WOW JUST WOW

After a grueling 5plus hours of tennis Novak Djokavic went to the sidelines, took off his shirt and tossed it to a 14 year old girl.. except a middle age woman literally snatched it away from her.

Of course she is going to say she didn't know.. but Novak made EYE CONTACT with the girl.. it certainly looks like he had intended for her to have it. I don't get some people..

What I am Reading

I am currently reading the 6th installment of Donna Grant's Dark Sword Series.. I really enjoy this series and have since I opened the first book.. similar to Gina Showalter's Lords of the Underworld, in the fact that Warriors have been inhabited by Demons. In an effort to keep the Romans from inhabiting Scotland, the Druids, both good and bad banned together to call out the demons, to inhabit the strongest warrior in each clan... Once the Roman's were repelled, it was thought they would return the Demons from whence (love that word) they came... The Demons of course had other plans.. Initially, they figured ok, we'll just let them die off.. but again.. the Demons had other plans and just moved to the next strongest warrior in the clan when it's initial host died. The best the Druids could do was bind them deep inside the Warrior.. But one evil Druidess wanted all those powers and had grand plans, so she unbound them... Some of the Warriors were able to reign in their Demons, work together and learned how to fight evil others succumbed and serve evil..and the fight continues into book 6...

*****************************************************

Darkest Highlander

In the acclaimed Dark Sword series, the darkest, fiercest warriors of Scottish legend finally meet their match—in the brave, fiery hearts of the women they cherish…

HE IS HER SALVATION

For years, Broc has watched over her, protected her—and hidden his love for her. But when his beautiful Sonya finds herself in a hopeless situation, the Highlander flies to her side to save her. Unfortunately, before the Druidess can thank him, Broc is captured by his enemy and destined for eternal pain…

SHE IS HIS DESTINY

Sonya vows to help her noble warrior, though he is imprisoned in a mountain of pure evil—bound in chains of the darkest magic. With Sonya’s own magic fading, she must summon the greatest power of all to save the man she loves. But even if these two hearts are united, will they be strong enough to defeat the heart of darkness? Or will their undying love doom them for all eternity…?

Shauni

A Commercial for Bodice Rippers, Femme Fatales and Fantasy

My Friend Sandy over at Bodice Rippers, Femme Fatales and Fantasy never ceases to amaze me with her spectacular gift! She takes characters and plots from our featured artists and writes these amazing poems! Honestly, one of them or a publishing house should snap her up just to summarize the stories in such a way that brings tears to a reader's eyes.. her latest work, based on Caris Roane's Guardians of Ascension is posted today .. but if you want to see more of her work which includes poems based on Kelley Armstrong, Christine Feehan, Melissa Mayhue and Alyssa Day's Work.. please click HERE. 

It's time to start your work week.. feeling a bit peaked? Want something to perk you right up? well it's MAN CANDY MONDAY.. so that should cheer you right up!! Come on over and be cheered!

Blog Hop

So Last Friday I attempted to sign up for Friday Friends Blog Hop.. my computer was being wonky (yes that is the technical term) and refused to co operate with me. This totally irks me.. I mean aren't computers supposed to make our lives easier? Not cause more stress?

Did we really gain anything with the advent of the computer era or did we just trade one set of annoyances for another. Oh sure, we can and do connect with people all over the world. We allegedly have paperless offices and have mainstreamed our work force. BUT when our computers crash or we don't understand something we are held hostage. To a machine no less.

Back on track.. I signed up for this wonderful blog hop and then couldn't get it posted.. and I still managed to make One new friend , krystimare at Country Living Product Review.. is that cool or what? Oh yeah, all this because of computers.. guess in the end the stress caused by computers is way better than the alternative.. *grins* yeah I did have a point in there somewhere..

Shauni

Turn About is Fair Play

For years the liberal media has run amuck with their ability to brainwash the American public. Making sure to gleefully destroy as much as the conservative party as possible. Highlighting mistakes to extreme degree while burying the same when a liberal does it. They would at best mention it on page 6 then move on. But if a conservative did it they, with malice aforethought attacked and attacked and attacked.. until a simple error or mispeak became a death row crime.

