Random Ramblings

this is for alpha

2006-10-02T00:54:00.000-04:00

so alpha wants me to update this blog. so i am. i spend more time at myspace.com/bnakedlady though--feel free to visit there if you would like to.

http://www.kloggy.com/photo/bs01.gif

Revlon Run/Walk Fundraiser--Please help!

2006-04-27T23:02:00.000-04:00

On May 6th, I will be participating in the 9th Annual New York Revlon Run/Walk For Women in honor of my Aunt and for the memory of my mother in law. I am hoping to help the fight against women's cancers by raising money through pledges and donations.I would like to invite you to click on the link below to visit my personal page and make a donation. Your tax-deductible contribution will help fund important research into the causes of and cures for women's cancers. In addition, selected programs of excellence that promote prevention, education and support services will also benefit from funds raised through this event.Thank you for your support in the fight against women's cancers.The personal donation page for Kelli Maass can be found at https://www.revlonrunwalk.com/ny/secure/MyWebPage.cfm?pID=321729
Please visit my page and leave a donation!
Kelli

sorry for not writing

2006-01-27T16:48:00.000-05:00

geez, it's been awhile--not like anyone ever really reads this anyway! (hey, i have self-esteem issues--i gotta get down on myself sometimes!).

lately, i have been addicted to myspace--which is also why i haven't posted anything over here. and this post will mainly consist of an article that i copied from another place. it is about text messaging (something else i am addicted to).

my friend, Ed, went to Asia this past summer. he said i would have loved it (i have already been there, but not to the cities. i was in the rural areas of Vietnam teaching English when I was 19), EVERYONE there text messages!! this article explains why--among explaining some other stuff. Enjoy!

____________________________________________________________________

The Pleasures of the Text
By CHARLES McGRATH
Published: January 22, 2006

There used to be an ad on subway cars, next to the ones for bail bondsmen and hemorrhoid creams, that said: "if u cn rd ths u cn gt a gd job & mo pa." The ad was promoting a kind of stenography training that is now extinct, presumably. Who uses stenographers anymore? But the notion that there might be value in easily understood shorthand has proved to be prescient. If u cn rd these days, and, just as important, if your thumbs are nimble enough so that u cn als snd, you can conduct your entire emotional life just by transmitting and receiving messages on the screen of your cellphone. You can flirt there, arrange a date, break up and - in Malaysia at least - even get a divorce.

Shorthand contractions, along with letter-number homophones ("gr8" and "2moro," for example), emoticons (like the tiresome colon-and-parenthesis smiley face) and acronyms (like the ubiquitous "lol," for "laughing out loud"), constitute the language of text-messaging - or txt msg, to use the term that txt msgrs prefer. Text-messaging is a refinement of computer instant-messaging, which came into vogue five or six years ago. But because the typical cellphone screen can accommodate no more than 160 characters, and because the phone touchpad is far less versatile than the computer keyboard, text-messaging puts an even greater premium on concision. Here, for example, is a text-message version of "Paradise Lost" disseminated by some scholars in England: "Devl kikd outa hevn coz jelus of jesus&strts war. pd'off wiv god so corupts man (md by god) wiv apel. devl stays serpnt 4hole life&man ruind. Woe un2mnkind."

As such messages go, that one is fairly straightforward and unadorned. There is also an entire code book of acronyms and abbreviations, ranging from CWOT (complete waste of time) to DLTBBB (don't let the bedbugs bite). And emoticonography has progressed way beyond the smiley-face stage, and now includes hieroglyphics to indicate drooling, for example ( :-) . . . ), as well as secrecy ( :X), Hitler ( /.#( ) and the rose (@{rcub};-- ). Keep these in mind; we'll need them later.

As with any language, efficiency isn't everything. There's also the issue of style. Among inventive users, and younger ones especially, text-messaging has taken on many of the characteristics of hip-hop, with so much of which it conveniently overlaps - in the substitution of "z" for "s," for example, "a," for "er" and "d" for "th." Like hip-hop, text-messaging is what the scholars call "performative"; it's writing that aspires to the condition of speech. And sometimes when it makes abundant use of emoticons, it strives not for clarity so much as a kind of rebus-like cleverness, in which showing off is part of the point. A text-message version of "Paradise Lost" - or of the prologue, anyway - that tries for a little more shnizzle might go like this: "Sing hvnly mewz dat on d :X mtntp inspyrd dat shephrd hu 1st tot d chozn seed in d begnin hw d hvn n erth @{rcub};-- outa chaos."

