My kid

Here is a shot of Mal (far left) and her BF on the water between the USA and Canada. She had a super time at the International River Crossing. I am so glad she has continued with Girl Scouts. I know I had a lot of great experiences while in GS, way back in the day. It really is a super program for young girls.

I am returning to the land of the living...finally! After visiting the doctor three times in 10 days, a chest x-ray and a breathing treatment, I think the drugs are finally kicking in and pulling me back to the wellness shore! My mornings have gotten better although I usually cough like a 2 pack a day smoker, come afternoon. I feel like the nasty cartoon from the Musinex commercial is living in my lungs! PACK YER BAGS, BUD!

I'm hoping to sail through the Fall/Winter, now healthy. SAIL!!!

How are you feeling this season?

Sigh...

This is a lovely spot called "Point 16" near Big Sur, California. I am really exited because I will be there next month with my best friend and a dear old friend who I have recently found after some 25 years. Found on the 'net...

• According to a 2004 San Francisco Chronicle article, a location in Big Sur known as "Point 16" is the private property of Congressman Sam Farr (D-Carmel).
• According to a 2004 Monterey County Weekly article, "Congressman Sam Farr's little patch, called Point 16" is "way down near the San Luis Obispo County line".
• This is where my friend's friend is getting married and it looks like we will team up to sing together after all these years. And we'll get to camp. Really looking forward to hanging out in Northern California. It's been at least 25 years since I was in the area and I still remember how great it felt to be in close with the water, the redwoods, the cafes! My friend, Michele, and I will do some roaming around wine country and spent some time in said cafes, I would imagine.
  

I am feeling better today. I have really been sick with bronchitis. Diagnosed a week ago, I have been fighting allergic reactions to the medications since! Went back to the doctor who said I now had acute bronchial asthma. More drugs, more reactions. It's been at least 2 1/2 years since I was really sick and the meds I am on do NOT agree with me. I think too, that there is a metaphysical thang going on with me too. I feel as if the Universe is telling me...."you really need to slow down." I am into several projects, at present, and I think, what with my Mom and working and my house and my daughter and ...and...and... I am getting too stressed out and I need to withdraw alittle, ya know? Keep some of my energy for myself.

This trip to California will come at just the right time. Sigh.

'Nite.

Another opinion

This was a comment that I received on my last posting. "Sandy" is not a real blogger so it makes me wonder who monitors blogs..... Maybe someone/group did a sweep of blogs for this info? There were several misspelled words so it made it look homey.... Anyway, here goes!

What Oprah didn't tell you...(regarding her show (9/15/2008) on Protect Our Children Act ).

Congress and the Senate have been trying to pass bill to protect our children over the past 2 years. Joe Biden sponsored the bill back in 2007 and Sen. Tom Coburn opposes it, saying he wants to stop redundant programs and reduce federal spending.

The more you research Coburn, the more you will learned he is one of those senators that is really trying to cut down on spending. They have even developed a nick name for him "Coburn Omnibus". To counter the spending, he introduced a comprehensive child exploitation bill that would have been linked Biden's Protect Our Children Act of 2007 to the Securing Adolescents from Exploitation Online (SAFE) Act of 2007, minus all the excess bills and spending. But Democrats objected.

You see, there is a battle going on in congress, and this one is between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senator Tom Coburn. Coburn has stopped many of Reids bills from passing due to abundant spending...so Reid came up with a plan.

The official bill is S. 3297, the Advancing America's Priorities Act
Underneath it are 36 additional bills...one which includes S. 1738 - Protect Our Children Act of 2008.

In order for this bill to pass it would mean the entire bill would need to pass...and that is why it failed in 2007. Reid is excited to have Oprah pressuring you to help his goal. But before you take additional action...look through the 36 other bills and then question if you are willing to have every family pay at least $65 in taxes for this one bill...when a slimmed down version would only cost $4.93. (see link for pricing)

This email is NOT about the elections...it is about creating awareness and giving you the full story before you are convinced by ANY public figure how to move forward. More wasteful government spending? You decide.

http://www.washingtonwatch.com/blog/2008/07/24/the-coburn-omnibus-36-bills-in-one/

September 15, 2008 9:41 PM

What would YOU do for YOUR child?

I was home sick with Mallie today and I watched Oprah. I know, I know but she really hit the nail on the head today and I want to pass this on to every single sane person I know. The show today was about child predators and I don't think ANY of us know how much of this evil vile pornography is all over the Internet...and the community that it feeds.

