November 23, 2011 at 3:14 pm · Filed under Atheism, Christmas, Religion
I’ll start by saying I’m an atheist. An atheist that embraces other religions and beliefs. While I find many “facts” in the Bible to be laughable, I think there is a place for faith in this world and I respect people’s right to worship how they want. Also I will say that my family does not join me in my beliefs, or lack there of. My mom is a cafeteria Baptist and my Aunt and cousin are born again Evangelical’s. My mom, whom I’ve never been overly close to, is respectful to my views because she knows I’ll give her the same courtesy. My other family, well, not so much.
I won’t get into detail, but there was a huge fight between my cousin and I over Easter because Google didn’t put up an Easter logo. He was pissed and my reply was that they were a global company and most inhabitants of the earth are no Christian; it was a good business decision. If he was really that pissed, use Yahoo! or Bing. I was called every name possible and even my Aunt (his mother) disowned me due to my lack of Christian beliefs. Doesn’t matter that I belong to the Humanitarian movement and spend more time and money with charity organizations than they do; I am evil.
From time to time (okay, nearly daily) I see rants from my cousin on his Facebook about how Atheists are ruining the world. We are taking the ‘Christ’ out of Christmas by saying Happy Holidays. Is this really the bane of the religious right’s existence? Does acknowledging the fact that there is more than one holiday during the winter months mean there is an assault on Christians in the US? I don’t think so.
As an atheist I celebrate Christmas, just purely on a secular level. I don’t think the idea of giving and being kind has to be mutually exclusive to the Christian faith…or any faith for that matter. I may say ‘Happy Holidays’ to people as I greet them, but it’s because I do not know them and I do not know which holidays (if any) they celebrate. I refuse to be so arrogant to think that all inhabitants of this nation have to participate in my holiday of choice. And, isn’t there Thanksgiving and New Years Eve? I mean, we start saying this right after Halloween, so there are multiple holidays celebrate even for those of the Christian faith. How is this being offensive?
If you ask me, the only war being waged on Christmas is by those of the Christian faith. Two reasons: First they are pushing away those who celebrate the same way as them, but do not subscribe to the extreme rhetoric. My friend once told me, “there are two reasons that people are not Christians. Either they’ve never met a Christian, or they’ve met a Christian.” She, a devout member of the church, was able to recognize that sometimes (ok, most of the time) Christians are their own worst enemy.
The second reason is that they are allowing Christmas to be commercialized. This Halloween I was at Target and saw Halloween candy right next to Christmas candy. How is this okay with Christian believers? Do they not see that when a religious holiday is allowed to be so overly commercialized like this, they are allowing that holiday to lose it’s religious meaning and letting it become secular? Even to many Christians, Christmas is not so much about helping the poor and good will toward man, but keeping up with the Jones’. They spend their way into massive debt every year to get the latest and greatest gift the market has to offer and complain when others do not spend as much on them. This is not Christianity.
So, if you see me in the stores and I say “Happy Holidays” to you, don’t take it personal. And if you do, stop and think about how you, yourself, are demeaning your own holiday.
November 21, 2011 at 11:21 pm · Filed under Music
There’s a phrase, “Music is life”. I couldn’t agree with anything more than that sentiment. When words fail us, music is there to express how we feel. When we’re down and out, we can turn on a song that will either lift our spirits or commiserate with how we feel. When we’re elated or in love, well, there are songs for that too. All of the major points in my life, I can look back and put a song or a musician to them. My wedding, my son’s birth, the loss of my father - they’re all tied to certain songs and performers. It’s amazing how the song can take you back, heal you, cut you and most importantly, inspire you.
As someone who lives and breathes music, I have been fortunate to see nearly all of my favorite bands live - usually more than once. I’m even more fortunate that I’ve met a lot of them as well. Some even remember me when they see me and yes, some even know my name and I’m lucky enough to now call them friends. It’s a charmed life I’ve lead when it comes to meeting those who I adore the most. Sure, not all of them are household names, but that’s unimportant to me. From Matt Nathanson to Stephen Jenkins. From Thrice to Mat Kearney. They’ve all made such an impact on me musically and have impressed me off the stage as well. But there are a select few that I’m continuously blown away by their talent and their graciousness.
