SLEEPY SUNDAY - VIDEO OF THE DAY

ARTIST - MORRISSEY
SONG - EVERY DAY IS LIKE SUNDAY

BOOK RATING

BOOK - THE BURNT HOUSE

AUTHOR - FAYE KELLERMAN

ON A SCALE OF 1 THROUGH 10:

7

SOME WERE FOXY AND SOME WERE WOLFLIKE; AND OTHERS HAD THE LONG, FOOLISH FACE OF SHEEP

After my last divorce, I stayed to myself for seven months. I went to work, to the grocery store, visited a few friends once in a while and that was it. I just stayed home. I had a lot of healing to do from the 12 year marriage to Sadistic Mama’s Boy. After this seven month period, I realized I was pretty lonely and I wanted to get out and about. An acquaintance of mine had been going to a club in town that catered to people more my age and she suggested I go with her. My friends said they thought I really needed to get out of the house so I ended up going. At first it was fun….lots of dancing and laughing and I made some friends. But after a while, I got into this vicious cycle. Partying every weekend. Staying out late Friday night, a little too much drinking, spending the next day sleeping, nursing a hangover and then starting all over again Saturday night. I made these friends….I called them my party friends. We almost never visited in each other’s homes, we always met down at the club. This went on for several months and my life started to feel pretty empty. I enjoyed dancing but I’m not much of a drinker. I stayed out so late that I would miss most of the next day and then I’d be in the club with my party friends again the next night. I stopped reading, cross stitching, etc. I’ve never been much for one night stands but I did date some while I was in this period of my life. I met most of these dates down at the club and I felt empty while dating these kind of guys. One night, I was at the club, I looked around and the people there….they were all having fun talking and laughing but their lives just looked pretty empty to me. It’s like they were professional partiers. I wanted more out of life. I just got up and walked out. I never looked back. And, of course, the party friends kept calling me, wanting me to come back down there but after they realized I wasn’t going to, the calls stopped. They were not interested really in doing things away from the club scene. I didn’t have a drinking problem but I haven’t had a drink since that time. I guess it was about a year after that I was lucky enough to meet The Editor. I was dating a guy (my name for him is Poolboy/Guitarman) at the time who wasn’t giving me what I needed out of a relationship. He was a professional musician and pool player and he was all about himself. I guess I should explain the definition of professional musician and pool player -- he was professional in the sense that he was trying to make a living out of his hobbies. He was good at pool and playing guitar but wouldn't we all be good at our hobbies if we didn't keep a job and our hobby was what we did all day, every day? He lived in an big ole diesel-pusher RV (yeah, down by the river, ha). Anyway, he was playing in a little coffee shop where The Editor used to hang out. The Editor and I would talk while Poolboy-Guitarman was performing. Or sometimes we would talk even if he wasn’t performing because PB-G didn’t give me much attention. He wasn’t interested in what made me happy. So The Editor and I became friends. PB-G ended up leaving me and leaving town, literally leaving in his home (which in hindsight is one of the best things that ever happened to me) and long story short…..The Editor and I started dating. Without a doubt, meeting The Editor is one of the best things that has ever happened to me.

Back a while ago, The Editor and I were hanging out reading together. I was reading “Of Human Bondage” by W. Somerset Maugham. This was one of the best books I’ve ever read in my life. Mr. Maugham, in my opinion, was a brilliant writer and this book will stay with me the rest of my life. In one part of the book, the main character, Philip, went to a club and Mr. Maugham wrote about the club in such detail -- my eyebrows went up as I read this – it sounded so much like the club I used to go to. I thought of this part of the book today as I was coming out of a library that is located across the street from the club that I used to frequent and I had to look it up and put it on my blog. Keep in mind, Mr. Maugham wrote this book in 1915 but for me, he could have written it yesterday!

"He proposed that they should go to the Bal Bullier, and Phillip, feeling too tired to go to bed, willingly enough consented. They sat down at a table on the platform at the side, raised a little from the level of the floor so that they could watch the dancing, and drank a bock. Presently Flanagan saw a friend and with a wild shout leaped over the barrier on to the space where they were dancing. Philip watched the people. Bullier was not the resort of fashion. It was Thursday night and the place was crowded. There were a number of students of the various faculties, but most of the men were clerks or assistants in shops; they wore their every-day clothes, ready-made tweeds or queer tail-coats, and their hats, for they had brought them in with them, and when they danced there was no place to put them but their heads. Some of the women looked like servant-girls, and some were painted hussies, but for the most part they were shop-girls. They were poorly-dressed in cheap imitation of the fashions on the other side of the river. The hussies were got up to resemble the music-hall artiste or the dancer who enjoyed notoriety at the moment; their eyes were heavy with black and their cheeks impudently scarlet. The hall was lit by great white lights, low down, which emphasized the shadows on the faces; all the lines seemed to harden under it, and the colours were most crude. It was a sordid scene. Philip leaned over the rail, staring down, and he ceased to hear the music. They danced furiously. They danced round the room, slowly, talking very little, with all their attention given to the dance. The room was hot, and their faces shown with sweat. It seemed to Philip that they had thrown off the guard which people wear on their expression, the homage to convention, and he saw them now as they really were. In that moment of abandon they were strangely animal: some were foxy and some were wolflike; and others had the long, foolish face of sheep. Their skins were sallow from the unhealthy life they led and the poor food they ate. Their features were blunted by mean interests, and their little eyes were shifty and cunning. There was nothing of nobility in their bearing, and you felt that for all of them life was a long succession of petty concerns and sordid thoughts. The air was heavy with the musty smell of humanity. But they danced furiously as though impelled by some strange power within them, and it seemed to Philip that they were driven forward by a range for enjoyment. They were seeking desperately to escape from a world of horror. The desire for pleasure which Cronshaw said was the only motive of human action urged them blindly on, and the very vehemence of the desire seemed to rob it of all pleasure. They were hurried on by a great wind, helplessly, they knew not why and they knew not whither. Fate seemed to tower above them, and they danced as though everlasting darkness were beneath their feet. Their silence was vaguely alarming. It was as if life terrified them and robbed them of power of speech so that the shriek which was in their hearts died at their throats. Their eyes were haggard and grim; and notwithstanding the beastly lust that disfigured them, and the meanness of their faces, and the cruelty, notwithstanding the stupidness which was worst of all, the anguish of those fixed eyes made all that crowd terrible and pathetic. Philip loathed them, and yet his heart ached with the infinite pity which filled him.

