Picture's worth 1,000...oh, you know

Strike this little pose
Chin up in the air
Lips together tightly
Nostrils in a flare
Now look like you care
Very nice!

Practice in the mirror
Brushing back a tear
Very sincere
A promising career could begin right here at home
If you've got that smug...
That smug...

Hey mama hey mama lookee what your little babies all have become
Hey mama hey mama don't it ever make you wish you'd been a nun?
Vain and fickle, were we weaned on a pickle?
Is it in our blood?
Rome is burning
We're here turning smug

Strike another pose
Power politics
Swallow their conventions
Get your power fix
We love to mud wrestle
We love to be politically Koreshed

Practice that smug
Post it like a man
One part Master Limbaugh
Two parts Madame Streisand
Now pretend you're in a band
My, my, we're looking smug
Very very very very

All you smug-starved millions in the thick of the search
Welcome to our church
Whatcha wanna solve?
We can help you evolve from merely self-righteous
To perfectly smug

Strike the proud pose of our country club brethren
Friendly as a tomb
Fragrant as the bottom of a locker-room broom
Now what's the matter?
Hey...get off your knees...that part don't come 'til later...
God will not be pleased...

Rome is cooking
My, we're looking smug

Words/music by Steve Taylor

Conservative celebrity women are b!tches

Yep, it's true...or don't you frequent the gossip rags? I haven't posted in quite some time and even the Sarah Palin media frenzy alone wouldn't have normally spurred me on. However, I am sitting here watching an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond and thinking of the gossip blogs' opinions on Patricia Heaton (most of them not against her unfortunate tummy tuck issues, but against her politics). And the way Elizabeth Hasselbeck is vilified for her opinions while the rest of the very outspoken View women are given a pass (a sole conservative against a bunch of liberals...yeah, that's fair). Or even Heidi Montag (whom I know almost nothing about with the exception of her politics) just because she, too, happens to have made the ultimate faux pas in being against the Hollywood expected norm (how DARE she!!).

I've always known about the incredible bias against those few celebrities who have the guts to admit that they do not subscribe to the standard Hollywood liberal view (the audacity that they would make their own CHOICE), but I'm now thinking it's more towards women in particular. When is the last time you heard a gossip blogger knocking Kelsey Grammer or Drew Carey for their political views (NOTHING against them, as I absolutely adore both of them for their crafts)? Occasionally Clint Eastwood is mentioned as leaning more towards the right, but not nearly as often as the women I mentioned. Charlton Heston (RIP, a wonderful man and fabulous actor) was torn a new one quite often, but with his NRA ties that pretty much made him an obvious target.

I'm no feminist (at least not in the NOW - which I am tempted to refer to as NOLW - definition) but I am sensing an enormous attack on conservative women that has been building for a while and has come to a head with the introduction of Sarah Palin as John McCain's Vice Presidential candidate.

I can't even count the number of anti-Sarah articles that incredible journalist known as Perez Hilton has posted since the announcement of her nomination. From an avid Hillary supporter to the extremes he is reaching now is just despicable (not that I expected anything more from him...or, that is, whomever now ghost writes his blog). He and the rest of the gossip bloggers cannot wait for each juicy morsel they can glean from whatever disreputable source, just to tear down this lovely mother and public servant. And I am appalled. Appalled enough to finally comment on my own blog, which I've ignored for so long.

Feel free to comment if you think I'm way off base. I welcome any opinions as long as they are respectful.

Please take a moment...

...to sign this very important petition. We NEED independence from foreign oil. We have an incredible supply of untapped resources. Thank you.


http://www.americansolutions.com/actioncenter/petitions/default.aspx?guid=54ec6e43-75a8-445b-aa7b-346a1e096659

Thoughts on Madeleine McCann and Kids in General

I haven't blogged in a while. Life has been really rough. Without going into too much detail, suffice it to say that employment isn't finding me or my husband, and we're in serious threat of losing everything. Well, everything material, that is.

I bring up "material" because of an incident that happened just a few hours ago. It was an incident that could have ruined our lives more thoroughly...and probably beyond repair.

My husband was at the supermarket. I was home with my youngest son, Jake (3). My older son was with his grandparents, as is usual for Saturdays. Anyway, Jake and I were just hanging out. He decided he wanted to play on our deck. Our deck is screened in for our strictly indoor cats, and has a locked-from-the-outside door. I was working on something on the computer and all of a sudden I realized that it was too quiet. As parents of young children know, when it's too quiet something is probably wrong.

I went out on the deck and saw that the locked-from-the-outside door had somehow been opened...and had been opened by Jake.