First, there is Will Hoge. His music and live shows have been a pick me up for several years now. And then came Dirty Little War. The first time I heard this song was in Charlottesville, VA at Starr Hill - Jon McLaughlin opened. Yeah, it was one of those moments where someone just gets you and you don’t forget it. Over the years I’ve had the privilege of covering Will as a photographer, interviewing him and getting to know him. For those who don’t know Will, he was almost killed in an accident a few years ago and his life has been forever changed. He’s mellower now. He takes his time and cherishes the moments with his fans. He’s become the guy you want to see succeed; he’s a fighter and you want to be in his corner.
Next is the lead singer and songwriter of my favorite band, Andrew McMahon. Andrew’s band, Jack’s Mannequin is a band I just stumbled in to. I went to see Matt Nathanson and ended up falling in love with Jack’s. Came home and looked them up and learned of Andrew’s battle with cancer. I bought The Glass Passenger and weeped. It was personal, raw and it struck a nerve. It has been only recently that I’ve been able to listen to his song Caves because it was a reminder of a great life that was almost cut short. I met Andrew the first time in Norfolk and while it was brief, it was enough to make me giddy. Andrew wrote out a lyric for me “I’m not looking for forgiveness” from his song, Resolution and he also saw the tattoo on my left wrist - Swim. Swim is another survival song, just as The Resolution is. I got Swim almost immediately after hearing the song, but when I was at his show in Norfolk, he sang the line that he wrote out for me and it was like a punch in the gut. He summed up everything about me in one line and I knew I needed it. So after the show I waited around in freezing cold temps and Andrew wrote it out for me. A few shows later, he saw the tattoo - in his handwriting on my back. Andrew, who has many fans sporting his tattoos, was moved. He gushed about it for sometime until I finally had to move him onto another topic. But that’s just the starting point with Andy…he doesn’t know me and I think I’ve only told him my name once, but he remembers me every time. He remembers my tattoos, our conversations and the shows we had them at. He always make sure to come slap my hand as I stand front row. It always amazes me. He claims to have a terrible memory, but you couldn’t prove it by me. Here’s a guy who nearly lost it all and is not dwelling in the past. He’s not asking ‘why me’. He’s made the most of the cards that were dealt and helping others get through their trials of life as well. As cheesy as it sounds, Andrew McMahon is my hero. And just as a side note, I have two Jack’s Mannequin tattoos and have at least 3 more planned. Yes, his words mean that much to me.
The last band is the reason I decided to write this post. It’s a band that I really don’t know - I’ve met them, but it’s not the same as it is with Will and even Andrew. It’s their music, it moves me. It inspires me and brings me to life. The band is NEEDTOBREATHE. I’d heard of them about a year and a half ago, but that’s about all I can say - I’d heard of them. I did by The Outsiders CD on iTunes and listened to it a couple of times, but I didn’t give it a fair listen. Then came the Rock Boat this past January. Everyone was psyched about NTB being on the boat and the enthusiasm everyone had soon rubbed off on me. I remember sitting on the upper level of the Lido Deck with Graham Colton (whom I’m also honored to call a friend) and watched in absolute amazement. On a freezing cold night out in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, they brought the house down. I’d just seen Will and the Alternate Routes the night before send the crowd into a frenzy, but what NEEDTOBREATHE was doing was insane. Almost every musician on the boat was at the show and I’ve never seen the Lido deck so packed. The dancing and the stomping had the boat swaying - it was amazing.
I ran into the guys a couple of times early on during the cruise, but was always too intimidated to approach them. They seemed like down-to-earth guys, so it wasn’t that I thought they’d have egos, I was just intimidated by their talent. It wasn’t until the meet and greet that I talked to them. The whole time I was waiting to meet them the song Stones Under Rushing Water was playing in my head, crushing me and telling me that I had things in my personal life that needed to be addressed. When I got to their table I began crying - I don’t do that! Thankfully it wasn’t an all out sob, but I was teared up and I was shaking. Bear grabbed my hands as he talked to me. I confessed to being completely nervous and in awe of them; they laughed and reminded me how they were in awe of the response they were getting on the boat. They were SMALL town boys and they didn’t understand all the fuss. Bear and his brother Bo both stood and gave me a hug and I slowly made my way to the next meet and greet table still shaking from talking to them.
