Another Case of "Foot In Mouth" Disease

Couldn't let this story go by without comment. If Bennett were only trying to make a "thought-provoking hypothesis", why didn't he use the male/female example instead? You know, if he's not a racist and all. MEN commit crimes in disproportionate numbers compared to women, so why didn't he suggest that all pregnant women (of every race) have amniocentesis and abort all male fetuses?

Some have tried to excuse his remarks as those of "an educator". Do you suppose THIS kind of thing is what homeschoolers are trying to protect their kids from? They may have a point...

It's a GOOD Mornin' in New York!

I think the face of Lucas from 1997 reflects the face of most New Yorkers on this gorgeous October morning in 2005. Can't wait to start reminiscing about "The Fluke of '04". (Apologies to Pinky and Lorianne!)

Post-CBS Early Show Fundraising Total

After the segment on this morning's CBS Early Show, Lucas' golf fundraising total is $940! He received donations from the camera man, producer, audio guy, two of my friends who showed up, and most of all from fellow blogger Sara and her parents. What wonderful and generous people, all of them.

A man came into the range after seeing Lucas on TV and wrote him a check, and the CBS Anchor pledged him $20.

He plans to continue the effort, submitting the donations in $1000 increments (matched dollar for dollar by the company I work for) indefinitely.

CBS will be posting the video on their website and I will post the link here when they've done that.

Thanks to everyone who watched... they changed the plan a bit, so it wound up being a teaser at the first 1/2 hour, and another one right before the interview segment at about 15 minutes before the end of the show. (If you TiVo'd it, speed up until you see the kid in the Superman t-shirt!)

If you would like to donate through Lucas, and have your donation matched by Unilever...the company I work for...please use the "donate now" button in my sidebar! Thanks!!

Photo Friday: Darkness

Another still from video, this week's entry is Tony showing Lucas the tree on Christmas morning, 1996 at about 5 AM.

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Don't forget to watch CBS Saturday Early Show tomorrow! There will be teasers throughout the show, and then a full-blown interview with Lucas (and me) at 8:45 (or 15 minutes before the end of the show when it airs in your time zone). Should be a trip! Here's a link to the story on their website: click! (They got a few facts wrong, like his last name, but that's ok)

LUCAS AND HIS FUNDRAISER WILL BE ON THE CBS SATURDAY EARLY SHOW!

HEY EVERYONE!

Lucas and his fundraiser for the Katrina Victims will be featured on the CBS Saturday Early Show (National) this week! The weatherman, Ira Joe Fisher, is going to be stationed at Belmont's Driving Range on Rte. 7 in Ridgefield CT, doing his weather reports with Lucas!

They'd love to have a big turnout, so if you are in the area and can come to Belmont's between 7 and 9 AM, that would be great! Otherwise, watch for Lucas and Ira Joe every half-hour during the show.

If you want to watch on TV... CBS this Saturday Morning from 7 to 9 AM!

(Lucas has reached $400, but will be making a surprise announcement on Saturday).

**Edited to say "check local listings" for the CBS Saturday Early Show, because apparently the show airs later (not live) in some places**

America's Next Top Moron

Honestly, is this Christmas week or what? The television gods are showering me with gifts! Another season of America's Next Top Model has begun. The producers are as amused by the "Yogi Berra" moments as I am and make a point of capturing the best ones for all to see. I love nothing better than a good malapropism and this show is chock full of them.

In a one-on-one interview with Tyra Banks, one of the aspiring next-top-models boasted, "I'm really very smart. I have a good head on my shoulder!" Well Miss Thing, you've got your work cut out for you because the next girl in line claimed that she's "going to fight truth and nail" to win. You might need the other shoulder to contend with THAT.

My OTHER favorite show is back too...Wife Swap. Last night, a neat-freak Christian baseball mom walked into the filthy home of the "punk anarchist" family, looked around and sobbed "How can anyone live like this? In total SQUANDER!"

I've kept a mental collection of many malaprops I've heard over the years. We have someone in the office who's a great source of them. He recently said (in a serious meeting, which caused a few of us to have to bite our lips to keep the guffaws in) "I can't stand that guy! He's so ABSTINENT!" (C'mon! That should explain why he's no fun to be around! ) The same guy told us that he'd be all over something "like flies on ants". He's also often "flustrated" by politics in the workplace.


Here are a few other random ones I've picked up from various people over the years. Hopefully none of them read this blog:

"Oh, it's six of one...dozen of the other"

"He was making money hand over foot!"

"He was making money leftover hand!"

"Why are you coming in at this time of the hour?"

"I'm going to save this for prosperity!"

"Those curtains are a lovely shade of maude."

"We need to replace the fire distinguisher" (smoke alarm!)

"I finally tasted espadrilles" (escargot)

"She was a Southmore in High School"

"I bought a new Ostracizer" (blender...Osterizer)

"I love those cute little frankfurter dogs...you know, Datsuns?"

"Hurry, Vinny! Get the fly squad!" (fly swatter)

"They thought I had cancer but it was B-9."

Then, thanks to the wonders of the Internet, there are those that we don't hear...just see:

"... and walla! A brand new car!"

"I waited with baited breath..." (eww)

"... persay..."


My family is a great source of these (or, as my mother would say, "a sauce of entertainment"), so I'm sure I'll come up with plenty more as I think of them. Feel free to contribute yours! As Dave Barry would say, "You can't make this stuff up!"

Fundraising Update!

With the help of some friends and family, and another weekend at the driving range, my son Lucas' fundraising for the victims of Hurricane Katrina now totals $400.

(His goal is $500, which will be matched by the company I work for. I'm thinking he'll make that goal by next weekend!)

Weekend Rant

I don't live in Georgia, but I know people who do. Working parents. And their dipshit governor decided, at 4:30 on Friday afternoon, that all public schools in the state would be closed on Monday and Tuesday to "save energy". HUH??

First of all, how TYPICAL of this guy and his ilk to have absolutely no consideration for people who need to scramble for daycare at the last minute. Secondly, can someone explain exactly how this is going to save energy? Oh right. No school buses. Just parents driving their kids around (let's see...school bus: 30 kids, parents' car: 2 kids...yeah, that seems like a plan).

This is infuriating on so many levels. In NYC, the schools never close (ok, there was a strike a few years ago, but except for that...they don't even have snow days). When I moved to the 'burbs I couldn't believe how often schools close and have delayed openings, etc. Not to mention the fact that parent-coffees are held during the workday, with the unspoken assumption that one parent is not employed.

