Friday, May 29, 2009

Susan Boyle is Lovely


Susan Boyle, despite the snickers she received upon her tryout on "Britain's Got Talent," is a lovely woman. Not just because when she opens her mouth to sing is sounds as if she was touched by an angel, but because she has held herself up remarkably well despite the negative press this woman unjustly receives.

This last week she was blasted in tabloids over using cuss words at them because she was tired of being provoked. It was nothing like the tirade of Christian Bale on a member of his movie crew, or even like many other meltdowns by stars that have been in the press. Susan, at this time, has become an overnight sensation. She has been hounded by press and fans. Her quiet life in Scotland will never be the same. To say she has stepped out of her comfort zone is and extreme understatement. It's more like she has moved from Kansas to the Emerald City being hounded by the Wicked Witch and her cronies.

What I find inspiring about Susan is that she perseveres all the negative attention. It has to hurt to have every hair scrutinized by the media and to listen to such unflattering accounts. I admire her spirit as she tramples through. She has been called everything from homely to courageous. Most people are simply fascinated by her.

In my opinion, I think that the attitude of the media and the tabloids are despicable. I understand that they want to make headlines and gather readers to support their careers, but how they do it is underhanded and truth has never been a strong point in their motivation. Susan has withstood more than an average Joe could have put up with. That she hasn't lost her mind shows what stamina this woman actually has.

I'm sure she was encouraged to try out for the show by family and friends. I'm very happy that she desired to share her gift with others and bring a few minutes of joy into home, but also to prove to herself that she really is talented. It's something that many of us sit back in the safety of our lives and wonder because no one likes failure.

If I could say anything at all to Susan I would tell her to hang in there. I think she is an amazing woman with a lot of spunk. She shouldn't conform to what everyone else thinks of as trendy or beautiful, just be herself. At some point a person has to realize that we shouldn't be led around by the media and their concept. We are not sheep and they the shepherd. Stand up for yourself, think for yourself, and be yourself.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

The Face of a Killer

Most of us have heard about the body of a small boy found in the sandbox in Albuquerque, NM. It was beyond tragic that a child was murdered and left where other children could potentially find him.

This woman had an opportunity to do the right thing and change her mind, but she chose not to. I cannot even imagine the horror that this poor child went through.

According to CNN:

"She placed her hand over her son's mouth and nose and suffocated him. She had second thoughts about what she did. She performed CPR on her son, brought him back to life and then decided to go forward with that original act she had started to commit," Schultz said.

"What makes this story especially sad is, when asked the reason why she took Ty's life, Tiffany said that she did not want him to grow up with no one caring about him, the same way that she had grown up where nobody had cared about her."


Being a mother I cannot even fathom how a person that is brings a life into the world and assumes the responsibility of nurturing and caring can possibly move to murder and hatred.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Toledo Police Beat 14 year old Boy

A neighbor in Toledo was shocked as she watched police beating a teenage boy outside of her apartment. She ran to video tape the incident. Two beefy officers and one boy that weighed about 100 pounds or a bit more. Why? Because, the family says, he didn't stand up quickly enough when they asked him to.




Evidently the police were there because of some type of disruption in the area. Other youth scattered except for this young man. Not having seen the entire incident and even considering the worse scenario I cannot fathom why such brute force was needed for such a young and small boy. I'm astounded.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of law enforcement. We need them. However, I'm not a fan of abusing a power bestowed upon you.

If this had been my 14 year old boy these officers would have a hell of a lot more to worry about then me not standing up quickly enough.

Monday, May 18, 2009

No matter how discreet you plan to be...


I was astounded when I learned about a website that caters to married people wanting to have an affair. Their motto? "When monogamy becomes monotony!" They have over 2 million members in the UK, US, and Ireland.

No matter how "discreet" you think you are being there can be repercussions, as proven by a Texas woman who gave birth to two babies with different daddies.

A disbelieving Mia, 20, told The Sun: “Out of all the people in America and all the people in the world, this had to happen to me.”

The Texas mum admitted having the affair at the time she conceived, and submitted to a paternity test because the two boys looked so unalike.

The double pregnancy is known technically as “heteropaternal superfecundation”.


Well, needless to say her secret is out.