The last night of the boat, well, I had been drinking heavily. I saw Bo over by me with his wife. He was talking to fans being very social. I walked over to get a photo…I’d avoided his brother every time I’d seen him because I just didn’t have the courage to say hi, so I was determined not to let Bo do that to me. I walked up and introduced myself and he remembered the meet and greet - oh great, I thought. He seemed to be distracted, so I didn’t want to keep him, but somehow in my drunkeness I confessed that despite my agnosticism, they’re music (they’re a quasi-Christian band) had spoke to me like no other band (except Jack’s, but I didn’t say that). As soon as I said it, I regretted it, but Bo cocked his head and said “really. Why is that?” I talked to him (and while I may have been drunk, I was very much in control) about how one could take it on a secular level and despite difference in beliefs, great writing is just that. I wanted to walk away again, I felt foolish, but Bo wouldn’t let me. He told me how much it meant to him to hear that. He said their goal was to not only reach people with the same beliefs as them, but for it to have a much broader appeal and the fact that it as much to me as it did really got to him. What’s funny, is it’s the performances on Rock Boat that had done it to me - each set grabbing me and shaking me back to life. After a few minutes, there were other people waiting to talk to Bo, so I excused myself after a photo op and spent the rest of the night partying with other fans and musicians.
After I returned from Rock Boat, I became obsessed with NTB’s catalog. I couldn’t listen to their music enough…I still can’t. Then they released The Reckoning and again it was a punch in the gut. Keep Your Eyes Open reminded me how we all need to live. Slumber felt like it was written to me. They’d done it again.
Most of this year they have been on tour with Taylor Swift. I can not justify her ticket prices to my husband to only see NTB play for 30 minutes. During my move they played in Vienna, VA and of course, I couldn’t go because it was just to crazy for me. I was depressed. So, I got a call here in NJ that they were having a one off headlining show back in Charlottesville, VA. I knew the odds were against me being able to go, but I bought a ticket anyway. The show quickly sold out and it looked more and more like I’d have to sell my ticket. At last minute I booked a wedding in VA and it would end in just enough time for me to speed to Charlottesville and it would obviously pay for the trip - I was ecstatic! Even better, their label had granted me a media pass and a big group of my friends were going to be there as well.
I got there and was upset to find there wasn’t a photo pit and that it was already crowded so I couldn’t make my way up front. I looked up at the front row of the 2nd level and I saw one of my friends I was meeting up with. I quickly made my way to her and despite not being front row by the stage, I had a great and unobstructed spot. More friends gathered and we spent the night rocking out to the absolutely best concert I’ve ever seen.
After the show we waited in the cold (I think it’s a theme) to meet the band. First came Bear, then Joe, then Seth and finally Bo. Still being insanely nervous around Bear, I got a few quick photos with him and moved on to talk to Joe. We talked about our love for Springsteen and Clarence Clemons. Such a sweet guy. Next was Seth. Quick photo and he was already being pulled in other directions by more fans. We waited patiently to talk to Bo as he was swarmed with fans. Bo finally broke free and walked over to Cari, Micki and I. He introduced himself to Micki first and then Cari. When he stuck his hand out to shake mine, he again cocked his head and said “We’ve met before, haven’t we?”. I smiled and said we had on the Rock Boat. “Yes! I remember!” Oh crap, I hope he doesn’t remember our conversation, I was still embarrassed that I’d brought it up. “Hopefully you don’t remember our conversation”, I said. “I’m so sorry, I don’t. So many conversations there, but I remember you for sure.” Phew. Bo chatted for what seemed like an eternity and even genuinely and sweetly laughed as I rambled on about something and then caught myself and said I was going to go hide in a corner. And that’s when it hit him, “I do remember. It was outside the Casino. We talked about our differences. I loved that talk”. What? Really! Again I was embarrassed, but I was so impressed with his memory and the fact that he’d mention it then, meant he was being sincere. I wanted to hug him, but refrained. We talked some more and then we excused ourselves so he could talk to other fans who were patiently waiting. I said goodbye to Bear and we left.