Don't get me wrong I am not anti liberal, in fact I feel that we need a balance of liberal and conservative no one party should ever have so much control.. but because the media has forgotten it's place to REPORT the news and prefers to MAKE the news the balance is woefully to the left.

For the entire Bush term of office they insulted, insulted, insulted.. can you think of ONE good thing that was done during the Bush era? There was some excellent stuff to come out of it.. but we never saw it.. Or wait how about the Bush daughters.. when you hear them mentioned what do you think of? I know party going co-eds who dress inappropriately and spend all their spare times in bars.. did you know that both of them served in third world countries in some format or other? One was with the Peace Corps and one worked with another not for profit organization.. AND THEY DID IT WITHOUT PRESS.. they didn't do it for the press, because goodness knows they never got any, they did it because it was right..

NOW.. it seems President Obama has been disrespected.. and I actually agree.. but what did they expect after years and years of saying it's ok to disprespect the president? It's ok to denigrate and insult? It's ok to mock him, his wife, his family and his children? It's ok... well people are paying attention and they honestly believe that it's ok.. That we have the right to insult, demean and disrespect the man who leads us.. As my grandma used to say "garbage in, garbage out" if all you have been doing is feeding our brains with your garbage.. the garbage will eventually spew forth.

You want respect? Show respect.. if you think that THIS president should be respected then respect ALL of them!! After all we are taught respect.. we aren't born with it

FaceBook's New TimeLine

 

FaceBook has announced that starting this week they will be instigating the timeline for everyone. No longer is it user choice. Nope everyone who uses FB will eventually have this format. 

I don't really have a problem with it but it has been interesting reading the posts on it. It seems people are being recommended to clean up their posts. To make sure that things they posted back in the day when they only had say 5 friends, are managed, maybe even hidden. After all you don't want a boss or future employer to see you misbehaving..

I really don't have that problem.. why? Well my mother taught me one very pertinent fact of life.. Don't air your dirty laundry in public. That means if you are doing something that may somehow prove embarrasing to you or your family don't take pictures of it.. and if you do.. DON'T post it on Facebook for pete's sake.

Another thought.. for future employers great that you use social media to check into your perspective employees.. but the things someone did as a kid should not be held against them as an adult. Kids by nature are stupid.. they do stupid things.. I did.. and I was a pretty mild child.. but I still did things that I don't want people to know about now! That was me then, this is me now. Respect that. Of course I wasn't a teenager in the age of post it and print it.. no, I was allowed to make my mistakes in the relative privacy of friends and family. 

I am certainly not judging any individual who chooses to post their life online.. it's their choice.. shoot I blog about stuff that others would consider quite private.. It's my choice! But I don't post anything that I think will embarrass me later on. I consider that while I am posting.. *grins* now it might embarrass the kids but that's different

One last thing I would like to add, yes there will people who complain, who don't like it and who get mad at Facebook.. The way I see it you have three choices..

1. clean up your facebook page so nothing incriminating is posted
2. accept that facebook has every right to do what it wants with your page as it is facebook's property.. the page not the contents..
3. close your page.. delete it.. remove everything!!

All Roads Now Lead to the Superbowl

I know, the playoffs are over and I haven't written about football in a few weeks. There are reasons.. First off the incredible computer crash.. That sort of made blogging a wee bit difficult.. but secondly I was just irked..

Not one of my teams made it..

First off we had to have the memorial service for the Packers.. PITA Boy went into shock.. Considered burning all his Packer Gear thinks it may be cursed now.. *rolls eyes*

Then the Saints.. what the heck? I was so surprised but I will admit was thrilled to see the 49ers go to as far as they did.. California Girl that I am (so what if I live in Chicago.. born and raised in Southern California) I was glad to see the Niners back on top..

