Yes, I know...I waited until the last conceivable second to post for December. So what! Ha ha! I saved the best for last, so to speak. Tonight is intended for us to remember the value of friendship. At least, according to that song, right? So, why do we still have so much trouble FORGIVING each other?
This day happens every single year, just like every other day {no, I'm not going to discuss leap year, so don't ask}. It's not enough that on Thanksgiving we are reminded to be Thankful... It's not enough that on Christmas we are reminded to be Hopeful and to Praise a God that the Majority of us Still at least Claim to believe in... For those of us who are not into Christmas, it is still a time to gather family, to be closer, to spread Love, Encouragement, and Respect for our fellow man. Then, in comes the New Year...
The last day of the old year we just had so much fun in! My 2009 has been a chain of miracles! I hope and pray that yours has been as fulfilling and prosperous as mine. If it hasn't, your miracles will happen in 2010! Believe it, baby... At least, that is my wish for you, my faithful readers. Ha ha, all 86 of you! Let's review:
"May old acquaintance be forgot and never come to light?" Is that right? We are to forget what's happened between us and never speak of them again? Is that possibly what that line means? Think about it a few...tick tick tick tick...did you get it?
As I said in last year's post at the onset of 2009, the New Year is a time for new beginnings. It annoyed me a lot less than I thought it would when at our SWHS Class of '89s 20th Reunion EVERYONE knows about now, the ever popular "cliques" from high school popped up during our reunion events. For the majority, we had that forgive and forget mentality about us. It's been 20 years after all. We were all a lot younger, a lot less intelligent, and very confused during those high school years... but I digress.
Sticking to the point of today's lesson, students of Life Rocks! School of Twisted Muse, it's not necessarily what you do with your time that matters. Rather, it's what you learn from what you did when you thought you couldn't do it in the first place but got yourself through it anyway. Hey, it's called Twisted Muse for a reason folks! You figure it out. That's basically what life is after all. A giant maze we all have to mill through hoping for the greatest reward when we get to the end.
The question is, which end? Will you beat the maze or will you end up right back where you started? Life has been more like a Labyrinth for me, however, more often than not. It's been a helluva ride though! Thanks especially to my '89 classmates who have added Exceptional Value to my FB family, friends, and SWHS community there.
Yes, I know I have strayed from the point - it is just little old me writing this entire thing, you know. What do you expect? Since when has my life been interesting enough to even carry a blog This far? Praise GOD and thank You, Jesus for keeping me writing, after all. Speaking of G-Dog and the Big JC, now would be a great time to Seek His Presence and Draw Him Near to your heart. He is already there whether you know it, like it, or believe it, or not! Ha Ha Ha
He is also the way to forgiveness...and we complete the circle this little article has drawn. At this point in my life, I have mentioned that I do honestly LOVE my neighbor as He Loves me. Over the last 36 hours, I have also realized that I have learned to Forgive and Forget within 30 minutes or less! How about that? I'm pretty damn surprised and happy with those stats, myself. I hope your New Years goes well!
Stay safe, be kind, accept and give love to one another. And please FORGIVE those who have wronged you, FORGIVE Yourself for wronging others in your past, and for goodness sake FORGIVE the neighbors for getting that damn dog that barks all frickin' night long while you are trying to sleep! For they know not what they do... wait, that sounds a little familiar...now where have I hears that before? Hmm...
I'll have to think about it. In the meantime, thanks for your encouraging emails, your continued votes and responses to our entries - even though no one else Sees them but Me, they are coming in! I truly appreciate our readers' opinions. God Bless and Good Years Ahead!
~E
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Experiencing New Life
We all know how trends come and go, right? Well, I have latched on tight to the next "best thing" with both hands. I am currently fully engulfed in the experience online gamers call Second Life. It is a highly addictive virtual world filled with worlds within worlds that are only limited by the minds that made them.
Just as I practically forced my sister to join Facebook, she has in turn convinced me to try Second Life. Okay, so, it was really my own curiosity that made me want to know what this "game" was all about. I looked it up on Firefox and found it's main link, which is, of course: http://secondlife.com EVER SINCE then, I have been playing 2nd Life quite nearly like it's my ONLY LIFE!
I won't explain everything, it would take far too long but I will say that the shopping is FANTASTIC! For me, it's like having the ULTIMATE FUTURE BARBIE DOLL in a 3-D format on your home PC. Your avatar is a human form representing yourself. You can only create a first name, the system gives you a list of last names to choose from. It is very time consuming, however, and as I said before, extremely addicting.
In fact, I just had a FB friend call me today and ask if I was all right, because I was a very active personality on Facebook! She had not seen me in a couple of days and wanted to see if I was all right. LMAO! I assured her I was fine and only addicted to a new game called 2nd Life which has been around longer than I knew. Quite possibly, since 2005 or earlier, I'm not sure even now.
I just wanted to stop in and explain to our readers we have not abandoned you at the Muse, we are gaining new experiences, busy for the Holidays, and staying up far too late into the night (rather, early into the morning) playing SL! That's what the players call it. There are real people behind those keyboards, acting out their dreams and ambitions of the real world (RL) in their SL. I am looking into playing out my lifelong fantasy of becoming a singer! Imagine that. Yes, you really have to SING through your computer's microphone to be a singer, so that will be interesting considering how shy I am...
So, here's to New Experiences during the Holidays! Happy Thanksgiving Faithful Readers! The Muse loves you and wishes you great blessings this Thanksgiving Weekend. Be sure to be thankful for ALL God has given you, there is a lot! The very are you breathe, the sun, the clouds, and the rain. The day and the night. The pleasure and the pain! No matter where you go, there you are. Be thankful for you.
I am.
-E
Just as I practically forced my sister to join Facebook, she has in turn convinced me to try Second Life. Okay, so, it was really my own curiosity that made me want to know what this "game" was all about. I looked it up on Firefox and found it's main link, which is, of course: http://secondlife.com EVER SINCE then, I have been playing 2nd Life quite nearly like it's my ONLY LIFE!
I won't explain everything, it would take far too long but I will say that the shopping is FANTASTIC! For me, it's like having the ULTIMATE FUTURE BARBIE DOLL in a 3-D format on your home PC. Your avatar is a human form representing yourself. You can only create a first name, the system gives you a list of last names to choose from. It is very time consuming, however, and as I said before, extremely addicting.
In fact, I just had a FB friend call me today and ask if I was all right, because I was a very active personality on Facebook! She had not seen me in a couple of days and wanted to see if I was all right. LMAO! I assured her I was fine and only addicted to a new game called 2nd Life which has been around longer than I knew. Quite possibly, since 2005 or earlier, I'm not sure even now.
I just wanted to stop in and explain to our readers we have not abandoned you at the Muse, we are gaining new experiences, busy for the Holidays, and staying up far too late into the night (rather, early into the morning) playing SL! That's what the players call it. There are real people behind those keyboards, acting out their dreams and ambitions of the real world (RL) in their SL. I am looking into playing out my lifelong fantasy of becoming a singer! Imagine that. Yes, you really have to SING through your computer's microphone to be a singer, so that will be interesting considering how shy I am...
So, here's to New Experiences during the Holidays! Happy Thanksgiving Faithful Readers! The Muse loves you and wishes you great blessings this Thanksgiving Weekend. Be sure to be thankful for ALL God has given you, there is a lot! The very are you breathe, the sun, the clouds, and the rain. The day and the night. The pleasure and the pain! No matter where you go, there you are. Be thankful for you.
I am.
-E
Sunday, October 25, 2009
The Muse Has a New Hero!
Email Sent: Thu, October 22, 2009
Subject: Read what a White Reporter wrote in a Georgia Newspaper
(YES HE DID!)
Andrew M. Manis is associate professor of history at Macon State College in Georgia and wrote this for an editorial in the Macon Telegraph.
When Are WE Going to Get Over It?
For much of the last forty years, ever since America "fixed" its race problem in the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts, we white people have been impatient with African Americans who continued to blame race for their difficulties. Often we have heard whites ask, "When are African Americans finally going to get over it?
Now I want to ask:
"When are we White Americans going to get over our ridiculous obsession with skin color?
Recent reports that "Election Spurs Hundreds' of Race Threats, Crimes" should frighten and infuriate every one of us. Having grown up in "Bombingham," Alabama in the 1960s, I remember overhearing an avalanche of comments about what many white classmates and their parents wanted to do to John and Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King.
Eventually, as you may recall, in all three cases, someone decided to do more than "talk the talk."
Since our recent presidential election, to our eternal shame we are once again hearing the same reprehensible talk I remember from my boyhood.
We white people have controlled political life in the disunited colonies and United States for some 400 years on this continent.
Conservative whites have been in power 28 of the last 40 years. Even during the eight Clinton years, conservatives in Congress blocked most of his agenda and pulled him to the right. Yet never in that period did I read any headlines suggesting that anyone was calling for the assassinations of presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan, or either of the Bushes. Criticize them, yes.
Call for their impeachment, perhaps. But there were no bounties on their heads. And even when someone did try to kill Ronald Reagan, the perpetrator was non-political mental case who wanted merely to impress Jody Foster.
But elect a liberal who happens to be Black and we're back in the sixties again. At this point in our history, we should be proud that we've proven what conservatives are always saying -- that in America anything is possible, EVEN electing a black man as president.
But instead we now hear that school children from Maine to California are talking about wanting to "assassinate Obama."
Fighting the urge to throw up, I can only ask, "How long?"
How long before we white people realize we can't make our nation, much less the whole world, look like us?
How long until we white people can - once and for all - get over this hell-conceived preoccupation with skin color?
How long until we white people get over the demonic conviction that white skin makes us superior?
How long before we white people get over our bitter resentments about being demoted to the status of equality with non-whites?
How long before we get over our expectations that we should be at the head of the line merely because of our white skin?
How long until we white people end our silence and call out our peers when they share the latest racist jokes in the privacy of our white-only conversations?
I believe in free speech, but how long until we white people start making racist loudmouths as socially uncomfortable as we do flag burners?
How long until we white people will stop insisting that blacks exercise personal responsibility, build strong families, educate themselves enough to edit the Harvard Law Review, and work hard enough to become President of the United States, only to threaten to assassinate them when they do?
How long before we start "living out the true meaning" of our creeds, both civil and religious, that all men and women are created equal and that "red and yellow, black and white" all are precious in God's sight?
Until this past November 4, I didn't believe this country would ever elect an African American to the presidency. I still don't believe I'll live long enough to see us white people get over our racism problem.
But here's my three-point plan:
First, everyday that Barack Obama lives in the White House that Black Slaves Built, I'm going to pray that God (and the Secret Service) will protect him and his family from us white people.
Second, I'm going to report to the FBI any white person I overhear saying, in seriousness or in jest, anything of a threatening nature about President Obama.
Third, I'm going to pray to live long enough to see America surprise the world once again, when white people can "in spirit and in truth" sing of our damnable color prejudice,
"We HAVE overcome."
**************************************
It takes a Village to protect our President!!!
Subject: Read what a White Reporter wrote in a Georgia Newspaper
(YES HE DID!)
Andrew M. Manis is associate professor of history at Macon State College in Georgia and wrote this for an editorial in the Macon Telegraph.
When Are WE Going to Get Over It?
For much of the last forty years, ever since America "fixed" its race problem in the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts, we white people have been impatient with African Americans who continued to blame race for their difficulties. Often we have heard whites ask, "When are African Americans finally going to get over it?
Now I want to ask:
"When are we White Americans going to get over our ridiculous obsession with skin color?
Recent reports that "Election Spurs Hundreds' of Race Threats, Crimes" should frighten and infuriate every one of us. Having grown up in "Bombingham," Alabama in the 1960s, I remember overhearing an avalanche of comments about what many white classmates and their parents wanted to do to John and Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King.
Eventually, as you may recall, in all three cases, someone decided to do more than "talk the talk."
Since our recent presidential election, to our eternal shame we are once again hearing the same reprehensible talk I remember from my boyhood.
We white people have controlled political life in the disunited colonies and United States for some 400 years on this continent.
Conservative whites have been in power 28 of the last 40 years. Even during the eight Clinton years, conservatives in Congress blocked most of his agenda and pulled him to the right. Yet never in that period did I read any headlines suggesting that anyone was calling for the assassinations of presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan, or either of the Bushes. Criticize them, yes.
Call for their impeachment, perhaps. But there were no bounties on their heads. And even when someone did try to kill Ronald Reagan, the perpetrator was non-political mental case who wanted merely to impress Jody Foster.
But elect a liberal who happens to be Black and we're back in the sixties again. At this point in our history, we should be proud that we've proven what conservatives are always saying -- that in America anything is possible, EVEN electing a black man as president.
But instead we now hear that school children from Maine to California are talking about wanting to "assassinate Obama."
Fighting the urge to throw up, I can only ask, "How long?"
How long before we white people realize we can't make our nation, much less the whole world, look like us?
How long until we white people can - once and for all - get over this hell-conceived preoccupation with skin color?
How long until we white people get over the demonic conviction that white skin makes us superior?
How long before we white people get over our bitter resentments about being demoted to the status of equality with non-whites?
How long before we get over our expectations that we should be at the head of the line merely because of our white skin?
How long until we white people end our silence and call out our peers when they share the latest racist jokes in the privacy of our white-only conversations?
I believe in free speech, but how long until we white people start making racist loudmouths as socially uncomfortable as we do flag burners?
How long until we white people will stop insisting that blacks exercise personal responsibility, build strong families, educate themselves enough to edit the Harvard Law Review, and work hard enough to become President of the United States, only to threaten to assassinate them when they do?
How long before we start "living out the true meaning" of our creeds, both civil and religious, that all men and women are created equal and that "red and yellow, black and white" all are precious in God's sight?
Until this past November 4, I didn't believe this country would ever elect an African American to the presidency. I still don't believe I'll live long enough to see us white people get over our racism problem.
But here's my three-point plan:
First, everyday that Barack Obama lives in the White House that Black Slaves Built, I'm going to pray that God (and the Secret Service) will protect him and his family from us white people.
Second, I'm going to report to the FBI any white person I overhear saying, in seriousness or in jest, anything of a threatening nature about President Obama.
Third, I'm going to pray to live long enough to see America surprise the world once again, when white people can "in spirit and in truth" sing of our damnable color prejudice,
"We HAVE overcome."
**************************************
It takes a Village to protect our President!!!
Monday, October 12, 2009
KCK and KCMO Local News
I read this article on FB last week KCTV5 News This story has been controversial from the get-go. http://www.kctv5.com/news/21254350/detail.html
It’s about the ever-increasing deer population "problem." It’s funny how people do things to upset the balance of a creature’s natural habitat and then, when the animals venture into our homes where they used to live, call that specie a “population problem.” I mean, when we rip down trees, bushes, and the last bits of natural land we have left inside the city, between cities, and everywhere else to build new houses for our supposed growing population. Where else do we expect these animals to go? They come and visit their new neighborhood, of course! We have rich grass, plush lawns, and chemically treated landscaping that look and may just taste very appealing. Isn’t this our idea of “co-habitation?”
Honestly, Are we really in such dire need of new housing, that we have to continuously destroy what’s left of our natural land? I don’t think so! Trees make oxygen people, which is something we 1) need to breath, and 2) happen to be lacking in our atmosphere! Let’s nurture and leave as many trees up as we can, shall we? Why not work harder and Faster on that “Green Problem” we have? Wouldn’t that benefit the entire planet instead of just land developers?
You know, one thing I pride myself on is that I am from the Midwest. Born and raised, second-generation Mexican-American, Kansas City, Missourian. Why is the Midwest {the actual and quite literal “heart” of America}, such a source of pride for me? Let me count the ways:
1) Kansas City is known as a cow town because of our humble beginnings,
2) Kansas City is one of two unique twin cities that are not recognized elsewhere but make us a special kind of community,
3) Everyone I tell where I’m from always ask about our crops, our livestock, our farmland, and our hard core/down home Christian values,
4) Everyone I inform there is a City in Kansas City instead of acres and acres of flat land, are amazed and highly intrigued at the prospect of “city life” in the Midwest, and
5) Kansas City, Missouri is my hometown. Who Doesn’t Love their hometown?
