Yes! Apparently it has been decided that the 1985 movie Clue is going to be remade!! Universal has tabbed Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski to director the film. I have to say, this is my FAVORITE film of ALL TIME. I'm not sure how I feel about the remake. On one hand, the original was perfect and I wouldn't want it messed with. But on the other hand, it doesn't have to be looked at like a remake or a sequel - just another way to use the influence of the board game. I will have to wait to see the cast before I make a judgment of the film.

Darin and I actually started to brainstorm who we would like to see in the film. I know some others have thought of putting Johnny Depp in the movie because his connection to Verbanski, but I really hope not! Yes the movie should be 'dark' but it still should be a comedy. I also read on the Entertainment Weekly site that they would want Christopher Guest and crew (Best in Show) to fill the cast - again, it's a dark comedy not a mockumentary!

The first person who came to my mind was Megan Mullaley for Mrs. White. I could see her giving that character the same brilliance that Madeline Kahn did. Who else have I thought of? Fred Willard as Professor Plum, Eric McCormick (Will & Grace) as Mr. Green, Bette Midler as Mrs. Peacock, Mathew Broderick as Wadsworth, Portia di Rossi as Yvette, Geena Davis as Miss Scarlet and Bill Murray as Colonel Mustard. Oh, and if they decide to have a "singing telegram girl" like the original, please get Miley Cyrus. That would be just hilarious.

No, this is not a post about the "OctoMom." Although I'm sure there is something to report about her (side note: she may not get to keep the babies! They may have a chance at a good life after all!). This is about a woman who was arrested in Kettering, Ohio.

Now, we've all seen people do stupid things while driving. Talking on cell phones, putting on make-up, even changing their clothes (yes, I have seen it.). This woman is the first one I have heard of breastfeeding while driving. Not only that, but she was also talking on her cell phone! How in the world does she think it is safe to do that let alone have a baby on your lap in the front seat! That's enough to have child services at your door. The sad thing about all this is that the woman told officers she was breast-feeding and wouldn't let her child go hungry. Why don't they require licenses to breed?

The following list documents the top 10 list of things "Dave" likes to" do, as determined by the world's most popular search engine. If you wish to play along, these are the instructions: Go to Google and search for "[Your first name] likes to" and then state here the top 10... Make sure to use quotes around "[Your first name] likes to."

I know this sounds weird but I want y'all's help. I'm looking for suggestions for topics for discussion. The crazier the better! Feel free to put them in a comment here or email me at rookieruggerlsu@gmail.com. Also, I'm taking suggestions for my new design. If there is something you'd like to see here, let me know! Thanks y'all!

I've often wondered what the judges have in the Coke glasses in front of them. I've figured out that Simon Cowell must have prune juice in his. Randy and Kara, well I don't really care about them. But Paula, she must have some good liquor in her glass. That is the only logical explanation for her genius wit and intelligence. How many times an episode does she stop mid-sentence and you just wonder if she even knows where she is? Doesn't anyone else wonder why she is checking out the contestants' legs instead of listening to them sing? Sometimes I wonder what song she is listening to - clearly it's not what the rest of us are hearing.

I think she must do her interviews drunk too. She makes statements and then the next day makes sure everyone who will listen to her knows "that isn't what [she] meant!" Her latest remarks that she retracted were once again criticizing the existence of a 4Th judge on Idol. This is the second time she has made bonehead remarks and then tried to take them back. Hey Paula - your contract ends at the end of this season. You might want to keep your mouth shut if you want to keep your useless spot on the panel.

Well, I got 2 of the 3 correct. I am shocked that Idol voters refrained from voting for Norman Gentle. Come on, these are the same voters who kept Sanjaya around far longer than he should have been allowed to. I think most people agreed that Allison and Adam were far better than the rest of the weak group. If Nick hadn't gone through, I honestly had no idea who would get that third spot since most of the group sucked or were forgettable. Well, at least my friend Shae was happy that fellow Arkansan Kris Allen made it through. I'm curious how many from this group with make the wild card show. Hopefully we won't see any more of Norman Gentle, unless he was in 4th place this week, then we have no choice.

I have to admit that I didn't pay close attention to Survivor this week. Sorry, American Idol comes first in my book. Next week things will go back to normal when Idol is on Tue./Wed. again.

I did manage to flip back and forth and I did watch the challenges and tribal council. I was actually surprised that Erinn is still around. She has managed to alienate herself from the group, yet there were enough people that agreed with her that Jerry needed to leave. I'm sure Jerry, a former military man, must have been shocked at his ouster since Tyson told him "no one" was talking about voting him. Sorry Tyson, no one was talking to YOU or Coach about it. That's all. Maybe Coach's "desired game" won't come true after all. Remember, this is Survivor - the strong rarely come out on top.

Dumbass of the Weak : Coach and Tyson. Lordy, lordy. Can we go one season without a "bromance" or a mutual admiration butt-licking society? I sincerely hope Tyson is just amusing Coach by acting excited about being his "assistant coach." Wait, is that like Robin was Batman's sidekick or like Ernie is "just roommates" with Bert? Something tells me it is the latter.

Surprise of the Week : The Jalapeno Kickers, I mean the Jalapao Tribe. In week 1 it looked like Timbira was going to steamroll them. Two weeks in a row now Jalapao has kicked some Timbira ass. Rarely do we see a tribe in the early episodes work with such great teamwork. Looks like Sandee could be around a while, eh?

I wonder if Tyson will blindside Coach next week .. or is it more likely he will do something with his backside?

Well here we are - the 2nd 12 in the Top 36 have now performed for American Idol viewers. I have to say, I wasn't exactly impressed with the majority of the performances. For a while, the highlight of the night was Jeanine Vaills' legs. Yep, you heard that right. After three performances in, that was the best thing so far. Thank goodness if started to get better but those good performances were few and far between. Here is my recap:

Megan Corkerie -- "Put Your Records On" by Corinne Bailey Rae -- I think some of the judges gave her better feedback than she really was. She's definitely got a unique sound, but she seemed to me like a little kid singing at a family party. Just needs more stage presence to be a contender.