Not that there is much call for Miltonic messaging these days. To use the scholarly jargon again, text-messaging is "lateral" rather than "penetrative," and the medium encourages blandness and even mindlessness. On the Internet there are several Web sites that function as virtual Hallmark stores and offer ready-made text messages of breathtaking banality. There are even ready-made Dear John letters, enabling you to dump someone without actually speaking to him or her. Far from being considered rude, in Britain this has proved to be a particularly popular way of ending a relationship - a little more thoughtful than leaving an e-mail message but not nearly as messy as breaking up in person - and it's also catching on over here.
Compared with the rest of the world, Americans are actually laggards when it comes to text-messaging. This is partly for technical reasons. Because we don't have a single, national phone company, there are several competing and incompatible wireless technologies in use, and at the same time actual voice calls are far cheaper here than in most places, so there is less incentive for texting. But in many developing countries, mobile-phone technology has so far outstripped land-line availability that cellphones are the preferred, and sometimes the only, means of communication, and text messages are cheaper than voice ones. The most avid text-messagers are clustered in Southeast Asia, particularly in Singapore and the Philippines.

There are also cultural reasons for the spread of text-messaging elsewhere. The Chinese language is particularly well-suited to the telephone keypad, because in Mandarin the names of the numbers are also close to the sounds of certain words; to say "I love you," for example, all you have to do is press 520. (For "drop dead," it's 748.) In China, moreover, many people believe that to leave voice mail is rude, and it's a loss of face to make a call to someone important and have it answered by an underling. Text messages preserve everyone's dignity by eliminating the human voice.

This may be the universal attraction of text-messaging, in fact: it's a kind of avoidance mechanism that preserves the feeling of communication - the immediacy - without, for the most part, the burden of actual intimacy or substance. The great majority of text messages are of the "Hey, how are you, whassup?" variety, and they're sent sometimes when messenger and recipient are within speaking distance of each other - across classrooms, say, or from one row of a stadium to another. They're little electronic waves and nods that, just like real waves and nods, aren't meant to do much more than establish a connection - or disconnection, as the case may be - without getting into specifics.

"We're all wired together" is the collective message, and we'll signal again in a couple of minutes, not to say anything, probably, but just to make sure the lines are still working. The most depressing thing about the communications revolution is that when at last we have succeeded in making it possible for anyone to reach anyone else anywhere and at any time, it turns out that we really don't have much we want to say.

2005-12-19T20:47:00.000-05:00

PLEASE watch this--it is the funniest thing i have seen in a long long time!

Lazy Sunday Rap

dang, myspace people are annoying

2005-12-09T20:09:00.000-05:00

i am gettin' tired of all these myspacers pestering me to get my account set up---so i am trying to make it happen. check out the progress:

Check me out!

this is freaky awesome!!

2005-12-09T12:00:00.000-05:00

You have GOT to check this out, people!!!

found this site courtesy of Nicole at

You entered: 11/1/1976
Your date of conception was on or about 9 February 1976 which was a Monday.

You were born on a Monday
under the astrological sign Scorpio.
Your Life path number is 8.

The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2443083.5.
The golden number for 1976 is 1.
The epact number for 1976 is -1.
The year 1976 was a leap year.

As of 12/9/2005 12:00:11 PM EST
You are 29 years old.
You are 349 months old.
You are 1,518 weeks old.
You are 10,630 days old.
You are 255,132 hours old.
You are 15,307,920 minutes old.
You are 918,475,211 seconds old.
Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 4.16046966731898 years old. (You're still chasing cats!)

There are 327 days till your next birthday
on which your cake will have 30 candles

Those 30 candles produce 30 BTUs,
or 7,560 calories of heat (that's only 7.5600 food Calories!) .
You can boil 3.43 US ounces of water with that many candles.

In 1976 there were approximately 3.1 million births in the US.
In 1976 the US population was approximately 203,302,031 people, 57.4 persons per square mile.
In 1976 in the US there were approximately 2,152,662 marriages (10.1%) and 1,036,000 divorces (4.9%)
In 1976 in the US there were approximately 1,921,000 deaths (9.5 per 1000)

Your birthstone is Citrine
The Mystical properties of Citrine

Citrine is said to help one connect with Spirit.
Some lists consider these stones to be your birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewelers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources)

Yellow Topaz, Pearl, Diamond

Your birth tree is

Walnut Tree, the Passion
Unrelenting, strange and full of contrasts, often egoistic, aggressive, noble, broad horizon, unexpected reactions, spontaneous, unlimited ambition, no flexibility, difficult and uncommon partner, not always liked but often admired, ingenious strategist, very jealous and passionate, no compromises.

There are 16 days till Christmas 2005!

The moon's phase on the day you were
born was waxing gibbous.

Give thanks

2005-11-24T12:57:00.000-05:00

Just some of the things i am thankful for this Thanksgiving day 2005

my beautiful and clean home
my imperfect, but oh so wonderful, husband
my true friends
my niece, Isabel, who can now say my name!!
my good health and the good health of my family
Johnny Bell home safe from Iraq
being blessed with a terrific extended family
dumb catch phrases with friends (Zatarans, Oh, Maary)
twisted teas
knowing my mother in law is in heaven watching out for us
my career--which i am happy at again
shopping at Woodbury Commons
the yummy tastes & smells of thanksgiving
the oust fan (that thing is awesome!)

i may add some more later.