So, my sympathies to the working parents in Georgia... I know how you feel.

**Edited to add: I suggest that the parents DROP THEIR KIDS OFF AT THE GOVERNOR'S MANSION on Monday and Tuesday!**

I See Dead Puppets

Just got back from seeing Tim Burton's "Corpse Bride". LOVED it! It is so beautifully done...a visual masterpiece. The music is great, ala "Nightmare Before Christmas", the story is fun, and Lucas and I loved the punny humor. Right up our alley.

Photo Friday: Burn

I guess this week has been all-Lucas, all the time... but this video still was the only appropriate photo I had for this week's entry!

Feelin' Smug!

The Yankees are in first place!! Wheeee!

Katie, Matt, Al, Lucas and Panthergirl

Well, The Today Show has come a'callin' again. A few months ago we were in the running for a room-makeover for Lucas. Now, I got a call from them because they are going to do a story on bullying and I had responded to a request for personal stories. (For those who may not know, Lucas has been targeted by bullies for several years at school.)

Today they asked for pictures, and they are going to pick the families this week... we'll see! I'll keep you posted!

Things seem better this year, but Lucas has experienced some really nasty behavior in the past. Like the kid who said "I hope your father dies" when Tony was ill. When Tony DID die, Lucas did not want any of the kids at school to know, so he kept that secret from October until June that year. I found out months after the fact that he had been eating lunch in the nurse's office because he was afraid to sit in the cafeteria. He refused to go out to recess. (You'd think a school would let a parent know, right?)

Anyway, there seems to be a better crop of kids this year so far... I'm hoping it lasts.

Stay tuned... I'm also hoping he gets to promote his fundraiser on the air!

Update!

After another weekend of fundraising at the driving range, Lucas has raised a total of $217 in cash, and $100 pledge from my childhood friend Andrea. His goal is still $500 (to be matched by my company), but I wouldn't be surprised if he does better than that!

OH, and he raised his required driving distance to 130 yards or better. Since the owners of the driving range made him a custom club, he's hitting over 170 yards regularly!

I Did It Twice This Week!

No, silly... not that. I went to the movies! I love seeing movies in the theater. I love the whole experience: sitting in the dark, huge screen, big sound, endless trailers. For me, watching DVDs at home just doesn't cut it. I do it from time to time, but I don't get the same shuddering sense of delight as the film begins.

This week I saw The 40 Year Old Virgin which was both hilarious, in a very Farrelly-brothers way, and surprisingly sweet and romantic. Steve Carrell is like a straight Pee Wee Herman.

Last night, Lucas and I saw a sneak preview of The Greatest Game Ever Played, a true story about an amateur golfer who played in the U.S. Open in 1910. It was wonderful, Shia LaBeouf was perfect, and Lucas was on the edge of his seat for the entire thing. We loved it.

This is ONE thing I don't like about seeing movies in the theater, though. Talkers. I don't like sitting in front of talkers, I don't like seeing movies with talkers. Shut the fuck up already. When I was a kid, movies had ushers and usherettes (who really should have been called "shushers" and "shusherettes" because that was their job. To tell people to shut the fuck up). I recently heard that some theater chains are considering bringing them back, and I'm all for it.

In fact, I might apply for the job.

Photo Friday: Divine

Rosie, the greyhound that we had to give up, thought she looked divine in her leopard-print coat. I have to agree.

The Kids are Alright

I know you probably think I'm making this kid up, but wait until you hear what Lucas did for my birthday.

He told me he wanted to go to the driving range last night, and when we got there he went inside to the pro shop and came out with a putter-trainer club called The Stubby. I'd been practicing with it and mentioned that I wanted to buy it at some point. He handed me the club and said, "It's yours!" When I asked HOW the heck he managed to buy me this club (list $99), he said that he has an "IOU" with the owner of the range to work off the "Lucas price" of the club ($80). He loves helping out at the range, washing golf balls, cleaning up the mini-golf course, etc., so he arranged to do those things in exchange for this club.

His thoughtfulness just blows me away (and of course it was so kind of them to go for it. they love him.)

In addition, my daughter Emma drove two hours last night after work to get here, and she and I will spend the day together today... she's taking me out to lunch and to the movies. She's really strapped for cash these days, so it's a big deal for her. We don't get to spend a whole lot of time alone together, so I'm looking forward to today.

Considering the fact that the power steering pump in my MINI Cooper died on my way home from work on Monday, it's turned out to be a wonderful birthday. (the car gods have not been with me these past few weeks!)

AND... thank you to ALL of my wonderful blog friends and acquaintences for the sweet, funny and supportive birthday wishes. Love you guys!

On Turning 50

Yep, I've got to change my profile info in the sidebar. At 4:05 this afternoon, I will no longer be 49.

You know that commercial where the guy finds out his credit score is 619, and then every place he looks he sees that number? Earlier this week I was driving to work, thinking about the post I'd write today. At that moment I looked up and saw the "Speed Limit 50" sign and just laughed out loud.

Last night I had Monday Night Football on as background noise, and again started to think about what I wanted to write. I glanced at the tv JUST as they focused on the 50 yard line.

Unlike 30, which was overshadowed by the birth of my daughter Emma two weeks prior, and 40 which was overshadowed by the birth of my son 9 months prior, this birthday is just hanging out here all by itself. People can tell you it's just a number, but believe me, there's something about 50.

Listen to kids describe an old lady they saw doing something outrageous (you know, like working out). They'll say, "YEAH, did you see that woman? She was like FIFTY!"

Think about rhymes for a second. Thirty rhymes with dirty, forty rhymes with sporty and even (kind of) naughty. What does fifty rhyme with? Thrifty? Nifty? Ugh.

I think I may even be starting to act like a fifty year old. Not in most ways, but in small subtle ways. Like attempting to call 1-800-HOWS-MY-DRIVING about a billion times as I drive to and from work. Garl darned crazy kids.

On the more serious side, I do think about the fact that I'll be 58 when Lucas graduates from high school, and worry about remaining healthy for him at least until he is an independent adult (and beyond, because god knows I want him to be able to enjoy his life without worrying about his dottering old mother).

So, I'm going to try to stay positive, stay young (I'm actually only 15 in my head) and not focus on the fact that I can no longer double my age and fully expect to be around. My mother, in her unique way, sent me a GIANT t-shirt with the GIANT message: "Fit and 50!" (she claims that it was hers, and she wore it. Yeah right. Probably last year.) I'm thinking I'll wait two years and send her one that says "85 and Still Alive!"

