So, How Stupid Is This.....

1) Ok, so I live in Kansas... Johnson County Kansas no less. Today the temperature was in the 60s, it was beautiful. Here we are at 10:30 p.m. in the midst of of horrible thunderstorm, hail, tornadoes dropping from the sky all over the place and they are predicting snow for tomorrow.

In Lenexa, Kansas the city engineers and the great minds don't believe in storm drains, they build lakes. It is their "Rain to Recreation" program. If I shop in this shit hole city I pay an extra sales tax for these wonderful lakes. My backyard is a lake due to the rain and the lack of adequate storm drainage. My next door neighbor is, as we speak, sandbagging the back part of his house because of the retention pool in his backyard. 6 years I have fought the city to put a stupid storm inlet on a cul de sac to prevent this... but no...

The real kicker is that now I-35, a major interstate, is underwater at 87th & I-35 because when the city sunk millions of dollars into the 87th Street renovation... they didn't put in a fucking storm drain. An entire section of a major U.S. interstate is now shut down because of stupid people and their lack of common sense. They make the big bucks for being idiots and I make piss and I at least have common sense.

2) Why don't people use spellcheck??? My grammar may suck but I use my spellcheck.

I am so tired of reading stuff online and every other word is misspelled. The emails I get from folks relating to my business, supposed business letters in fact are filled with misspellings.

Come on people you look like dolts when you misspell the easy words.... it pisses me off too. Not that this matters to anyone but think about your "first impression" I am not going to hire you to do squat if you can't spell or at least use your spellcheck.

3) A gal dropped by today and said that she has been trying to call me for a month, according to her, my phone has been disconnected or I am never home.

What do you say to something like that other than... are you calling the right number? I have had the same phone number for over 20 years, I work from home, my home phone rolls over to my cell phone when I do leave for 5 minutes and I have an answering machine. I haven't received any messages from her, I have received other phone calls and my bill is paid in full.

She seemed really annoyed that she "had" to drive all the way to my house because she was probably dialing the wrong number.

4) Why is Anna Nicole Smith still hogging the news? Do you really care that much about her? Nobody gave a rats ass when she was alive so what is the big ho ha now that she overdosed on drugs and in a horrible depression.

5) I read an interesting article the other day about the religious right and the war in Iraq. http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/20158/, this article made a lot of sense to me. Remember, I live in Kansas where it has been legislated that evolution does not exist. I cannot be taught in schools... BUT, our new legislative body is trying to overturn this decision made by the former aka ousted legislators.

So, why is it that the "moral, religious right" loves war, don't want our kids taught proven scientific fact backed up by archaeological finding and studies, (they prefer abstract fiction based on 1 book), pick on folks for their genetic makeup, deny constitutional rights to all, no religion is the right religion unless it is their religion, try to intrude on personal issues of others?

The better question is... why do WE let THEM do these things? I guess it is because they have the money backing them up and we have facts and common sense.

Don't get me wrong, I am a so called Christian I just don't believe in war (for religious purposes or $$$), hate, bigotry (race, religion, sexual orientation) so I guess I am not a very good Christian.

6) What's up with Oprah? She has turned from the poor little girl made good to martyr and kiss ass to the stars. I quit watching her after the hurricane Katrina mess. She just pissed me off. Claiming to have been so poor and then saying she did know people lived like "that," like those who lived in the lower ninth ward. Oprah, honey, that's being poor.

Then she goes and relocates those people to another hurricane ridden area, Houston. Why did she boost the economy in overcrowded, crime ridden Houston instead of recently destroyed needs the money New Orleans? She must know the people that work for the city of Lenexa..... common sense people!!!!

I think that Oprah wasn't really poor they were able to pay the bills, eat do what had to be done.... kinda like me now. So I gave her another chance on her recent Oscar special which preempted one of my regular TV shows, and she was horrible. She was so uppity.

She builds schools in Africa but lots of kids in Chicago go hungry and don't have running water, according to one of her very own hidden camera, Lucy Lu documentaries. What is their school system like? She gets filthy rich off of her loyal viewers and then takes that money overseas. Are those kids that she educates going to stay in Africa or are they going to come to the U.S.? Will they take their education and help their fellow man or cut and run.

It makes me sad because I loved the old Oprah. Now she is cloning with Dr. Phil, Rachel Ray, and that dating guy.

I guess that is it for the night, whew I feel better getting all of that off my chest. The thunderstorm has quieted somewhat.

Television Sucks.....

What has happened to the good TV shows?!?!?!?

