wonder how that happened.)

Anyway, I've intended to scrapbook some of these clippings for awhile but since they are looking so lousy I decided to post them here instead and type out the text for posterity :) They are not all from Ann Landers, but I'll start with the ones that are. Here's a pic of said lousy looking old clippings

The first one is a poem not by Ann, but by C.W. Longenecker (a real poet?) called "The Victor." The preface in Ann's column reads, "I will be 90 years old on my next birthday and am grateful that my mind is still good and my memory is excellent. In this era of downsizing, when so many family men are losing their jobs and becoming discouraged, I remembered this poem that my father had framed and hung on the wall in his office. It might help some discouraged people if they read it in your column." (emphasis mine)

If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you like to win but think you can't,
It's almost a cinch you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you're lost.
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow's will.
It's all in the state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are.
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win the prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But sooner or later the man who wins
is the man who thinks he can.

It's still good, whoever wrote it :)

In the middle of the pic are a few of Ann's "gems" - little thoughtful sayings she found worthy to print from time to time

"Hanging onto resentment is letting someone you despise live rent-free in your head."

"It is far better to be alone than to wish you were"

"If it's love, it will last. And if it isn't, who needs it?"

"Hatred is like acid. It does more harm to the container in which it is stored than to the object on which it is poured."

Next is "Maturity" - I assume the author is Ann but don't know for sure

Maturity is the ability to control anger and settle differences without violence.
Maturity is patience. It is the willingness to pass up immediate pleasure in favor of a long-term gain.
Maturity is perseverance, the ability to sweat out a project or situation in spite of heavy opposition and discouraging setbacks.
Maturity is the capacity to face unpleasantness and frustration, discomfort and defeat, without complaint or collapse.
Maturity is being big enough to say, "I was wrong." And, when right, the mature person need not experience the satisfaction of saying, "I told you so."
Maturity is the ability to make a decision and stand by it. The immature spend their lives exploring endless possibilities and then do nothing.
Maturity means dependability, keeping one's word and coming through in a crisis. The immature are masters of the alibi. They are confused and conflicted. Their lives are a maze of broken promises, former friends, unfinished business and good intentions that somehow never materialize.
Maturity is the art of living in peace with what we cannot change, the courage to change what should be changed and the wisdom to know the difference.

The bottom clipping shows a version of the Pledge of Allegiance compiled from various versions reported by teachers

"I led the pigeons to the flag of the United States of America and to the public for Richard Stans one nation under guard and a vegetable with little tea and just rice for all please be seated."

These little clippings have given me smiles over the years - hope they gave you some too :)

Oh, there's one more - I felt this Dilbert comic from 1999 reflected the perpetual state of my marriage at the time (click to enlarge)

LOL :)

Badass chihuahua is badass (with bonus badass chihuahuas, including mine)

Badass chihuahua runs off some robbers in his human's store




Here is my badass chihuahua in her devil costume on Halloween




Here she is again being a badass to my son's dog for wearing a fairy costume




This chihuahua is a badass dancer




Loves me some badass chihuahuas :)

Good Riddance

Hopefully she never comes back



The local TV coverage of the release was pretty entertaining, though - I'm glad I tuned in - 'twas good for many laughs :)

Flipped on the TV a few minutes after midnight after getting a tweet that it was about to happen, then I decided to pee really quick and missed it! No biggie though as her 10-second walk with Baez was rerun ad nauseum as the media tried to figure out what to do next. As helicopters began to follow the SUV down I-4, Channel 9 reporter Kathi Belich was asked what the situation was on the ground at the jail. She replied, almost dejectedly, "Well, it looks like people are getting in their cars and leaving." Poor news media - all camped out ready to cover all the drama, but these frackin' people actually behaved themselves! How boring and uncoverable.

The true hilarity ensued, however, during the car chase via helicopter a la O.J. in the white Bronco. The SUV containing the baby killer pulled in to the downtown parking garage of one of her lawyers, Cheney Mason. Apparently MOTY (Mother of the Year) switched cars in there, and some other decoy cars went out also. The helicopters continued to follow a vehicle believed to be transporting the murderess to Orlando Executive Airport (a small airport used by private jets and private plane owners), but when the SUV didn't take the exit it should have to go there, all the reporters on live TV simultaneously realized they were following the wrong car and had lost track of her. D'OH!

