This is what war looks like....

( the picture above would only save as a thumbnail, click the link attached to the title of this post and go to slide #14 in the slide show.)

This little girl lives in Afghanistan. She could be my child, she could be your child...or your niece or your sister or your grandchild. This is the face of war. After all the political rhetoric, after all the postering, it's people like this child that are left to try and put things back together. It breaks my heart.

What good is freedom if you don't live to enjoy it?

Shamu Attacks trainer....and we're surprised why???

Shamu the Killer Whale attacked one of his "trainers" (personally I prefer the word "jailer") during a show recently. The attack has apparently surprised everyone. I read the headline and my first thought was, "Well finally."

Shamu is not like a kitten that was bought from the local pet shop that just suddenly went feral attacking it's owner and shocking everyone around. Shamu is a KILLER WHALE!!! The operative word here being "killer", not to mention the fact that he's a wild animal. Why are people always surprised when a wild animal, kept in captivity, lashes out at a human being? Everyone acts like its a total shock.

Here's a thought, maybe we should stop putting animals in little boxes and amusing outselves by forcing them to do cute things to make our kids smile. Shamu shouldn't be forced to jump through hoops, toss balls with his tail or anything else degrading. It's bad enough that he's kept in a tank where all he gets to do is swim in circles until he dies.

Yes folks, that's right...I'm the one that roots for the bull and not the matador. I think it's funny as hell watching cowboys run away from angry bulls at the rodeo. I think all of the macho crap humans do to animals in the name of "fun" or "sport" should be tossed out the window. Call me crazy, but I don't think entertainment should be attached to the pain, suffering or degredation of any other species.

I hope the trainer is alright, but I say, "Rock on Shamu! Next time drag his ass through one of the hoops with you, maybe he'll get the point."

Turkey and Gravy.....Soda????

No, you didn't read that wrong.

Let's back up for a minute. My best friend, Stephanie, is an almost obsessive poster of those annoying little quizzess. On the odd occassion, I get sucked into taking one, mostly because I want to see how I stack up against her. (Yes, that is kind of sad and more than a little pathetic...)
This morning, my son woke me at the wonderful hour of 5:15 and with nothing else to do, I decided to check a few of my favorite blogs.

Stephanie, thankfully, had updated, giving me something to do. The third quiz posted was this one....

You Are Broccoli Casserole Soda

Vegetarians taste better!

What Jones Holiday Soda Are You?

Stephanie got "Pecan Pie Soda".... at least hers sounds like something you MIGHT want to drink.

Still awake and not wanting to be, I decided to check the Jones Soda site to see if the person who made this quiz was just really clever or if Jones did indeed make these flavors. No Broccoli Casserole Soda, BUT.......

They actually do make a Turkey and Gravy soda. You can buy it in the 2006 Holiday Pack. There's also a Dessert Pack. I sat for a moment, pondering this information. Turkey and Gravy soda??? What sick, demented mind would come up with such a thing? Then I noticed the "Why?" button. I clicked it, eager to learn more about the surely drug induced reasoning behind such awful flavors as "Dinner Roll" and "Sweet Pea".

It turns out that Jones released the flavors to benefit charity. The 2006 Holiday Pack benefits Toys for Tots and the Dessert Pack benefits St. Jude's Childrens Research Hospital. The Jones soda website has a locator that will allow you to find where the two products can be purchased in your area. Although I know we'll never drink them, I plan to purchase one of each. (Quick Note: For some reason, if you live in Utah, the store locator will default to Louisiana. Not sure why.)

I'm addicted to an online game. No it isn't Everquest or Worlds of Warcraft. Nothing quite so cool for me. I went and got myself addicted to Disney's Toontown Online. This is a game that was originally designed with children in mind, and here I am 35 years old and just trying to kill enough Cogs to get that next Laff Point.

Do you think they have a support group?

Apparently the reason I haven't been able to accomplish anything is because someone keeps beating me to it. According to The Onion, Someone has been acheiving my dreams.

