Ladies' Nights: A Study in Catharsis

Besides the hostesses, I was the first to arrive for an evening of event planning. Most of the time I hate being late, and I'm usually ( not counting my best friend J, who's always early) the first one to arrive.

It was difficult for me to go tonight, even though I knew it would be an evening filled with laughter and fun. I'm still coming out of a little bit of a depressive slump, and going out with friends has yet to regain it's former charm.

I didn't do much. In fact, I just kind  of sat back and let the other ladies, more experienced in these events, take over. I just enjoyed being there. The friendly banter, jokes, ideas offered and rejected...random quiet times and loud moments filled with close to ten voices talking at once in a mix of English and Spanish. It was right where I needed to be.

As the evening wore on and final decisions were made concerning our event, we all filtered back into the living room, and onto the couches and the floor around the fireplace. Despite the fact that it was late, we settled back to enjoy a slice of pie and a cup of coffee. The conversation turned to silly stories and personal experiences. Once again, I relished the moment.

What is it about spending an evening with the ladies that is so cathartic? We were a varied group tonight, old and young, single, married, and widowed. The youngest present only 13 and the oldest in her 70s. Yet, the conversation flowed freely as did the laughs.
It seems that no matter what stage of life a woman finds herself, there is always the need for release. We are born into the life we have, into the society we are, and as soon as we come into the world expectations are placed on our tiny shoulders. The burden is there so instantaneously that we fail to even notice it's presence. The expectations of being an obedient daughter, a good student, a good girl friend, a good friend, a good wife, of being beautiful, of being thin, of being successful, of being a good mother, of being forced to bear on your shoulders whatever life is pleased to hand you, yet holding your head up all the while. This is what it means to be a woman in today's world. This is why evenings like the one I experienced tonight are so important. We would die under the weight of our responsibilities and expectations otherwise. Perhaps I'm being melodramatic, but any woman will know what I mean. We NEED these nights, in the same way that we need water to drink and air to breathe. Because for just a little while, even if it's only for a few hours, we are free.

Imagine that you are a worker in a mine. For 7 days a week, you labor in the bowels of the earth without seeing the sun, without being able to stand up straight to stretch your back or limbs. You're mentally exhausted and your body aches down to your bones. Suddenly, you get a day off. You make your way up, up, up, and at last you see the sun. Waiting for you is a warm tub of water. You step in, tentatively at first, and then feeling the warmth of the water submerge yourself completely, letting it ease the tension and pain from your muscles and bones....you begin to relax.

That, dear world, is what a ladies night does for us.

Flaws and All

I am not the most patient soul in the world. In fact, my lack of patience is probably number one on my list of character flaws. Unless you consider my little issue with self-control...er...the lack there of, I mean.

These two character flaws work hand in hand to get me in a LOT of trouble. It has been said that knowing or understanding is half the battle, so, perhaps, I'm not as far gone as originally thought.

Let me break this down for you Internet World...say I see something that I really want (i.e, a Coach purse). Said purse runs at about 300 dollars. Now, the wise thing to do would be to save up money from a few paychecks and then buy the purse. But lets also say that I have a credit card with a limit of 6,000 dollars. What do you think I do? Do I wait patiently and practice the almost forgotten art of delayed gratification? Or in keeping with our society's instant gratification trend....buy the purse with my credit card?

I'll tell you what happens. I start off with very good intentions and make it two weeks. I have 150 dollars set aside for the purse...half way there. One day I go moseying through the mall and happen to stop at the Coach counter in Dillards. The sales lady( who sadly enough knows me by name) starts talking about the purse she knows I've been looking at...I ask to look at the purse again...I hold it in my hands, smell the fresh leather...aaaannnddd I'm done for. I decide that I absolutely HAVE to have that purse right NOW. My non-self-control totally sabotages my resolve to be patient.

*Sigh*. I wish I could say that this problem begins and ends with shopping, but I cannot. Unfortunately, this problem extends into just about every aspect of my life. It always seems like no matter how much I resolve to be patient and to wait for something, my need to have what I want when I want it, sabotages my efforts.

