This REALLY pisses me off!

And before you climb down from that high horse to kick my ass, the reason it pisses me off doesn't have anything to do w/being anti gay or a homophob. I'm neither by the way. I can teach tolerance to my preschooler without having to teach them about sexual preference for heaven's sake. The kids that watch Sesame Street could care less about sex, let along know about it. Ugh.

Bert and Ernie mark DOMA decision on New Yorker cover

In a nod to this week's landmark Supreme Court decisions regarding same-sex marriage, the striking new cover of The New Yorker features famous “are they or aren’t they” couple Bert and Ernie of "Sesame Street" snuggled up on the couch watching the news on television.

The two long-time bachelors are wearing their usual rainbow-striped shirts, with Ernie leaning on Bert’s shoulder with Bert’s arm around him as they gaze at a television showing the justices in their robes. The striking image, titled “Moment of Joy,” was submitted unsolicited to a Tumblr by artist Jack Hunter.

“It’s amazing to witness how attitudes on gay rights have evolved in my lifetime,” Hunter told The New Yorker. “This is great for our kids, a moment we can all celebrate.”

Even though Bert and Ernie are fictional characters, there was an online petition and Facebook page saying they should get married in 2011. The buzz grew to the point that Sesame Street Workshop formally addressed it.

“Bert and Ernie are best friends," the Workshop said in a statement. "They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves.

"Even though they are identified as male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics (as most 'Sesame Street' Muppets do), they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation."

To be fair, there was also this article, which made me happy;   http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/06/28/bert_and_ernie_on_new_yorker_cover_for_gay_marriage_a_terrible_way_to_commemorate.html 

Wacky local news

Just let me say, before you read this, I SWEAR I didn't make it up!

Braco the Gazer stares into the crowd of about 125 people gathered at the Ritz Charles in Carmel, each paying $8 to have the Croatian sensation stare at them (while standing in a group). Some return for multiple sessions, which run hourly from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 26, 2013. He stood on a brightly lit stage and slowly moved his stare back and forth for several minutes while soft melodic music played. Charlie Nye / The Star.

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I guess if you REALLY feel like you want to know more about him, click on;

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/13/braco-the-gazer_n_3428316.html

Be warned however, it's not for skeptics! Mwahahahahahaha 

la la lalala la la lalala la

I really love musicals. You probably guessed that about me though.


I think it may have started with Cinderella. The 1965 Rogers and Hammerstein version (a play) with Walter Pidgeon, Ginger Rogers, Stuart Damon and introducing Lesley Ann Warren. I remember telling you some time last year, about singing in the cafeteria w/a complete stranger –

IMPOSSIBLE, FOR A PLAIN YELLOW PUMPKIN TO BECOME A GOLDIN CARRIAGE,

IMPOSSIBLE, FOR A PLAIN COUNTRY BUMPKIN AND A PRINCE TO JOIN IN MARRIAGE,

AND FOUR WHITE MICE WILL NEVER BE FOUR WHITE HORSES.

SUCH FALLERALL AND FIDDLEDEEDEE OFCOURSES.

IMPOSSIBLE.

BUT THE WORLD IS FULL OF ZANIES AND FOOLS,

WHO DON’T BELIEVE IN SENSIBLE RULES,

AND WONT BELIEVE WHAT SENSIBLE PEOPLE SAY,

AND BECAUSE THESE DAFT AND DEWY-EYED DOPES KEEP BUILDING UP IMPOSSIBLE HOPES,

IMPOSSIBLE, THINGS ARE HAPPINING EVERYDAY.

I know the words to ALL the songs not just that one. And it’s been at least 30 years since I’ve seen it! It used to be on TV every year. I remember looking forward to it just like The Wizard of Oz. Sigh. Well they stopped broadcasting it decades ago. I know they did a remake, with Brandy playing Cinderella, and the music was the same but it just wasn’t the same. I’ve looked for it a couple times on Amazon over the years but could never find a copy that wasn’t a collectable and over a $100 !! Until a couple weeks ago. I happen to have that tune in my head again, for NO reason mind you. And HOORAY!! I found someone selling what are surely copies, but I didn’t care. He only wanted $10 bucks. A small price to pay for a delightful childhood memory. I watched it while Bill was in California. He wouldn’t get it. I sang along, out loud and smiled the whole time! It was fantastic! If you ‘youtube’ it, 1965 Cinderella, you’ll find several of the songs on video. I’m going to have to watch it again, and again, and….