Damn them!!! I can only hope that no one gets around to kicking my ex-husband in the balls before I do.

I was reading Wil Wheatons blog tonight and all I have to say is, "Thank God!"

Apparently Mr. Wheaton is feeling a bit like life, real life, you know all that crap they never told us about when we were kids? Yeah, real life, is taking up the time and energy that he used to channel into creative endeavors. It's nice to know that I'm not the only person who feels that way.

The way I look at it is this, if someone as obviously talented as Wil Wheaton can have the "Life is sucking me dry." moment, then I'm not going to stress mine. I know that it will pass, but waiting for it to happen is a pain in the ass. I suppose now I feel like I have a commrade in arms, someone else that sits and stares at something that they've started and goes, "Now what the Fuck do I do?"

Here's to writer's block, may it never strike any of you.

Every now and then....

Every now and then you come across something that's worth reading on the internet. I just link clicked myself to one such site. I recommend that anyone with a brain check out The Zero Boss.

I especially like the post about the recent nutcase in Georgia trying to get Harry Potter banned because it turns innocent children into cat killing Satanists.

Go on, give it a read! You know you want to.

I am inspired....

After browsing the internet for the first time in weeks and after flipping through random blogs, I feel inspired.

I am inspired to call me best friend and tell her I miss her. It's been too long.

I am inspired to write. To complete some of the random scribblings from months gone by.

I am inspired to try something new. To break out of the mold and try a new medium of expression.

I am inspired to hug my children and never forget how fragile or precious they really are.

I am inspired to buy a Poloroid camera and start taking pictures of interesting things again. Things I can glue into my journal and remember fondly when I am old.

I am inspired to have compassion for people I don't know, simply because they are people.

I am inspired to write letters. To speak up and tell people that it is not okay to trample on people simply because they have more money, more power or more celebrity.

What are you inspired to do?

Oprah, Schmoprah

I'm just going to say it, I don't really like Oprah Winfrey all that much. Am I the only person that feels this way?

Sure she's done good things for underprivledged children in America and in Africa, but she's not the only person who has.

I find her artificial and shallow. She tries to portray herself as this down-to-earth rich woman and it never quite rings true. I refuse to buy books that have been stamped with the Oprah Winfrey seal of approval...not that I think the book is not worth it, but because I don't feel the need to pander to the whims of a rich woman.

People get all excited about being on her show and I shudder at the thought. People would give a first born to be on the coveted "Favorite Things" show and bring home all that fancy, non-essential crap. Me, I'd rather have someone hand the money spent on that show to a charity for needy families or better yet to a school that doesn't have the resources it needs to properly educate our children. Imagine what they could do with the millions those products cost.

I think the capper for me was the recent "Gail and Oprah See America" episode I caught part of. I watched about five minutes and it made me sick. Crashing peoples weddings? That's just tacky. And they just smile and fawn over her like she didnt' just bust in on the biggest day of their lives and take over the spotligt. I would have asked her, polietly of course, to leave.

I think that Oprah Winfrey,or her television empire at the very least, represnt some of the worst characteristics of America today.

All right, I'm done whining now. Really...I feel much better

Oh God! I think they may actually give me a license.

Well folks, I took my first Driver's Ed class tonight. Yes, you heard me correctly, Driver's Ed. In a mere six weeks I will be licensed to operate a motor vehicle in the state of Utah.

And I'm terrified. Seriously, I got a little rash on my arms tonight from the stress. How sad is that? The instructor was talking about three point turns and highway driving and all of a sudden I'm all itchy and breaking out.

This is going to be a hell of a six weeks.

Today, not for the first time since the war started, I feel shame because I am an American. A Canadian citizen was falsly accused by members of his government, labled an al-Quida terrorist. Our government then jumped in, detained the man for 12 days without checking the story and then took him to Syria where he was tortured for ten months. Ten months.

