Day 4 in Paradise

Let me see...where does one begin to describe Paradise? The picture here is the sunset on the day I arrived taken from the property where my son's future mother and father-in-law live. The company is wonderful, the scenery is wonderful, the food is wonderful...and let me tell you about the shopping!!!

I'm here to visit my son. And since he recently became engaged, I am here to meet my future daughter-in-law and her family. Nicole is wonderful and so are her parents, who have graciously welcomed me and are letting me stay with them. I am so blessed that my son fell in love with such a lovely young lady and doubly blessed that she has such a terrific family! The wedding planning begins tonight with a picnic dinner at the beach with someone who is a pro at planning weddings. I'm afraid that after tonight, we'll all have jobs assigned to us!

Well, that's it for now. Nine more days and I'll have to return to the real world. Rats.

More later...

Insanity in Local Government

I just don't understand why the government, whether it be local, state or national, must insert itself where it shouldn't. It is being reported that Massachusetts is about to pass a law against spanking your child. That means, if your kid is throwing a fit in the grocery store and you've given him or her that stern look 15 times and finally, to get his or her attention, you swat their butt, watch out! Be ready for a tap on the shoulder and a pair of nice shiney bracelets! And a police escort and most likely, your kid being placed in protective custody, or worse, foster care. Absurd, I say. Yes, there are bad parents out there, but there are more parents who feel it is appropriate to discipline their child in the manner they deem necessary. Of course, if someone sees a child whose parent has obviously lost control and is abusing the child, they should intervene. But if there is a law on the books, laying a hand on that child could land you in jail.

I sure hope I've misunderstood this law. Don't get me wrong, I do NOT endorse giving people the freedom to abuse their kids. I just don't think this is something the government needs to be involved in. How about we stop returning kids to their parents when there is a history of abuse? How about having more personnel to check out foster parents better. There are so many better ways of dealing with this other than having a law on the books prohibiting spanking.

The Prince and The P

I know...it looks like I forgot to finish a word in the title. I'm not talking about a young boy and a prince who trade places in a story we probably all read as a child. I'm talking about the Prince of music...Michael "Zip It" Jackson. I hope I can get through this without losing it entirely and using language I really shouldn't in a public blog. I'll give it my best shot.

What the hell were these mothers thinking when they testified that Jacko is "a very special person," (Joy Robson, mother of one child who was allowed to sleep with MJ and also recieved some serious dollars from him is to have said) and "I trusted him implicitly. He's a very nice person. You just know when you can trust someone," gushed Marie Lisbeth Barnes, who allowed her son to travel the world with MJ on a tour. (I know...long sentence. Sorry.)

Were these women born yesterday or has the sparkle of the golden goose (pun intended) dimmed whatever common sense they may (or may not) have had? I asked myself if I could have ever done this and the answer is HELL NO...not even for the millions of dollars that now probably pad their bank accounts. In a time when so many children are molested and the jails are filled to capacity with pedofiles and molestors, you can't tell me that these women weren't just "pimping' their sons. There is no way they could have seen this as innocent milk and cookies at bedtime. Wine and cookies, maybe. And a movie or 2.

There are people who should never have kids. (I changed that from "should not be allowed" to head off a flurry of comments.) I have no idea how we detect them, but I do know something. I'm tired of reading how children were locked in a closet for the entire 9 years of their life with a leash. I'm tired of Mom turning the other way when she knows her boyfriend is molesting her daughter or son. I am sick and tired of creeps doing irreparable damage to children by their horrendous actions against them.

There are too many who are released due to the overcrowding of prisons. Or that never do time due to a technicality. (Oh...don't get me started on our judicial system!) There is a website in Texas where you can look up convicted child molesters. It gives their name, picture, address, the crime they commited and the child's age. You merely put in your zip code and it then tells you those who lives in your area. Or on your street. Or in your apartment building. If you live in Texas and want to check out your neighborhood, the address is https://records.txdps.state.tx.us/soSearch/soSearch.cfm. If you have kids, it is your responsibility to do whatever you can to keep them safe. I don't advocate taking any action whatsoever, but I do think knowing someone is there will help.

