Blogswarm

Freedom Girl has joined the Big Brass Alliance and After Downing Street's efforts to call for a formal investigation into whether George W. Bush has committed impeachable offenses(according to the U.S.Constitution)

Go HERE to read WHY.

The Downing Street Memo is an official document which summarizes a meeting in July 2002 between British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his top national security officials. This memo brings to light the following:

*It was already known both in Washington and London, long before the invasion, that Saddam was not an imminent threat.

*It was already known both in Washington and London that Saddam had few, if any, WMDs.

*"the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy."

*"There was little discussion in Washington of the aftermath after military action."

*It was known, acknowledged, and accepted in Washington and London that the attack on Iraq would be illegal.

*It was known, acknowledged, and accepted in Washington and London that the talk about WMDs was merely a ruse for an illegal attack.

Plainly stated, Bush lied. And we now have PROOF.

Use and Abuse

Let me preface this post by saying this is my OPINION. Certain "groups" may work for some people. If you want to lambast me for my opinion, be reminded of the Go Fuck Yourself button located at the bottom right sidebar. Now...the post:

This post comes about as a result of reading ACW's posts about drug use and abuse. I believe you can do one without the other. But if one becomes the other, its YOUR fault. It is NOT a DISEASE. You just let things get out of hand.

There was a time when I could be called an addict. But no more. I don't buy that "once an addict always an addict" crap.

Twenty-something years ago, I did LOTS of coke. Up to two grams a day. Little by little, I completely ran out of money and lost my plush apartment, car, blah, blah, blah, etc...Some people at work saw I was a mess and I was told that in order to keep my job I would have to stop using and go to a 12 step program. Knowing I needed to stop using, and wanting to keep my job, I agreed. We went to a meeting that day.

It was on that day that I stopped using cocaine.
But not for the reasons you might think.

I walked into an NA meeting and saw nothing but a bunch of caffeine and nicotine addicted meeting junkies. They were pathetic. And as they got up and talked, it only got worse...."I can't hold a job, I can't keep a relationship, etc.....all because I am an addict"....What a bunch of whiners! Ever think that all your troubles are because you don't try hard enough or that you expect too much from others?! These people didn't seem to want to be free of anything....they clung to the past as an excuse to explain their shitty present.

And all the other stuff...Serenity Prayer? Surrender? Things I cannot change? One day at a time? Higher Power?? What BULLSHIT! This wasn't self help.... It was RELIGION!

I made a DECISION, right then and there, to stop using. I would no longer be addicted to drugs....or to going to meetings about not doing them.

I MADE A CHOICE. A choice based in logic.

I haven't done cocaine since that day. I quit my job instead of lying about attending the meetings. I got an even better job. Then I met the Hubs.
We married, moved on, and eventually had Blaine. I have not looked back, or blamed my inadequacies on things I once did because I was young and foolish. I have taken CONTROL of my life, by CHOOSING to do so.

I do not live "one day at a time".... I look to the future, bright with promise. I don't prescribe to the "trading one addiction for another" philosophy, either. I still drink wine with dinner almost every night. I have been drunk, maybe 4 times , in the last 20 years. If I had continued to attend meetings, I think the trade philosophy may have been correct. But once again, logic prevailed.

I think that groups like AA and NA work for some people. I also think that those folks are also more likely to be religious. That does not work for me. Logic works for me. I have problems....I fix them. I do not surrender my life to a higher power. I take the reins of life in my own hands, knowing that I can steer it in the direction it needs to go. The CHOICES I make define my life and my future.

I OWN my life and surrender to nothing!

Could it get any cooler?

If it wasn't cool enough that Blaine got into Rock'n'Roll Camp for Girls....

She has also been asked to participate in a documentary film about the camp!! The filmmakers have asked her for an interview(with my permission), and she has agreed. They plan to follow girls from before camp and throughout. Go here to see what it's all about.

My life as a child was so boring, by comparison.

Sorry if you were disappointed

I'm sure this was a let down.

Can I Get A Woop Woop?

BLAINE GOT INTO ROCK CAMP!!!!

And the icing on the cake? The Donnas are performing the first day of camp!

Googley Eyes

Last night, while just fiddling around on Google, I entered: Rock Camp for Girls Bookworms....My eyes almost popped out of my head when I saw a listing of sites(other than mine) that included information on The Bookworms(Blaine's camp band)! Upon further investigation, I found a review and pictures....

"Last night, we went to the showcase for the Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls--the weeklong summer camp program that teaches 8-18-year-old girls to play in bands with each other. 17 bands in all, this time, plus everyone at the beginning singing the camp's theme song, led by Rachel from the Decemberists, Chelsey Johnson and Carrie Brownstein. At which point I realized that this IS the best thing ever. Some of the bands were definitely a little more coordinated than others, but a few of 'em were wonderful on their own--I especially loved the Bookworms, two VERY tiny girls whose song was called "The World Is Becoming a Wasteland" and sounded like the very early Germs, and the Scorchers, who switched instruments mid-song twice."

