I hope you get yours

Ok listen up people. For those of you that went to the store, bought every Tickle Me Elmo you could find, then turning around and selling them on EBay or Amazon, or some other auction site, I hope you get stuck with them.
Honestly, can you really feel good about yourself trying to sell it for 4 times what it sells in stores?
Do you realize that there are kids out there who will not get a toy this Christmas because their parents are too poor? Yet you want to bilk money out of "desperate" parents who's little child wants that toy "more than anything in the world".
You should be ashamed of yourself. I hope you get stuck with your extra purchases. I have a great idea if you do, give them to charity, maybe then you can redeem yourself.

Oh by the way, they big toy for Christmas- TJ Bearytales. Just remember you heard it here.

My birthday is a week from today- just thought you'd like to know.

The Race for Governor: Update

Ok since my last post about the candidates for Governor here's what happened:

The next day, I got a response from the Independent's camp, they wanted to know what city I was in and would see if he could fit me into his schedule.

The following day, I got a response from the Democratic candidate. It was your typical "form e-mail". You know "Thanks for your support". Which means they didn't even read it, because I had questions posed in my e-mail that weren't answered.

Last night was the first debate between the 4 candidtates. I must say the Independent candidate was right there in the forefront making sure the two top dogs got theirs. I think he did a great job. The Democratic candidate has a stance on some issues that are opposite of what I believe in. Therefore, I sent an e-mail to him this morning stating that he had lost my vote. In turn, I also shot off an e-mail to the Indepndent candidate congratulating him on his performance last night. I got a response from the Independent, thanking me and telling me that they were still trying to get me into his schedule.

Still no response from the Republican candidate at all.

FINAL UPDATE: 11/7/06

While I did get 2 responses from the Democratic candidate, they were both "form e-mails"
I got a response from the Independent candidate everytime I e-mailed him
I never got a response from the Republican candidtate

I have single handedly figured out how to bring about world peace!


I finally have found the solution to creating world peace amongst all the nations.
Send each and everyone of the world's leaders a Tickle Me Elmo TMX.
Have you seen it? There is no way you can't laugh when you see it in action. Now how can people be mad at each other when they are all hysterically laughing at once?

The Christmas Push

Am I the only one that can't stand when September comes around? Not becuse it's getting cooler and the days are getting shorter, but because retailers consider this "The Christmas Season".

I swear, the second Labor Day is over, I see Christmas items popping up on shelves. It makes me sick. Hello, there are two other MAJOR holiday's before then, not to mention a holiday to celebrate the person that discovered this place and a holiday to remember all the service men and women of this country.

We've lost the holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving to make way for huge blow up yard Santas.
I love Halloween, it's my favorite holiday. How can you plow over a holiday where you dress up as anything you want? It's still fun to play make believe.
Poor Thanksgiving, it has it even worse. As we progress through October, the Christmas push gets even bigger. I remember putting up decorations for Thanksgiving, but no more, it just gets shoved aside.

Don't even get me started on those people that shop for Christmas gifts in June. Are you kidding? Do you have nothing better to do in the summer? You can really ruin it for the rest of us. Start your shopping like the rest of us, after Thanksgiving.

Respect

What ever happened to it? Has it gone out the window completely? I remember when I was a kid my parents taught me to respect everyone. It's a common courtesy that is lost on people now. People have no respect for their neighbors, drivers have no respect for one another, and kids have no respect for anyone.
Sure that are the rare few that still believe in respecting each other, but we have become a nation of disconnected, uncaring individuals. I would never think of throwing trash in someone else's yard, yet I have a neighbor that uses my yard as a trash heap. I am constantly finding surprises in my yard, and my yard is fenced in! SO that means they are taking the extra effort to actually throw that trash over a 6 foot fence.
Parents need to be more mindful of the values they instill in their children, these are the adults of tomorrow. Adults need to be more mindful of each other. Believe it or not, the world does not revolve around you no matter how much you think it does.
Believe it or not, everything you do DOES effect someone else in some form. I'm not saying that we all have to be lovey dovey and get along all of the time, but it would be nice if we could all just exist together. Don't make my life miserable, just because you get your kicks out of it.
I do believe in karma, what you do will come back to you in one way or another, so just keep watching over your shoulder.

The trouble with politicians

Tomorrow is the primary in our state. Since our governor is stepping down to make a run for the presidency, we have a big race going on here.
Here's what I can't stand. Every commerical is a political add. Thank God for Tivo. I am really tired of seeing this one's going to this, that one's going to that. I want to know what you've accomplished already. If it looks like you can get the job done by your past actions, then my vote is yours.
Another thing. Please vote. It is vital to make sure your voice is heard. No excuses just go do it.

I'm going to try a political experiment. I will be e-mailing both of the the candidates on Wednesday after the primary. I will be serving up a challenge for each of them to come here and speak to me at my house about my issues. I'm dying to see the response I get. I will keep you posted.

Update 9/19/06: Ok the e-mails have gone out to the Republican candidate, the Democratic candidate, and the Independent candidate. Let's see what happens.