Kris Allen -- "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson -- My friend Shae will hate me for this, but he was just alright. As Simon would say, forgettable. In fact, when Shae asked me what I thought of him I had to ask who he was. If you're going to pick a Jackson song, this isn't the one to pick. In the end, he has a nice voice. He'd be better to go back to leading church music.

Meshavonna Henson -- "Drops of Jupiter" by Train -- The problem with her performance is that she falls into the "safe" category. On a show like this, you have to be great if you expect to advance. The judges hit the nail on the head when they said she was "too serious." There was no connection to the audience. In the end, the girl can sing though.

Jessie Langseth -- "Betty Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes -- One word: Blah. Seen it before. Sounded ok, but the original was sung in a much huskier voice which made the song a hit. She needs to "get dirty" with a song like this.

Jasmine Murray -- "Love Song" by Sarah Barailles -- Next time Jasmine, read the words and understand the song you're singing. This is a song about the fact Barailles didn't want to write the generic love song her label wanted. Murray seems to think its an angry woman singing to her evil ex-boyfriend.

Matt Giraud -- "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay -- Pick a song you can actually sing.

Matt Breitzke -- "If You Could Only See" by Tonic -- This was one of my favorites from the audition shows. I can't express how disappointed I was. He took a cheesy song and made it even worse.

Jeanine Vaills -- "This Love" by Maroon 5 -- If the only thing Paula Abdul can think of to say to you is "Great legs," you know you sucked.

Kai Kaloma -- "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted" by Paul Young -- more corny than Iowa.


Nick Mitchell aka Norman Gentle -- "I am Telling You" parody -- I have to say, this is a guilty pleasure of mine. I loved this guy in the auditions and was surprised that the judges actually put him in the Top 36 (This is why you didn't make it Jamar). While he was VERY entertaining, it was just a mess vocally.

Allison Iraheta -- "Alone" by Heart -- When they showed her during Hollywood week, I was excited to see her perform live. Looking at her I would not expect that she is as good as she is. She's only 16 and is singing circles around the rest of the girls. If she doesn't win the girl vote tomorrow, I will be surprised.

Adam Lambert -- "Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones -- Incredible. He actually looked like he had already won the entire competition.


I know, I know. I don't want Nick in the Top 12 either but people like him so much I think they may just vote him in. Besides, I don't see anyone else who belongs in the Top 12 besides Allison and Adam. Megan, Meshavonna and Jessie could all end up in the Wild Card round although I don't think all 3 will make it. For the record, I picked all 3 correctly last week. ha!

An Obituary printed in the London Times......... Interesting and sadly rather true


Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason...

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Y'all have made me very happy! Today I found out I have passed 3500 hits to my site! When I started this blog, I don't think I expected to have so many people wanting to read what I have to say. Thanks to all of y'all who've continued to come to my blog!!!

By the way -- soon I will be revealing a new look for the site! Also, by summer I am planning to have my own domain so that I can really give y'all something special to entertain you... Thanks!

I know I have mentioned the "crazy baby lady" a few times and lately I haven't been as enthusiastic to read more about her. It just gets nuttier every day. She started out saying she'd never accept charity. Then we find out not only has she received charity but she has also received welfare. Of course, she doesn't think food stamps is welfare - but guess what, they are! Also, she has had a website created to beg for donations of money and supplies. A bit hypocritical, don't you think? She has even been offered free care - including therapists, medical care, daycare - which also comes with a new home to live in, yet she has not accepted the help.

In fact, in the recent television interview that included her mother, she says, "maybe I need to give up needing to be in control and accept the help." This is the same woman who swore that she did the IVF treatments because she could afford the children. I don't think she really thought more about the costs of more children than just "oooh! a baby in diapers!" I don't even think she realizes that without her parents' help and the help of public assistance, she couldn't even afford the six children she already has.

What really makes me mad is I don't think she really understands what she is doing her six children psychologically or what harm will be done in the future to all 14 of her children. Ironically, she has been trying to earn a masters degree in counseling and has worked as a licensed psych technician. That scares me that she has been involved with the care of people considering she clearly seems to not have a grip on reality. I grew up in a home where I came out of it psychologically damaged (I know I have not explained why yet, but at a future time I will). I know firsthand the kind of damage that can happen because of the actions of parents. The type of parenting, or lack there of, has a clear effect on the kids. Sometimes, these effects may not even be seen until later in adulthood.

I really cry for these babies. I pray that something will happen that will ensure these kids have a better future than the one at the end of the road they are currently on.

I found this over on the Towleroad website. I think this is a hilarious piece of art. Those featured as passengers on the ark are Ellen Degeneres & Portia DeRossi, Rosie O'Donnell & wife Kelli, Bert & Ernie, Brokeback Mountain's Jack & Ennis and Elton John & David Furnish. I was surprised that the artist left out Harvey Milk! Meanwhile, anti-gay propagandists and sinners are among those drowning in the sea. You'll notice Fred Phelps and his Westboro Church signs in there as well as Larry Craig, Pat Boone's guitar (he was a supporter of Prop 8), Ann Coulter and others. The painting, by artist Paul Richmond, was created for a gallery show called “Sweet & Low: Optimism in a Pessimistic Age” at Gallery Arcane in San Francisco.

I hope this photo disgusts y'all as much as it disgusts me. This bigot is from Westboro "Baptist" Church. I put quotations around Baptist because they are not like any Baptist church I know of - and I am a Baptist myself. For those that have never heard of this group, it is a group of hate-mongers led by homosexual propagandist Fred Phelps. Mostly this group protests anything homosexual (as well as much more) - from movies to productions to clinics. If it can be linked to homosexuality, in any way, this group will protest it.