Thanks, Douglas Wolk, for the great words. The Germs! The Scorchers! Can you believe it?!

For the pictures, go here. A big Thanks goes to Shayla Hason for that.

I emailed both Douglas and Shayla. They both remembered Blaine, Luciana(Blaine's bandmate) and The Bookworms, and can't wait to see/hear what they do this year and in the future.

A side note, The Bookworms' song The World Is Becoming a Wasteland is featured on the Rock'n'Roll Camp for Girls site!


How friggin' cool is THAT?!

We will hear if Blaine got into camp sometime this month......

Scared To Death

I have a crippling fear.

Of lawn mowers. *

I am deathly afraid of the spinning blade. It could chop off my feet! It could hit a rock, ricocheting it into my skull, leaving me in a coma! I could succumb to carbon minoxide poisoning, gagging on fumes as I trail behind the beast! I could burn myself on the exhaust! They are loud, I may not hear warnings of my doom until it is too late!

I have made my fear known to those who love me. They all think I am pathetic, sad and unreasonable.

I have gone my ENTIRE LIFE without EVER ONCE mowing even a single blade of grass....

Who's pathetic now?! * *





*not really.
**suckas!

If I could get away with even less, I would*UPDATED

Okay. Tee wanted to see what was in my purse....
I just started carrying this because I don't like sitting for long periods on the bleachers during track meets with stuff in my pockets...
Its all pretty boring, I'm afraid:
1. The bag, itself, cost a dollar at Target. It is really a fold over pocket with a long string. I wear it over my shoulder(across the body) and it hangs down passed my hip.
2. Calvin Klein sunglasses
3. Coffee and debit cards
4. $4.32(I'm RICH!!)
5. lip balm and lipstick
6. keys
7. grocery list and pen

I pretty much follow the MILK rule:
Money
ID
Lipstick
Keys

Hey...Where's my driver's license?! Uh Oh. :/
*Found my DL in the car--Phew! Also, I usually have my phone in there, too.

WTF, GE?

THIS is one of the most repugnant things I have ever seen. Selling coal as beautiful,cool, and sexy? WTF?

Fly like an eagle....

Some days, I absolutely love living here. It is not an unusual sight to see eagles fly here. But no matter how often I see it, it is breath taking. Just beautiful. Today, while driving down by the water, we saw a mother eagle and her eaglet standing on the beach...she must have been teaching him to fish or something. I didn't get the camera out soon enough to catch both of them together. But heres mom.

Its funny, because I never think to take pictures of the eagles. I've lived here for 13 years and this is the first time I've ever taken a snap of one. We just started keeping a cheap digital camera in the car since the parking lot incident with the old man. At least, I can thank him for that.

Like, OhM'God! 2.0

My answer to this... is this and
this.

The weekend

The weekend was long. And fun.

Friday, which was Blaine's actual birthday, my parents came over. They had picked up a mattress that we got at the Macy's outlet with their trailer. After unloading and setting up our new bed(woot!), Mozzy (thats what we call my mom, instead of grandma) went with Blaine and me to Blaine's first track meet of the season. It poured. They were both troopers. Blaine ran, did long jump and threw shot put in the rain, without complaining. Mozzy sat in the bleachers and watched from under a golf umbrella, with a latte and only complained a little. Here in the Pacific Northwest, there is no such thing as "rained out".

After the meet, we went home. Blaine had no idea that the Hubs and Papa(my dad) had been assembling her trampoline while we were gone. She was blown away! I still don't know how she never saw the box....it sat in plain sight, in the garage, for a week. I've never heard her squeal so loud! We all had to try it out...what a blast...and a work out! After jumping, we went to her favorite local pizza place, then had ice cream after.
BOING!


Saturday morning, I woke to a peculiar sound....KER-ching...KER-ching...KER-ching...at 7AM, Blaine was jumping on the trampoline! Her party was to start at 5:30 and she wanted to decorate and shop for all the food early, so that she would have lots of "air time". We took off for the grocery(gross-ery, as Blaine calls it) store and ran all our other errands, got the house cleaned and decorated by 4pm....Blaine went outside to jump (and asked what time it was only every 10 minutes!) until her friends arrived.

The party was a blast! They danced, ate, jumped and played til around 11, when they decided to watch movies....a couple hours later, they were all passed out on the living room floor, exhausted.
Dance like Napoleon!



They woke early. Hubs went to the store for donuts and OJ. Then they feasted and played until 11ish, when parents started to arrive for pick up. After cleaning up, we spent the day doing household stuff...then relaxed in the evening.


It was a great weekend.

THIS is for Anonymous Coworker.