Sickness Sucks...

"Faith moves mountains, but you have to keep pushing while you’re praying."
-- Mason Cooley

Just wanted to ask for you all to send prayers Laura Ingraham's way. She is recovering from surgery after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Hopefully her recovery is swift and the results will be good news for her.

It nice to wake up to another day, isn't it?

Death and sickness sucks...


Stay cool and safe!

Who Was the Dumbass That Came Up With This?

"I resist change even as I call for it."
-- Mason Cooley
"I'm the boss, you're an idiot. You're the boss, I'm an idiot."
-- Russian army saying

Why do people mess with perfection? I never understood why a company would come out with a "new and improved" product. So, we as a consumer, are not suppose to acknowledge that by using that sort of marketing campaign, the company was basically saying they were selling us crap that we shouldn't have been buying in the first place... that we should, like lemmings, run to purchase this new product and wait for them to let us know that the new item will shortly be declared crap too?

There are many things I have accepted and many changes that I have gone with, but I still have not recovered from the *SNIFF* Cap'n Crunch with Crunchberries debacle. They changed the damn formula. Do you think they even asked Captain Crunch what he thought of the change? Bastards!!! Now we have multi-colored and multi-flavored crunchberries. IT SUCKS. It doesn't taste the same! It is very upsetting. I find myself constantly tempted into buying them, but I have remained strong in my boycott!

Anyhoo... back to the point that I really wanted to make. This weekend at the supermarket I was APPALLED to see a new product in the cereal aisle. Chocolate Lucky Charms. Is General Mills nuts? What bonehead came up with this brilliant idea? So, magically delicious isn't good enough!? What is wrong with them? The original Lucky Charms is a perfect melangé of toasted oat cereal with a hint of marshmallow delight. Why screw with this? The cereal industry has recently been on the hotseat for the sugar content and the unhealthy image that a sweet cereal exhibits. Yeah... let's fix that by slathering the toasted oat batter with chocolate. Cripes... Chocolate and cereal just do not go together.

The Queen is not pleased with these lapses of judgment where her cereal is concerned... Correct them toot sweet! And turn all the loops in Apple Jacks back to the original salmon color while you're at it! These "changes" and "improvements" are UN-AMERICAN!

Stay cool and safe and have some Sugar Corn Pops... at least they haven't changed!

As You know, I Don't Like N.O.W...

"The liberal wing of the feminist movement may have improved the lives of its middle- and upper-class constituency, indeed, 1992 was the Year of the White Middle Class Woman, but since the leadership of this faction of the feminist movement has singled out black men as the meta-enemy of women, these women represent one of the most serious threats to black male well-being since the Klan."
-- Ishmael Reed, U.S. novelist, poet, essayist

"It's humiliating. A new amendment we vote on declaring that I am equal under the law to a man. I am mortified to discover there is reason to believe I wasn't before. I am a citizen of this country, I am not a special subset in need of your protection. I do not have to have my rights handed down to me by a bunch of old white men. The same article fourteen that protects you protects me and I went to law school just to make sure."
-- Ainsley Hayes in The West Wing

I have always loved the second quote. It is so true and I wish women would think more about this fact. This is the route that feminists should have taken about ERA amendment. It seems that feminists today would rather play the victim, deny their femaleness, and morph into an a-sexual being. Feminists have practically made it a sin and shameful to be a stay at home mom or to embrace the differences of being a women rather than deny them.

I found the first quote today and it really made me think. I think that feminists today really want men to be some sort of eunuch, the perfect castrated male. They seem to want to rip out of the male form everything I love. I just don't get it. I bet if feminists didn't need sperm to have children, they would prefer a world cleansed of everything walking with testosterone.

I have posted before that I am no fan of N.O.W. I think their agenda sucks and it does a disservice as to what women should be all about. The causes they undertake are not the causes they should. They like to pick and choose issues involving female liberties. What they say their issues are and what they actually are just don't jive. They are basically a rich PAC that are toady to any liberal that they can whore themselves out to.

Think about all the incidents reported in the media that involved some very high-profile women. Where were they then? This is not a hoorah session for these women and should not be an indication of support, but I think they should have been championed by N.O.W. in their quest for justice or defense. Just to name a few:

Martha Stewart
Paula Jones
Priscilla Owen
Carolyn Kuhl
Condoleezza Rice
Lynndie England
Ann Coulter
Juanita Broaddrick
Janis Karpinksi
Barbara Olsen
Janice Rogers Brown

The Prince Consort thinks I should provide links for all these women, but I just don't feel like it. I figure if you don't know who they are, if you even give a rats ass, you will find out who they are. Just don't be a dupe of N.O.W.

Stay cool and safe!