Undaunted, at about 1 am they turned their cameras on a small plane on the tarmac at OEA with its doors open and crew in place, looking as if it was awaiting passengers. Reporters breathlessly noted that they believed this was the plane that would be taking MOTY to parts unknown. Helicopters followed vehicles driving toward the plane. The anticipation was palpable - is this the plane taking babykiller away? And to where?

Then people got out of the vehicles and started unloading a bunch of golf bags. Apparently these were some wealthy tourists preparing to fly home from a golfing vacation in Orlando. D'OH!

After this the TV stations gave up and returned to regular programming. HAHAHA! An appropriate finale to the circus this case has been.

Some sites are reporting that MOTY did board a plane at OEA at 3 am or so and that she is now in Ohio. (Ohio? - ok, I seem to remember she has some relatives there) Good for them - they can have her. Will they take the rest of her family too, please?

Again, good riddance.

The verdict is in

Wow, what a day. Casey Anthony was acquitted. Still stunned by the verdict, but here are a few initial thoughts…

Thinking back on the last three years and the trial, I guess it’s true that the prosecution didn’t do their job, as many are saying. I thought they proved their case (perhaps not beyond ANY doubt, but yes, beyond a reasonable doubt, but that’s another discussion). I did wonder from time to time, though, if they over-sanitized their case to keep it simple for the jurors. A lot was left out, including a big fight that Cindy and Casey had the night before the first 911 call (Fathers’ Day – Cindy had taken Caylee to the nursing home where Cindy's father resided for a visit, and unknowingly took the last photos and video of Caylee alive that day). Cindy allegedly choked Casey that evening, and brother Lee witnessed this and broke it up. Cindy actually testified about this evening in court and described it as a lovely evening where she and Casey shared bonding time while looking at the photos and video. The jurors never heard about this fight. Did the prosecution think it was too difficult to explain and leave it out for this reason? Maybe. Did they think that would feed directly into the defense’s reliance on the “dysfunctional family” approach? Maybe. Maybe it’s neither here nor there. I don’t know.

More egregious, though, is how the Anthony family (specifically Cindy Anthony) not only tried to connect Casey’s friends to Caylee’s disappearance and drag them through the mud by name in the media, but attempted to defame Texas EquuSearch and its founder and leader, Tim Miller, a passionate advocate for missing and exploited children who came here and organized multiple searches for Caylee which he was subsequently vilified by the family for. (Tim Miller interview prior to the verdict.) Many Central Floridians and others hiked for hours and days through muck, thorns and storms participating in these searches because they cared about this little girl and wanted to by some slim chance find her either alive or allow her to rest in peace, and for what? To help these liars perpetuate this lie, this fallacious reality? It makes me ill to recall. A slow, collective devastation was felt by many here as it gradually seemed to be the case that Caylee died at her mother’s hand and desire, accidentally or not (not). We believed them all initially, and wanted to help, but things gradually began to smell, kind of like the trunk of that Pontiac Sunfire.

To me, this is the most painful aspect of this whole thing. As a community, we opened our hearts to this family, as well as our wallets and other resources to help them find their “kidnapped” daughter/granddaughter and hopefully catch the perpetrator. We hung their flyers, passed out their buttons, wore their T-shirts and wrote our checks. It is true that they are dysfunctional, but isn’t every family at times? However, Jose Baez hammered the jury with this perception repeatedly in his opening statement and revisited it throughout the trial, and judging from an interview with an alternate given to CNN today (one of only two, and the actual jurors who deliberated haven’t spoken at all), they bought into this argument from the get-go, and it was effective.



It is repulsive to me that Jose Baez actually “won” this thing, although it may have been different if the prosecution had not overreached and put the death penalty on the table. I’m sure if I were a juror here I would not have voted for death. Caylee most likely did not suffer, and was not tortured or dismembered (until after death, by wildlife), and Casey has not killed anyone else. Premeditation? Possibly, but not conclusive. By overreaching and not accurately reading how well slimy Jose Baez was leading the jury down his yellow brick road, the State of Florida lost their case, and Caylee did not receive justice.

