Next: Why Take Mission Trips to Foreign Countries???

While driving home tonight, I noticed several local churches announcing their "Mission Trip to Mexico"..."Mission Trip to Papau New Guinea".... Something inside me became enraged!!!Furious at this pompass sign....AARRRGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Like a wee mind fart if you will. Why don't these local "do-good-ers" take a HARD look at their community?? Why aren't they taking a weekend...Yep, give up a Saturday and go around their own backyards?? Cut some grass...wash some windows....cut some trees/shrubs.. Don't get it.

 The 1st Baptist Church  in a local town has posted this very sign. Do me a favor...Go stand facing this church from highway 93...then rotate your ENTIRE body 360 degrees and tell me what you see! This is what I see...a home that use to be loved by its community...glanced upon..maybe even regarded as.."cute"...That was 20 years ago.

 When I drive past this house, I see potential. Yes, someone does live there. The outer appearance of this house says it should be condemned...and yet across the street is this place that believes in "Love Thy Neighbor"....Really?? You do? PROVE IT!

I am actually going to challenge the 168 various places of worship in Pickens County... ** Number of Churches in Pickens County, SC  to take a HARD look at their communities...Drive around...take pictures...make lists of what you can do for your neighbor...Gather up all of your fellow worshipers and DO SOMETHING LOCAL!!
 What makes that church think that they have ZERO missionary work to perform in their own communities?? The money they will waste, on their mission trips to other countries, would be better served LOCAL! Can anyone explain to me why they CHOOSE to ignore something that is RIGHT IN THEIR FACE?? Who was the ass? Doing something as simple as raking leaves...pressure washing a front porch would make some people WANT to improve upon their homes...Maybe all they needed was a helping hand but were too prideful to ask for it!

So, I will say it AGAIN...WHY NOT LOCAL???? I would be curious to know if any local churches would even take me up on this challenge...I doubt it! Why would they NOT take a trip to a country they have never been to...and miss some cool photo-ops!!!?? Maybe buy a t-shirt while they are there...oh, and keep me informed on how this helped in the community you live in...

What Fuels Your Fire???

What are some topics that REALLY get you all twisted up inside?? When ignorance comes and stands in front of you, and points its righteous finger in your face, how do YOU react?? When it SCREAMS....Do you walk away?? Do you stand strong...feet planted...facing the wave of idiocy?? Do you throw your hands in the air and say to yourself..."Pfft, they'll NEVER understand!!" Do you challenge them...throw facts and figures in their face to prove YOUR point? I want YOU to tell me what some of the issues are, that you are willing to give your last breath for....

Excuses!! GET NEW ONES!!

Ok, we all have used excuses in every aspect of our lives. I have...for work...for putting things off, for not wanting to cook. Never have I used a certain excuse for the place I am in this universe.


From the time I was 6 years old, I knew that life was going to be a road of many lefts, rights and u-turns....and some ABRUPT stops along the way. We all know what those stops in life feel like...the brakes lock...our hands go out in front of us....they take hold of the dash...our hearts are in our esophagus...Every time that happens, we all say to our inner-selves.."My heart is going to EXPLODE if that happens again!!" Some of us, when those stops happen, leave the road completely...do a u-turn or say…“Fuck it...Let someone else drive…”


For those people who, choose to get off the road, usually take another mode of transportation through life. They are usually the ones who…“grab a coat-tail"...."get on the bandwagon"..."join the crowd". Those people that choose this usually don't have an excuse of their own...they borrow the "Book of Excuses Handed Down for YEARS"!!


They are the type of people who stand behind someone who makes actual sense and say, "Yeah, what he/she said...I agree....that's what I said...Uh huh...RIGHT!!..."

Yawn...really...YAWN!


In the comments I received on a previous post, the more I read, "You wouldn't understand because you're NOT black" the more I felt my insides SCREAMING...."Are you fucking serious?? Is that all you have?? STOP!!! "


I have plenty of "colored" friends....I say "colored" because with the way I see the world...all my friends have many different shades of epidermis's...I seriously can not choose a color, even though you do, for my friends to be labeled on the "color wheel of life"!!


