WOW

Yesterday I read that a woman received a new wind pipe created from her own stem cells.

WOW!!!!

She had some kind of condition that had eroded the cells around the wind pipe until there was nothing left but a strand. The doctors had considered removing one of her lungs but instead they took some stem cells from her hip bone marrow and re-created the wind pipe!

I find this astounding. I have often said that America is far behind on these medical marvels as there is no Government funding directed in this direction. Mostly because George W. Bush thinks that we need to take stem cells from embryos and he does not want "babies" (embryos)being created for this sole purpose. So now we know! There are many roads still to travel and I hope America, as a country, is not left behind as they have been in many other regions (education etc).

Hooray for medical marvels!

Now a dilema!

SHOULD WE KILL HEALTHY PEOPLE FOR THEIR ORGANS?

Suppose Bill is a healthy man without family or loved ones. Would it be ok painlessly to kill him if his organs would save five people, one of whom needs a heart, another a kidney, and so on? If not, why not?

Consider another case: you and six others are kidnapped, and the kidnapper somehow persuades you that if you shoot dead one of the other hostages, he will set the remaining five free, whereas if you do not, he will shoot all six. (Either way, he'll release you.)

If in this case you should kill one to save five, why not in the previous, organs case? If in this case too you have qualms, consider yet another: you're in the cab of a runaway tram and see five people tied to the track ahead. You have the option of sending the tram on to the track forking off to the left, on which only one person is tied. Surely you should send the tram left, killing one to save five.

But then why not kill Bill?

Election Night - Good Night My Friends

I should have started this blog earlier in the night but as I sit here at 10:55pm on the night of the US election I have bitten my nails down to the quick and we still do not know what the result will be.

Right from the start my nerves have been on edge. McCain was up 16 - 3 at the beginning. I thought I was going to throw up. Jamie kept telling me it was too early but I was still on the edge of my seat.

To relieve my nerves I decided to play poker online but everyone that was playing was asking who was winning the election. It was people from England, France, New Zealand - the whole world it seemed is looking toward America to see what will happen next.

10:58 - the Associated Press just announced that Obama has won Florida

11:00 pm - MSNBC just announced Obama as winner!!!!

There are still so many states still to count (CA, OR, WA, MT, ID, NV, AZ CO,) the list goes on. too many to count but still they are giving the election to Obama. I'm not too sure that McCain will step down just yet but its very exciting. It's 294 - 145 right now so there is no way that OBAMA can lose (even if they fight over Florida).

WOW - I thought I was going to be up all night waiting for a result. This was so sudden.

History has been made tonight! 40 years from when Martin Luther King's speech and look at us now! amazing.

All eyes will be on Obama to ensure that he steps up to the plate and makes his time in this office the best that it can be.

I am so happy to have seen this in person. For it to happen in my life time is unfathomable! How far we have come. Lets take this momentum forward as America comes together to heal and grow and travel in a new direction.

I'm looking at the group of people gathered in Grant Park in Chicago waiting for Obama to make an appearance and I see a very diverse group of people. White, black, hispanic, young and old, all there to celebrate - a sea of people waving American flags with hope in their hearts.
I'm just waiting to hear Obama's acceptance speech but he probably didn't think he was going to be needed for a while yet.

11:14 Obama 306 - McCain 146 WOW (still no news from Indiana). They have announced that McCain has already conceaded to Obama by phone.

I wonder how those people I know that were so against Obama will adjust to the new president. I know that i have been playing with the idea of leaving the country if McCain got in but would I have?

11:18 McCain and Palin have taken the stage. I wonder if he will ever speak with Palin again.....Maybe she's really a democrat at heart and she was a dumb ass on purpose....

A million people at a park in Chicago have respectfully turned their eyes to the jumbo tron to watch his speech.

11:19 Obama 333 - McCain 146

11:29 Obama 333 - McCain 155

Locally NBC has sent poor Tim Malloy to Riviera Beach to be amongst "the people". He is so overwhelmed by the crowd and you can tell he's not sure what they are going to say when they get on camera - hillarious!

11:38 Obama 338 - McCain 155

11:57 Obama takes the stage for his acceptance speech!

The next 1st family of the United States of America!
Not a big fan of Michelle's dress for tonight :(

The applause lasts for at least 2 minutes

There's no secret service on stage. Very strange. But a very emotional speech about family and his best friend Michelle. Oprah is the crowd as well as Jesse Jackson. It feels like something out of a movie. a movie that is released on the 4th of July weekend (starring Will Smith!). He sounds a bit like a preacher some times though.

12:15 Speech is over but why didn't Joe Biden come on stage during the speech? he's here now and Oprah is crying!

We've been waiting for the election to be over, fed up with the negative ads and idiotic SNL skits, but now that it is over I feel deflated. Lost. what now? What will everyone argue about now?

Let's take a break and breathe and watch what will happen now.

So......as Senator McCain says, and let's hope it's his last words...........Good night My Friends!

Jealousy Raises its Ugly Head

Saturday 9:00am

Jason and I had driven around for a little while trying to find a place for Jason to go vote that didn't have a huge line. Pretty impossible since the early voting stations have been experiencing 2.5 hours wait for the past 3 weeks. We decided on going to the Palm Beach County Court House where I sat outside waiting for 2 1/2 hours so that Jason could do his patriotic duty. I knew he couldn't give up the wait because I would give him a hard time so I was in for the long haul.

While I sat there I watched the people come and go on their way to vote and I realized how jealous I was. I had already committed to becoming a citizen if John McCain gets elected so that I can vote in the next election but not being able to vote this time was really making me mad. How could I wait this long without becoming a citizen of the country I have chosen to live in? I have been here 18 years - it's about time I made the effort to take the test. I've never cared before. I already pay taxes etc but now, at this time of such a divide in the community of who should be the next president I feel I need my voice heard. I have been yelling and arguing with anyone that will fight back - just as a way to get my opinon heard.

It's strange to me that I have been through so much and so many changes recently but the inability to vote is what is making me the most frustrated right now. Watching the citizens come and go through the parking lot of the courthouse I wondered "have they done their research?", "Are they making educated decisions?". Obviously not all of these people think the same as I do so I don't expect them to make the same decisions as I do but all I ask is that they have done their research and are not wasting their vote.

To be honest I can't wait til it's all over. 2 days. 2 days is all we have to wait and the only way I can put thsi jealousy to bay is to make a change in my life.

I am committing to everyone I know that I WILL become a citizen if the United States of America.

Oh and don't you be jealous cos when I get my US citizen I will also keep my British citizenship and when I travel there will be no immigration lines for me!

Good Luck to everyone and lets hope that Tuesday night brings a solution to this countries woes, whomever is elected.

Is there Anyone Out There part 2

God.

We have no way of knowing if there is such a thing.

Countries are at war over it.

People live their lives as they think God would want them to.

If there is a God how many are there? Every organized religion seems to have their own one.

But there is no way of knowing if there is such a thing.

What has inspired this bout of blogging? News from the UK of course. A group of Atheists have raised some money to put ads on the sides of buses that say:

"There's probably no God. So go out and enjoy your life".

read story here: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,443705,00.html

Hmmmmm. It's kind of in your face isn't it? It's true - we all try to be good people, do what we think is right in our lives - but is it from a fear of God or a fear of being put in jail? There are many things that we could be doing that is not illegal but maybe not good in the eyes of God so why do we refrain from being 'bad'?

I laugh at people who only believe that we came from Adam and Eve (read Sarah Palin) because I think it's naive. But I do believe in God. I am a strong believer in evolution. How much of a hand did God play in that? These are things, believe it or not, that I haven't spent much time thinking about.

I'm not a fan of organized religion like Catholicism. From what I can see it is based on fear. I am more spiritual thinking, along the lines of Karma etc. If we are all led to believe there is no higher power and we can go out and enjoy life - what ever way that takes you - what role would your conscience play? I can't imagine a scenario of dying and getting met at the pearly gates to see where I'm going to end up. But I do believe that we have more than one life. I would like to think that I will exist for more than 80 odd years (or how ever many years I'll live this time around). what a waste your life would be if you only got to do it once. What about all the lessons we learn throughout our lives? what good are they if we don't come back and try again?

