Friday Question *Yeah, I know it's Sunday*

How would you react if you were to learn that your mate had had a lover of the same sex before you knew each other?



Have you ever been sexually attracted to someone of the same sex?
to someone in your family?
If so, how did you deal with it?

Friday Question

Friday question, these will be mass cross posted in all my blogs. Bloop, MySpace, LiveJournal, DeadJournal, everywhere. I'm posting these to make people THINK. I do want responses, though.


Today's question comes from the book titled "The Book of Questions" By Gregory Stock, PH.D


If the person you were engaged to marry had an accident and became a paraplegic, would you go through with the marriage or back out of it?

What if, instead of an accident, the person you were engaged to were diagnosed with (for men) breast cancer, and had to have both breasts surgically removed? Or (for women) he developed prostate cancer and could no longer perform in bed?

What if they were diagnosed with a chronic illness, such as fibromyalgia, rheumetoid arthritis, lupus, or another illness that was going to make their life very difficult?

Now, discuss

Sleep deprived and freaking miserable!

Part of me thinks I'm still sleep deprived from Blogathon. LOL I know it sounds insane, but I haven't gotten caught back up on my sleep since then.

I had a bunch to write tonite, but forgot what I was gonna say.

It's me

I am so proud of myself

I made it thru Blogathon, in one piece. Granted, I'm still a bit sleep deprived, but I'll be ok. I can't sleep tonite, big surprise. I threw my schedule off so bad with the blogathon that it's gonna take me a few days (weeks?) to get back onto a normal schedule. But, it was SO worth it!

Thanks to the people who were so sweet to support me, leaving me comments. I really appreciate it.

Love to all.

#48 This is it!

I DID IT!! I made it the full 24hrs! I'm so proud of myself. Now, iffn ya'll don't mind, I'm going to bed, and going to pass out for a while!

I did it, I did it! YAY!

#47 One left after this!

Wow. I've been up now for 35 hours. And I'm still going?? whoa I didn't think my body could handle that. :D Guess I'm not as old as I thought. I'm proud of myself.

This has been an awesome night. I think I wanna do it again next year, but with a lil better planning. :D No going out the day before it starts, and I'm gonna make sure I have PLENTY of Dr. Pepper to last me the night. I've missed my Pepper. :(

Hopefully next year, we won't be fighting with the bills and will have them caught up, so I can blog on one of the sites I can post from my phone. Hell, if I'd thought ahead (AND had my phone connected), I'd have done this at LJ, and been out and about, making voice posts from my phone, or at least SOME. :)

I don't regret any part of this weekend, tho. I'm REALLY REALLY amazed that my parents aren't complaining about the fact I've said once my last post in in, I'm in bed. I know I'm gonna have to take my sleeping pill tonite to get to sleep. Should only take one, tho.

I have an appt with my psych med dr tomorrow. That should be interesting. I gotta drive to Seattle to go to it. That's an ick thought. But, I'm gonna sleep tonite, and I'll be golden tomorrow.

Last night was cool and creepy at the same time, though. Being the only one up in the house all night, with my fear of the dark was odd. That's a big part of why I kept my smoking to a minimum. I didn't wanna go out in the dark by myself. :D I'm such a chicken. I know, I know, it's the PTSD causing it, so it's not that I'm a chicken, but it still bugs the hell out of me that I'm almost 30 years old, and I'm STILL terrified of the dark. Great way to help my kids get over it, isn't it? I'm a GREAT role model.

Ok. That's my entry. I'm gonna go make myself an Irish Coffee. With REAL Bailey's Irish Cream. I think I've earned it.

Faces of Blogathon 2007 "B" schedule

Here's MY mug!!!

#45 Last three!!!

There are only THREE MORE ENTRIES after this one for Blogathon. Wow. I can't believe it's almost over.

I know this entry is really short, but I'm hurting and really starting to lose what little bit of brains I had left.

Two more after this!

#44 Four left!

Wow, I can't believe we're so close to being done! YAY! I'm not sure what I'm gonna do after this. I know what I'm doing as soon as I"m done typing. I'm gonna walk outside and have a smoke. I've been doing SO good. I've had 2 since I started Blogathon.

And the TV just completely trashed everything i was thinking. Oh, well. C'est la vie.

#43 FIVE MORE!

Wow, only FIVE MORE! I'm so happy!!!

The last little bit will go quicker, 'cause I'm talking to my lil brother on Yahoo, and he's always been good at keeping me awake and going. I'm tired, REALLY tired, but I'm doing ok. I'm really sure I can make it the next couple of hours. This is going to work! I thought i was gonna have to drop out at the halfway point, but I'm still here, and I think I'm gonna make it! YAY!

#42

Dinner time! My darling Daddy grilled pork chops, and made au gratin potatoes. YUMMY I love my Daddy!

Once I've eaten dinner, I'll be doing a LOT better. This is the first REAL MEAL I've had since Thursday. Yesterday wasn't a good day with food. I just didn't feel like eating.

It didn't help that it was a Relay day, and I had no money to eat with.

Ok, I gotta post this, 'cause otherwise it's gonna be late, and I'm not gonna get to eat.