Would you like to know what else Kansas City is known for on both sides of the state line? KCK and KCMO are known for our Rednecks, and their “kill or be killed” mentality. We both have our share of those. We are not the only cities and states who share a few of these gems by far, but we do have them. They are very much a part of our community and our very nature as a cow town. We love and embrace them, just the same. Some also grow the majority of the food this nation places on its dinner table five nights a week out of seven, on average. Our “country kinfolk” are also the foundation of the American Dream we are vaguely reminded of when our neighboring foreigners come to safely “start fresh” inside our shores. This very community of persons are who will be “handling our deer population” dilemma our local media informs us we have.
Let’s concentrate now, on the Real Problem instead of the “popular” problem, could we? Which is our consistent loss of native wildlife and natural landscape. STOP the incessant DEVELOPING! That is what Kansas & Missouri NEED to do! STOP All the greedy land developers from snatching up Every Single ACRE of our PURE Land left so they can make new “homes” and more convenient shopping venues. There are already far Too Many OVERPRICED Homes that will NEVER Receive a Fair Deal on Insurance Coverage with ANY Insuring Company unless they are filthy rich! The price of “new homes” thrown up overnight will never reflect their actual worth.
We must NEED reminding of our HOMELESS Population across the entire United States. The Homeless of KCK and KCMO have spread EVERYWHERE in this economy, thanks BUSH! [Glad you're gone, I hope you burn in hell!] And for those of you who keep saying “Just Kill Them and Get it Over With?” I HOPE NO ONE THINKS OF YOU THAT WAY, SOME DAY, YOU HEARTLESS BUFFOONS! God is listening to you…why don’t you consider that when you would rather kill “something” and sweep it under the rug than identify and SOLVE the Real Problem?
I have an idea, why don't we TRY to get EVERYONE a HOME in America. Let’s put every single person and family in their own, safe, dry, and Affordable home THAT ALREADY EXISTS in our country! THEN if we need more homes built, we will go from there! We can stop worrying about Deer Populations as a “problem” once we stop land developing. The only reason our deer are a problem and cause $4,000 plus damage to our cars that already use cheaper material to offset their costs, is because we keep over-developing their natural land to make more money for those of us who have enough money already! Nothing benefits the common man.
Better yet, let’s leave the Grass and Trees and Deer ALONE for a while and concentrate on making OURSELVES better people, better neighbors, better friends, and become a Blessing to Someone besides ourselves. Try going to our neighbors with the most cultural differences and welcoming them to the neighborhood. You may find a valued friend for life. Yes, it’s possible.
Spend your time Investing in Your COMMUNITY of Nationalities, get to know each other's cultures and beliefs! Maybe then, you'll UNDERSTAND One Another and RESPECT each others’ Differences AND find out that IT'S OKAY TO BE DIFFERENT! We used to be the “Great Melting Pot.” Hello, America? Is there ANYONE STIRRING ANYMORE?
Do we ALL Know what we've Become? Would you like an answer? We’ve become a Third World Nation where Capitalism is more important than the Common Man who built this Country from the ground up. The same day the phrase “under God,” was taken from the pledge of allegiance, was the day America started its downfall.
This is no longer the Land of Opportunity as we once boasted. At least, not in the same respect we once meant it to be. Do you think America is still the land of the Free and home of the Brave? Or is America the land of the industrialist and home to abundant capitalist opportunity? I think we’re both. Do you think we need to choose one or the other? Have you chosen a side? Do you know which American Dream you’re living for? You may want to start thinking about that.
Personally, if I knew HOW to lobby for these changes [and had that kind of time] I would certainly carry this torch. However, I know nothing of political issues. Instead, I call upon YOU readers, to voice your opinions and carry through this “developing problem” to its finale. I hope and pray to hear and be involved in the above Cause at a very NEAR Future date. Until then, I will keep America in my prayers. May I ask that you pray for us, too? We will need it more than we know if we continue to consume our natural land as we are and always have.
Please leave your opinions, we will be happy to hear them. Thank you.
It’s about the ever-increasing deer population "problem." It’s funny how people do things to upset the balance of a creature’s natural habitat and then, when the animals venture into our homes where they used to live, call that specie a “population problem.” I mean, when we rip down trees, bushes, and the last bits of natural land we have left inside the city, between cities, and everywhere else to build new houses for our supposed growing population. Where else do we expect these animals to go? They come and visit their new neighborhood, of course! We have rich grass, plush lawns, and chemically treated landscaping that look and may just taste very appealing. Isn’t this our idea of “co-habitation?”
Honestly, Are we really in such dire need of new housing, that we have to continuously destroy what’s left of our natural land? I don’t think so! Trees make oxygen people, which is something we 1) need to breath, and 2) happen to be lacking in our atmosphere! Let’s nurture and leave as many trees up as we can, shall we? Why not work harder and Faster on that “Green Problem” we have? Wouldn’t that benefit the entire planet instead of just land developers?
You know, one thing I pride myself on is that I am from the Midwest. Born and raised, second-generation Mexican-American, Kansas City, Missourian. Why is the Midwest {the actual and quite literal “heart” of America}, such a source of pride for me? Let me count the ways:
1) Kansas City is known as a cow town because of our humble beginnings,
2) Kansas City is one of two unique twin cities that are not recognized elsewhere but make us a special kind of community,
3) Everyone I tell where I’m from always ask about our crops, our livestock, our farmland, and our hard core/down home Christian values,
4) Everyone I inform there is a City in Kansas City instead of acres and acres of flat land, are amazed and highly intrigued at the prospect of “city life” in the Midwest, and
5) Kansas City, Missouri is my hometown. Who Doesn’t Love their hometown?
Would you like to know what else Kansas City is known for on both sides of the state line? KCK and KCMO are known for our Rednecks, and their “kill or be killed” mentality. We both have our share of those. We are not the only cities and states who share a few of these gems by far, but we do have them. They are very much a part of our community and our very nature as a cow town. We love and embrace them, just the same. Some also grow the majority of the food this nation places on its dinner table five nights a week out of seven, on average. Our “country kinfolk” are also the foundation of the American Dream we are vaguely reminded of when our neighboring foreigners come to safely “start fresh” inside our shores. This very community of persons are who will be “handling our deer population” dilemma our local media informs us we have.
Let’s concentrate now, on the Real Problem instead of the “popular” problem, could we? Which is our consistent loss of native wildlife and natural landscape. STOP the incessant DEVELOPING! That is what Kansas & Missouri NEED to do! STOP All the greedy land developers from snatching up Every Single ACRE of our PURE Land left so they can make new “homes” and more convenient shopping venues. There are already far Too Many OVERPRICED Homes that will NEVER Receive a Fair Deal on Insurance Coverage with ANY Insuring Company unless they are filthy rich! The price of “new homes” thrown up overnight will never reflect their actual worth.
We must NEED reminding of our HOMELESS Population across the entire United States. The Homeless of KCK and KCMO have spread EVERYWHERE in this economy, thanks BUSH! [Glad you're gone, I hope you burn in hell!] And for those of you who keep saying “Just Kill Them and Get it Over With?” I HOPE NO ONE THINKS OF YOU THAT WAY, SOME DAY, YOU HEARTLESS BUFFOONS! God is listening to you…why don’t you consider that when you would rather kill “something” and sweep it under the rug than identify and SOLVE the Real Problem?
I have an idea, why don't we TRY to get EVERYONE a HOME in America. Let’s put every single person and family in their own, safe, dry, and Affordable home THAT ALREADY EXISTS in our country! THEN if we need more homes built, we will go from there! We can stop worrying about Deer Populations as a “problem” once we stop land developing. The only reason our deer are a problem and cause $4,000 plus damage to our cars that already use cheaper material to offset their costs, is because we keep over-developing their natural land to make more money for those of us who have enough money already! Nothing benefits the common man.
Better yet, let’s leave the Grass and Trees and Deer ALONE for a while and concentrate on making OURSELVES better people, better neighbors, better friends, and become a Blessing to Someone besides ourselves. Try going to our neighbors with the most cultural differences and welcoming them to the neighborhood. You may find a valued friend for life. Yes, it’s possible.
Spend your time Investing in Your COMMUNITY of Nationalities, get to know each other's cultures and beliefs! Maybe then, you'll UNDERSTAND One Another and RESPECT each others’ Differences AND find out that IT'S OKAY TO BE DIFFERENT! We used to be the “Great Melting Pot.” Hello, America? Is there ANYONE STIRRING ANYMORE?
Do we ALL Know what we've Become? Would you like an answer? We’ve become a Third World Nation where Capitalism is more important than the Common Man who built this Country from the ground up. The same day the phrase “under God,” was taken from the pledge of allegiance, was the day America started its downfall.
This is no longer the Land of Opportunity as we once boasted. At least, not in the same respect we once meant it to be. Do you think America is still the land of the Free and home of the Brave? Or is America the land of the industrialist and home to abundant capitalist opportunity? I think we’re both. Do you think we need to choose one or the other? Have you chosen a side? Do you know which American Dream you’re living for? You may want to start thinking about that.
Personally, if I knew HOW to lobby for these changes [and had that kind of time] I would certainly carry this torch. However, I know nothing of political issues. Instead, I call upon YOU readers, to voice your opinions and carry through this “developing problem” to its finale. I hope and pray to hear and be involved in the above Cause at a very NEAR Future date. Until then, I will keep America in my prayers. May I ask that you pray for us, too? We will need it more than we know if we continue to consume our natural land as we are and always have.
Please leave your opinions, we will be happy to hear them. Thank you.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Smart Snacking Advice
Wouldn't it be great to know that you could enjoy candy, especially chocolate, without feeling guilty about the damage it could do to your teeth? Here is some information that will ease the guilt!
The bacteria that cause tooth decay must have food to create the acid necessary to break down your tooth's enamel. There are many factors that may contribute to tooth decay, but the length of time that food residues remain in contact with your teeth is probably the most important. What is the food made of and how often is it eaten?
Sugar is not as bad as we once thought because it can be cleared from the mouth by saliva very quickly. How fast foods clear from the mouth is an important consideration in snack selection. If foods remains on a tooth for more than twenty minutes, the decay-causing bacteria can use the food to make enough acid to begin breakdown of the enamel. A little bit now and a little bit later, over and over again, will eventually result in a cavity.
Saliva plays a big part in removing food residues from teeth after you have eaten. Foods that are cleared completely from the mouth in less than twenty minutes are considered to be better snacks in terms of decay. Some foods are easily removed by saliva. White bread, raisins, apples, bananas, hot fudge sundaes, and chocolate ordinarily clear from teeth in one minute! A high flow of saliva helps to clear foods and keeps the oral environment less acidic.
Look for sugarless gum with xylitol and/or sorbitol as the sweetener. Xylitol has been shown to reduce decay.
Starches such as salted crackers, cookies, salted chips, and other foods that you may find stick to your teeth are foods to avoid unless you can brush soon after eating. Foods that remain on the tooth surface longer than twenty minutes should be avoided.
Juices should be saved for mealtime. If you read the side of a juice carton, you will find that it contains 100% sugar. Constant exposure of primary (baby) teeth to juices, even diluted juices, will cause decay. A piece of fruit would be a better choice. Juice should be limited to four to six ounces daily.
The combination of acid and sugar in soft drinks will cause enamel breakdown. Read the label on a soft drink. You will find phosphoric acid and sugar. Lemon drinks and eating lemons often will cause enamel erosion (breakdown).
Combinations of fat and protein make great snacks for a child. Peanut butter is a good example of this combo. When the teeth are developing and erupting (coming in), foods high in calcium and phosphorus should be a big part of a child's diet. Cheese, yogurt, broccoli with cheese, and fish are some foods high in calcium and phosphorus.
When the permanent teeth first erupt, the enamel is not completely calcified (hardened). The final phase of calcification occurs in the mouth. Plain milk, not juices and soft drinks, should be flowing over those brand new incisors (front teeth).
Now for the best news of all...Chocolate does not cause decay! The tannins in chocolate make the bacteria stick together instead of on the tooth surface. Chocolate is a source of magnesium and protein. A little plain chocolate will satisfy hunger longer and will clear from the teeth in less than a minute. Chocolate is a snack that both and your teeth will love!
THIS IMPORTANT DENTAL INFORMATION IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Pediatric Dental Specialists, PA; Where kids are Dino-Mite! There are three convenient locations in the Kansas City, KS/MO area.
-emg
The bacteria that cause tooth decay must have food to create the acid necessary to break down your tooth's enamel. There are many factors that may contribute to tooth decay, but the length of time that food residues remain in contact with your teeth is probably the most important. What is the food made of and how often is it eaten?
Sugar is not as bad as we once thought because it can be cleared from the mouth by saliva very quickly. How fast foods clear from the mouth is an important consideration in snack selection. If foods remains on a tooth for more than twenty minutes, the decay-causing bacteria can use the food to make enough acid to begin breakdown of the enamel. A little bit now and a little bit later, over and over again, will eventually result in a cavity.
Saliva plays a big part in removing food residues from teeth after you have eaten. Foods that are cleared completely from the mouth in less than twenty minutes are considered to be better snacks in terms of decay. Some foods are easily removed by saliva. White bread, raisins, apples, bananas, hot fudge sundaes, and chocolate ordinarily clear from teeth in one minute! A high flow of saliva helps to clear foods and keeps the oral environment less acidic.
Look for sugarless gum with xylitol and/or sorbitol as the sweetener. Xylitol has been shown to reduce decay.
Starches such as salted crackers, cookies, salted chips, and other foods that you may find stick to your teeth are foods to avoid unless you can brush soon after eating. Foods that remain on the tooth surface longer than twenty minutes should be avoided.
Juices should be saved for mealtime. If you read the side of a juice carton, you will find that it contains 100% sugar. Constant exposure of primary (baby) teeth to juices, even diluted juices, will cause decay. A piece of fruit would be a better choice. Juice should be limited to four to six ounces daily.
The combination of acid and sugar in soft drinks will cause enamel breakdown. Read the label on a soft drink. You will find phosphoric acid and sugar. Lemon drinks and eating lemons often will cause enamel erosion (breakdown).
Combinations of fat and protein make great snacks for a child. Peanut butter is a good example of this combo. When the teeth are developing and erupting (coming in), foods high in calcium and phosphorus should be a big part of a child's diet. Cheese, yogurt, broccoli with cheese, and fish are some foods high in calcium and phosphorus.
When the permanent teeth first erupt, the enamel is not completely calcified (hardened). The final phase of calcification occurs in the mouth. Plain milk, not juices and soft drinks, should be flowing over those brand new incisors (front teeth).
Now for the best news of all...Chocolate does not cause decay! The tannins in chocolate make the bacteria stick together instead of on the tooth surface. Chocolate is a source of magnesium and protein. A little plain chocolate will satisfy hunger longer and will clear from the teeth in less than a minute. Chocolate is a snack that both and your teeth will love!
THIS IMPORTANT DENTAL INFORMATION IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Pediatric Dental Specialists, PA; Where kids are Dino-Mite! There are three convenient locations in the Kansas City, KS/MO area.
-emg
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Me & Dani Shapiro on The Writing Life
"moments of being" - On Taking Risks: Wednesday, September 30, 2009
MY RESPONSE TO THIS POST ARE IN ALL CAPS THROUGHOUT THE POST BELOW:
It's all a high-wire act, isn't it? The writing? The sitting down to write? The thinking that we have anything worth saying? Every bit of good writing emerges from a wild place. Whether you are a person of faith or not, still, setting words down on the page is an act of faith. Whether you think you are a courageous person or not, trying to craft a narrative -- in other words, trying to create something out of nothing -- is an act of courage.
WHAT AN INTERESTING POINT OF VIEW, MRS. SHAPIRO. "WRITING IS AN ACT OF FAITH," CREATING "SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING IS AN ACT OF COURAGE." HM, TELL US MORE.
Now, of course we writers aren't necessarily faithful or courageous people. Not most of us. Not in our real lives.
SPEAK FOR YOURSELF, SISTER! SOME OF US ARE FAITHFUL, COURAGEOUS, AND DOWNRIGHT BALLSY!! YOU OBVIOUSLY DON'T KNOW ENOUGH WRITERS...