I knew someone years ago who's family were big church people (they were Christian Scientists). He would say that if ever he found out he was terminally ill he would spend his last years/months going around killing drug dealers etc. I think he thought that would be useful (or noble). He wasn't worried about be put in jail since he was dying anyway and he didn't seem worried about answering to God either so what's the point of the facade of going to church? I wonder if that ever happened how his conscience would hold up.

I don't really have an opinion on the conversation around should we pray in school, should we remove "In God We Trust" from our money - maybe we should change that to "In Warren Buffet We Trust" - what difference does it make? If you're a believer does it gave you solace to see it on your money? If you're a non-believer it's only words.........

Somewhere in the Middle East (sorry not sure where) a British citizen was killed for trying to promote Christianity. Why? Why would someone go to a country that is so obviously not Christian and try to convert people? What is it that convinces people that everyone should be of one religion? What right does someone have to tell me what I or anyone else should believe. I have no sympathy for these people (missionaries). If a country invites Christians (or other belivers) to their country to help them spread the word fine, that country should be held responsible for the safety of these people. But I don't see that happening do you? American's are outraged that Muslims are trying to spread the word over here, trying to recruit more Muslims - don't they see that is exactly what they are doing in other parts of the world????? Crazy!

Enough I say!

Believe what you want to get you through the day!

Don't expect to convince someone to change their beliefs because of your opinion (I have taken this on board myself recently re: the election)

Enjoy your life - because it could be the only one you have!

But if you are in my circle please be kind :)

Love yas!

Is There Anyone Out There?

A recent story from England, UK states that a passenger jet nearly collided with a UFO has got me thinking! click here to read story:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,440946,00.html (fox news)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7679145.stm (bbc news)

I read last week that the DOT have been trying to push through a retro fit for Passenger planes to be fitted with a new GPS system that would be more accurate and stop the zig zagging that they need to do as they cross country. This would not only save on fuel costs for the airlines but be safer - as no pesky UFOs would be able to sneak up on them in the sky!! The airlines of course have been fighting this change as it would cost beacoup bucks! and by cutting fuel costs would mean they would have to cut the costs to passengers.

As technology evolves many changes will need to take place. As the flying cars, that we've all been promised since the 60's, become available and now air traffic from other planets - that obviously don't follow the rules by asking for clearance - the skies will become overly populated.

My nephew, Scott, has always dreamt of being an air traffic controller. No amount of arguing how stressful it is or under paid it is will sway him. He's looked into the school he needs to attend in England and he now has a new video simulator (like flight simulator) but it's from the controller's end. But I doubt they are focusing on the multi-dimension aspect of air traffic. Is there an under cover department of transportation that has thought of this and are developing their skills as I type? Or maybe we will drop our biases and hire an alien (read not Mexican) for the job, with more experience, probably speaks the dialect of many planets etc.

I'm not of the mind set that we are the only ones out here. How could that be? That's like believing we were all born from Adam and Eve! I saw a T-shirt the other day that said "Palin thinks Dinosaurs were Jesus' ponies" hee hee

Are you a believer?

If you are or if you're not, be on the look out for strange things in the air. Don't be in too much of a rush for flying cars , there's no regulation and worse - no room for Superman!

Like they say in Louisiana................. Bayou

Sorry - Couldn't Resist

" Back up that ass" Said the Turtle to the Jaguar

New TV Line Up

I've decided to take a break from the election. Not just for my sanity but also because I know you mist be bored with my rantings :) My next favorite subject is TV!!! I love TV and I had to get rid of our TiVo earlier this year; cutting back on expenses and also because I was addicted to too many shows!!!! Here's my favs this year:

Grey's Anatomy - Thursday ABC 9:00pm - Love it! I know all the back and forth "I love you" no "I love someone else" stuff has been seen before in many other shows but I like how the characters interact with each other. Susan's new boyfriend, Jackson, is in hospital right now (real life) in critical condition after a motorcycle accident. He has a head injury and swelling on the brain!

Survivor - Thursday CBS 8:00pm - Didn't watch this last year but missed it :( So decided to put it on my list of "what to watch"

Amazing Race - Sunday CBS 8:00pm (after football) - Never missed a season! Still fantasize about entering but I need to be in better shape before I even consider it. What a blast. 30 days to travel around the world and experience different cultures!

House - Tuesday Fox 8:00pm - Not only is he British (fake American accent) but he's arrogant and funny. I wish there was a real one of these cos I would send Judi to find out what is wrong with her!!!!! I think Judi might stump him though :)

ER - Thursday NBC 10:00pm - final season! Didn't really watch this last year either but thought it deserved my attention for the last season. Jason hates this show because of all the ridiculous accidents that happen (cue helicopter slamming into parking lot etc). Gaby is leaving tonight :(

Eli Stone - Tuesday ABC 10:00pm - This was a bit of a sleeper last year. I didn't catch mane episodes on TV but watched them on-line. It's right up my alley. Kind of kookie with a bit of psychic stuff thrown in. If you liked Ali McBeal back in the day this is for you.

Heroes - Monday NBC 9:00pm - of course! how could I nearly forget Heroes. Love it. So confusing. Don't watch if you're easily distracted or if you have a husband that will stand there and say "I don't get it" "what's going on now?" "Why is she a bad one now?" Argh!

Life on Mars - Thursday ABC 10:00pm - Another show that originated in the UK. Was highly rated over there and had a huge following. First show was aired last week. Looks good but I will hold out for a few more episodes before I give it my stamp of approval

Worst Picks....

Knight Rider

Of all the shows that are out there - this is the worst. The worst acting, the worst action, the worst special effects. Don't waste your time.

If you need to catch up on some shows you've missed try these sites:

This has a list of many shows from across the stations

http://www.tv.yahoo.com/

These are all specific to the station they are broadcast on

http://www.nbc.com/
http://www.cbs.com/
http://www.fox.com/
http://www.abc.com/

So that's it for today from TV Land.

New Idea

I've been thinking about the election - a lot! The lead up to it is getting nasty. "he did this" and "he did that". All we want to hear about is what are they GOING to DO for the country when they are President? Not who they spoke with back in college.

So I have an idea that won't work for this election as it is too close but definately should be proposed for the next one.

- Each candidate will be given a house in the suburbs to live with their family

- They will be told that they earn $35,000 per year
- They don't have to earn this money but they are not allowed to use any other money to live on.

- They will need to pay the mortgage on the house

- go out and buy groceries (not send someone else)

- pump their own gas

- etc

Basically live like any other American. This can be done before we narrow it down to a candidate for each party so they have time to do this - it also stops them from campaigning soooo much (which is a drag!)

This little experiment (like Survivor) will let us see which of the candidates has their finger on the pulse. It will bring them back to realty instead of them being chauffeured around and living in their big mansion with all their money. They will get a hands on experience of what is going on.

Can you imagine McCain trying to live under these perameters? He doesn't know how much a tank of gas costs. He's never had to struggle (or he forgets cos he's so damn old!).

This would be a great test of their abilities to handle the budget and make decisions.

What a plan! I wonder how I get this passed in Congress??????

Trying to stay sane for 26 more days!

What If.......

What if Barack Obama's name was Robert Jones?

What if Barack Obama was white?

What if Barack Obama was 15 years older?

Would he be more acceptable?

It's exactly 4 weeks to the Presidential election. That's 28 days. and I am still sick to my stomach when I think of it.

How can the minds of so many people be changed to a less biased outlook so they can see the politics and not the color of a man skin in 28 days?

How can we convey the importance of this election and how the United States of America will be seen by the World once this election is over, in 28 days?

Is it really the color of the man's skin and his name and his youth that have people looking to vote for McCain? Are they really that shallow that they can't see past these things?

Here's What I believe:

1. If McCain is elected as President the World will realize just how shallow this country is. They know that Obama has a wider view of the World and will bring change. Even if he doesn't bring change - at least we would have moved from the republican mindset that has corrupted this Nation for the past 8 years. The World is looking for us to change. The World is looking for us to be less of a bully to other Nations and I believe that Barack Obama will offer these things.