Death and birthdays

Oh, that was kind of morbid wasn’t it. NO, nobody died but it’s been on my mans mind.


He went out to California to visit his dad over Fathers Day weekend. His sister said it will probably be his last Fathers Day so she wanted all the kids to be there. He doesn’t really have a relationship with his dad though. I was wondering though, once he got out there and saw how poorly his dad was doing, if he would feel differently about it. He didn’t. He came home and said he’s broken hearted that he won’t be broken hearted when his dad passes away. Still, I’m glad he went because now he won’t have that regret. Also, he’s really glad he went because he had such a GREAT time with his siblings! He doesn’t really have relationships with them either so I was surprised, but happy for him. I like his siblings. Well, except for the wicked brother – who I don’t hate but I don’t want to be his friend either. Oh yeah, so anyway…I think Bill has mortality on his mind now.

Now on to happier thoughts. BIRTHDAYS! Mom just had another one. Hooray! She’ll probably out live us all! This year she chose The Journey for her birthday dinner. Bill was happy – they have all you can eat sushi! It’s kind of like a seafood buffet with a little bit of everything thrown in. Also over the weekend, we did another Wine and Canvas. This one wasn’t my favorite of the 3 we’ve done so far but it's still fun to do;

Mom really enjoys painting so I suggested that we go over to Hobby Lobby and buy some canvases and an easel for her. I said I would draw the pictures for her and she can just paint away! I bet everybody is going to have some mom art eventually :-)

In the news...

I don't know why some things catch my attention, really I don't. But here are some of those things;

"Feminists of my mother’s generation argued that both mom and dad should work a little less and each do some of the household chores. My parents, for example, split everything 50/50. Even though my father is a terrible cook, he still made dinner exactly half the time. Lately, feminists have been resisting this argument and confessing that they may want to stay home."  Well it sure took them long enough!!

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"INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indiana woman put on death row at age 16 for killing an elderly Bible school teacher is scheduled to be released Monday.

Paula Cooper, 43, was 15 when she and three other teenage girls showed up at Ruth Pelke's house on May 14, 1985, with plans of robbing the 78-year-old Bible school teacher. Pelke let Cooper and two of the teen's companions into her Gary home after they told her they were interested in Bible lessons.

As the fourth teen waited outside as a lookout, Cooper stabbed Pelke 33 times with a butcher knife. Then she and the other girls ransacked the house. The four girls fled with Pelke's car and $10.

After getting in trouble 23 times during her time in prison, Paula Cooper turned to education, earning a bachelor's degree in 2001."

Most middle income families struggle to pay for their kids college education but a murderer can attain a BACHELOR'S degree for FREE. Why isn't the U.S. talking about that?

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"1 in 28 children have a parent who is incarcerated."
Again, why aren't we talking about THIS? Oh wait, maybe they're there for an education!

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"Innocent man jailed 24 years, and his ex-wife wants cut of his payout.

This one isn't going to do much for the reputation of ex-wives. Many folks might argue that Steven Phillips deserves any break he can get: Convicted of a number of sex crimes in the '80s, Phillips was exonerated by the courts after spending 24 years in prison when DNA implicated another man. He was provided with a "compensation package" totaling around $6 million for those two and a half decades — and the woman who divorced him while he was in jail, Traci Tucker, wants a cut. "To make a claim on those years I spent in prison is really freaking outrageous," he says."
I feel really bad for this guy! His ex isn't just giving exes a bad name though. Wow!

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  "He thought the box was empty, but a California husband accidentally sold his wife's $23,000 diamond wedding ring for $10 at a garage sale on June 1.

"Every year our community holds a garage sale. I was in the hospital, I just had a baby, so my husband thought it would be fun for my other kids if they could sell some things at the garage sale."

"He didn't know that before I went to the hospital, I put my ring in that box. I wanted the ring to be in a safe place and out of reach from my 2-year-old twins," Cloutier told ABC News."

Oh come on! NOBODY...EVER...in the history of human curiosity (think Pandora) has NOT looked into an empty box. The story had a happy ending and the buyer returned the ring. That poor husband ought to go back to his home planet and finish his studies on human nature though.

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"The American Medical Association has decided to classify obesity as a disease that needs medical treatment & prevention."
Umm, no it's not. I'm fat but it's because I'm old and I don't exercise or eat less. That's not a disease. My husband is a recovering alcoholic but he doesn't believe alcoholism is a disease. It's an addiction and it's a choice. But it's not a disease that you're just one day stricken with. You know, like CANCER. geez.