It’s moments like this that I realize how lucky I am. I get to attend so many shows, and while I will complain that I don’t go to enough, I know that I see far more than most people. It’s because of this, that I’m afforded such great opportunities to connect with those who inspire me. I know almost as soon as I hit PUBLISH, I’ll be disappointed about some show I missed (like NEEDTOBREATHE tonight at Madison Square Garden), but for this moment I will cherish all of the moments I’ve had. I’m lucky and sometimes I need to be reminded of that. And more importantly I’m very thankful to all of those who’ve made the great music and gave me a moment of their time - you guys are the best.
With NEEDTOBREATE lead singer, Bear Rinehart
With Will Hoge
With Jack’s Mannequin lead singer, Andrew McMahon
October 6, 2011 at 8:08 pm · Filed under Daily, Religion, commentary, rant
Bare with me…cranky bitch ahead.
A girl from school posted on her Facebook that she took her mom to the hospital and after tests, it was just low potassium and will be well soon. That is great news, but it was the “Praise God!” that followed. Fine, thank your fictional deity, but how about giving some credit to science and doctors? You know those responsible for helping her.
Hank Williams Jr. compared Obama to Hitler and got his opening pulled from Monday Night Football. First, can we stop comparing anyone to Hitler? There is only ONE Hitler, don’t lessen his cruelty and evilness by comparing everyone to him. Anyway, now Good Ol’ Boy Hank says ESPN trampled on his First Amendment rights by firing him. Really? Were you arrested? Charged with treason? Did Feds show up at your door? I didn’t think so. You got fired because you didn’t conform to the image a company wanted to project. They had the right to fire you for “open-mouth-insert-foot disease” and they did. Deal.
It’s the fucking MLB Playoffs…Game 5 Yankees - Detroit and I have to watch Charlie’s Fucking Angel’s. FML.
September 11, 2011 at 6:12 pm · Filed under Daily, Politics, commentary
I’m not sure where to start with my thoughts on the 10-year anniversary; my feelings, like everyone’s, are complicated. I guess I can start with 10 years ago…I was working in a small-town school in Kansas. I’d arrived to work and flipped on the radio. I’d opened my laptop and started working and it took a few minutes for me to realize that there was no music on and instead it was news anchors. Unable to hear what they were saying, I turned up the radio to hear them announce the second plane had hit. I listened carefully for a few more minute believing that it was going to be some sort of ‘War of the Worlds’ prank, but alas, no. Once I’d comprehended that the events were real, I walked out my office door to see if any other teachers were around - no one. I ran into the art room hoping to find a TV. Again, no. Then upstairs to see if the ladies in the office had a TV - not only no, but they were unaware of what was happening. I tried to tell them what was going on, but I guess they thought I was blowing events out of proportion. I gave up and went back to my office to listen and wait.
I don’t know how much time had passed, but my boss who was working in another school called. She was distraught as well and we sat on the phone trying to put together what was going on. Hung up from her and realized I’d not yet talked to my husband. Called him and had him turn on the TV. Eli was just a couple of years old, so thankfully it was nothing we had to explain to him. I think my 10AM (11AM EST), I’d left for lunch because I couldn’t take not watching what was happening. I called out from lunch; I couldn’t leave my son.
The next couple of weeks are a blur. Fear, sadness, anger…it was all there. The nightmare of the images of people jumping haunted me and I wasn’t even a New Yorker.
Now here we are 10 years later and I still don’t like seeing photos or video of that day. While I believe it’s important to remember, I’m not sure about the reliving. When they re-air real time footage of news shows, it makes me sick. It seems like a morbid fascination that I cannot understand. I saw it the day of and that’s enough for me.
But it’s not so much the reliving it that upsets me as it is the convenient emotional displays. We are now in an age of “pay attention to me” media with social networks. Once blogs were the height of narcissism, but Facebook and Twitter have taken it to a whole new level. We MUST share the most boring and unfascinating details of our lives in status updates. And on days like today, we must “keep up with the Joneses” by outdoing our friends with an overly-dramatic “look at me” headline.
