Sick of the farce

The past few days of the coverage of the State funeral of Gerald Ford is past making me ill. Okay, I am sorry for the loss his family and friends are feeling, but, let us stop the revisionist history already. Ford was not a great president. He did a bad thing, he pardoned Nixon, a criminal who should have been charged, tried, convicted and imprisoned for his crimes. Pardoning Nixon was not for the good of the country, it was only for the good of Ford, Nixon and their Republican cronies. I have had to shut off CNN for a while as if I see that clip of Ford defending the pardon as being for the good of the nation, I will hurl. Think about this. There was a time in this country when the Presidency had respect. When people had respect. When teachers didn't have classrooms full of disrespectful punks and had the support of parents. Our society was better. Then it all went away. Why? Well how about the whole Watergate and Ford's Pardon. This showed that nothing was sacred. That someone could be president, could be evil and could get away with it and not a damn thing was done. Why should anyone care about decency after that? The Democrats in the House and Senate need to wake up and take some action PDQ. They were given the majority to do something about the spectacle in the White House now. He needs to be impeached. And Bush, and all his buds need to be charged, arrested, tried, convicted and punished for their crimes against our nation. Ignoring it and letting them off the hook is not in the best interest of the United States. Showing what happens when people commit evil acts while occupying a position of power and the public trust will go a long way toward showing the American people that right is still right and still matters.

Back from Break

Wow, didn't realize it is almost four months since I blogged. Where does the time go? Well, I for one had a summer that was both eventful and speedy. Maybe sometime I will blog about all that happened, but, then again maybe not. One thing, probably the biggest thing was I was ill. Ill as in hospital for a week and a half with about a once recovery at home once discharged. So, that was the big thing. Then a hard drive failure after getting home took a couple weeks to resolve. And I still have trouble with Windows XP staying installed, which is a rant on its own. I think about blogging though. I wonder why I don't daily. It isn't as much laziness as it is more likely fear of blogging. Not actual fear of writing, but more fear of being read. I sometimes wonder who would want to read what I have to say, but, then again you have to wonder why anyone blogs at all. And why we read them. Now that Fall is nearly here, and, weatherwise, it really feels like Fall this week, I guess I am inspired a new to begin putting my thoughts out there. There is certainly enough going on to have something to say. I suppose I am one of those that really feels like Autumn is the new year. The crispness of the weather makes me think of back to school and all, and with other things like clubs and whatnot getting going again, it is my personal new year's time. So, onward. So what is a new year without some resolutions? Probably a better one, but, here are some of my resolutions anyway. Continue my diet and exercise routine. 15 pounds down since July 20. Yeah me!!! Get up and reorganize my day to start watching The View. For some reason I want to. Let's see if I make this one tomorrow. I forgot today even though I was up and it some time before it started. Fall clean. This always seems more important to me that Spring Cleaning. Cleaning and getting ready for the holidays. Note to self, find that elist I was on a couple years back with this very theme that worked great and if I remember started around October 1. Write daily. The blog, but, several other projects I have in mind. And those would be enough for resolutions. Today I am ticked about what looks like my first ever eBay problem. Ordered a birthday gift to me on August 26, still don't have it and am getting runaround bull$*it from the seller, who had good feedback (99.7 for about 350 when I ordered). DAMN! IT! I am so pissed. She is apparently trying to stall me past the PayPal cut off to charge back, which isn't going to happen. I really wanted this item. Needless to say it put a damper on my birthday - yeah I got other stuff, but, this I wanted. DH and I decided that this year instead of buying each other something, we would each take the amount of money we would have spent and buy what we wanted. I spent one third on the eBay item in question, and the other 2/3's on a couple other things. But the eBay item was the gift I was most looking forward to getting. If I don't get it PDQ I will name the seller here. The only thing that gives me a wee bit of hope is she actually left me feedback (positive of course) the day she claims to have shipped it, so I don't have to worry about not being able to be honest about her in fear she will give me a negative. I say claimed to shipped as she sent me a tracking number which is invalid and refuses to give me either a valid one or even say the actually day she shipped. Am crossing my fingers.