A note of warning... any bashing of this post WILL result in the entry being deleted. I don't want to hear it. I have breasts and a vagina and I most certainly have a right to this opinion about N.O.W.

Doesn't Take Much To Piss Me Off...

I want to thank all that have visited my Blog and commented. I enjoy reading the comments. I did, however, warn you all that my opinion reigns supreme here. With that in mind and without impunity...

RedRover posted the following comment in response to my Pope post:

With over 1 billion of us being brought up in the Catholic faith and women generally held as second-class citizens -- it's a big world out there! -- I have to disagree with your statement about others not being allowed a retort (?) to the new Pope's words and actions.

It's the oppression of women by Catholic doctrine that concerns me most.

So, here I respond:

Technically, RedRover, Dogma-wise, the majority of all world religions see women as second-class citizens. Reality wise, Catholic women and men use birth control, some Catholic women have abortions, there are even some Catholics who commit adultery, steal, kill... You name it! Boy the Catholic Church is sure keeping us oppressed and walking that straight line all the time. This is why there is confession... Well, if you choose to go *BLUSH* ... The Catholic Church knows that we are all human. That we are not perfect. They gladly offer forgiveness... With mercy and understanding, not fire, brimstone, and shame. If it isn't this way for any Catholic reading this post, then they have one crappy priest. Get a new one. Remember, it is up to the individual how they want to practice their faith, how they want their experience to be. If God wanted puppets, free will wouldn't exist.

Some radical Catholic women in other countries have created their own off shoot and become priests ala Sinead O'Connor. Their sect isn't recognized by the Church, but they don't care. You can bring a woman to Mass, but you can't make her drink all the Dogma.

The Church has progressed, with little baby steps mind you, but it has. Much of it due to the Second Vatican Council. Women are welcomed on the altar to read, give out the Eucharist, and be altar servers. In regards to women being priests, it is my fondest wish that it happen, but I am not naive. It isn't going to happen overnight, if in my life time. If there is a woman out there who is truly moved by the spirit to be a priest, she can convert to be an Episcopalian (the closest thing to Catholicism) and they would welcome her in her ministry. It is a choice. People know what they are getting themselves into when they continue to be Catholic in their adulthood.

I do stand by my statement, that if you aren't Catholic, you have no business commenting. Those not Catholic do not see the Pope as a leader. He should have no affect on their life. If they feel that they are effected by what the Pope is saying, find a good RCIA program and we will welcome you into the Church at Easter! As I stated, if you are Catholic, you have carte blanche to bitch and moan to your hearts content, but if you don't like being a Catholic, then don't be one. No one is forcing you to.

If you are blaming Catholicism for the problems that women are having in the third World, I challenge anyone to deny that it is a social problem. The Patriarchical society they live in is the problem, not the Church. I am not saying that the Church isn't a factor where the birth control issue is concerned, but getting out from under the yoke of oppressive Fathers and Husbands is what the women need. Don't blame it all on Catholicism. Maybe all those lovely liberal millionaires and billionaires could give money to medical centers in these countries and supply them birth control instead of whining that Federal Tax dollars are not going to these programs. I am sick of them not putting their money where their mouths regurgitate.

Catholicism oppressing women? Give me a break... You want oppression? Look no further than the Asia, Africa, and the Middle East... Does the Catholic Church segregate men and women during their worship and make women hide themselves in wigs, veils, or burquas? Do Catholics support honor killings? Do Catholic Fathers and Husbands murder their daughters and wives at the hint on impropriety? Do villages rape other villages for ethnic cleansing?

I pray everyday that the World would be at peace and that we would all live as Christ wants us to. People get too hung up on the Dogma instead of listening and living Christ's message that we hear from men and women every week from the alter.

Also, Red Rover, as I stated in the previous Post, I am a Catholic to encompass myself in the Body and Blood of Christ and to try to be more like him. Christ is my focus, not the Dogma. Check out your New Testament. At all the momentous events in JC's life, who was there? Women. At his conception, Mary said yes to God. It was her choice. Even back then, women had a choice to carry on a pregnancy. At his arrest and crucifixion, the men ran away, the women stood by him. At his Resurrection, the first people he saw were women. This means something. This is what I focus on and so should all women.

If you want to deal with oppression of women, I say let's get some superior fire power and let go free those women. Secularism does have it's uses :)

BTW, nobody said that we couldn't pray for the Church to be guided toward priestly marriage and women being priests. Stop your whining and start your praying.

Stay cool and safe!

A Happy Little Tale!

"A doting father is not simply surprised when his little girl grows up, he is crushed. His love may have an invisible price tag that sounds a shrill alarm when she edges toward independence, planting the notion that without his vigilant ardor she can never feel safe. He will always be there for her—as long as she still worships him, still turns only to him for solace and wisdom."
-- Victoria Secunda

Thought I would share this lovely, heart warming story. God Bless the U.S.!