The Best Shows You're not Watching

This is only my opinion. Since most of the network shows have not started yet, these are a review of the Fox shows that I've watched. Some I'm hooked on, others the jury is still out.

Monday- "Vanished" - Unfortunately this is a series somwhat like "Lost" in the way that if you didn't start watching it from the beginning, you might as well forget it. It would take too long for someone to explain the plot twists that have occurred already. I LOVE this show. Sara Collins, the wife of Senator Jeffrey Collins goes missing in the first episode. This show is good. I have my theories on who actually took her, but I'll let the story play out to see if I'm correct.

Tuesday- "House"- OMG by far one of the BEST shows on TV. Hugh Laurie as the title character is absolutely terrific. He was robbed of the Emmy if you ask me. This man week after week comes up agains the most difficult and, for lack of a better word, bizzare cases. If you watch any show on a Tuesday, this is the one. I cannot say enough about this show. Just watch it and you'll get what I mean.

"Standoff" - The reason I watched this is because it comes on after "House". I've watched the first two episodes, and there are a few holes on this one. The show follows two "crisis" (hostage) negotiators, who by chance are sleeping together. Let me just say, the chemistry between them is not there, or at least in very short supply. I have a feeling this may be a casualty in the Fox line up.

Wednesday- "Bones"- I admit the reason I started watching this last season was strictly because David Boreanaz was starring in it (Yes I was a Buffy/Angel fan). But I'm hooked. I like the characters. The tension and chemistry between Bones and Seeley (Emily Deschanel and Boreanaz) is great. I actually like seeing him with a sense of humor. The one complaint I have, this new character Cam. I really don''t like the contstant head- butting between her and Bones. I can do without it. My favorite character is Angela. Watch this show and you'll understand why.

"Justice"- Two words-- Victor Garber. Need I say more? He rules law firm TNT&G with and iron fist. He can be a SOB, but I know if I needed a lawyer, I'd want him. This isn't your typical "Law Drama". The one thing that makes this show different, is the last five minutes of every episode. Whether or not the client wins or loses, you find out what really happened to the victim in those last five minutes. I truly hope this show stays on the air.

Thursday- " 'Til Death"- This is the new Brad Garrett sitcom. You all remember him as Robert on "Everybody Loves Raymond". This show should be titled "Everybody Loves Robert". It's funny, it has some great lines in it, but replace the neighbors from the parents/in-laws, to a cutesy newlywed couple, you get the premise of the show. Not much of a stretch. I don't hate it, but sorry to say, I don't think it will make it past sweeps time.

Because I have a Tivo, I was treated to a sneak peek of CBS's "The Class". YIKES! CBS- give Lucy Punch and Sam Harris more lines and you'll have a chance to have a hit. Otherwise, again only my opinion, this might be one you might want to skip.

I'm mad- A.K.A. never assume!

Ok why is it if you don't have your baby dressed up in pink, or in frilly clothes, or have a headband on her- people assume your baby is a boy?! I've been going through this for 10 months now- She looks nothing like a boy first of all, and if I want to dress her in jeans and a t-shirt, you shouldn't assume she's a boy! I don't want to dress her in pink all the time. Do I have to put a sign around her neck saying "I am NOT a boy"? If you're not sure, don't assume. Don't say "he" or "him" just say "the baby". Saves you the embarassment and saves me the aggrevation.

Update: It happened to me again the next day twice! I had her dressed in a lilac t-shirt, jeans and a lilac hat with flowers on it, and still she got called a boy! I have since bought a bib that says "I am not a boy" on it.

September 11th

I've been batting this around. First I was going to post, then I wasn't, but I feel that I have to.

Let me start off by saying, I am an ordinary person, with no claims of being an expert or authority on any politics, spin, theories, or anything else surrounding that day. This is a purely emotional post, just my feelings and that's all. I accept any criticism that may go with this.