I logged into Facebook fully aware of what to expect, but it still bothered me. Everyone had some sort of “repost if you’ll never forget” status. Of course I will never forget, but what about recommitting? You’re 10 years of apathy towards the events of this country cannot be erased by a Twitter post.
How many people who are making these posts are committed to the well-being of this country? How many have sent care packages to the troops that have fought in Afghanistan? How many have donated to the 9-11 Memorial Fund? How many have prompted their representatives to pass the medical funds to help pay for the expenses of 9-11 responders? How many have educated themselves about what is going on in this country and our role globally? Likely very, very few.
I also take issue with Washington. We now have the (racist) tea party. They are anti-taxes and anti-government…I kinda get that. That being said, did they protest the Patriot Act? The Patriot Act is the most invasive reach into our civil liberties this country has ever known! You don’t want to pay taxes? Fine. You don’t get to claim any victories that our military has. Taxes are used to pay these men and women, but you want to cut their funding line…you are such a great patriot!
I guess what I am basically trying to say is this: A status update, a bumper sticker or a flag on the house…they only matter when you are committed to this country and it’s citizens. Instead of asking “where were you” or saying “I’ll never forget”, we should first do something, then share what we’ve done in hopes to inspire others. Isn’t that the best way to honor those who are no longer with us? Isn’t that the best message to send to those who may still want to harm us?
One last thing. I keep hearing the question ‘Are we safer?’. Here are my thoughts. Simply, no. Before 9/11 we were a naive and oblivious country. Despite events like the OKC bombing and the Unabomber, we were relatively protected from grand scale random acts of violence. Countries like Europe and Israel had already had their innocence taken away because of their history and current events. We had been lucky. The truth is, shit happens and you can’t always stop it. I believe we were basically safe on 9/11 - again, shit happens. What has happened since 9/11, in my opinion, has made us less so.
We started a preemptive war with a sovereign nation who’d never harmed the US, basically giving them their version of 9/11 and then we stayed to occupy the nation. We have over-extended our military in ever sense of the word. We’re a bankrupt nation. Bush never budgeted for either war and never ask for this country to give anything to help fund them. We are a tired and bankrupt nation that has pissed off a lot of the world and we are not in a position to respond should tragedy strike again. Where would we get troops to secure a city? The funds? Just things to think about.
Become Involved:
http://www.911memorial.org
http://www.armedforcesfoundation.org
http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org
http://www.fealgoodfoundation.com
September 8, 2011 at 2:52 pm · Filed under 2012 Election, Politics, Presidential Debate, bloglettes, rant
Last night marked one of the more important Presidential debates (in my eyes) for the GOP ticket. Gov. Rick Perry took part, so all eyes were on him and he didn’t fail to show what a nut-job he is. Here are some of my random thoughts on it, bloglette style.
- Rick Perry decided to lose his TX swagger/accent for the national spot light. I’m not sure what he sounds like at home, but publicly, he has two different speaking styles. Almost amusing. Here’s Perry doing his best W. impression http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngiJhmoFKkw talking about how great his failing abstinence program is. Now compare that to this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmkKjQobmJ) where he doesn’t have a conscious about possibly killing innocent people. He sounds like two different men.
- Can Michele Bachmann answer a fucking question. Darling, no one cares about your delusions to make gas $2 a gallon…answer the fucking question.
- Sticking with Bachmann, for someone who hates government handouts, she didn’t have a problem taking $30/day per foster child! Shouldn’t the wealthy be the last in line with their hands out? Oh wait, she’s a Republican - never mind.
- The GOP cannot have their cake and eat it too on welfare reform. You cannot brag about passing it under Clinton and then bitch about it still being around. You take credit for making it go from something that caused people to be co-dependent on the government to giving them jobs. Yet, you bitch that welfare recipients don’t have ’skin in the game’. You got your reform, not lay off the indigent.
- I don’t share the views of Ron Paul, but at least that mofo is honest.
- Herman Cain, the government is not a pizza company! You cannot have everything 9-9-9! That’s a pizza promotion, not a tax system!
- Newt, if you don’t like how the debates are done, quit doing them. See ya, buddy!