I don't have "extended cable" in my bedroom so I usually end up watching the Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel, Animal Planet and the DIY shows, because there is nothing else on. I have enjoyed the Ted Turner station lately because they have been showing old Academy Award winning movies. Sci Fi has a few good shows left.

A&E has abandoned the Arts component and actually the Entertainment portion of their call letters, it should be the "Reality Show" channel. I loved them when they were the old A&E. Now they have this line-up of reality shows, each with the same MO just a different theme.

The major networks are horrible, they need to get some new show writers in place. Love Monkey was a great show. Not everyone likes Yuppie Drama or Yuppie Comedy TV. To tell you the truth, I don't get most of it because I don't run in those circles. The attempts at comedy are horrible. I don't like bratty kids and I am not going to watch bratty, snotty kids on TV, there is way too much of that in real life.... like the grocery store. The same goes for backtalking teenagers who are out of control, I have lived through that and didn't like it all that much. Why would I want to watch it on TV?

All of the paparazzi TV shows like E Network.... I don't give a shit what the "beautiful people" are doing. Most of them are way out of control and if any of my children acted like some of these young slutty stars they would find themselves in a heap of hurt, I don't care how old they are. People who are looked up to my kids are running around calling others names.... like fags.... and the N word, you folks need to get a grip and go get a job at Taco Bell, get out of the public eye. The drugs and alcohol .... please. These folks get away with murder without any penalties (Brandy killed a woman in an MVA), they rape, pilage and plunder without any consequences, yet us normal folks jay walk and we get written up. And Anna Nicole, what a tragedy.... for her baby, the woman should have been under a doctor's care and had 24/7 supervision by loves who supposedly love her. For pete sakes, she just lost a son, she was depressed and on more drugs that most pharmacys even carry. You never heard her speak when she was sober. They way the media has jumped on this you would think that George Bush Jr. had picked up a gun and was fighting hand to hand in the war he created..... now that I would watch.

If you try to watch VH1 during this time of night you are hit with some crappy show about a whore named "New York", who is this woman? I turned on VH1 tonight to listen to some music and here is this loud mouthed, nasty looking person AND HER MOTHER?!?!?!? Come on, have the powers that be who create these shows become so desperate for something to fill up time slots that they are creating TV shows around street walker's and their families? She is just sleazy looking, loud mouthed and .... I don't even have words for her. Can't VH1 just create more of those 'I Like the 70s' shows?

I have cable and movie channels on other televisions in the house and occasionally we will watch a movie on one of the movie channels but for the most part we listen to the radio or watch one of the channels I listed above. I can't imagine having hundreds of channels and all of them showing crap.

I guess that I am the only one who feels this way, there must be a market for this mess or it would not be on the air. But, then again, that tells you something about the mentality of the American population.

On Premarin and Now My Face is Breaking Out... Help Me

This is just pathetic... I don't want to be a whiny baby but I am getting desperate. I have NEVER had a pimple problem. I have never used soap on my face, I use cold cream or Nozema. Then I put on a moisturizer, that's it and it has worked very well for me. At 47, I have few lines or wrinkles and my skin is or WAS nice and clear. I hate to brag but it has never even been blotchy which is a good thing because I really dislike foundation makeup.

But... that has all changed. I started on Premarin 2 months ago and for the past 3 weeks or so I have had red blotchy, welt, itchy, nasty hivey looking things on the upper parts of my cheeks and neck. It is very dry and no matter what I put on it or clean my face with, it will not go away. I have talked to my doctor... no help, the pharmacist.... bought several kinds of moisturizers. I have done everything except make my own and I now have the goods to do just that. I make my own body butter and lotion so now I am going to mix up my own facial moisturizer.

My question is, has anyone else on HRT experienced this and if so, what did you do about it?

I am about ready to go back to the severe hot flashes, night sweats and mood swings to get rid of this mask on my face. PLEASE let me hear from you if you know the answer.

I will be waiting.

Enough Anna Nicole Smith! How Many Died At War ?

Oh my gosh.... what is wrong with this picture? You turn on the news and all you hear about is how a known substance abuser, who suffered the devastating loss of her son and probably had severe depression, is dead. Yet there is a scroll ... A SCROLL ON THE NATIONAL NEWS about the three Americans who died in this f*^&$ war today.

Face it folks, this woman contributed nothing to mankind to be so "famous." She showed her tits in a magazine, you never saw her sober or sane, she married an old man for his $$, has a child who will never know her mother and probably not her biological father. She has a son who died of a drug overdose. This is sad, tragic and pathetic.

Why does she get media attention and our soldiers are fighting for whatever it is and they get a scroll when they die.