Now he has been released and the Canadian Supreme Court has ruled that he is indeed an innocent man. Are the agents in the Canadian Intelligence Agency being held accountable? No. Are the people in our government being held responsible for the things that this man suffered? No.

Tell me this, if we allow this kind of behavior to continue in the name of "freedom", what exactly is our freedom worth. How are we any better than the people we claim to be fighting?

I suppose it all comes down to how long we're willing to turn a blind eye. People in this country grimace a bit and say things like,"Well, we are in a war." If we allow this kind of behavior from the officials elected to the highest places in our government where do you think it will stop?

I used to be proud of my country and what it stood for, now I wonder when we became the playground bully.

And your mother always told you that no one ever died from eating vegetables....

The FDA is warning consumers not to eat fresh, bagged spinach as it has been linked to a deadly outbreak of E.Coli. This does not make me feel confident in the recent changes I have made to my diet.

Remember when you were a child and you were slightly distrustful of anything that green and leafy being on your plate? I'm guessing that your mother, like mine, said something along the lines of,"Oh just eat your dinner. No one has ever died from eating vegetable."

Now children everywhere will be able to answer, "Oh yes they have!"

How ironic.

I couldn't sleep last night, so I was randomly clicking through blogs and searching for something interesting to read. I found a couple, but it seemed like everyother blog that popped up was either in a language I couldn't read (which can actually be kind of fun when your sleep deprived and feeling imaginative) or an advertisement for Viagra or Credit Counseling (neither of which is any fun, no matter how sleep deprived you are.)

After cruising the blogs for a bit I started reading people profiles, just for a change of pace. Does anyone else feel like they're signing someones yearbook or standing in front of some wierd support group meeting when they write those things?

"Hello, my name is Serena....and I'm a blogger. I'm 35 years old and still haven't accomplished most of the things I said I would when I was 16. I feel vaugely guilty about this, so I write about my sad little life in a way I hope is amusing."

Okay, my life isn't really sad...although I do sometimes, late at night, feel like I let the younger version of myself down by not acutally being able to become a multi-millionaire with houses on both coast while saving the rainforest, preventing global warming and adopting several underprivledged children. (Yes, those actually were the thing I dreamt of doing when I was 16)

I didn't become a multi-millionaire, but I did learn that money is only important enough to worry about when you can't pay the gas bill. I haven't saved the world, but I do support the people who are making a valiant effort and I'm vocal about not supporting the people who aren't. I haven't adopted any underprivledged children, but I have two beautiful children of my own that make me continue to want to make the world a better place.

I just noticed that it isn't even eight in the morning yet. Is that to early to be thinking about this kind of stuff?

Further Proof that People are just STUPID!

Here's a quote from an article I was reading today:

"SYDNEY, Australia - At least 10 stingrays have been slain since “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin was killed by one of the fish, an official said Tuesday, prompting a spokesman for the late TV star’s animal charity to urge people not take revenge on the animals."

Now, what kind of MORON do you have to be to start killing stingrays because some man decided to go swimming with them and playing with them and got killed when one does what comes naturally to it. Steve Irwin knew the risks involved in his behavior. It shows that people really are THAT stupid.

It's about the same as if someone you know were mugged by a tall white guy with blond hair. Would you go out and start killing every tall white guy with blond hair you saw? No, of course not, and that person would have KNOWN what he was doing. Animals don't lie around thinking, "Hmmm, I'm just going to swim around for a while to day and KILL the first human that gets to close."

Save me from the idiots that populate this planet.

Sting....aging well

Mel Gibson....not aging well

Keanu Reeves....aging well

Cory Haim...not aging well

Add to the list. Give me at least four celebrities from your youth. This means you actually have passed OUT of your youth.

"Toothpaste for Dinner" with a name like that, how could you NOT want to read it?

I've been reading webcomics at Toothpaste for Dinner for the last few weeks. I think everyone should check this site out. It doesn't try to hard, it doesn't try to be overly political, it isn't full of women raging against the evils of men, or men whining about the evils of women.