Oh, and remember the shock of the baby faced Alfie in the UK that was "thrilled" to be a dad even though he was only 13. His hopes were dashed when he found out his unfaithful girlfriend really wasn't a virgin, but had had numerous encounters (where is this girls mother?) and the real father (via paternity testing) turned out to be a 15 year old boy living in the same complex. He was shocked because he said, "I thought she'd take care of it." She did, by lying. Only she didn't get away with it.

It's not that affairs are not heard of, but it is that I don't think people stop to realize the damage that they do to other people. When you have a home, a spouse, and children everyone suffers. The time you take away from you spouse is time you also take away from your children. There should be other options to help you get past the bad times.

People can make any excuse they want for why an affair is justified, but it's not. It hurts people and tears families apart.

I suggest if things are bad in your marriage spend the time trying to fix things. Talk about what it is that bothers you or that you are looking for. Don't take a high hand, but learn to listen as well. Make date nights so that you can bring back some "alone" time. Keep an open mind about things your partner may want or want to try.

If all else fails then talk about seeing other people so that there are no surprises. Set ground rules for each other if you go this route, but don't make the rules unrealistic.

With the collapse of what some consider the moral structure of our society it also seems as if the demise of the traditional family is dying as well. I find this concept very sad.

As a happily married monogamous woman I can attest that monogamy does not have to be monotonous. It can actually be very satisfying.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Vet Price Gouging

I know that medical expenses are high. It's true that going to school for medicine is extremely high and time consuming. I really do understand. To become a vet at the University of Wisconsin the tuition is about $18,000.

Tonight I had a friend that had a hurt lovebird. We called the only 24 hr vet in the area, which happens to be in Appleton, WI. They said for her to just walk in the door and see the vet the cost would be $89. From there they estimated the cost for helping the bird would be $250. For a little love bird? Why? It fits inside your hand and there isn't a whole lot you can do to a bird, honestly.

When I spoke with them they told me that we could either go to them, Green Bay, or some other small town I've never heard of. They were the only gig in town. So, they were more into the all might dollar over actually doing what is right for the pet. They didn't care if the person couldn't afford it or if the price was way too high. They knew that they were the only ones open and that they could basically charge what they wanted.

My friend cried. Her bird was seriously hurt. She is a single mother now going through a divorce. A year ago, perhaps, she could have paid for the service, but tonight there was no way. She'd be lucky to bring home enough money to pay all the bills in the house. But it doesn't matter, because in the mind of big business she's just a circumstance like many others.

I've heard it said that if you can't afford to take care of your pet then you shouldn't own one. Yet there are millions of people that have pets that are like family members. The amount of an office visit for a pet shouldn't be the same price as one for a human. Yet, here it is. It's actually more.

It's funny how pets are considered therapeutic for people. I'm sure that my friend gets much pleasure and companionship from her pets since her husband is gone and she has to share her children. She loves them and treats them like members of her family. It has to be heartbreaking and frustrating to not be able to do anything because she didn't have the money to walk in and get the help she needed.

If it were one of her children that was hurt the hospital would take them right in. A doctor would see her child without worrying about the payment. An MD has to have more training and schooling then a vet. They put out a lot more money and time and go through much more stress. You'd think that they would be more concerned about the money, but it doesn't seem so.

Now, I'm sure not all vets are that way. I know for a fact that my neighbor who happens to be a vet has a very large heart. He works hard for his family and he cares about what he does. I'm not saying all vets are heartless bastards, not at all. I am saying that the 24 hour clinic that we have here in town, however, just doesn't seem to care. They know they have a monopoly and are happy to take full advantage of that fact.

You can get pet insurance for your pet. It runs around $25-$30 per month for each pet. It also has a deductible, but it would help keep expenses down if and when something happens. Unfortunately they don't cover birds, only dogs and cats.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Yes, Virginia, I am an Idealist

I believe in a world where people love one another.
I believe that people are people and that we should respect each others beliefs and ideas.
I believe that in spite of distance we share the same spirit of life and living.
I believe that in this world we should be color blind for each of our hearts share the same color.
I believe that until we put down our prejudices we can never enjoy the sameness of souls as people of this earth.
I believe that it is just a few people on this earth that make us look at the world as a bad and scary place instead of the beautiful place we should believe it to be.



And from my perspective, I'm not alone.

Monday, May 4, 2009

It's Called Mothering

Some of us are just natural mothers. We were born to be that way.





Too bad not all women that choose to have children are as nuturing as these animals.

Oh, and thank you CBS for giving us something to watch instead of gloom and doom. Sometimes a feel good story is just what we need.