Most recently, they have been banned from entering the United Kingdom where they were to protest a theatrical production of the Laramie Project and protested at the Oscars because they allow movies like Milk to win awards. The most disgusting recent bit of activity is that they actually tried to protest at funerals for people who died in the recent plane crash in Buffalo, NY. They had the audacity to say "planes crash, God laughs." I can't imagine where they would get a notion like that. I have read the Bible, it's not in there.

Back to the photo. When I saw it, I first noticed the shirt the woman is wearing. "God Hates Fags Scum." I would love for them to point to any place in the Bible where it says that God hates gays. Funny thing - it doesn't. Heck, God doesn't even hate prostitutes or idolaters or criminals. He hates the sin. And I have news for Westboro - you're sinners just like the rest of us. How does it feel to hate yourself?

If you're in need a good laugh, check out my current Featured Blog, Mental Poo.

I just want to know why adult women would go on national television and play musical chairs with blindfolds. Hell, most kids don't even want to play this old-fashioned game. Sadly, at this one person usually cheats during the game. Most times, it's funny to watch these people look like idiots just for our entertainment.

I would like to believe that karma does indeed exist. I'm not sure if it does or not, but if it does, some people need to watch out. Certain people think they can screw innocent people over and get away with it without consequence. Consider yourselves warned evil people!

No, I did not watch the Oscars. I did not want to watch Slumdog Millionaire win a ton of undeserving awards (I'm sure some of you liked the movie, but I did not. Also, those associated with the movie are earning tons of money for this movie but those in the slums of Mumbai have not, and probably will not, see any kind of improvement as was promised.). But, I did flip onto ABC and caught bits and pieces. I'd love to know how Hugh Jackman really expects us to believe that his marriage isn't a sham and that he isn't "gayer than Christmas," as Jack McFarland would say. I caught his big production number with Beyonce ... All I can say is Gay, Gay, Gay .. oh, and what the hell were they thinking having Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgeons be in it?

The highlight for me was finding out afterwards that Milk won 2 Oscars. Sean Penn TOTALLY deserved the Best Actor award (take that Brad Pitt!) and congratulations to Dustin Lance Black winning Best Original Screenplay for Milk!

A story tonight on ABC's 60 Minutes dealt with the controversial issue of lowering the legal age to purchase alcohol from 21 to 18. The movement is being led by the President of Middlebury College in Vermont. Having grown up in the Albany, NY area, I had heard stories about the partying that went on in that town. In fact, I believe there was a death due to alcohol at the college when I was in high school.

Proponents of lowering the age cite the fact that currently it is next to impossible to effective enforce this law. Mainly, all they can do is write tickets. All that has accomplished is driving the drinking further "underground." They also believe that high risk underage drinking takes place because of the law. Perhaps had the age not been raised in the first place, we would not have college and high school students engaging in risky drinking games or trying to "speed drink" before going out in order to get drunk cheaper and faster.

So I will pose this question - Should the age be lowered to 18? Why or why not? Any thoughts?

Yes, Senator Koering, the economy is a pressing issue. That does not mean gay rights should be tabled! Openly gay MN Senator Paul Koering decided this week to NOT support a marriage equality measure in Minnesota because they are more important issues and we shouldn't be wasting time on these type of "pointless issues." I agree that the economy is an issue that needs to be worked on - but there are more than ONE issue on the table.

An aide to Koering sent out a blanket email to people who had e-mailed or phoned the Senator about his decision. One thing really stuck out to me in this email. His aide says the following : "do you honestly believe that {the people in the district] would say to you, 'Yes, please, waste the time of the State Legislature with a piece of legislation that will not help, but in fact, overshadow the current situation we're living in? Please, waste their time with this piece of legislation while I tell my son and daughter that mom and dad aren't hungry tonight?"

Well, I didn't realize that him taking 2 minutes to vote on an issue of EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL PEOPLE would somehow take so much time away from working on the economy that people would starve. Also, does he know for sure that the majority of people in his district wouldn't want him to vote yes on this issue? Something tells me he hasn't ask them for their take on it. Forget him being gay. That's not the issue here. The issue is that this bill, and others like it, would help a large percentage of Americans EQUAL to the rest.

So, here are some words for Senator Koering to think on - words from the great statesman, Harvey Milk ...

"Somewhere in Des Moines or San Antonio, there is a young gay person who all of a sudden realizes that she or he is gay. Knows that if the parents find out they’ll be tossed out of the house. The classmates will taunt the child and the Anita Bryants and John Briggs are doing their bit on TV, and that child has several options: staying in the closet, suicide. . . and then one day that child might open up the paper and it says, “homosexual elected in San Francisco,” and there are two new options. One option is to go to California. . . OR stay in San Antonio and fight. You’ve got to elect gay people so that that young child and the thousands upon thousands like that child know that there’s hope for a better world. There’s hope for a better tomorrow."

Well, we have homosexuals elected to all levels of government. Where is the fight though? There are still places where gays can be denied renting apartments. They can be denied the right to adopt children in dire need of a home. We still cannot marry the people we love. If that isn't a pressing issue Mr. Koering, I don't know what is. How come when women or blacks were being denied their rights it was something that needed swift justice but now it doesn't matter if homosexuals are being denied their rights? Maybe it doesn't matter to you, but it does to a lot of us. Also, normally I would applaud you for not letting your personal feelings guide you to vote against the wishes of the people, but when it is voting on something that results in people being denied basic rights maybe it is time to get personal.

Earlier this week I posted something from Joe.My.God regarding Utah state senator Chris Buttars and his homophobic remarks. He had compared gays to radical Muslims and cited them as "the greatest threat to America" he knows. Well Mr. Buttars, you've now learned that you cannot just say whatever you want and expect no consequences!