2. I believe the stock market will not stabilize until the election is complete. When I say complete I mean when Palm Beach (Florida) finally counts it's votes and that could be the end of December or even into January! If the decision is not clear prior to the Inauguration date the Speaker of the House stands in (and that's a Woman!) After the vote the market will stabilize. If Obama is elected the market will rise! If it's McCain I think the World will be scared and confidence will continue to drop.

3. McCain is against stem-cell research - The World is surpassing us in education and Science. Another 4 years of anti stem-cell etc will put us WAY behind the World. This is his religious beliefs that are obstructing an unbiased opinion.

4. Palin is against abortion - even if it's for a woman that is raped or even incest! This is her Christian beliefs getting in the way of Government. Just because she believes this is against God does not entitle her to tell me what is moral for me.

5. McCain doesn't know how many houses he owns. Ok his wife has money - a lot of it - but this just shows how disconnected he is from the Nation and the Middle Class. He thought that it would take a citizen to have $5,000,000 (that's 5 million dollars) for them to be rich! WHAT???? He has no clue. Barack and Michelle Obama have one car that they share. McCain has 13 cars!

6. McCain wants to protect the rich. Obama wants to tax anyone that earns over $250,000. The rich are complaining. If you can't afford to pay taxes on $250,000 you are living way above your means. This was a main concern for the financial mess we are in today. People living above their means.

7. Palin doesn't have a clue! At the VP Debate last week she didn't answer one question. Yes she did well - as in she didn't stand there like a dear in headlights as expected - but she could not answer one single question. She had a list of things to say and she avoided the questions by spouting off what her trainers told her to say. And what VP in the past has ever given a "Shout Out" to any one? Ridiculous!

8. If John McCain is elected he will not make it through 4 years. And you all know what that means. Palin would be our Commander in Chief! COMMANDER IN CHIEF for God's sake! For that reason alone there shouldn't be any votes for McCain!

9. John McCain wants to deregulate Health Insurance and give us all $5,000 to buy our own health care! Is he crazy? You can't get decent health care for $5,000 a year for a family! Through the company I work for the rate for someone my age (39) was going to be over $600 per month - that's just for me! No family coverage. Reason - My age and because I am a woman and I might get pregnant! This rate is through an employer so it is heavily discounted! I had to go with an independant coverage and swear that I would not get pregnant and if I did agree that they would not cover it! That I got for $225 per month. There are not many people out there that need individual coverage and don't plan on getting pregnant. One of my co-workers has coverage for himself and his 2 girls. His discounted coverage is just over $1,000 per month. So where is John Mccain getting his numbers from? Yes if he deregulates insurance we can shop around but what kind of coverage will we end up with?

I get so frustrated with the whole situation. Maybe I'm ignorant. Maybe I'm wrong. Write in the comment section below. I would love to hear what everyone thinks.

I just ask for people to be open minded. See passed the color and listen to the facts. Do you want the World to look at us as a laughing stock?

What's important to you?

My 16th Birthday!

I was driving home from work today - listening to my favorite radio station (WZZR Real Radio - 94.3 fm). It's a talk radio station, so no music, just people calling up all day to talk about stuff that is on their mind. The Love Drs are my favorite hosts from 10am - 3pm and I get to sneak a listen at work (Shh). On the drive home it's the home team with Josh Cohan, who is horrid but it's better than music radio! Anyway - today they were asking people to call in and tell stories of things that happened to them that they tried to cover up. This reminded me of a story.......

During the time leading up to my 16th birthday I was still living at my mom's house in Glasgow, Scotland! I was at that stage of trying to impress my peers and decided I should have a house party. Now back in those days, and probably still now, there were "gangs" in our neighborhoods. I'm not talking about the "Bloods" or the "Crips" but still there were factions of people that didn't get along with each other. I remember I had a boyfriend, slightly older, that I used to walk to his neighborhood to see him and I always felt safe because people knew who I was dating. Anyway, I invited a bunch of people to my party and my mom agreed to go out and stay at a friends that night as long as my sister Shona was going to look out for me.

The party began well but very quickly got nasty. I kept running into people I didn't know, who were asking who's party it was. :) My poor sister was running around like a crazy person trying to stop people from stealing her clothes! She had a lot of designer stuff that kept getting put up other peoples tops - a la shoplifting.

Needless to say amongst the people there were people from opposing "gangs". One group boarded themselves into my mom's bedroom, on the second floor, using my mom's armoire against the door. The people from the other group went into the the bedroom next door, that had bay windows, and tried to get into my mom's room through the window. Remember - this was on the 2nd floor!!! By this time my sister had had enough and had called the police. When they came they threw everyone out and at that point we discovered that all the kitchen knives had been stolen. I couldn't stop thinking what a huge success my party had been. Just think of how people would be talking about MY party for months to come!!!!

The next morning I woke up and realized I had slept on the living room floor (I'm pretty sure I wasn't drinking coca cola back then either). The house was a disaster. There was blood sprayed up the walls in the hall and people had graffiti-ed the walls too :(. My sister was right there for me even back then. She wanted to kill me but helped me make a plan. My mom was coming home within hours and we needed to to get the house back in order. Shona sent me off to the home improvement store to buy paint to paint over the blood etc. I took a sample color and ran off to the store, came back and painted over the blood splattered areas of the walls (not the whole wall though). We barely got the house back to normal when my mom came home. Everything looked great..... until she asked what was different with the walls. We took a closer look and realized my mistake.......... our walls were satin paint but I had bought and touched up patches using gloss!

We were so close. We had a lot of explaining to do.....................

Busy Busy Busy!

I've been having so much fun recently so I thought I would share it with you all!


Last weekend Jason and I participated in a Charity fun run. Now I know you're all thinking "Run? the only place those to would run to is the pizza shop!" so to clarify - it was on the Harley! Jason driving me sitting back enjoying the view! It started at 7:30 am and ended at 1pm. What a hot and sunny day it was! Of course Miss Queen of the skn cancer (me) didn't put any sun screen on so I was fried! We went North then West out to Lake Okechobee and then back home again. Really relaxing. We saw this huge Gater in the Lake. You can't really tell from this photo but the part of his back that we saw was as big as a coffee table!
If image is too small try clicking on the photo to enlarge it!





After that Jason and I had to run to my boss's house for baby Jake's christening. We didn't get to stay long because I was having gorl's night at my house that night! We didn't even stay for the food!!!! Look at all that hair!



Saturday night was so much fun and I have to thank all of my girls for showing up in their jammies!!!! Amanda even brought a huge teddy bear. Sorry guys - no photos of that! I love when we all get together and chat and laugh and tell jokes. I was so happy that everyone made it all the way out to the Farms. I know it's a bit of a trek but I LOVE it here! Tanya, Tracey and Cheryl all stayed over!!! and on Sunday morning we headed out for breakfast to try and control the hangovers :) Tracey and Cheryl stayed in their Pajamas and we managed to get our breakfast paid for thanks to Tanya!!!! I will not elaborate on that! :)

Tomorrow night is Joey's 30th birthday and his beautiful gorlfriend is throwing him a White Trash party! Hopefully there will be plenty of fun photos of that I can post at a later date!

Other than that all is well. it's only 39 days before the US election. Every day I vow to not discuss politics with friends and family but every day I end up arguing with someone. I can't wait til it's over. It's going to be interesting to say the least. I can't wait for the debates tonight now that McCain has decided to join in. I guess his ploy to delay the VP debates didn't work so he didn't want to hand it on a plate to Obama.

Stay educated people! Learn the candidates standings and don't just vote the party!

See ya!

Donor

You know my blogging started after reading Adrian's blog re: Bone Marrow donation (who have never called me back by the way!). Now I'm talking about organ donors.

I've always opted to be an organ donor on my driver's license and I always make sure every one in my life knows that I want to be an organ donor when I die. I think it's very important for everyone close to you to know your stand on this issue because once you're dead they are the ones that will be making the decisions for you - and if they don't know - or feel that they can't bare for you to be cut up and distributed around - they might not do it!