Help a Blogger Directly

Our blog friend Cat of A Mom in the Swamp had to evacuate her home in Slidell. Her sister posted a list of things the family can really use on Cat's blog.

Lucas is going to cover the Lego/Bionicle situation for Cat's 10 year old son, but if you can help with anything else that would be great! Thanks!

I Didn't Know Whether to Laugh or Cry

I asked Lucas to sit with me this morning to watch part of the 9/11 Memorial ceremony at Ground Zero. I hugged him tightly as I wept, watching the brothers and sisters read the names of the dead. After the first two moments of silence, he turned to me and said, "You know if we have moments of silence for every bad thing that happens, by 2008 we'll all be mimes."




Updated fundraising total for Lucas: $184.00

A Loss of Innocence

We were never safe. We just thought we were, and it's hard to remember what that felt like. As significant as BC and AD, 9/11 changed everything.

I've always been a morning news person, usually flipping on the TV as I get dressed for work, background music to the routine of my daily life. For some unknown reason, that day I got up, got Lucas and Emma off to school and went to work without turning on the television or even the radio in my car. (Because I work in CT, we had moved from the city to be closer to my job in 1995.)

A few months earlier, in July of 2001, I was heavily into the online dating thing and met a man who lived in Perth, Australia. As online relationships often do, it quickly progressed into a romance and he decided to make the 10,000 mile trip to see me in October. One of the plans we made was to go to the nightclub at the top of the World Trade Center. Since he had never been to NYC, he was excited not just to meet me, but to enjoy the city and see everything that he had only read about all his life.

On the morning of 9/11, as I drove to work, my cellphone rang. It was Roy, telling me that a plane had hit the towers. I started laughing, thinking that he was pulling my leg because of the plans we had made. He kept trying to tell me what had happened, and I almost hung up on him. Then, he told me about the Pentagon and my stomach fell. I knew, then, that he was serious. And that we as a nation were in trouble.

I don't remember the rest of the drive to work. I got there and stood in the lobby of our building, watching CNN on the plasma screen TV and seeing the towers fall. I remember one of the marketing managers saying, "We need to kill the fuckers!" We all stood there in shock, not knowing what was really happening, seeing the images of an enormous dust cloud chasing frantic crowds around narrow street corners. We tried to think of people we knew who worked in the towers, or who may have had meetings there that day. Mostly I remember thinking that this was it. That World War III had started and my children would not live to adulthood.

If you did not live in NYC or the tri-state area at that time, there are memories I can only try to describe to you. In the days that followed the attacks, the weather was almost inappropriately beautiful, and the skies without ANY air traffic left us in an eerily quiet state. Like when the power goes out in your house and all the white-noise is gone. People were extraordinarily kind to each other. We looked into each others eyes and felt a connection like never before.

Having grown up in the city and spent most of my adult life living in Manhattan and Brooklyn, I had to get down there as soon as I could. On the Sunday after the attacks, I took the train to Grand Central, with my camera and a notepad to record my experience. As the train made its way to the city, the doors opened at one stop and several menacingly loud "gangsta" guys got on the train and started banging on the doors, seeming to enjoy the fear that they could so easily instill in the passengers whose nerves were already frayed. The rise in adrenalin was plapable. The big bad thing had happened. Now, anything was possible. We got to the city without incident.

I walked from Grand Central Station to Canal Street, which is probably about three miles, taking pictures as I went. I made a short iMovie of them which can be seen here.
There was still a sense of hope, that the moms and dads and brothers and sisters and children on the flyers might somehow be found. But the prevailing sentiment, the most powerful and overwhelming hope, was that our government would not use this event, use our pain and our loss, to start a war.

There were two songs I heard that day as I walked. One was Kate Smith singing "God Bless America" (what this little boy is listening to on a gramophone in Washington Square Park).


The other was John Lennon, pleading that we "Give Peace a Chance."

Today's Lucas Report

It was a slow day at the driving range, but Lucas stood there from 10 AM to 4PM and raised an additional $50, bringing his total to $160. We will be going back tomorrow.

Airport Security on 9/10/01

That morning, I flew to Cincinnati on business, just for the day (thank god).

I was traveling with another woman from work. We arrived at Westchester Airport where we missed our flight and had to race to LaGuardia to get the next one. At the ticket counter, my colleague realized she did not have her driver's license. The agent said, "Are you with her? (me)" and she said yes. "Well, just go ahead then." [ding]

We couldn't get a direct flight, so we had to change planes (in Cleveland I think?). We ran to the gate to get our boarding passes, but the machine was broken. The agent said, "Oh it's ok... just get on the plane." [ding]

We walked onto the plane, told them the boarding pass machine was broken, and they let us find seats. [ding.ding.ding.]

We all know what happened the following day.

Photo Friday: Massive

Dixie isn't quite this "massive", but she sure looks big in this pic. It was taken at last year's annual picnic for Greyhound Rescue and Rehab, and that's Dixie's dad Bob in the background.

Lucas' Fundraising Gets Some Press!

At TravelGolf.com

and

In our local newspaper (click on the firefighter story and scroll down to "driving").

He will be continuing his efforts this weekend. If anyone would like to contribute through Lucas, please email me. My company does matching donations, so everything he raises will be doubled. I'll be posting pictures on Saturday night.

Lest You Accuse Me of Political Bias...

I lived in NYC when Giuliani was Mayor. I did not like him and I thought he made some stupid and dangerous (from a freedom of speech perspective) decisions .

However, on 9/11 and beyond, he was a LEADER. I did not judge him based on his political party or views. He LED. People felt as though they would, somehow, be taken care of. I did not hear any "liberals" bashing him. Bush, on the other hand, even then...could only do photo ops and make sweeping statements about how he was going to "get" Osama Bin Laden. (Remember "bring it on"? Yee-haw politics at its best.)

By the way... where is Osama? It's only been four years.

Let Your Fingers Do the Helping

If you feel that sending money is not enough, go here. My blogfriend Grace found a woman through Craig's List who is helping in Louisiana, but there is much that can be done right from our computers (heck, we're online all the time anyway, right?).

Let Grace know if there's anything you can do.

Keep Drinking the Kool-Aid

"There's plenty of blame to go around"
"What about the State and local governments"
"This was a 'surprise'" (check out National Geographic, October 2004, where the scenario was predicted in chlling detail.)
"This is not about race/class"

Uh huh. Read the Timeline.