# 41!!! SEVEN more entries!

Well, I'm getting there. I was going to post a new karaoke vid, but didn't get it recorded. I suck, don't I? LOL I was going to record the theme song for Bob the Builder with the kids, but they wimped out on me. I'm bummed. It sounded like it'd be fun.

Kids' sperm donor is on the phone. This one's short! Sorry!

#40 more of me singing

#39 A video of a really bad (but FUNNY) song

#38 Ok, now this ticks me off....

Ok, a lot of people are aware of baby Kaleb Schwade, who was shaken by his daycare provider and ended up in the hospital for the longest time. He's home, btw. YAY!

Well, apparently, some kid on MySpace decided that this was an interesting way to get money and free stuff, because Kaleb's mommy hasn't hidden the fact that people have donated/given stuff to their family. So, this kid gets the bright idea to scam people at MySpace with a "Five day old baby who was shaken and is in the hospital fighting for her life"

He's scammed pictures of babies from all over the internet, put fake pictures of a set of parents up, and is just waiting. When people ask questions, he gets defensive. I'm thinking part of how he got caught is one of the people on his friends list, I just saw the comments, is a friend of the mom of one of the babies whose picture he stole, and she recognized the baby in the picture. Dumb ass.

Link to this idiot's myspace is www.myspace.com/jacob_collins26

How could anyone do something like that? Use another family's suffering and pain for their own gain??? It's sick.

#37 Another news article

Ok, in my opinion, it's freaking RIDICULOUS that it took us going to WAR before someone got their head out of their ass to realize that the VA system needed work!

Panel urges health-care overhaul for disabled vets
President's commission says the system is beyond 'patching'

By ROB HOTAKAINEN and LESLEY CLARK
McClatchy-Tribune
WASHINGTON — A presidential commission Wednesday recommended an urgent overhaul of the federal system that cares for disabled military veterans, including new "quality of life" payments to compensate for injuries.

The bipartisan panel also recommended better diagnosis and treatment of brain injuries and guaranteed care for post-traumatic stress syndrome for all soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Up to 20 percent of those who have returned from Iraq have reported symptoms of PTSD, an anxiety disorder caused by reaction to traumatic events.

"We don't recommend merely patching the system, as has been done in the past," concluded the nine-member panel, headed by former Kansas Republican Sen. Bob Dole and former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala.

The report came as a unanimous Senate passed legislation that tackles some of the same topics, including boosting spending on the two injuries the commission called "common conditions of the current conflicts."

President Bush, who met with the commission at the White House before it voted on the final report, called the recommendations "very interesting."

After an afternoon run on the South Lawn with two veterans he'd met at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Bush said he'd told the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs to look at the recommendations, "take them seriously and to implement them, so that we can say with certainty that any soldier who has been hurt will get the best possible care and treatment that this government can offer."

The commission said its recommendations would result in the first major overhaul of the disability system for veterans in more than 50 years.

Among its other recommendations, the commission said that spouses and parents of seriously injured soldiers should qualify for six-month leaves under an extended Family and Medical Leave Act. Two-thirds of the injured service members reported that family members or close friends had stayed with them for an extended time while they were hospitalized, and one in five gave up jobs to do so.

The panel said too many disabled soldiers were getting "lost in the system" and that problems in coordinating care were far too common.

#36 We're getting there!

Well, hubby just got up, so I might be able to talk him into an entry or two here, so I can take care of SHTUFF, like propping my feet up, but if he doesn't want to, then i'm here for the long haul. :)

I'm doing ok, I guess. A bit grumpy at the kids, but all in all ok. :) Frustrated with myself, because apparently at some point between signing up for Blogathon and it STARTING, I changed one of my blogs, and FORGOT! So I was blogging here, and this blog didn't show up. I'm a huge dorkarito! It's all fixeded now. Yay for frykitty. She's my new hero. :D

Ok. Time to go talk to my hubband. I misseded him last night. And yes, I know I'm talking like a baby. I'm keeping myself entertained. Very easy to do when I'm this tired.

#35 News article

Ok, this is entry number 35. I gotta make it to 48. *IF* I'm doing my math properly, that means I have 13 more entries. I might be able to do that.

I REMEMBERED SOMETHING I WAS GONNA WRITE ABOUT!!!


Hee, now I just gotta go find the article again.

Ok, here it is!

Fla. man, 88, becomes an Eagle Scout

Sun Jul 29, 6:27 AM ET

FORT MYERS, Fla. - More than a half-century after he finished the requirements to earn the rank, an 88-year-old man was honored as an Eagle Scout on Saturday, making him possibly the oldest person to ever collect the honor.

Walter Hart couldn't become an Eagle Scout at the time he earned the rank because his service in World War II got in the way.

"I've been looking forward to this for a long time," said Hart, who lives in a retirement center in nearby Lehigh Acres.

Scout officials say he may be the oldest person to ever earn the honor.

Hart joined the Cub Scouts in 1928 in Malden, Mass., and earned 23 merit badges during his years as a Boy Scout, scouting officials said. Of the 120 merit badges available, 21 must be earned to qualify for Eagle Scout rank.

It all got set aside when he joined the Navy during World War II and served two years aboard the USS Alfred A. Cunningham.

Last year, he rediscovered some of his old Boy Scout memorabilia, including documents that showed he completed the requirements for his Eagle Scout rank. He contacted the Scouts about receiving his award.