In the aftermath of these remarks, Buttars has been removed from his chairmanship of the state senate's judiciary committee. He has also been removed from the Senate Judicial Confirmation committee. Senate President Michael Waddoups made the announcement yesterday morning.

It's nice to see such a nice guy get what's coming to him. Hopefully when he is up for re-election, he will lose as well.

Baton Rouge defense attorney Chiquita Tate, 34, was found stabbed to death (over 12 times!) in her office Friday morning, and police are scrambling for leads. Tate was preparing for a trial set to begin Monday. She was one of two attorneys defending Kenny "Kool-Aid" Kyser and Julius Thomas, III. The two are accused of killing 61-year-old Hillery Soileau and his son, Brandon, while Soileau's then seven-year-old grandson watched from his hiding place in a closet.

Tate's estranged husband found the body Friday morning after he reported that she did not return from work Thursday evening, family members say. Colleagues say the attorney and her husband were having marital problems and were not living together.

"Initial indications are that this is an isolated incident committed by someone with the intent to murder Ms. Tate," Baton Rouge Police said in a news release said. "Police also believe there is no concern that this person(s) pose a threat to other workers or patrons of the downtown area."

Here is the crazy part. Chiquita Tate was just on the local news yesterday! And then this morning she is found murdered. It scares me sometimes to think about what is happening in our world. Who teaches these people that it is ok to do things like this?

Update: The husband has been arrested for a prior domestic abuse warrant issued last year. Unfortunately, the police still have no leads on what happened to Ms. Tate.

All I can say is that it is a shame that such a bright woman lost her life today.

It's amazing to see how much Dakota has changed since coming to Louisiana. Before we got here, she NEVER wanted to play. She pretty much just ate, slept and got attention from us. Now, she not only wants to play with Pokey (who is always ready to play) but she even initiates playtime! The funniest thing is that once in a while, she would try to roll onto her back. She reminded of a turtle trying to roll without ending up on their back. Now, she drops onto the ground outside and rolls completely over. You have to understand, Dakota is very wide and has stubby legs. It isn't an easy maneuver for her at all. It's been awesome to see her so playful and really come out of her shell here. I can't wait to see how she handles being up in the North!

This third photo is the funniest of all the ones I got this day when they were playing. Is it just me or does Dakota look completely vicious?? I assure you she isn't! In this photo she reminds me of a lioness hunting its prey!

When I was a kid, one of the my favorite things to get each Christmas was the "art box" my grandmother would make for me each year. She would take my grandfather's cigar boxes (they were very deep) and would use shelf paper to cover the inside and outside to make it look nice. Inside, she would put crayons, markers, pencils, erasers, scissors and various other craft supplies. She would also give me construction paper, sketch pads and coloring books. I think what made this my favorite gift is that I was the only one of the grandkids who got one and I knew that she really took the time to make something special for me. It is no secret in our family that I was the favorite of my grandparents. Sure, they tried hard not to single me out - but it is common knowledge in our family nonetheless.

So why the walk down memory lane? Tonight I had a friend send me one of those questionnaires on Facebook and there was a question asking how color of Crayola crayon would we be. I looked on Wikipedia to see what all the colors are and I was surprised at how in depth their entry was on the site. Is there anything Wikipedia doesn't know? The person who sent me the questionnaire was online with me as I was answering the questions and I had to share with her what I found regarding the crayons. I was surprised at the amount of information they had about the history of each color and of course, some of the names made us laugh. I remember when we just had red, blue, yellow, etc. Some of the names now just make me wonder what kind of pot these people are smoking when they come up with them! Here are just a few of the weirdest:

Anyone else agree that someone was smoking something when they developed some of these color names? I would love to know why they thought a bland yellow defined Happy or that bear hug could describe a color at all! I would just love to know what their typical process is when coming up with new names. Oh, by the way Crayola - when will see vomit as a color?

Didn't we get enough of MC Hammer in the early 1990's? Well apparently it is time to bring this has-been back into the limelight. Heck, they rejuvinated Bret Michaels' career - why not Hammer? A&E has order 11 episodes of Hammertime, a reality TV series that will show Hammer - a "new age dad" according to the network - attempt to juggle his "career" as a performer, speaker, homemaker, website developer and head of his own music label.

"Each week we'll open our home to viewers to showcase the hectic pace of our lives and our eclectic family, our real life truly is drama and there is no better place than A&E for some Hammertime," said Hammer, who is also serving as one of the show's executive producers.

"Hammertime truly captures the intimate, funny and genuine moments that resonate with our viewers and underscore the essence of our brand," said Robert Sharenow, A&E's senior vice president of nonfiction and alternative programming.

Hmmm. Why do they think we need to watch irrelevant former celebrities try to regain their youth? Somehow I don't think I will be watching this one. Drinking acid sounds like more fun.

Okay - Don't the people who go on this show know that you have to learn when to keep your mouth shut? It is a running theme in Survivor history - you run your mouth about someone before the first time you go to Tribal council and you GO HOME. Hey Candace - maybe you should have watched more Survivor episodes before auditioning for the show.

I think we all expected Sierra (who had been voted the weakest during Episode 1's "First Impression Vote") to be the first person voted out of Timbira - but "Coach" was able to convince people that Candace was a "poisoned apple" that needed to go. I have to admit - as much as it pains me - that "Coach" did something smart. He convinced the sheep to vote out the person gunning for him. He is still a tool but at least he has SOME strategy.

Dumbass of the Weak : Taj. Why the hell would you tell the others your husband is Eddie George? Next you're going to tell people that your former career was as a member of the hit r&b singing group, SWV. You just admitted to your tribe that you DON'T NEED THE MONEY. Good going.