- WTF is wrong with the GOP!?!? They have a fantastic candidate in Jon Huntsman and they refuse to look seriously at him because he’s not bat-shit crazy. Man believes in science, doesn’t seem to be a bigot and gets China. Oh shit, he’s a real threat in the general election, but the Tea Party is too right wing to ever vote for him.
- Perry, Bachmann and all of you other anti-green jobs candidates - why don’t you want Americans to work? Green jobs are just that: JOBS! Quit mocking them and put people back to work.
- While I think the only thing Perry did good as a Governor is mandate the HPV vaccine, how can he say he’s against individual mandate of health care. Hypocritical much? You can’t bash Romney for his health care passage in Mass, if you did a smaller scale version in Texas.
- Bachmann, please quit telling me what you will do and what you’ve tried to pass. What have you actually passed? Anything? How’s the schools in your district for saying you’re great at education reform? So bad that you home school your kids.
- Santorum, how have you helped the poor? Hmm? Just asking? I want specifics like I want from Bachmann. Your faith means nothing to me.
Here’s the deal; all of these jackasses preaches smaller government and limited roles. That is, until they need the Feds. Ron Paul is delusional about FEMA and he and Perry are way off with Medicare, but at least Paul will stand by his beliefs. The others complain about the role of government, but who of them would have opposed the Patriot Act (I know Paul did, he’s excluded from this rant)? If a hurricane, quake, etc. hit the others districts or states, they’d be there waiting for the Feds to get involved and screaming when they didn’t.
So let’s push this a bit -
- Perry and Paul, you want states rights. Have it! The border is yours; you fix it!
- Bachmann, it’s all about free enterprise, so no more money for your hubby’s clinic! Sorry his “pray the gay away” isn’t going to pay the bills anymore…no more government payments!
- Cain, back of the bus buddy…and no more voting for you!
- Paul, I know FEMA is new, but it’s just an umbrella for all of the FED jobs that were there prior; it grouped them together. So let’s have Galveston get hit by a hurricane and no one comes to help. Let’s see how the people respond!
Liberals may be upset with Obama, but really…you want to risk one of these guys? Good grief! I’ll be posting soon about how voting for Obama is actually a GOOD thing and it’s not voting for the lesser of two evils.
September 8, 2011 at 2:17 pm · Filed under Music, Travels, concerts
I love me some Billy Joel! Anyway, ventured in to NYC on Tuesday for the first time. Took the train from Bay Head into Penn Station and caught a cab over to Rockwood Music Hall to see Deep River and Ernie Halter. It was a little surreal seeing Deep River there since they are a VA band that I routinely see members of at Jammin’ Java (one of my fave VA venues); when I walked in and saw Daniel Brindley, it was like I’d walked back into JJ. Met up with a couple of friends from Rock Boat and enjoyed the show. Once that was over, I was back on my way to the train station. Did check out the exterior of MSG and grabbed some local pizza (Yum!), but we were getting the remnants of Tropical Depression Lee and it was raining like crazy. What I got to see of the city was spectacular, so I cannot wait to do a day trip up there and tour it during daylight hours.
September 1, 2011 at 2:05 pm · Filed under Daily
We’ve been in New Jersey for a week now and we’re starting to get acquainted with the town. It’s smaller than Richmond, but it’s cute and has it’s charms. Living so close to the ocean is nice as well. Eli and drove out to the barrier islands a couple of days ago, we’re only about 2 miles away, and the are was gorgeous. You could barely tell we’d just had a hurricane come through. And while we’re busy trying to find out new spots in town, I can’t help but feel lonely.
Unlike my husband, my job doesn’t get me out of the house as much and thus I meet less people. In Richmond, I’d met all of my friends through my old non-profit job or through concert attendance. Brick is too small of a town to have a decent music venue and I’m a freelance photographer. My neighbors are nice, but not really our age or people I’d want to be “friends” with. I am, I’m lonely.