Now how do you feel about knowing where an organ came from? If you, or a family member, needed an organ would you care where it came from? obviously it would be healthy - the tests are enormous - so that should not be a concern. but would you care if it came from another race? What if the recipient was a member of the KKK would they decline a lung or a heart if it came from a black man? I know that I wouldn't care - it would be my only hope. This is why they keep the donor/recipients seperate. I think as the years pass you can find out the particulars but what would happen then?

I'm reading a book right now called "Change of Heart". It's good. I like it. It's about a woman who's daughter and husband are killed. The murderer is sentenced to death but finds out 11 years later that the other daughter is in dire need of a heart. The murderer wants to make amends to the woman by giving his heart (upon his death) to her 2nd daughter so that she doesn't lose both. He would have to be hung instead of lethal injection but that's what he wants.

Hmmmm. What a conundrum. Would you want to grant this man his dying wish? Would you want to have your daughter walking around with a killer's heart inside her? Would you want to take the chance that another heart comes along on time?

Hopefully these are not issues any of us will have to consider.

Along these lines, I am praying for the Republican party to be kicked out of the White House this November. Amongst many other things, I do not follow their party lines re: stem cell research. They think it's against God. I think if there is a God he would want us to do what we could to further science etc. I don't appreciate how they have delayed the research and this is ONE of the reasons I think they should go. There is too much religion in politics when the Republicans are in office. If you are personally against stem cell research and using the benefits that come along with it then it should be your choice to say "no" whenever you are given the choice to use it to save your life. We have all been given free will and when a government is telling you what to believe, what to eat etc we are in BIG trouble! Did you know that Sarah Palin does not believe in Evolution?

Anyway, I digress!

I AM AN ORGAN DONOR!

Please honor my wishes when the time comes!

Love ya!

:)

How Old am I?

So I'm having a birthday tomorrow :( it's not the big one but it's as close as you can get. I'm not very bothered about it.

really.

But it makes you think about the big one next year. I'm trying to make plans. I've thought about everyone getting together at a rental house in Marco Island (Steve could you get on that?) or maybe at a dude ranch in Central Florida - wouldn't that be fun? Horse back riding. golf. sitting around the camp fire at night getting drunk! Sounds good to me! But I'll keep thinking.

Most of you know that I have a vague goal to be in great shape by my 40th. I've started by using my Wii Fit and I hope to have my Virtual Skipping ropes for my aerobic side (notice that there is no mention of a diet!). So I get on my Wii Fit last night and my BMI has dropped slightly and my weight has dropped slightly and my Wii Fit Age is........................................................ 31!!!! WOW. That made me so happy! 31! Jason laughed and thought maybe the wee white box thought someone else might be standing on it - but you know what? I don't care! it motivates me to keep going! It's actually very fun.

So I come into work this morning and tell Jennifer (my co-worker) that my Wii Fit age is 31! and i'm celebrating to myself as I open up my email. There's an email from my niece (my brother Alex's daughter) and she tells me she and her husband are going to have a baby! WOW! OMG! I can't believe it! I am so happy for her! The excitement is overwhelming - until I realize that that will make me a great aunt!

A Great Aunt? Does that not conjure up images of Old ladies, maybe spinsters that smell like cats? How can I be a great aunt? But come to think of it I've been a GREAT aunt to my nieces and nephews their whole lives (well the ones I see anyway) so it's just a different emphases on the phrase.

No matter what my age (numerically) I will feel only as old as I feel. 39 is not that bad.

really.

Congratulations to Julie and Jonathon. Keep me posted :)

Adrian Passes

Hi. I know a lot of you have been asking where my blogs have been recently and I have given many excuses. I'm sorry - but it basically comes down to lack of time.

And now I'm writing this short note just to let you all know that Adrian has passed away. If some of you don't remember he is the reason I started blogging in the 1st place. He was so inspirational. Dying of leukemia he always found the time to write and was funny and moving right up to to the end. I am so sad right now. I have followed his story for many months and although I knew the ending before it came it still gets me in the gut!

As the saying goes - Bad Things Happen to Good People (a.k.a. John & Tracey syndrome).

If you want to read any of Adrian's blog click here http://baldyblog.freshblogs.co.uk/

So not to be morbid but in case I don't tell you (my faithful readers :)) enough - I love you all! I believe I have made good choices in my life and if something happened to me I would want everyone to know that I was happy.

I think this is the goal in life. I think that God (if there is one) would just want us to be happy. We have free will to make whatever choice we want to make. Get out of bad relationships! Get out of bad jobs! Have more vacations! Don't stress the small stuff!

Be HAPPY People.

If Adrian can do it as his life slipped away - then you/we have nothing to complain about.

Love you all

I promise to write soon and more often.

Been a While!

So it's been about 3 weeks since I last wrote :( It's crazy how much you can miss something like writing. When I started this I didn't know what to expect but since then I find myself constantly thinking - "Oh I should put that in my blog" - but things have been so busy recently that I haven't had the time! I'm getting to spend a lot of fun time with the family (they're here for another week) - but I will write all about that once they are gone :D

I was inspired today to make time to write because of a few of things. Funnily enough they are all about people in prison.

1. I just saw that one of the Manson followers has been denied her early release. I can't remember if I brought that up when it was in the news a few weeks ago - but seemingly this woman (who is in for life for stabbing actress Sharon Tate to death nearly 40 years ago) is dying of brain cancer and she asked to get compassionate leave to die amongst her family! She has been denied parole a total of 12 times. This got my blood boiling the first time I read about it. Who does she think she is? Why should a judge allow her any compassion after what she did? I am a believer in the death sentence and I think we have wasted 40 years of the tax payer's money keeping this woman alive, feeding her, clothing her and putting a roof over her head. Since she has a non-treatable cancer - why not just finish her off now and save us a little money? I feel very strongly about this in case you didn't notice. It makes me so mad that there are so many rights for these people that have had no regard for another human being!

This links me seamlessly into my next thought......

2. This morning on the Today Show they were talking about death row inmates that are blogging! These guys do not have direct Internet access but they can mail their blogs to someone on the outside who will then put them on line. Some of them even have their "art" shown on their pages. Scott Peterson (who murdered his wife and unborn child) has his own page with photos of him and his wife, smiling away as if he wasn't the pig that he was.

This situation is a bit different for me. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I can understand the need to write and get things out there but I can also understand the families of the victims that feel outraged that these people have the opportunity to do this while their child / wife / husband / loved one is lying 6 feet under! on one hand you could tell the victim's family just not to read it. The Internet is huge and you could go a whole lifetime without coming across these pages but on the other hand ........... very confusing to me.

3. My favorite radio station "Real Radio" 94.3 "The Love Doctors" were talking about gun control. They are all for people have the right to have guns (like I am) but they were wondering if the person with the gun (Joe Schmoe) could actually pull the trigger when they had to. A listener called up and told a story:

- she was woken in the middle of the night with someone breaking in. Her gun was on the night stand but as she reached for it she heard a voice inside her head telling her that the intruder was her ex-husband (her son's father). She made a quick decision to jump out the window instead of facing off with him (she took the gun with her). She was in the country so there were woods all around and she managed to get away. The reason she decided to run was because she didn't think she could tell her son that she had shot his father! Now, to me that is crazy thinking!!!! If you have a gun - you need to be willing to use it. Even if it's a 17 year old kid that's breaking in! I think no matter the age. If they are breaking in they are on the path to destruction!

Anyway, it turned out the person that broke into this woman's house was in fact her husband. He had someone with him and they both had butchers knives and were coming to kill her. She had a restraining order against him and he was supposed to be in "facility" 3 hours away and she was supposed to be told when he was released!

I know what I would prefer: I would rather tell my child that I had shot his dad than someone telling my child that I was dead!

Well it's good to be back! I'll catch up again very soon

Ciao for now!