This is hard to swallow.

Here is Jose Baez at the courthouse today just before the verdict came in

 

Good Lord, I hate this guy. He just won the lottery today, though.

Jurors are now deliberating in the Casey Anthony trial

I have avoided writing about this here since May during jury selection, but this trial has been an extraordinary phenomenon to observe as it has taken over our city. It has been inescapable these last several weeks - it is on every local TV channel all day long every day. Walk in any waiting room or lobby anywhere and there it is - Casey Casey Casey in your face - truly, since every channel shows a split screen with one camera on Casey all the time. If videography counts as photography, Casey has to be rivaling Princess Diana as the most photographed woman of all time.

I vented my frustrations about this in LOLcat form in a recent fark Caturday thread. People seemed to enjoy them so here they are

The Casey Anthony trial in LOLcats























Yes, this is inappropriate. Yes, I am a geek. I don't care.

Happy Independence Day!

The Declaration of Independence

The Constitution of the United States of America

The Federalist Papers

The Big Man has left us...

I have seen Springsteen and the E Street band six times in four states, starting with The River tour. Some friends and I paid $5 each for seats in the top row of the arena in Austin (November 9th, 1980) and were subsequently taken on the musical ride of our lives for four hours. The musicianship, love and uncontainable joy evident between Bruce and Clarence was captivating and irreplaceable. For those that never got to see them live, I am sorry for you. It truly is the end of an era, much too soon.

Thank you Clarence, and rest well.



I like this clip because Brian Williams is speaking not just as a journalist, but a fan too.


Obligatory - TURN IT UP

Happy Fathers Day!

Now Go the Fuck to Sleep, a real book (!) read by Samuel L. Jackson (NSFW language, obvs)



Also, here is Spontn80's annual Fathers Day thread from FARK
It's what I should've said but didn't - What would you say to your dad today if you could?

This thread always reminds me of what a good Dad my sisters and I had.

The greatest "Vogue" ever!

ME AT NINE, PERFORMING TO MADONNA IN SUMMER '91! from Robert Jeffrey on Vimeo.

Happy Hump Day!

Here's something to smile about :) small boy just after riding his bike without training wheels for the first time



Update 6/3: When I first saw this video it had about 12,000 views, a description (assumed to be from a parent) and +/- 1000 comments, mostly rude and insulting to this sweet child experiencing a moment of joy. The description has been removed and comments have been disabled, presumably due to the subhuman nature of the average YouTube commenter.

Please, if you enjoyed this video and have a YouTube account, log in and "like" it there. Don't let the dregs drag this child's (and his parents) moment down. There are 12,528 "likes" as I post this - please add yours!

BTW I do not know this child or family in any way. I just don't like Internet bullies picking on children. Thank you.

State of Florida vs. Casey Marie Anthony

Jury selection began today on schedule for a notorious criminal case originating in my home county, Orange County, Florida. It is alleged that Casey Anthony murdered her two-year-old daughter, Caylee Marie Anthony, sometime between June and July 2008. 31 days went by without anyone seeing the little girl or reporting her missing. Casey’s mom Cindy (a registered nurse employed by Gentiva at the time, now out on “disability”) got a whiff of Casey’s car trunk and immediately exclaimed “it smells like there’s been a dead body in the damn car” while calling 911. This is when it all began to spiral downhill for the Anthony family.

Casey (who is facing the death penalty) and her defense team is taking this to trial at taxpayers’ expense despite overwhelming scientific, forensic and circumstantial evidence against her, no alibi, and deliberate misleading and lying to law enforcement by herself and her parents. This young person lied to and stole from family and friends repeatedly without batting an eye. She pretended she was graduating from high school until it was time for her family to go to the graduation, at which time she told them she didn’t finish. Her stealing and lying escalated after this, culminating in her mother’s discovery that Caylee’s whereabouts were unknown for 31 days combined with the death smell in Casey’s car.

Casey responded to these accusations by 1) telling law enforcement officers she had been conducting her own investigation into her daughters’ disappearance during the 31 days; 2) leading them on a wild goose chase during which she claimed she worked at Universal Studios as an “event planner” and led them all the way into the park and to her supposed “office” before finally admitting she didn’t work there and hadn't since Caylee was born; and 3) inventing a “nanny” named Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez (the “imaginanny”) that she dropped Caylee off to and who must have taken her.