Now, for the AFC.. seriously? Poor Timmy was crushed but what did everyone expect.. Brady plays best when he plays with a chip on his shoulder.. and come into his town.. where he has lead the Patriots to how many Superbowls? Won How many? Has been named MVP How many times? And all the media could talk about was Timmy? Yeah Tom was gonna crush him.. *grins* I still like Timmy but the Broncos were really out classed.

I was sad to see Houston loose.. I would have liked to see them go farther but you know what? They did good!!

The Ravens? I don't really know much about them.. let's see, Michael Ohr from the Blind Side plays for them and Jim Harbough's brother, John is the coach.. but I did want them to make it to the Superbowl.. I really wanted to see the Harbough bowl.. *grins*

All things considered, I am happy to see Eli stepping out from behind Peyton's shadow.. and will look forward to the game..

My pick.. well The New York Football Giants are an awesome team and I think the better, more well rounded one... BUT never ever discount the Patriots..

RIP ETTA JAMES

I just liked the way this was written so I am using the post on Etta James I found on The Associated Press and written by Robert Jablon

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Etta James' performance of the enduring classic "At Last" was the embodiment of refined soul: Angelic-sounding strings harkened the arrival of her passionate yet measured vocals as she sang tenderly about a love finally realized after a long and patient wait.

In real life, little about James was as genteel as that song. The platinum blonde's first hit was a saucy R&B number about sex, and she was known as a hell-raiser who had tempestuous relationships with her family, her men and the music industry. Then she spent years battling a drug addiction that she admitted sapped away at her great talents.

The 73-year-old died at Riverside Community Hospital, with her husband and sons at her side, De Leon said.

She was one of music's original bad girls.
James' spirit could not be contained — perhaps that's what made her so magnetic in music; it is surely what made her so dynamic as one of R&B, blues and rock 'n' roll's underrated legends.

"The bad girls ... had the look that I liked," she wrote in her 1995 autobiography, "Rage to Survive." ''I wanted to be rare, I wanted to be noticed, I wanted to be exotic as a Cotton Club chorus girl, and I wanted to be obvious as the most flamboyant hooker on the street. I just wanted to be."

"It's a tremendous loss for her fans around the world," he said. "She'll be missed. A great American singer. Her music defied category."

Despite the reputation she cultivated, she would always be remembered best for "At Last." The jazz-inflected rendition wasn't the original, but it would become the most famous and the song that would define her as a legendary singer. Over the decades, brides used it as their song down the aisle and car companies to hawk their wares, and it filtered from one generation to the next through its inclusion in movies like "American Pie." Perhaps most famously, President Obama and the first lady danced to a version at his inauguration ball.

The tender, sweet song belied the turmoil in her personal life. James — born Jamesette Hawkins — was born in Los Angeles to a mother whom she described as a scam artist, a substance abuser and a fleeting presence during her youth. She never knew her father, although she was told and had believed, that he was the famous billiards player Minnesota Fats. He neither confirmed nor denied it: when they met, he simply told her: "I don't remember everything. I wish I did, but I don't."

She was raised by Lula and Jesse Rogers, who owned the rooming house where her mother once lived in. The pair brought up James in the Christian faith, and as a young girl, her voice stood out in the church choir. James landed the solos in the choir and became so well known, she said that Hollywood stars would come to see her perform.
But she wouldn't stay a gospel singer for long. Rhythm and blues lured her away from the church, and she found herself drawn to the grittiness of the music.
"My mother always wanted me to be a jazz singer, but I always wanted to be raunchy," she recalled in her book.
She was doing just that when bandleader Johnny Otis found her singing on San Francisco street corners with some girlfriends in the early 1950s.
"At the time, Hank Ballard and the Midnighters had a hit with 'Work With Me, Annie,' and we decided to do an answer. We didn't think we would get in show business, we were just running around making up answers to songs," James told The Associated Press in 1987.
And so they replied with the song, "Roll With Me, Henry."