He took his coat from the cloak-room and went out into the bitter coldness of the night."

DO YOU REMEMBER THIS COMMERCIAL?

Do you remember the Wrigley's Spearment Gum Commercials that always featured twins? These were sooooooooooooooooo cheesy!

SORDID LIVES & DEL SHORES

One of the many things I'm thankful for this year......Del Shores and Sordid Lives. Mr. Shores is a very talented writer and Sordid Lives is one of his creations. If you haven't seen the movie Sordid Lives, you need to pick it up. It's now a series on Direct TV - LOGO Channel. I could go on and on about this movie, series and Del Shores....and I will later........I'd actually like to break down each movie and play that Mr. Shores has written.....but for today......I'd just like to say please go out and purchase the movie Sordid Lives and see for yourself!!!!

PARKING DECK TURKEY TROT!

Here's my second story. Several years ago, I was working in a large building downtown (30 floors) and our office gave each employee a 17 pound turkey for Thanksgiving. I had this terrible habit of forgetting where I parked my car in the parking deck. I still have that habit - that's what the alarm button on my keychain is for -- I set off my alarm when I'm at Wal-Mart, etc. to find my car. Anyway, the day they gave us the turkey -- yeah, that's right -- I forgot where I parked my car. It took me like forever to find it because the turkey was heavy and I had to keep stopping to rest. I kept lugging the turkey around and around the deck. When we got tired, Tom Turkey and I would stop, rest for awhile and then we would start in again. At one point, I thought about dropping Tom off the balcony and just having a good ole pot roast for Thanksgiving!!!!! I finally found my car and I didn't even have to thaw Tom out because by THAT time he was room temperature. Or should I say, parking deck temperature? HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY!

BOWLING FOR TURKEYS!!!!

Okay, so some of you have heard this before but I only have two stories that even remotely relate to Thanksgiving. And here's one. A couple of years ago, I was on the office bowling team. I am not a good bowler - hence I was the handicap for the team. I wore the handicap badge proudly for them and did a good job at being bad. It just came natural. There were these big screens at the bowling center which flashed different pictures. etc. depending on how good or bad you were bowling. Sometimes if you got a gutter this picture of a goofy turkey would come up. One night I was really holding up the title for my team - I bowled 7 gutters in a row. I heard somebody in the lane next to me say "Gee, I ain't never seen that turkey dead before!" I looked up and low and behold, there was the turkey but he was on his side and his tongue was sticking out - he was deader than a doornail. I could see people several lanes down looking and laughing. It was the only time I think I went too far with my title. I just wanted to crawl out of the bowling alley to my car - bowling shoes still on.

LYRICS OF THE DAY - SHE WAS NEVER BORED BECAUSE SHE WAS NEVER BORING!

ARTIST - PET SHOP BOYS
SONG - BEING BORING

To me, the Pet Shop Boys have always been ahead of their time. Brilliant videos, lyrics and tunes. This is my favorite Pet Shop Boys song for many reasons - the video is gorgeous and the lyrics are classic. I've included the lyrics below.

I came across a cache of old photos
And invitations to teenage parties
Dress in white one said, with quotations
From someones wife, a famous writer
In the nineteen-twenties
When youre young you find inspiration
In anyone whos ever gone
And opened up a closing door
She said: we were never feeling bored

cause we were never being boring
We had too much time to find for ourselves
And we were never being boring
We dressed up and fought, then thought: make amends
And we were never holding back or worried that
Time would come to an end

When I went I left from the station
With a haversack and some trepidation
Someone said: if youre not careful
Youll have nothing left and nothing to care for
In the nineteen-seventies
But I sat back and looking forward
My shoes were high and I had scored
Id bolted through a closing door
I would never find myself feeling bored

cause we were never being boring
We had too much time to find for ourselves
And we were never being boring
We dressed up and fought, then thought: make amends
And we were never holding back or worried that
Time would come to an end
We were always hoping that, looking back
You could always rely on a friend

Now I sit with different faces
In rented rooms and foreign places
All the people I was kissing
Some are here and some are missing
In the nineteen-nineties
I never dreamt that I would get to be
The creature that I always meant to be
But I thought in spite of dreams
Youd be sitting somewhere here with me

cause we were never being boring
We had too much time to find for ourselves
And we were never being boring
We dressed up and fought, then thought: make amends
And we were never holding back or worried that
Time would come to an end
We were always hoping that, looking back
You could always rely on a friend

And we were never being boring
We had too much time to find for ourselves
And we were never being boring
We dressed up and fought, then thought: make amends
And we were never being boring
We were never being bored
cause we were never being boring
We were never being bored

WACKY WEIRD THANKSGIVING WEDNESDAY - VIDEO OF THE DAY

ARTIST - MOBY
SONG - DISCO LIES

So I couldn't find a wacky, weird video with a turkey but I did find one with a big old chicken! Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

A TRIBUTE TO MYRTLE!