Not when we climb out of bed in the morning and meet our own faces in the mirror. Coward! The mirror might reflect back at us. Faithless one! You, there--brushing your teeth. Yeah, you. Why do you think you have anything inside you worth saying?
UM, I HAVE PERSONALLY DONE THIS, I THINK ONE OF US HAS SELF-ESTEEM ISSUES. I FOR ONE, HAVE PLENTY TO SAY ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS, BE THEY RIGHT OR WRONG, I HAVE AN OPINION. THAT'S WHAT I'M SHARING. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
Why do you think anyone will care?
BECAUSE I'M GOOD LIKE THAT! I HAPPEN TO KNOW LOTS OF PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT WHAT I HAVE TO SAY. I KNOW I CARE FOR WHAT A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE HAVE TO SAY, TOO.
Recently I was going through a list of small pieces, short fiction and essays that I've written over the past few years. The list is pretty long, actually. And I had a moment, looking through that list, of realizing that every single one of those pieces had begun with the same process of resistance, wildness, faith, doubt, and ultimately just enough courage.
THAT'S PRETTY SAD, ACTUALLY. IF IT'S THAT TOUGH FOR YOU, MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T BE WRITING. EVER THINK OF THAT?
Here goes nothing, the little voice in my head whispered again and again. Here goes nothing. But still--in the faith of that potential nothingness--I plunged forward anyway. Doggedly, determinedly, forward. That small kernel of wildness aglow inside me.
KERNEL? WOW, IS THAT IT? REALLY? BECAUSE, I HAVE A BLAZING BONFIRE ALIGHT IN MY HEART THAT REMINDS ME EVERY DAY THAT IF I DON'T WRITE TODAY, I AM LETTING SOMEONE IMPORTANT DOWN: ME!
Here goes nothing?
So what.
Maybe it will turn into something.
Maybe not.
I NEVER GO INTO WRITING THINKING THIS CRAP! I WOULD NEVER WRITE. NEVER FINISH, NEVER GET THROUGH THE DAY THINKING LIKE THIS. HOW DO YOU??
Almost all of those pieces worked out. They were published here and here and here. I have to remind myself every day that it's a risk--all of it.
AND WHAT, EXACTLY, ARE WE RISKING? FAILURE, HUMILIATION, NO PAYCHECK? REJECTION SLIPS ARE THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF STRONGER CHARACTER! YES, I SAY THAT BECAUSE I HAVEN'T BEEN PUBLISHED BY "ANYONE ELSE." I WRITE AND PUT MY WRITING OUT THERE MYSELF. I DON'T REALLY "NEED" ANYONE ELSE'S STAMP OF APPROVAL ON MY WRITING...BUT IT FEELS GOOD TO GET, I SUPPOSE. TO HAVE SOMEONE ELSE "VALIDATE" OUR WRITING WITH A DOLLAR AMOUNT...MAYBE.
Every day brings small satisfactions, small disappointments. Because my husband and I are both writers, our household is full of those ups and downs. The phone rings at dinner time with some crisis or another (the life of a Hollywood screenwriter). An email brings news that something I had hoped for is happening--or isn't. That roller coaster that is the life of two people who create.
AH, NOW I GET WHERE ALL Y OUR INSECURITIES ARE COMING FROM. YOU DO REALIZE THAT THE LAST SENTENCE YOU WROTE THERE IS A FRAGMENT, RIGHT?
Sometimes, when I'm aware that our young son is watching us, I wonder what he sees -- and whether it looks good to him, or whether some day he'll opt for a more stable life with fewer ups and downs. A life with clear parameters, predictable days, concrete results.
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE...GIVE THE KID SOME CREDIT - AND A LITTLE TIME.
Or maybe, just maybe--I'd like to think that he sees two people who are wrestling with their fears and insecurities, who hear their own internal censors, whispering Here goes nothing...but plunge forward despite our cowardice and faithlessness and uncertainty. Taking that daily risk despite ourselves.
"DESPITE OURSELVES?" SO, ARE YOU SAYING THAT YOU 'DEFINE YOURSELF' BY YOUR COWARDICE, FAITHLESSNESS, AND UNCERTAINTY?? I HATE TO TELL YOU, LADY, BUT THAT IS A SAD LITTLE LIFE YOU JUST DESCRIBED. I MEAN, I LIVE WITH AND SURVIVE DEPRESSION ON A DAILY BASIS AND MY OUTLOOK ON LIFE IS NOT NEARLY THAT GLOOMY!!
I LIVE MY LIFE CONTENT WHERE I AM ON THE WAY TO THE GREATNESS I AM MEANT TO HAVE! I HAVE GOD IN MY LIFE. IF YOU'RE JUST DEPENDING ON YOURSELF TO GET YOU THROUGH, THEN YOU WILL LIVE IN MISERY THE WAY YOU JUST DESCRIBED YOUR WRITING LIFE. IT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE THE SUCCESS YOU HAVE HAD IS PRETTY EMPTY... OR, YOU WOULDN'T STILL FEEL THE WAY YOU DO DAILY, OR EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU SIT DOWN TO WRITE SOMETHING!
I WONDER IF YOUR PROBLEM IS THAT YOU WRITE TO MAKE MONEY. I WRITE BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT I AM MEANT TO DO. THAT'S MY GIFT. I AM USING IT! GOOD LUCK, DANI SHAPIRO. AS I WAS UNABLE TO COMMENT ON HER BLOG, WHICH YOU CAN FIND BY CLICKING THIS LINK:
http://www.danishapiro.com/blog/2009/09/on-taking-risks.html
I WISH YOU CONTINUED SUCCESS, GOD'S DAILY BLESSINGS, AND FOR JESUS CHRIST TO TOUCH YOUR HEART. YOU APPEAR TO NEED HIM, BADLY. BUT, THAT'S JUST ME...
-Elisa Me
MY RESPONSE TO THIS POST ARE IN ALL CAPS THROUGHOUT THE POST BELOW:
It's all a high-wire act, isn't it? The writing? The sitting down to write? The thinking that we have anything worth saying? Every bit of good writing emerges from a wild place. Whether you are a person of faith or not, still, setting words down on the page is an act of faith. Whether you think you are a courageous person or not, trying to craft a narrative -- in other words, trying to create something out of nothing -- is an act of courage.
WHAT AN INTERESTING POINT OF VIEW, MRS. SHAPIRO. "WRITING IS AN ACT OF FAITH," CREATING "SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING IS AN ACT OF COURAGE." HM, TELL US MORE.
Now, of course we writers aren't necessarily faithful or courageous people. Not most of us. Not in our real lives.
SPEAK FOR YOURSELF, SISTER! SOME OF US ARE FAITHFUL, COURAGEOUS, AND DOWNRIGHT BALLSY!! YOU OBVIOUSLY DON'T KNOW ENOUGH WRITERS...
Not when we climb out of bed in the morning and meet our own faces in the mirror. Coward! The mirror might reflect back at us. Faithless one! You, there--brushing your teeth. Yeah, you. Why do you think you have anything inside you worth saying?
UM, I HAVE PERSONALLY DONE THIS, I THINK ONE OF US HAS SELF-ESTEEM ISSUES. I FOR ONE, HAVE PLENTY TO SAY ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS, BE THEY RIGHT OR WRONG, I HAVE AN OPINION. THAT'S WHAT I'M SHARING. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
Why do you think anyone will care?
BECAUSE I'M GOOD LIKE THAT! I HAPPEN TO KNOW LOTS OF PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT WHAT I HAVE TO SAY. I KNOW I CARE FOR WHAT A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE HAVE TO SAY, TOO.
Recently I was going through a list of small pieces, short fiction and essays that I've written over the past few years. The list is pretty long, actually. And I had a moment, looking through that list, of realizing that every single one of those pieces had begun with the same process of resistance, wildness, faith, doubt, and ultimately just enough courage.
THAT'S PRETTY SAD, ACTUALLY. IF IT'S THAT TOUGH FOR YOU, MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T BE WRITING. EVER THINK OF THAT?
Here goes nothing, the little voice in my head whispered again and again. Here goes nothing. But still--in the faith of that potential nothingness--I plunged forward anyway. Doggedly, determinedly, forward. That small kernel of wildness aglow inside me.
KERNEL? WOW, IS THAT IT? REALLY? BECAUSE, I HAVE A BLAZING BONFIRE ALIGHT IN MY HEART THAT REMINDS ME EVERY DAY THAT IF I DON'T WRITE TODAY, I AM LETTING SOMEONE IMPORTANT DOWN: ME!
Here goes nothing?
So what.
Maybe it will turn into something.
Maybe not.
I NEVER GO INTO WRITING THINKING THIS CRAP! I WOULD NEVER WRITE. NEVER FINISH, NEVER GET THROUGH THE DAY THINKING LIKE THIS. HOW DO YOU??
Almost all of those pieces worked out. They were published here and here and here. I have to remind myself every day that it's a risk--all of it.
AND WHAT, EXACTLY, ARE WE RISKING? FAILURE, HUMILIATION, NO PAYCHECK? REJECTION SLIPS ARE THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF STRONGER CHARACTER! YES, I SAY THAT BECAUSE I HAVEN'T BEEN PUBLISHED BY "ANYONE ELSE." I WRITE AND PUT MY WRITING OUT THERE MYSELF. I DON'T REALLY "NEED" ANYONE ELSE'S STAMP OF APPROVAL ON MY WRITING...BUT IT FEELS GOOD TO GET, I SUPPOSE. TO HAVE SOMEONE ELSE "VALIDATE" OUR WRITING WITH A DOLLAR AMOUNT...MAYBE.
Every day brings small satisfactions, small disappointments. Because my husband and I are both writers, our household is full of those ups and downs. The phone rings at dinner time with some crisis or another (the life of a Hollywood screenwriter). An email brings news that something I had hoped for is happening--or isn't. That roller coaster that is the life of two people who create.
AH, NOW I GET WHERE ALL Y OUR INSECURITIES ARE COMING FROM. YOU DO REALIZE THAT THE LAST SENTENCE YOU WROTE THERE IS A FRAGMENT, RIGHT?
Sometimes, when I'm aware that our young son is watching us, I wonder what he sees -- and whether it looks good to him, or whether some day he'll opt for a more stable life with fewer ups and downs. A life with clear parameters, predictable days, concrete results.
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE...GIVE THE KID SOME CREDIT - AND A LITTLE TIME.
Or maybe, just maybe--I'd like to think that he sees two people who are wrestling with their fears and insecurities, who hear their own internal censors, whispering Here goes nothing...but plunge forward despite our cowardice and faithlessness and uncertainty. Taking that daily risk despite ourselves.
"DESPITE OURSELVES?" SO, ARE YOU SAYING THAT YOU 'DEFINE YOURSELF' BY YOUR COWARDICE, FAITHLESSNESS, AND UNCERTAINTY?? I HATE TO TELL YOU, LADY, BUT THAT IS A SAD LITTLE LIFE YOU JUST DESCRIBED. I MEAN, I LIVE WITH AND SURVIVE DEPRESSION ON A DAILY BASIS AND MY OUTLOOK ON LIFE IS NOT NEARLY THAT GLOOMY!!
I LIVE MY LIFE CONTENT WHERE I AM ON THE WAY TO THE GREATNESS I AM MEANT TO HAVE! I HAVE GOD IN MY LIFE. IF YOU'RE JUST DEPENDING ON YOURSELF TO GET YOU THROUGH, THEN YOU WILL LIVE IN MISERY THE WAY YOU JUST DESCRIBED YOUR WRITING LIFE. IT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE THE SUCCESS YOU HAVE HAD IS PRETTY EMPTY... OR, YOU WOULDN'T STILL FEEL THE WAY YOU DO DAILY, OR EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU SIT DOWN TO WRITE SOMETHING!
I WONDER IF YOUR PROBLEM IS THAT YOU WRITE TO MAKE MONEY. I WRITE BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT I AM MEANT TO DO. THAT'S MY GIFT. I AM USING IT! GOOD LUCK, DANI SHAPIRO. AS I WAS UNABLE TO COMMENT ON HER BLOG, WHICH YOU CAN FIND BY CLICKING THIS LINK:
http://www.danishapiro.com/blog/2009/09/on-taking-risks.html
I WISH YOU CONTINUED SUCCESS, GOD'S DAILY BLESSINGS, AND FOR JESUS CHRIST TO TOUCH YOUR HEART. YOU APPEAR TO NEED HIM, BADLY. BUT, THAT'S JUST ME...
-Elisa Me
Sunday, September 20, 2009
The Low Down on Depression
Due to unfortunate discovery that this is a subject not nearly discussed enough, I felt obligated to explain to our readers why you should never ask someone who says they are depressed, "Why are you depressed?"
Surviving Depression is like recovering from a heroin addiction. At least, according to this movie I saw Things We Lost in the Fire (2007) starring Benicio Del Torro and Halle Barry. When I watched this movie it was very moving. I've known drug addicts and Thank God I've never been one! Just witnessing the withdrawal process shown in this movie is a horrible experience... Still, it made me realize how closely related the diseases' are to one another.
The last time I hit rock bottom [again] my week ended like this: Thursday I slept over and had to drive my son, Dak (6) to school. I signed him in at 9am...then, Friday I slept over later and got him to school at 10am!! This morning, I slept until nearly Noon... Do we see a pattern here? That's what clinical depressives do. That's also how I found out I was actually going through a "bout" of depression, again.
I saw a commercial asking questions like: "Do you want to close the shades and hide from the world? Do you want to stay at home and not do anything? Do you want to unplug the phone because you don't want to talk to anyone?" I'm sitting there saying, "Yes, yes, yes." Then I thought, "What the crap?" So, I told my wonderful Dr. Scott about it. Needless to say, she raised my Cymbalta dosage by 30mgs and told me to adjust my Wellbutrin prescription. I had been taking it wrong and it was wearing off in the middle of the day! Can you imagine? What a lunkhead.
Anyway, Once the dosage adjustment was made I began to feel better. I still wasn't sleeping right but, what the heck? Something has to suffer in order for something else to get better? Isn't that the natural order of things? Depression is not sadness. It's indescribable for the person living through it. It's not even close to pain...it's just...empty. Like a black hole through the pit of your soul. No one knows where it leads or whence it came. It just is.
I can say that nearing the bottomless well of depression is a slow and tedious process. Climbing out is even harder when the upsetting thing is your own demeaning attitude toward yourself! Did that make sense? It did in my head. I was already upset about not being a "good wife" and not cleaning the house like I used to, I hadn't folded the kids clothes and put them back in their rooms for over a month, I hadn't showered in two days, and I was pretty ashamed to say so.
To this day, I'm still not exercising any of this weight off...then again, I AM the only one complaining about it. My New Year's Resolution was to take after breakfast walks with my children. Well, those didn't exist passed that day! Is it no wonder that I dislike myself? Then, hearing my husband's complaints about the same things I just typed...cleaning, clothes, exercise...just makes the feeling stronger and the self-loathing last longer. It's hard to keep waking up in the morning when you feel this worthless... But I know God Loves me... It's the WHY I can't believe much in, sometimes - or figure out.
Whatever. Who cares, right? That's how manic depressives think themselves into a stupor. I remember crying and driving around one trying night, talking to myself about how lonely I felt living up here in "suburbia." {No offense to anyone.} I actually told myself out loud, "No one wants to move up here with you (meaning up North in KCMO), no one wants to see you, no one wants to talk to you, and you don't have any friends up here because you're a pale, lazy wench that stays inside all day. And you wonder why you're lonely? What a dummy." Yes, we do think those thoughts and yes, we do talk ourselves right back out of it the second the words leave our trembling lips! That's what makes it a mental disorder. LOL!
Back to the movie up top, it dealt with a woman's grief over losing her husband who was a wonderful man, and getting to know his drug addicted Best Friend since childhood. Her grief was obvious but we saw her pain in one tiny scene: she and her two kids were eating breakfast and the kids were playing, teasing each other. The mother [Halle Berry] screamed something like, "Stop it! All I asked you kids for was to eat your breakfast quietly. You little brats!"