It doesn’t help that I can’t sleep. I suffer with chronic insomnia and my PCP first started me with Xanax because of the anxiety I was going through with losing my father and starting my own business. Once she was the sleep issues were only esculating, she switched me to Lunesta and the Sonata, as Lunesta didn’t work at all. Even when I first started taking Sonata, I was taking it with 3 or 4 over-the-counter sleeping pills. My tolerance has of course built up, and 3-4 has become a minimum of 6-8. One bad night I’d taken twenty. No, it was not a suicide attempt, it was a desperate attempt to sleep. My body will fight it off for unreasonable lengths of time. I’ve gone 3 and 4 days without sleep, ANY sleep, before and it’s maddening. Anyway, I’m at a point that one Sonota doesn’t work, I need two. I called to see if I can get my dose upped and my doctor is on vacation. Since I’ve doubled up on pills, I don’t have enough to get me through to next refill, so I am taking a couple of weeks off of it so I have enough to bring with me when I have weddings. Last night I took ten OTC pills; never again. Heart palpitations, couldn’t breathe…it was awful. I still only got about 3 hours of sleep. Same with the night before. I think tonight I’m not going to take anything; it can’t get any worse.
August 29, 2011 at 6:28 pm · Filed under Daily, Politics
We survived Irene virtually unscathed. A few downed branches is about all. Our neighborhood has a private beach on the river that completely flooded out, but at our house, we stayed dry and never lost power - phew! I see images from Vermont and other areas that are seriously flooded out and my heart breaks. I am so thankful that we dodged the bullet, but I feel for them. I’m sure it doesn’t help when you have crazy-bitch Michele Bachmann saying it’s ‘God’ telling Washington to control spending. WTF, Michele? God needs to terrorize millions to get the attention of a few hundred? That’s fucked up.
August 23, 2011 at 4:35 pm · Filed under Daily
Under my feet. Wait! I live in Virginia (for the moment); why is the earth shaking? Yes, for the 2nd time in 8 years, Central Virginia was hit by a 5.8 earthquake. Today is my families last day in Richmond and while we were giddy about getting the hell out of Dodge before Hurricane Irene hit, we never expected another quake. Yet, here I stood with my husband and son in Sur la Table, looking at the culinary section, and everything began to shake.
It was a very surreal experience. I wasn’t sure what was going on and while I thought “oh shit, this is an earthquake”, living on the East Coast, I thought I was surely wrong. It wasn’t until I saw other customers run from the store and china fall from displays that it really sunk in. We got outside, in the middle of an open-air mall, and everyone was pouring out of stores looking around dazed. Immediately we grabbed our cell phones and hit the Social Media network. My Facebook news feed was already flooded with statuses from friends in the area talking about the experience.
What makes this all the more interesting is I moved to Richmond nearly 8 years ago (Sept. 03). We moved in the day after Hurricane Isabel leveled the Outer Banks and Virginia’s Eastern Coast and killed the power in Richmond for weeks in some places. We were without power for the first week we lived here. A few weeks later we had a very small earthquake hit the area. I was sick with a migraine and was asleep; it did wake me up, but I didn’t know what it was until later when I flipped on the news.
We are now leaving Virginia, with Hurricane Irene nipping at our heels…as I sit here typing this, it’s projected coarse is to hit Southern New Jersey as a Cat. 1…really?!?! And now an earthquake. History always repeats itself.
August 20, 2011 at 12:21 pm · Filed under Facebook, rant
Quick little rant about Facebook statuses: They should NOT be a book and be overly detailed. For example, my friend recently posted this status (no worries, she doesn’t know about my blog)
“had a perfect end to a hard day a work…..I had a victoria’s secret bubble bath in my huge garden bathtub with dim lighting and a glass of Moscato next to me while 103.7 the River played in the background…..it was perfect :D…..now pampering my feet with burts bee lotion and painting them sparkling neon Hot topic pink. ♥ “
Am I the only one who thinks there’s just too much in that? What’s wrong with saying “the radio” or “music” but we get the station dial and call letters! We also get the tub style, type of wine, type of bubble bath and lotion, color of polish, where it was purchased, lighting…Mel, I DON’T GIVE A FUCK!!! She, and several other FB friends, are FB status whores as well. Meaning, they must update their status at least a dozen times or more a day; and yes, most are this wordy. I think there needs to be a FB status etiquette class; it would help eliminate this problem as well as the Debbie Downers and the I Hate The World’ers. Really, we don’t need that. Remember people, Facebook is a social network, meaning all of your friends and family can see it. So please spare us your boring stories and dramatics and give us something to talk about!
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