When Otis heard it, he told James to get her mother's permission to accompany him to Los Angeles to make a recording. Instead, the 15-year-old singer forged her mother's name on a note claiming she was 18.

"At that time, you weren't allowed to say 'roll' because it was considered vulgar. So when Georgia Gibbs did her version, she renamed it 'Dance With Me, Henry' and it went to No. 1 on the pop charts," the singer recalled. The Gibbs song was one of several in the early rock era when white singers got hits by covering songs by black artists, often with sanitized lyrics.

After her 1955 debut, James toured with Otis' revue, sometimes earning only $10 a night. In 1959, she signed with Chicago's legendary Chess label, began cranking out the hits and going on tours with performers such as Bobby Vinton, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis and the Everly Brothers.
"We would travel on four buses to all the big auditoriums. And we had a lot of fun," she recalled in 1987.
James recorded a string of hits in the late 1950s and '60s including "Trust In Me," ''Something's Got a Hold On Me," ''Sunday Kind of Love," ''All I Could Do Was Cry," and of course, "At Last."

"(Chess Records founder) Leonard Chess was the most aware of anyone. He went up and down the halls of Chess announcing, 'Etta's crossed over! Etta's crossed over!' I still didn't know exactly what that meant, except that maybe more white people were listening to me. The Chess brothers kept saying how I was their first soul singer, that I was taking their label out of the old Delta blues, out of rock and into the modern era. Soul was the new direction," she wrote in her autobiography. "But in my mind, I was singing old style, not new."

In 1967, she cut one of the most highly regarded soul albums of all time, "Tell Mama," an earthy fusion of rock and gospel music featuring blistering horn arrangements, funky rhythms and a churchy chorus. A song from the album, "Security," was a top 40 single in 1968.
Her professional success, however, was balanced against personal demons, namely a drug addiction.
"I was trying to be cool," she told the AP in 1995, explaining what had led her to try heroin.

"I hung out in Harlem and saw Miles Davis and all the jazz cats," she continued. "At one time, my heavy role models were all druggies. Billie Holiday sang so groovy. Is that because she's on drugs? It was in my mind as a young person. I probably thought I was a young Billie Holiday, doing whatever came with that."

She was addicted to the drug for years, beginning in 1960, and it led to a harrowing existence that included time behind bars. It sapped her singing abilities and her money, eventually, almost destroying her career.
It would take her at least two decades to beat her drug problem. Her husband, Artis Mills, even went to prison for years, taking full responsibility for drugs during an arrest even though James was culpable.
"My management was suffering. My career was in the toilet. People tried to help, but I was hell-bent on getting high," she wrote of her drug habit in 1980.

She finally quit the habit and managed herself for a while, calling up small clubs and asking them, "Have you ever heard of Etta James?" in order to get gigs. Eventually, she got regular bookings — even drawing Elizabeth Taylor as an audience member. In 1984, she was tapped to sing the national anthem at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and her career got the resurgent boost it needed, though she fought addiction again when she got hooked on painkillers in the late 1980s.

Drug addiction wasn't her only problem. She struggled with her weight, and often performed from a wheelchair as she got older and heavier. In the early 2000s, she had weight-loss surgery and shed some 200 pounds.
James performed well into her senior years, and it was "At Last" that kept bringing her the biggest ovations. The song was a perennial that never aged, and on Jan. 20, 2009, as crowds celebrated that — at last — an African-American had become president of the United States, the song played as the first couple danced.
But it was superstar Beyonce who serenaded the Obamas, not the legendary singer. Beyonce had portrayed James in "Cadillac Records," a big-screen retelling of Chess Records' heyday, and had started to claim "At Last" as her own.

An audio clip surfaced of James at a concert shortly after the inauguration, saying she couldn't stand the younger singer and that Beyonce had "no business singing my song." But she told the New York Daily News later that she was joking, even though she had been hurt that she did not get the chance to participate in the inauguration.