Most of these are newer clips....and there's not much audio....but if you were a Myrtle Fargate fan...it'll still bring tears to your eyes.

OKAY!!!!! I GUESS I HAD THIS COMING!

A FRIEND E-MAILED THIS TO ME!!!!!

JOHNNY QUEST!

Boy! Did this ever bring back memories! Do you remember Johnny Quest?

TWO FOR TUESDAY - VIDEO OF THE DAY PT. 2

ARTIST - LOVE SPIT LOVE
SONG - HOW SOON IS NOW

The singer for Love Spit Love was Richard Butler who is also the singer for The Psychedelic Furs. I think Richard is the only singer who could have pulled this remake off. I love this version also. The Smiths version is still the best. Which version do you like the best?

TWO FOR TUESDAY - VIDEO OF THE DAY - PT. 1

ARTIST - THE SMITHS
SONG - HOW SOON IS NOW

This is the original version. To me, this is the ultimate alternative song. I think it should be #1 on any alternative song list. No matter how many times I hear this song, I never get tired of it and I have to stop and sing every word.

TODAY I'M MISSING

FLESH FOR LULU

ARTIST - FLESH FOR LULU
SONG - TIME AND SPACE

JIMMY THE CAB DRIVER

This is also from MTV back in the 80's. Jim Turner as Jimmy The Cab Driver. I wasn't as fond of this character. Just wanted this guy to wash his hair. In this bit, he is explaining the Breeder's video Cannonball.

RANDEE OF THE REDWOODS

If you watched MTV back in the 80's, you'll remember Randee Of The Redwoods played by Jim Turner. Jim turner played two characters (as far as I know). The other character was a taxi driver. Hope this brings back memories for you like it does me!

BOOK RATING

AUTHOR - JESSE KELLERMAN
BOOK - SUNSTROKE

OUT OF A SCALE OF 1 THROUGH 10:

6

It was okay, but I enjoy his mother's books much more than I did this one. This was his first time out and he has two other books. At some point, I'll probably read his other two and compare them to this one.

HAPPY MONDAY - VIDEO OF THE DAY

ARTIST - DUFFY
SONG - WARWICK AVENUE

So this is kind of a rainy song for a rainy Monday. But the goods news is that most of us only have to work three days this week! YAHOO!

QUOTE OF THE DAY!

AUTHOR - JESSE KELLERMAN

TITLE - SUNSTROKE

The waiter returned, armed with plates, which he hammered down like he was playing bop-the-mole.

SLEEPY SUNDAY - VIDEO OF THE DAY

ARTIST - JULIANA HATFIELD THREE
SONG - FOR THE BIRDS

SUPER SATURDAY - VIDEO OF THE DAY

ARTIST - SUPER DELUXE
SONG - YOU MAKE ME FAMOUS

Makes my elevator ride Monday through Friday seem pretty boring!

SOAP UPDATE

There's an article on Yahoo today entitled "Are Daytime Soaps Doomed?"

Sometimes I get it wrong....but sometimes I'm spot on. I especially hit the nail on the head about how terrible the acting and storylines are according to this article.

Daytime soaps are in trouble for several reasons.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that is complaining.

If you're interested, go to Yahoo and read all about it.

CHECK OUT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY!

The last time I was in the Argenta Library, I was standing at the checkout waiting to check out a Faye Kellerman book. I saw this stack of books on the other side of the counter. The book on top of the stack was a Jesse Kellerman (Faye’s son) book. Jesse’s name is on my list of books to read but I wanted to finish reading all of Faye’s books first.

Me: What’s that stack of books?

Librarian: Those are the ones we’re sending back.

Me: Back where?

Librarian: To the holding company.

Me: Why?

Librarian: Because no one is checking them out.

Me: If I check it out, will that help?

Librarian: Yes.

It made me sad because people don’t go to the library anymore. I want to encourage everyone to UTILIZE THE LIBRARY!!!! They have new books too. And CD’s, DVD’s, internet access, etc. You can check most of the books out for a month and you can even renew them after a month. Not to mention it will save you a ton of money!

BOOK RATING

AUTHOR: Faye Kellerman
TITLE: The Garden of Eden

ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 10:

7

QUOTE OF THE DAY

This is a book of short stories written by Faye Kellerman. The following quote is something that a mother said to her daughter:

"Some people race through life. Some people stroll through it. Whatever suits you, suits me. Just remember, whether you walk or run, it doesn't matter much. The finish line is still death."

I really like that. Why go fast if you don't have to? Slow down and relax. You're not missing anything. You miss things when you go too fast. Enjoy life....it only comes around once.