If you think the media is putting a "spin" on the story, watch Charmaine Neville tell it in her own words here. The video is kind of choppy but you can hear what she has to say.

Does it not bother the Bush supporters that although every reporter has been in tears at some point, Bush hasn't exhibited the slightest bit of emotion? Just the famous "smirk", or that My Pet Goat deer-in-the-headlights look. (I guess that's what happens when you try to save $60 million and wind up spending $150 billion. Oops.)

It really IS ok to admit that the guy you voted for screwed up. The only other choice is that he intentionally abandoned poor people. Remember a prior president who said "The buck stops here"? Saddam Hussein is about to be tried for the deaths of thousands of people in Iraq. If only we could hold this president responsible for the deaths he has caused by, what? Neglect? Ignorance? Incompetence? Indifference? You pick it. The end result is the same.

Driving for Dough

***UPDATE: Two of our local newspapers are going to do a story on Lucas' efforts, and plan to be at the range on Saturday to photograph him doing his thing!!**

Monday's post:
We just got back from our local driving range. Lucas set up a fundraising station for the Katrina victims, and offered to hit a 100-yard or better drive for every donation of $1 or more. He raised $110! (and hit every drive at least 150 yards, straight as a pin.) I was so proud of him. He had asked "What talent do I have, that I can use to help?" When I suggested something to do with golf he got right on it. I also wondered if he could "perform" under the pressure of someone watching, but he had absolutely no problem. In fact, I think he hit better than ever.

He was SO pleased with himself, and has set his goal at $500. We'll go back to the range each weekend until he reaches that goal, and my company does matching donations so we'll be sending $1000 to the Red Cross...hopefully very soon! (I'll take pictures next weekend. This was so impromptu that I didn't have my camera!)

What "Culture of Life"??

I have not yet posted about the disaster in New Orleans, because I am so angry I could not find the words. This morning, while reading through some blogs, I found a link over at Jim's..

Rather than just post the link, I will post the text here. If anyone doubts that this is a race/class issue, I suppose it's your choice (I would bet the farm on the fact that you are not a poor black person). But what does it say about the so-called "culture of life" platform of the Right? You decide:


"The Right, as embodied by Limbaugh, Frist, Bush, Hastert, DeLay. They would move heaven and earth to save the life of one White Woman in Florida to combat the very idea of euthanasia (which technically it was not). A woman that a decade earlier had lost her ability to so much as ask for help, much less have coherent thoughts about the quality of her own life.

And they would sit on their ass and watch as tens of thousands of poor men, women, children, babies, and elderly bake in the New Orleans heat surrounded by water, sewage, gasoline and an abandoned city, now devoid of anyone with the means to have escaped ahead of the storm.

This is the culture of life. The culture of life wants to save brain dead white women and unborn children. The culture of life wants you to watch endless non-news about the disappearance of one white teenager in Aruba. The culture of life wants you to support your nation as it kills tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians in its Quixotic quest against a non-threat. The culture of life wants a zero-tolerance for looters policy to sound authoritative as babies die of dehydration. The culture of life expects you to take care of yourself, and if you can't, then it is your own fault for getting into that situation in the first place. Fuck off. You had your shot. Station in life, where you hang your hat, and whether you have the $40 at the end of the month to pay for the overpriced gasoline to get out of that home in time is all up to you.

Always I have argued with Republican friends--the reasonable ones--that not everyone was dealt the same cards on their original Birth Day. Not everyone has been given the same gifts by God, friends, family, or luck. Always those Republican friends believe that they deserve where they have gotten in life, and that no one, including the government, should be asking for their hard-earned cash to help the less affluent. It is always the fault of the lesser-affluent themselves. Circumstances are irrelevant in all cases and constitute class warfare if the question is raised.

Bullshit.

But that's their thing. That's how they see the world. They earned everything they got. Their parents might have given them a nudge, but nothing more. Get a fucking clue.

Bush came away from his mega vacation one day early...Wednesday. Hastert doesn't know why we should rebuild. Condie Rice went to the show on Broadway.

All of these people support the Culter of Life. But none seem to support American Culture. New Orleans, as much as any city, represents distinctly American Culture. A melting-pot of language, music and revelry unlike any other. But it is desperately poor. Over 50% of the children in the state live below the poverty level. But no matter. Mostly black folk down there. They shouldn't have lived there in the first place. They should have gotten out while they had the chance. It's their own fault.

Michael Chertoff was interviewed on NPR this afternoon. He was asked if he had heard of thousands of people at the Convention Center in New Orleans, without water or food or sanitation. Elderly dying. Little girls being raped. Mr. Chertoff was eloquent in his cluelessness. Completely unaware of what had been on the television all day long on both MSNBC and CNN. Unaware that he, at the top of the agency charged with bringing relief to the affected areas, had not been informed of something every American with a remote already knew. That the situation there was desperate. That people needed help. And that noone seemed to be providing it. The man in charge was not in charge at all, folks. It took the Bush Administration 4 years since 9/11... 4 years of chasing ghosts and old demons in Iraq to not do a fucking thing about stateside preparedness. To gut the national guard's responsiveness by sending so many of them overseas. To cut funding for the levee system that allowed Lake Ponchartrain to roll into the city. To put someone in charge of Homeland Security and FEMA that is eloquent, but so impossibly incompetent that he is incapable of establishing a staff capable of letting him know the worst of a situation so large.

Mr. Chertoff said, that he had not heard of such things. That you couldn't believe every rumor from the streets of the area. That he wasn't in a position to argue about what the NPR Reporters had witnessed.

Get the people to our staging areas, he stated, and they can get water there.

Thanks, asshole.

I almost cried last night. A little girl was with her grandfather, their late model sedan stalled in hip deep water. She was standing on what I think was the highway divider next to the car. Soaked. Crying. Her grandfather, dismayed and dazed behind her. Both of them looked at the car, but it was the begging of the young girl that got me. She couldn't have been more than 2 years older than my daughter. And there she was, in the middle of a lake that wasn't there the day before, in the middle of a city that had been destroyed, begging and pleading for the people filming her, and those they were with, to help them. They just needed a push. To higher ground.

And there she stayed, as the vehicle the camera rode in pulled away."

Now's the REAL time for the so-called Christians to ask, "What Would Jesus Do?". A photo op with two black women? A helicopter fly-over? Makes you wonder.

Photo Friday: Order

This week's entry needs no explanation. It doesn't get more orderly than four greyhound butts.