James did get her accolades over the years. She was inducted into the Rock Hall in 1993, captured a Grammy in 2003 for best contemporary blues album for "Let's Roll," one in 2004 for best traditional blues album for "Blues to the Bone" and one for best jazz vocal performance for 1994's "Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday." She was also awarded a special Grammy in 2003 for lifetime achievement and got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Her health went into decline, however, and by 2011, she was being cared for at home by a personal doctor.

She suffered from dementia, kidney problems and leukemia. Her husband and her two sons fought over control of her $1 million estate, though a deal was later struck keeping Mills as the conservator and capping the singer's expenses at $350,000. In December 2011, her physician announced that her leukemia was terminal, and asked for prayers for the singer.

In October 2011, it was announced that James was retiring from recording, and a final studio recording, "The Dreamer," was released, featuring the singer taking on classic songs, from Bobby "Blue" Bland's "Dreamer" to Guns N' Roses "Welcome To the Jungle" — still rocking, and a fitting end to her storied career.

Back from Oblivion

This last week has been absolutely horrid for me.. I have been without a computer..

My story starts at Thanksgiving.. where my computer crashed with a particularly nasty virus.. Word Girl in an act of unexpected altruism offered to let me use hers until I got mine fixed. Her computer is pretty nifty, it was Christmas and I got busy.. so of course I didn't get mine fixed.. She was ok with it and was going to let me keep hers for a while.. UNTIL....

Last Monday, her computer got the exact same virus.. it was awful.. and let me tell you.. all of us were afraid.. very, very afraid... We devised ways to tell her.. like get the computer fixed before she got home and NOT tell her (didn't work out), tell her in the car with my friend, who was driving and taken me to pick her up (yeah, I didn't do that either...my bad). So I told her once we got in the building.. uhmm BIG MISTAKE.. I got to listen to about 4 hours of crying and temper tantrums..


Word Girl: When were you going to tell me?

Me: Hello? Isn't it obvious? I am telling you now.. I obviously waited as LONG as POSSIBLE to tell you.. *shakes head* Sheesh

Word Girl: You break everything.. I am texting Hair Boy!!

Me: *rolling eyes and mock quivering*

The next day she was ok.. and on Saturday we checked w/Best Buy to see how long it was going to take.. which btw, it was forever... which lead to another wonderful conversation...


Word Girl: I knew you would break it..

Me: *just letting her rant*

Word Girl: You break everything...

Me: Finally fed up... You know.. I have had my laptop for THREE YEARS.. and this is the first virus.. you have had yours for less than two and this is your THIRD.. I know I didn't give it the first two.. But I am pretty sure I PAID for it to be repaired..

Word Girl: *Silence*

Now, even though I did not have a computer I did have responsibilities that I was trying to fulfill. Namely my other blogs.. on Bodice Rippers, Femme Fatales and Fantasy I was supposed to be hosting author Caris Roane.. fortunately I have some amazing partners and they did a lot of prep work.. but I tried to stay in contact.. Let me tell you this was a challenge..

I tried to use my phone for emails.. I was succesfull but that screen is really really tiny and it's not an iPhone so you can imagine how small the screen.. For actual blog access I was able to use my kindle.. NOT a Kindle Fire which was designed for web browsing.. no, regular old kindle.. You have to go into experimental then launch your browser then maybe if you are lucky you might get your page.. and if you do get it.. I guarantee it will freeze up.. you will be posting using a keyboard about the same size as the qwerty keyboard on your phone and you won't be able to access pictures, links or various other things.. and spellcheck? yeah not happening..

Honestly, half the time I felt I was communicating like this..

other times I was sure I was using his computer..

For sure I spent a lot of time doing this

But I really felt like doing this

But I have my lifeline back and all is well.. so for a while I will be doing this..

All in all it's great to be back!!

Winning

Back to one of my favorite topics, football *grins* to narrow it down even further Tim Tebow.. well not really just had to say good ole, Timmy's name.. The Broncos won today and it was an awesome sight. A really good game that I seriously thought they were gonna pull a "Bears" on us and loose at the last moment after having led 20-6 at the half.