I don't read tabloids and don't watch "celebrity TV." I DON'T CARE what the rich, famous and beautiful are doing. As far as I'm concerned most of them need nice normal folks like us to keep them in line and in touch with reality. Look at the pathetic heir to the Hilton fortune, if she were my daughter... she would get her assed whipped and credit cards taken away. I have not stayed at a Hilton Hotel since this skank came on the scene. Rock princess and bayou whore Spears... where are her children while she is sleazing around? If one of them dies because of their stupidity are the going to preempt REAL NEWS??

I can't even watch Oprah anymore because she has become a tad too self-serving and star driven. I used to love her but haven't watched since hurricane Katrina and all that hoopla.

This is just sickening. I feel bad for the child of this woman because she is the one that suffered a true loss but the rest of us.... who cares.

I guess I will go back to PBS TV and NPR radio for real news.

What Is Up With Religion????

I am troubled, I really can't go into much detail about the depth of my worries over two different family members and how religion has affected them in different ways. Neither of them I think are healthy.

The youngest family member was a normal 18 year-old boy until 4 months ago, then something happened. His father has been a weird fundamentalist preacher for about 3 years "preaching" hate, exclusion and other very offensive "theologies." Of course all come from the Bible, according to him. It is that selective Bible reading crap.

This young person has now picked up on some of these "teachings" but he has become obsessed with the "sins" of America. He feels that he, and he alone, must right all the wrongs in the U.S. My biggest fear is that he will find out that he cannot right all the wrongs, become more depressed than he is and harm himself. You read this child's myspace page and it is frightening. He is setting himself up for failure.

I have tried discussing this with his parent's but I am a heathen, according to them, and don't know what I am talking about. they don't care that I worked with teens for over 15 years, I have training in suicide and suicide prevention.

To the older family member who has been traumatized by religion... she is doing her second stint in a psychiatric hospital. A couple of years ago at a religious retreat she was "counseled" by someone not trained in counseling and supposedly trauma from her childhood surfaced. They had to take her from the retreat to the hospital. She has had numerous suicide attempts since then, in patient and out patient treatment. The odd thing is... this church that held the retreat and one she had been a member of for years, has not made contact or inquired about her since.

We know very little about what happened at the retreat but the person doing the counseling did tell me that since she, the family member, was homosexual, he was trying to let her know that it was a sin and that she was damned to hell if she did not change her ways. She is an abomination. Excuse f****ing me?!?!?

I have a very hard time with this selective religious teaching. What does it say about those who hate others for who or what they are? I am very pro-choice but this does not make me a bad person but those who bomb and kill in the name of pro-life are what.... living by the Bible?

The Bible cannot be taken literally, noted theologians agree on this. But it does tell us to live with compassion, love, kindness and goodness in our hearts. yet I see the opposite and I see it ruining good people, killing wonderful people.

I don't want to debate this. I don't want your preaching. I am very frustrated by what is happening to people I love and care for and common sense is not prevailing.

My Debit Card Was Hacked at Home Goods aka TJX Corporation

I am so angry I could spit bullets.

I shopped at Home Goods during Dec. 2006. On Jan. 16, 2007, I received a letter from my bank that my debit card was one of the ones which had been "compromised" due to a database hack. My debit card would be canceled and a new one issued.

So today... still no new debit card, I call this TJX Corporation. The operator hangs up on me when I tell her why I am calling. Oh... good customer relations. I call back and ask for customer service, I hold for 23 minutes and I am told that they are not making any type of reparations for those whose information was hacked.

This company owns the following stores. I advise staying away from them.

• Marshalls
• TJ Maxx
• Homegoods
• Bob's Stores
• A.J. Wright
• Homesense
• Winners

I also read their "Corporate Responsibility" statement, which I have quoted below;

"TJX is committed to fostering integrity, openness and honesty in conducting all aspects of our business. At TJX, acting with integrity means managing our business for consistent, steady growth, while maintaining financial strength and achieving excellent returns for our shareholders. It also means keeping our contract with our customers, placing integrity at the center of our corporate culture, maintaining trust with our vendors and other business partners and doing the right thing by supporting our communities. "

Yeah, right. They are responsible only to themselves and screw the customer. I love these false mission statements and when you try to hold them to it they back themselves into a corner and go into the fetal position.

I guess my $200 was nothing to them and you can bet your ass I will not spend another penny in their corporate irresponsible establishments. Give me a $50 gift certificate and keep me as a customer. Blow me off and I will tell the world what dicks you really are.

In this day and age safety of the information of others should be the first concern. Apparently, that is not the case with the TJX Corporation.