GAH! The insanity of it all!

Anyone else have this problem?

You've Been Served

So, I was at the gym early this afternoon, and was walking on the treadmill, minding my own business, when I was filled with the urge to laugh...hysterically. This is what I saw on my treadmill's TV...

LOL. I don't know why this struck me as so funny. Perhaps it's because I find it hilarious when people fall down, break things, etc. Or it could be because I can relate to the whole button popping thing. 

In the last 6 months I have gone through two rounds of corticosteroids (prednisone) because I suffer from Reactive Air Ways Disease. The Prednisone, while it always immediately helps the inflammation of my poor little lungies...well...it generally messes everything else up. From ridiculously frequent urination, insomnia, muscle pain and spasms, to totally screwing up my metabolism...well...I have a love-hate relationship with that pill. 

So, as if it weren't enough that I had stopped going to the gym prior to my first RADs episode and had gained a little weight...the prednisone stints definitely didn't do anything for me...except add about 10 pounds to my frame. So, add that to the fact that I am an emotional eater who has recently moved out on her own, and doesn't have time( or make time) to cook healthy foods...well...you do the math on how much weight I've gained.

In a nutshell...I want my body back. So, I've rejoined the gym and I'm trying to curb my horrible eating habits. Last week wasn't so great. I only made it to the gym one time. On the upside (I think) I'm on a new medication that is making me sick to my stomach, so I hardly ate last week at all...so maybe the not working out will balance out with not eating. I think there maybe something wrong with my reasoning in that last sentence. Oh well. 

Anyway, this week, I strive to do better. I have  wedding to be in March and I want to be ready. I want to be able to fit into my dress without the help of various shape smoothing undergarments. I want to be confident in my own skin. 

Rally's BaconZilla Cheeseburgers, Big Macs, fries, Large, Cheesy Pizza's, Dr. Peppers....I'm serving you notice...I want my body back...and you my greasy, yummy friends...aren't gonna stop me from getting it!

Out With the Old

I'm feeling very accomplished and self-satisfied. Four weeks after the Christmas holiday and three weeks into the New Year, I have at last taken down my Christmas decorations. Please, ladies and gentlemen, hold your applause.

As a self-proclaimed queen of procrastination, it is indeed a miracle that this occurred before Valentines Day. However, when I came home from work one day to see pieces of garland protruding from my little dog's mouth, and then saw the mutilated garland strewn around the living room floor....well, I knew the time had come.

Putting up Christmas decorations is definitely one of the things I love most about Christmas time. My mother always made it very special and fun for my sister and I. She would always play Christmas music full blast, dim the lights, and burn apple cinnamon scented candles....our house was filled with the sounds and smells of the season.

The sis and I were excited this year to be able to put our own spin on the decorating process, since, for the first time ever, we were on our own. It was fun, but now I can truly appreciate all of the hard work our mom put into making our home feel like Christmas time. I can also appreciate the fact that never, in all  my life, do I ever remember my mom making us put all the decor away. Let me tell you....that is almost a whole day's worth of work in itself.

Of course to begin with, I had to bring in all of the storage boxes in from the storage room on our patio. Not fun when it's 18 degrees outside and the patio is covered with ice. As, I began to pull lights off of the coffee tables, put the nativity scene back into it's box, gather the little St. Nicolas Square houses together, and fold the white "snow", I wondered, "how in the world did all of this stuff fit in these bins before?!"

Logically, I know that all this stuff came out of the bins. So, logically, it CAN all fit in again. I think it probably took me over an hour just trying to get all of it crammed into the stupid bin

Something else I've learned about un-decorating...cleaning is par for the course. I don't know how so much dust can settle in such a short amount of time...but it can and it does. So, if you're not exhausted by the bringing of the storage bins in the house, the taking of the decor off the furniture, or the trying to make the decor fit inside the bins, then the dusting and vacuuming certainly will.

I am proud to say that all this is now complete and my apartment could now grace the front cover of any Better Homes and Gardens magazine. But man! What a chore. And to think my mom has done this every year since I can remember! Props to you Mama!