To those that I know and love and to those that i don't know but still love:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

writing and kids

2005-10-30T20:01:00.000-05:00

so, my bday is tuesday(SO obvious plug for presents, right?) and i got a journal from my husband's cousin for my bday. i am torn. i want so badly to write again, but once you are married, is there anything truly personal? i mean, i feel like if i write in a journal, i am keeping secrets--i don't think i am supposed to do that. But then i think, what if he sees what i write, can i really be honest with myself?

maybe i will have to learn how to write cryptic poetry or something? if anyone married can help me out with this, that would be awesome.

on a different note, we went out for halloween with 2 couple friends--that was the first time we really did anything like that as a married couple. There is something very cool about being out with couples. Jay and i always go out with friends; it is great to go out with other couples too. the thing is, most of our couple friends have kids. SO, it is nice to be able to be with some couples that have OTHER stuff to talk about--other than their kids. i mean, i can't wait for kids--but i am starting to think there is something to be said about not having one yet.

wish i could go there right now!!!

2005-10-17T13:17:00.000-04:00

You Belong in Rome

You're a big city girl with a small town heart

Which is why you're attracted to the romance of Rome

Strolling down picture perfect streets, cappuccino in hand

And gorgeous Italian men - could life get any better?

What City Do You Belong in? Take This Quiz :-)

Find the Love of Your Life
(and More Love Quizzes) at Your New Romance.

Why i will vote NO on the New York City Teachers Contract

2005-10-14T16:18:00.000-04:00

I oppose this contract vehemently–as do MANY other teachers in my building and in this city. This contract doesn’t really hurt me, in fact it is pretty good for me. Yet , i will still VOTE NO!

1. I have been teaching for 7 years, since I have been 21. The 55/25 rule means nothing to me. I will be 46 when i have reached 25 years of service. Since there will never be a 46/25 rule-this is moot. And since this is not a guarenteed thing, who cares? I am also tenured and i do not worry about unfair letters in my file. My principal is fair.

2. I teach English in a Bronx high school. My 37 1/2 minutes will be spent grading papers, making phone calls, surfing the net, reading, whatever i want, really. Our kids just will not come to after school tutoring.

3. I used to live in the Bronx. My husband and i bought a BIG house over an hour away. We were willing to sacrifice (commuting time) for a house with property and lots of closets. He works for the District, his hours will not change. We drive in together anyway. Even with the extra time, I will still wait for him to finish his day.

4. We have no kids, so child care is not an issue.

See, the contract is okay for me. But this contract is NOT about just me. It is about 80,000 plus teachers. How DARE i vote yes on something that will hurt tens of thousands of teachers, just because it is good for me. I am just not that selfish. This is why i will vote no and encourage others to do so.

PLEASE VOTE NO AND PLEASE ENCOURAGE OTHER TEACHERS IN NEW YORK CITY TO VOTE NO!!!

NOT George Carlin, but still made me laugh

2005-10-07T20:35:00.000-04:00

Been sitting here with my ass in a wad, wanting to speak out about the bullshit going on in New Orleans. For the people of New Orleans... First we would like to say, Sorry for your loss. With that said, Lets go through a few hurricane rules: (Unlike an earthquake, we know it's coming)

#1. A manditory evacuation means just that... Get the hell out. Don't blame the Government after they tell you to go. If they hadn't said anything, I can see the arguement. They said get out... if you didn't, it's your fault, not theirs. (We don't want to hear it, even if you don't have a car, you can get out.)

#2. If there is an emergency, stock up on water and non-perishables. If you didn't do this, it's not the governments fault you're starving.

#2a. If you run out of food and water, find a store that has some. (Remember, shoes, TV's, DVD's and CD's are not edible. Leave them alone.)

#2b. If the local store is too looted of food or water, leave your neighbor's tv and stereo alone. (See # 2a) They worked hard to get their stuff. Just because they were smart enough to leave during a manditory evacuation, doesn't give you the right to take their stuff... it's theirs, not yours.

#3. If someone comes in to help you, don't shoot at them and then complain no one is helping you. I'm not getting shot to help save some dumbass who didn't leave when told to do so.

#4. If you are in your house that is completely under water, your belongings are probably too far gone for anyone to want them. If someone does want them, Let them have them and hopefully they'll die in the filth. Just leave! (For Christ's sakes, it's New Orleans, find a voodoo warrior and put a curse on them)

#5. My tax money should not pay to rebuild a 2 million dollar house, a sports stadium or a floating casino. Also, my tax money shouldn't go to rebuild a city that is under sea level. You wouldn't build your house on quicksand would you? You want to live below sea-level, do your country some good and join the Navy.

#6. Regardless what the Poverty Pimps Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton want you to believe, The US Government didn't create the Hurricane as a way to erradicate the black people of New Orleans; (Neither did Russia as a way to destroy America). The US Government didn't cause global warming that caused the hurricane (We've been coming out of an ice age for over a million years).