Blood is Thicker

Family is so important. My family is arriving tomorrow from Scotland and I am so excited. I haven’t seen them in a whole year! I’m sure my nephew Craig has grown (maybe not mentally but certainly physically)

Family is important because it places you. It gives you heritage and lineage and a history to stem yourself from. And although it teaches you what you were born into it does not teach you what you were born to be.

It may allow you to learn what you don’t want to be……….

We all have people in our family that we would prefer to think of as acquaintances. People that you would cross the street so as not to talk to or be seen talking to. We get to an age (usually around 15) when we start making decisions in our lives. Who are our friends? What do I want to do when I leave school? Who influences me? Who do I look up to? It’s also a time, unfortunately, when we turn our backs on family. A lot of that is to do with the fact that up until that age your parents drag you to all the family functions and to visit aunts/uncles etc. when you come to an age where you are making choices for yourself you feel that you would rather spend time with your friends and start to spend less time with family. Next thing you know your cousins have kids, and you don’t know their names and you only see family at weddings and funerals.

I’ve been thinking of this recently because I just found out that my cousin, Joanne, has a 10 year old daughter that has just been diagnosed with a brain tumor! Wow! I used to spend time with Joanne, at dance class from what I remember, and now she has a daughter that I didn’t even know existed. I don’t even know this little girl’s name. How sad. How can you lose track of your own family? An excuse for me could be that I live so far away – but that is no excuse! Not in this day of technology. Not that I want to be involved, per se, in what my family is up to – but I should at least know what the branches of the trees are doing!

My mom just told me that this little girl made it through an 8 hour operation but started hemorrhaging so they couldn’t remove the whole tumor (size of golf ball). A biopsy was made so I guess they will wait til they get the results (in about 10 days) to see what their next step is.

Choices are made in life. How they affect your life is something that needs to be seen. You may feel you have made bad decisions but you don’t know what your life would have been like otherwise (good or bad). Never hesitate to correct a wrong. If you feel that you can. It’s never too late – until it’s too late!

You decide what your life will look like. Will it be thick with family, and friends - that are your family of choice? Or thin with acquaintances that give you nothing in return?

Mad World

Day 15: The World is completely mad - if you read the news. I try to read the news every day. not just watch it on TV because they never show you the bizarre stuff that I'm going to mention below. Reading about crazy people always let's me appreciate the good people I have in my life. I was reading the other day about one of the women that was involved in the Manson Cult that is dying and wants let out of prison to die with family and friends. 1st of all - how do you get involved in a situation that leads you to what happened back then? 2nd - what makes you think you have the right to die amongst family and friends when you have committed this type of act upon another human being? I don't understand why she's been left to live so long in the 1st place.

There's Something Afoot! - In the past year 5 feet (not in length, actual feet) have floated ashore in British Columbia, Canada, The most recent on Thursday of last week. 4 of these feet have been right ones, the other a left! Some are in socks, while others are in tennis shoes. There have been no news of the ethnicity of the feet and they are testing the one left foot to see if it matches (DNA) with any of the right feet! How bizarre! Another foot was discovered last week but was soon found to be a hoax (an animal paw skeleton stuffed in a sock inside a shoe!!!) So is it a serial killer? Organized crime? Body parts of people from a crash or a sunken boat? Will we ever know? Probably not because if you're not reading it online they won't be telling you on National news! I'll keep you posted!

Tastes Like Chicken!: A man recently in the Czech Republic installed a baby cam to watch over his new born baby. Instead of getting pictures of his baby he could see 2 people locked in a cage. It turns out that people on his street belonged to some cult that ate the flesh off other people. His neighbors had locked their teenage children in a cage and periodically would slice pieces of flesh from them and feed them to other members of the cult. The man with the camera called the authorities who came and saved the children. The cult members also had a camera on the cage so they could watch the enslaved children from other parts of the house - therefore causing a cross transference of images from one home to the other.

lesson learned - if you are using video in your home - make sure the image is encrypted!!!

So I think I've mentioned our friendly racoon before. He comes at night and watches us through our sky light in the living room. Well he came and paid us a visit on Friday night and we managed to get it on video. Unfortunately the video won't upload here so here are some photos. take a look at this "ballsy" little critter. He's certainly not scared of us! I hope our sky light never falls in! :)

I Can Cook!!!

Day 14: Not words that you would expect to come out of my mouth - but true none the less! I was in the mood for risotto last night, but J didn't feel well and wasn't planning on cooking. So, I made it! It was fabulous (see recipe below). It's been added (by my husband) to the "You can make that again" list - which now consists of:

1. Risotto
2. Australian meat pie
3. Pampered Chef chicken Ring "Thing"
4. Shrimp Pilau.

Woo Hoo! My culinary skills are really taking flight! I think the risotto was a tribute to my friend (he doesn't know it) Gordon Ramsey! Every week on Hell's Kitchen they're making risotto and I was inspired! You should try it cos if I can make it - anyone can :)

Recipe:

Heat 7 cups of Chicken stock

Heat 2 tbs olive oil in saucepan and saute 1 onion (diced) for about 20 mins (over medium heat) - just til golden brown. Take off the heat and add 1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar. Put aside

Heat 2 tbs olive oil in Large Skillet/ frying pan (medium heat). Add 1 1/2 cups of uncooked risotto rice and stir to combine and heat for 2 mins. Add 1/2 cup of dry white wine (cooking wine). Lower heat to medium low and start to add chicken broth 1 cup at a time. keep stirring until this cup is absorbed. Once it is absorbed add another cup and so on and so forth until all 7 cups of stock are gone. You need to stir continuously and it takes about 20 mins.

Add the onion mix and take pan off the heat. salt and pepper to taste (but don't add too much salt).

You can eat it like that or you could add some cooked chicken and some parmasan cheese on top to serve.

! ! ! ! ! F A B U L O U S ! ! ! ! !

So my nephew Scott left today for India. I never got to speak to him beofre he left but I did email him to tell him how proud of him I was. I hope he goes and has a great time and learns a lot about himself! Can't wait til he gets back to tell me all about it.

I hope they have good weather at this time a year down there. I know the weather here has been awful. The daily thunder storms have driven my poor dog to living in my closet. Even when it's not stormy he gravitates back there just in case. What can you do? I've been considering contacting Cesar Millan- the dog whisperer - to see if he wants to come out here and help us. What do you think? Worth a shot? If it was a child I wouldn't hesitate to do what needed to be done so I guess I should.

I really shouldn't complain about the weather too much - the folks in the Mid West are still getting beat! town after town is being submerged along with everyone's property/belongings. Can you imagine that problem in Florida? We are so close to sea level that it wouldn't take very much! It may never dry out! (no big loss for most of South Florida) Hee Hee

In the News: A woman is suing Victoria Secret because she was injured by one of their thongs! Seemingly a decorative heart shaped metal piece flew off into her eye as she was trying to put them on (this she tried to explain on the Today Show without looking stupid - didn't work). Her lawyer says Victoria Secret is selling defective under garments!!!! I say sue them for only showing size 0 models looking good in these thongs! What's a man to expect when his real life wife or girl friend puts these thongs on and looks more like an elephant wearing floss??? It should be more a case of false advertising or deception. These poor men are always so disappointed with real life :(

Blame it on The Media

Day 12: What happened to my TV? Where have all my good shows gone? I hate the off season of TV. I miss my Desperate Housewives, I miss Grey's Anatomy I miss lots of things :( So don't hold this against me - I blame it on the media...... Last night as a last resort I made J sit down and watch all my old dancing videos! All the way from when I was about 12 thru I was in college! OMG! Bless him! He didn't even complain. Except to mention that no-one had videoed (or saved any video) of him when he was skating in competion! I would gladly have watched that! So he's really quite lucky! It's quite embarassing reliving your past but there was nothing else to do! I say we start a petition.

We need to pay for cable all year round. they should have to provide us with entertainment all year round! We've stopping using Tivo/DVR and I've still seen all the re-runs they are showing now - I don't get it :( The BBC is getting their feet held to the fire right now because most of their news is focused on Southern England even though the whole country needs to pay the same amount to watch TV. What do the people in Yorkshire care about what's going on in London? We should do the same here!