Anyway. I'm exhausted, and I don't want to see another Christmas decoration for a very long time. So, out with the old and in with the new. Happy New Year World!

Always a Bridesmaid...

I have been in at least one wedding a year for the past 3 years, and this year will be in another. It's been fun. There really is nothing quite like the hustle and bustle of getting ready for a wedding, and it is a great honor to be asked to be a bride's maid or maid of honor for a friend on what is sure to be one of the single most important days of her life.

When I told my mother that one more of my friends was getting hitched, and that she had asked me to be in the wedding, she got that sympathetic "mom look" and said, "does it bother you that most of your close friends are getting married and you're still single?"

When I mentioned to another friend that I had accepted to be in another wedding, their response was, " Man, you're gonna be like that girl in the movie 27 Dresses!" 

Ha...gee thanks!

I will admit, sometimes it does get nerve wracking being one of the only single gals left in my little circle of friends. Ok. I'll be honest. It can be VERY nerve wracking. If I had a dollar for every time someone came up to me at the last wedding I was in and said, "When are you gonna get married?" or came and patted me on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry honey, your turn will come soon enough"....I would be quite wealthy. 

I'm 23. Hardly an old maid. I hate that everyone assumes that just because I'm unattached that this makes me, by default, unhappy and lonely. Or that I'm on constant lookout for a husband, so everyone tries to fix me up with their friends or friends of friends.

Yes, sometimes I do get lonely. Yes, sometimes I do feel sad, but this does NOT make me desperate. No, I do not want to date your 3rd cousin by marriage who has a prison record. Neither do I want to be introduced to your 40 year old uncle with a bald spot. In the words of Delta Burke, " I don't like to be labeled as lonely just because I am alone."

I am single because I choose to be single. Yes, I heard that collective gasp. You can close your mouth now. Truthfully,  in the last couple of years I have had a few guys that have expressed interest, and I've even gone on a few dates with them. But...there were no fireworks. Call me stupid if you want, call it living in a dream world...but me? I need fireworks.

I've experienced it before, the instant connection with another human being. The very first time you talk to this person, it's thrilling, even if you're only friends, because the chemistry is electric and you know that this is going to turn into something more. 

I love being in love. It's fun and I've never felt more alive than when I loved someone with everything, and was pretty sure he felt the same way. But, as of yet, I haven't been able to find anyone that has been able to make me feel this way again. And so, I remain...single. And you know what? It's ok. 

"No, I don't have a boyfriend. No, I don't need a boyfriend. I am enough. And I am complete just the way I am. I choose to be single, just like I choose to not listen to people who make marriage seem like the only possible pinnacle a life can have." - Lauren Rohrer

Snow Days

An hour ago, the streets were only wet from the snow that was melting as it hit the ground. Now, they're snow covered.

I don't know what it is about snowfall that can turn usually semi-serious and hardworking adults into giddy children. I really don't. But I experienced some of this snow-induced giddiness as we got the announcement in our department that we could all go home early before the weather got any worse. I did a happy dance (literally). Ha.

So now, instead of slaving away at my usual work day grind, I am comfortably sitting on my couch, watching the snow fall through the open blinds of my patio door. I have the smooth sounds of Anita Baker on my playlist, and colombian roast is brewing in the coffee pot. I just love snow days!

Will You?

Hold Me
Like The River Jordan
And I Will Then Say To Thee
You Are My Friend

Carry Me
Like You Are My Brother
Love Me Like A Mother
Will You Be There?

Weary
Tell Me Will You Hold Me
When Wrong, Will You Scold Me
When Lost Will You Find Me?

But They Told Me
A Man Should Be Faithful
And Walk When Not Able
And Fight Till The End
But I'm Only Human

Everyone's Taking Control Of Me
Seems That The World's
Got A Role For Me
I'm So Confused
Will You Show To Me
You'll Be There For Me
And Care Enough To Bear Me

Michael Jackson
Will You Be There?