I equate that excuse to "You wouldn't understand because my hair is brown". Empty...it is simply said because you fail to hold others to their own personal responsibility.


Do you think my opinions or personal observations sounded senseless? Just repeat my original question to yourself several times while looking at a picture of planet earth. The question? "Why are you using the same old excuse?"


** You wouldn't understand because you're not BLACK**

Is it a way to avoid personal responsibility? Maybe you'll be able to realize from pondering that image of (EARTH), that we all have the same needs, desires, and wants in life. External influences may shape us differently in terms of preferences, but it's all the same shit. All differences that create the contrast between the races are man made, therefore when we are born into this world we are all the same originally, it's the life's experiences that change things.


Did you HEAR ME?????? I think this is the point where I grab my megaphone and scream the following:


"ALL DIFFERENCES THAT CREATE THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE RACES ARE MAN MADE!!!!!!!!!!!!!"


If any of the comments contained any reference to the color of one's skin, then they are guilty of colorism!

NOT once, did I mention ANYTHING about race.... I DID say that one of the comments listed was full of gibberish. Stop continuing the same fucked up cycle of colorism...!! Skin Color Paradox...Get over yourself…seriously. When you put the proverbial divider up (because I am not black)...you are not separating me from you but rather yourself from me!!


The main point of my previous posts was not to bring up ANYTHING pertaining to color/race...As stated before...I wasn't the one, who twisted this blog, from the topic of Suicide=Coward,Sell-out..Etc. etc.

Oh, and him being a selfish person. Twisting things...hmmm. One of the comments alluded to the fact that one of the readers was trying to figure out who I am...and automatically assuming I knew the individual who posted my blog to a facebook page... Neato! If what you are reading offends you...GOOD! If you don't like it...then don't read it...lol. Simple.


You may like the color green...I may not. I may like Cool Whip over Ready Whip....SO FUCKING WHAT!!


Until you STOP using the same excuses over and over and over and over and over...How the HELL do expect to change things??

I call your BLUFF....and I burned your "race card"...and "religion card"......Now, without using either of those topics/excuses...Address the questions I have asked.... I will stay away for a few minutes so that you can Google your responses... In the meantime...the pictures on this page is how I see people, who use excuses....makes me LOL.

**Remember -  If you respond...you can't use that "certain" excuse nor are you to bring up religion...Let's see what kind of hand you play when those cards have been taken out of the deck....

Damn thing said I had tooooo many characters!

This is a response to a comment on my previous post,

 "WTF....He Blew his F**king Head Off!"! Damn blogger thingy said I had too many characters...

Dear ambusc2009

 After reading your first sentence, Miss Burns, I am inclined to remind you that I have the 1st Amendment right to speak about anything I want, in any way I feel. Nowhere in the 1st Amendment does it say that I can have the right to talk about anything….but there are some emotions you are not allowed to have while doing so. Thank goodness I live in a country where I am free to do that. How I come across is for the reader to determine…and if you want to see me as that…again, you have that right…=) I hope you are successful in your future endeavors. As far as, Mr. Hill goes, yes, he was someone’s child. He was someone’s friend. He was probably someone’s father. All of this does nothing to change the fact that he committed suicide. Where was his support? Where were you? Maybe, when Mr. Hill was walking to his final destination, he should have thought about everything you have just stated…. His parents…his friends…. His actions, his choices were selfish and cowardly pure and simple. I feel sorry for his family. I am sure they know the “religious repercussions that their son faces (if they believe in what is preached).

As far as me “sitting on the internet”, I don’t. This blog post actually took only 30-45 minutes at most. Do I need to direct you to our constitution…so you can read the freedoms?? Instead of worrying about me, writing about her grammatical errors (there were a lot), maybe you could give her some lessons to better express herself…in life…on Facebook….in her resume. I have never understood why laziness in grammar should be tolerated. If any of my closest friends, wrote me an e-mail with that gibberish, I would send it back to them…tell them to correct it so as not to embarrass themselves. Instead of her comment being picked apart, just on her fucked up spelling and sentence structure, let’s talk about its contents =)!!