It's just a good laugh....well if you have a sense of humor. If you don't laugh, seriously, seek help.

Remember when we had time?

Remember when we had time to stare idly out of windows and day dream about all the fun we were going to have when the bell rang?

Remember when we had time to spend four hours on the phone with our best friend, discussing nothing at all?

Remember when we had time to plan an entire afternoon around the mall and the people we were planning to see there?

Remember all the things we used to have time for?

Remember when you got your first job?

Remember the feeling of pride and euphoria that came with that first paycheck?

Remember the first time you got your own apartment, how exciting that was?

Remember suddently realizing that most of your paycheck was going to the bills?

Remember the first time you had to tell your best friend you couldn't do something because you had to work?

Remember when your parents told you that being a grown up would be full of routine, boredom and not enough time?

Yeah I don't remember that one either.

I used to be really good at customer service. There was a time when I could just smile through a rude customers behavior and forget about it five minutes later. Now I'm old and cantankerous and it makes me angry when people behave badly because they feel they have a "right" to it. People don't seem to understand that the person they are dealing with is a human being with feelings and that they deserve to be treated with respect.

Instead of calling or coming into the store and saying, "I have this problem. Can you please try to help me?" They call or come in stomping and screaming and cursing and demanding this or that. When you tell them you can only do so much, or can't do what they are asking at all, they cuss and scream and threaten to have you fired for it. Why? Because they are behaving like sleep deprived two year olds.

Yesterday at work I found myself looking at one customer who had been vicious and thinking, "You're a bitch." That's not a good thing. I think perhaps it is time for me to find a new job field. I need the money my job brings in, but I'm at a point now where I simply have no time or patience for people who behave badly because they feel they are "entitled" to it.

When did we become such a poorly behaved, ill-mannered society? Didn't any of these people have parents that taught them manners? And you know what, people with "money" are usually the worst. Why is that?

I'm going back to bed now.

How Pathetic

"Zhang Ziyi Mocked for Wearing Same Dress" This is one of the entertainment headlines on MSNBC today. I read the article and found that a Chinese actress, Zhang Ziyi is being ridiculed because she wore the same dress another actress wore earlier. All I could think was how pathetic. How sad that people cared more about what this lovely young woman was wearing and not her acting.

Who cares if she was wearing the same dress? I have a shirt, I bought it at Wal-Mart, I'm sure that about a thousand other people have the same shirt. If I show up somewhere and someone else is wearing it, all I think is "Hmm, they shop at Wal-Mart".

The reporter that started this should be ashamed. How hurt must this woman be? To have someone ridicule and shame her for buying a dress she thought was pretty and wearing it to a function.

That's all I have to say.

Let the blow-back begin....

And as I knew it would, my comments made someoen close to me angry. She felt I was attacking her personally, when I wasn't. I won't apologize for my beliefs, any more than she would for hers, but I will apologize, again, for the way it was perceived.

It should be noted here for everyone to see that I am a Pacifist. I have been most of my life. I believe violence in the name of ANY cause is wrong. It's one of the reasons I left membership in groups like PETA and GREENPEACE behind, they became almost militant and started throwing things at people, harming them, in the name of their "cause" I won't be a part of anything like that.

Now, I'm going to put the comment Stephanie wrote in this post, so anyone that comes here can read it. She has the right to her opinion and since she had so much to say, I want to be sure it gets read, and in the comments section, that's not likely.

Agree with her, disagree with her (like I did) but she has the right to her opinion. Just like I do. She and I will never agree on this topic, but that doesn't make me respect her any less.

Now, for your reading pleasure:

"I wasn't saying it as an absolute truth. And yes, I am pissed, and hurt about you basically attacking what me for what I wrote. Especially when you got it wrong.

I wasn't telling anyone that they have to believe anything that I believe. I don't care that you believe the opposite of what I believe. That has never bothered me. You should know that I believe in freedom of speech whole-heartedly and would never try and tell anyone what they should or shouldn't believe or say. I may not agree with it but that doesn't mean that I think they shouldn't be allowed to say it.