Surprise of the Week : Sandee. Who knew she could kick ass like she did in the Immunity/Reward challenge? She was tackling people less than half her age! Even the people in Timbiri talked about how "the little old lady" kicked their pathetic asses. Hopefully that will keep her in the game for awhile. It sucks that the younger people think she should go simply because she's older.

Well America, Group #1 for American Idol Season 8 has performed and the votes were cast Tuesday evening. I just have a brag a little - I predicted all 3 of the finalists voted into the Top 12. The 3 finalists moving on were Michael Sarver (yes! He is the hottie I told y'all about recently), Alexis Grace (clearly the top female last night) and Danny Gokey (who brought the house down with his rendition of the Mariah Carey #1 hit, Hero).

Michael Sarver ----------------- Alexis Grace


Danny Gokey

"Homosexuality will always be a sexual perversion. And you say that around here now and everybody goes nuts. But I don't care. They're mean. They want to talk about being nice. They're the meanest buggers I have ever seen. It's just like the Muslims. Muslims are good people and their religion is anti-war. But it’s been taken over by the radical side. What is the morals of a gay person? You can't answer that because anything goes. They're probably the greatest threat to America going down I know of." - Utah state Sen. Chris Buttars (R), speaking in the documentary, 8 - The Mormon Proposition.

The Utah television station reporting on the documentary says that Buttars goes on to describe a particular gay sexual act he claims is taking place, "but ABC 4 does not consider that appropriate for its news content."

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Rookie says ...

Is it me, or is this guy stuck in the 1950s? Gays are the greatest threat to America? Did he forget about 9/11?? Does he know about the Taliban or Osama? Something tells me he needs get out of Mormon Utah once in a while and see what's REALLY going on in this country and throughout the world. I also didn't realize that being gay means you are mean. Funny, I don't see gays targeting straight people are beating them or committing hate crimes against them. Gays aren't the ones denying heterosexuals the basic freedoms all Americans should have. But we are the means ones?

Well, they're not really scooby snacks but tonight Darin made our babies some really great treats from a recipe he found online (of course, he doctored it a lot!) and our dogs LOVED them. Now, our dogs will eat any treat you give to them (except crackers - Pokey (our boy mutt) will lick the salt off but never eat them) but we can tell when they really love the treat versus just kind of liking them. When Dakota (our female golden) tries to bite your fingers off and then inhales the cookie - that's a winner. We like to make our own cookies because the price of dog treats is insane! Plus, we get to make them the way we know Pokey and Dakota will love them . I thought I would share the recipe with my readers since I know so many of y'all are dog lovers/owners!

I am very glad that it's time for .... The Amazing Race! One of the few reality shows that doesn't just cast borderline psycho or stupid people. The season premiere's "detour" task required the teams to run up a steep hill with traditional wooden backpack-type cheese block carriers. They had to bring 4 50-lb block of cheese from the aging shed at the top of the hill to the bottom. Sound easy enough, right? Add a lot of mud, water, a couple of rednecks and dog poop and hilarity ensues....

When did Lindsay Lohan stop eating? I know she is "off" the drugs and all, but I thought when you stop doing the illegal drugs you usually gain some weight - not drop it like a heroin addict! Don't photos like these make you want to be a celebrity??

I have a friend who is going through a tough time. They are in a relationship that is clearly not one where she is loved and treated well. It has gone on for sometime and she continues to stay in this abusive relationship. I wish she would realize that she truly does deserve better for herself. I know on the outside, it appears that she is a confident person but I know on the inside, she truly believes that she does not deserve to be happy. Instead, she continues to be in a relationship where they are continually told how worthless they are and over time they have begun to believe it is indeed the truth. I don't know if they know it but I cry for them.

We know that spousal, or partner, abuse happens every day. Usually, people think of battered, beaten wives or girlfriends when you mention domestic abuse. It does happen to men as well - and more often than you think. Yes, the number of men in this situation is much lower than for women - but it really is a growing epidemic in this country. That begs the question, "Why?". Why do we stay in these relationships? At one point or another in our lives, most of us have been in a "relationship", romantic or otherwise, that has been "abusive". Most of us get out of them when we realize how harmful the continued relationship is to our psyche - but some don't.

For some, they are too dependent on the perpetrator to find a way out. For example, an abused stay-at-home mother may feel that she cannot leave her abusive relationship because if she did, she would have no way of providing for her children. Or, if she left the kids, she is afraid the abuse will be transferred to the children in her absence. Others cite cultural or religious reasons, such as Catholics avoiding divorce, to rationalize their decision to stay.

A more common reason, and one the individual may not think of, is the "cycle of abuse". Most abusers are not abusive all the time. Many go through "periods" of abuse - say a day or two - and then are perfectly loving. They apologize and do something to make up for the abuse and the abused person rationalizes staying because they think the person could change or that it's not so bad most of the time. Others accept it because they were brought up by their parents believing that they are worthless. This is the case, I believe, with my friend. Their dad constantly told them how worthless they were - and still does at times. So much so that over the years, my friend has tried hard to prove their worth but always coming up short in their own mind - despite people telling them otherwise.

So I ask - why do we torture ourselves like this? Even those who know the psychology behind it can still get themselves into this mess. Maybe we will never know just why we are willing to accept the abuse.

But I will say this - let's make a resolution. No, not a "new year's resolution" that we will keep for a week then discard. A real resolution. Let's resolve to not let those around us to diminish our personal worth. To not let ourselves continue to be unhappy. To make sure that we remind ourselves every day that we have worth - we deserve happiness - and we deserve love.

And if/when my friend reads this - I hope you know you are worthy of happiness and love.

Time for me to make a shameless plea! I'd like to know who is reading my blog! I know a lot of y'all come by to read daily or at least several times a week. And yes, I do have the Feedjit thingy over there on the right hand side so I do know WHERE people live that are reading me. I would just like to know WHO.