From what I gathered, she stated that (in VERY short terms), his death was somehow a hidden plot by “The Man”!!! **Insert ominous music here** Why did she bring up race? Why didn’t she blame the bullet/gun manufacturers for giving Mr. Hill an easy way out?? Its people like her (and I did NOT say “YOU PEOPLE”) who continue the chain of “it must have been because he/she/we/them/they are black”. Why continue to talk about it? She, if she was THAT affected by his actions, should maybe take a look at her future. She would become a detective or work for the FBI. Maybe she could change the way she views the world. Why does it always have to contain a conspiracy?

The first thing I think about in the morning is “Yay, I woke up!” I don’t think about…nor do I mention, whenever things go wrong, do I ever say….”It’s Hitler’s fault that things are the way they are.” Or, “The reason I am so fucking fat is because butter is out to get me!! AAAHHHHHAAAA…RUN!!! Save YOURSELF!! Give me a fucking break!!! That is beyond LAME!!

As far as entitlements go…you ask? I think you need to research the differences between ENTITLEMENTS and RIGHTS! You wanting to be a nurse in the future should have already known that. You will have to KNOW and understand HIPPA…. Here’s a little bit about me: 1st I am a human 2nd I am a mother 3rd I am a wife 4th In the previous 3 reason’s, I did not list my RIGHTS to include: “I am white!”!! Does me being “white” mean I am naturally ENTITLED to certain things!! Nope! I have never blamed anyone else for my downfalls in life. I believe we are where we chose to be. In other words, where we are in life are due to our own paths we choose.

I have never seen color other than a huge box of Crayola crayons…Life is lived always in the gray. When my first child started school, they learned their colors. Then they had lessons on the differences between people. My child came home one day and described all of my child’s new friends to me. When my child got to the color part by saying, “He’s/she’s black.” I abruptly stopped my child and told my child to bring me a box of crayons. When my child returned, I instructed my child to show me a BLACK crayon. My child picked the right one. I then instructed my child to show me a WHITE crayon. Again, my child picked the right one. Then I had my child to look at all the colors in the box….pick out which crayon color best fits when telling about the classmates. Not a single time did my child pick up that WHITE or BLACK crayon. I am raising my children to be the same….I hope you are raising your children (if you have any) to ignore all life’s bullshit, and go and be successful in life…Are you? Or when your child “hits a rough patch” in life, that they should see if there was a conspiracy behind it!!?? Can he blame anyone else, instead of taking PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, for his misfortunes??? Usually, when one of my children “hit a rough patch”, I teach them to GET UP….brush the dirt from your clothes and move on… Does this mean that Mr. Hill’s parents should sue all white people for their sons’ choice?? The gun/bullet manufacturers?? Why not blame the DOT…he walked on their asphalt to his finale. Are you fucking kidding me?? Does this mean, you agree with her?

I cannot help how anyone, on this earth perceives me. Anyone has the RIGHT to hate me or love me… I will respect their choice either way. If you think, and you do, that I am somehow better than everyone else….that’s your opinion…not going to argue with you. Everyone is allowed to have their own view on things around them. Just imagine if I actually entertained arguing with everyone around me if I didn’t agree with their views…. Instead, I absorb their views and try and understand things from their window to the world. You don’t do that do you?

As far as you telling me that because I am not black, that somehow I am too retarded to understand things?? HAHAHAHAHAHHA…. I am not black…I am not white…. I am HUMAN….DNA….molecules, cells nothing fancy…JUST HUMAN! Just by you saying that means that you have just made me a victim of reverse racism!! WOW! Hi, I am human, nice to meet you!! Maybe if everyone could just remind each other of that fact, this world would not be the way it is. If I don’t understand this, because I am not black I say, “BULLSHIT”!! Now there is an example of the same old same old over-used shit that people have been swallowing all their lives…I never drank from that cup!! Did you ever stop and think that I may not understand because I think racism is stupid…or silly…or that I in NO way participate in it?? Why does color affect my learning capabilities?? Be smarter than that…Seriously. That’s like saying because something is different, I nor anyone else, will never understand it….Well, WHY THE FUCK NOT??