Down from the Mountain

Hey kids! Back from vacation...reading all my comments, here, at Adventures in Cyberia and over at Michele's where I'm the guest blogger today.

We had a great time, although the weather was somewhat crappy the first few days. We still managed to play golf every day though. Take a look at Lucas' incredible swing here.

We were, of course, devestated by the news and pictures from the Gulf Coast and hope that all of our blogger friends from the region are safe. Lucas has $30 he saved to buy a computer game that he is, instead, going to donate to the relief effort. Every little bit helps.

More later...

Needlenose Sunday

Just dropped Kelso off with the women who will be boarding him this week while Lucas and I go on vacation. I'll miss him, but frankly I'm looking forward to five days without dog-walking.

I'll have my laptop but hopefully won't spend TOO much time online (Katrina better stay the hell away from the Northeast!). Weather permitting, we'll be playing golf and tennis and exploring the great outdoors here.

I might drop by and post some reruns just to keep things moving around here... and next Friday, September 2nd, I'll be the guest blogger over at Michele's place. See you there!

Photo Friday: Chaos

This week's entry is not immediately obvious, in terms of the theme, but trust me. It's appropriate.

My son Lucas and I got up this morning with a delightful plan to take our bikes to a nearby trail (one of those used-to-be-a-railroad bike trails that are cropping up everywhere). I don't use the Mini Cooper for escapades like this (nor for extended car trips like the one we're planning for Monday, but more about THAT later.)

So, I strapped the bike rack to the back of my SUV, loaded up the bikes, and then had to back out of a parking space which is dangerously close to my garage. In an attempt NOT to hit a red car parked next to it, I wound up hitting the garage itself with the bikes, blowing out my back window. Lucas was crying (he was in the back seat and the sound was very frightening), I couldn't believe I had done it. (Note: Not one person in my condo complex came out to see what had happened, although the noise was unreal. Reminiscent of my third day living here, when my dog grabbed a neighbor's cat by the neck and was shaking her. I was screaming "No! Stop! No!" at 6:30 AM, and no one came out. Remember Kitty Genovese?)

ANYWAY... It's not bad enough that it's Saturday, the insurance people are complete idiots and glass places close at noon, but we are planning to take a trip up to the Catskills on Monday morning. On the way, we're scheduled to drop off Kelso (my enormous greyhound, hence the license plate) at a boarding facility, but now I have no driveable truck. My day has been nothing but chaos as a result.

Bottom line? I'm driving Kelso in my Mini Cooper to the boarder's house tomorrow. Get out the shoe horn and Vaseline. Quick. Then we'll take the Mini on our trip, stuffed with me, Lucas, our suitcases and two golf bags. Cue the shoe horn.

Update: I'm renting a Ford Escape Hybrid SUV instead. With the insurance discount and them paying part of it, it will only cost me $22/day! SO worth it.

Mixmania - Driving Mix

Jim from Patriside is at it again. His theme for the August Mixmania is "Driving Music". (Some lucky blogger will get my mix, anonymously, and will have to search each participant's blog to figure out who sent them the CD.)

So, without further ado, here's my mix (oh crap...just saw that I wasn't supposed to post the list until 9/15):




I Just Wanna Make Love to You - Etta James. Just a GREAT sultry song.
Hallelujah I Love Him - Eva Cassidy. Ditto.
Somebody to Love - Queen. Perfect anthem to blast in the car.
Silver Thunderbird - Marc Cohn . Wonderful ode to a vehicle, and to a dad.
Thunder Road - Springsteen. Next to Born to Run, the best Springsteen driving song ever.
Oh Girl - Chilites. I like listening to this in the car because Tony Soprano listened to it before he went to beat up the guy who was sleeping with his ex-mistress after he dumped her. And it's a great song.
Ooh La La - The Faces. This song reminds me of those silly platform shoes that Rod Stewart and Ron Wood wore back then. Oh wait. So did I.
Jumpin' Jack Flash/Youngblood - Leon Russell. The best 10 minutes you'll ever spend in your car.
I'm Looking Through You - The Wallflowers. Great cover.
Rain King - Counting Crows. Another one to crank up.
Toxic - Britney Spears. OK, stop laughing. I hate BS as much as the next non-trailer-trash person, but I love this song!
I Try - Macy Gray. Poor Macy. Smoked one too many joints, I think. But her first album and this song rock.
Crazy Love - Van Morrison. Holds a very special romantic place in my heart.
Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me - George Michael. I'm not sure whose son he's talking about, but who cares? This is one of my favorite live performances.
Ladyshave - Paul Oakenfold. Mitsubishi really knows how to pick music for their commercials.
Up the Junction - Squeeze. I really could have put ANY Squeeze song in this spot, but I'm always happy when this one comes up in the random mix.

It was 20 years ago today...

My little girl was born. For all of the drama she's provided over the years, she has given me more joy than I could ever have imagined. She has always been quirky and different, delighting everyone who meets her.

To my beautiful Emma, I say "Happy Birthday, honey. I love you."

A Man of Constant Sorrow - An Anniversary Rerun

My father died 10 years ago today. This photo was taken only a few weeks before his death, when Lucas was 8 months old. Although he could be a harsh father, he really loved babies and it shows here.

I thought it was fitting to rerun a post from March 13th.

One part Tony Soprano, one part Ralph Kramden and a pinch of Bugs Bunny...that pretty much sums up my dad, Sal. He grew up in the streets of Brooklyn, one of eight children (there was a ninth, but he fell from a fire escape as he played with his older brother, my Uncle Joey. Somehow I never trusted Uncle Joey). They lived in a tenement building above the barber shop that his father owned and next door to the woman who would become mymother. (and also "next door to Moider Incorporated")

A sweet, quiet man, my father served six years in the Navy during WWII, including a stint on the USS Lexington. He was at Pearl Harbor for a weekend of R&R when he and his shipmates were suddenly called back and they left, stealthfully, in the middle of the night. It was December 6th. Because of this incident, he was convinced that FDR knew the bombing of Pearl Harbor was going to happen, but allowed it as a way to get us into the war. During the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Lexington was torpedoed and poor Sal had to await rescue while bobbing around in the Pacific. As a kid, not realizing the magnitude of this event, I would tease him and call him "Chicken of the Sea" when he didn't want to join us in the water at Rockaway Beach.