That stung... I quickly told my husband, "There! That's what depression is like. My depression is like her grief." What I meant was, I absolutely have that same feeling when I haven't allowed myself to deal with the grief I should have processed Months Ago!! How can I associate my depression with her unprocessed grief? I learned that one in 'Grief Share' a church facilitated and Faith based program for accepting and processing your grief over any type of detrimental loss. Believe it or not, a "loss" can be something as little as the family pet dying to a death in the family. Loss can include a divorce of any length, being fired from the job you've had for so many years, or being laid off in this chaotic time we are in right now. I considered going back through the program, or group sessions again, in order to work through that bout... I never did. Which is really what most of us do; nothing.
Yes, we would rather wait for our current 'episode' to "pass" and not draw any attention to ourselves. Or should I say, any more attention to us, as 9 times out of 10, Someone has noticed Something is wrong. Avoidance is half the battle. Acceptance is the other half. If God can forgive my shortcomings, why can't I forgive myself? That is the eternal question. That, as humans, is on most of our minds in some form, shape, or fashion, at some point and time in our lives. Are we worthy? Am I worthy? He thinks I am. So, why don't I?
-Elisa Me
Surviving Depression is like recovering from a heroin addiction. At least, according to this movie I saw Things We Lost in the Fire (2007) starring Benicio Del Torro and Halle Barry. When I watched this movie it was very moving. I've known drug addicts and Thank God I've never been one! Just witnessing the withdrawal process shown in this movie is a horrible experience... Still, it made me realize how closely related the diseases' are to one another.
The last time I hit rock bottom [again] my week ended like this: Thursday I slept over and had to drive my son, Dak (6) to school. I signed him in at 9am...then, Friday I slept over later and got him to school at 10am!! This morning, I slept until nearly Noon... Do we see a pattern here? That's what clinical depressives do. That's also how I found out I was actually going through a "bout" of depression, again.
I saw a commercial asking questions like: "Do you want to close the shades and hide from the world? Do you want to stay at home and not do anything? Do you want to unplug the phone because you don't want to talk to anyone?" I'm sitting there saying, "Yes, yes, yes." Then I thought, "What the crap?" So, I told my wonderful Dr. Scott about it. Needless to say, she raised my Cymbalta dosage by 30mgs and told me to adjust my Wellbutrin prescription. I had been taking it wrong and it was wearing off in the middle of the day! Can you imagine? What a lunkhead.
Anyway, Once the dosage adjustment was made I began to feel better. I still wasn't sleeping right but, what the heck? Something has to suffer in order for something else to get better? Isn't that the natural order of things? Depression is not sadness. It's indescribable for the person living through it. It's not even close to pain...it's just...empty. Like a black hole through the pit of your soul. No one knows where it leads or whence it came. It just is.
I can say that nearing the bottomless well of depression is a slow and tedious process. Climbing out is even harder when the upsetting thing is your own demeaning attitude toward yourself! Did that make sense? It did in my head. I was already upset about not being a "good wife" and not cleaning the house like I used to, I hadn't folded the kids clothes and put them back in their rooms for over a month, I hadn't showered in two days, and I was pretty ashamed to say so.
To this day, I'm still not exercising any of this weight off...then again, I AM the only one complaining about it. My New Year's Resolution was to take after breakfast walks with my children. Well, those didn't exist passed that day! Is it no wonder that I dislike myself? Then, hearing my husband's complaints about the same things I just typed...cleaning, clothes, exercise...just makes the feeling stronger and the self-loathing last longer. It's hard to keep waking up in the morning when you feel this worthless... But I know God Loves me... It's the WHY I can't believe much in, sometimes - or figure out.
Whatever. Who cares, right? That's how manic depressives think themselves into a stupor. I remember crying and driving around one trying night, talking to myself about how lonely I felt living up here in "suburbia." {No offense to anyone.} I actually told myself out loud, "No one wants to move up here with you (meaning up North in KCMO), no one wants to see you, no one wants to talk to you, and you don't have any friends up here because you're a pale, lazy wench that stays inside all day. And you wonder why you're lonely? What a dummy." Yes, we do think those thoughts and yes, we do talk ourselves right back out of it the second the words leave our trembling lips! That's what makes it a mental disorder. LOL!
Back to the movie up top, it dealt with a woman's grief over losing her husband who was a wonderful man, and getting to know his drug addicted Best Friend since childhood. Her grief was obvious but we saw her pain in one tiny scene: she and her two kids were eating breakfast and the kids were playing, teasing each other. The mother [Halle Berry] screamed something like, "Stop it! All I asked you kids for was to eat your breakfast quietly. You little brats!"
That stung... I quickly told my husband, "There! That's what depression is like. My depression is like her grief." What I meant was, I absolutely have that same feeling when I haven't allowed myself to deal with the grief I should have processed Months Ago!! How can I associate my depression with her unprocessed grief? I learned that one in 'Grief Share' a church facilitated and Faith based program for accepting and processing your grief over any type of detrimental loss. Believe it or not, a "loss" can be something as little as the family pet dying to a death in the family. Loss can include a divorce of any length, being fired from the job you've had for so many years, or being laid off in this chaotic time we are in right now. I considered going back through the program, or group sessions again, in order to work through that bout... I never did. Which is really what most of us do; nothing.
Yes, we would rather wait for our current 'episode' to "pass" and not draw any attention to ourselves. Or should I say, any more attention to us, as 9 times out of 10, Someone has noticed Something is wrong. Avoidance is half the battle. Acceptance is the other half. If God can forgive my shortcomings, why can't I forgive myself? That is the eternal question. That, as humans, is on most of our minds in some form, shape, or fashion, at some point and time in our lives. Are we worthy? Am I worthy? He thinks I am. So, why don't I?
-Elisa Me
Friday, September 11, 2009
Personal Memories of 9/11 of 2001
BE FOREWARNED: IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED TO READ OR ARE EASILY OFFENDED BY THE TRUTH ABOUT REAL EVENTS, FEELINGS, THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS ON THIS DAY, PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS POST.
I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing the Tuesday morning of September 11, 2001. I worked as a Certificate Specialist at the Insurance Company, Cretcher-Lynch with a good friend, Debbie Clark. I recall someone yelling out, turn on the TV! We all looked at each other and made our way to the lunchroom. There, mounted in the upper right corner of our small kitchen and lounge was a 20" television set tuned to the local news. Broadcasting Live coverage of an airplane that hit one of the World Trade Buildings.
We couldn't believe our eyes! It was horrid and fascinating at once. You've heard the saying, "It's like seeing a train wreck," haven't you? It's awful and tragic, but exciting at the same time. You try to look away but you can't stop staring. We were mainly an office of ladies, bosses and assistants, teams, and individuals alike. Our male CEO's entered the room. Noting the solemn and grave expressions we wore, they said nothing and turned their attention to the screen, instead.
There was a fast consensus throughout the office that this was no accident even as the reporters debated the issue. We knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, this was absolutely intentional. How could they even think otherwise? An airplane pilot would not in their lives, mistakenly hit a building like the World Trade Center Towers! Were they mad? Perhaps, just maybe, they were just as dismayed as we were, trying to hang on to reality as we'd known it until that day. Or, the American media machine was finally roused by reality instead of concocting its own brand of scare tactics.
None of us wanted to believe what was happening. But then, it happened again...
Another plane slammed into the second tower right before our eyes! We all gasped in a new wave of horror as we realized that this was all too real. In that moment, a lump caught in my throat. My eyes watered and my breath stopped. The announcement that all flights were "grounded" sent us quickly to the nearest window. The most vivid memory I have of September 11th is of the jet trails in the sky. All aircraft in our country were recalled and fiercely turning in mid-air. We were witness to the fantastic. The largest, civilian national effort of our time played out across American skies! And this was just the beginning.
I can't tell you the rest...it's too much. You have your own memories, haunting visions, and stories to tell. I will finish with this, however. Late into the night, as we watched our own firefighters leave Kansas City to join the rescue efforts in New York at Ground Zero, we cried. Our wedding was scheduled to take place in exactly four days! Our out of town guests were stuck at the airport. The Second Baptist Church in Liberty, Missouri was organizing a support effort and sending volunteers, as were more area churches, to Ground Zero to help the men and women firefighters and their families cope, remain hydrated, and fed.
I received a call from my tailor, who still had alterations to make on my wedding dress. She was stuck in California! Not only did I consider calling off the wedding in wake of the 9-11 tragedy still unfolding, it looked like it may not happen even if we did want to be married in four days. After two days of struggling with that decision, finding out that our out of town guests were arriving safely, and many talks with co-workers and friends alike, Greg left the decision up to me.
I woke up, on Friday, September 14, 2009 hell bent on marrying my man! I thought to myself, this is not right. They can't beat down America like this. I am an American. I was born and raised here, damn it. My parents settled in this country to give us a life worth living, to find happiness and joy in the America Dream. That is exactly what I wanted for us and to share with our guests! Our wedding day turned out to be so much more than a celebration of love, it was a celebration of continued life! The rebirth of a new and promising life as one. The life we knew as Americans, as free citizens, as caring and compassionate, God-fearing Christians and non-believing individuals alike. It didn't matter who was right or wrong, what mattered was that we were going on, moving forward, together.
Believe it or not, my wedding day turned into a beautiful occasion in spite of our nation's tragic events. In light of Tuesday's unsettling news and the weeks' exhaustive, stress-filled hours, I was going to be married that afternoon at 1:00 o'clock. Cutting to the chase and saving you a greater amount of time, our Wedding Reception was just the right "release" after 911. We had a ball. I didn't see a sad face in the place. There wasn't a single person SITTING DOWN at our reception {except Mama, because she was in her wheelchair, so get over it}! A conga line started and EVERYONE was in it! Every single guest in the room was on their feet, dancing...
No one was thinking about the twin towers collapse. We weren't meditating on all the loss, and death, or what the surviving families were going to do without their men and women who went down in those flights. We were allowed to let it all go and enjoy life again. Because in this country and around the world, for that matter, like it or not, life does go on. It will leave you in the dust if you let it. So, I encourage you all today, to begin Living like there's no tomorrow for the sake of the memories you will make Today! Laugh until there's no more tears. Sing like no one's listening! And dance like no one's watching. In the end, it's the laughter, the songs, the friends, the love, and the dance you will remember.
I know you've heard those lines before but have you ever done it? Have you decided yet, to be 100% loyal to yourself, your partner, your friends, and your dreams? Did you take that first step towards your New Year's resolutions in January, like I did? Is your anger and frustration evident on a daily basis at work, home, or school? Are you still trying to find out what you're really good at and what will truly make you happy? I'm not. I already know. How many of us can truly say the same - and mean it? I don't know everything, no one does; but I know me and that makes me happy.
Please remember 911 as the day America took a deep breath, inhaled the evil of this world, and let it OUT in one united, exasperating sigh. Where we all looked the same, covered in ash. When we all grieved for our country's loss and cried, Together. Remember that we survived it together. When we made It Work! I urge you to remember HOW IT WORKED...WITH US WORKING TOGETHER. So, for all those whose lives were affected by September 9, 2001, God's Blessings and Strength Be Yours!
Forever and Always,
-Elisa Me!
I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing the Tuesday morning of September 11, 2001. I worked as a Certificate Specialist at the Insurance Company, Cretcher-Lynch with a good friend, Debbie Clark. I recall someone yelling out, turn on the TV! We all looked at each other and made our way to the lunchroom. There, mounted in the upper right corner of our small kitchen and lounge was a 20" television set tuned to the local news. Broadcasting Live coverage of an airplane that hit one of the World Trade Buildings.
We couldn't believe our eyes! It was horrid and fascinating at once. You've heard the saying, "It's like seeing a train wreck," haven't you? It's awful and tragic, but exciting at the same time. You try to look away but you can't stop staring. We were mainly an office of ladies, bosses and assistants, teams, and individuals alike. Our male CEO's entered the room. Noting the solemn and grave expressions we wore, they said nothing and turned their attention to the screen, instead.
There was a fast consensus throughout the office that this was no accident even as the reporters debated the issue. We knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, this was absolutely intentional. How could they even think otherwise? An airplane pilot would not in their lives, mistakenly hit a building like the World Trade Center Towers! Were they mad? Perhaps, just maybe, they were just as dismayed as we were, trying to hang on to reality as we'd known it until that day. Or, the American media machine was finally roused by reality instead of concocting its own brand of scare tactics.
None of us wanted to believe what was happening. But then, it happened again...
Another plane slammed into the second tower right before our eyes! We all gasped in a new wave of horror as we realized that this was all too real. In that moment, a lump caught in my throat. My eyes watered and my breath stopped. The announcement that all flights were "grounded" sent us quickly to the nearest window. The most vivid memory I have of September 11th is of the jet trails in the sky. All aircraft in our country were recalled and fiercely turning in mid-air. We were witness to the fantastic. The largest, civilian national effort of our time played out across American skies! And this was just the beginning.
I can't tell you the rest...it's too much. You have your own memories, haunting visions, and stories to tell. I will finish with this, however. Late into the night, as we watched our own firefighters leave Kansas City to join the rescue efforts in New York at Ground Zero, we cried. Our wedding was scheduled to take place in exactly four days! Our out of town guests were stuck at the airport. The Second Baptist Church in Liberty, Missouri was organizing a support effort and sending volunteers, as were more area churches, to Ground Zero to help the men and women firefighters and their families cope, remain hydrated, and fed.
I received a call from my tailor, who still had alterations to make on my wedding dress. She was stuck in California! Not only did I consider calling off the wedding in wake of the 9-11 tragedy still unfolding, it looked like it may not happen even if we did want to be married in four days. After two days of struggling with that decision, finding out that our out of town guests were arriving safely, and many talks with co-workers and friends alike, Greg left the decision up to me.
I woke up, on Friday, September 14, 2009 hell bent on marrying my man! I thought to myself, this is not right. They can't beat down America like this. I am an American. I was born and raised here, damn it. My parents settled in this country to give us a life worth living, to find happiness and joy in the America Dream. That is exactly what I wanted for us and to share with our guests! Our wedding day turned out to be so much more than a celebration of love, it was a celebration of continued life! The rebirth of a new and promising life as one. The life we knew as Americans, as free citizens, as caring and compassionate, God-fearing Christians and non-believing individuals alike. It didn't matter who was right or wrong, what mattered was that we were going on, moving forward, together.
Believe it or not, my wedding day turned into a beautiful occasion in spite of our nation's tragic events. In light of Tuesday's unsettling news and the weeks' exhaustive, stress-filled hours, I was going to be married that afternoon at 1:00 o'clock. Cutting to the chase and saving you a greater amount of time, our Wedding Reception was just the right "release" after 911. We had a ball. I didn't see a sad face in the place. There wasn't a single person SITTING DOWN at our reception {except Mama, because she was in her wheelchair, so get over it}! A conga line started and EVERYONE was in it! Every single guest in the room was on their feet, dancing...
No one was thinking about the twin towers collapse. We weren't meditating on all the loss, and death, or what the surviving families were going to do without their men and women who went down in those flights. We were allowed to let it all go and enjoy life again. Because in this country and around the world, for that matter, like it or not, life does go on. It will leave you in the dust if you let it. So, I encourage you all today, to begin Living like there's no tomorrow for the sake of the memories you will make Today! Laugh until there's no more tears. Sing like no one's listening! And dance like no one's watching. In the end, it's the laughter, the songs, the friends, the love, and the dance you will remember.
I know you've heard those lines before but have you ever done it? Have you decided yet, to be 100% loyal to yourself, your partner, your friends, and your dreams? Did you take that first step towards your New Year's resolutions in January, like I did? Is your anger and frustration evident on a daily basis at work, home, or school? Are you still trying to find out what you're really good at and what will truly make you happy? I'm not. I already know. How many of us can truly say the same - and mean it? I don't know everything, no one does; but I know me and that makes me happy.
Please remember 911 as the day America took a deep breath, inhaled the evil of this world, and let it OUT in one united, exasperating sigh. Where we all looked the same, covered in ash. When we all grieved for our country's loss and cried, Together. Remember that we survived it together. When we made It Work! I urge you to remember HOW IT WORKED...WITH US WORKING TOGETHER. So, for all those whose lives were affected by September 9, 2001, God's Blessings and Strength Be Yours!