Or maybe I should find something else to do instead of sitting in front of the TV........

My family are coming from Scotland next week for a visit and I can't wait to see them! And Scott (whom I've mentioned before) is leaving for India in 2 days!!!!!!! What an exciting time :) It never fails to amaze me how people travel these days. When I was growing up the furthest we got was an RV park near the beach (in Scotland or Northern England). But those were fun times! 4 kids and our parents squished into a 2 bedroom RV for a week or 2. We didn't even know who Walt Disney was back then! I don't remember the details of those vacations too well - I only have some photos of us smiling - so we must have been having a great time! Right? Why is it so hard to remember the past? The bad times usually make an impact and can be conjured up at any time (unwanted), but the good times are harder to bring forward. It's just a vague feeling of happiness without the details. I heard of a woman recently that can remember every detail of every day since she was 13 years old. She was on the Today Show not long ago and she could pick any day in her life and tell you exactly what happened, what she was wearing etc. (she had it documented in a journal to verify). She said it was like a movie reel constantly running in her head recording what was going on around her. Now that would be a pain! I'm not sure that would be better than not remembering anything - but can't there be somewhere in between? I don't want to go nuts - I just want to relive the fun moments in life.

I think that I need to be more present in the present. More aware of my life as it passes so as not to miss the good parts as they go. More appreciative of what I have and whomever is in my life at the moment instead of it just washing over me (like a TV show).

S

"Handy"-capped

Day 10: It's Sunday so J and I went to the local Dunkin Donuts for a "treat". I love their coffee. It always amazes me that no matter how many coffee places there are close by (DD or Starbucks etc)- every one of them is packed! There's always a line forming. Anyway while there we noticed a young woman waiting in this long line for her coffee, when we were leaving, she happened to be leaving too. She was parked right out front in the Handicapped parking spot. Now to the eye she looked as healthy as you and I and that would normally be enough to get my blood boiling, (we would all love a handy pass to park up front but most of us are against blatantly bucking the system), but she had also left her child (5 or 6 years old) in the car while she went in for her coffee. At least she left the car running so the child could have some air conditioning on this 88 degree day - but also convenient in case the local riff raff needed a car. It so happens we were at the DD that was held up at gun point 2 weeks ago (not that we're in a bad area I just think there are more desperate people out there right now). So what are you supposed to do? Are you supposed to confront the "mother"? Do you turn your back and hope that you don't see her on the news in the future crying that her car was stolen with her child inside while she was getting coffee/paying for gas/shopping in the mall....... It's hard to say. How many of us would have said something? We didn't.

In the society that we live in you just don't know how people will react to you butting into their life. We've lost all sense of community. It's every man for himself and to heck with everyone else.

It brings to mind the video recently of the 78 year old man that was hit by 2 cars while trying to cross the road (to see video click here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t4wWGH51-A). So many people just kept driving by. A guy in a motor scooter came by and circled him and went on his merry way. I'm sure one of the people on the sidewalk called 911 but no-one stopped traffic to make sure he wasn't hit again. No-one went over to comfort him and let him know he wasn't alone. I heard that the main excuse was, it was 5pm and they were on their home from work or had to pick their children up from day-care and if they were late by helping someone else - their children would be left alone.

Where are we going? How are we evolving? As a people? as a community? Should we automatically feel fear when a car we don't recognize or a group of people we don't know enters our community? Or should we be tolerant of everyone until they prove themselves unworthy? We live in a very diverse World. So many religions and beliefs. So many different ways of life. What's normal for me may not me normal to you. Should you fear me because I think differently from you? I am from the mindset of, as long as you are not doing any harm to me or mine, I have no problem with you.

The polygamists in Texas have been in the news recently. They have their own way of life and belief system but why should I care? They have nothing to do with me. I bet if one of "theirs" had been hit by that car they sure wouldn't have stood around looking on. They would have gotten involved!

We all live with a "handicap" in one way or another. A fear of something that stops us from doing what we want. But it's always "handy" to be able to pass the blame to someone or something else.

On another note - today is Father's Day. A day to make an effort to spend some happy time with the fathers in our lives. A sad day for me and many others that no longer have their father in their lives. Although he is no longer with us physically my dad will aways be in my heart and I hope that one day I will be able to erase the guilt I carry with me, for myself and my sister.

Today - this is my handicap.

The Crappening!

Day 9: J and I went to the movies today - which is a small wonder as J NEVER goes to the movies. But it was a movie he wanted to see - "The Happening". M. Night Shamalan movie, who I usually love (Signs, Unbreakable, The Village) - but this one really was crap! The premise of the movie was good but the acting sucked the big one. Mark Wahlberg is the main character and I think that was a big mistake. So save your movie money, even save your video rental money and I would even go as far as to say save your time (when it comes on TV) and don't watch this.

It was nice to be in a movie theatre with my husband though . Why is it that when you go to the movies early to get a good seat, right as the lights go down a group of noisy eaters come in a sit right behind you (kicking your seat) and another group comes in a sit right in front of you ( so you can't put your feet up)?? There are all these empty seats all around but they end up right in your face.

Talking about The Crappening, we went to visit John and Tracey the other night. Well John cos Tracey was still at work. Baby Lola was taking a nap but woke up just as we got there. I ran up to her room to get her and when I opened the door - POW! The smell of Poopy diaper was in the air. Now those that know me well will not believe the next part........ Without hesitation I picked her up and put her on her changing table. I deftly kept her busy while whipping off that (dry heave) diaper. WOW - how does someone so little and so cute make such a smell?????? I am proud to say that I changed that diaper and got her dressed before anyone else even knew what was going on! That is a huge achievment for me :D Maybe I can be promoted to baby sitter soon. I've earned my "Brownie" merit badge.

Talking about merit badges........... I am in awe of the weather that is trudging through the Mid-West. How much more can they take? My heart goes out to those families that lost their sons in the boy scout camp this week, and bravo to those that had the wherewithall to take care of those that were hurt.

With us being in the beginning of Hurricane Season I guess it's a good lesson to "Be Prepared"!

To-Marrow! To-Marrow! We Love Ya To-Marrow!

Day 8: So great news! I heard back from the National Marrow Donor Program (http://www.marrow.org/) and they say I can donate! They don't follow the same guidlines as the blood donor folks. If I match with a patient it would be up to the doctor and the patient to decide if they wanted it. It's a great process with plenty of options and think you should all look into it. Unfortunately there is no local donation centers so I have asked the Program how I can set up a "Drive" (similar to a blood drive) at my job. I will keep you all informed because I know you'll all want to be there. :)

On another note, Jason and I went down to our pond to feed the fish. Even with this drought and the pond being so low the fish are still thriving. Take a look at these photos. We have Koi, Carp, Walking Carp, Bass, Catfisk, Tilapia, Brim and of course turtles!!!!! We love it out here.

In the news today....... A 7 year old Romanian boy has been taken into care due to the fact that he is 220 lbs!!!!!! He is from a low income family and lives on bread and lard . Hopefully he will be put on a proper diet and exercise plan but when he gets sent back to his family - what will he do then? Can you imagine a 220 lb 7 yr old !!!! It's so sad :( you can only image the state his arteries are in. I really should get myself an exercise plan. I keep threatening to get on my treadmill everyday after work but I can't seem to get into a schedule :(

I had a conversation today about the movie "The Bucket List" I haven't seen it yet but I know it's about 2 old guys that make a list of things to do before they die. What do I want to do before I die? I know there is a ton of places I want to go to but what do I want to do? I would love to eat in a Gordon Ramsey restaurant with Gordon Ramsey! I love him :) He's Scottish you know! I would love to climb the bridge in Sydney Harbor (Australia) http://www.bridgeclimb.com/, I'm not sure what else. Do you have a list?