I had no idea how many followers I had so when I was logging in the other day I looked and I had TWO. Now I know many more than TWO read me each day - so please, please, please make my day and click on that follow me thingy over there... Now I just realized, I didn't have it on my site before so it wasn't readily available - but now it is!

I know I am blessed that so many of y'all read me as often as you do - I would just like to know who is reading my site ... Thanks to everyone who has given my world a bit of your time now and then!

I couldn't help but post this video. I saw this commercial yesterday and I damn near pissed my pants. I'm not sure if this commercial is really clever or if someone was high on pot when they made this!

Don't you just feel like this little guy some days?

Dallas megachurch pastor T.D. Jakes has said that he would never hire a sexually active gay person and has spoken out against same-sex marriage. He is clearly someone who thinks of homosexuality as a sin and not something we are born into. Well, how ironic life can be! Now his son has been arrested in a sex sting after approaching law enforcement officers in a park and exposing himself to them while masturbating!

"Jermaine Donnell Jakes, 29, faces a charge of indecent exposure after allegedly exposing himself in front of two undercover vice detectives shortly after 10 p.m. on Jan. 3. Senior Cpl. Janice Crowther, a DPD spokeswoman, confirmed Thursday, Feb. 12 that the detectives were both male. According to an arrest affidavit, the detectives were conducting an investigation into citizen complaints of sexual activity when they observed Jakes and several other unknown males park their vehicles in the lot east of the park at 2106 W. Kiest Blvd. The detectives followed Jakes into a wooded area, where he approached them with his penis exposed through his unzipped pants, the affidavit states. Jakes masturbated for several seconds while making eye contact with one of the detectives. Jakes made no attempt to conceal his penis despite people walking and jogging on a trail nearby, the affidavit states. According to court records, Jermaine Jakes listed his place of employment as T.D. Jakes Ministries."

"The son of Potter’s House Bishop T.D. Jakes turned himself in to the Dallas County Jail on Thursday on an indecent exposure charge stemming from an incident at a southern Dallas park last month. Jermaine Jakes, 29, posted $1,000 bail and was released Thursday morning, according to jail records... He was detained at the scene and released, as is often the procedure in such cases. The charge is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a $2,000 fine."

Now I want to know how TD Jakes is going to handle this. He is openly homophobic and has been very outspoken against gay rights and marriage. If what he has preached all these years is true, what would lead his son to do what he did? Judging by his actions in the park, it was clearly not his first time there or his first time being sexual with men. That begs the question - will Pastor Jakes think his son just needs forgiveness or might he actually have to believe his son was born with this attraction to men?

Pastor Jakes has a congregation of over 30,000 at Potter's House. Will he support his son or deny him the support he needs right now in order to appear "virtuous" to his congregation? I have met the man - many years ago at a collegiate Christian conference in - and it seemed to me at the time that this is a man who enjoys the spotlight. I think the spotlight on his family now won't be so enjoyable.

Okay... for once my partner and I agree on someone who is "hot". Michael Sarver has my vote this season! I think Darin just likes that he is an "oil rig roughneck" but I was attracted to his voice first. The question will be if people will vote for him over some of the "favorites" who have had more screen time. If you're an Idol fan - vote for Michael Sarver this coming Tuesday!

This is something I found over on D-Listed tonight. I don't think I could have said it better. If you haven't checked them out - you need to. You will laugh!

"I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming."

No, this is not a post about Alice in Wonderland. Tonight I was watching The Bachelor and I suddenly felt depressed. It surprised me as well. Normally a show like that wouldn't make me sad. But there I was laying in bed and just suddenly felt like crying. Now depression is nothing new to me. As my readers know, I have been battling depression for quite some time now. While it is common knowledge that I have been in a depression thanks to my physical health problems, I have actually had issues with depression for most of my life.

When I was little, I don't think people knew I was depressed since it was actually normal for me to be quiet and to want to just sit and read. When I was in high school, I was involved in practically every club or organization imaginable so no one really thought anything was wrong. By that point, I had become very good at hiding what my true feelings were. Up until junior high school, no one had even paid attention. In junior high, my mother finally noticed something was wrong and called the county. She never asked me what was wrong - she just decided to let someone else figure out what it was. I have news for her, they never did.

So now you know I have spent the vast majority of my life in some kind of depressive state. Some days I'm better at hiding it than others. These days, I'm not really able to hide it. So what was it tonight that set me off? I know it sounds dumb, but watching the folks on the show go on their "hometown" dates made me very depressed. They have something I might never have - the ability to be truly happy to see their family. When they showed up to their family's home, they were greeted by loving, excited people. When I go home, I'm greeted by "hi" and not much more. About the only thing to look forward to when going home for me is to see my grandmother. Other than that, going home is depressing in itself.

Seeing these happy people made me think back. Was there ever a time when I was truly happy to be at home with my family? I honestly cannot think of a time. Sure there were times when I laughed or thought I was happy. Thinking back on it, I was just going through the motions. When I left, did I really miss anyone there? I missed my grandmother but honestly, I don't think I ever missed the rest of my family. Well, one of my cousins I missed. I spent a week up in NY before Christmas this past December. I couldn't wait to leave.

Sometimes I wish I was part of a "cookie cutter" type family. You know - one of those perfect looking and loving families. One you always compared your own to, even though you knew you couldn't. I won't go into the long details, but at times I felt like an outsider in my own home. My dad never really talked to us, my brother is someone I would rather eat elephant dung than talk to and my mom was usually too self-absorbed or drunk to think about anyone else. Thinking about my cousins' lives gives me a headache. Even sometimes it's hard to have a conversation with my grandmother - and trust me, she means the world to me.