Forever and Always,
-Elisa Me!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Final Thoughts on The King of Pop!
Friday morning, the Steve Harvey Morning Show re-played their recording of the first ever "live" international radio show interview with Michael Jackson in 2001! MJ said himself that he has never called in to any morning radio program before that day. I wake up every weekday morning to Steve Harvey's Morning Show and the Crew because he starts my days off with some healthy laughter!
For the first time since MJ's death, I finally missed him yesterday. They were paying homage to MJ because they are burying him tomorrow and/or it's his birthday. Whatever the case, it was Great to hear from the man himself! Instead of hearing a journalists point of view, a stiff reporter, or anyone else for that matter.
Michael said he was a "big fan" of Steve Harvey's and that Steve did a skit about the Titanic in The Kings of Comedy that Michael thought was hilarious. Now, I feel bad for not missing or grieving for MJ sooner! Long before his death, I was desensitized to news of MJ for one reason or another. Either it was too trivial, {I believed it was} false, or it no longer interested me. I grieved for Michael Jackson a LONG time ago, when his appearance changed so drastically that I no longer recognized the person I fell in love with -- along with the rest of the nation.
Of course, Steve & the Morning Crew have a way to make you care about anyone he talks about. I love Steve Harvey. It also brought to mind the post Danny Quinn wrote about MJ having dinner with them one evening. Steve, of course, had MJ cracking up on the phone! Hearing Michael's own words, reactions, and laughter brought it all home to me in a way I did not expect. Nor was I prepared to handle. So, I had to share this with whoever wanted to read it.
Michael Jackson was born the seventh of nine children on August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana. That's how I'll remember him. That cute kid up front in the Jackson 5! The skinny guy with the short fro who sang the greatest songs I knew all the words to; That phenomenal entertainer whose videos I could perform its entire routine to in our living room for Mama, EVERY SINGLE TIME it came on TV...that's who I will always see and who I will miss, dearly.
For the record, during the time of PYT, Thriller, Billie Jean, Beat It, etc. was when I personally thought MJ's appearance was both astounding and perfect. And I never really forgave him for being so ashamed of his God given features that he felt the need to go off the deep end with surgical procedures to alter them...but that wasn't him; not really. That was an outward appearance that only served to darken the glow of his inner beauty the rest of the world clung to about him. Now I know. And I will never forget it.
To Read The Article Steve Harvey Referred To Repeatedly, Click Below:
http://www.buttonmonkey.com/misc/maryfischer.html
To Read A Weird Blog About This With Several More Links Throughout The Article:
http://www.slumdance.com/blogs/brian_flemming/archives/000470.html
-emg
Picture is of GQ's Cover Page for the 1994 Article
Friday, August 21, 2009
The Story Behind CO'89s 20th Reunion
First and foremost, check out our Public Photos at these Links:
20th Reunion '89 Meet-n-Greet at Lew's Grill & Bar which we took over @
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2031414&id=1094094218&l=2901f286eb
20th Reunion '89 Family Friendly Picnic at Faulkner's Ranch with LOTS of Amenities they threw in for FREE and we got to have our picnic in the air conditioning @
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2031652&id=1094094218&l=b14c49eede
20th Reunion '89 Adult Dance Event where we partied like it was 1989 @
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2031660&id=1094094218&l=5f7a835573
Now, on with the dirt, I mean, the story...
As I made my way into the city yesterday, I saw the rotating restaurant atop the Hyatt Regency Hotel. I couldn't help thinking, "Is it over? Is that it? Am I really not going to see everyone for another 5 years?"
Fortunately, for me, the majority of the Class of '89 wants and looks forward to our 25th Reunion. More '89ers are migrating to our Class Website and even some from classmates.com are finding their way homes to us. Not only is this detrimental for planning a 25th Reunion, it is necessary to keep track of '89ers and keeping us together for years to come with or without reunions.
Let me explain. There are very few things in life that mean much in the long run. The most prevalent of those are the people we know, the relationships we have, and the lives that undoubtedly change and alter our own. You've heard the question before, "Who will visit you when you're old and gray?" The answer is one of many. your children, your grandchildren, your spouse, immediate family members, extended family, or the people you shared the most important developing years of your entire life with?
Believe me, when it comes time for your life to flash before your eyes, you will remember those faces. You will relive those memories in the century of seconds you have left. Each bated breath will cling to the flutter of reverie crossing your mind. And until you've made peace with your past, you will never be content. Take it from a professional...soul searcher. I've been getting to know me for over half my life and I'm an expert anymore, but I digress.
Getting back to the subject, I had to reconnect with my past in order to heal from it. My days at Southwest High School were my finest and my worst. In both respects, I learned a lot and indeed, came out the better person for it, but at a very high cost. I did not graduate with my Class at Southwest High School in 1989. This is a fact that was not lost on everyone during the planning stages of our 20th Reunion. In fact, many of you would not have known had I not told you. I do realize that letting the proverbial cat out of the bag, so to speak, is opening myself up to criticism - but I would rather that be out in the open than held over my head like a dirty little secret {as it was treated by some}.
Yes, the rumor mill was hard at work to unseat me as the acting President of the 20th Reunion Committee. It just failed! Ha, ha! When you are true to God, true to yourself, and true to those around you, you have no fear. I told a couple of people at the Meet-n-Greet that I was just tired of hiding. I hid so much for so long while at Southwest and after I left, that I was tired of pretending to be happy and decided instead to find true happiness. Asking God's forgiveness, accepting His forgiveness, and eventually {after about 5-9 years or so} forgiving myself was the first step. I have hurt some and have been hurt by some. Realizing we are all in the same boat {as in Class}, I see that we are all only human. We all have our own misgivings and mistakes to atone for, but that's another story altogether.
My next step was to "come clean." Opening up my life, writing about my thoughts and my heart has freed me in a way nothing else ever could. I told them, "My life is an open book now, I have no secrets and that's the way I like it." I do. It suits me well.
Apparently, the real problem was that I had no business being the President of our 20th Reunion Committee because I dropped out in my Junior year at Southwest in March of 1988. Both for selfish and really stupid reasons you couldn't fathom...I have written all about this on my super personal blog, which I have been sworn not to over expose. Instead, to let those who wish to know me on that intimate a level to seek it out for themselves. If you search for something long enough, you will find it. I wanted to clear the air about this because it's up to you, Class of '89. I vowed to step down from my "Presidency" after this reunion because of the hassle and headache, however, my "Dream Team" told me I can't! So, it's up to popular demand now. What say you Class of '89? I only have this to left to say:
I have loved you and will always love you as the people I grew up with and cherish remembering. You will always be a part of me now, especially after this laborious undertaking we called our 20th Reunion. For those of you I love and remember and those of you I met for the first time and grew to love during the course of this dream come true, I love you all the same. So, those of you who don't remember me, now you know why. For those of you who did honestly remember me, I thank you. For those of you who knew this little factoid and said nothing, I thank you, too. If only to have allowed the 20th Reunion Committee to accomplish what I set out to do {single-handed if necessary}, I appreciate your silence and support.
For those of you who mastered the rumor mill and attempted to sabotage the entire reunion, shame on you, but know that you are in my prayers. It's up to you to heal yourselves, no one can help you except God. Not me, nor anyone else in our class or in your lives can help heal your wounds except you. Each one of you has to decide to and accept change in yourselves. I wish you His Love, acceptance, and forgiveness of self. Believe me, forgiving yourself IS the hardest part.
The only disappointing aspect of the entire reunion weekend were those of you who hung onto your old cliques, and you know who you are...hell, we all do! It was laughable, disrespectful, and immature. To the rest of the Class, I congratulate you on becoming well-rounded, open-minded, respectable citizens, and new found friends. For being grown ups in a world that has no tolerance or patience. You have overcome the boundaries of race, sex, and discrimination in your own Class. That is saying a Lot for public school educated individuals! :) Myself included. GAT classes or no.
My eyes tear at the thought, the pictures, and the memories of our '89 class members who embraced one another as long lost friends. For those who photographed each other with people you KNOW you didn't hang out with in high school, I commend you! I can't tell you how happy it made me to see social lines crossed if not diminished entirely. It was ALL Worthwhile to see the love, the respect, and support the Class of '89 has for its members. We have come far, my friends. We have lived, loved, and conquered. I can't tell you how proud THAT makes me. That is the ONLY sliver of pride I felt the entire time. Otherwise, it was an entire Class effort and hats off to you, Southwest High School Class of 1989.
I wish you all the love, all the joy, and all the happiness your heart can hold. Most of all, I wish that your dreams come true the way YOU made Mine come true on August 14th and 15th, 2009. Thank you, all.
May God's Blessings Rain Upon You Forever,
Elisa Mendoza (Gilliland)
President, 20th Reunion Committee
-emg
20th Reunion '89 Meet-n-Greet at Lew's Grill & Bar which we took over @
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2031414&id=1094094218&l=2901f286eb
20th Reunion '89 Family Friendly Picnic at Faulkner's Ranch with LOTS of Amenities they threw in for FREE and we got to have our picnic in the air conditioning @
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2031652&id=1094094218&l=b14c49eede
20th Reunion '89 Adult Dance Event where we partied like it was 1989 @
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2031660&id=1094094218&l=5f7a835573
Now, on with the dirt, I mean, the story...
As I made my way into the city yesterday, I saw the rotating restaurant atop the Hyatt Regency Hotel. I couldn't help thinking, "Is it over? Is that it? Am I really not going to see everyone for another 5 years?"
Fortunately, for me, the majority of the Class of '89 wants and looks forward to our 25th Reunion. More '89ers are migrating to our Class Website and even some from classmates.com are finding their way homes to us. Not only is this detrimental for planning a 25th Reunion, it is necessary to keep track of '89ers and keeping us together for years to come with or without reunions.
Let me explain. There are very few things in life that mean much in the long run. The most prevalent of those are the people we know, the relationships we have, and the lives that undoubtedly change and alter our own. You've heard the question before, "Who will visit you when you're old and gray?" The answer is one of many. your children, your grandchildren, your spouse, immediate family members, extended family, or the people you shared the most important developing years of your entire life with?
Believe me, when it comes time for your life to flash before your eyes, you will remember those faces. You will relive those memories in the century of seconds you have left. Each bated breath will cling to the flutter of reverie crossing your mind. And until you've made peace with your past, you will never be content. Take it from a professional...soul searcher. I've been getting to know me for over half my life and I'm an expert anymore, but I digress.
Getting back to the subject, I had to reconnect with my past in order to heal from it. My days at Southwest High School were my finest and my worst. In both respects, I learned a lot and indeed, came out the better person for it, but at a very high cost. I did not graduate with my Class at Southwest High School in 1989. This is a fact that was not lost on everyone during the planning stages of our 20th Reunion. In fact, many of you would not have known had I not told you. I do realize that letting the proverbial cat out of the bag, so to speak, is opening myself up to criticism - but I would rather that be out in the open than held over my head like a dirty little secret {as it was treated by some}.
Yes, the rumor mill was hard at work to unseat me as the acting President of the 20th Reunion Committee. It just failed! Ha, ha! When you are true to God, true to yourself, and true to those around you, you have no fear. I told a couple of people at the Meet-n-Greet that I was just tired of hiding. I hid so much for so long while at Southwest and after I left, that I was tired of pretending to be happy and decided instead to find true happiness. Asking God's forgiveness, accepting His forgiveness, and eventually {after about 5-9 years or so} forgiving myself was the first step. I have hurt some and have been hurt by some. Realizing we are all in the same boat {as in Class}, I see that we are all only human. We all have our own misgivings and mistakes to atone for, but that's another story altogether.
My next step was to "come clean." Opening up my life, writing about my thoughts and my heart has freed me in a way nothing else ever could. I told them, "My life is an open book now, I have no secrets and that's the way I like it." I do. It suits me well.
Apparently, the real problem was that I had no business being the President of our 20th Reunion Committee because I dropped out in my Junior year at Southwest in March of 1988. Both for selfish and really stupid reasons you couldn't fathom...I have written all about this on my super personal blog, which I have been sworn not to over expose. Instead, to let those who wish to know me on that intimate a level to seek it out for themselves. If you search for something long enough, you will find it. I wanted to clear the air about this because it's up to you, Class of '89. I vowed to step down from my "Presidency" after this reunion because of the hassle and headache, however, my "Dream Team" told me I can't! So, it's up to popular demand now. What say you Class of '89? I only have this to left to say:
I have loved you and will always love you as the people I grew up with and cherish remembering. You will always be a part of me now, especially after this laborious undertaking we called our 20th Reunion. For those of you I love and remember and those of you I met for the first time and grew to love during the course of this dream come true, I love you all the same. So, those of you who don't remember me, now you know why. For those of you who did honestly remember me, I thank you. For those of you who knew this little factoid and said nothing, I thank you, too. If only to have allowed the 20th Reunion Committee to accomplish what I set out to do {single-handed if necessary}, I appreciate your silence and support.
For those of you who mastered the rumor mill and attempted to sabotage the entire reunion, shame on you, but know that you are in my prayers. It's up to you to heal yourselves, no one can help you except God. Not me, nor anyone else in our class or in your lives can help heal your wounds except you. Each one of you has to decide to and accept change in yourselves. I wish you His Love, acceptance, and forgiveness of self. Believe me, forgiving yourself IS the hardest part.
The only disappointing aspect of the entire reunion weekend were those of you who hung onto your old cliques, and you know who you are...hell, we all do! It was laughable, disrespectful, and immature. To the rest of the Class, I congratulate you on becoming well-rounded, open-minded, respectable citizens, and new found friends. For being grown ups in a world that has no tolerance or patience. You have overcome the boundaries of race, sex, and discrimination in your own Class. That is saying a Lot for public school educated individuals! :) Myself included. GAT classes or no.
My eyes tear at the thought, the pictures, and the memories of our '89 class members who embraced one another as long lost friends. For those who photographed each other with people you KNOW you didn't hang out with in high school, I commend you! I can't tell you how happy it made me to see social lines crossed if not diminished entirely. It was ALL Worthwhile to see the love, the respect, and support the Class of '89 has for its members. We have come far, my friends. We have lived, loved, and conquered. I can't tell you how proud THAT makes me. That is the ONLY sliver of pride I felt the entire time. Otherwise, it was an entire Class effort and hats off to you, Southwest High School Class of 1989.
I wish you all the love, all the joy, and all the happiness your heart can hold. Most of all, I wish that your dreams come true the way YOU made Mine come true on August 14th and 15th, 2009. Thank you, all.
May God's Blessings Rain Upon You Forever,
Elisa Mendoza (Gilliland)
President, 20th Reunion Committee
-emg
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Sci-Fi Scenes & Snippets
EXCERPT: Prey of Light - Battle Winsor Reveal Scene 2009
Her thin brown hair hung loose now, brushing her shoulders in a lush cascade, unlike the tight bun she wore earlier. She stood very still and silent, except for the rise and fall of her breasts. Her eyes were closed as if listening to some distant voice. Across from her, Battle watched, waiting. He had no idea why or what he waited for except that her beauty entranced him.
He made sure not to distract her with any movement. One by one, the strands of her hair began to defy gravity. Her hair hovered above her shoulders in a halo of opaque tranquility. She looked as if she was immersed in water. He began to feel and smell an electrical charge. The hairs on his forearms stood on end. That’s some kind of static.
Battle heard the wind outside the institute barreling into the building like waves against the seashore. Is that in my head or my ears? Suddenly, he heard another sound beside the wind. Was that a whimper, a moan, a laugh? What the hell? Battle’s vision began to blur, the lamplight dimmed between them and she soon became nothing more than a silhouette against a smoky background.
His mind went blank along with his vision. He was aware that he should not witness whatever this was but he stayed his position. Battle, surrounded by the mist, heard a low hum that grew louder. Slowly, the fog around him lifted. Beyond her, shrouded in the mist she projected, Battle could see a beam of light. Then another, and another, crossing one another, forming a box of some kind. A rectangle; a coffin!
Battle Winsor was no longer in the hallway of the institute in Anchorage, Alaska. Or was he? He wasn’t sure anymore but he was sure that his mind and his eyes had to be playing tricks on him. Yet he smelled moist earth and his nostrils stung from the cold. It must be the bourbon.