Our relationship was a complicated one. For years I just thought he was a horrible, abusive father which in many respects, he was. He was generally sullen, having been forced to forego a dream of being a carpenter and moving to California in the 1950s by my mother: The Queen of Control and Manipulation. She insisted that he take the civil service exam, stay in Brooklyn near her mother and sisters, and get a job with a pension. He spent his working life delivering mail.

We paid dearly as a result. His hair-trigger temper and ill-fated attempts to control me, especially, resulted in aberrations of parenting that began with verbal lashings, humiliation and sadistic "discipline". We feared him. He never said much, but talked with his hands like Tony Manero's father in Saturday Night Fever. ("Hey! Watch the hair!") By the time I was a mouthy and wild teenager, he was hauling off and punching me full-fisted in the face.

It may seem strange to you, but after many years of psychotherapy I came to pity him. I realized that Sal was the puppet...and Margie Dearest was the puppetmaster. She controlled him, she used her wiles and her sexuality to get him to do whatever she wanted. She'd instigate arguments between us, she'd put words in his mouth, she'd challenge him with "you're gonna let her get away with that?" until he had to take action to prove his manhood. He was miserable and he was trapped. I quoted him in my earlier post about marriage, where he said "If you wanted to be happy, what the hell did you get married for?" Sadly, this told me how low the bar had been set for him. He gave up everything to please a woman who could never be pleased.

I don't think I could have ever found it in my heart to forgive him had there not been moments of genuine love and affection that seeped through. Unlike my mother, I think he really did love us...especially as babies. This became evident to me when I had babies of my own and saw the warmth in his eyes. I knew, too, that by loving my children this way he was expressing a wordless apology to me. (My mother, on the other hand, once said "So sue me!" when questioned about her parenting style.)

My father died when Lucas was only 8 months old, and I'm sad about that. They would have adored each other. Thankfully my daughter Emma did get to experience the "real" man...the one who wept as he held her as a newborn, who held my hand as an adult to make up for all the times he couldn't do it when I was a child. While I can never forget the mistakes he made, I am wise enough now to understand the grey areas. My Dad and Emma at my wedding to Tony, 1993. Photo by Rob Fraser.

New Look, Same Great Taste!

hehehe

Blogs with a Hook

While a good portion of blogs out there are basically personal diaries (not that there's anything wrong with that!), some of the ones I read regularly have a "hook"... something unique or special about them ... that keeps me coming back. (These are not the only blogs I read, nor are they the only bloggers I consider friends. They are just in a special category I'm highlighting here. End of disclaimer.)

In no particular order:

A Day in the Life. A personal diary, yes, but Curator Ben has a gift for conveying SO much with a photo and a VERY brief narrative. It's a beautifully designed site with gorgeous photography, hilarious videos, and two awesome hounds. The hook: His is the blog for people with ADD.

Last Girl on Earth. Deni's blog is a must-read. A professional rock-violinist, her stories are priceless, always accompanied by laugh-out-loud visuals, and best of all ... video. She has made two videos on the streets of New York, asking strangers to recite lines requested by her readers. The girl's got balls. Plus, I've met her in real life and she is just as warm, beautiful, funny and interesting as you'd want her to be. The hook: You never know what she'll come up with next!

Bored at the Beach. Another fellow New Yorker, C-Mac is the Seinfeld of bloggers. Only more prolific. Every day (at least once), he offers up his perspectives on the minutiae of life... usually highlighting something that particularly pisses him off. The hook: C-Mac always creates a mini-dialogue in his comments box, because every post ends with an opening for his readers to add their experience with the subject of that post.

Artsy Science. Tracy is a microscopist and totally cool guy. He often posts photos of ordinary objects taken with his super-duper-microscope (ok, it's not called that) and let's us guess what the object is. A few of us have even sent him things to shoot (like bearded dragon skin, in my case). The hook: Where else can you see velcro magnified a jazillion times?

Random_Speak. Although this is mostly a personal diary blog, L comes up with the most incredible retro images to accompany her entries. The hook: Great visuals.

Michele. If you are one of the three bloggers who doesn't know about Michele, here's your chance to find out. (Also a chance for me to plug the fact that I'll be guest-blogging over there in about two weeks). The hook: Michele's blog is the hub of this giant wheel we call the blogosphere. It's the cocktail-party of blogs.

Enjoy these, and if you haven't visited them before be sure and tell them how you got there...

Adventures in Cyberia

If you haven't seen the site where bloggers become Sims, do it now! I have recruited additional goddesses, Xtessa, Redelicious, Robin, and Plain Jane. They are doing a GREAT job of creating fun and compelling storylines for all our participating bloggers!

If you volunteered to have a Sim created of you but haven't checked in recently, do it soon... we Goddesses have ways of dealing with those who don't come visit...

Photo Friday: One

Today's Photo Friday entry is more "snapshot" than art. It's my daughter Emma telling me how old she is (was... she turns 20 next week).

Another item of note in this photo is my mother's haircolor. What is it about moving to Florida that causes dark-haired lovelies to go "blonde"? I call her particular shade "Palomino". When I go down to visit her I can't help but notice all the olive-skinned women with beige hair and upside-down glasses (the ear piece on the bottom instead of the top of the lens). Must be peer-pressure or something.

Since the networks are in Fall Preview mode, I decided to give my readers a little "Fall Preview" of what's to come here at The Dog's Breakfast over the next few months:

"The Orifice" - A real life look at some of the assholes I've worked for (and almost worked for)

"The Pedo Files" - An edge-of-your-seat account of the multiple times I narrowly escaped being sold into white slavery.


"Big Sister" - Family drama, starring me and my estranged (and strange) older sister, seen here on the left. Think of it as "La Cage Aux Folles" meets "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?"

"Pantherella" - A documentary about child labor, with my mother playing the part of Kathy Lee Gifford.

"Before There Were Air Bags" - A stranger-than-fiction account of the thirteen car accidents and one moped accident that did not take my life.

"You Missed Me" - Inspirational tales from one who has been struck by lightning, run over by a horse, thrown out of speeding vehicles and subjected to my mother's cooking and survived to tell about it.

And, of course, more vintage photos and stories from the past featuring my parents, the fugly twins, and people with names like "Mary the Buttonhole". Stay tuned!

The Doggie Is Getting a Makeover!

Stay tuned.... The Dog's Breakfast is getting a new look! In the next day or so, you'll see what I mean. I designed it myself, and Ro from Ciao! My Bella is working on the template.