By the way, there are a lot of other people on this earth…all different colors…Does that mean they are not included in the whole, “You don’t understand because you aren’t (INSERT SKIN COLOR/RACE)!” Or are they??

Did you miss the part about me not being from here? I never knew about race until I moved to SC. HAD NO CLUE. We didn’t have that where I am from….I never understood the big deal about one’s skin color. I have embraced every color of the rainbow when it comes to the people I CHOOSE to have in my life. Their ONLY requirement…Human. When you said, “assumptions here are often made based on race.” Is this also the part, when you stereotyped me, put me into the same pile that the “Assumption Assholes” are in? Nice! If that’s the way you feel….um…..OK. YOU HAVE THAT RIGHT!! YAY…Aren’t you happy??!!

I make no excuses or apologies for my 1st amendment rights. Your ending sentences spoke to me, too!

“There are times when I am judged based purely on the color of my skin.” Now, with that said, you judged me when you said I was cold hearted and insensitive. As stated above, I am HUMAN. If you see anything other than that….maybe you should change the world…or at least how YOU view it.

WTF.....He Blew His F**KING HEAD OFF!!

OK, for those of you who aren't "use to" how I think...speak...Here's your chance. This involves a news story I had vaguely been following. I say "vaguely" because I only read the story thinking it would be someone I may or may not know. Hell, I even thought it could have been one of my clients....Believe it or not...suicide happens more than reported. If this individual had committed suicide indoors...in his usual surroundings, I doubt very seriously if maybe 3 sentences would have ever been written about it.
 That is obviously NOT THE case....According to news reports, Mr.Hill decided to commit suicide in some woods not far from his "turf". The coroner released his findings upon the conclusion of his autopsy. Me finding autopsy's interesting is a whole different story...maybe next time kids!

OK...So, coroner states Mr.Hill decided things would be better if he were to vacate his body...the manner of which has not yet been released...But I will place my bets on either 1) Pills or 2) HE BLEW HIS FUCKING HEAD OFF!!

So, one might wonder how I came to only those two choices. Well, after reading his ENTIRE facebook profile...he eluded to a certain...."lifestyle"...I honestly believe that a kid of only 22...who attended college...has only stuck his PINKY TOE in what he thought was some suave...gang like atmosphere. I get it...

We all have that certain voice in the back of our brain that always whispered..."Try and fit in"...or "Maybe they'll like me if I change who I am"....Fuck that. Either way, I never was the one to do that. In all of my 35 years on this planet, if you have met me and gotten to know me, you either like me or you don't. I assure you, I will not nor have I EVER lost any sleep, worrying about my "LIKE FACTOR"....Sad when some people go through their whole life never having lived a single day as themselves. When you get to the end of the road named "Life"...How will you reflect upon it?? Will there be a moment..as you lay dying...when you say to yourself..."I should have lived more..different...been myself..."????

After reading this news story, I decided to plug his name into facebook...The first one I came to was obviously some sort of tribute page. I get that too! Its nice for people to have an outlet...to express whatever thoughts, feelings, memories, grief or EVEN....Anger...rage...WTF'S. The second page I came to was Mr.Hill's personal page....OK He was in college...facebooked alot of "friends"...well over 1200 people were his "friends". As I am reading his posts....the oldest one I came to stated Mr.Hill is now "in a relationship"...YAY...someone else besides your mother, likes you!! YAY!!

The  next couple of months, he adds friends, downloads facebook for Android, comments on some pictures...connects with family...the usual. Then Mr.Hill changed his relationship status from "in a relationship" to "Single"...One of his friends equated his change with a blurb..."On to the next on cuz..."...
He then posts that he was back attending college and somethings didn't work out his way...I will post a snip... 

After he posted this...Where was the concern from his 1200 facebook friends and family?? Why weren't questions asked...help offered?? Either way, he seemed, to move on and keep going...As we ALL do.