As a young girl I was instilled by my mother to have a love of the arts. Music, theater, movies, you name it. As that young girl, my mother would play soundtracts from "They're Playing Our Song", "Godspell", and "A Chorus Line", to just name a few. At the tender age of 9 my parents took me to New York City for the first time. I saw "Annie" during that trip. Sat in the front row orchestra, right behind the conductor. At that age, I fell in love, with the City, with musical theater, with all the great landmarks that made New York what it's famous for.
I had never seen a set of buildings as tall as the World Trade Center. As you looked up to the buildings, you realized how small you really were, and that there was so much wonder in that steel and glass structure. Although our trip did not end well (all our belongings got stolen out of our car while we toured the Statue of Liberty), I never let that tarnish all the enjoyment I had from that trip.
As I got older, my love for theater got stronger. When I entered college, I got to go back to New York, my Freshman year. Smack in the middle of "The Village". I loved being back and walking the streets. We saw an Off- Broadway show later that day, and I was really sad when we had to leave.
Since I only lived a little over an hour from NYC, I started taking road trips with my friends frequently. See New York had become like a second home for me. I knew the streets like the back of my hand, from downtown to the top of mid-town. My love for the "City that Never Sleeps" and grown by leaps and bounds, and always in the background, those magnificent Towers.
There is no "wrong time" to visit NYC. Every season has something wonderful about it when you're there. I've been there in the Spring when everything is starting new and fresh- Central Park is bustling with excitement. In the Summer, when the streets are filled with tourists, taking in the wonder of the city for the first time, and fireworks fill the air. Sitting and eating outside at Rockefeller Center. In the Fall, when the leaves change and you know the Thanksgiving Parade is just around the corner. Then there's the Winter- by far the best time to go there. I don't like the cold, but, there is nothing like New York at Christmas time. The tree, the store windows filled with wonderful animated displays, cuddling in a horse drawn carriage with loved ones. Then there is New Years Eve. Every single person in their lifetime should experience it first hand for themselves. Seeing it on TV does not do it justice. I've done it twice now and can't wait to take my daughter when she's old enough.
What I'm trying to say is that When 9/11 happened, I lost part of myself. My heart shattered into pieces. Here was the city that I embraced as my own, now in desperate need of help from all of us. It killed me to know that so many people lost their lives that day. So many families were ripped apart in one single second.
I knew I had to do something. 5 days after the attacks occured, my mother and I made the Pilgrimage to NYC. We were now living outside of Boston so the trip was significantly longer, but we had to be there. Since most of the streets in lower Manhattan were not accessible by car, we walked from mid-town down to the Towers.
Something struck me that day that again changed my life forever. From mid-town to down town, every empty storefront, every phone pole, nearly every window was wallpapered with "missing" signs. Part of me died that day. The absolute reality was staring me in the face- these were the faces that would never come home again. I grieved for the families again. As we continued to walk toward the Towers a few other things remain in my memory. The silence as you moved away from mid-town was deafening. I had never know this city to be silent, but as we approached "The Village", there was almost no sound- everything was still. We also noticed a change in the air. You could now smell the smoke, smell the burning- this is also something you don't forget.
When we reached the site, I was awestruck. Those wonderful buildings that I had admired so many times were now a pile of rubble, smoke still coming from them. We had arrived just as a shift change was occurring with the FDNY. All those around us applauded the exiting firefighters, we knew they too had lost so much. All I wanted to do was comfort these men that I didn't even know. Their faces were worn and tired, I can never imagine the heartbreak they were experiencing.
These images among others from that day have stayed with me for these 5 years. Every year I have trouble watching the images on the TV on 9/11. All those images come back and my heart breaks all over, for the families, for the friends, for the city. I do not forget, however. I have 2 pictures hanging in my hall of the Towers and am reminded everyday of what was lost.
I returned to NYC the following April with my husband, for our Anniversary. Going to the former site of the Towers was emotional in a different way for him. You see, he had worked for a company that had sent him to NYC for business. He had previously stayed at the Marriott at The World Trade Center. He pointed out to me that he had eaten at the McDonalds there, and everything was either damaged or destroyed now.
I have gone back a couple of times since the attacks, each time visiting the sight of the tragedy. We as a nation must remember those days following the attack, we were a little nicer to each other, a little more patient. Now we go at each others throats. Have we not learned anything from that day? Have we forgotten that we all come into this world the same way, walk the earth with two feet like everyone else? We need to stop hating each other in the name of politics, religion, or race. This never solves anything, it just gets more people killed.

Hug your loved ones a little tighter every day, and be blessed that you still have each other.

Tonight a child in falling asleep in New York without a daddy or mommy to kiss goodnight. Think of that child everytime someone angers you for something stupid, and you'll realize the anger is not worth it.

Finally some good news.....

If the rumors are true, Whitney is going to divorce Bobby. The first smart thing she's done in 14 years. Maybe now her music career can get back on track.

Super Huge Shout Out to Bravesgirl5

I'd just like to take the time to give encouragement and credit to Bravesgirl5 on You Tube.

You see, all this girl was doing was making a remeberance video for 9/11, when she was bombarded with hate mail. This in turn has caused her to shut down, not make the video and stop posting on You Tube.

Bravesgirl5- I admire you for what you were going to to. We need more people like you who stand on their own two feet. We have become a country of sheep, following blindly where government is leading us. It is sad to see that we have learned nothing from that day.

Bravesgirl5- never give up and keep posting no matter what anyone says to you. Each and everyone of our voices must be heard no matter how loud or soft we are.

YARD SALES

Ok I'm back and I have new thing to complain about. Yard Sales.
Here are the things that irk me about them:
1. NO EARLY BIRDS, means don't show up an hour before the scheduled time while we are still taking the stuff out of the house. If we wanted you there at the break of dawn, we'd serve you breakfast.

2. You people want everything for 50 cents. Are you kidding? I'm selling brand new stuff never been used for a dollar or two and you only want to pay me 50 cents? Get real. I'll list the item on Ebay and get twice what I paid for it.

3.Showing up with only 20's. Really? I remember when you showed up with a wad of ones because you're going to talk me down to 50 cents. Don't hand me a 20 if you're only going to pay 50 cents for my stuff.

4.People who have yard sales and never take their signs down. I shouldn't be driving around on a Monday and see your ugly signs still hanging up from the weekend past. If you took the time to put the sign up, take the time to get your lazy ass back there and take it down.