(All words in quotes except my own "Zip It" were quoted from the Fort Worth Star Telegram, May 22, 2005)

Newsworthy? I Think Not

At first glance, one might think something deemed newsworthy as something that would make it to a newcast or newspaper and would have worth. Worth kind of conjures up value to me. So, valuable news. Perhaps, but I certainly wouldn't describe the crap that Newsweek published recently that, either directly or indirectly (that's still up for discussion) brought about the deaths of 16 people. How this publication, owned by the Washington Post Company, can feel that this kind of unconfirmed reporting should even be considered for publication is beyond comprehension. In my opinion, it was the most irresponsible, most disgusting and most damaging kind of reporting. I can see the powers that be sitting around the conference table talking. "If we don't print it now, someone else will beat us to the stands." "But, what if it isn't true?" "Do you want to lose the credit for breaking this story or not???" "Find some artwork of a toilet."

So now, just what do we believe that we read now? I have always tended to believe what I wanted to, culling through newspapers, magazines and even television newscasts, deciding what was true and what wasn't. If we aren't independent thinkers, we're doomed to fall for just anything we read or hear. One of my favorite sites is Snopes.com. They do a pretty good job of confirming or denying internet gossips that way too many people continue to forward and forward and forward. Just who do we turn to when we want some verification of a newscast or magazine article? How do we know who to believe and throw our support behind anymore? My advice is to be a smart consumer. Pay attention to things around you and seek the truth. Don't be swayed into thinking "If they said it on NBC, it MUST be true!" Farewell Dan Rather. Farewell Newsweek. I only wish I had a subscription to that publication so I could cancel it. Maybe I'll check and see just what else The Washington Post Company owns. If I find out, I'll put the list here. As just one person, I will not support any advertisers who use Newsweek (darn, I may have to look at the magazine to find that out!)and if I find out who else is under the umbrella of that company, I intend to eliminate them from the list of people I do business with. It won't make any difference to them, but it will make me feel better.

By the way, the reporter who broke this story, Mike Isakoff, is the same reporter who broke the story on Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. Oh joy. Pulitzer journalism, to be sure.

The Ups And Downs Of Sports

Wow. Talk about a roller coaster ride! One night my Mavericks beat the Rockets by 40 points, the largest winning margin of a 7th playoff game in NBA history and then they get laughed at by the Sun players as they scored and scored and scored against them. Perhaps that game served to bring them back to earth and realize that not every game is as easy and as much fun as that final game against Houston. Hopefully, tomorrow night the A Team will walk out onto the court and play like the possible champions they are. One can only hope.

Root for my Mavericks and I'll be your friend forever.

Go Mavericks!

OK...tonight's the night. The Dallas Mavericks must win!! I'd give anything to be courtside. Well, almost anything. If they advance to the next round (what am I saying??? WHEN they advance), you can bet I'll be hitting everyone I know with season tickets, just hoping that someone will want to donate one to me. I'm such a nice person...and such a great Mavericks fan. And I promise not to paint my face (or any other bodypart) blue and embarrass anyone!

Come on Mavs...Let's Rocket and Roll!!! Anyone out there with an extra ticket???

It's A Wonderful Life

Life is full of surprises. I think we all love them. Finding a $20 bill in the bottom of your washing machine. Finding a $20 bill in the bottom of the washing machine at a laundromat...even better! Getting a raise (which, by the way, I did today!). Having your birthday remembered by someone you'd forgotten about. Finding out you and your husband are having your first child.

Recently, I received a most wonderful surprise. While I was at work, my son, Bobby, called. He asked me if I was sitting down. (Do you have any idea how many things go through your mind when someone asks you that question??) With the very slightest hesitation, he told me he had asked his girlfriend to be his wife and she had said yes. There was something in his voice that I had never heard before. I'm not sure what it was, but there was definately something different. Perhaps it was the words...words he had never spoken. Mom, I'm getting married.

So now, when I go to visit him June 23rd, I'm not only going to visit my son, but I'm going to meet my soon to be daughter-in-law and her family. I'll celebrate my birthday with them. We'll celebrate the 4th of July. It will be a glorious 2 weeks.

The tentative date they've set for their wedding is December 18th. My daughter will be in Tokyo by then and has said she is going to try to fly to Hawaii for her brother's wedding. I can't think of a better place to be with the 2 people that I love more than anything else than Hawaii. And on the occasion of Bobby and Nicole's wedding. Can you imagine...going to Hawaii twice in 6 months?

Life is truly wonderful.