#7. The government isn't responsible for giving you anything. This is the land of the free and the home of the brave, but you gotta work for what you want. McDonalds and Walmart are always hiring, get a damn job and stop spooning off the people who are actually working for a living. President Kennedy said it best... "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

Thank you for allowing me to rant.

Go see my blog bunny, poppy

2005-10-07T17:59:00.000-04:00

please go visit poppy, my blog bunny. She needs some blog love! If you click on her, she'll do cute stuff!!!

Thanks to bryna for showing me how to get an adorable blog pet for my very own!

Teachers got a contract that is a load of bullshit!

2005-10-04T12:56:00.000-04:00

Don't Believe The Spin On The NYC Teachers Contract
by Crimhead
Tue Oct 4th, 2005 at 07:10:25 PDT

United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten and New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg agreed to a tentative teachers contract agreement yesterday. The contract agreement is horrific for NYC teachers.

Diaries ::
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Crimhead's diary :: ::

Weingarten has conceded 20 years of hard-won labor rights in one shot and has essentially sold her union membership down the river for her own political gain. Teachers have lost seniority rights and grievance rights, will teach an extra 37.5 minute class of "small group instruction" four times a week, will return to pottyroom and lunchroom duty (though if a conflict with a student arises, the teacher is always considered guilty before proven innocent), have agreed to merit pay, and will return to work before Labor Day for two extra days of Professional Development.

The contract offers teachers a "raise" of 14.25% over 52 months. When you crunch the numbers and take into account all of the extra work and concessions, the contract amounts to a 15% to 20% pay cut. New York City public school teachers will now be the most overworked teachers in the NYC metro area, and yet they will also remain the most underpaid. NYC school teachers continue to work in and NYC students continue to learn in terrible physical conditions (my school building is a hundred degrees in spring and fall when it is nice outside, 110 degrees in winter when the boiler heats the building up to Inferno-like temperatures) and NYC teachers continue to teach classes of 34 kids, the highest teacher/student ratio in the metro area.
Mayor Bloomberg and Randi Weingarten both agreed that this teachers contract will provide much needed reform to the NYC school system and benefit students greatly. They are both liars. If Randi Weingarten and Mayor Bloomberg wanted to greatly benefit NYC students, they would provide lower class sizes across all grades, healthier and cleaner learning environments, allow teachers to focus on their students and not function as a bandaid for the Mayor's budget problems, and pay a wage competitive with surrounding areas so that NYC teachers can afford to work AND live in New York City.

New York City teachers are not adverse to reform and change in the system. We are adverse to the Walmartization of education, which is what Mayor Bloomberg's education reforms have brought to NYC schools and what this new contract agreement will expedite.

New York City school teachers have less than two months to defeat this abomination of a contract agreement. Randi Weingarten is now in bed with Mayor Bloomberg and has agreed to sit out the NYC mayoral race. New York City school teachers must work to defeat Mayor Bloomberg this November no matter what the "official" stance of our union, we must work to defeat this contract come the middle of November and then we must work to defeat Randi Weingarten in the next UFT election.
VOTE NO on the UFT contract. VOTE NO on Mayor Bloomberg. VOTE NO on Randi Weingarten.

Let Randi Weingarten know you despise the contract agreement she has made with Mayor Bloomberg. Let her know how you feel about her selling NYC teachers down the river. Call her at (212) 777-7500 or email her at uftpres@uft.org.

I am beyond disgusted. We waited nearly three years for something that totally stinks. This deal is worse than the one we got three years ago. we are going backwards! there is no way in hell i will vote for this, no NYC teacher should.

An intelligent black man speaks the truth

2005-10-03T20:53:00.000-04:00

Moral poverty cost blacks in New Orleans
By Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson
Guest Commentary » September 30, 2005

Say a hurricane is about to destroy the city you live in. Two questions:

What would you do?
What would you do if you were black?

Sadly, the two questions don’t have the same answer.

To the first: Most of us would take our families out of that city quickly to protect them from danger. Then, able-bodied men would return to help others in need, as wives and others cared for children, elderly, infirm and the like.
For better or worse, Hurricane Katrina has told us the answer to the second question. If you’re black and a hurricane is about to destroy your city, then you’ll probably wait for the government to save you.

This was not always the case. Prior to 40 years ago, such a pathetic performance by the black community in a time of crisis would have been inconceivable. The first response would have come from black men. They would take care of their families, bring them to safety, and then help the rest of the community. Then local government would come in.