Not Altogether

The Writer's Block continues....Here is an excerpt from a book I'm reading called The Last Time I Was Me...it chronicles a woman after she has a very humiliating and public nervous breakdown. I can relate to her emotions.

"Thank you , Rosvita. But so that you are fully informed--- my nerves are in tatters; my psyche has been ground to pieces in a mental garbage disposal; and my emotions have been through a meat slicer. I cry easily, although I have made serious efforts not to cry for the last twelve years. I am prone to embarassing outbursts. I have recently made rash and wild decisions, but have yet to regret any of them. I have found that I have a vindictive and vengeful side and am pleased to welcome it into the fold of my other personality characteristics. I am simply," I told her, "not altogether."

There was silence for a moment as we pondered this.

"Well," said Rosvita, "If you can gather up your tattered nerves, your shredded garbage disposal psyche, and your meat sliced emotions, I can take you upstairs to your room, where you can further your nervous breakdown."

The Last Time I Was Me

Cathy Lamb 2008

When Mr. Right Comes at the Wrong Time

In case you haven't noticed from the recent posts that are noticeably lacking in substance, I am experiencing writer's block. So, for the next few posts( or until the block abates) I will share with you a few of my favorite articles from other bloggers, writers, etc. I don't agree with everything in the following article...but I do agree with a lot. Enjoy!

This is an article that appeared in the NST (M'sia) on Jan 31, 2005, written by Janice Wong. An excellent write-up on what I truly feel is so true. Hope you all enjoy it too.]

Timing is everything, even in love. And when you are not ready to commit, you could end up regretting it.

Sometimes, timing rather than love decides who we end up being with - or without.

Only some lucky people marry the loves of their lives. The rest marry the most suitable person who comes along when they are ready to settle down.

Even if the love of one's life appears when one is single, one may not be in the right frame of mind to recognise him or her as such.

And then love passes by.

Life is littered with near misses and lost opportunities.

I attended my ex-boyfriend's wedding last month, which triggered many memories.

We met five years ago when I was 23 and he 31. It was love at first sight. He had an established career, was down-to-earth and steadfastly religious. I was then working as an air stewardess and my head was - literally and metaphorically - in the clouds.

Despite our differences, we were soulmates. We had the same quirky sense of humour and shared long, intense overnight conversations.

But human nature is perverse. When someone is excessively nice to us, we start taking things for granted, instead of appreciating them even more.

My ex had everything I could want in a husband - except that I was not looking for one. A boyfriend was all I could cope with then. I loved fast cars, danced wildly at Zouk and took off on shopping holidays at a whim. My life revolved around me, myself and I.

In the six months that we were together, he popped the question several times and talked ad nauseam about having children. Yes, I did often fantasize about a Vera Wang wedding gown, but I was at that stage of my life when I was more interested in Guess than Baby Guess.

And where - dare I admit it? - I still wanted to meet other men.

So I was a 23-year-old with the emotional maturity of a 13-year-old. Responsibility? Wasn't that for adults?

In short, I met Mr Right at the wrong time.

The more he talked about marriage, the more I felt pressured and the more pressured I felt, the more irritable I became. I was too impatient to compromise. Every trivial matter blew up as a big deal. My mood obliterated the good in our relationship and reached a point where I just wanted out.

He was heartbroken; I was sad but relieved. He still called me regularly, beseeching me to change my mind. The calls stopped finally after a year. Now and then, we say 'Hi' via e-mail.

I had a few painful relationships after that. Served me right, as those rude wake-up calls were necessary for me to realise the meaninglessness of my hedonistic high life. I missed the tenderness of my ex and began having second thoughts.

Perhaps I also felt more urgency to find someone marriageable before my biological clock reached zero hour. It dawned on me that I am not a pixie like Peter Pan who can flit around forever. One day, I'd wake up sick and alone when my fair weather friends flit away.

But I was too proud and too unsure of my ex's reaction to call him until last year.

The first thing he told me excitedly was that he had found The One. My heart tumbled to my feet. So, that's Fate.

If only I could turn back time. If only I had met him later. If only... what feeble words.