OK, time goes on and he is turning 22...YAY a birthday!! Remember how exciting it was to get to the next number on the "birthday ladder"?? Lemme post...his post...I will translate after..

 
  He, according to Urban dictionary, had been smoking weed all day like it was vitamin C...Um..I thought Fruit Loops or Capt Crunch were fab ways too. He then goes on to tell his age..."Deuce deuce"...22...and then he says he is in for whatever fun may be out there...OK...Other than the herbal breakfast, it seems his phone is either without mins or has a dead battery...and hes bored. At 22...I didn't think "bored" was in my vocabulary...Nope...STILL not there!Did anyone of his 1200 friends offer to take him out...celebrate his 22 b-day?? Nope...NOT A SINGLE "friend" offered....

However, his next post, the following day,  he begins to thank whoever had wished him birthday wishes....Nice...it's the nice thing to do. He also states that he is still trying to recover from the previous nights celebrations...Yay! Here's his post

 Time goes on and so does he....or so we assumed...The story breaks..."Body Found in woods near road....."  I went to bed...got up the next day (reluctantly) and went to work. Riding around in my car, I listen to 106.3 WORD....news/talk/traffic....That way I can know whats going on around me while I am away from my computer in my office....The news comes on and they say that the coroner's report, on the body they had found, has been ruled a "suicide".....My instant thought to anyone who commits suicide...COWARD!! Yeah, I did say that....I think its a cheap way to go...Sad that no one noticed him...his moods...patterns...routines...Ya know??

Now, I am NOT saying that, people who commit suicide automatically flash a blinking neon sign saying, "I NEED HELP"....."I have problems.."....My world is shit, so..fuck it...I am OUT!!" I am not saying that at all.... I have told people that if they ever found my dead body with a suicide note...I DIDN'T FUCKING DO IT!! I don't have the balls...the want...the mental make-up to do that. I, personally speaking, think that you have to have absolute courage and at the same time, PRIDE to do that!! Suicide, is a way of  showing of how sad it is when people think they cannot...will not...should not...shed their shitty pride, in order to open their mouths and tell someone...ANYONE...that you need something...anything.

In 2007, there were approx. 35,000 reported suicides nationwide...Florida made the top of the list...SC ranked 25th with 530 REPORTED suicides....27,000 males...the rest..females..
•A person dies by suicide about every 15 minutes in the United States.


•Every day, approximately 90 Americans take their own life. Sited http://www.afsp.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=050FEA9F-B064-4092-B1135C3A70DE1FDA 
 
Moving on, lets go back to his "tribute page"....Vent people...VENT!!



 Besides this persons retarded spelling...horrible slang terms...I would have hoped that if someone wanted to leave a tribute to my family about me, COULD YOU PLEASE SPELL CORRECTLY??? I wouldn't want my extended family to have to re-read or translate this shit at a later date. I would also like to think, that the people I have put in my circle, would want to show my friends and family, that I did have some sort of DNA composed lumps, that were smart enough to communicate effectively. I know what you're thinking..."Katie, you litter your sentences with "........" Yep.......I sure do!! If your mother was an English teacher, for 30 years, who seemed to carry a red pen, in a hidden holster,.......you would use "......." too!
Moving on......No one thought to check on him...the people around him...Did they NOT know?? Signs?? Did he have any enemies?? Anyone recall him doing anything different? And I have heard "religious" people say this before too...""G" doesn't make any mistakes"...and .."It was his plan..".... Humph....another one....