"I think this was something that was always on his mind, but every time he went to go do it, something else came up," daughter Elizabeth Gatturna said. "I know how hard he's tried to get to this point."

Only about 5 percent of all Boy Scouts earn the rank of Eagle Scout. Since 1912, nearly 1.9 million Eagles have been awarded, but the recipients' ages aren't recorded, Boy Scout officials said.

"I'd be pretty surprised if anyone older has ever become an Eagle Scout," said Margie Byers, spokeswoman for the Southwest Florida Council, Boy Scouts of America.

I think that is the coolest thing in the world. :)

#34 Time's speeding back up

Well, you know the shoes I mentioned Chrissy having on in my last entry? Well, now all THREE kids have them. They're LEMMINGS I TELL YOU! If one has something, the other two follow suit rather quickly.

I guess I should feed myself, huh? I nibbled on Wheat Thins over night. I think that may be part of why my legs and feet are so swollen up right now. Ick. But, on a good note, I didn't smoke much last night. I had ONE SMOKE over the course of the night, from the time Ashe went to work at 9 until AFTER he got home at 7. Matter of fact, I just went out to smoke before my last entry. So, I'm doing really good. I think I might be able to quit here soon. That would be cool. It would save us SO MUCH money! Well, maybe not that much, since I'm not smoking a pack a day or two anymore (that's one pack every day to every two days, not one to two packs a day, btw). I'm down to about a pack a WEEK! YAY ME!

Mikey's back upstairs here with me. He's playing PS2. I've got the TV on behind me, and I'm gonna end up rewinding the show I'm listening to, 'cause I kinda wanted to watch it. Oh, well.

That's all I can come up with for now.

#33 Talking on the phone

I think this is like the first or second time I've gotten to talk to him since he was up here. Poor thing, he's having a hell of a time right now. He's trying to move out of the apartment he was living in, and move back into his parents' house, but there's all kinds of drama around that. I feel so bad for him!

Then Chrissy came up and showed me her "shoes" she has on. They're 2" thick foam that she's tied to her feet w/ pink plastic string. Goofball! But, it's cute.

#32 The promised video

May take a bit to finish processing at YouTube

#31 Ooh! Something to write about

My mom is a breast cancer survivor. She finished her chemo the end of Summer last year. 31 Aug was her last treatment, to be exact. Well, she lost her hair, like we expected. And then, when it grew back, she had these wonderful curls. Adorable, really. She cut her hair today, because it was just at a bad length, and the curls were falling out (they were chemo curls, and not permanent) and cut off all the curls. :( I'll miss her curls. They looked good.

Next entry, I'll post me playing with the jack-in-the-box Ashe got me. I love my hubby! He's so sweet to me!

#30 Another quiz thing

You scored 10 % Dark Side, 50 % Light Side, 10 % Scoundrel and 50 % Diplomat!

Thank you for taking the Star Wars Character test.

To interpret your results: If you scored highest in Dark Side, you are a Darksider. If you scored highest in Light Side, you are a Lightsider, etcetera etcetera. I'm sorry this part isn't more impressive...but it's my first quiz.

Link: The Star Wars Character Test written by Sarah-Leia on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

#29 I'm still here!

Let's see, it's 11:30am, and I've been at this since 9 last night.... We're into the 14th hour now. Cool.

I feel like my head is wrapped in cotton balls. For goodness sake, do NOT ask me to make an important decision today. I'm afraid of what I might choose! LOL

I guess I've scared the kids away, being grumpy. They were up here for a while, but they've all disappeared. I'm guessing they scampered downstairs where Grammy's in a better mood than Mommy is. :) Can't say as I blame them.

Nothing much to say yet. Here's to Hour 15!

#28 What's my spirit animal

Your Score: The Deer

Here's your results! Your spirit animal has a Nobility ranking of 10 out of 18.

Your spirit animal is the deer. They are a respectable and beautiful animal. They are fearful and timid at times and are considered as having only slightly above average nobility and wisdom. The deer is a fairly common guardian, and you can feel proud knowing it will serve you well.

***Wondering how this animal was chosen for you? These questions were carefully thought out to see how important you hold certain virtues such as: humanism, self-knowledge, rationalism, the love of freedom and other somewhat Hellenic ideals. Some of the questions were very subtle. Your score was then matched with an animal of corresponding nobility. However, you shouldn't think this was a right/wrong sort of test, but more of an idealistic values test. It's ok to not hold these values, you'll just get an animal spirit of lower stature if you do!***

Link: The What is Your Spirit Animal Test written by FindingEros on OkCupid, home of the The Dating Persona Test

#27 Still going

Your Score: The Healthy Rebel

You scored 61% Rebelious!

All right, way to go, you seem to have a healthy degree of rebeliousness without being a menace to society. You are a free thinker who doesn't follow orders blindly.

Pat yourself on the back if you feel like it.