These days, I am more circumspect. I have come to terms with my loss. There is nothing I can do about timing, but I can do everything about my choices.

Sometimes, when the nights get lonely, I toy with the idea of marrying a platonic friend of mine, who often assures me earnestly that, if the worst comes to the worst, he'd be willing to marry me.

But I always dismiss that. I have already made one mistake. I should not make another by settling for second best merely for the sake of getting hitched - only to regret it soon after.

Hopefully, the best is not over but yet to be

Comment Bugs

I am still hearing that there is something wrong with the comment feature on this blog So...if you try to comment, and for some reason can't, shoot an email to the following address: lostalice8711@aol.com


Please be as specific as possible as to what happened when you tried to leave a comment.

Thanks!

Degrees of Exhaustion

What I would love to have right now is a full body massage. And while they're at it...could you smooth the wrinkles out of my soul too? 

It amazes me when I think of how many different kinds of way there are to be exhausted.  There's the simple tiredness that comes staying up a few hours too late and then having to wake up with the birds the next morning. The sleepiness you feel after a night spent with your closest girl friends. The divine exhaustion laced with utter joy after giving birth to a child. The tiredness that comes after a hard days work. 

What about exhaustion of the soul?  Exhaustion of the body? What about the exhaustion that is a mix of both?

I'm tired. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. I. Am. Exhausted. 

I suppose it goes without saying that my job is very physically demanding. The bending, pushing, and pulling that I do for 9 hours at a time can, for obvious reasons take a toll on the body. What's worse? Mental and emotional strain on top of it. I'm tired of this dead-end job. I'm tired of pretending to like people I can't stand. I'm tired of closing my mouth just to keep the peace. I'm tired of being nice when really I want to explode. Ha...and that's just at work. 

Within my personal life, I have recently been confronted with a possibility...one that I never thought would come. The likelihood of this possibility actually turning  into anything more is slim to none. There is nothing I can do. I. MEAN. NOTHING. Except...wait on God. Maybe it will happen...it probably won't. The hardest part is the waiting. There are only 2 possible outcomes (that I can see). 1: A miracle will happen or 2: I will have learned a valuable lesson about letting God be the divine decider and controller of EVERYTHING in my life. 

In the meantime, subconsciously...I worry. How do I know I'm worrying? The tale tell gnawing in the pit of my stomach...the loss of appetite...the tightness in my chest and lungs. I am on my way to a full fledged temper tantrum, which will probably occur at work, and will then be followed by a panic attack the likes of which hasn't occurred in nearly 2 years. 

I can feel myself being pushed a little more everyday. The work issues. Personal issues. Money issues. God issues. Everything. I'm exhausted and I'm overwhelmed. 

I need a vacation. With a masseuse. With a glass of Moscato. With a bottle of Xanax. With 50 million dollars.

***I will not pretend this is a well written post....you don't have to pretend it is either. This is what exhaustion does to writers. 

In Chill Mode

Ok, so...I am officially in chill mode. This generally means my hair is down(literally), the sweats and big t-shirt are on, and my journal or whatever book I happen to be reading is in hand. I invite you to throw on something comfortable and join me as I unwind, where the soundtrack sounds a little something like this...

On Feedback and Such....

In all honesty, I'm not completely sure how many people are viewing this blog. That being said, I would love to have some feedback on posts occasionally, teehee. Even if it's complete and utter disagreement with what I've said. I have recently updated the comment settings so it should be easier to comment. You can also opt to become a "follower" of this blog by selecting the followers link on the right side of the page. Hope to hear from ya'll soon!

A Broke Girl and Her Spaghetti

As I left work this evening, I prayed aloud in the car "LORD, please let me find some spaghetti noodles in the back of the pantry". I was serious. I have been craving spaghetti ever since I got the movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs for Christmas, and had not been able to satisfy this carbohydrate craving yet.

Why? Well...payday isn't until tomorrow and being the financial wizard that I am (HA) I have overstretched my account, and I only have exactly enough to ensure my account won't go into the negative. Oh rest assured, I'm not starving by any means, in fact, if I'm to go by what the mirror tells me every morning as I exit the shower, I could stand to skip a few meals, anyway, I digress. I have exactly all the odds and ends in my fridge and pantry that under normal circumstances amount to absolutely nothing meal-wise, but in overstretched bank account circumstances amount to a lot.