OK.....This person...in this post, didn't specify as to whose "betta hands" Mr.Hill is in?? Can I have that guys e-mail..so I can go ahead and tell him....DO NOT FUCKING TOUCH ME!! Seriously...I don't get it...You really believe that the way this kids life went....it was all some sort of conspiracy...."HIS plan"??? Again...call that "HIS"-guy, and tell him DO NOT MAKE PLANS FOR ME...No thanks...I am going my own route...um..RAIN CHECK!! I just don't see or understand why statements ...and there were alot of them, that can swallow that pill...
Whenever I see a child suffering with cancer..or hear about a baby being beaten to death...should I just say..."Well, the Big-Guy-in-The-Sky said it was his "will"...his plan...so...I should just STFU and LIKE IT!!????"""" Are you fucking serious?? WOW...I REJECT that....I won't be made to drive by the Children's Cancer ward...and scream..."Remember kids...and parents....BE HAPPY...Its all "Big-Guys" fault!! Rest easy now...." and drive away, with a stupid, shitfaced grin on my face, believing that all is right in the world because someone read a book that had been edited and reedited...and what they read on that book...THEY  SWALLOWED every single word??? FUCK THAT!!

Growing up....I read alot of books...edited and reedited one...Stephen King was my fave...So, why would I be frowned upon if I chose to worship a character out of one of THOSE books??????? Why? WHY??...I believe in Santa...He ate my cookies I left him when I was 5....The Easter Bunny....He lives in Norris, SC...Yep...Cause I read it in a BOOK!

Back to Mr.Hill.... I continued reading all the posts from his 1200+ friends and I came across this SHIT FACE!! I wanted to call her and say..."Really??" Here is what her post was...

Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?? I was minding my own business...working...I don't recall knowing about some sort of conspiracy....SHIT....Did I forget to check my e-mail...Crap!! The first day I forget to check it...and I missed being part of a conspiracy!! I swear, I will NEVER forget to check it again....**checks her Yahoo**....**frowns*

WTFWTFWTFWTFWTFWTFWTFWTFWTFWTFWTFWTF!!!!!!!!!!! Instantly, I LOATHE her...I want to find what kind of car she drives and smack some REALITY into her FAT HEAD!! Her lack of using English in her...typing makes me SICK!! I had to google half of her smegma infested typing.....LEARN HOW TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY!!!!!!!!

Then she goes and vomits some more...."864"..I get it...an area code...Hold on a fucking minute...That's MY area code...."Where the white folks don't give a damn about us..."
1st....Who is "us"??? Have I ever met "us"??? Yes, I am white....but...Why the hell should I give a damn about "us".....?? I get what you're saying, Chicky...That somehow if I gave you a fucking Hallmark card...that your cesspool of a life would somehow have meaning?? What does me being white have ANYTHING to do with your life?? You are where you are in life...NOT because of ME...But because of your own CHOICES...If you don't like where you are...FUCKING CHANGE it!! Sitting around, blaming me....That really works to make YOU better doesn't it??

 I must say...You are right though....I really could give a shit-less about you.....You DON'T live with me.....You DON'T contribute to anything I associate myself with...YAY!! With an attitude like that, I am sure ,that the success in your life, will be triple that of my success.....In about 5 years....can you give me an update as to the changes you made in your life...to improve it?? I would appreciate that I know how me NOT caring...has really FUCKED UP YOUR LIFE!!

Maybe its because I was not raised here?

I do not understand some people's thinking. I do not understand how some people can just believe in something JUST because their parents, family, or friends told them that they should.


First, there are some things about me you should probably take into consideration.

From the very first moment I can remember, my parents have always been deeply in love.

My dad was in the Army for 20 years. After his retirement in 1990, he became the 911 coordinator for Pickens County, SC. He is the reason we have 911 here. He then went on to filling the role of County Administrator. Soon after winning a lawsuit against the county, he went on to becoming Oconee County Administrator...due to a series of lies...he retired abruptly. (That is another story...) My mom was a teacher at RC Edwards Junior High and then went on to DW Daniel High until she retired.

I have an older sister whose actions while a teenager changed my life forever. (That is another story...)