What got me about today's game is the media.. now there's a shock I know.. but the Broncos won.. pure and simple.. instead of saying the Broncos won, it was the Broncos won but.... so and so was injured, so and so didn't play, maybe a bad call or two... always qualifying that the Broncos didn't really win on merit..

Here's the thing.. years ago, a US figure skater won the national championship.. One opponent had the flu and one had a sprained ankle going in and after she won she was asked. Did she feel her title was negated by these facts? Her response is what has stayed with me for close to three decades.. she said.. 

"That is the nature of competition. On any given day anyone could be sick or injured and today.. I was the best.. and today is all that matters" 

I can't remember who said it, I am not sure even when it was said, I only know it was sometime in the early 80's.. and yet the point remains the same.. 

Today the Broncos Won.. get over it newspeople..

Texas Teen Deported to Columbia Returned to States..

I was surfing the net and happened upon this story about a US citizen, a 14 year old girl that was mistakenly deported to Columbia. Everyone is pointing fingers, it's the ICE's fault, it's the Columbian Government's fault.. shoot it may just be President Obama's fault (and he wasn't even there) No where in this article say this child was at best a spoiled lying brat who caused everyone undue stress and at worst a troubled young lady.

Seems she ran away from home a year ago.. was going under various alibis and was arrested for theft. When arrested she told the police that her name was Tika Lanay Cortez, a Colombian woman born in 1990. The police ran the name and came up with the information that Ms Cortez was a Columbian National here illegally. The Colombian Consul, gave her papers, set her up in programs and got her a job in Columbia. Everyone did what they were supposed to do... well everyone except the girl, who was a runaway, a theif and oh yeah a liar.

Her family found her on a fluke, she posted something really odd on a facebook account she uses under yet another name.. The Columbian Government was informed and she was brought back into the United States.. The family claims, she looks 14 and she doesn't speak Spanish how could the officials confuse her for anything but a child? Hmmmm, have you seen some of those 14yr olds out there? And this was a street smart kid.. not some innocent ripped from her parents arms and sent Columbia. She lied, she schemed and guess what? Someone called her bluff.

Now I am sure we will soon be hearing about how this family sues the governments of both the US and Columbia.. I hope when that happens someone laughs in their face..

Star Mangeled Banner

This is an article near and dear to my heart.. and borrowed from

The Post Game Feel free to hop over and read it.. but here it is in it's entirety.. 

"O! say can you hear that?

That's the sound of national anthem singers rechecking their lyric sheets, putting their ramparts in the right place and being sure to enunciate "o'er" instead of "over" in response to an Indiana bill that would fine performers $25 for not meeting state-defined performance standards.

The bill, introduced by Indiana senator Vaneta Becker, would apply only to singers at public school and university-sponsored events, and would be dictated by guidelines instituted and enforced by the State Department of Education and the Commission for Higher Education.

Performers would be required to sign a performance contract agreeing to the department's specifications, and schools would be required to keep recordings of all renditions for two years for their review if complaints are filed.

Seriously -- two years.

Becker drafted the bill in response to a constituent's complaint about a non-traditional performance of the anthem at a local school, but stressed the bill is targeted at performers who take deliberate liberties with the song's lyrics or musical interpretation, explaining to The Indianapolis Star that it should be sung "the way that we normally have it sung or heard throughout most of our state and our country."

Indiana would not be the first bright star to bring this perilous fight to anthem signers. Massachusetts can fine citizens for using the song as dance music, an exit march or as part of a musical medley, where Michigan prohibits performing the anthem "with embellishment."

There is even a federal law (36 U.S.C. § 301) mandating that anyone in the presence of an anthem performance must "face the flag and stand at attention with their right hand over the heart, and men not in uniform, if applicable, should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart."

If the bill passes, all indications are that someone like Steven Tyler would have owed $25 to the state after changing the lyrics to "the home of the Indianapolis 500" in his rendition, yet Christina Aguilera would have been in the clear for flubbing her Super Bowl performance last year.