Bit of background here: a few months ago, Jake had opened the (not-locked-then) door and had gotten out. He had made it all the way DOWN THE STREET when a kind-hearted teen girl noticed him and brought him back to us. Now, before you call CPS, we are very good parents...with very well-behaved, obedient boys. Please know, this was just an accident...with fortunately happy results. It resulted in us securing (we thought) the door that led to that incident.

Switch back to today...everything was too quiet outside. I went out to look and the door had somehow been opened...and my precious Jake was gone. One of our cats was outside, too, but I didn't give a damn (sorry PETA). I immediately flew outside and started screaming his name, over and over...thinking he'd gone blocks away. I also heard a bunch of sirens...great timing. My wonderful neighbors (none of whom I know) heard me and came outside. They told me they'd help me find him, asked how old he was, and promptly starting walking all over, yelling his name. God bless them.

I was in a panic, understandably. I heard my husband pull up and park and told him. He told me to continue in the backyard and he'd look in the front and on the street. I did that, while seeing all of my neighbors out yelling Jake's name. For some reason, I glanced at the back door because my cat (the one that had gotten out) caught my eye. In that glance, I saw my son standing by the door (he hadn't been there before) and then just about passed out from relief. Jake is a bit developmentally delayed, which may be why he didn't answer my calls to him...although, I did keep thinking I heard him responding, but thought possibly it was just the other children on the street. I was really just too scared to process information at that point, I think. I then shouted to my neighbors that I had him and clung to him like I'd never let go.

This brings me to little Madeleine McCann. I've been following this story very closely. I'm still on the fence as far as the parents' involvement. I've stated online (message boards) that I think the parents are 100% guilty of terrible negligence...but that I'm not sure of their direct involvement in the disappearance of their beautiful little girl. I do believe, however, (especially from today's experience) that I would have behaved much differently than Mrs. McCann did upon finding one of my children missing. Just speculation...different circumstances, I know.

I also just watched Freedomland for about the third time. SPOILERS AHEAD. I realize it is fiction, but it really made me think of the McCann case, as well. Very strange behavior from a woman who declares her child missing, yet had inadvertently caused his death herself. Just food for thought.

That's it for today. I pray daily for justice for little Madeleine. I hope so much that she was abducted by a family who just wanted a little girl and that they are treating her well, but I fear that she was killed by someone. Who would have done it, I don't know. Hopefully the story will come out eventually and Maddie will finally have some closure. :(

Pastor Makes a Funny

A story our pastor told this morning:

He was describing his duties of home visits to people and how people would always feel the need clean the whole house and drag out their family Bibles, dust them off and leave them on the coffee tables.

He described one particular visit, to a woman who was known for her beautiful garden. He arrived at the house, and it was obvious that someone was home. However, as he knocked and knocked, no one answered. He became frustrated (but still needed to show compassion) so he pulled out his business card and wrote the following on it: Revelation 3:20 (which is, 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me') and left it on her door.

The following Sunday, he was preaching the sermon and noticed that same lady he had visited sitting in the back. When the offering plate was passed around, he couldn't help but notice that she put something in it that didn't look like money. Sure enough, later on someone brought him back his business card...the one he had left with the verse on it. Only now it contained another verse reference, which the woman had written: Genesis 3:10.

The pastor was trying to think of the passage for a few minutes when it finally came to him: “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

Ok...maybe you had to hear him tell it.

Hot Toddler Feet

I love my little almost-3 year old. He is the sweetest thing you ever did meet (when he's not having the occasional meltdown). BUT....why does he insist on sitting on me or at the very least putting his hot little feet on my legs in humid 80+ degree weather? We don't have air conditioning, little man...or didn't you realize? Are you trying to make me spontaneously combust?

Ok...now he's picking my toenails. Strange little bird, isn't he?

Yes, still grasping for blog topics.

A Return to Blogging

I've let this blog slide for over a year. Why? Not sure. I'm going to try to get back into it, though.

It's been a rough year between losing my job and realizing that my youngest son has learning delays. Maybe that's why I stopped blogging...I don't like to be a downer. It's just not who I am.

Anyway, so instead of blogging I've been filling my brain with the most mindless garbage imaginable...like celebrity gossip. No wonder I screwed up the important interview I had a few weeks ago. I'm kind of shocked that I didn't mention Paris Hilton's DUI record in the process. But that's what I do when I'm dealing with tough things...I try to escape. Sitcoms work well, too.

So please bear with me as I try to ease back into this process and return to the land of the thinking.