Back from Break

Wow, didn't realize it is almost four months since I blogged. Where does the time go? Well, I for one had a summer that was both eventful and speedy. Maybe sometime I will blog about all that happened, but, then again maybe not. One thing, probably the biggest thing was I was ill. Ill as in hospital for a week and a half with about a once recovery at home once discharged. So, that was the big thing. Then a hard drive failure after getting home took a couple weeks to resolve. And I still have trouble with Windows XP staying installed, which is a rant on its own. I think about blogging though. I wonder why I don't daily. It isn't as much laziness as it is more likely fear of blogging. Not actual fear of writing, but more fear of being read. I sometimes wonder who would want to read what I have to say, but, then again you have to wonder why anyone blogs at all. And why we read them. Now that Fall is nearly here, and, weatherwise, it really feels like Fall this week, I guess I am inspired a new to begin putting my thoughts out there. There is certainly enough going on to have something to say. I suppose I am one of those that really feels like Autumn is the new year. The crispness of the weather makes me think of back to school and all, and with other things like clubs and whatnot getting going again, it is my personal new year's time. So, onward. So what is a new year without some resolutions? Probably a better one, but, here are some of my resolutions anyway. Continue my diet and exercise routine. 15 pounds down since July 20. Yeah me!!! Get up and reorganize my day to start watching The View. For some reason I want to. Let's see if I make this one tomorrow. I forgot today even though I was up and it some time before it started. Fall clean. This always seems more important to me that Spring Cleaning. Cleaning and getting ready for the holidays. Note to self, find that elist I was on a couple years back with this very theme that worked great and if I remember started around October 1. Write daily. The blog, but, several other projects I have in mind. And those would be enough for resolutions. Today I am ticked about what looks like my first ever eBay problem. Ordered a birthday gift to me on August 26, still don't have it and am getting runaround bull$*it from the seller, who had good feedback (99.7 for about 350 when I ordered). DAMN! IT! I am so pissed. She is apparently trying to stall me past the PayPal cut off to charge back, which isn't going to happen. I really wanted this item. Needless to say it put a damper on my birthday - yeah I got other stuff, but, this I wanted. DH and I decided that this year instead of buying each other something, we would each take the amount of money we would have spent and buy what we wanted. I spent one third on the eBay item in question, and the other 2/3's on a couple other things. But the eBay item was the gift I was most looking forward to getting. If I don't get it PDQ I will name the seller here. The only thing that gives me a wee bit of hope is she actually left me feedback (positive of course) the day she claims to have shipped it, so I don't have to worry about not being able to be honest about her in fear she will give me a negative. I say claimed to shipped as she sent me a tracking number which is invalid and refuses to give me either a valid one or even say the actually day she shipped. Am crossing my fingers.

Suicide is not the answer

The story at this link http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/local/14645757.htm really bothers me. Man jumps to death off parking garage Belleville chief calls it suicide BY JESSICA ADLER For the News-Democrat BELLEVILLE - A 37-year-old Belleville man committed suicide Monday morning by jumping off the top floor of the St. Clair County parking garage following an appearance in family court. "It was undoubtedly a suicide," said Belleville Police Chief Dave Ruebheusen. The man, identified as Rory J. Hamilton, jumped off the garage, located across from the St. Clair County Building in downtown Belleville. Hamilton left family court, drove his Pontiac Transport minivan to the top of the garage building, and leaped to his death, police said. Though his fall was broken by an oncoming car, the man was pronounced dead as a result of massive head injuries at St. Elizabeth's Hospital Emergency room at 11:10 a.m., St. Clair County Coroner Rick Stone said. More at the above link. I didn't know Mr. Hamilton, but, his death troubles me. How desperate he must have been to choose to end his life. I don't know why he felt this was the answer. I don't understand why anyone would. When I hear the word suicide I think of John Kennedy O'Toole. Mr. O'Toole wrote one of my favorite books of all times, A Confederacy of Dunces. In a nutshell the story of Mr. O'Toole is that he wrote this book and then got rejected by a number of publishers, (uh, this does happen to authors, many get lots of rejection prior to having their work published. He was also himself a college professer. He killed himself (undoubtedly there were other issues) and after his death his mother found the manuscript for A Confederacy of Dunces and embarked on getting it published. She cornered a professer, Walker Percy and made him promiser to read it. He didn't want to, but, started reading the first page and got drawn it. He realized that this was a great book, helped her get it published and it won the Pulitzer Prize. It is a great book, funny and sad, and one that I have reread many times. I am always left somewhat angry that O'Toole killed himself and deprived us of his future work. Maybe he would have written more, maybe he would have been another Harper Lee, (she wrote the wonderful To Kill a Mockingbird and then has never written another! But, by killing himself, we will never know. However, defeated Mr. O'Toole felt, he never experienced the joy of being not only published, but being a Pulitzer Prize winner! Of being a best selling author. Of whatever joy and happiness his future held. For I really do feel that joy and happiness is always just around the corner. Most of us won't go one to be best selling authors or win major prizes but all sadness eventually yields to happier times. No matter how bad or dark things have ever seemed to me, great joy has always reappeared. And I firmly believe this applies to each and everyone of us. Eventually things will get better. We just have to hang on till they do. I am sorry that Mr. Hamilton didn't hang on to see what happiness was instore for him. I am sorry for those he left behind who will always have to wonder why he did this and why he didn't ask for help. A Confederacy of Dunces (Evergreen Book)">A Confederacy of Dunces To Kill a Mockingbird"">To Kill A Mockingbird

A Beautiful Child

This book, linked on the left, is one you just can't put down. It is the story of a woman known as Sharon Marshall, although that is not her real name. Kidnapped as a small child, she was raised in a life of abuse by convicted death row inmate Franklin Delano Floyd, who married her when she grew up and then murdered her. But her true identity is not known to this day. Read this book and then follow the case information on Websleuths - one of the best true crime message boards on the Net.

Farewell West Wing

Today I am a little sad after seeing the series finale for The West Wing last night. It was good. Infact, I think the past few months have been really good and I am sad that series will not continue with the Santos in the White House. A charming young couple in the White House with cute kids - what a great back drop. Too bad NBC didn't have the balls ABC lacked. Commander in Chief was also really good and ABC worked at killing that.