There are thousands of these freaks out there and here's what turned the tide for me. Oprah showed a brochure on HOW TO MOLEST. No shit. The first panel described how to mess with babies (!!!) so that you cannot get caught! How to make your older girl more "compliant". Jesus, it really made my blood turn to ice. Super creepy stuff and we "normal" folk don't know about it. There are networks of these....people...who go on the 'net to legitimize their filthy existence. See?! Other people are doing it...it's okay. And they trade stuff... The brochure said that pictures were great but video was BETTER.

I felt like I would barf. So, what to do??

There is a new senate bill (S. 1738) that NEEDS to be passed before the Senate recesses late this month - 9/26/08. Please, please, please..take a minute and go to our senators' websites. Let Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow know that this needs to be dealt with. The bill would offer up money to help agencies around the country to implement a new software that can track these...people....and their activities. The offenders can be FOUND and usually a child is somewhere in the background because alot of them use their own children.

Yup.

Below is a letter you can cut and paste into the form you'll fill out to email these people. It will only take a few minutes. Please take the time. We need to get involved and let our senators know that this has grown too big to ignore. There are kids out there that need the help of these agencies. They can be rescued.

An officer from Wyoming was interviewed and this is what he said when asked how he feels looking at the over 15,000 pictures/videos A DAY of this horrific stuff. "It's like you are looking at a sea of children and you only have one lifeboat. Who do you save?"

http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20080911_tows_predators is the web-page with all the details on this. Please email our senators. I'm not sure I can sleep tonight knowing what I know now about the freaks that are out there...and the fact that there are sooooo many of them. Whoa. Let's do this, okay? Thanks.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Dear Senator:

I know that you believe, like I do, that we must do everything possible to protect children from sexual predators. That is why I am asking for your help.

Last year alone, U.S. law enforcement identified over 300,000 criminals who were trafficking in movies and pictures of young children being raped and tortured. Experts say that one in every three of these criminals has local child victims. Child pornography trafficking over the Internet has given us a trail of evidence that leads straight to their doorsteps, but the vast majority of these children will never be rescued because investigators are overwhelmed, outnumbered and underfunded.

As your constituent, I urge you to do everything in your power to pass the PROTECT Our Children Act (S. 1738, Biden-Hatch). This bipartisan legislation passed the House 415-2, but it is now the victim of petty partisan politics.

Now that we know where these children are and how to protect them, there is no excuse for the Senate to fail to take action this session.

Thank you for your consideration.

Not so exciting

This image is from the Jolli Lodge page - a motel on the banks of Lake Michigan and a great bunch of photos at the website.

I am looking over others websites and I see they are much more information-packed than mine.

In my blog world it's just me, myself and I rambling on about whatever comes into my head. Nothing too exciting here.

I do love reading other blogs though. It's like coming across a diary lying open.... you know you shouldn't read it but it's right there with the pages fluttering at you..."look inside..."

Anyone come across anything really smashing lately?

We auditioned for "Seussical" two days ago and call backs start tomorrow night. Then we jump in with both feet and another show season starts. Should be alot of fun although it is very difficult to cut kids from our lists. We had a very healthy 170+ show up and we only are casting about 120-130. Conflicts, ability, attitude...all attribute to the casting. Sigh.

And away we go!

Onward and upward!

Wow, school is open. Amazing how it still affects me. Haven't sat in a classroom in years and still I feel that same sense of renewal, new beginning and the ending of quiet mornings spent reading! Ug.

In the past month I have been to two funerals. One for a friend's mom and one for another friend's father. I have the feeling this marks that start of the "Year of Funerals". Not to be maudlin but I am of the age where the passing of the torch will soon be at hand ....no pun intended. It's a strange thing to see your friends emerge as ...well...orphans, for want of a better word. Grown up orphans. Sigh. I watched my friend divide up her mother's jewelry amongst her sisters, after the graveside service and listened to her musing on the strangeness of it all. "Do you think I should wash these earrings before I wear them? Can you catch anything from a corpse?"

Surreal, at the least. Should I mention that this friend is currently spending some time in a psychiatric hospital? Laughing couldn't make her pain dissolve. It just seeped in a bit deeper.

I miss the Lake. We were there over last weekend with friends. It was so peaceful. It may very well be the last time my mum sees her beloved Lake Michigan and Good Harbor Bay. My friend noticed her looking hard at the water and maybe shedding a tear or two. Hard to tell. We've always had such a deep connection with that place that we always make sure we say a heartfelt good bye and thank you every time we are able to spend time beside it.

It or she? Hard to know.

'Nite.