FANCY FEET FRIDAY - VIDEO OF THE DAY

ARTIST - M83
SONG - KIM AND JESSE

I can skate just like this. He,he,he.

I CAN'T GET THIS SONG OUT OF MY HEAD - WAIT - I DON'T WANNA - PLAY IT AGAIN!

ARTIST - TEDDYBEARS
SONG - AHEAD OF MY TIME

Topo Gigio!

The Editor is six years younger than me and most of the time, it doesn't make a difference. But once in a while......he has no earthly idea what or who I'm talking about. It's like Angel said in her blog (and you'll just have to look at the list of blogs I follow cause I don't know how to paste her blog in here) about how her husband is older and he loved Dark Shadows while she didn't know what Dark Shadows was. When I was a little girl, I used to watch The Ed Sullivan Show and I loved Topo Gigio. He was a little mouse. Here's how our Topo Gigio conversation began last night....

Me: Hey, do you know who Topo Gigio is?

The Editor: Sounds like something that can be cured by Penicillin.

OUCH! I'm getting old!!!!!!!!





More info on Topo Gigio:
Topo Gigio was the lead character of a children's puppet show on Italian television, in the early 1960s. The character was created by artist Maria Perego in 1958 and has been customarily voiced by actor Giuseppe (Peppino) Mazzullo. The name means "Louie Mouse" in English.

Topo Gigio, a soft foam mouse with dreamy eyes and childish personality, was very popular in Italy for many years — not only on TV but also in children magazines, such as the classical Corriere dei Piccoli, animated cartoons, movies, and merchandising. Its popularity spread to the world after being featured on Ed Sullivan's weekly TV show in the U.S. Today Topo Gigio still has a cohort of faithful fans, and has become an icon of Italian pop culture. He performs regularly at Zecchino d'Oro festival and other programs created by Antoniano and RAI. In 1965, a feature length motion picture Le Avventure di topo Gigio (The Adventures of Topo Gigio) was released internationally.

The endearing puppet has made appearances and has a fan base in many other countries — including Dominican Republic, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Perú.

UPBEAT THURSDAY - VIDEO OF THE DAY

ARTIST - BLUR
SONG - CRAZY BEAT

DOES ANYBODY REMEMBER THIS COMMERCIAL?

This Heinz commercial came out in 1987. Matt Le Blanc (from Friends fame) is in this commercial. The Editor says I have a good ear for music and I always listen to the music in the background of commercials, movies, etc. Years after this commercial aired, I heard a song and I was just sure it was the same song that was in the commercial. After a little research I figured it out. I was right. I'm gonna post the commercial and then the song here. The song is by Jon Astley and is called Jane's Getting Serious. It's one of my favorite songs. Do you remember the commercial?

DEPP OR DUCKY?

So the Editor knows that if I ever just fall off the face of the earth, Johnny finally came to get me. No questions asked, I'm outta here. But the other night while I was watching Pretty in Pink, I thought to myself, what the heck was Molly Ringwald's character thinking? I mean, come on, Andrew McCarthy? His character was......well, he had no character really. He was a boring limp dishrag. But Jon Cryer's Ducky? He was sooooo cool. Why didn't she pick him? Kudus to Jon Cryer for the scene in the bedroom with the Smiths song..........please, please, please, let me get what I want. My heart breaks for him everytime. And the "A Little Tenderness" scene in the record store? Brilliant. Yeah, the hunks are fun to look at and all but here's to the Ducky's of the world. Just remember.......when girls grow up, if they're smart, they figure out that the Ducky's of the world are worth much, much more than the hunks....hang on.......someone at the door.....it's Depp......um......I may not be blogging for a while.

WEIRD WACKY WEDNESDAY - VIDEO OF THE DAY

ARTIST - Klaus Nomi
SONG - After the Fall

This guy was popular in New York back in the early 80's. I loved him. You guys are probably gonna wonder "what the heck" but this guy was and still is one of my favs. He died of aids back several years ago. There is a great documentary out about him called "The Nomi Song".

TWO FOR TUESDAY - SOMETHING NEW

ARTIST - CYNDI LAUPER
SONG - INTO THE NIGHTLIFE

TWO FOR TUESDAY - SOMETHING OLD

ARTIST - Cyndi Lauper
SONG - Money Changes Everything

BOOK RATING

AUTHOR - FAYE KELLERMAN
TITLE - STRAIGHT INTO DARKNESS

ON A SCALE OF 1 THROUGH 10:

7

THANKSGIVING TREE!

Okay, so the Halloween tree has been replaced with a Thanksgiving tree!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY!

BLOCKER, BLOCKER, GOOD BUDDY!

Okay! So I've been waiting years for this feature. I made a decision over the weekend to change my cell phone number to keep a certain mother from leaving me messages that depress the heck out of me. I've had my cell number for several years and have put off changing it but finally decided that today was the day. I called AT&T and guess what? For five bucks a month, you can block up to 15 calls from your phone and you don't have to change your number! Just thought you might like to know that AT&T has added this service. Works for me!

BOOK QUOTE OF THE DAY

AUTHOR - Faye Kellerman
TITLE - Straight into Darkness

So everybody who knows me knows that I like Spring, love Summer, Fall makes me sad and I DO NOT LIKE WINTER! I hibernate just like a bear this time of year. The following quote from the above book is EXACTLY how I feel about Fall:

It had been a stunning autumn day, the sky cloudless and blue, the leaves in full color. The air had been crisp and cool at that turning point when the bite of winter started sinking its fangs into the bone marrow.