Miracle of miracles! In my pasta storage container there were SPAGHETTI NOODLES!!

A friend at work was just telling me about a new way she seasoned her noodles, and not having anything but one 8 ounce can of plain 'ol tomato sauce for flavor, I decided to give it a try. Anyone else love the way fresh garlic smells as it sizzles in the skillet? Mmmm. I let the garlic saute in the oil for a few minutes and then added the cooked noodles. I added some more garlic and gave it a taste test. Bland. This situation called for some salt. And Basil. Mmm, definitely gettin' somewhere now, but it still needed something. Ahh! What is pasta without cheese?! I decided against cheddar and went with the rich, smoky provolone instead. Divinity in and of itself. At this point, however, because I had only ripped up the provolone slice into pieces and let it melt over the noodles, I had clumps of cheese stuck to only a few sections of the noodles. LoL. I pulled the cheese/noodle clumps apart with two forks and did another taste...it could use more provolone. This time, however, I got smart and melted the cheese in the microwave first( and added a little milk) and Voila!  A delicious cheese sauce to pour over the noodles. I poured the cheese and then added half of the can of tomato sauce. Zeee pastaaa was ready!

Now, anyone who knows anything about food knows that you can't eat pasta without bread! Unfortunately, all I had was a loaf of wheat bread. Even though this feels like the end of the world, I assure you it's not. When you're bank account challenged, food improvisation is KEY.  I'll let you in on a little secret. Take a slice of the bread, and cut it in half. Warm up another skillet and put a light layer of olive oil in the bottom. When the skillet is hot, add the bread. When it's browned on one side, turn it over. Now, I usually put it on a paper towel to let some of the oil soak out, but that's just me. Lastly, rub each side of the bread with a piece of garlic that you have sliced in half aaaannndddd......PRESTO! You have garlic Texas toast!

How did it all taste? Like the nectar of the gods. Or maybe I was just really hungry and needed a carb fix(which I got). So now, I'm sitting back, legs propped up and belly poked out, and completely satisfied. Anyone have any ideas for dessert?

The Finished Product

The Dachshund Chronicles

Yesterday as I was preparing to leave my apartment, I decided to put a fresh garbage bag in our nearly overflowing garbage can. (SN: I think we need to buy a new one altogether, the current can has a strange odor that, so far, even bleach hasn't been able to conquer.) Sitting next to the door leading out of the apartment were a banker box, filled with left over Christmas wrapping paper, and a garbage bag containing what I think was an assortment of clothes and trash. Let me just say that my Little(sister, yes I call her that even though she's 20), had put this bag in front of the door 3 days before, and had proceeded to go past it about 50 times a day without taking it to the compactor. So, being fed up, I decided to take it out myself.

Wearing my huge winter coat, my purse on my arm,  2 garbage bags and a banker box in my hands, I struggled to get the door open. I sat some of the things down on the floor, repositioned my purse, and picked them up again, as my dog, Oliver, danced around my feet, and generally got in my way. As I got everything together, and at last opened the door, Ollie shot out of it before I even realized what had happened. He flew down the stairs and around the corner of the apartment building. I dropped my purse, the box and the bags, and ran down as fast as I could. My neighbor had gotten out of his car just in time to see Ollie go by in a red blur. " I think he's in Indianapolis by now" he said. Funny guy. 

I looked toward the end of the building and there was Oliver...still running and barking like a crazy dog the whole time. Everyone who was outside stopped and turned to look to see what all the commotion was . I stood in one spot and yelled for Oliver to come( I have learned the pointlessness of chasing after him...he thinks it's a game). At last he stopped barking and ran back in my direction. I reached out to grab him as he ran by me but my hand merely grazed his tail, fortunately, it was enough to slow him down. I took a lunge forward and grabbed him. "Caught ya!"