The beams became clearer and changed shape. Still a misty picture around the edges, Battle didn’t recognize a thing, save for the triangular shape the beams made anew. Inside the pyramid of light lie the black coffin made of a material Battle didn’t recognize. Wait, the lab techs were looking at something black and tin… Remembering the thin objects their bunk mates, that fancy research team, had and kept hidden from them when he and Ronny arrived.
Lying at the center of the strange black coffin was a wild red rose. It was fresh cut with all its thorns. Battle could even make out tiny drops of dew on its petals. Why wild, why the thorns?
“It’ll be dead in a day or two.” He said aloud and felt the room tumble around him. He toppled into the door frame and heard a woman scream somewhere near him.
Holy shit! Battle took a step back. He blinked and found her glaring at him. Her eyes reflected a strange orange glow, apparently cast by the lamplight.
Her eyes narrowed immediately, adjusting to the florescent light in the corridor. She charged him. Battle braced himself and stood his ground. Her hands spread out like claws and she reached for his throat. He caught her wrists, holding her at arm’s length.
“Look lady, I’m sorry to intrude on your private party here, but you were in my way.” Battle noticed the flickering lights around them. They were back in the hallway, just outside of he and Ronny’s room.
“What did you see? Tell me!” The orange reflection was gone from her eyes and she seemed different, somehow. She did not look exactly like she had when they’d met just this afternoon. The brown of her eyes, the red of her lips, the texture of her brown skin? Something in her physical appearance had changed. Battle wanted to know what and why.
Her thin brown hair hung loose now, brushing her shoulders in a lush cascade, unlike the tight bun she wore earlier. She stood very still and silent, except for the rise and fall of her breasts. Her eyes were closed as if listening to some distant voice. Across from her, Battle watched, waiting. He had no idea why or what he waited for except that her beauty entranced him.
He made sure not to distract her with any movement. One by one, the strands of her hair began to defy gravity. Her hair hovered above her shoulders in a halo of opaque tranquility. She looked as if she was immersed in water. He began to feel and smell an electrical charge. The hairs on his forearms stood on end. That’s some kind of static.
Battle heard the wind outside the institute barreling into the building like waves against the seashore. Is that in my head or my ears? Suddenly, he heard another sound beside the wind. Was that a whimper, a moan, a laugh? What the hell? Battle’s vision began to blur, the lamplight dimmed between them and she soon became nothing more than a silhouette against a smoky background.
His mind went blank along with his vision. He was aware that he should not witness whatever this was but he stayed his position. Battle, surrounded by the mist, heard a low hum that grew louder. Slowly, the fog around him lifted. Beyond her, shrouded in the mist she projected, Battle could see a beam of light. Then another, and another, crossing one another, forming a box of some kind. A rectangle; a coffin!
Battle Winsor was no longer in the hallway of the institute in Anchorage, Alaska. Or was he? He wasn’t sure anymore but he was sure that his mind and his eyes had to be playing tricks on him. Yet he smelled moist earth and his nostrils stung from the cold. It must be the bourbon.
The beams became clearer and changed shape. Still a misty picture around the edges, Battle didn’t recognize a thing, save for the triangular shape the beams made anew. Inside the pyramid of light lie the black coffin made of a material Battle didn’t recognize. Wait, the lab techs were looking at something black and tin… Remembering the thin objects their bunk mates, that fancy research team, had and kept hidden from them when he and Ronny arrived.
Lying at the center of the strange black coffin was a wild red rose. It was fresh cut with all its thorns. Battle could even make out tiny drops of dew on its petals. Why wild, why the thorns?
“It’ll be dead in a day or two.” He said aloud and felt the room tumble around him. He toppled into the door frame and heard a woman scream somewhere near him.
Holy shit! Battle took a step back. He blinked and found her glaring at him. Her eyes reflected a strange orange glow, apparently cast by the lamplight.
Her eyes narrowed immediately, adjusting to the florescent light in the corridor. She charged him. Battle braced himself and stood his ground. Her hands spread out like claws and she reached for his throat. He caught her wrists, holding her at arm’s length.
“Look lady, I’m sorry to intrude on your private party here, but you were in my way.” Battle noticed the flickering lights around them. They were back in the hallway, just outside of he and Ronny’s room.
“What did you see? Tell me!” The orange reflection was gone from her eyes and she seemed different, somehow. She did not look exactly like she had when they’d met just this afternoon. The brown of her eyes, the red of her lips, the texture of her brown skin? Something in her physical appearance had changed. Battle wanted to know what and why.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Class of 1989s 20th Reunion in ONE WEEK!
It's time to dust off those dancing shoes, ya'll. We are going to party like it's 1989! Come to the Adult Event dressed up, but comfortable. No jeans, no T-shirts, please. That's the ONLY rule! The Final say is:
Dearest Alumni FINAL DATE for Registration Payment is AUGUST 10, 2009 or CALL ROBYN YOUNG to Arrange Cash Payments in Town @ 816-509-1079 or Elisa Mendoza @ 816-716-5141
THE QUOTED PRICES BELOW ARE FINAL and we are asking for PAYMENT for all events available for participation as soon as possible to meet venue payment and head count deadlines.
Thanks to those of You who Have SUBMITTED YOUR ORDERS. The PRICES, LOCATIONS, and ACTIVITIES Available for each event are LISTED HERE:
$0 Each Person is Responsible for the Cost of their own Drinks and Meals for the Meet-n-Greet which will take place @ Lew's Grill & Bar, 7539 Wornall Road, KCMO 64114, 816-444-8080, FROM 7 PM UNTIL, http://www.lewsgrillandbar.com, an Intimate Atmosphere, familiar scenery, great food and drinks, AND YOUR CLASSMATES;
$21 Per Person INCLUDING $21 PER CHILD Over Two Years of age for the Family Picnic @ Faulkner's Ranch, 10600 Raytown Road, KCMO 64134, 816-761-5055, PROMPTLY FROM 12 PM TO 4 PM, http://faulknersranch/FAULKNERSRANCH, Activities Available will be a Great Playground directly next us, Volleyball Net, Horseshoe Toss, and Pond with walking trail close to the Picnic Pavilion and;
$55 Per Person for the 20th Reunion Adult Event to be held @ The Hyatt Regency Crown Center, 2345 McGee Street, KCMO 64108, 1-816-421-1234, FROM 9 PM TO 1 AM, Activities Available will be Memorabilia Table, Live DJ with 80s to Now music mix, {still working on} Karaoke, Possible Portraits on Site, Food Buffet Style Setup, http://crowncenter.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.
PLEASE REGISTER & MAKE PAYMENTS NOW!! Payments made for the SW Class of '89 will go directly to the SW Class of '89 Bank Account with UMB via PayPal, so when you Register and Order you will end your transaction on PayPal's Website. You will see your purchase order, charges, and be given the option to print your receipt. In addition, you will receive an email of your transaction receipt from PayPal, listing SW Class of '89 as the payee! If you have any problems with your order PLEASE DO NOT REGISTER TWICE! Call Elisa Mendoza @ 816-716-5141 for technical support.
If you are uncomfortable paying Online, you may Still DROP OFF YOUR PAYMENTS BY PERSONAL CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO your 20th Reunion Committee Treasurer, Robyn Young as follows; please MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE to: SW Class of '89
SW Class of '89
4922 E. 41st Street
Kansas City, MO 64130
Please CALL ROBYN YOUNG @ 816-509-1079 or me, Elisa Mendoza @ 816-716-5141 ASAP!
Registration Fees are Non-Refundable but WILL go towards future event planning. This is the only way we can Guarantee Our CLASS of '89 will CONTINUE CREATING Future Events for US All. I apologize for any inconvenience and confusion this has caused until now. Hey, whatta ya know, we got our crap together!
Thank you, Elisa
President, 20th Reunion Committee
Dearest Alumni FINAL DATE for Registration Payment is AUGUST 10, 2009 or CALL ROBYN YOUNG to Arrange Cash Payments in Town @ 816-509-1079 or Elisa Mendoza @ 816-716-5141
THE QUOTED PRICES BELOW ARE FINAL and we are asking for PAYMENT for all events available for participation as soon as possible to meet venue payment and head count deadlines.
Thanks to those of You who Have SUBMITTED YOUR ORDERS. The PRICES, LOCATIONS, and ACTIVITIES Available for each event are LISTED HERE:
$0 Each Person is Responsible for the Cost of their own Drinks and Meals for the Meet-n-Greet which will take place @ Lew's Grill & Bar, 7539 Wornall Road, KCMO 64114, 816-444-8080, FROM 7 PM UNTIL, http://www.lewsgrillandbar.com, an Intimate Atmosphere, familiar scenery, great food and drinks, AND YOUR CLASSMATES;
$21 Per Person INCLUDING $21 PER CHILD Over Two Years of age for the Family Picnic @ Faulkner's Ranch, 10600 Raytown Road, KCMO 64134, 816-761-5055, PROMPTLY FROM 12 PM TO 4 PM, http://faulknersranch/FAULKNERSRANCH, Activities Available will be a Great Playground directly next us, Volleyball Net, Horseshoe Toss, and Pond with walking trail close to the Picnic Pavilion and;
$55 Per Person for the 20th Reunion Adult Event to be held @ The Hyatt Regency Crown Center, 2345 McGee Street, KCMO 64108, 1-816-421-1234, FROM 9 PM TO 1 AM, Activities Available will be Memorabilia Table, Live DJ with 80s to Now music mix, {still working on} Karaoke, Possible Portraits on Site, Food Buffet Style Setup, http://crowncenter.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.
PLEASE REGISTER & MAKE PAYMENTS NOW!! Payments made for the SW Class of '89 will go directly to the SW Class of '89 Bank Account with UMB via PayPal, so when you Register and Order you will end your transaction on PayPal's Website. You will see your purchase order, charges, and be given the option to print your receipt. In addition, you will receive an email of your transaction receipt from PayPal, listing SW Class of '89 as the payee! If you have any problems with your order PLEASE DO NOT REGISTER TWICE! Call Elisa Mendoza @ 816-716-5141 for technical support.
If you are uncomfortable paying Online, you may Still DROP OFF YOUR PAYMENTS BY PERSONAL CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO your 20th Reunion Committee Treasurer, Robyn Young as follows; please MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE to: SW Class of '89
SW Class of '89
4922 E. 41st Street
Kansas City, MO 64130
Please CALL ROBYN YOUNG @ 816-509-1079 or me, Elisa Mendoza @ 816-716-5141 ASAP!
Registration Fees are Non-Refundable but WILL go towards future event planning. This is the only way we can Guarantee Our CLASS of '89 will CONTINUE CREATING Future Events for US All. I apologize for any inconvenience and confusion this has caused until now. Hey, whatta ya know, we got our crap together!
Thank you, Elisa
President, 20th Reunion Committee
Friday, June 26, 2009
Don't Believe The Hype
The United States of America is founded on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, One Nation, Under God, Indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for All. If this is so true, why do we twist the words of our leaders?
During the press availability, Obama stated:
"I think that where -- where there's the most promise of building stronger U.S.-Turkish relations is in the recognition that Turkey and the United States can build a model partnership in which a predominantly Christian nation and a predominantly Muslim nation, a Western nation and a nation that straddles two continents -- that we can create a modern international community that is respectful, that is secure, that is prosperous; that there are not tensions, inevitable tensions, between cultures, which I think is extraordinarily important.
That's something that's very important to me. And I've said before that one of the great strengths of the United States is -- although as I mentioned, we have a very large Christian population, we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation; we consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values.
I think Turkey was -- modern Turkey was founded with a similar set of principles, and yet what we're seeing is in both countries that promise of a secular country that is respectful of religious freedom, respectful of rule of law, respectful of freedom, upholding these values and being willing to stand up for them in the international stage. If we are joined together in delivering that message, East and West, to -- to the world, then I think that we can have an extraordinary impact. And I'm very much looking forward to that partnership in the days to come."
There is so much sadness in the world without us having to "read into" everything. Sometimes, occasionally, it is okay to take some people and the things they say at face value. There are good people in the world, we need to remember our core values in the American Dream and stand United as a people, as in our past...Once upon a time...
-E
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Why Save This For Christmas?
I don't think I could save this for Christmas! That's a whole half-year away. Here's a great clip that's just under 5 minutes long. Achmed was around a lot longer than our current terrorist woes, however, so remember - this is ALL in Fun. Have a good laugh.
AND HERE'S ONE FOR NEW YEAR'S, TOO! JEFF DUNHAM ON THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO:
This clip is a bit over the five minute mark but features Jeff with Walter & Achmed.
Okay, I'm done publishing JD and his slew of puppets...for now...because laughter is the best medicine for every ailment on the planet. Except one that hurts when you laugh...hm.
-E
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Jeff Dunham and Achmed the Terrorist!
I just LOVE this guy and Achmed! All his puppets are fantastic. I just found a slew of clips with him & his puppets on YouTube, so I'm including a short three minute clip here. Enjoy!
For a LONGER Version (10:47 mins) of this clip, watch it on YouTube @:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psvL2eYQ7YM
For a LONGER Version (10:47 mins) of this clip, watch it on YouTube @:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psvL2eYQ7YM
Friday, April 24, 2009
Single Parents - I tried...
You are the beauty, the struggle and strife
The only exception to a man and his wife
Your worth is invaluable,
Your treasures unnumbered
The nation is blind to your sacrifice...
*deep sigh*
Okay, so, I've never been a single parent but my sister has. I know several friends who still are and have always been both parents to their strong, outspoken children. The people I know from single parent households are among the most educated, mature, expressive, artistic, humble, creative, resilient, and resourceful I have ever had the pleasure to know.
If anyone in our reading audience has anything to add, submit, or comment on the subject of single parent families, we welcome your contribution. Obviously, I neither have the knowledge or the qualifications to interpret the single family paradox. Therefore, with the utmost respect I will conclude this message with one of my own. The single parent families I have had the privilege to meet have some of the closest family relationships I have ever known. The strength of their bonds both nurture and exceed those of many two-parent families'. I salute you.
May God Bless America & Keep the Dream Alive,
emg
The only exception to a man and his wife
Your worth is invaluable,
Your treasures unnumbered
The nation is blind to your sacrifice...
*deep sigh*
Okay, so, I've never been a single parent but my sister has. I know several friends who still are and have always been both parents to their strong, outspoken children. The people I know from single parent households are among the most educated, mature, expressive, artistic, humble, creative, resilient, and resourceful I have ever had the pleasure to know.
If anyone in our reading audience has anything to add, submit, or comment on the subject of single parent families, we welcome your contribution. Obviously, I neither have the knowledge or the qualifications to interpret the single family paradox. Therefore, with the utmost respect I will conclude this message with one of my own. The single parent families I have had the privilege to meet have some of the closest family relationships I have ever known. The strength of their bonds both nurture and exceed those of many two-parent families'. I salute you.
May God Bless America & Keep the Dream Alive,
emg
Friday, April 3, 2009
My Ode to SAHMs
April Fool has come and gone
And so the new year marches on
From dawn to dusk our days are full
From runny noses to boo boo bums
We wipe and swipe and then it comes
The school bus is here! and that's no bull
There go your oldest, first out the gate
The little one ain't dressed and you're going to be late
Now settle in for the ride of your life...
As we pile in the van with our lunches in hand
To race Father Time and his hefty demands
Taunting us with such struggles and strife
Like John McClain, you think this can stop us?
The mothers who live night and day with this bunch?
No way! Nothing intimidates a true go-getter
Even then, my dear friend, we SAHMs can resist
The awful temptations of sweet happiness
And promises that, "it will get better..."
The older they get, the faster they run
So, look out grandma, here they come!
The children we greatly adore
We ARE supermom, superwoman, and all
What we get in return is the blame of their fall
Are you kidding? That's What We LIVE FOR!
*************************************************************************************
If I had taken more time, to think of my rhymes, this sorry excuse for a poem would be much better. Of course, the last verse refers to the 'Mother's Curse' of having kids "Just Like You." However, being a Stay-At-Home-Mama does have its perks. The memories, the laughter, the exercise! Just to name a few.