The summer's almost over, and I'm going to be back in the swing of things very soon...posting daily (or close to it). I've been walking 3 miles or so every few days, and during those walks I often plan future blog posts. I know I've slowed down considerably this summer, but I promise to keep you entertained come Fall.

In the meantime, has anyone noticed how many television shows being touted for the Fall season seem to have several similarities? Semi-creepy, unseen aliens or predators, one word title. ("Surface", "E-Ring", "Threshold", "Numb3rs"). Remind you of anything?



How about this word? "Original". What a concept! But it'll never sell.

Are You a Cheapskate?

Just turned on The Today Show, and they are doing a segment called "Cheapskate Week". I have to admit that watching this, featuring people who do things like fill their own jelly donuts, make diaper pails out of popcorn tins, and bring ziplock bags to the movies to divide up popcorn... makes my hair go on fire.

One of my ex-husbands said I would "go across the street and around the corner to avoid a sale", and he was probably right. I've only been to Wal-Mart twice (and couldn't wait to get out), don't comparison shop, and am a firm believer in "you get what you pay for". I know it's irrational at times, but hey...I've never claimed to be a completely rational person.

Why this visceral aversion to bargains? As with most of my other neuroses, I have to blame my parents. As children of the Great Depression, they turned penny-pinching into an artform. My mother made a lot of our clothes, and in doing so made them about three sizes too big so they'd fit for several years. This explains why, in most old photos, we look like refugees from Uzbekistan. She also made clothes for my Barbie doll, which was great except for the fact that she didn't want to have to buy special snaps (you know, the right SIZED ones), so the clothes had closures as big as Barbie's head.

Getting a greeting card from my mother meant (and still means) receiving one that had been previously sent to her, with the inside cut out. All of the food in our house was "Brand X" or awful store brands like "Ann Page" and "Krasdale". Although my father loved ice cream, the best we got was Breyer's Neopolitan, or maybe a Cookie Puss cake from Carvel for a REALLY special occasion.

My father loved electronics and gadgets of any and every kind (we had air-conditioning before anyone else), but I still remember the "brand names" that graced them all... Setchell-Carlson, Bonsonic, Royce Union... some of which, I think, fell off the back of a truck. Since he was a mailman, our house was FILLED with tiny versions of many products (free samples that had been addressed to houses that didn't exist). We used miniature cans of Rite Guard and Arrid Extra Dry, ate from little packettes of Carnation Instant Breakfast, and read magazines that had a big square cutout on the cover. Occasionally we'd score big and get someone's 8 free records from Columbia House, if they moved away before it was delivered. And there was Joe the Dented Can Man, my father's favorite place to shop for canned food.

I guess it's all about priorities. My parents did manage to raise three kids on a postman's salary (although my mother also worked or collected unemployment most of the time), and we always had new cars that they paid cash for. They never had credit cards until they retired and we never felt like they were strapped for cash.

Still, while I appreciate their efforts, it has left me with a psychotic disdain for sales and bargains.

So... fess up. Are you a Cheapskate? Are you the child of a Cheapskate? Or are you, like me, the Anti-Cheapskate?

How 9/11 Changed My Life

Aside from the obvious, bigger-picture ways...

Every morning, the first thing I do is turn on the television. I keep the remote on the bed next to me, and put it on as soon as I open my eyes. If I see a commercial, I know that everything is ok.

I can hardly believe it's been almost four years. Maybe on the anniversary we should all post our stories from that day...where we were, how we heard...

Not a Self-Portrait...

Twins, originally uploaded by panthergirl.

...although it looks like one!

High School graduation, 1973. Call the makeup police.
(thank god for the cap and gown, because the outfit underneath was vintage '70s hooch.) I fancied myself a real ar-teest, although the painting makes me cringe today!

Photo Friday: Violet

This week's entry is another in the "No Cameras Allowed" series from my trip to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. The artists are the same as the one's in last week's entry (Complexity).

The funny thing about these pictures is that for all my wacky escapades, I really am a "rule follower". (Much to the amusement of my close friends). I cross at the corner, keep to the right, don't litter, etc. etc. Aside from my arrest when I was 19 (more material for the Fall Exblogaganza), and a few personal indiscretions, taking pictures in a place where I am not supposed to is a BIG transgression for me! In fact, the only reason I did it was because it was a business trip and a group of us had an assignment to complete in the museum which required pictures.

So... all of that aside ... this is my "violet" entry for today. Hope you like it!

Wednesday's Child: Jordis Unga

Not a blog this week... but my Wednesday's Child is SO WORTHY of your attention.

Eliminated from "Star Search", way too good for "American Idol", Jordis Unga is a standout talent on this summer's "RockStar: INXS". I know, I know...it seems like a dumb concept (replacing the irreplaceable Michael Hutchins), but all of the singers are surprisingly good, and Jordis is G-R-E-A-T.

Her haunting and soulful rendition of Bowie's "The Man Who Sold the World" is permanently etched in my brain. Don't take my word for it... download it here. Then come back and thank me.

Panthergirl's Songwriting Skills

"You say 'i-RACK-i', I say 'i-ROCK-i'
You say 'AL-KAY-da', I say 'AL-KAI-da'
iRACKi, iROCKi, alKAYda, ALKAIda... let's call the whole thing off."

Summer Re-Run: Don't Stand So Close To Me...

Original post date: March 3, 2005. I have so many good Catholic school stories...will write more in the Fall when everyone is back in blog mode. In the meantime, here's a good retread for the newer readers.


Since so many of you liked my "made out with my high school science teacher" factoid, I decided to provide some visual reference of him, and two other guys who would be arrested if they did this stuff today. In the tradition of Glamour do's and don'ts, I've obliterated their identities.

If you can't read what Mr. Science Guy wrote, it says: "Dear Marian, I don't think it's necessary to wish you anything. You have it all -- use it well. My love always, Tony." Although this was written in Senior year, our flirtation started when I was a Freshman (14 years old). What is most astounding to me now, looking back, is that one day when we were making out in a locker room, a PRIEST walked in on us and said, "Oops...sorry!" and left! He was probably getting busy with the altar boys.


These two clowns were Math teachers, but I had no interest in them. Mr. Geometry on the left wrote: "To Marian, I want your body. Love & pinches, Joe." Mr. Algebra on the right said "Marian, good luck & all that with ya future and especially with your latest bounce of life!" (what can I say? It was 1973. I went braless. We had to spice up that uniform SOMEHOW.)