Stay cool and safe!

Happy Earth Day!

How did I celebrate Earth Day? I filled up my car with gas. In case you didn't know... I hate tree huggers...

Stay cool and safe!

I would feel better if he had been a Swing Kid...

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church..."
-- Matthew 16:18
"Ah, Hope! what would life be, stripped of thy encouraging smiles, that teach us to look behind the dark clouds of to-day, for the golden beams that are to gild the morrow."
-- Susanna Moodie

In case you are just crawling from under a rock, we have a new Holy See. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was announced today as the new Pope and will be from here on in known as Benedict XVI... and so the pundits have begun giving their opinion.

*SIGH* Immediately, you hear he was part of the Hitler Youth and later drafted in the German Army. That he is an arch-conservative who is against all religions except Catholicism, against homosexuals, and helped cover-up the US sexual abuse problem.

My initial reaction is anger. I was so mad that Ratzinger was made Pope. I was thinking, this sucks. I took a breath and decided to research him. What was he really about?

I found out that he was forced to join the Hitler Youth as all young Germans were. Even though he had already joined the seminary, he was drafted into the German Army and toward the end of the war, deserted. Once the allies arrived, he was interred in a POW camp and was later released. During the war Ratzinger's father and the local pastor criticized the Reich and Ratzinger thought that the church was a buttress against Nazi evils.

Ratzinger showed himself to be a progressive and eloquent voice during the 1962-65 Second Vatican Council. He assisted in writing an attack on the church laws dealing with heresy, which dated to medieval times and which the draft said were a "source of scandal" to the world.

Through his experience in the war, he later, as a professor at Tuebingen University, opposed Marxist student demonstrations. He felt such political ideologies as "tyrannical, brutal and cruel. That experience made it clear to me that the abuse of the faith had to be resisted." The cold war basically pulled him back a bit from reform, and living through Nazism, seeing what a leftist philosophy did to his country, I can't really blame him.

It is easy to be outraged in hearing of his membership in the Hitler Youth and Army, but I can't imagine what it was like living there during WWII. I would think that people would do anything to survive. Nobody knows what they would do when the chips were down. I am just glad that it isn't an experience I knew.

Here are some of his quotes that I thought gave more of a view of Ratzinger rather than the negative things the media is happy to share. I did notice that the media has taken a number of things out of context in his writings. They should have read the whole document... Anyhoo...

On Faith -

"Having a clear faith, based on the creed of the church, is often labeled today as a fundamentalism. ... Whereas relativism, which is letting oneself be tossed and 'swept along by every wind of teaching,' looks like the only attitude acceptable to today's standards.

"We are moving toward a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one's own ego and one's own desires."

On Islam -

"It is true that the Muslim world is not totally mistaken when it reproaches the West of Christian tradition of moral decadence and the manipulation of human life. ... Islam has also had moments of great splendor and decadence in the course of its history."

On Judaism -

"That the Jews are connected with God in a special way and that God does not allow that bond to fail is entirely obvious. We wait for the instant in which Israel will say yes to Christ, but we know that it has a special mission in history now ... which is significant for the world."

"Our Christian conviction is that Christ is also the messiah of Israel. Certainly it is in the hands of God how and when the unification of Jews and Christians into the people of God will take place."

On Homosexuality -

"It is deplorable that homosexual persons have been and are the object of violent malice in speech or in action. Such treatment deserves condemnation from the church's pastors wherever it occurs. ... The intrinsic dignity of each person must always be respected in work, in action and in law."

On the Sex Abuse Scandals -

"In the Church, priests also are sinners. But I am personally convinced that the constant presence in the press of the sins of Catholic priests, especially in the United States, is a planned campaign, as the percentage of these offenses among priests is not higher than in other categories, and perhaps it is even lower.

"In the United States, there is constant news on this topic, but less than 1 percent of priests are guilty of acts of this type. The constant presence of these news items does not correspond to the objectivity of the information nor to the statistical objectivity of the facts."

People, we can be naive. The Church is not going to change overnight, if at all. Did anyone really think that the next Pope would come in and ordain women and let priest marry? C'mon. Get real.

Being Catholic is tough. You have to take the bad dogma with the good and realize that the only one you really answer is to God and JC. That is the bottom line. The big pull for me in Catholicism is transubstantiation. Mass is a way to become as intimate with Christ as we can. By partaking of the Eucharist, we are doing it so that our flesh will be filled with his flesh and our blood filled with his blood. Sounds creepy, but what better way than filling our selves with him, so we can be more like him. Isn't that the intent of all Christians is to be like Christ? Outreach like Christ did also is integral.