Link: The How much of a rebel are you Test written by NaughtyKenn on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

#26 Fun little thingy

You are 68% Real Princess

Congratulations, Princess! Surprised? Real Princesses are not spoiled brats who simply order minions around and get their way all the time. A Real Princesse is neither oppressed nor oppressive. She is intelligent and giving, concerning herself less with issues of the palace and more with the people surrounding it. She knows how to treat others as well as herself, and always sets a fine example of true humanity.
The key to being a true Princess is having the grace to accept the fact that you can't always have everything you want, even though you may deserve it. It's about self-esteem and setting your own standards concerning how you want to be treated and how you behave. It's about knowing when to make demands and when to be flexible.
Of course it's also about tiaras, beautiful dresses, and the wait for a worthy Prince to sweep you off your feet! When you balance a giving and open spirit with personal needs and visions you reach princesshood.
Now go find a minion to kiss your feet. seriously.

Link: The Am I a Real Princess? Test written by brandy7 on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

#25 Blogthing!

You Are 43% Scary

You're a pretty normal, nice girl... but you definitely have your scary moments. As long as you acknowledge them and apologize, you'll probably keep your guy around.

Do You Scare Off Men?

#24 HALFWAY POINT

Well, I'm halfway there. I've made it this far, how much more can I do? I know some who've dropped out already. I have to admit, I'm debating it. But, for now, I'm still going.

I've gotten a total of THREE comments since Blogathon started. Two from an online friend who was on the "A" schedule, and one from another blogathonner. I feel like I'm doing this for no reason. Like nobody is even noticing that I'm here.

This seems to be a theme in my life. Like I do all this stuff, but no one ever notices me. It's something I've talked about with my therapist. Do I need validation to feel that what I'm doing is worth it? Part of me says YES to that. That I really really want the validation. But, then, a big part ofme says NO, that even if not another soul in the world notices what I'm doing, I'm doing this for a good reason. But, still.... I dunno.

#23 Kids are up

Well, the kids are up. All three of them. Mikey's playing PS2, Chrissy and Bubba are watching TV. And I'm debating throwing in the towel... I don't want to, but I had to take my contacts out, and now I'm blind. I'm tired, I'm hurting really bad. But, I know if I throw in the towel, I'll feel like a massive failure. But, getting sleep deprived doesn't do my bipolar any good, either.

Oy, now I'm gonna have to ramrod kids, and keep them from destroying the house.

#22 This was interesting to watch (same diarist as I mentioned in my last post, but this is far more interesting)

#21 Reading an interesting post elsewhere

I'm in the middle of a VERY interesting diary entry over at Bloopdiary.com. It's discussing whether Wicca and Witchcraft are or are not different things. I'm about halfway thru it right now. I'll probably post bits of it for my next entry here. And i definitely MUST friend this person at Bloop. She's intelligent, mature (gotta be, she sez she got involved w/ Witchcraft in the 60's), and, well, obviously following a similar path to mine.

I like interesting, intelligent people. I am one, most of the time. Just not last night and probably won't be all that intelligent sounding today, either. :D

On an upnote, Ashe is home, and sleeping right now. I told him I might have him put up a couple entries for me later, so I can catch a nap. There's hope yet.

I'm starting to hurt, so I'm gonna wrap this one up and get some painkillers and a drink.

See ya'll in half an hour or so!

#21 What to write, what to write?

Well, it's now almost 7am, and Ashe should be home anytime. YAY! I'm getting miserable, because my feet and ankles are so swollen it's painful. When I washed my face, and took my makeup off, I got some stuff in my eye that's killing my contact lens. But, the upside is, I'm showered, in comfy clothes (read PJs), and washed my hair. I'm good. :D And, I'm watching Jake 2.0 between entries. I'm in great shape! LOL Oh, and I'm not tired right now. :D

I think I'm going to do a list of things I think about when I need to remind myself why I'm not going to kill myself. There's a reason one of the charities I'm blogging for is the Bipolar Depression Support Alliance.

- Music, one of the most important non-physical things in the world to me. Without music, my life would be empty.

- My husband. The man I love more than any other adult man on the face of the earth. Yes, my husband outranks my daddy here.

- My kids. Three VERY IMPORTANT things. Yeah, I often think they'd be better off without me, but then I realize that without me, they're either going to be raised by their sperm donors, or my mother. And I don't want either of those options.

- My friends. The people who care about me because they WANT TO. I don't think many of them truly know how much that means to me.

It would be a much longer list if I listed each person I think of individually, which is what I do when I'm in that moment, but that would take me an hour to write, and i don't have that much time.

#20 and I'm still here!

Well, we're at 9 1/2 hrs. Wow. I'm doing ok. Took some power naps in the early morning hours, and now I'm feeling ok. Got a second wind. Hopefully I'll be able to do this. I *KNOW* I'm gonna crash HARD when I go to bed tonight. It's gonna be UGLY! But, I'm still hanging in there. 4 more entries, and we'll be at the halfway point. That's a good thing. :)

I didn't shower yet. Should do that once I'm done here. I got caught up reading some stuff. Maybe I'll get some ideas about what to write about for the day while I'm drowning my sorrows?

Well, we're off here to go wake myself up. I'll see ya'll in half an hour!

#19 and I'm still alive

Wow, I'm 1/3 of the way there. And waking up again. I think it has something to do with the sun coming up. :) Maybe I'm not the night owl I think I am. I used to be.

It is almost 0600, which means Ashe gets off in half an hour, should be home in an hour. YAY! That will make life a bit easier. I don't know if I'm enjoying this or not. Eh, either way, I'm hanging in there. I don't wanna get disqualified. I wanna do this.