In the News

Day 7: So not much going on the last few days. I've just been haging out and watching a couple of good movies. ON Sunday I watched one of my all time favorite's "Princess Bride" - I love it! Watched that while I did my ironing, so time went by pretty quickly. Then the other night Jason and I watched Closer. I know it's been out for a few years but I never seem to rent movies. When this first came out I was warned not to watch it. And again when I told a friend I had rented it I was told not to watch it. I don't understand. I thought it was a great movie. It was a bit confusing with the jumping around of time etc. but I thought the characters were great (especially Clive Owens - he was a real b.......). Jason liked it too - there was some good laughs in it I thought. Anyway, I'm looking forward to Hancock coming out over 4th July weekend. It looks amazing!

We've had so much rain these past few days and the thunder is driving my poor dog insane. He sapends most of his time in the closet covered in clothes and pillows etc. He won't come out for anything even an hour after the storm has passed. I often wonder what he went through in that puppy farm. All puppy farms should be distroyed. Please, if you're looking for a new dog - go to the pound and get one - PLEASE do not get a pure bred from a store or a breeder. Did you know that pure breds and in-bred (I'm sure you do). this only means that any problems that breed of dog has (hip displatia etc) is compounded as it's bred over and over again. whereas a mix breed can help fix those problems. There are so many abandoned dogs out there (and cats) .... the new law in Palm Beach is great! Everyone MUST neuter or spay their animal unless you are a registered breeder. Hopefully this will cut down on the issue.

So there have a few bizarre items in the news recently. There was a man that was on a skydiving plane (just to watch) that jumped out without a parachute. He died. Seemingly he had been asking his co-workers about the best way to die even asking if it would be best to skydive without a parachute! Jason thinks that you would have a heart attack before you hit - but I don't agree. Do you remember the Australian guy that jumped and his parachute didn't open. He landed in a bush and survivied!!!! If your heart would give out then he would have been dead. That's my argument anyway.

I also read yesterday that a car was found on a bridge over the Hudson River and on the hood (in the dust) was written "Suicide is Painless". No-one has seen the owner of the car since. It is presumed he jumped. The owner was just sentenced to some long prison time for "stealing" $300 million (he was some kind of trader). So I think he's made it look like he's jumped but NO WAY! He's hiding out somewhere, I bet. The resuce team for that are said that of the 30 or so suicides off that bridge they have found every body except one. so the chances are the truth will "Surface" (get it?).

In Britain they are trying to make the law stronger for minors caught with knives. The knife crime in britain has been outrageous recently and if the culprit is 18 or under they just get a slap on the wrist. IN Scotland however, they have had stronger laws for a while and those culprits would get jail time. The new Prime Minister of Briatain is Scottish so he is trying to improve the country in areas he can. That's right! Let the Scots lead the way!

Oh by the way, I've been checking on Adrian (http://baldyblog.freshblogs.co.uk) my inspiration. He's really not doing well at all. His energy level is down to nothing, as he's not creating enough red blood cells. He's having a hard time doing everyday things, like getting out of bed. But he hasn't stopped fighting! His campaign made it to the House of Parliment today!!!!!! I would love to see something pass on time before he dies. Have you looked into becoome a bone marrow donor yet? Check here http://www.marrow.org/ for info. I am checking into whether I can be tested or not. I cannot give blood (in US) as I lived in Britain prior to 1986. They are still scared of Mad Cow's Disease as there is no way to test for it. I'll let you know what I find out.

Love you all
S

Hero - To Be or Not to Be

Day 5: In the news today is a story about a man that died out at sea after helping to save 5 others that were on the same boat http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,364454,00.html. This safety officer alerted all those on board when their boat started taking on water. He helped them get out of the boat, made sure they had the life jackets (there was only 4 but 6 people on board) but didn't make it off the boat himself prior to it sinking. The 5 others were rescued after 26 hours adrift at sea. This raises several questions in my mind......

1. Could I ever be that selfish?

2. What was going through his mind at the end?

3. How do you live with yourself if you're one of the survivors?

Many of you know that it was Carnival Cruise Lines that brought me to the U.S. of A. and I'd like to share the story of my exit from this fine company!

I had worked with Carnival for about 5 years. I started at 20 and was supposed to only spend 9 months. But being young and crazy (and thinking I know what's best at such a young age) I fell in love and got married to an American. How sweet it was. Living on the high seas, partying all night, working for pennies! A dream come true! The one down side of working for any cruise line is the Mandatory life boat drill that takes place at the beginning of every sailing. It's supposed to be to familiarize the passengers (or cone heads as we called them!) with where they should go in case of an emergency. The truth of the matter is they were all too drunk on Rum Punch to even notice what was going on around them! Anyway, as an employee we are all assigned "stations" to direct these passengers in the right direction. It's tiresome and pointless ( as I'm sure you can all attest to if you've ever seen those videos of ship emergency's) - it's every man for himself at that point. Every 3 months the Coast Guard comes on board and test the crew on their knowledge of the evacuation process etc. This always took place at your home port (Miami, San Juan etc). From about 8am - 12 noon we all stood outside with our life jackets on sweating to death and passing out with hunger (you probably didn't eat breakfast because you were hung over from the night before). Now this might surprise you, as you know my aversion to water (can't swim) but I became a certified seaman! It didn't do me any favors but I would be one of the people the Coast Guard would pick on. Part of the training was practising lowering the Life Boats into the water (while the ship was docked). The Life Boats are generally 12 -14 storeys up and they can be manually lowered by 2 people on a pulley system. This is where I would get bemused...... they would tell crew members, like myself, to get in the life boat so that we could teach the newbie (who didn't speak much English) how to lower the boat. There have been several accidents during this process where one person let the rope go quicker than the other and the boat fell into the water from quite a ways up, hurting everyone inside! So I got to thinking. Why do I need to be in that boat while they practise? it makes no difference what's so ever if the boat is empty or full. they still need to learn the pulley system.

So one day as we were gearing up for ANOTHER Coast Guard drill I decided I would not get in that life boat. I decided to hide in the loo! Unfortunately the Captain got to hear about it.........Everyone knew I had violated some rule and i was "in for it". The first sign there was trouble was when the Captain paged my boss, "casino manager to the bridge". all eyes fell on me. He wasn't the nicest guy and if you were called up to see him it was like facing a mafia boss when you didn't complete a hit! so up she went - I hid in the lunch room acting all blase! After a while my manager came looking for me to tell me I had to go down in the boat by myself or get off the ship! I was devastated!!!!!!!!!! It was April. I couldn't get shipped off to Scotland in April! I only had summer clothes. Upon hearing my dilemma my manager said "Oh no. They only get you as far as Miami. After that you're on your own!" "Hmmm Miami" I thought - I can deal with that! So off I went to my cabin to pack up my belongings. When you live on a ship for so many years you accumulate many creature comforts (TV, VCR, Stereo not to mention clothes). I had to pack everything onto a hand cart and get it off the ship. Oh did I mention we were in Mexico at the time? The captain made me get off the ship (well if I had gone down on the boat he wouldn't have made me but still...) in Cozumel, Mexico. I dragged everything off the gangway while he stood on the bridge watching me.

I made it back to Miami with my dignity intact and a fabulous life ahead of me. You don't realize who trapped you are in a situation until it changes so abruptly!

I have been through many situations since then but still remember those days fondly. but it brings me back to my initial question.....

Could I ever be that selfish?

What if something tragic had happened while I was "supposed" to help people abandon ship? Would instict kick in? Could I put others before me? I really don't think so.


Could you? Have you ever wondered?

That is why my blog today

is dedicated to Roger Stone,

who died under such tragic circumstances.

My heart goes out to his family and friends and I honor him and his actions.

Sunday

Day 4: Sundays can be the best day of the week or the worst. For me it's hard not to think of it as the day before MONDAY! I believe that Sundays are for relaxing, getting ready for the work week ahead but there's always sooooo much to do around the house that I feel guilty about relaxing - so it never happens. For the past few weekends I've been staining and sealing some furniture that we want to use on the patio. We moved to this house because we couldn't use the back yard at our old house (too many screaming kids next door). Honestly, it felt like we were trapped inside our own house! Now the father of these screaming brats is filing complaints against the nice people that bought our house (in this awful market) because their dogs bark! The audacity of it!!!! I really feel like going to his house and explaining why we left. I know it wouldn't make any difference but it would be good to get it off my chest.