So tonight there I was depressed thinking about my own family. If I was on one of these shows that has a "homecoming" of sorts, what would I get as my homecoming? Now I know I am blessed to have a loving partner - one whose family somewhat accepts me. Usually that is enough for me but sometimes I need more. I hate that I need more but not ever having had it, sometimes that need just lingers there unfulfilled.

So why the title? Sometimes I feel like going down into that rabbit hole just to see whats at the other end. But when I do, I get stuck between what I have and what I wish I had. I can see what I wish I had but I can't escape what I have.

Approximately 300 dogs were taken from a suspected puppy mill Friday in Eastern Carolina in what is being called the biggest puppy mill raid ever in North Carolina. Rescuers say when they arrived at the property they were greeted by a gruesome scene. The dogs, mainly Lhasa Apso, Shih-Tzus and Chihuahuas, were suffering from serious medical ailments and housed in filthy conditions.

Animal control says many of the dogs were emaciated, had untreated lacerations, severely matted fur and serious skin and eye infections. Authorities say they were being housed in unheated cages inside unventilated barns and outhouses. A web site for Thorton Kennels says it specializes in small breed dogs and has been in operation for almost 35 years. Sadly, two of the puppies died later in the day and two more were taken to an animal hospital.

It amazes me that people can be so infatuated with making money that they could treat innocent animals so inhumanely. Those of you thinking about adding a pet to your family, please do not purchase animals from places like Petco or a breeder you are not familiar with. If you must use a breeder, make sure to research them thoroughly to make sure you are not supporting a puppy mill. I would ask you, however, to not purchase an over-priced animal but to support your local animal shelter and give a needy animal a good home. We have two rescues ourselves and we wouldn't have it any other way.

The story just keeps getting nuttier and nuttier. As I mentioned previously, I think the woman in California who recently had octuplets is clearly a nutcase. If you did not see the excerpt from Monday's upcoming Today Show, you missed seeing a train wreck in progress! I couldn't believe just how far this woman is from living in reality. The woman has now been identified as 33 year-old Nadya Suleman. After hearing even more information about this woman, I am convinced she is truly mentally incompetent. What is really scary is that she is a licensed psychiatric technician - it is clear she herself should be under psychiatric care!

I would love to know why any doctor would have done more fertility treatments on her. The same doctor that did her treatments this last time also was the doctor who helped her conceive her first six children. Initially he tried to convince her to only use 1 or 2 embryos. She said no, that she want to use six. According to her, she used all six because "those are my children, and that's what was available and I used them." Apparently, the doctor felt the woman knew more than he did. If he had been a responsible doctor, he would never have impregnated her this time or the previous 5 times. Why didn't the doctor consider that fact that he was impregnating an unemployed, single woman who was on and off disability?

That raises another question - how could this woman be on disability AND be pregnant? She initially began receiving worker's compensation in 1999 when involved in an accident at work. Over the past decade, she has received more than $200,000 in disability payments. I, for one, would love to know not only how she could be pregnant and physically disabled but also how she was able to afford the fertility treatments. As we know, her parents were also taking care of her family and her bills but I doubt that even such gullible parents would foot the bill for extra children she could not afford.

When asked by Ann Curry on the Today Show about how she planned to afford these extra 8 children, she responded by saying, "I know I'll be able to afford them when I'm done with my schooling. If I were just sitting down, watching TV and not being as determined as I am to succeed and provide a better future for my children, I believe that would be considered to a certainly degree selfish." What I would like to know is, how will she pay for them NOW. This is a woman who clearly has no grip on reality!

"I'm providing myself to my children," Nadya Suleman told NBC in her first interview. "I'm loving them unconditionally, accepting them unconditionally, everything I do. I'll stop my life for them and be present with them and hold them and be with them. And how many parents do that? I'm sure there are many that do, but many don't. And that's unfortunate. And that is selfish." Seems to me that this woman is the perfect definition of what selfishness is! She is only having these children because she was an only child and therefore she suffered and was "dysfunctional". Funny, I didn't realize that being an only child made you dysfunctional. She clearly thinks that spending time with them and holding them is all you need to care for children properly. I hate to burst her bubble but singing lullabies and hugging them isn't going to pay for the diapers, formula or baby furniture.

The most disturbing thing, in my opinion, is that when asked why she did this, she replied, "All I wanted was children. I wanted to be a mom. That's all I ever wanted in my life." Well I have some news for her - you already ARE a mom! You already had six children under the age of 7 at home who clearly are not being provided for adequately. Now you want to add 8 more children? Not only is that irresponsible but also immoral.

I think what most people are thinking is true - this is a crazy woman who is going to use these children to earn as much money as she can. She claims she won't take welfare or outside financial help but I would love to hear her explanation for asking Oprah Winfrey for $2 million to appear on her show. I want to know when the Department of Child Protective Services is going to step in and take these children away from this horrible woman. She clearly cannot provide for these children. I am glad the fertility doctor is now being probed and he should lose his license.

This a video that the Courage Campaign made from photo submissions sent in supporting their "Please Don't Divorce Us" project.... I hope it works though - I couldn't watch it myself because dial-up is too slowwwwwwwww to show videos on the internet!

* A South Korean woman has now taken the driving exam a record 771 times. The woman first took the exam in April 2005 and has taken the exam every day since and has managed to fail it every time. A passing score is 60% - the highest she has scored is 50%. More shocking is that she has spent 4 million won ($3000) in fees to take the exams! I think it's time she just invested in a lifetime bus pass - much cheaper.

* A Ph.D. student in England has lost a valued part of his doctoral research - 77lbs of lizard poop. Yes you read that correctly - he is mad as hell for the university for not respecting his crap. He had spent 7 years collecting the dung in the Philippines and it was to be studied for his dissertation. The university apologized and offered him $750 in compensation - he said he will see them in court because his poop is worth much more than that. I have to wonder - how do you put a price tag on poop?