Roseanne Barr's Padres anthem debacle in 1990 might have actually gone over without retribution given her lyrical accuracy, though her infamous crotch grab would (we hope) warrant a fine if for no other reason than it drew our attention to Roseanne Barr's crotch -- with our hands over our hearts, no less."

This has long been a pet peeve of mine.. It bothers me when I hear the National Anthem on the radio at noon, how am I supposed to stand up if I am driving a car? And why do singers feel the need to fancy it up? It is hard enough to sing as it is... and we are supposed to be able to sing our National Anthem it's not a showpiece.. Singers, just sing it.. you want to personalize a song.. do it on your own time with your own music.. this one is MINE

Girl Scouts are Turning 100

I know the official birthday is not this month, but it is coming up on Cookie tiem.. and seriously when do we most think of Girl Scouts?

Wow!! 100 is that cool or what? An organization created and designed just for girls.. One that did not stay stagnant but evolved as women evolved and is still a rich, cultural organization. How cool is that? Girl Scouts unlike the Boy Scouts are rarely in the news.. you don't hear of political rumblings or them making statements..denying members or enforcing ideals.. the ideals of Girl Scouts has always been to provide an environment where today's girls (whenever today was) could learn new things, explore new ideas and meet new people.

I was so blessed with awesome girl scout leaders (ok I had one bad leader... and that was only cuz our personalities clashed and as an 8yr old I couldn't figure out why she hated me... I was of course the innocent victim.. part of me still believes this) I started in Brownies at 7, that was as young as you could be back then.. no daisies.. Mrs Armstrong was our leader and she was awesome.. she taught me about friendship and respect of an adult/child relationship that wasn't parental or teacher.. but a friendship. I met Lori Paris there and we are still friends to this day.. in 6th grade General P.. came into my life.. she was this amazing woman who was going to be the assistant leader and my mom was gonna be leader but  *grins* my mom conned her into being leader and what a great decision that was for me.. as my mom and I tended to butt heads.. well not really, she said, I did.. but I had more chances to become me with other leaders.. In Cadettes I had the Mr See yes a MAN leader.. boy was that a huge deal back in 1976.. Of course it had 52 girls and was an active, physical group.. not your mother's girls scout troop.. but he graduated when I was in 8th grade and I then got the single best leader and mentor and friend a girl could ask for Grace Russell!! OH MY GOSH!! This woman totally rocked!

I won't go crazy explaining her to you just let you know how very special she was to me.. of course I also got her daughter Colleen Couron Smith, as well. Colleen and I are friends to this day.. Mostly via facebook as she is off having adventures and I am here raising kids.. But Lori and Colleen were not my only friends from Girl Scouts, I was also blessed to share my time with Judy Biggs.. the best non sister a girl could have..

I didn't stop in Cadettes I went all the way through Seniors and racked up badges, awards, patches anything I could.. I loved it.. and one of the things I did was sell Girl Scout Cookies... people when those girls hit you up this year.. think of me, buy a box.. I never turn a girl scout down.. I always buy at least one box.. yeah I go broke but hey, the kids love it!!

As the year progresses I will talk more on Girl Scouts.. but for now..just think 100 years.. WOW

Saw this Today.. it is Just Awful

The most memorable rejection of the UCLA basketball season happened in the stands rather than on the court.

Midway through a 71-63 victory over Richmond Dec. 23 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, UCLA's "Mistletoe Cam" cut to a couple seated courtside. The man reaches into his pocket, pulls out a ring and says, "I knew that I was going to do this since the first day that I met you, and I figured now was as good a time as any." His girlfriend's response when he gets down on one knee and pops the question? Well, let's just say it involved an awkward pause and running in the other direction.

Wow and I thought every girl new.. proper etiquette is you accept the ring then break it off later. Don't humiliate the poor guy. You like him enough to date him

A FANtastic Football Day!

WOW!! What a day for those who love college football.. Every game I watched went down to the wire, overtime and TRIPLE overtime.. for anyone who loves a good game and didn't see these you seriously missed it..