Anyway, I digress. We bought this house because we want to use the backyard. We like privacy. So after all these months I am trying to get things together so we can eat out there, relax out there, just be out there. However, my fabulous husband feels that he is the only one that should do anything to our house. He's painted it (inside and out) he decides what goes on the walls, he wants to do all the handy work (but never seems to find the time). This leads to me feel like I'm a visitor in my own home sometimes. Luckily we have the same taste. So, I have taken charge! I want the patio to be mine. My creation! My ideas! Something that I can say to people "I did that". So staining and sealing furniture have kept me busy recently. It's coming along and I can't wait to post some photos of it when it's done.

Meanwhile, my nephew Scott is heading to the Himalayas in less than 2 weeks. He won a place in a group of people going there to help build a refuge for needy women in the region. He's 16 and this will be the 1st time he's been away from home (alone) for that length of time. I am so proud of him. This is a huge endeavour and I believe it will be the making of him. Traveling has become so second natue for most of us but how many of us can say they have gone to India? His group will fly into the area but will then hike and camp their way up the Himalayas to their base camp. Out of the 2 week trip he'll actually only be building for 4 days - the rest will be travel! I think he will be so happy to see his own bed when he gets home but the memories of this trip will be with him forever. Good Luck Scott! I'll make sure to update you on his news when he gets home! (p.s. Scott is the good looking one on the right!).



Ciao for now!

Another Sunny Day

Day 3: Hey Yawl! Yup another beautiful sunny day in Florida - not that I would know.... didn't get out of bed to noon!!! Dropped by my in-laws for lunch where my fab husband decided to sleep for most of the day! SO now we are on our way to play poker at John's house and I'm blogging in the car. Don't ya love air cards? You can get on-line absolutely anywhere! Hopefully the J-man will try to stay awake while we take his money off him :)

So gas prices are not going down anytime soon. I paid $4.09 a gallon (regular) last night :( so I thought I would share some tips to save on gas. You may have heard some of these before but it's good to remind yourself.

1. Don't take off from the light too fast! - You burn the most fuel at those points of your journey

2. Try to stay at around 65 miles per hour - for every 5 mpr over 65 you are spending approx 20 cents more per gallon!!!!! and lets face it - it's not going to get you there MUCH faster

3. Fill up at night - gas expands with the heat during the day so you are actually getting much less gas for your money

4. Fill up on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - prices go up on the weekend as it's used more

5. Check the air in your tires - if the tires are not at the correct pressure there's some kind of drag and your car doesn't perform to it's best. Not sure of the terms as I'm just a girl!

6. Price look low? - Some gas stations are offering a lower price if you pay in cash. Before you pump your gas check to see if there are any special offers posted to pay cash. I know it's a pain to actually go inside - that's why we all use credit/debit but if it's going to save you 6 cents a gallon it might be worth it!

I would tell you all to car pool or ride your bike more but come on who's kidding who????? I know that ain't happening! This is going to gone for some time to come so let's all try to save a little money!

p.s. - I know we are lucky in America - there are a lot of places with MUCH higher prices but you all have options like public transportation (bus, train, subway etc) so stop your bitching! If I could take the bus I would - it would save me a bunch!

p.p.s. if you know of other tips pass them along

See you all tomorrow!

Bad Boys, Bad Boys!

The title of my Blog is "a Day in the Life of a Scot" and I am attempting to add a post EVERY day! There will be photos, maybe video etc so come back and check in on my life. And if your motivated click on the comment link at the bottom so we can hear your feed back.



Day 2: I was getting ready for bed last night. Jason was out and I was home alone. It was about 11:15pm and I started hearing a car honk it's horn. I thought it was from the TV so ignored it for the first few times, then got curious and looked outside. Most of you have not seen my house but it's suffice to say it's dark out there at night! At the end of the driveway I saw a car start to back out on to the street. I called J and asked if he knew who it could be but he didn't. While I kept him on the phone I decided to walk down at see who it was that was making so much noise at that time of night (in my PJs no less!). It was a cab! The driver (who I discovered later was called Roger) asked me to pay the fair for the guy that he just dropped off. I told him that no-one was dropped off at this house and he had made a mistake. He told me that indeed he had dropped of a tall, skinny guy who said he was going to the house to ask his wife for the fare and he watched this guy walk up to my door! Oh My God I thought.... while I was heading down to speak to this guy some "tall, skinny guy" was in my house! J had been on the phone all this time and at this point informed me that I should call the police and that he was on his way home. Now, I'm known as quite outgoing but when it comes to the police I've discovered i'm very conservative. I called the local police dept and was told I was not in their juristiction and I needed to call the sheriff dept. I got their # and called them and after going through several automated prompts I got to speak to someone who then transfered me to someone else! When I eventually got the right person on the phone I tried to explain that there was someone on my property and that I was home alone. I was told they were right around the corner and would be there quickly. 30 minutes went by with no sign of a cop, or the intruder! just me and Roger (the cabbie) standing in the dark at the end of my driveway (me in my PJs!). So now here comes J (got there before the cops!) and he and his buddy John (who came to help) think they can hunt this guy down! they're in the bushes with sticks and flash lights hollering for the guy to show himself. The cabbie by this time has decided he was wasting his time and wants to leave. He gives me all his info cos there's still no sign of the cops. We're confused. where are they?

Well it turns out if you don't call 911 (like your husband tells you to) the cops have other things to do. So now we make another call - this time to 911. While on the call another call comes in to 911 with the same description of the guy we gave (clothing, height etc) from another house on my street! Suddenly there's 3 cop cars zooming down the road to our house. The pull up (unceremoniously) and ask who are you? where is your husband? Where is the machete? Oh I might have missed that bit out..... Jason had told the cops that if he found the guy on our property 1st he would not hesitate to use a machete on him! So we told the nice policeman that there was no machete and he told us to stay where we were and he would be back. It turns out one of my neighbors has a STALKER! this guy has been warned before but he was soooooo out of his head he didn't know what he was doing or which house his stalkee lived in! He'd been dropped off at the wrong house! Now it's 1 am and I'm exhausted but we needed to finish up with the report. When we asked if this guy had any kind of background we were told "oh yeah! Drug abuse, alcohol abuse and he's a registered transvestite!" I didn't know they could tell people this stuff! So now we have a case # in case this guy shows up again. At least I know he's not looking to steal my clothes - he's much taller than me :)

So the moral of the story is........

1. When you need help - call 911!
2. Be careful what you get caught doing because people like to share your most intimate secrets!
3. Get to know your neighbors (and your neighbors crazy acquaintances) so you know what to expect in the wee hours of the morning.

My very 1st blog!

So, I've been inspired by a young 25 year old man from England that is dying of cancer. I came across his blog online and have been drawn to it every day. Please take a few moments to visit his blog and see what I'm talking about http://baldyblog.freshblogs.co.uk/. He's very compelling - when you go to his blog, check out the recent blog area to the right and start at the bottom of the list. He updates very frequently so to get a feel for what he's going through it's best to start at the bottom. I hope that once you read his story you will be motivated to do something to help!

Anyway, All that aside why have I started a blog? I don't have anything to share (in particular) but still I feel like I want to share. Life is a funny thing. With high highs and low lows. The world is in a mess right now and I don't think I know anyone that's not being affected by it in some way. And the funniest thing about that is that EVERYONE is pretending to be doing fine. Is there ever going to be an end? I know there is - as all things have a beginning, a middle and an end.....but I hope people are not holding out for the BIG ELECTION because that is a joke. I haven't heard anyone say how they will solve this gas issue or the mortgage issue. If you've heard anything please let me know so that I can have SOME hope. Keeping your spirits up is exhausting but if you let yourself dwell in the sadness it's enough to put you over the edge. Now this is is sounding depressing but for anyone that knows me knows one thing.... I'm a straight talker. There's no beating around the bush with me. Not all my blogs will be political or depressing so stick around. I'm just going to talk.