HAPPY MONDAY - VIDEO FOR THE DAY

ARTIST - ELBOW
SONG - GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE

Just felt like posting a song with a little kick to it today! Have a great Monday everybody!

SUPER SATURDAY - VIDEO OF THE DAY

ARTIST - Super Furry Animals
SONG - Atomik Lust

ANTHONY MICHAEL HALL

GEEK!

WOW! SOMEBODY KISSED THAT FROG!!!!

HUNK!

JOHN HUGHES & PRETTY IN PINK

I caught part of Pretty in Pink last night on HBO. It's one of those movies that I have to stop on if I'm channel surfing. I hadn't seen it in a while and it brought back so many memories. I miss those really cool John Hughes movies. SIXTEEN CANDLES, WEIRD SCIENCE, THE BREAKFAST CLUB. Not only were the movies great but the soundtracks were always awesome too! OINGO BOINGO, PSYCHEDELIC FURS, OMD, SIMPLE MINDS, ETC. Classic teen movies that even a grown up could love. I think my favorite was Sixteen Candles. I still think Anthony Michael Hall was fabulous in that movie! What's your favorite Hughes movie?

THE DAY MICHAEL FLATLEY CHANNELED THROUGH MY BODY!

So one day at work, I got on the freight elevator by myself. The freight elevator has a linoleum floor and the sides are padded. I had a skirt and heels on. I’m up several floors and it takes a long time for the elevator to get down to the bottom floor. So I got bored, okay? I started clicking around on the linoleum floor with my heels and before I knew it.....I was River Dancing. I mean, I had my hands down to the side....I thought I was Michael Flatley. I was clickety-clacking.......having a great ole time.....until.............a voice from above said......MAY I HELP YOU!...............HOLY COW! For a minute there, I thought it was God talking to me! I said in a teeny, tiny voice....no, thank you.
So I didn’t know, until then, that the elevators are monitored by the guards. Now I’m not sure if they could see me or not.....but they sure could hear me! So now, I stand prim and proper in the elevators........hands down by my sides.........head straight ahead.......chicken purse in hand.

TECHNOCOLOR FORTUNE COOKIES!

So those of you who read my blog know by now that I struggle from time to time about my childhood and the way I was treated by my parents. And when I’m in the middle of one of these struggles, I get kinda down. Seems like when this happens to me, it’s always at night when I’m by myself, usually when I’m in bed trying to go to sleep. Why does everything always seem worse at night? Anyway, I was having quite a struggle with my thoughts last night. I’m not going into too much detail here because it’s pretty private but in a nutshell, I was abused by a distant relative when I was a little girl. I didn’t tell my parents until I was much older and when I told them, not only did they do absolutely nothing about it but a few years later my mother invited the abuser over for dinner. Then, several years after I moved to Little Rock, she called to apologize for having him over for dinner. When she called, I told her I didn’t wanna talk about it and that it was no big deal. But, as I get older, I realize it is a very big deal. The abuse is big but the biggest deal is that my folks did nothing. And you know what? There are some things that you just cannot apologize for. Sometimes, love really is never having to say you’re sorry. An apology for having him over to dinner is not acceptable.

I cut ties with my parents almost seven years ago because I couldn’t handle the abuse towards me and my son anymore. I’ve been feeling guilty lately because my parents are older and I know they don’t have it easy. Last night, as I lay in bed thinking, something started to become clear to me. My parents did not love me like they should. If they had, they would have been there for me when I told them I had been sexually abused. If I found out someone had abused my son, I would go to hell and back to confront that person. I called The Editor last night and talked with him for a long time and he made me feel better. I asked him, am I messed up? Is there something wrong with me? After we hung up, I continued to think and then it was like a lightbulb went off in my head. The guilt I felt for not being there for my parents right now evaporated. And here’s why: they weren’t really there for me, were they? I realized that by not going to bat for me with the abusive relative, they made me feel that I was worthless which I think is a lot of the cause for the awful relationships in my past. I didn’t feel worthy of the best until now. And I realized........I don’t owe my mom and dad anything. I feel asleep.

When I woke up this morning, I was a little down but for the first time, I felt whole and I realized that I AM WORTHY. I am a great believer that things happen for a reason. When I got to work today, I was taking my wallet out of my purse (yeah, my chicken purse) to get change for a Dr. Pepper when a fortune cookie thingie that I had kept from the last time I went to lunch with friends fell out. I picked it up off the floor and when I read it, a little smile came over my face and I realized.......it’s gonna be okay. Here’s what it said:

The major value in life is not in what you get, but in what you become.

FANCY FEETS FRIDAY - VIDEO OF THE DAY

ARTIST - FEIST
SONG - MY MOON MY MAN

So could you do this? I've decided that The Editor is gonna have to take me to an airport with one of these things.....cause I wanna try it.

FUN FRIDAY - VIDEO OF THE DAY

ARTIST - MIKA
SONG - GRACE KELLY

This video and song just make me feel good all over...kinda like Friday. Nothing better than Friday and payday......only thing better is payday + Friday + 5:00 p.m.

AND WHILE I'M ON MY SOAPBOX........

BBC America used to air a British soap called EastEnders. They would show five episodes every Sunday. I loved this soap. Just the music in the background at the pub was so cool. The Charlatans, Suede, Pulp, Blur, Oasis. All those one word wonder bands that I love so much!!!!