It was probably unrealistic to think that you could put 20-something guys in that situation (all girls' Catholic School) without having them go a little crazy, and we were more than happy to do the crazy-making. I'm convinced we would have behaved better in a normal, co-ed public school environment with boys our own age.

Why We Need to Protect Roe v. Wade

If you have not seen "Vera Drake" , get thee to the video store ASAP.

Aside from the incredible performance by Imelda Staunton and the brilliant direction by Mike Leigh, the story makes it crystal clear why abortion needs to remain safe and legal for all women. The movie is about so much more than abortion...it's a riveting character study and a glimpse into a still-reeling post-WWII England. But I haven't been able to stop thinking about it, knowing that if Roe v. Wade is ever overturned in this country, we will be catapulted back into a past where women had to rely on the services of the inept and untrained (albeit, in this case, well-meaning).

Although rich women will always be able to have their pregnancies disappear at will...poor women will die. Or give birth to babies they don't want, can't afford, and can't care for. Some of those babies/children will wind up abused or dead. And while I do welcome dissenting opinions, I would ask anyone who reacts with "adoption is an option" to get real. There are already thousands of "less desirable" babies and children in this country who are without homes. Couples who can afford it are going outside the US for white or Chinese infants. Or, paying upwards of $10,000 for healthy white babies in this country (one classified ad I spotted even specified "male". Yeah, those people really just want a baby. Uh huh.)

The reality is, unwanted pregnancies happen. They don't need to result in unwanted children. It's all well and good to be "pro-life", but when that does not extend beyond childbirth it's just a hypocritical load of bullshit. Don't believe in abortion? Don't have one.

Can you tell this is a real hot-button issue for me? ;)

Photo Friday: Complexity

This week's entry was taken secretly at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, hence the soft focus. A pile of junk, a spotlight, and an incredible result.

Edited to add a link to the artists' website: Tim Noble & Sue Webster. Really great stuff!

Belated Wednesday's Child: Blogging Out Loud

One of my absolute faves... Alan is political, hilarious, insightful and I just love him to death. Not to mention the fact that his "code words" (the ones you have to type in order to comment) crack me up.

Please go and tell him his big fan Panthergirl turned you on to him!

Summer Re-Run: Interview with a Panthergirl

Original posting date: 2/28/05. Part of the Regurgitation series, so my apologies to those who have seen this post already.

My blogbud Frally has come up with five questions she'd like me to answer, so here goes:

Q: What's the special ingredient for a great wedding? (If anyone's going to know, it's you my dear)

Although I had three unsuccessful marriages, the weddings were great. My first husband and I decided to get married on the 1 year anniversary of our first date (which was also the night he moved in with me). We made plans to go to Hawaii and have a private ceremony there. We kept it a secret from everyone but our parents, but they weren't invited either. The first few days were spent getting our license and finding a location (Waimea Falls Park on the North Shore of Oahu at dawn), a justice of the peace, a photographer and a witness (the woman who worked in the park volunteered). We hired a Rolls Royce and driver to take us from Waikiki to Waimea. I wore a little white cotton mini dress and an orchid in my hair.

My second wedding was the best of the three. We decided to get married in October and have a costume wedding (you know how much I love Halloween). My future ex-husband was a Broadway stagehand who came from a very blue collar town in New Jersey, so all of his friends and family were either stagehands, cops or firemen. It just so happened that one friend's girlfriend worked at a costume store and she provided the most amazing outfits for most of the guests. We went as Rhett and Scarlett, the best man was the Phantom of the Opera. There were cops in Renaissance costumes replete with tights and plumes. The wedding and reception took place at a restaurant that overlooked the Hudson River so we arrived by speedboat to the great amusement of our guests. Our "aisle" was a long rickety pier, and we did our slow processional to the blaring strains of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Wedding March. Very campy. The ceremony was performed by a Nakota medicine woman. It was a great wedding. The marriage, however, lasted a little more than a year. (the happy ending is that he and I have remained close friends, and he has maintained a loving relationship with my daughter.)


The third was a smaller event at Tony's home because his mother was dying of ovarian cancer. We were married by a minister from the Ethical Culture Society. Tony's mom was a real trooper and danced with her husband while my then-five-year-old daughter tried to pull the hem of her skirt down to cover her catheter tubing. She passed away 3 months later, the day before another one of her son's got married. Our pictures are among the last that were taken of her.


Fun facts: The same photographer worked my 2nd and 3rd weddings. It's quite hilarious to look through his portfolio and see me getting married twice. Wedding #2 was featured in Bride's Magazine. That photographer went on to shoot celebrity weddings including Whitney Houston's.

Q: Is there anything you can tell us about New York that we possibly wouldn't know?

A: If you are in New York, you are expected to walk according to traffic patterns (keep to the right) on crowded sidewalks and public stairways, like going into or out of the subway. It's always easy to tell the tourists because they are constantly bucking "traffic".


Q) What is your most embarrassing moment?

MOST? Ah, that's a tough call. But there's a funny one that comes to mind. On the trip to Hawaii described in my first answer, the in-flight movie was "Raggedy Man". It was 1982, in the olden-days when in-flight movies were actually MOVIES, not DVDs or videotapes. We're all intensely watching a particularly suspenseful scene when I felt something tickling the back of my head. It startled me, but I figured it was my husband-to-be trying to freak me out so I ignored it. Again, I felt my hair move every so slightly, this time closer to the top of my head. I looked over at him, annoyed and rethinking this whole wedding idea, but he was staring straight at the screen. Finally, I felt it again and I reached up to see what the heck was touching me and it was a PILE of movie film that had unraveled from the projector above my head. The whole plane cracked up laughing. (At the very end of the movie, when we were about to find out the identity of the murderer, the film burned up inside the hot mechanism. A woman who had seen the film before had to stand up and tell us all how it ended.)

5) When you come back in the next life (that is, assuming that we do), what would you like to come back as?

Me, with money.

Last Girl on Earth's New Movie!!!

Deni Bonet, my talented violinist friend behind The Last Girl on Earth blog, has posted another video she shot in the streets of New York. She asked people to give her brief lines they'd want to hear uttered by random people on the streets of the city, and then off she went to recruit strangers to do her bidding.

The results are, once again, amazing. New Yorkers are SO up for anything, so totally uninhibited, and so much fun. My requested quote was, "Hey Panthergirl...would you make a Sim of me?" So now I'll have to actually DO it!

Having met Deni in person, it doesn't surprise me that people respond so happily to her. Go visit, watch the movie, and be on the lookout for her new CD!!