The Outback Bowl

I don't usually watch this game but I was waiting for the Rose Bowl to come on and I was bored so I tuned in. Boy was I glad I did! This game was so intense, so amazing and so absolutely wild I thought it was going to be the highlight of the day. Blond Girl and I were practically riveted to it. Although, I will admit I wanted her to change to the start of the Rose Bowl. She looked at me and said.. "Mom, seriously triple overtime and you want to change the freakin channel? What planet are you on?" a most valid question... I was so happy to see Michigan State win!! This was just an exciting validation to what is a wonderful program.

The Rose Bowl

What can I say? I was raised on this game.. it is the highllight of my new years.. aren't you supposed to sit around the tv eating black eyed peas and cornbread on New Year's day? *grins* I have been an Oregon fan for a few years now.. love their snazzy uniforms and their even snazzier playing. They have really amped up the USC league.. I mean the PAC 10 er 12... And again this game did not disappoint!! The game went right down to the wire ending sadly with poor clock planning.. but with Wisconsin just short of the win. Now I felt a little bad cuz I like Wisconsin.. it's really one of the few Big 10 teams that I like so I did feel bad for them but I was thrilled with Oregon.. it has been a long time coming.

The Fiesta Bowl

The only game I was upset about.. and it wasn't the game itself.. It was that poor Andrew's Luck ran out.. This poor young man with his amazing record lost on a field goal.. ok two missed field goals.. Stanford had a chance to win but missed the field goal and had to go into overtime.. where they again missed a field goal. Luck was perfect!! He literally played a prefect game with amazing numbers. Any other game, these numbers would have had him hoisting the trophy but instead.. he had to watch another do so. Don't feel too bad Andrew.. you will probably going to play for Peyton,, er I mean the Colts, and Peyton Manning never won a bowl game until the Super Bowl...

I know the Championship game between LSU and Alabama should be another good game but I feel it is going to be anti climactic.. how can you top this day of great games? Well if Alabama wins but seriously who thinks that?

Rose Parade!!

I grew up in Southern California.. and to anyone from Southern California New Year's Day means ONE Thing (and no it's not the Rose Bowl)!! It means ROSE PARADE.. or more properly the Tournament of Roses Parade! This is such an awesome parade they named a football bowl after it!!

Every year on New Year's day (except when New Year's falls on Sunday) millions of people gather to watch the parade.. and honestly that's just on the streets of Pasadena, let alone those who watch it in TV. In our house, it's an almost sacred tradition. 

Now in the Midwest, we get HORRID TV coverage of it and the paraded gets cut off for various football games.. yeah can you believe it? But in California the parade actually loops all day long on some channels. Missed it the first time? No Problem it will be on again and again and again.. Of course today's commentators are such idiots they think we want to know about them, their kids, their opinions, their dogs, anything but the Parade which may be why viewing has been so bad over the past few years. *sigh* I will be forced to listen to Al Roker again this year and watch them NOT talk about the floats or the parade.. 

What people just don't realize is the precise planning and detail that is involved in each float. It takes hours and hours and hours of time to meticulously place each individual seed, every single part of the float MUST be covered in some sort of plant material. Do you get what that means? It is an awe inspiring process. I was lucky enough to work on the parade when I was in HS and College and loved every minute of it. 

My children grew up watching the parade with me and when Word Girl was about 8 or 9 she started asking if she could go out and work on the parade. When she was in the 8th grade she finally got the opportunity. My mom brought both Word Girl and PITA Boy out to do it. She went back two years later with a friend. Blond Girl has wanted to go for years but things keep interrupting her plans. But I am thinking she will get there eventually. It is a great tradition and something I think everyone should do if they get the chance!

This year no one is working it.. although Word Girl is out in California but we will still sit and watch the parade and yell at the stupid commentators and oooo and ahhhh at the gorgeous floats.. Even if it is a day late.

Happy New Year's ALL!!