Here and there

Here in the Midwest, we don’t have In-N-Out burger joints. That’s a California chain. They are YUMMY! All they do is burgers and fries so they do it well. I miss them. Here in the Midwest, we have a place called Steak 'n Shake. It's more of a fast food restaurant.
 

Here in my hometown, we just got our first Jack in the Box. I use to love their Breakfast Jack. We have Hardees here which is like Carl’s Jr. but no fried zucchini or grilled chicken sandwich. Rats! I think we pretty much have all the same restaurant chains, excluding Mexican. We don’t have any really good Mexican restaurants. There are a couple good seafood places but they’re super pricey.

In the Southeast, they have a grocery store called Piggly Wiggly. There on the west coast they Stater Brothers and Albertsons. The Midwest has Kroger and Marsh and the east coast has Wegman’s and the A & P. 

When I was a teen, we had Stroh's beer but no Coors. There on the west coast they Coors but no Stroh's. Here and there have both now. Both are yucky.

 

In the northwest they actually sell fry sauce. It’s for dipping your French fries in. Basically it’s just ketchup/catsup and mayo mixed together. Kind of like 1000 Island dressing without the relish.

I guess everyone has Michael’s craft stores but here in the Midwest, we also have a place called Hobby Lobby. Which by the way, is A LOT better than Michael’s!

There on the coasts, they have palm trees. I miss palm trees. But we scads of fireflies in the summer. There are places with mountains, here, zip. Here, we have four distinct seasons. There, well they sort of run together.

When my nieces were little, they used to ask me silly questions like, “do you have McDonald's?” I used to say, “it’s just a different state silly, not a different planet!” But now that I think about it…

Woof, part 3 & 4

OK, so it's not ALL about the dogs. We did have other things going on last weekend. For instance, Saturday we went to a place called St. Elmo's for dinner, to celebrate our 24th year of marriage. St. Elmo's is the oldest and largest steakhouse in Indiana. They also boast the largest wine cellar in the Midwest and claim that their shrimp cocktail is world famous. Of course Bill tried it. I think what makes it famous is the sauce. Bill LOVED it! But he’s a fan of wasabi too. I didn’t try it…I don’t like spicy things. As for dinner, for the first time in 24 years, Bill said dinner was perfect. I think that he believes if you spend that kind of money on dinner, you better think you have died and gone to heaven when you eat it. I guess he felt that way about dinner. Woohoo!!


Sunday we took the girls over to Mom’s to meet Bailey. Oh wait, Her name isn’t Bailey anymore. Mom changed it to Molly. She didn’t really know her name anyway. Naturally, they all got along just fine. As a matter of fact, once the butt sniffing was over, they all did their own thing. Pretty cool. Mom says Molly is doing much better. She’s definitely comfortable with grass under her feet now. She’s even catching on with the whole housebreaking business. Small steps. She’s seems to be a happy little thing, she wags a lot! She’s constantly in motion so it’s hard to get a picture of her. I snapped a couple though;

She's very curious about everything! Which brings me to Woof, part 4...
Monday, Mom let her and Bud out and there was a bunny in the yard! Oh no! Two terriers and a bunny? Oh yeah, you know where this is going...complete chaos! The end of the story is this, the bunny got away buy Molly ended up with a broken back foot. Now she has a cast and it could take up to two months to fully heal. Poor little Molly has had a hell of life so far. Thank heavens for Mom!!

What's new in your world?

Last month one of the big dogs where I work asked me to quill a Purdue something for him. He picked this design;

Then he asked me if I would be interested in bartering for it. Turns out that HIS hobby is wood working. He's really good at it too! So I chose a fat wooden pen. I've always wanted a nice wooden pen. He ended up making 2 for me :-) They're awesome! (the ball point is just for comparison)

Neat huh? I'm not done with his Purdue yet though. Guess I better get busy.

Tomorrow the man and I are going out to dinner for our 24th anniversary. I picked a restaurant downtown that we've never been to. We're going to go early though so we walk around downtown. Bill hasn't done that in years and now that I work down there, I can actually show him around. It'll be a good day :-)

Sunday we're going to take the girls over to Mom's to meet her new kid. That ought to be fun, FOUR dogs at once! Woohoo!! hahahahahahahahahaha