Martin Kemp (from Spandau Ballet) was actually an actor on the soap for quite a while.

It's probably a good thing BBC America stopped airing the EastEnders. I was so addicted!

Below is a synopsis from the internet about the soap.

EastEnders is a serial drama for BBC One. It is often the most watched soap on British television and recently saw over 14 million viewers tune in to watch the Christmas Day 2007 episode.It follows the lives of the residents of Albert Square in Walford, East London. EastEnders was created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland and first aired in 1985 .

TODAY I'M MISSING.......DARK SHADOWS

Did anybody else watch this soap?

UPBEAT THURSDAY - VIDEO OF THE DAY

ARTIST - THE TING TINGS
SONG - THAT'S NOT MY NAME

These guys are so much fun!

OH NO! NOT MYRTLE!

Okay, you guys, you may be laughing at me right now but I grew up watching All My Children at my grandma’s house in the summer. My cousins, Melissa and Michelle, and I used to sit in front of her TV, with our drinks of koolaid in hand (it was supposed to be liquor) and act out the parts while we watched. Because I was the oldest, I always had to be the male part. What a pain. You know how they say you know you’re gonna be gay when you’re a kid? Well, I knew I wasn’t gay cause I always wanted to play the female actors. I loved Mrytle Fargate’s character while I was growing up. They just don’t make actors like Eileen Herlie anymore. I don’t even watch soaps now. The acting is atrocious and the story lines are stupid. All My Children has three couples that are good friends. Such good friends, that they’ve all slept with each other. Heck, two of them can be in bed together – commercial break – one of the characters in bed has been changed. Okay, not really, but it seems like they change bed partners that fast.
Eileen Herlie is one of the last good soap actors. I will miss her red hair, her dress shop, her wit, etc. Remember the old days on All My Children? Anytime anybody got hurt, you knew Joe the doctor was gonna operate and save their life. He and his wife were happy for years together. They didn’t cheat on each other. They had great family values. Joe is still on there but his wife only makes guest appearances. They don’t even have a happy couple on All My Children anymore. I mean, we all know Erica Kane has been married 97 times (he he he) but back then every soap had one or two characters like that. Now, all of them are promiscuous. And what about how much fun the villains used to be? Palmer Courtland and Adam Chandler/Stewart Chandler. Adam/Stewart is still around but Palmer’s gone. I know that these actors are getting older and are being replaced. But the villains now are just....boring. All the characters are. I guess those good actor and writer days are gone.
Anyway, if anyone is interested, I’m cutting and pasting a little on Eileen Herlie. She is one of the last of her kind. Literally a dying breed.

Daytime mainstay Eileen Herlie, who played the wise Myrtle Fargate for 32 years on ABC's "All My Children," died Wednesday, ABC has announced. Her death came from complications from pneumonia. She was 90 years old. (it was dated Thurs., Oct 9th)
Eileen Herlie joined the cast of All My Children in 1976, playing the role of Myrtle Fargate.
Born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland, Ms. Herlie worked for several years in the Scottish National Theatre and in the English theater in the company of Tyrone Guthrie. Among her first hit plays on the London stage was Jean Cocteau's The Eagle Has Two Heads.
On Broadway, she starred as Queen Gertrude opposite Richard Burton's Hamlet and played the same role in the film with Sir Laurence Olivier. She also starred on Broadway with Ruth Gordon in The Matchmaker, with Jackie Gleason and Walter Pidgeon in Take Me Along, with Ray Bolger in All American, and as Queen Mary in Crown Matrimonial. Ms. Herlie's other film credits include Freud with Montgomery Clift and Sidney Lumet's The Seagull with Simone Signoret.
Ms. Herlie guest starred as Myrtle Fargate on two other ABC daytime dramas, Loving and One Life To Live.

WHO WANTS CAKE?

About seven years ago (give or take a year or so) I told one of my best friends that I wasn’t happy at the law firm where I was working back then. She said that maybe I was just burned out and needed a career change. She suggested I apply for a job where she worked. She worked for a bank. Long story short, I ended up working there too. I was in the trust department. Man, I hated that job. Crunching numbers all day long. I bet I didn’t type 10 letters in the six months I worked there. I love to type but crunching numbers? YUCK. I realized I had made a mistake. I actually missed working for a law firm. I was really out of my comfort zone. So I found a job with a law firm and gave two weeks notice with the bank. On my last day, the trust department had a little party for me and there were streamers and a little cake. The party was in a room which was located in the back of the trust department. My desk was in the front. Anyway, after the party was pretty much over, I want back to my desk. I could see the elevator from my desk. The elevator rang, the door opened, and this girl got out and walked up to my desk. I had never seen her before. She asked me if I was Kelly. I said yes. She said that she had heard that it was my last day with the bank. I told her yes. She said that she wanted to "give me her best wishes and hoped I did well in whatever endeavors I took on." I said thank you. Then we just looked at each other. I mean, I didn’t know her and I didn’t know what else to say. There was an uncomfortable silence and then she said.......was there a cake? NO WAY. She didn’t care what happened to me. She just wanted a piece of cake. So I pointed to the room down the hall. She said thank you and flounced down the hall. In a few minutes, she walked by me with a plate, fork, and yeah, a piece of cake. She walked right by me, never even looked my way, jumped on the elevator and left. That’s what I call having your cake and eating it too!!!!!!