I grew up attending a NATO air force base American school in Geilenkirchen Germany. While attending school there, I learned German. Thanks Frau Frankenberg. We lived in Heerlen, Netherlands, a 40-minute drive to Geilenkirchen for school. While I played with the neighborhood kids, I learned to speak Dutch. My first word, taught by a boy who would bite the top of his hand when he got mad, was "kijk" (cake-uh)...Means "look!" NOTHING was censored when we lived there. When family members came over from Six Mile, SC…they found Naked Ballet very interesting! There was a late-night movie review show called, "The Fuck Off Show", where the host would either say "fuck yeah!" or "Fuck OFF" to movies he had seen. On Dutch TV, the only English speaking shows were seen 6 months later than shown in the United States. When JR. Ewing was shot...we didn't know about it for 6 WHOLE MONTHS!! Falcon Crest, Airwolf, Knight Rider and The Dukes of Hazard were the only shows. When I watched Dutch TV, they always had subtitles in English on. That was another way I learned to speak Dutch. We moved to South Carolina in 1986, I started the 5th grade at Liberty Middle School.

Attending school in America was quite a change. Things were NOT talked about, as they should be. I remember I wrote a poem about a dead dog, and was quickly counseled on how it was not appropriate. Really?? Discussing the loss of a pet is "not appropriate"?? WHOA!!.... 

I remember a classmate of mine; I will use her first name only, Jennifer, came up to me and said, "My parents are getting a 'divorce'!" My response and the shape of her face is something I will never forget; "What kind of car is that?"....Yeah, I had NO CLUE what divorce was, BUT I watched the "Fuck Off Show"!! Neat, huh? I felt like my 5th grade year was sort of like an interview that lasted 180 days. I remember being made fun of because I did not attend church...I remember being made fun of because I had an accent...and it was not southern AT ALL. I received 26 paddling’s from Mrs. Clamp during my 5th grade year...not for fighting or anything like that. Administration said that I needed to learn what was appropriate and what was not. Nice, huh? I am 35 now...do you think those paddling helped? ;) I also learned how friendships would follow you the rest of your life. EXAMPLE: Overseas, I had a multicultural-mixed-bag of friends...all colors and shapes... As kids, we never called each other racial names...it never occurred to us that this should even be an issue. When I came here, one of my very first friends was Daryl and his cousin, Naomi. Thomas soon followed. I remember being called names by my other classmates because I was friends with them, that I didn't understand..."Nigger-Lover" and "Fag-Protector" were a few. I actually had to ask my parents about the "N" word...Never knew about it until then.

Ok, let’s move on.....this all boils down, I guess, to some of the Facebook posts I read. Take into consideration that I have never judged anyone for anything that they believe is true...I have only questioned it. I have a scientific brain....I think I am smart, never knew I was smart...until I had my daughters.

When I was pregnant with my first daughter, Barrett, I thought long and hard about what kind of adults I would like her to be. The thing that stuck in my brain was; AN INDIVIDUAL. Happy, respectful, kind, sweet and just an all-round good person. That's not asking TOO much ...is it?

My family's background is Jewish. We were never pressured into this...never asked to "practice" it...Just respect it. Since my children had both Jewish and Baptist backgrounds, I wanted them to be old enough to make a choice, if any, when they were older and could understand BOTH sides...or ALL sides...or none at all. I never PUSHED anything, other than respect for other humans and animals alike. I see how religion, throughout history, has been used as a weapon. My parents have always given me a choice as to how I wanted to live my life. Yes, along the way, instead of taking their advice, I have often failed when I did the opposite of what they had "suggested". Ya live and learn, right? Therefore, when I see the posts like "We saved 234645480978473 souls tonight." Something inside me pisses me off...Why is that? Is it because I think unless they were feeding the hungry, they haven't saved shit? Or, "We got 34 people to follow us..." WTF....I SCREAM INSIDE!! 

I don't believe it.....there is something there that isn't kosher....its askew...something it OFF. Why do people find a need to run around and tell people that unless they follow them like sheep, they will burn in hell? Why do they find it a daily ritual to "pray" for people who are homosexuals? FUCK OFF...they (homosexuals) aren't hurting you!! Homosexuals aren't here to "convert" your children...your husbands...you...or even the family pet! They are here to live...that's it!! **Wipes her brow**....knowing this...does it change things for ya?? Brainwashed too much? If my daughters, either one of them, came to me and told me that they are homosexual...should I turn my back? NO...as long as they aren't hurting anyone else...LIVE my daughters, LIVE!