No longer. When 75 percent of New Orleans residents had left the city, it was primarily immoral, welfare-pampered blacks that stayed behind and waited for the government to bail them out. This, as we know, did not turn out good results.
Enter Jesse Jackson and Louis Farrakhan. Jackson and Farrakhan laid blame on “racist” President Bush. Farrakhan actually proposed the idea that the government blew up a levee so as to kill blacks and save whites. The two demanded massive governmental spending to rebuild New Orleans, above and beyond the federal government’s proposed $60 billion. Not only that, these two were positioning themselves as the gatekeepers to supervise the dispersion of funds. Perfect: Two of the most dishonest elite blacks in America, “overseeing” billions of dollars. I wonder where that money will end up.

Of course, if these two were really serious about laying blame on government, they should blame the local one. Responsibility to perform – legally and practically – fell first on the mayor of New Orleans. We are now all familiar with Mayor Ray Nagin – the black Democrat who likes to yell at President Bush for failing to do Nagin’s job. The facts, unfortunately, do not support Nagin’s wailing. As the Washington Times puts it, “recent reports show [Nagin] failed to follow through on his own city’s emergency-response plan, which acknowledged that thousands of the city’s poorest residents would have no way to evacuate the city.”

One wonders how there was “no way” for these people to evacuate the city. We have photographic evidence telling us otherwise. You’ve probably seen it by now – the photo showing 200 parked school buses, unused and underwater. How much planning does it require to put people on a bus and leave town, Mayor Nagin?

Instead of doing the obvious, Mayor Nagin (with no positive contribution from Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco, the other major leader vested with responsibility to address the hurricane disaster) loaded remaining New Orleans residents into the Superdome and the city’s convention center. We know how that plan turned out.
About five years ago, in a debate before the National Association of Black Journalists, I stated that if whites were to just leave the United States and let blacks run the country, they would turn America into a ghetto within 10 years. The audience, shall we say, disagreed with me strongly. Now I have to disagree with me. I gave blacks too much credit. It took a mere three days for blacks to turn the Superdome and the convention center into ghettos, rampant with theft, rape and murder.

President Bush is not to blame for the rampant immorality of blacks. Had New Orleans’ black community taken action, most would have been out of harm’s way. But most were too lazy, immoral and trifling to do anything productive for themselves.
All Americans must tell blacks this truth. It was blacks’ moral poverty – not their material poverty – that cost them dearly in New Orleans. Farrakhan, Jackson, and other race hustlers are to be repudiated – they will only perpetuate this problem by stirring up hatred and applauding moral corruption. New Orleans, to the extent it is to be rebuilt, should be remade into a dependency-free, morally strong city where corruption is opposed and success is applauded. Blacks are obligated to help themselves and not depend on the government to care for them. We are all obligated to tell them so.

The Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson is founder and president of BOND, the Brotherhood Organization of A New Destiny, and author of “Scam: How the Black Leadership Exploits Black America.”

article found here http://www.michaellwilliams.com/archive/display.php?id=421

YOU ARE WHAT YOU ARE

2005-09-27T19:49:00.000-04:00

According to this website, i am an oversexed Nintento 64 who loves to poke crotches. Interesting how close to the truth that is....

http://http://www.auburn.edu/~shephcd/whatyouare.html

LOVE SONGS

2005-09-23T22:09:00.000-04:00

my best friend, bryna, is getting married in Aug 2006. I am her matron of honor (nothing on earth makes me happier either) and i love her so much!!! she has shared with me some of her ideas--one of which was songs! these are five songs that i feel embody love. What are yours?

1. Let's Stay Together--Al Green. This is my wedding song. The lyrics are my husband and i to a T.

2. This Guy's in Love With You--Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. The man who plays this song for me... i would run away with him (yes, i am married, but i would still run away for a man who played me this) Seriously, as i was typing this and looking for the lyrics, i was crying. Tears are dripping on my keyboard. Listen to it sometime.

3. True companion--Marc Cohn--my friends julie and matt "stole" this for their wedding song. Nothing would be have been a better choice for them! Here is a song that will make you want to fall in love right now!!!

4. Crazy Love-Van Morrison--WOW. Such emotion!

5. If I Were A Carpenter--Bobby Darron--such a heartwrenching song--love all around :) Again, listen!

obviously there are other great love songs--i just want to know what you guys think!!!!

and what kind o' pirate be you?"

2005-09-19T20:12:00.000-04:00

You are ...The Cap'n

Profile: Some men and women are born great, some achieve greatness and some slit the throats of any scallawag who stands between them and the mantle of power. You never met a man - or woman - you couldn't eviscerate. Not that mindless violence is the only avenue open to you - but why take an avenue when you have complete freeway access? You are the definitive Man of Action. You are James Bond in a blousy shirt and drawstring-fly pants. You are Charlie's Angels without so much "Charlie" and decidedly light on the "Angel." Your swash was buckled long ago and you have never been so sure of anything in your life as in your ability to bend everyone - Man, Woman or Individual of Transgender or indecipherable Sexual Identification - to your will. You will call anyone out and cut off their head if they show any sign of taking you on or backing down. You cannot be saddled with tedious underlings, but if one of your lieutenants shows an overly developed sense of ambition he may find more suitable accommodations in Davy Jones' locker. That is, of course, IF you notice him. You tend to be self absorbed - a weakness that may keep you from seeing enemies where they are and imagining them where they are not.