SEE! I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE!

I BET THEY THOUGHT IT WAS A SIAMESE TOO!

DAVID JACOBS, I MISS YOU!

This coming August will be 30 years since I’ve been in the work force. Most of that time, I’ve worked for attorneys. Small firms, large firms, I’ve done it all. About five years ago, I was the manager of a whole floor in one of the skyscrapers in downtown Little Rock. This floor had offices for rent and most of the tenants were attorneys. I was in charge of showing the empty offices to perspective renters (had to have a real estate license for that), collecting monthly rent, as well as the phone answering, typing and mailing of correspondence for the whole floor. I was also the manager of two employees – another typist besides me and a receptionist. Most of the tenants didn’t have secretaries and they depended on us for just about everything. There were some really interesting characters on the floor.

I don’t usually name names in my blog, but I’m breaking my rule today. David Jacobs was one of my favorite tenants. I just loved him to death. He passed away shortly after I stopped working there. If you read my blog, you can see that I’m a big Faye and Jonathan Kellerman fan. I’ve been reading Faye’s books for a while now. I’m reading her 19th book right now. I only have about four more left of hers to read. After I finish those, I’m going to start reading Jonathan’s books.

David Jacobs also read Faye and Jonathan and every time he would finish one of their new books, he would just bring it to work and give it to me. Faye writes about a detective and his wife and they are Jewish. I have really enjoyed her books because I knew nothing about the Jewish faith before. I find the Jewish aspects of these books really interesting. David Jacobs was Jewish and we used to talk about the books after I read them. I recently finished Faye’s book "Street Dreams" and at one point while reading, I caught myself thinking that I couldn’t wait to discuss this book with David. Then I remembered he was gone. I’ll never get to talk to David about the Kellerman books again. Gee, it’s sad when you lose a friend. I really miss him.

RAINY DAY VIDEO

ARTIST - The Jayhawks
SONG - Save it for a Rainy Day

Okay, guys, I know that drive to work was not fun for you in this rain. I live 18 miles out. YUCK. So here's a song for a rainy day like today.

BOOK REVIEW

AUTHOR - Faye and Jonathan Kellerman
TITLE - Double Homicide (Boston and Sante Fe)

This is such a cool concept! Faye Kellerman and her husband, Jonathan, are two authors that I really enjoy reading. They both write murder/mystery novels. They teamed up for Double Homicide which is actually two books in one. As you can see from the cover above, you read one book and then flip it over to read the other one. Both books were interesting. They have a son, Jesse Kellerman, who writes mystery novels also.

ON A SCALE OF 1 THROUGH 10:

8

WEIRD WACKY WEDNESDAY - VIDEO OF THE DAY (Explicit Lyrics)

ARTIST - KELLY
SONG - SHOES

Okay, this has some cuss words in it but it's one of my favorite videos. Can't stop laughing when I watch it.

TWO FOR TUESDAY - VIDEO OF THE DAY - PART II

ARTIST - THE CULT
SONG - SHE SELLS SANCTUARY

This one's for The Editor.

TWO FOR TUESDAY - VIDEO OF THE DAY - PART 1

ARTIST - THE CULT
SONG - HERE COMES THE RAIN

Because it's raining and I miss these guys!

BOOK REVIEW

TITLE: Street Dreams

AUTHOR: Faye Kellerman

ON A SCALE OF 1 - 10:

9

HAPPY MONDAY - VIDEO OF THE DAY

ARTIST - LORETTA LYNN FEATURING JACK WHITE OF THE WHITE STRIPES
SONG - PORTLAND, OREGON

Man, this is just soooooo cool!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BEN!

ARTIST - SPARKLEHORSE
SONG - GOLD DAY

22 years ago today, I gave birth to the best thing that ever happened to me. The video to this song is a little strange but the words and melody always make me tear up. My son has a lot of responsibility running the restaurant, sometimes he gets really tired, and I know, like the song says, sometimes it can weigh a ton, but he handles the responsibility well. My job of raising him is pretty much at an end and my wish and hope for him is as Sparklehorse so eloquently puts it: may all your days be gold my child.



good morning my child
stay with me a while
you not got any place to be
won't you sit a spell with me

you've got diamonds for eyes
it's time for you to rise
and evaporate
in the sun
sometimes it can weigh
a ton

keep all your crows away
hold skinny wolves at bay
in silver piles of smiles
may all your days be gold my child

a necklace of leaves
spirits in the trees
and drown all the clocks 'til there's none
little ambient in the sun

keep all your crows away
hold skinny wolves at bay
in silver piles of smiles
may all your days be gold my child

ha-ah, ha-ah, ha-ah, hah-ahh

good morning my child
stay with me a while
and evaporate in the sun
sometimes it can weigh a ton

keep all your crows away
hold skinny wolves at bay
in silver piles of smiles
may all your days be gold my child

REFRIGERATOR POETRY!!!!!

So I went to the Argenta Neighborhood Yard Sale last Saturday. I bought this little plastic box called Magnetic Poetry Kit. The instructions said it had over 400 magnetic words. I put all the words alphabetically on the left side of the refrigerator and I told The Editor we could make sentences, poems, etc. on the right side of the refrigerator. So I’m thinking that I have a little too much time on my hands since it took me quite a while to alphabetize these magnetic words. And The Editor said he thought I was being a little obsessive when I told him I counted them and there were 437 words in the little plastic box. And his eyebrows really went up when I said that meant I spent less than a penny on each letter. But, in my defense, guess who the first person was to formulate a sentence on the right side of the fridge? Yep, that’s right. The Editor. He, he, he, he.