During those 31 days when she was supposedly conducting her own investigation into Caylee’s disappearance, she was repeatedly photographed and filmed partying and also got a tattoo reading “La Bella Vita” – the beautiful life – which she apparently planned to start living now that Caylee was out of the way.

When Caylee's skeletal remains were found with duct tape over her mouth in woods not far from the Anthony home, Casey reportedly had a breakdown in jail. This also ruined her awful lawyer Jose Baez’s plan of attack. He was not counting on a body being found, and has seemed not to know what to do since. It took him eight tries to pass the Bar exam, and he often seems lost in court, especially during the scientific discussions. He is not a death penalty qualified attorney, so attorney Cheney Mason, who is, is working with him pro bono. Patient Judge Belvin Perry, Jr. has been educating Baez in Law 101 during the lengthy pretrial hearings (again at taxpayer expense).

While wordy, this really is a brief synopsis of the case. I didn’t even get to her father George, a former law enforcement officer who attempted suicide about a year ago and who some think Casey’s defense might hang accusations on in order to create reasonable doubt with one juror (that’s all they need to do), or her brother Lee. Nor did I get to the blogger who inserted himself into the case resulting in the recusal of the original judge, Stan Strickland (and I won’t).

If you enjoy reading about and dissecting family dysfunction, this trial will have it all and more to offer. Jury selection was moved to Pinellas County (Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater area) because of extensive media coverage in Orange County and nationally. The jury that is selected in Pinellas will be moved to Orange County and sequestered for a minimum of 6-8 weeks at a cost to Orange County taxpayers of at least $360,000.00. This is after Casey and her parents collected over $250,000.00 for selling pictures and videos of Caylee to ABC news and others purportedly to pay for Casey’s defense, although she has since been declared indigent and taxpayers have been footing the bill for this farce since then. Where did that blood money go?

Here is Judge Perry reading the charges against Casey Anthony to some of the potential jurors in Pinellas County on Monday, May 9th. Casey manages to turn on some tears here - the few times she's cried before now it appeared to be fake (no tears). Of course she is facing the jury pool head-on here.

 

I do not intend to write about this regularly as there are so many others who already do so. Here are a few good links

The Hinky Meter - maintained by Valhall, an aerospace engineer and passionate advocate for missing and abused children who got sick of the poor scientific discussions on other blogs, so she started her own

THM discovery timeline of the case - exhausting, but it's all there

WFTV.com's Casey Anthony page - all hearings are streamed live with no timeouts and a concomitant moderated chat

Hal Boedeker's blog - this is the TV critic for the Orlando Sentinel newspaper. He also puts up a post every day or two about the case, which is subsequently swarmed by commenters from all spectrums

Investigation Discovery's Casey Anthony page, including daily recaps and a quiz (!)

Richard Hornsby, an Orlando criminal defense attorney (whom Casey should have hired IMO) offers his opinions on the case

Bullstopper - a semanticist brutally dissects the language of (usually) the defense

Egg Tree News provides an unforgiving satirical view of the case

Kids react to Osama bin Laden's killing

Several weeks ago I was listening to the radio while driving to work and a report came on recounting the events leading to the U.S. Federal government shutdown of 1995, led by possible 2012 presidential contender Newt Gingrich. My crotchety, in-a-hurry-to-get-to-work self thought at the moment, "I don't need to listen to this, I lived through it! This is old stuff - give me something new."

Then it hit me - there are many (many!) U.S. citizens younger than me who did not live through this and other fairly recent historic events who need to hear and learn about them outside of a sanitized classroom environment. I realized then that 1) I'm old, and 2) I need to shut up, listen, learn and remember this significant event as well as countless others, both in its context at the time and how it has contributed to governance and politics today.

Coming across this video recently reminded me of my feelings that day, and how important it is in this age of instantaneous communication and exchange of ideas to pay attention to the younger citizens of this world. Here young children discuss their knowledge and feelings regarding the killing of Osama bin Laden. Hearing them state their ages at the time of 9/11 is particularly compelling - they were either toddlers or not yet born. Taking their shoes off at the airport or going through a scanner is normal for them, as is our country being at war in two separate countries. They've never known life any differently. A couple of them express wisdom about the world that belies their young age.