I think, maybe, after this post, I'm gonna take a quick shower and everything, to help me wake up. Then, it's back to finish an ep of Jake 2.0 that I've been trying to watch on my DVR for WEEKS! LOL That helps keep me awake, too. Don't know why I didn't think to turn the TV on earlier. 'Cause I'm a HUGE dorkus!

Still nothing earth-shatteringly interesting to write about. Probably grab another Friday Five from LJ eventually. At least it gives me something to blog about. Something semi-interesting. So far, I think all I've managed to do is whine that I'm cold and tired. Not good.

Ok, time to copy and cross-post. I'm SO lazy!

Oh! Post #11

Post number 11 is here, I just pulled it out of my drafts, because I noticed I had a really old draft of an article my little sister-in-law wrote, so I figured I'd post it as my 11th post, but it's buried in the "back" of my blog. It's there, honest, and it's numbered. I thought if I posted it tonite, it would timestamp/date for today, and show up today. Apparently, it showed up back when i first went to post it. :( I spent 20 minutes trying to figure out where my 2330 post got to.

# 18 Another BlogThings

You Are a Champagne Woman

A true mystery, no one can quite figure you out... That is, until you start drinking. Then you tend to let loose. You're fun to drink with, but it definitely takes you a few drinks to loosen up. You prefer to date a man who likes the finer things in life... like a five star dinner with that champagne.

What Kind of Drinking Woman Are You?

#17 Friday Five from LJ

1. You're holding a dinner party and can invite three famous people from the past or present; who would they be?
Oh, dang, when I first read this, I didn't see the famous part. :( Umm, famous people...
1) Helen Keller, because I've been fascinated with her for years. She led such an interesting life.
2) A man who SHOULD be famous, but isn't, his name is on the patent for the color television tube, and was also nearly the CO of the first nuclear submarine. And one of my favorite people in the entire world (and one lousy dinner party wouldn't be long enough with him!) Chandler C Jackson II, my grandfather.
3) Randy Owen of the band Alabama, because I love their music. :)
4) Reba McIntyre
5) Princess Diana

2. You have the opportunity to question someone about something you've always wanted to know and receive a truthful answer; what would your question be? I would ask my mother to tell me about her past. All of it.

3. If you could change one thing in your life, what would it be?
My laziness
4. If you could save other people's lives by completing an act that would lead to your own death, would you do it?
Hell Yes
5. Would you commit murder if you knew that you could get away with it? I'm a domestic violence, rape, and incest survivor. Hell YES I'd commit murder if I thought I could get away with it!

#16 Blogthings fun

You Are a Husky Puppy

Sweet, affectionate, and docile. But when you see a cat or chicken, it's kill kill kill!!!

What Breed of Puppy Are You?

#15 I'm warming up

But I'm still cold. Not AS cold, mind you, but still cold.

Another short nap, this time using my cell phone to wake my arse up. Once my heartrate slows back down, I'll be golden! But, man, I'm TIRED!!!!!

I can't believe I can't think of anything to talk about. Normally I can talk for hours about absolutely nothing. Now, i'm having problems coming up with ONE LOUSY THING to talk about every half an hour. I'm SO pathetic!

#14... mini nap and coffee

But I'm still freezing! Sat here at the computer, grabbed a pillow, wrapped up in my blanket, and took a mini nap. We'll see how that helps me. I'm still cold as all hell, but at least I've gotten a bit of rest. I think I'm gonna do it again after this post.

This cold thing is bugging the hell out of me, tho. I don't like being cold. And I'm REALLY cold right now. Grrrrrr.......

I'm thinking if I can even make it halfway at this point, I'll be doing damn good. Considering that will be the 24 hr mark for me, being awake. And I'm halfway there (so, I guess that means I'm a quarter of the way done! COOL!) Wow, I'm on hr 7 already. 17 more to go. Ugh.... Just look at where I've been, not how much further I have to go, right? Right.

13 I'm still awake, I think

I'm only in the sixth hour, and I'm already so tired it's pathetic! This is what I get for going out and doing STUFF today, knowing I had blogathon tonite.

I'm sitting here, freezing, I'm gonna go shut the sliding glass door once I'm done with this entry, and wishing it was late afternoon, so I could hand over the computer to Ashe and make him write some stuff for a while. That'll never happen! LOL

What happened to the days when I could stay up for 24 hrs? Well, actually, I'm gonna be going on 36 when I crash tomorrow nite. Got up around 9am this morning, and believe me! The kids are going to bed AT NINE TOMORROW, so i can go to sleep. I gotta go to Seattle on Monday, so I GOTTA GETS MY SLEEP tomorrow nite.

Hmmm... apparently, when I'm not thinking about what I'm gonna write, I'm writing longer entries. And so far, they make sense to me. :) At least right now they do. Come the next time I'm good and awake, they might not. :D

Ok, off to write in the other blog. This is fun. I'm just crossposting most of the time, but, hey, it's the thought that counts!

#12 Can you believe this?

Removal of banner, activist protested
ACLU decries action taken on July Fourth at Byrd Park event

Wednesday, Jul 18, 2007 - 12:08 AM
By JOE MACENKA
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

Richmond police and parks officials are in trouble with the ACLU of Virginia for removing a woman from a Fourth of July event in Byrd Park for carrying a political banner.