"Just now a guy that just got back from Iraq for the second time called up and made a good point. One that I happen to agree with for the most part. If you don't support the president and his policies then you don't support our troops." That is the main statement on my blog that pissed you off. Someone else made that statement and I said that I agree with it, for the most part. Not entirely. And one person's opinion, or the shared opinion of several or many, does not mean that everyone has to share it. Nowhere in there did I tell anyone that they HAVE to think that way too! I would never do such a thing. And if you had read the comments you would have gotten an even more clear idea that I don't expect anyone that I know, aside from family of mine, to share my view. It seems that the majority is against President Bush, pretty much all of his policies, and the war. That majority includes most, if not all, of my friends. I'm fine with that.

There are reason's that I don't talk politics with you. This is the biggest one, right here. You getting pissed off about my opinion and me getting angry about it. I purposely avoid talking politics with you and tend to not talk as much when the subject does come up and change the subject to something else if possible. I am not as well read on any situation political as you are and you would completely obliterate me in any kind of political conversation due to that. I don't think that a difference in political belief is worth getting into arguments with friends.

I didn't tell you that you don't support out troops either. I don't know what kinds of conversations you have had with veterans, family members or non-family members, and I'm sure that they have varying opinions about different things involving their service. My father-in-law was a veteran of the Korean war. I've seen the internal scars too.

I'm not naive about what goes on in a war. I know that innocent people die. I know that people turn into monsters and do all kinds of unimaginable things to other human beings. That happens outside of war as well as in. I'm not saying that war is a good idea, or that it ever was. Peace should always win out, but it doesn't. On the fault of many, many people on both sides of whatever battle it is.

I also didn't say that all men and women in the armed forces support the war. I was in no way that specific. I said the troops do. Followed by saying that the people in the military, or recently out, that I have talked to have told me as much. I'm not dumb enough to believe that every man and woman in the military absolutely follows the government blindly and doesn't have any kind of varying opinion about what they are doing. I'm sure that some of them hate it, they just do it because that's what they signed on for. They are essentially government property and have signed over their rights and lives to that government and they are just doing what they are told. I'm sure some of them had a great opinion of the government before they went in and now have an opinion to the contrary because of what they have seen and/or done. I made a broad generalization based on information that I have.

I was merely MOSTLY, not entirely, agreeing with a statement that someone else made. I'm sorry that it pissed you off and that you thought I was saying things that I wasn't saying.

My friend FreeDawg, to keep his anonymity going, made a comment that totally disagreed with my post. That was his right. I could have gotten pissed and deleted it, but I didn't. Why am I going to keep him from speaking his mind? I'm not. He's entitled to his opinion. I did, however, comment back. This is what I said:

"Disagree with me all you want. I'm not going to think less of you for it. You are entitled to your opinion and feelings as much as any other person on the planet is.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I'm not politically minded and most likely never will be. My opinions are based on feelings, intuition and small personal experiences. I am in no position to force my views on anyone, nor would I try to because everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

I'm actually getting to the point that I'm wishing that Bush's term were up already. I'm tired of the controversy and the anger that everyone has over how he is running things and about the war. (Not that war controversy will ever end. No matter what war it is or who is in the White House.)"

I'm not pissed about you having a different opinion, I'm pissed that you attacked me for mine and that you did it with the wrong impression of what I was saying.

FreeDawg commented, you attacked.

You said that I was telling people what to think and feel and say. I never said that the people of this country should just "smile and nod and agree with everything that the president does." I never once said anything about people not being allowed to have their own opinion or not being allowed to state their own opinion.

And, yeah, I am pissed.

And I don't care whether you post this on your blog or not, but I wanted you to hear what I had to say to you after reading this. And you could have asked me for clarification first."

I'm most likely not going to visit this subject again, I don't want things to become contensious, but I thought people should read that.