The kids in this show (I guess) are more accustomed to commenting on lighter subjects like Justin Bieber, but they hold their own here. The babyish background music is annoying - the editor(s) should have just let them speak without that. The young man in the green-and-black shirt seems particularly thoughtful for his age.

Our pale blue dot

Our home, this pale blue dot, has a little less evil within it today. Hopefully its populace can move forward and begin healing and coexisting now that this evil has departed.

There's a NEW Shiba Inu puppy cam! (this is not a repeat)

Behold the third and final litter of six from mom Kika :) All are spoken for, and were born on April 14th.


Streaming live video by Ustream

(Previous post on Shiba Inu puppy cam litter # 2)

The sweet little puppy sounds will melt your heart :)

The U.S. Marines are at it again...

...making awesome lip-sync dance videos, that is :)

Here's Marines in Afghanistan performing Britney Spears' "Hold it Against Me." We actually have some fierce FEMALE representation in this one! Love the guy "directing traffic" at 3:00

What I did on my April vacation

Guess I haven't gotten out of Catholic school mode to this day. Oh well...

* Attended the live taping of Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me! This is my favorite radio show but I have to say this was not one of their better episodes in my opinion, mainly because longtime panelist Kyrie O'Connor seemed to be phoning it in. I do have to thank the floor manager for moving me and my group to front and center when some party who had reserved seats didn't show up. I had to make a concerted effort not to swoon upon seeing Carl Kasell just a few feet in front of me :)

* Attended my wonderful nieces' performance of "Phantom of the Opera" - they were both members of the pit orchestra and crew, and beat out lots of fellow players in auditions to make the cut. I am so proud of you girls!

I was blown away by this production - top notch on every level. Sets, costumes, orchestration - all absolutely gorgeous. A thrill to see.

* Visited my lovely sis and bro-in-law in beautiful Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Sweet town with exquisite beaches, shops, restaurants, homes and history. No wonder you two love it there.

And finally...



Lady Gaga at the Amway Center on April 15th - a fantastic performance! Say what you will about her - the Lady can entertain! And yes, the piano is on fire.

I had a great week. Thank you Patty, Jeff, Joe, Joan, Barbie and Matt for taking care of me :)

Added 4/18: Slideshow of pics from the concert, including dressed-up attendees, via the Orlando Sentinel. This was a very fun night to play dress-up. Do see the Lady if you get the chance - she is well worth it. 2+ hours of spilling her soul onto the stage, and the crowd was a bonus!

RIP Elizabeth Taylor

In her honor, below is National Velvet in Four Minutes, by You Tuber storyjan

I watched National Velvet every chance I could as a kid - there were no videotapes or dvd's back then (OMG how did we manage???) You actually had to pay attention to the TV guide that came in the newspaper and catch it when it was on, which wasn't often. How primitive :)

Thank you lovely Ms. Taylor for your thrilling performance in this movie and many others, and for all you gave to the world through your activism and kindness. You are with your friend Michael now.

Some crap I like

An interactive map showing where Americans are moving to and from (looks like people are trying to get the frak away from Chicago, Los Angeles and Detroit)

Play rock paper scissors against a computer and watch it learn your moves

For my nephew - Red Lobster cheddar biscuits recipe

A woman given LSD in an experiment in the 1950's

Fan catches bat, saves beer

And finally, an amazing page full of Judge Judy gifs (may take awhile to load, but worth the wait)

Enjoy :)

This is what I did last weekend

It was fun.

That is an understatement.

Canaveral National Seashore

Thank you Liz for the pics!

Just Because

for someone I know

My sisters are being buried in snow as we speak...

So I will try to post some entertainment from Florida for them...

The Messiah Choral Society has performed Handel's Messiah on the Sunday after Thanksgiving in Orlando for over thirty years as a free gift to the community. They added an extra performance in the 2010 holiday season, performing as a flashmob in the Orlando International Airport before Christmas. I have sung with this group for a few seasons but had to skip 2010 due to illness - major bummer - would have loved to be a part of this. Love to see the tourists joining in!