This was my way of saying, "Happy SAHMs Day" wherever and whenever you are! The Twisted Muse proudly salutes Stay-At-Home-Moms! Be strong, Momma, we got yo back!
-emg
And so the new year marches on
From dawn to dusk our days are full
From runny noses to boo boo bums
We wipe and swipe and then it comes
The school bus is here! and that's no bull
There go your oldest, first out the gate
The little one ain't dressed and you're going to be late
Now settle in for the ride of your life...
As we pile in the van with our lunches in hand
To race Father Time and his hefty demands
Taunting us with such struggles and strife
Like John McClain, you think this can stop us?
The mothers who live night and day with this bunch?
No way! Nothing intimidates a true go-getter
Even then, my dear friend, we SAHMs can resist
The awful temptations of sweet happiness
And promises that, "it will get better..."
The older they get, the faster they run
So, look out grandma, here they come!
The children we greatly adore
We ARE supermom, superwoman, and all
What we get in return is the blame of their fall
Are you kidding? That's What We LIVE FOR!
*************************************************************************************
If I had taken more time, to think of my rhymes, this sorry excuse for a poem would be much better. Of course, the last verse refers to the 'Mother's Curse' of having kids "Just Like You." However, being a Stay-At-Home-Mama does have its perks. The memories, the laughter, the exercise! Just to name a few.
This was my way of saying, "Happy SAHMs Day" wherever and whenever you are! The Twisted Muse proudly salutes Stay-At-Home-Moms! Be strong, Momma, we got yo back!
-emg
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Emergency Fundraising Announcement
ANNOUNCEMENT From SWCLASSOF89.ORG Website
The SW CLASS OF '89 Fundraiser is here! Support your Class Reunion by referring your friends and families to http://www.classiccookie.com where they can help us get Registration Costs way down!
Classic Cookie offers Ready-to-Bake Cookie Dough - DUE DATE for Orders & Money is APRIL 10, 2009! Please help us pay for our 20th Reunion and refer your co-workers, neighbors, family and friends to the web site http://classiccookie.com
For out of town relatives, friends, alumni, and supporters of Southwest High School, SHOP ONLINE And be sure to ENTER COUPON CODE: SW1989 AT Checkout! That's "SW1989" when you checkout of http://www.classiccookie.com
THIS IS A PRE-PAID SALE. ALL MONEY IS TO BE COLLECTED WITH ORDERs, please.
For those of us in KCMO who are doing in-person selling, you may accept checks for cookie dough orders. Please MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO:
SW CLASS OF '89
The Southwest High School Class of 1989 20th Reunion Committee would like to Thank You for Your Support!
emg
The SW CLASS OF '89 Fundraiser is here! Support your Class Reunion by referring your friends and families to http://www.classiccookie.com where they can help us get Registration Costs way down!
Classic Cookie offers Ready-to-Bake Cookie Dough - DUE DATE for Orders & Money is APRIL 10, 2009! Please help us pay for our 20th Reunion and refer your co-workers, neighbors, family and friends to the web site http://classiccookie.com
For out of town relatives, friends, alumni, and supporters of Southwest High School, SHOP ONLINE And be sure to ENTER COUPON CODE: SW1989 AT Checkout! That's "SW1989" when you checkout of http://www.classiccookie.com
THIS IS A PRE-PAID SALE. ALL MONEY IS TO BE COLLECTED WITH ORDERs, please.
For those of us in KCMO who are doing in-person selling, you may accept checks for cookie dough orders. Please MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO:
SW CLASS OF '89
The Southwest High School Class of 1989 20th Reunion Committee would like to Thank You for Your Support!
emg
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Why Don't We ALL Love Like Dogs?
Not live like dogs, Love like Dogs! It angers me to still see our beloved animals left out in the cold weather this March. In Kansas City, Missouri, the weather is less than ideal. We never know what to expect with each coming day around here so we are pretty much left with our own judgment. Why isn't our best judgment loving toward our beloved furry friends?
In these days of up and down temperatures, it amazes me how inconsistent we are as responsible animal owners! I drive my daughter to school every morning from Monday through Thursday. In the ten minutes it takes me to do so, I see at least five or more animals outside in the 20-degree weather! I am an avid animal Lover & Enthusiast. Be that as it may, I do let my miniature schnauzer outside to do his business and Promptly let him back inside. If it takes him two minutes or 20 minutes, I'm there to let him in.
It sours my heart to see animals, large and small, tied outside in this hostile weather. I know you work, I know you get kids to school, I know you have errands to run and things to do, but if you can't spare five to 20 minutes to care for the simple basics of your animals needs, then you shouldn't have gotten one in the first place. In fact, you need to start searching for a new and responsible home for your animal right now. If you lack the time to feed, brush, groom, bathe, clothe-is optional, walk, and play with your animal on a regular basis then you absolutely have no business owning an animal.
I know because I do all these things and still care for my animals, sometimes better than I care for myself. That's what unconditional LOVE is, people. A lot more often than not, we all could take a lesson from Fido! Especially in regard to "LOVING thy neighbor as thyself."
Ownership is an ugly word to me with regard to another living thing. Be it human or canine, feline or otherwise, ownership doesn't compute in my head when it applies to my pets. They can FEEL, they do REMEMBER, and they do LOVE, OBEY, HONOR, and CHERISH their human counterparts until death do us part. Dogs do it better than we do, hands down! Always have, unfortunately, always will.
Dogs are like 2-year-old children their ENTIRE Lives! That means, no matter how "old" your dog gets, he may be the equivalent of 74 in dog years but that doesn't mean his mentality is that of a human 74-year-old. His mind is still only 2-yrs-old! Period. He still looks at you for his every need: he needs love, attention, play time, guidance, discipline, food, cleanliness, water, the outdoors, exercise, and a warm bed to sleep in just like your human children, and yourself for that matter.
Let me ask you something, would you tie out your 2-year-old child outside to go potty in our 18-degree morning weather for one whole hour or eight hours while you're gone to work? Hell NO! Although we may want to from time to time, as frustrated parents, we would never really Do that. Unless we wanted to spend some time in jail for the free meals and cable, only to never see our children again, right? (That's a whole other discussion entirely.) No, again?
OK, so why do we so easily do this to our dogs? It kills me to see cats slinking around out there all the time, too. I'm not saying every cat has to be held hostage inside someone's house and de-clawed, etc. I mean let's have a heart and how about a little more COMMON SENSE, shall we? You stay outside all night without a coat and only the clothes on your back as the temperature plummets from 30-5 degrees in an hour or less. You fend for yourself outside awhile and see how you like it. Then maybe you'll have some empathy for your four-legged friends. If you don't, you have no business owning a pet of any kind.
Now, don't get me wrong, I am NOT PERFECT. I have made mistakes with my animals in the past. Especially as a confused teenager who didn't have time to worry over a dog. Yet, I have LEARNED How to Do It RIGHT. How to be Loving and Responsible to my dog-dogs and better for it in other areas of my life and relationships with friends & family! But this CAN BE Taught. Loving an animal takes time, patience, and the willingness to CHANGE Yourself on behalf of anothers' needs. Putting those needs before yours sometimes is a deciding factor of Love itself. Again, much like the love of a child.
I don't understand how, even in this economy, people continue to let their dogs starve to death rather than feeding them table scraps at the VERY LEAST (even though I do not recommend table scraps as a substitute for dog food ever), but in order to keep them fed until you CAN buy them dog food. You're feeding your two-year-old child aren't you? I am sticking to this analogy because my pets are Absolute Members of My Family Unit. I don't forget my dog in any decision I make for my family.
Let me tell you a little story. When we had the opportunity to buy into a Great Deal for resort vacations...the ultimate deciding factor for me was this: they did not allow dogs. That was what stopped me. That's ALL that stopped me. If we did not have LOVING Relatives willing to watch my dog while we were on vacation for 7-10 days, I Would NOT GO ON VACATION. No kidding. I would send my family, or stay home with one of my kids and my dog, send the other kid with my husband, that way we would take separate vacations if need be. We are a "pack" in my dogs eyes, and in mine as well. I am ever conscious of this fact and of his mentality as a perpetual "2-yr-old child" (dog). The unconditional love of a dog is what mine have taught me.
I of course, am not the only exception. I know several animal lovers who feel the same way about their own pets. Believe me, we are a Nation of animal lovers. We may occasionally disagree on what is right and what is wrong in the way of breeding, raising, or feeding our animals, but we do share the love, hard work and pure effort and responsibility necessary to handle, treat, and nourish our beloved animal family members.
If you cannot identify with the above paragraphs then I beg you please, PLEASE do NOT Buy A Dog - or a living breathing pet. I don't care how spoiled you want your child or how loud she cries and begs! Get an electronic 'pet' for your child instead! You can change their battery after you let them starve and die, then start all over again. This is NOT AN OPTION with a Real LIVE Animal.
I do not MEAN to preach and I will climb down off my soap box in a moment or two. I just wanted to speak out for the animals who so often lack the voice of their owners and "masters" to speak up on their behalf. I wanted to speak also for the caring neighbors of these animals who are ignored, mistreated, forgotten, and literally tortured in our society. I raise my glass and my prayers to God on behalf of ANY and EVERYONE who turns negligent animal owners in to Animal Control or the authorities. Not for "absent minded" mistakes but for actual, obvious neglect in our hearts eye.
We need to police ourselves, our neighbors, and our communities behavior - like it used to be. So many things have changed in our society, we can no longer afford to be absent in our own and each others daily lives...this is a much broader subject and hopefully, we can cover it much further in another post or perhaps a printed edition of the Twisted Muse. Don't wait for "someone" to call the police, that "someone" could be YOU everyone else is waiting for to act first.
For now, thank you for reading. Please spread these words to other animal lovers, potential pet owners, and neglectful owners alike. We can always learn a new fact, a new word, and give a new lesson to Someone who needs it. Always. No matter what you do in life, this is our Collective Legacy as Human Beings: passing on our greatest traits, life lessons, love and hope in humanity to our children and to their childrens' children as well. Guiding someone to a new path is legend.
The Love of a Dog is the ABSOLUTE EXAMPLE of God and His UNCONDITIONAL LOVE for Us as HIS Children. God Bless All Our Readers, Contributors, Thinkers, Word Pieces, Pet Enemies, and those who Disagree with us alike. Amen
emg
In these days of up and down temperatures, it amazes me how inconsistent we are as responsible animal owners! I drive my daughter to school every morning from Monday through Thursday. In the ten minutes it takes me to do so, I see at least five or more animals outside in the 20-degree weather! I am an avid animal Lover & Enthusiast. Be that as it may, I do let my miniature schnauzer outside to do his business and Promptly let him back inside. If it takes him two minutes or 20 minutes, I'm there to let him in.
It sours my heart to see animals, large and small, tied outside in this hostile weather. I know you work, I know you get kids to school, I know you have errands to run and things to do, but if you can't spare five to 20 minutes to care for the simple basics of your animals needs, then you shouldn't have gotten one in the first place. In fact, you need to start searching for a new and responsible home for your animal right now. If you lack the time to feed, brush, groom, bathe, clothe-is optional, walk, and play with your animal on a regular basis then you absolutely have no business owning an animal.
I know because I do all these things and still care for my animals, sometimes better than I care for myself. That's what unconditional LOVE is, people. A lot more often than not, we all could take a lesson from Fido! Especially in regard to "LOVING thy neighbor as thyself."
Ownership is an ugly word to me with regard to another living thing. Be it human or canine, feline or otherwise, ownership doesn't compute in my head when it applies to my pets. They can FEEL, they do REMEMBER, and they do LOVE, OBEY, HONOR, and CHERISH their human counterparts until death do us part. Dogs do it better than we do, hands down! Always have, unfortunately, always will.
Dogs are like 2-year-old children their ENTIRE Lives! That means, no matter how "old" your dog gets, he may be the equivalent of 74 in dog years but that doesn't mean his mentality is that of a human 74-year-old. His mind is still only 2-yrs-old! Period. He still looks at you for his every need: he needs love, attention, play time, guidance, discipline, food, cleanliness, water, the outdoors, exercise, and a warm bed to sleep in just like your human children, and yourself for that matter.
Let me ask you something, would you tie out your 2-year-old child outside to go potty in our 18-degree morning weather for one whole hour or eight hours while you're gone to work? Hell NO! Although we may want to from time to time, as frustrated parents, we would never really Do that. Unless we wanted to spend some time in jail for the free meals and cable, only to never see our children again, right? (That's a whole other discussion entirely.) No, again?
OK, so why do we so easily do this to our dogs? It kills me to see cats slinking around out there all the time, too. I'm not saying every cat has to be held hostage inside someone's house and de-clawed, etc. I mean let's have a heart and how about a little more COMMON SENSE, shall we? You stay outside all night without a coat and only the clothes on your back as the temperature plummets from 30-5 degrees in an hour or less. You fend for yourself outside awhile and see how you like it. Then maybe you'll have some empathy for your four-legged friends. If you don't, you have no business owning a pet of any kind.
Now, don't get me wrong, I am NOT PERFECT. I have made mistakes with my animals in the past. Especially as a confused teenager who didn't have time to worry over a dog. Yet, I have LEARNED How to Do It RIGHT. How to be Loving and Responsible to my dog-dogs and better for it in other areas of my life and relationships with friends & family! But this CAN BE Taught. Loving an animal takes time, patience, and the willingness to CHANGE Yourself on behalf of anothers' needs. Putting those needs before yours sometimes is a deciding factor of Love itself. Again, much like the love of a child.
I don't understand how, even in this economy, people continue to let their dogs starve to death rather than feeding them table scraps at the VERY LEAST (even though I do not recommend table scraps as a substitute for dog food ever), but in order to keep them fed until you CAN buy them dog food. You're feeding your two-year-old child aren't you? I am sticking to this analogy because my pets are Absolute Members of My Family Unit. I don't forget my dog in any decision I make for my family.
Let me tell you a little story. When we had the opportunity to buy into a Great Deal for resort vacations...the ultimate deciding factor for me was this: they did not allow dogs. That was what stopped me. That's ALL that stopped me. If we did not have LOVING Relatives willing to watch my dog while we were on vacation for 7-10 days, I Would NOT GO ON VACATION. No kidding. I would send my family, or stay home with one of my kids and my dog, send the other kid with my husband, that way we would take separate vacations if need be. We are a "pack" in my dogs eyes, and in mine as well. I am ever conscious of this fact and of his mentality as a perpetual "2-yr-old child" (dog). The unconditional love of a dog is what mine have taught me.
I of course, am not the only exception. I know several animal lovers who feel the same way about their own pets. Believe me, we are a Nation of animal lovers. We may occasionally disagree on what is right and what is wrong in the way of breeding, raising, or feeding our animals, but we do share the love, hard work and pure effort and responsibility necessary to handle, treat, and nourish our beloved animal family members.
If you cannot identify with the above paragraphs then I beg you please, PLEASE do NOT Buy A Dog - or a living breathing pet. I don't care how spoiled you want your child or how loud she cries and begs! Get an electronic 'pet' for your child instead! You can change their battery after you let them starve and die, then start all over again. This is NOT AN OPTION with a Real LIVE Animal.
I do not MEAN to preach and I will climb down off my soap box in a moment or two. I just wanted to speak out for the animals who so often lack the voice of their owners and "masters" to speak up on their behalf. I wanted to speak also for the caring neighbors of these animals who are ignored, mistreated, forgotten, and literally tortured in our society. I raise my glass and my prayers to God on behalf of ANY and EVERYONE who turns negligent animal owners in to Animal Control or the authorities. Not for "absent minded" mistakes but for actual, obvious neglect in our hearts eye.
We need to police ourselves, our neighbors, and our communities behavior - like it used to be. So many things have changed in our society, we can no longer afford to be absent in our own and each others daily lives...this is a much broader subject and hopefully, we can cover it much further in another post or perhaps a printed edition of the Twisted Muse. Don't wait for "someone" to call the police, that "someone" could be YOU everyone else is waiting for to act first.
For now, thank you for reading. Please spread these words to other animal lovers, potential pet owners, and neglectful owners alike. We can always learn a new fact, a new word, and give a new lesson to Someone who needs it. Always. No matter what you do in life, this is our Collective Legacy as Human Beings: passing on our greatest traits, life lessons, love and hope in humanity to our children and to their childrens' children as well. Guiding someone to a new path is legend.