We made our way back up the stairs, waded through the box, it's lid now scattered across the landing, the hastily thrown down garbage bags, and my purse. I yelled, "Bad dog!", gave his nose a few swats, and then put him in his kennel, his roaming privileges for the afternoon revoked. 

I re-gathered the garbage and put it into the car. As I sat there trying to catch my breath, I couldn't help but start to giggle. Oliver had simply gone insane for a few minutes. I mean, wouldn't we all love to be allowed the luxury to do that? Go running in reckless abandon down the street, screaming incoherently along the way? Teehee. With that thought in mind, I couldn't stay mad at my little Doxie for long. Just another day in the life!

My Oliver(he's a miniature long-haired dachshund).

Massive Fish Kill Blankets Arkansas

From CNN.com


"Arkansas officials are investigating the death of an estimated 100,000 fish in the state's northwest, but suspect disease was to blame, a state spokesman said Sunday."


"...Stephens said fish kills occur every year, but the size of the latest one is unusual, and suggested some sort of disease was to blame. The fish kill only affected one species of fish," he said. "If it was from a pollutant, it would have affected all of the fish, not just drum fish. Ozark is about 125 miles west of the town of Beebe, where game wardens are trying to find out why up to 5,000 blackbirds fell from the sky just before midnight New Year's Eve. Biologists believe the bird deaths were stress-related from either fireworks or weather and are unrelated to the fish kill near Ozark, Stephens said."


When I read the article about the blackbirds on New Years Eve, I thought, "Hmmm, that's weird". Now, however, reading this article about over 100,000 dead fish, a mere 3 days later....I'm thinking that something is definitely a little off kilter. And biologists think these strange events which occurred within 125 miles of each other are UNRELATED??? Um, call me a conspiracy theorist if you want to, but I think that such strange phenomena occurring within such close range of each other is too much of a coincidence to be UNRELATED. 


Some have argued that the reason for the death of the birds was a pollutant in the air...but...the air was clear that day. Biologist argue that the birds' death was stress related, due to the fireworks that were exploding in the area at the time. I would like to point out that our city, Louisville, has one of the largest fireworks displays in the world, Thunder over Louisville, and never in the 20-some years that this event has been occurring, has there ever been any mass bird death following the display. Ever. 


Another fact to consider, Arkansas has had quite a few earthquakes recently, and some are suggesting that the quakes opened up some sort of gas pocket that is harming wildlife in the general vicinity. Possible, I'm sure. But, if this was the case, why are only certain species of wildlife being killed? Black birds and Drum Fish. These are the only two animal species suffering from this....whatever it is. 


Coincidence? Perhaps. Unrelated? Unlikely. 


What do you think, World?

On a Saturday Night

It's the first day of the new year. Welcome 2011. It's only 11:30 on a Saturday night, the first Saturday night of the year no less, and I'm already in the bed with my  contacts out, ugly glasses and PJs on, and listening to the sounds of running water and birds chirping from the Astral itunes radio station. Sounds like a dream, huh? Very relaxing and mellow. It is. Only....it's not what I had in mind for my night.

Around 7 this evening I scrolled and re-scrolled through my cell phonebook, looking and searching for a friend (preferably male) to go out to dinner and watch a movie or something *sigh*....not an eligible soul to be found.

There are days when I LOVE being a single woman...I mean, really, being unattached has it's definite advantages. But on nights like tonight, when I 'm just itching to get all cuteyfied(yes, I just made up that word) and out of the house, but no one male or female friend is available ( because all the females have boyfriends and husbands), it is NOT cool, and I am not ok with it!

Oh well...such is life. It's only one Saturday night...right? I hope LOL.

Hide Ya Kids, Hide Ya Wife....!

Bahahahaha! I'm sure ya'll remember this news story from a few months ago...made so popular by Antoine Dodson's enraged, "Hide ya kids, hide ya wife, and hide ya husband, cuz they rapin' erbody round here"...Now...the Bed Intruder song(can you believe they're selling this on itunes? lol) The first video is from the original newscast and the second video is the song. Enjoy a laugh!