An additional view, with interviews at the end

and this happened the other day at the Mall at Millenia



I really do live in the Happiest Place On Earth!!

Everybody all aboard!

This has been around for awhile, but I hadn't seen it before and it made me smile, so up it goes :)



The original scene

A monster, a lost soul, or something in between?

Two weeks after the shocking shootings in Tucson, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has been transferred this weekend to a rehab facility in Houston to continue her remarkable recovery from her brain injury. A nine-year-old girl, a federal judge and four others were murdered that day, and 13 were wounded. An unsettling mugshot was taken of the gunman, 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner, after his arrest



As news began to come out of Loughner’s mental health history, prior arrests for petty crimes and difficulties with work and school, I found myself feeling some empathy for this kid, as despicable as his actions were. Not much seems to be known about his parents to date or how they may or may not have tried to help with his issues, but it is extremely difficult for a kid this age today to get help for mental health problems until they snap, as this kid did. After a child turns eighteen, parents are essentially powerless to intervene on behalf of their child if s/he needs help for psychiatric problems unless and until the child presents a danger to self or others, which is often too late for any meaningful assistance to take place. Individuals over 18 are also free to refuse medications or treatment on their own behalf.

It is known Loughner was clearly disturbed and perceived as a threat by classmates and teachers who interacted with him at his community college, and he was removed from campus by security several times before eventually being kicked out of the school. His YouTube presence is also ominous. However, he never hurt anyone prior to the shootings, he just was “weird” – not enough for a parent or anyone else to intervene in a way such as having him involuntarily committed.

While Loughner may not have had a clear concept of the fact that he was mentally ill, he did seem to comprehend that to have any shot at success in life he needed to get and keep a job, get some education and/or serve in the military. He tried to join the Army but was rejected, he was attempting to attend community college, and he was also attempting to hold a job, albeit unsuccessfully due to his psychiatric issues and lack of self-control. It has been reported that he once complained about having filled out 65 job applications without one resulting interview – a pretty demoralizing situation for most anyone, let alone a person with no coping skills and an untreated psychiatric disorder. In his malfunctioning mind he somehow blamed Rep. Giffords for this predicament, and thus a tragedy occurred.

The politicization of this event is offensive and ridiculous, but unfortunately inevitable. While I certainly favor more efforts toward civil discourse and less inflammatory rhetoric, the fact is this is a public health issue, not a political one. Loughner didn’t do this because he favored the “left” or the “right” – he did this because he was a delusional untreated mentally ill individual. This kid was trying to use the only means he saw as available to him – work, school, the Internet and the military – to deal with his profound problems on his own. This simply should not happen, but we all know it does every day. Early and consistent intervention, especially after age 18, may have prevented this horrible event – is that not worth the cost?

Neal Conan of the NPR show “Talk of the Nation” recently featured Jeanette Halton-Tiggs on his show. Ms. Halton-Tiggs is the mother of a violently mentally ill son who was recently sentenced to prison for gunning down a police officer. She describes all the efforts she made to get her son help, as well as warn people that he was dangerous and would hurt someone someday. Not only was she unsuccessful in getting him help because he was over 18, her own family members even treated her as if she were overreacting. Dave Cullen also joins the discussion – he is the author of Columbine, his extensively researched book on that massacre. His book debunks many myths surrounding that horrible occurrence, and dissects the mainstream media coverage of the event, exposing irresponsible lies and stoking of rhetorical fires.

Parents Judged When Their Children Commit Murder - Talk of the Nation, January 17, 2011

Thanks for reading and listening.

Happy New Year!

I'm feeling lazy today, so I'll let Time magazine do my work for me :)


50 Best Websites of 2010

See, that was easy :) I visit and read almost all of these sites! I could have written these posts! What does that say about me? Nevermind, don't wanna know...


Best Blogs of 2010

The last five blogs listed are categorized as "overrated," and I completely agree that they are, especially Perez. He really should just go away.


The Smartest People of 2010, by The Daily Beast

Kanye West? Really?


Can't miss Dave Barry's review of 2010.


And finally, for my nephew who shares with me the terrible compulsion to laugh when people fall, one of the top viral videos of 2010



Wishing anyone who may stop by a fantastic 2011!