Check this site out to find what your pirate personality will be!

http://www.talklikeapirate.com/ppi.html

2005-09-19T19:49:00.000-04:00

YARRRH, talk like a pirate or i shall make ye walk the plank into Davy Jones' Locker!!

secrets

2005-09-14T20:00:00.000-04:00

i found this website www.postsecret.com. it is an incredible site to look at--i just wish there was more. it is people sending in their darkest secrets anonousmsly (i cant spell that word). it makes me feel good and bad at the same time--i wish there was more for me to read. i think that is the point of the site though--to remind us that everyone has something bad inside them.

confessions

2005-09-11T15:48:00.000-04:00

I confess:

I listen to controversial music. (well, it depends on if one might consider country controversial--it seems to be in NYC)

I open up to others easily (too easily though--i am too trusting sometimes)

I am keeping a secret from the world (who isn't?)

I watch the news (--more specifically Fox News--i just like it better)

I own something from Hot Topic (i love shopping there even though i am WAY too old to be doing so)

I love Disney movies--the older ones.

I don't kill bugs. (dead things totally freak me out)

I curse regularly. (but i don't like too, in fact i think sound stupid when i do)

I love junk mail, but i hate spam--weird, huh?

I would wear pajamas to school. (a lot of my students do; i am so jealous!! 'member Skids though? they were like Pj's, but not!)

I am self conscious. (pretty much every minute of every day.)

I loved Go Ask Alice.

I have cough drops when I'm not sick.

]I believe in ghosts. (i think?)

i'm not at all ticklish (in fact when people try to tickle me, it hurts more than anything else.)

I bite my nails (which is why i must have fake ones)

i LOVE playing video games. (i can spend hours and hours doing so.)

Gone out in public in your pajamas (i walk the dog that way and i have been knwon to drive or walk to the deli that way too. no bra either!)

Pushed all the buttons on an elevator.

Been to Niagara Falls.

Gotten the chicken pox (the summer of 8th grade. hottest week of the summer and i couldn't go anywhere. i was quarantined at camp)

Been to Vietnam

Been to Europe

Been to Canada and Mexico

Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back.

Stole something.

Had a crush on a teacher/coach. sure--my husband!!)

Slept with a co-worker. (my husband, again)

Been married. (see last two :)

Saw someone dying.

Driven over 400 miles in one day. (Easily--many times!)

Thrown up in a bar. (No, thank goodness.)

Met someone in person from the internet (not for anything weird, just friends)

my thoughts on katrina as voiced by ben stein

2005-09-11T14:07:00.000-04:00

i felt that this needed to be sent out--i agree with ben stein wholeheartdly.

God bless the people of the Gulf coast and our troops overseas.

Special ReportGet Off His Back (Updated)By Ben Stein Published 9/2/2005 11:59:59 PM
***UPDATED: Sunday, Sept. 4, 2005, 2:13 p.m.***A few truths, for those who have ears and eyes and care to know the truth:

1.) The hurricane that hit New Orleans and Mississippi and Alabama was an astonishing tragedy. The suffering and loss of life and peace of mind of the residents of those areas is acutely horrifying.

2.) George Bush did not cause the hurricane. Hurricanes have been happening for eons. George Bush did not create them or unleash this one.

3.) George Bush did not make this one worse than others. There have been far worse hurricanes than this before George Bush was born.

4.) There is no overwhelming evidence that global warming exists as a man-made phenomenon. There is no clear-cut evidence that global warming even exists. There is no clear evidence that if it does exist it makes hurricanes more powerful or makes them aim at cities with large numbers of poor people. If global warming is a real phenomenon, which it may well be, it started long before George Bush was inaugurated, and would not have been affected at all by the Kyoto treaty, considering that Kyoto does not cover the world's worst polluters -- China, India, and Brazil. In a word, George Bush had zero to do with causing this hurricane. To speculate otherwise is belief in sorcery.

5.) George Bush had nothing to do with the hurricane contingency plans for New Orleans. Those are drawn up by New Orleans and Louisiana. In any event, the plans were perfectly good: mandatory evacuation. It is in no way at all George Bush's fault that about 20 percent of New Orleans neglected to follow the plan. It is not his fault that many persons in New Orleans were too confused to realize how dangerous the hurricane would be. They were certainly warned. It's not George Bush's fault that there were sick people and old people and people without cars in New Orleans. His job description does not include making sure every adult in America has a car, is in good health, has good sense, and is mobile.

6.) George Bush did not cause gangsters to shoot at rescue helicopters taking people from rooftops, did not make gang bangers rape young girls in the Superdome, did not make looters steal hundreds of weapons, in short make New Orleans into a living hell.