WATCH OUT FOR STRAY BULLETS!!!

So tomorrow is my son's birthday and hunting season is starting which makes me think of when I used to have birthday parties for my son when he was little. My mom and dad live 4 hours away. Every year, I would invite them to come to his party, and every year they would turn me down. Reason: My mom was afraid they would get hit by a stray bullet while they were driving. Of course, after a couple of weeks, the story would change and it would be that I didn't have the party at a good time for them to attend which made no sense at all because I always had his party on a Saturday afternoon.

Darn those pesky hunters!!!!!!!

FUN FRIDAY - VIDEO OF THE DAY

ARTIST - EAGLES OF DEATH METAL
SONG - SPEAKING ON TONGUES

LET'S DANCE EVERYBODY!

SHOE SHINE BOY

One time, when I was about five years old, my mom took me down to the barbershop to visit my dad. He had just hired a shoe shine boy. The boy was sitting in a chair in the back of the shop. I walked up to him and said, hi, what's your name? He said, my name is Jimmy. I crawled up in his lap and said, well...........I think I'll just call you honey. My dad said he was so embarrassed he "just bout died." :)

THE RIGHT DOLL

When I was a little girl, my mom and dad would give me the Sears Roebuck catalog and let me pick out stuff for X-Mas. One year, I picked out a doll I wanted. There were two pictures of the same doll....one was black, one was white. I wanted the black doll. I went to my mom and dad and showed them the doll. They said I couldn’t have the black doll but I could have the white doll. I didn’t understand but I didn’t ask them why not. I wasn’t one to ask questions when I was a child. Now that I’m grown, I still don’t understand why I couldn’t have that black baby doll. Only difference is now that I’m grown, I ask questions. The election has brought all this back to me. Question: What is the difference between a black doll and a white doll? Answer: The only difference between the dolls is the color. They are made exactly the same.
One of the merriam webster definitions of prejudice is an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics.
If you didn’t vote for Obama because you thought who you did vote for would do a better job for our country, I can understand that. But if you didn’t vote for Obama because of the color of his skin.....well......that just makes me sad.

STRANGE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

In the twelve years I was married to Sadistic Mama’s Boy, he had several jobs. Dude could not keep a job. I decided after a few years of marriage that he was just allergic to work. All the big news stories that happened while I was married to him – I would call him from work and tell him to turn on the TV and let me know what was happening because he was never working. He was at home, sitting with the channel changer or sleeping. He was unemployed for The Oklahoma Bombing, The O.J. Simpson Trial, 9/11, etc., all while I was supporting us financially. He was really good at getting jobs...just couldn’t keep one. You know that saying I can count on one hand...well, to count the many jobs he had, I would have to take off both shoes and count my toes after I counted off the fingers of both hands. But if I counted the number of years he was employed while we were married, I think I would make it to the second hand but just barely. After a while, he couldn’t get a job at all because his resume looked like a roadmap.
Anyway, I just had a strange memory come to mind today about one of his jobs. He worked for a short time for this store in Park Plaza called Suncoast Motion Pictures. It’s not there anymore but it was a store that sold videos. Not used videos, new ones. Movies, sitcoms, etc. along with movie-related cups, toy figures and t-shirts. Anyway, I guess the owners were really concerned about theft so each day at closing, when the employees locked up the store and left, they had to raise up their pant legs and show each other their socks to make sure nobody was smuggling merchandise in their socks. Isn’t that strange? Yeah, I know, what a strange, random, thing for me to remember.

SO WHO WAS THIS OLD LADY, ANYWAY?

Saturday night, at The Reporter’s going away party, I told this story and everybody said I should put it on the blog so here goes. When I was a little girl, my dad didn’t have a phone in the barbershop. Customers just showed up and waited their turn. About every two or three months, my dad would get this phone call at home from an old lady. I can’t remember her name so I’ll just call her Ms. Selby. She would call at night, not late, 7:00 p.m. or so, and she’d say, Mr. Sherrell, this is Ms. Selby and I’m sending the boys down tomorrow for a haircut. Dad would always say okay, Ms. Selby, send them on down. The first few times she called, he didn’t ask any questions, he would just wait the next day for the boys to show up but they never did. This went on for 20 years or so. As time went on, Dad tried asking her all kinds of questions like, Mrs. Selby, what’s the boys’ names, how old are they, are they walking to the barbershop or are you driving them down? But she never would answer his questions, just kept saying she was sending them down and then she’d just hang up. After about 20 years, the calls just stopped. Dad said she sounded old in the beginning so he just figured the calls stopped because she died. His theory was that the boys were probably grown when she started calling and that she was senile. Back then, they didn’t really call it Dementia or Alzheimer. But, on the other hand, she remembered Dad’s number and called him by his last name. Dad tried to look her up in the phone book, no luck. He asked his customers about her, no luck there either. West Plains was a small town when I was a kid, I mean, everybody knew everybody, but nobody knew a Ms. Selby.
Somebody at the party Saturday night thought maybe she was a ghost. What do you think?