* A man has been cited for public intoxication while riding a white horse during a snowstorm in the northern Wyoming town of Cody. Assistant Police Chief George Menig says officers noticed Daniels was intoxicated after they stopped him to explain that drivers were having difficulty spotting his slow-moving white horse. Now there is a horse with 2 asses.

I think it is funny that Obama promised to cut the waste in Washington. He has repeatedly stated that there is a better way to spend taxpayers money and that he would put an end to government officials wasting our hard-earned dollars. Funny enough, the woman he appointed to be the butcher has resigned over tax issues. Two other cabinet nominations hadn't paid thousands of dollar in taxes. One was confirmed after ponying up the money and "apologizing for his oversight". The other, Tim Daschle, owed more than $100,000 in taxes and smartly withdrew his name from consideration. Hey President Obama - How can you appoint people to take care of our tax money when they aren't even responsible enough to pay their OWN taxes?

That brings me to the question of waste. Before I go there, let's not forget the "honesty" Obama has promised us with his administration. Oh yeah, we've seen plenty of that already. We all know the biggest issue right now is the economy. By now you've probably read a lot about the $819 billion economic stimulus package proposed by Obama and passed by the House. Thank goodness the Republicans can block this atrocity from passing in the Senate. Take a look at this:

These are just SOME of the wasteful inclusions in Obama's stimulus package. I was under the impression that the stimulus package is supposed to stimulate the economy and create JOBS. How does giving a tax break to movie producers for film stimulate the economy? We can't see their movies if we DON'T HAVE JOBS. Money to quit smoking? That will actually cost people at tobacco companies and retail outlets their jobs because people will be smoking less (Just playing devil's advocate here - I am 100% against smoking). I am not saying that none of these are legitimate things. They just have no business being in an economic stimulus package. They are just "pork" when included here - take up these issues somewhere else! Let's add these items up ....

13.3 BILLION dollars of waste. That's just for the items I named here in this posting. There are many more examples of complete wastefulness in the stimulus package. I would love to know how many of these are supposed to stimulate the economy or create jobs for us regular folks. Sure, interior designers and scientists will be okay under this deal but how about the rest of us?

So, President Obama, where is that frugality you promised us? Where is that honesty and integrity you said was missing in Washington and that you were going to bring to the White House? I hate to see what will happen in the rest of your term if this is how it is beginning. Please realize you are NOT delivering what you promised and change your tactics. We need you to.

Now my readers know how much I like Reality television programs. One of my favorites to watch is The Biggest Loser. I’m not really sure why I like it so much. Some reality shows I like to watch simply to see them fail or say something stupid. With Loser, I like to see what these people can accomplish – even if some of them are losing weight just to win money in the end. Would I call this show reality? Probably not. The average person does not have an expert trainer training them for an entire day, 7 days a week. We don’t live on a “ranch” with no outside distractions to pull us away from working out.

Part of why I like to watch the show is to see the relationships people have within a group and also to see how they change from the beginning of the season until the end. Last season on Biggest Loser was a great example of how some contestants completely changed from the beginning to the end. This season it has been nice to see that so far the majority of the contestants have focused more on the fact they are changing their lives rather than on the money. Then there is Joelle – who we don’t know what she is thinking.

Let me back up a little. On the first episode of this season it was revealed that, for all but two of teams, each team would send one person home while the other stayed at the “ranch”. After 30 days, they would return to the ranch if their partner had not been eliminated. The Silver team, Carla and Joelle, decided that Joelle would stay at the ranch. I was puzzled by that. At 379 pounds, Carla is the heaviest woman to have been cast for the show to date. Apparently, Joelle felt the need to “prove to family and friends that she could do it.” I think Carla gave up trying to fight with her and agreed to let her stay.

You may be thinking, why am I talking about these two people? As a heavy person myself, I know how important it is to lose weight. Being cast for the Biggest Loser is such an immense opportunity. I, like thousands of others in America, wish I could go on a show like that where you live in a bubble and only have to concentrate on losing weight – with people telling you what to eat and what to do. It would be nice to just be a weight-loss robot and not have to think about anything but the diet and exercise. I would love to know how someone like Joelle was able to get cast for the show. I’m sure they didn’t know what kind of drama this woman would cause once on the ranch – that was just a bonus for the producers.

I am angry that she was on the show. This woman was able to hang around giving 50% effort compared to the others there. She still thinks that she gave maximum effort in the gym – yet we see multiple times that she is wandering around the gym aimlessly as others are sweating and puking from the extreme efforts they are putting forth. The only week she really put forth an effort was the week after a handful of people voted to keep her around – only because they knew her partner, Carla, needed the training time on the ranch. She managed to avoid elimination only one week because of her effort. The only other time she wasn’t in the bottom two was because of penalty pounds to other contestants. The week that Carla and the others came back, Joelle believes she gave that supreme effort and had no idea why Carla and the others continually challenged her desire to be there.

During this week’s episode, it was revealed that not only did she not work out very hard but that against the wishes of the producers and cast, she left the ranch to vote in Detroit. She had sent in an absentee ballot but learned it “got messed up” and she snuck off the ranch to go home to vote because “it was historic”. She did all these fully knowing that people were sick of her excuses and that in doing this she was sealing the team’s fate if they fell into the bottom two at the weigh-in.

Now, I know most people don’t want a play by play of a silly television show but I wanted to say all this because it made me very angry. This show has helped a lot of people extend their lives and has inspired thousands of people at home to better their own lives. If I wasn’t disabled, I would audition for the show myself as I have a terrible time trying to lose weight myself. It makes me sick that some ignorant fool would take the spot of someone who truly wants to change their lives and not just give up because “it’s too hard.” What is even sadder is that Joelle not only ruined this for her partner but now they are not even friends because Joelle has the audacity to think that Carla is the one who doesn’t have a clue.