7.) George Bush is the least racist President in mind and soul there has ever been and this is shown in his appointments over and over. To say otherwise is scandalously untrue.

8.) George Bush is rushing every bit of help he can to New Orleans and Mississippi and Alabama as soon as he can. He is not a magician. It takes time to organize huge convoys of food and now they are starting to arrive. That they get in at all considering the lawlessness of the city is a miracle of bravery and organization.

9.) There is not the slightest evidence at all that the war in Iraq has diminished the response of the government to the emergency. To say otherwise is pure slander.

10.) If the energy the news media puts into blaming Bush for an Act of God worsened by stupendous incompetence by the New Orleans city authorities and the malevolence of the criminals of the city were directed to helping the morale of the nation, we would all be a lot better off.

11.) New Orleans is a great city with many great people. It will recover and be greater than ever. Sticking pins into an effigy of George Bush that does not resemble him in the slightest will not speed the process by one day.

12.) The entire episode is a dramatic lesson in the breathtaking callousness of government officials at the ground level. Imagine if Hillary Clinton had gotten her way and they were in charge of your health care.God bless all of those dear people who are suffering so much, and God bless those helping them, starting with George Bush.

****UPDATE: Sunday, Sept. 4, 2005, 2:13 p.m.:More Mysteries of Katrina:

Why is it that the snipers who shot at emergency rescuers trying to save people in hospitals and shelters are never mentioned except in passing, and Mr. Bush, who is turning over heaven and earth to rescue the victims of the storm, is endlessly vilified?

What church does Rev. Al Sharpton belong to that believes in passing blame and singling out people by race for opprobrium and hate?

What special abilities does the media have for deciding how much blame goes to the federal government as opposed to the city government of New Orleans for the aftereffects of Katrina?If able-bodied people refuse to obey a mandatory evacuation order for a city, have they not assumed the risk that ill effects will happen to them?

When the city government simply ignores its own sick and hospitalized and elderly people in its evacuation order, is Mr. Bush to blame for that?

Is there any problem in the world that is not Mr. Bush's fault, or have we reverted to a belief in a sort of witchcraft where we credit a mortal man with the ability to create terrifying storms and every other kind of ill wind?

Where did the idea come from that salvation comes from hatred and criticism and mockery instead of love and co-operation?

Written by Ben Stein
http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=8693

untitled (for obvious reasons--well obvious to me)

2005-08-31T21:55:00.000-04:00

Good Life

Francis Dunnery

Softly Now,

You owe it to the world

And everyone knows that you're my favourite girl

But there's some things in life that are not meant to be

I'm not meant for you and you're not meant for me

Here's to our problems

And here's to our fights

Here's to our achings

And here's to you having a

Good life

From Me

Good Life

Softer Now,

You owe it to yourself

And don't think that you will be left on the shelf

Cause there's someone for you

and there's someone for me

Like me you'll meet them eventually

Here's to your lover

And here's to my wife

Here's to your children

and here's to you having a

good life

From Me

Good Life

Baby Baby Baby Baby Baby Baby Baby Baby Baby Baby

Louder Now,

You've lost all your pain

You're married with children

and happy again

And now I'm regretting the move that I made

Fatal mistakes are so easily made

Enough of my problems

they only cause fights

Forget that I rang you

And promise you'll have such a

Beautifully happy and painlessly romantic

Good life

From Me

Good Life

the email EVERYONE gets!

2005-08-26T22:21:00.000-04:00

So, every once in awhile, we all get that chain email survey thing, right? so, why not just post it on my blog instead? this way if i get another one in the future, i can just cut and paste it from here :) I am so smart!

1. What is your occupation? High School English Teacher

2. What color is your underwear? at this moment, boring black ones.

3. What are you listening to right now? the crickets outside my window

4. What was the last thing you ate? a hot fudge sundae with Haggen Daaz Smores and Vanilla ice cream on top of a piece of Sara Lee pound cake. That sounds grosser than it actually was--it was quite yummy!

5. Do you wish on stars? if i see the first star of the evening and it is a bright one, yup!

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? fuzzy wuzzy brown

7. How is the weather right now? a clear night, probably high 60s?

8. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My very very good friend Suzanne.

9. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Caroline is a super lady, so that would be a YES!

10. How old are you today? 28

11. Favorite drink? non alcoholic--iced tea. Alcoholic--Orange vodka with cranberry juice

12. Favorite sport to watch? baseball--GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Yankees!

13. Have you ever dyed your hair? does sun-in count?

14. Do you wear contacts or glasses? both. my eyes SUCK!

15. Pets? 1 dog--Cassi. 4 fish: Alpha, Alex, Leroy and Lefty

16. Favorite month? April

17. Favorite food? seafood--snow crab legs especially!!!

18. What was the last movie you watched? The last partial movie--the first 20 minutes of Sin City--it was too weird for me, so i left. The last full movie was White Noise--i read through most of it, so does it sitll count?