The Love of a Dog is the ABSOLUTE EXAMPLE of God and His UNCONDITIONAL LOVE for Us as HIS Children. God Bless All Our Readers, Contributors, Thinkers, Word Pieces, Pet Enemies, and those who Disagree with us alike. Amen
emg
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Happy LOVE Days...
We have a few birthdays I would like to mention in the month of February:
Anna Mendoza on 2/11
Eric Haar on 2/14
George Lovelace on 2/17
If I missed anyone, please drop us a line and let us know. Remember, to sign up Alumni using the links to the LEFT at either out ALL CLASS Yahoo! Group or our Exclusive CLASS OF 89 Website that will remain active all year 'round.
Current 89 Reunion News: Right now we are VOTING on a sit-down dinner or a finger-foods buffet. The Committee would like to start the Main Adult Event at 9pm thru 12a or 1am as opposed to the first proposal of 7-11pm time... How does this sound to you? Also, don't forget that when you purchase ANY Southwest High School Customizable Memorabilia from our zazzle.com store, 10% of the costs go toward funding our 20-Year Reunion and any Future 5-Year Events we may plan. There is still hope, especially for those who could Not make it to this year's Reunion!!
Thanks to all for reading our Newsletter and for passing it on!
emg
Anna Mendoza on 2/11
Eric Haar on 2/14
George Lovelace on 2/17
If I missed anyone, please drop us a line and let us know. Remember, to sign up Alumni using the links to the LEFT at either out ALL CLASS Yahoo! Group or our Exclusive CLASS OF 89 Website that will remain active all year 'round.
Current 89 Reunion News: Right now we are VOTING on a sit-down dinner or a finger-foods buffet. The Committee would like to start the Main Adult Event at 9pm thru 12a or 1am as opposed to the first proposal of 7-11pm time... How does this sound to you? Also, don't forget that when you purchase ANY Southwest High School Customizable Memorabilia from our zazzle.com store, 10% of the costs go toward funding our 20-Year Reunion and any Future 5-Year Events we may plan. There is still hope, especially for those who could Not make it to this year's Reunion!!
Thanks to all for reading our Newsletter and for passing it on!
emg
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Hyatt Regency Hotel Loves Southwest High School
The Hyatt Regency in downtown Kansas City, Missouri has been a long standing host to many of our school related events. They would like you to know that they love being our hometown spot for Proms, Reunions, and Award Ceremonies.
I spoke to Jessie Shelby on Friday just past, February 6th, 2009, and she mentioned that October 16 & 17, 2009 Southwest High School Class of '59s 50-Year Reunion has been booked at the Hyatt!
Wow, we may have our 20-Year Reunion for the Class of '89 there as well this year on August 15, 2009. The numbers are not in quite yet, but we have good feelings about this familiar associated location. Our '89 Class has fond memories of Hyatt Regency, some of which were recently shared during our latest 20-Year Reunion Committee meeting on Saturday, February 7th at my home. We were graced by the presence of a visiting class member who wanted first-hand information for his close friends.
Thank you for attending, John Nickles! You certainly gave us a welcome deviation to procedure that we enjoyed. We have informed John & the '89 Posse, that our Center of Operations or the '89 HQ is no longer on "classmates.com" but has its own FREE Class of '89 Home Page and fully operational website at http://swclassof89.org
You can also move your pointer over the Indian Mascot ON THIS PAGE and LEFT click on it to reach the '89 HQ site referenced above. Your name is already listed. Find your name, enter your basic information and wait for the updates to arrive! It's a no brainer...and isn't that a relief?
Class Members, PLEASE Include your Full Address so we can compile an '89 Class Directory for the Reunion Committee. We would like to FIND YOU the NEXT TIME an '89 Class Event is planned. Otherwise, there will be a Sign-In Class Book at the Reunion in August located outside the ballroom at our registration table. We will not share any information you do not wish shared, but you MUST COMMUNICATE This Wish to Us.
If you are not attending this time, you will be missed. Please be sure to send us your information so that you will keep abreast of our future Class Activities and Events. This Reunion Committee does Not plan on letting you all go into hiding again! We have worked too hard and have had an extremely successful relocating campaign to just quit after this year's Reunion. We are setting up a Class Account in order to fund Ongoing Class Events throughout the years to come. So if you cannot make this Reunion, we hope to see you for any 25-Year Class Event we may be planning.
Perhaps we can even help other classes who find that Reunion Planning can be overwhelming. We can offer sound advice, tips and information, just as our previous fellow Alumni helped us: the Class of '86, we thank you!
Love and Laughter,
Elisa
I spoke to Jessie Shelby on Friday just past, February 6th, 2009, and she mentioned that October 16 & 17, 2009 Southwest High School Class of '59s 50-Year Reunion has been booked at the Hyatt!
Wow, we may have our 20-Year Reunion for the Class of '89 there as well this year on August 15, 2009. The numbers are not in quite yet, but we have good feelings about this familiar associated location. Our '89 Class has fond memories of Hyatt Regency, some of which were recently shared during our latest 20-Year Reunion Committee meeting on Saturday, February 7th at my home. We were graced by the presence of a visiting class member who wanted first-hand information for his close friends.
Thank you for attending, John Nickles! You certainly gave us a welcome deviation to procedure that we enjoyed. We have informed John & the '89 Posse, that our Center of Operations or the '89 HQ is no longer on "classmates.com" but has its own FREE Class of '89 Home Page and fully operational website at http://swclassof89.org
You can also move your pointer over the Indian Mascot ON THIS PAGE and LEFT click on it to reach the '89 HQ site referenced above. Your name is already listed. Find your name, enter your basic information and wait for the updates to arrive! It's a no brainer...and isn't that a relief?
Class Members, PLEASE Include your Full Address so we can compile an '89 Class Directory for the Reunion Committee. We would like to FIND YOU the NEXT TIME an '89 Class Event is planned. Otherwise, there will be a Sign-In Class Book at the Reunion in August located outside the ballroom at our registration table. We will not share any information you do not wish shared, but you MUST COMMUNICATE This Wish to Us.
If you are not attending this time, you will be missed. Please be sure to send us your information so that you will keep abreast of our future Class Activities and Events. This Reunion Committee does Not plan on letting you all go into hiding again! We have worked too hard and have had an extremely successful relocating campaign to just quit after this year's Reunion. We are setting up a Class Account in order to fund Ongoing Class Events throughout the years to come. So if you cannot make this Reunion, we hope to see you for any 25-Year Class Event we may be planning.
Perhaps we can even help other classes who find that Reunion Planning can be overwhelming. We can offer sound advice, tips and information, just as our previous fellow Alumni helped us: the Class of '86, we thank you!
Love and Laughter,
Elisa
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Save Your Vacation Time for A Cruise!
We have received some great news! If you want to go on a Cruise with your classmates and others who share our common bond of attending Southwest High School in KCMO, you have got to read this:
Dear Southwest Alumni,
The Southwest High School Alumni Association has planned their 2nd all school alumni cruise. It is a 7 night Southern Caribbean cruise and we have reduced group rates. The first cruise was such a blast that we decided to do this cruise every other year.
The dates are January 24-31st, 2010. It is on the Caribbean Princess. The ports of call are Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Tortola, Antigua, St. Lucia and Barbados! We already have 44 people booked on this next cruise. Please join us! And feel free to invite your family, friends and of course, your old Southwest gang. You'll be glad you did!
Best Wishes,
Christie Besheer Biggs, class of '71
913-397-7433
888-818-7433
PLEASE KEEP CHECKING OUR LINKS ON THE LEFT Once Monthly For More Southwest WEBSITES, PAGES, AND INFORMATION as any Southwest News becomes available regarding Cruises, Reunions, Events, Activities, and everything else Southwest as we continue to Honor our Alma Mater.
Dear Southwest Alumni,
The Southwest High School Alumni Association has planned their 2nd all school alumni cruise. It is a 7 night Southern Caribbean cruise and we have reduced group rates. The first cruise was such a blast that we decided to do this cruise every other year.
The dates are January 24-31st, 2010. It is on the Caribbean Princess. The ports of call are Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Tortola, Antigua, St. Lucia and Barbados! We already have 44 people booked on this next cruise. Please join us! And feel free to invite your family, friends and of course, your old Southwest gang. You'll be glad you did!
Best Wishes,
Christie Besheer Biggs, class of '71
913-397-7433
888-818-7433
PLEASE KEEP CHECKING OUR LINKS ON THE LEFT Once Monthly For More Southwest WEBSITES, PAGES, AND INFORMATION as any Southwest News becomes available regarding Cruises, Reunions, Events, Activities, and everything else Southwest as we continue to Honor our Alma Mater.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Our Hidden Planet - Twisted Inspiration
OK, if I hadn't seen this video with my own eyes, I would not have believed this little tidbit. The camera jumps around a little bit, following a newly discovered "walking fish" along the seabed dated August 28, 2002. Watch this for yourself: http://www.wimp.com/fishfind/
I found this clip tempting because I can see the headlines now - "Darwin's Theory Proved!" or, "Is This the Missing Link?" Even - "Darwin trumps God!" Yeah, right. The true question is: where Are the headlines? If this was taken in 2002...hello?
As the "Fish Find: Strange new creature with legs discovered walking on a sea bed." video suggests, it is CLEARLY a fish. Its legs are obvious fins and its face is fishy...oh, you'll see. There is no other information with this clip, oddly enough (my, how convenient). There's no telling where this is, except for the "heading marked" on the video. I'm no sailor (although my mouth mimics one from time to time), but I am sure a weathered seaman could make some sense of the "heading" at the top of the screen.
Other than that, this was cool to watch. I don't have much else to say. I just thought it interesting enough to share with our readers. What could be a more perfect specimen to publish on the Twisted Muse than a "walking fish?" Honestly, maybe it just got tired of swimming, guys. Didja ever think of that? Those are fins, not "legs."
Even so, scientists have known for a long time that we do not know our own planet well enough to know everything or every creature that inhabits it. Newly discovered creatures are found every five to ten years across the globe. If you looked into it as I have, being a fiction writer of Sci-Fi and avid reader of Horror, you'd be surprised exactly how many "discoveries" are made of "new" and interesting beings our hidden planet has to offer both above and under water.
So, just remember, if you're not Twisted, you've lost your Muse. Until next time, have a great week!
I found this clip tempting because I can see the headlines now - "Darwin's Theory Proved!" or, "Is This the Missing Link?" Even - "Darwin trumps God!" Yeah, right. The true question is: where Are the headlines? If this was taken in 2002...hello?
As the "Fish Find: Strange new creature with legs discovered walking on a sea bed." video suggests, it is CLEARLY a fish. Its legs are obvious fins and its face is fishy...oh, you'll see. There is no other information with this clip, oddly enough (my, how convenient). There's no telling where this is, except for the "heading marked" on the video. I'm no sailor (although my mouth mimics one from time to time), but I am sure a weathered seaman could make some sense of the "heading" at the top of the screen.
Other than that, this was cool to watch. I don't have much else to say. I just thought it interesting enough to share with our readers. What could be a more perfect specimen to publish on the Twisted Muse than a "walking fish?" Honestly, maybe it just got tired of swimming, guys. Didja ever think of that? Those are fins, not "legs."
Even so, scientists have known for a long time that we do not know our own planet well enough to know everything or every creature that inhabits it. Newly discovered creatures are found every five to ten years across the globe. If you looked into it as I have, being a fiction writer of Sci-Fi and avid reader of Horror, you'd be surprised exactly how many "discoveries" are made of "new" and interesting beings our hidden planet has to offer both above and under water.
So, just remember, if you're not Twisted, you've lost your Muse. Until next time, have a great week!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Here's A Good Segway...
Speaking of New Years and New Chances...I thought of sharing what I believe Life Does Promise Us: Death & Taxes, but more importantly, Choice and Chance. As in my previous entry, we all have daily choices. Get out of bed, or go back to sleep. Call in to work, or go earn a paycheck. Be happy with this job, or start searching for a new one. Our choices are different, but they're always there.
I know, your parents told you "Nothing is Promised to you in Life," and/or "Nothing in Life is Free," right? Well, my mother had a different opinion. Mama always told me I could do anything I wanted. In turn, amidst my first pregnancy, I held down a full time job and a full night class schedule. I thought a lot about what I really wanted to do with my life while anticipating the arrival of my baby boy. For instance, if I intended to tell him "Son, you can do anything you set your mind to in this life," would I be telling the truth? Was I, in fact, doing exactly what I wanted to do with my life? No. At the time, I was not.
Thus my writing career was reborn after a 10 year hiatus. I had the opportunity to stay at home with my then seven month old son and I fully intended to Show him How Anything is Possible! Missouri is the Show Me State. That's when I picked up my notebook, dusted it off, and began writing seriously in 2002. To prove it, here is a much more current piece I wrote for my writer's group assignment recently. I hope you like it.
TAKEN from Memoirs of The Chopping Tree
by Elisa Mendoza
I know, your parents told you "Nothing is Promised to you in Life," and/or "Nothing in Life is Free," right? Well, my mother had a different opinion. Mama always told me I could do anything I wanted. In turn, amidst my first pregnancy, I held down a full time job and a full night class schedule. I thought a lot about what I really wanted to do with my life while anticipating the arrival of my baby boy. For instance, if I intended to tell him "Son, you can do anything you set your mind to in this life," would I be telling the truth? Was I, in fact, doing exactly what I wanted to do with my life? No. At the time, I was not.
Thus my writing career was reborn after a 10 year hiatus. I had the opportunity to stay at home with my then seven month old son and I fully intended to Show him How Anything is Possible! Missouri is the Show Me State. That's when I picked up my notebook, dusted it off, and began writing seriously in 2002. To prove it, here is a much more current piece I wrote for my writer's group assignment recently. I hope you like it.
Tree Spirits
By Elisa Mendoza Gilliland
Standing; waiting. The wind blows through my bare branches in fall. Life-giving rays of sunlight permeate my thick outer skins, energizing the deep ridges. My small sprout fingers sway back and forth, collecting carbon dioxide where it is most necessary.
Vibrations around me signal the harvest time is ending all will be done. On my side is the wheat field. On the other is a garden where the boy works to protect me everyday. Pulling weeds that wrap around my roots, stealing moisture from the ground, the boy is attentive. Planting acorns along the wheat fields this year, my crop has reached into the thousands. Climbing high upon my thick trunk and through my sturdy branches, the boy keeps me well pruned, preparing me to grow stronger still. He builds supports for my spreading canopy. He chops branches with no more use so my whole can thrive forever.
Older than his days, I am known from centuries past. The patter of man surrounded me once chanting ancient names. When blood was spilled around my trunk, soaking deep into the soil, my roots gathered new minerals. The knowledge of man invades me through this thick liquid vein. I know not when I became aware only that now I have a record aside my inner rings.
I have no eyes to see, nor ears to hear, I do not taste or smell. All I am is all I have but I do feel the world outside and all within. My power is strength and I have passed it on. My weakness is relying on man to supply me with proper podzol and the knowledge-granting blood.
The old ones would ask me for rain clouds and sun. These things I cannot do. Still they ask, and sacrifice their young, creating a god of me. Suddenly, the winds of change blew thunderous gusts and howls as the old ones lay dying beneath my vibrant shelter. They beg of me to take their souls, for without me they are lost.
I as well, felt the loss of my keepers and my collects became scarce. Even this did not stop me from growing. Whether I yield for man made no difference to the young ones who survived. Their foster and care brought my leaves back to splendor. My flowers reached the thousands and my crops grew twice in number each year I drank innocent blood.
The boy is the last of the keepers of the tree spirits. I amass and disperse through each nubbin that matures in the fall. My time is short, I can feel the evil stalking me, and betrayers of their own religion are to destroy me in fire. With the boy I give healing to the weakness that man bore him. I have no ears yet give the def hearing. In turn the boy gives me more blood. I am secure with my seedlings planted safely in the fields. In spite of man, I will live on forever.
TAKEN from Memoirs of The Chopping Tree
by Elisa Mendoza
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