Rain Burroughs, who said she was driven to a different area of the sprawling park and held in a police cruiser with her 7-year-old daughter until the fireworks display ended, was not charged with any crime.

Police said they removed her from the Dogwood Dell area at the request of city parks employees. A parks official said the banner, which made an indirect reference to the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney, disrupted the patriotic theme of the concert at Dogwood Dell and the fireworks.

"This has problems throughout," said Kent Willis, the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia's executive director. "It's as if the police did everything wrong from the moment they heard about this."

Richmond police spokeswoman Karla Peters said she was limited in how she could respond to the matter, in part because the department's internal-affairs unit is looking into it.

"That information remains internal regarding personnel," Peters said.

In addition to the free-speech and detainment issues raised by the ACLU, a Richmond woman complained to the police department about the manner in which officers responded to the area near the Dogwood Dell stage to take away Burroughs and her daughter, Summer.

Christine Dorsey said several officers in cruisers, with lights flashing and sirens tweaking, and officers on horseback were traveling at speeds that seemed dangerously high given the large crowds in the park.

"And especially when it turned out that it was no big deal," Dorsey said.

. . .

Burroughs, a Richmond resident who describes herself as a peace activist, went to the park with her daughter and her boss, Charlie Holliday. Burroughs said she and Holliday each held one end of the banner, which was 20 to 25 feet long and contained the word "Impeach," along with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Washington office phone number and the term "HR 333," which refers to a resolution in the House of Representatives to impeach Cheney.

Burroughs said people in the crowd cheered as she and Holliday carried the banner. Then the police arrived, in cars and on horses.

"I didn't want to leave, and they wanted me to leave, and I said, 'No,'" she said.

Burroughs said Holliday agreed to leave the area. She, however, was placed in the front seat of a police cruiser. Police required her to be separated from her daughter, who was placed in the back seat. The banner went in the trunk.

After being detained in the cruiser in a different part of the park until the fireworks ended, Burroughs said, she and her daughter were released and saw some acquaintances, who gave them a ride home.

Burroughs said neither she nor her daughter was handcuffed, but both were frightened.

"I said, 'Summer, were you as scared as I was?' She said, 'Mommy, I was more scared,'" Burroughs said.

. . .

Christy Everson, a spokeswoman for the Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities, said she was unsure who called police to have the banner removed from the patriotic festivities at Dogwood Dell.

"Obviously, you don't want that kind of disruption in the middle of a performance at that location," Everson said.

The ACLU's Willis said he has referred the matter to the group's legal team. The ACLU is still gathering details and is waiting to speak with Burroughs before deciding how to proceed, he said.

"Police clearly overreacted to the situation. As far as we can tell, Ms. Burroughs did not pose a threat to anyone," Willis said. "She clearly had a First Amendment right to be at the event with her daughter."

There also is a provision in the Richmond City Code, section 66-179, which details "permitted conduct." It states, in part: "Acts authorized as an exercise of a person's constitutional right to picket, protest, or speak and acts authorized by a permit issued by the city shall not constitute unlawful activity under this division."

Burroughs, who has not filed a complaint with the police, said she intends to help the ACLU pursue the matter.

She said she believes the anti-Cheney nature of her banner made her a target.

#10 Now I'm singing

#9 STUPID COMPUTER!

I was getting ready to record my video for this entry, and my STUPID COMPUTER RESTARTED ITSELF!!!! I'm SO FRUSTRATED!

Sometimes, I really hate computers. They really suck sometimes. But, I don't know what I'd do without mine.

I love my computer, really I do. Just sometimes, it drives me bonkers!

#8 Wow, time's going fast

And I have a lizard on my head. :)

Before Bubba decided he was going to go back downstairs with my parents, he put this little toy lizard he got today on my head, and I haven't taken it off. Why should I? It's not like it's hurting anything, or I'm going anywhere. :) And he's happy.

I'm fixing to caffeinate myself. I've got some coffee brewed, just haven't gotten around to pouring any. I think I'm going to before long. I'm tired, but not really tired. At least not physically. Mentally, on the other hand? Eh, I'm not doing my best. Which makes me mad and frustrates me. I guess I am physically tired. Maybe during the day tomorrow, I'll see if a friend will make a couple entries for me, so I can take a quick nap. I'm already thinking sleep, and it's only been 3 1/2 hrs. I'm so WEAK! LOL

Wouldn't be so bad if Ashe weren't working tonite. I'm bummed about that. I hate his work nights. I don't sleep well to start with, and now, since I'm staying up all night, it would be really nice to know that he's there, or out here keeping me company. :( Oh, well, life goes on.

Well, I'm gonna finish this entry up, and then go over to singsnap.com and start singing, so I can put a video of me making an idiot of myself up in my next post.

Later!

#7 More poems

In the Darkness

For my Shadow

I close my eyes and there you are
Waiting for me
In the shadows and
Darkness of my mind

I hear you
Calling out to me
Willing me to join you
To be with you
But I am not ready
I fear the Dark

I see you in the Faces of
Those around me
Those who wish me to
Save myself from you

I feel you reaching out to me
Pulling me to you
Pulling me with you
I am ready
I am yours



This one I wrote a few years ago. Not much of a story behind it.