19. Favorite day of the year? Christmas!

20. What do you do to vent anger? cry--that is pretty much what i do for every emotion though.

21. Fall or Spring? Spring--everything comes to life again. It smells good and the world looks pretty again.

22. Hugs or kisses? Hugs

23. Cherry or Blueberry? blueberry

24. Who do you live with? My husband and our pets.

25. When was the last time you cried? Last week on vacation, i was thinking of Marie and i missed her a lot, so i cried.

26. What is on the floor of your closet? lots and lots of shoes and bags.

27 Who is the friend you have had the longest and still see? Bryna

28. What did you do last night? watched part of Sin City, left to watch Family Guy. Goofed around with Jason, went to bed.

29. Favorite smell? Fresh cut grass

30. What inspires you? my life

31. What are you afraid of? CLOWNS! also, jumping off of things and roller coasters.

32. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? i must add to this one--cheese and bacon with sauteed onions!

33. Favorite car? anything that isn't a Mazda Protege!

34. Favorite dog breed? Mutts!!!

35. Number of keys on your key ring? Three keys--1 for the car, 1 for the house, 1 for parents' house--plus one keychain--my Norwegian Mickey Mouse head from Epcot.

36. How many years at your current job? 6 going on 7--WHEW!!

37. Favorite day of the week? i like thursday--cause there is only one more day until the weekend, and i can always get through a Friday!!

38. How many states have you lived in? 2

39. How many cities have you lived in/name them? 4-- West Milford, NJ /Nyack, NY/Bronx, NY/Highland Mills, NY

40.Sex or food? (What a strange question to end this survey with!) i prefer combining both!

Drinking survey

2005-08-10T18:35:00.000-04:00

So, i totally stole this from my sister's best friend, nicole's blog (www.myspace.com/nixiemarie). i want others to steal it from me and fill it out on their blogs--then let me know when they have. Gosh, i am certainly bossy today!!

DRINKING SURVEY -
First time you ever drank: hmm, i recall drinking once--yes, only once--when i was in high school. It was at Matt Palasz's house. i don't remember what we had, but it was alcohol. We thought Jerk Sauce was the funniest thing on the planet!
The second time--which may have been the actual first time--was the eve of my 21st bday. my girlfriends and i went trick or treating (we went to rosie o'donnells house! she talked about trick or treating grownups the next day on her show(she did not like that one bit)--i think she was referring to us!!). after that, we went to OVI in Nyack and drank. The thing was, i wasn't allowed to drink because I went to Nyack College. I ran into someone on campus who was all "i can smell alcohol on your breath." i told him to go to hell--or something like that.

More of a beer or liquor person? LIQUOR!!! beer is gross for a zillion reasons!! the only "beer" i will drink is Twisted Tea--which isn't beer at all, but it is the same amount of alcohol. I like the hard stuff (giggle, she said hard).

Type of drunk you are: well, i know i get REAL flirt and i i have been known to flash on an occasion or fifteen!! then i fall asleep.

Ever been in an actual fight: Ugh, my poor husband--he deals with the brunt of my anger when i get drunk. SOmetimes, i pick random fights with him--God bless him!!

Favorite beer (if applicable): Twisted Teas. Back when i drank beer--coronas were pretty good.

.Favorite liquor: Rum and/or vodka. tequila on ocassion--never ever whisky or bourbon--YUCKY!!

More of a Bar or Club person: Oh, i am WAY too old for clubs!! i like going to hang out bars--the kind you don't need to dress up for. Even if i am spending the night in NYC, i will choose a hangin' out bar over a clubby bar. Although i do like gay bars--they are great to go out to!

Alcohol you absolutely despise: Whisky or bourbon--i said that already though!

Ever bought a stranger a drink: yeah, but they didn't stay a stranger for long--ha ha!

Been thrown out of a bar/club: YUP! i was in O'tooles in Spring Valley. i was drunk on my stool, I and the stool tipped right over onto the floor. We were all asked to leave and never return--oh well, their loss!!

Ever make out with someone in front of a cheering crowd: yup--note how someone is NOT gender specific?

Most amount of money spent in one bar/club: i have NO idea on this one.

Ever buy a round for random people: no freakin' way!! only for my own people!

Best song/band to hear while drinking: while i am not a fan, G & R seems to be good at a bar--Garth Brooks is also another good one.

Best city to drink in: i gotta say the Bronx (Riverdale) on this one--that is where most of my drinking friends are, there is always a place to crash, the bars are full of old irish people and a lot of those bars allow smoking after 11!!

Do you ever black out or forget what happened the night prior? sadly, yes. although as i get older, i try to have that happen less and less.

Ever been drunk around your parents: silly and tipsy-yes. Falling down, showing my boobs, fighting with my husband--NO WAY!

2005-08-01T23:52:00.000-04:00

yeah, seriously, this is the cutest baby in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!! not to mention, you know MY niece has GOT to be playing with letters!!!