 The religious ones...think about how you would react if it were YOUR child.... would you judge?? Turn your back?? Or love them just the same? I would opt for "love them just the same". If they came to me tomorrow and wanted to worship Q-Tips...ok. If they wanted to discard everything people have "believed in" and find their own way...ok.

I could go on for days on this...but I won't. I will lay my head upon my pillow and sleep like a bear, knowing that I have given my children OPTIONS in their lives. I love them very much, enough to allow them to grow, learn and think for themselves. Just remember, be yourself...whatever that may be. =)

Where Do You Shop For Make-up, Home Depot?

First, let me apologize for any of the following: misspellings, grammar, punctuations and language!

When you live in a small town, you sometimes recognize people....maybe they're someone you went to school with or a friend-of-a-friend, or they are the parent(s) of someone you went to school with. Either way, you recognize them! Living in Easley, you have 3 choices for buying grub...1.) Hardees  and 2.) The Minute Diner! I happened to be pillaging at Ingles when, I noticed a blond lady pushing a buggy...I knew that face!!

As she got closer, although aged and painted... Yep, this was/is someones mom. She stood about 5'9 and maybe 200 lbs., bottle blond hair and make-up compliments of Maaco!

Let me just add this so you may be clued in to who this might be! Her daughter was maybe 1 or 2 grades below at Easley.....(you may rest easy DWD)! This broad works in the school system of Oconee county...........Anyways, when she stopped right beside me in the aisle, my ADD kicked in and I could feel myself beginning to stare. Her hair had been colored so blond over the years, that NASA could spot her without using the Hubble telescope! Her make-up was applied by using a Wagner sprayer or a putty knife. The expression she has always had on her face, was complete arrogance. In order for the "common" person to achieve this look, he or she must take cat crap and place it on their upper lip!

She never speaks, never smiles and never seems happy. Her clothing...I have no complaints. She is always very well put together and never a wrinkle (other than her face) in her clothing.

Let’s pause for a moment and think of her family....Are they honest with her when she asks, "How do I look?" Negative, they are liars! I believe her family should set daily limits on the amount a make-up she spackles on in the morning....Kinda like those pill organizers; but for make-up. In this small, southern town, I am sure she attends a "religious" center. PRIDE is one of the se7en sins that is spoken about. It is often defined as the following;

***In almost every list pride (or hubris or "vanity") is considered the original and most serious of the seven deadly sins, and indeed the ultimate source from which the others arise. It is identified as a desire to be more important or attractive than others, failing to acknowledge the good work of others, and excessive love of self.**

With that said, how does she feel when she putty's her face before going to her "center"? Is she contradicting herself?? Are her loved ones aiding and abetting this frowned upon behavior?? What about the people who whisper about her as she passes by? When they leave at noon and go out to eat, do they mention her?? YES....and if she or her family thinks otherwise....she is sadly mistaken!

OK...where was I ....OK, lets call her Linda. As soon as I have typed this name, some of you KNOW who I am talking about! Hell, some of you may be related to her!

This is just a random note to remind people that just because you may have fancy "packaging", does not guarantee that the "inside" is just as fancy! AND the next time someone asks, "How does this look?"......TELL THEM THE FREAKIN' TRUTH.......someone MAY just recognize them and know they are indeed related to YOU!!

Mr.Leary...I love you!

"I'm the enemy because I like to think. I like to read. I'm into freedom of speech and freedom of choice. I'm the kind of guy that could sit in a greasy spoon and wonder, gee, should I have the T-bone steak or the jumbo rack of barbecue ribs or the side order of gravy fries? I want high cholesterol. I would eat bacon and butter and buckets of cheese. Okay? I want to smoke Cuban cigars the size of Cincinnati in the nonsmoking section. I want to run through the streets naked with green Jell-O all over my body reading Playboy magazine. Why? Because I might suddenly feel the need to. Okay, pal?" -

-- Denis Leary