Well, it looks like I have some company for a while. Bubba fell asleep on the way home from Relay for Life tonite, and got a nap from 6-6:30 until about 11. So, I have company for a while. I'm not complaining. I like the company. :) Maybe he'll keep me awake for a while. I know his mouth will. He talks non-stop. That's a three-year-old for you.

#6 Poetry- mine!

I'm early with this post, so I have to go in and edit and write more to it. : )

These two poems are my own writing. The first one, I wrote about the man (and I use that term loosely) who fathered my youngest son, Bubba. I got involved with him when my marriage to my ex-husband had fallen apart, and we were separated. We had planned on getting married, until I found out that he was cheating on me, which was part of what had ended my marriage. I was, understandably, crushed. As the poem says, I gave him everything I had to give (and then some). After our relationship had ended, I met another man. The man who is now my husband. While we were planning our wedding, this poem came to me.

Love and Trust- Version two

You said that you would love me
You said you'd never leave
You said we'd be forever
I gave my heart, my soul, my love
You threw it all away
You destroyed me
He came into my life
And saw what you had done
He put me back together
He held me while I cried
Told me that he cared
He said you were a fool
That I was a miracle
He told me I 'd be whole again
He held me
Until I was strong enough to try again
He waited for me
And told me of his heart's desire
I saw that he was true
I think that I can trust him
More than I ever trusted you

AND

For Me

When will I learn
to live my life
for myself and not
for others?

When will I remember
that my life still
is my own,
not theirs to live

Why don't I take
my life back
for myself
from them

This poem I wrote about my relationship with my mother. In many ways, I think it speaks for itself.

# 5 Mindless rambling

Normally, I'm an intelligent, well-written individual. Tonight, however, I feel like my brain has turned to mush, and I'm pretty useless. This is incredibly frustrating to me. I had hoped to be at my best tonight for Blogathon. I find myself being a total moron with no idea what I'm going to write about. :(

However, the surfing i'm doing to keep myself going is entertaining. I've found a site that has a bunch of psych humor on it, and it's been a lot of fun for about the last 45 mins. The jokes I posted in my last entry came from that site.

Later, I'm gonna be doing some online karaoke. That should be fun and break up the monotony. Especially if I choose songs that mean something to me. That will give me the entry (the video of the song) and some written stuff, such as why I chose that song.

I'll also post some of my poetry, since I have had some new stuff rattling around in my head for the past few days.

#4 Some jokes

What is the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist?

If you say to a psychiatrist "I hate my mother," he will ask "Why do you say that?" while a psychologist will say "Thank you for sharing that with us."

Q. Why do psychiatrists give their patients shock treatment?

A. To prepare them for the bill

If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill herself, is it

considered a hostage situation?

You know, this is a very good question!

After just a few years of marriage, filled with constant arguments, a young man and his wife decided the only way to save their marriage was to try therapy. They had been at each others throats for some time and felt that this was their last straw.

When they arrived at the therapist's office, the therapist jumped right in and opened the floor fordiscussion. "What seems to be the problem?" Immediately, the husband held his long face down without anything to say. On the other hand, the wife began talking 90 miles and hour describing all the wrongs within their marriage.

After 5 - - 10 - - 15 minutes of listening to the wife, the therapist went over to her, picked her up by her shoulders, kissed her passionately for several minutes, and sat her back down. Afterwards, the wife sat there - speechless.

He looked over at the husband who was staring in disbelief at what had happened. The therapist spoke to the husband, "Your wife NEEDS that at least twice a week!"

The husband scratched his head and replied, "I can have her here on Tuesdays and Thursdays."

Number 3

Wow, time's flying. Granted, it's only been 2 hrs, but still! :)

I'm trying to think of what I should write about tonite, I had an idea yesterday, but didn't write it down. So, of course I forgot it! LOL

I'm reading the blogs of some friends who are participating today, and getting ideas from them. If all else fails, there's always blogthings, okcupid, and the other quiz sites I use from time to time to do some fun stuff with. :) I can spend HOURS at those sites.

I'll probably do a post about Petra Luna's war on abuse tonite, too.

I know, I'm not writing anything interesting yet. Once the kids are in bed, and it's just me, my friends on IM, and my music, I should be able to think.

#2 Sunburned!

Well, apparently I got sunburned today. The ONE DAY that we go somewhere and do something during the day, and of COURSE I forget to put sunscreen on. I *NEVER* forget sunscreen! I feel so stupid. Bubba got burned, too. His lil cheeks are all pink. I feel like such a bad Mommy.

We went to the Whaling Days festival in Silverdale. That was cool. I wanted to go during the day this weekend, because there's an Episcopal church in the area that's doing Vacation Bible School, and, even tho Ashe and I aren't Christian, we feel that the kids should be allowed to choose what path they're going to follow. So, now that Mikey's asking questions, we're going to expose him to different religions. Starting with the denomination I was raised in. Partly for *MY* comfort factor. Partly, because I'm more familiar with it. Next, we'll look at taking him to the church Ashe grew up in. Well, not the exact CHURCH, mind you (an awfully long drive for a Sunday.... considering we're in WASHINGTON, and that church is in ALABAMA!!! LOL).

I guess I'll post some pics later. Gotta write in the other blog I'm running for blogathon.

AH! I'm LATE!

I was logged in, and ready to make my first Blogathon post, and LOST TRACK OF TIME!

I'm such a ditz!

I've been looking forward to participating in Blogathon this year. It's a great way (read, easy!) to make some money for a charity that I care about (or I care about what they're raising money for!) I care about RAINN, tho, because I'm not only a rape survivor (twice), but I'm also an incest survivor. I wish I'd known about RAINN when it happened.

Ok, this is a short entry, but I'm working TWO BLOGS for this.

Blogathon

Holy cripes! I'm going to be staying up for 24 hours tomorrow, starting at 9pm (when Ashe goes to work) and participating in Blogathon. I'm trying to come up with something to do. I have TWO blogs going (people are telling me that I'm insane for this), so I have to come up with 96 things to write. Hrm..... Other bloggers are doing things like online karaoke, which is a thought. I'd just have to record a bunch today and during the day on Sunday, so I don't wake the house up. Don't know that I have that many songs I know, either. I can write my poetry, I've had a few poems running in my head the past couple of days. Pics of the kids? I dunno. I'm thinking. Possibly some current events stuff, and of course, talking about my causes, and why they're important to me.

If anyone has any suggestions, hit me up!

I know I don't write here often

I have about 6 blogs I use. This one tends to get forgotten occasionally. :(

Well, hubby and I have been married for 8 months now. Wow, it doesn't seem like it's been that long. I couldn't be happier. I was happy with us just living together, but I wanted the security of us being married. Knowing that if something happened to me, that he would be here for the kids. Even if he *IS* just their step-dad, that still gives him some legal rights to them. I don't want them going to their biological dads. I don't want them split up if I can help it.

My princessa turns *6* this Friday. Where in the hell has THAT time gone? Seems like just a few months ago she was a baby. Now, she's graduated from kindergarten, and we're facing her being in FIRST GRADE next year. She's turning SIX in FIVE DAYS!!! She wants to watch cheerleading competitions on tv, and is just growing up on me. Where did my BABY go??

#11 (this is an entry I found in my drafts... why not use it now?)Panel review for 2003 Songfest - Lifestyle

Panel review for 2003 Songfest - Lifestyle

Shina (my wonderful little sister-in-law) wrote this one. :D

Shackin' on Leo's lawn - LifeStyle

Shackin' on Leo's lawn - LifeStyle -

The junior quoted in this article, Tashina Southard, is my sister-in-law! YAY Shina!

Proof that the bitch is abusive

*This is taken from another blog of mine. It was written 17 Aug of last year*

This one is serious. I really DO need help.

I am in trouble, and I don't know how to get myself out.

I am being abused. God, I said it. I can't take it back now, can I? I've read the Domestic Violence pamphlets, the leaflets, the sites, everything, and I keep saying to myself, "God, that describes my relationship with this person. But what can I do?" This isn't a relationship I can just walk away from. I'm honest to gooness TERRIFIED of this person. More terrified of this person than I am of any other person in my life.

These points come straight from the National Domestic Violence Hotline website... and following them are my honest answers.

Does your partner:Embarrass you with put-downs? Ask anyone who knows me, and they'll tell you that this one is a resounding YES

Look at you or act in ways that scare you? yes

Control what you do, who you see or talk to or where you go? *laughs hysterically* This person is constantly threatening my poor cell phone with massive bodily harm...

Stop you from seeing your friends or family members? WHAT friends? I'm not ALLOWED friends

Take your money or Social Security check, make you ask for money or refuse to give you money? My money used to be directly deposited into this person's account, and I had to BEG to get any of my own money, while they spent it on whatever THEY wanted, but if *I* wanted anything, I didn't *NEED* it.

Make all of the decisions? Always has, always will, because I'm too stupid according to them.

Tell you that you're a bad parent or threaten to take away or hurt your children? This is what I live in fear of, and why I haven't tried to leave.

Prevent you from working or attending school? They tell me I "couldn't handle it with my physical and mental problems" but then they turn around and tell me that I use my medical problems "as a crutch to not do things around the house"

Act like the abuse is no big deal, its your fault, or even deny doing it? Oh, god, do I even HAVE to answer this one??? EVERYTHING is MY fault!!!

Destroy your property or threaten to kill your pets? No, just have NO respect for me or my property and boundaries.

Intimidate you with guns, knives or other weapons? no

Shove you, slap you, choke you, or hit you? FUCK yeah! More than once

Force you to try and drop charges? Never brought charges.

Threaten to commit suicide? no

Threaten to kill you? I wish, but no.

If you answered 'yes' to even one of these questions, you may be in an abusive relationship.

Now, for those of you who know me well, I'm sure you've already figured out who I'm talking about here. For those of you who don't, I'll enlighten you. I'm talking about one person in your life that you can't just walk away from, break up with, divorce, and be done with for the rest of your life. I'm talking about my mother. The woman who gave birth to me. This is how it has been all my life, as far as I can remember.Having read this, is it any suprise to any of you, that I have been in TWO abusive marraiges, both of them were at the very LEAST emotionally and VERBALLY abusive? That I have absolutely NO self-esteem whatsoever? That I suffer from chronic depression? SEVERE depression? My brother and my sons are perfect in her eyes. My daughter and I are nothing but shit and can do no right.This is why I say, I NEED HELP