Also, this may be a harsh opinion, but.... any of the pundits out there... if you aren't Catholic then you have no right to give an opinion, criticize, or complain about Benedict XVI. He doesn't effect you and it's none of your business, so shut your pie hole... now.

BTW... I believe that there are many paths to God... this is just the one I chose.

*GETTING OFF SOAP BOX*

So... I am giving Benedict XVI a chance. Let's see what he does. Hopefully he will come out of his scholarly shell and show us the heart and grace of JC.

Stay cool and safe!

They do do chicken right!

"To burn always with this hard gem-like flame, to maintain this ecstasy, is success in life."
-- Walter Pater

I haven't come down yet. It is the best high that one could have. Better than crack... better than heroin... The rush still flows in my veins and man, I still have some stash left... As I am here, right now, at my duties, I hear it's siren call all the way from my home in the next town over. *PANT*... I can't get out of my head that it is waiting at home for me. That soon, I will be able to once again be filled with the ecstasy... sensual delight... My blood will sing, my heart will beat like a distant drum, and my cardiologist will wince...

Oh yeah baby, the Colonel is in town and until he's gone, I'll happily be his bitch. Yes... On the celebration of my birth yesterday, I had Kentucky Fried Chicken. Original of course. It is one of those guilty, sinful, slovenly pleasures that I rarely indulge in... not that I don't often indulge in guilty, sinful, slovenly pleasure, I just rarely have KFC. It is like a heart attack in a little bucket. The salt, the grease, the fat content .... yes... yes... yes... *THROWING MY HEAD BACK* It does make me see God.

Screw the chicken part, I LOVE the skin... Yummmy! When I eat KFC, I always pull the skin off and eat the chicken first. Then I arrange the skin from smallest to largest and I dig in. It's like my own little line of coke.

I washed it down with some lovely Korbel Brut Champagne and Martini & Rossi Asti Spumante. I highly recommend both! Champagne and sparking wine are perfect with chicken!

I feel it necessary to also say that the sides of mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and cole slaw were nice and tasty too! The biscuits... I think I am getting a bit warm just thinking about those melt in our mouth biscuits. It was suggested to me that I should just tape two onto my ass, since that is where they will end up, but due to my integrity, I decided to come by that grand derrière honestly. I happily ate them! One needs to give purpose to food, so it doesn't feel it gave its life up for me in vain.

Indulge every once in a while in this fabulous legal narcotic! Oh, and PETA, go fuck yourselves! The chicken was awesome!

Stay cool and safe!

¡Feliz Cumpleaños a Mí!

"...the heart,
this child of myself that resides in the flesh,
this ultimate signature of the me..."
-- Anne Sexton
"All children born with congenital cardiac defects have lost a most valuable friend, who during his entire professional life worked indefatigably on their behalf."
-- Aldo Castaneda, M.D., on the death of Alexander Nadas, M.D., the Father of Pediatric Cardiology
"He will be remembered for pushing the frontiers...down to the newborn period... When I first started in the late 1940s, we operated on children age 10 or 12 with relatively simple defects. Now it's two days or 12 hours with the most complicated defects."
-- Alexander Nadas, M.D., on Aldo Castaneda, M.D., World renowned trailblazer in
Pediatric Cardiac Surgery

I want you to meet my two very favorite immigrants.

Alexander Nadas, M.D. was born in Budapest, Hungary on Nov. 12, 1913 and emigrated to the U.S. in 1938, after studying in London, and trained in New York, Cleveland, Boston, and Detroit. His association with Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital in Boston began in 1942, when he was an assistant resident. During the 1950s, Nadas spent much time exploring the use of electrocardiography and set up the first pediatric cardiology department and cardiac catheterization laboratory at Children's. He published Pediatric Cardiology, the first textbook on the subject, in 1957. He served as cardiologist in chief at Children's Hospital for 33 years until his retirement in 1982. Under his leadership, the Department of Cardiology at the hospital became an international center of excellence for the care of children with heart disease.

Aldo R. Castañeda, M.D. was born in Genoa, Italy, on July 17, 1930, of Guatemalan parents. His family, after moving to Germany, was not allowed to leave during WWII. After the war, he traveled to Guatemala and eventually arrived in the U.S. in 1958, where his fellowship in surgery at the University of Minnesota was the beginning of a 14-year association with this university. During that time, he earned his PhD in experimental surgery in 1963, and in the same year finished his surgical training and was appointed instructor at the University of Minnesota. His stellar achievements as a surgeon, teacher, and researcher led to rapid progression in academic rank, as he advanced in a short 7 years from instructor to professor of surgery by 1970. In 1972, he left Minnesota, having been appointed Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School and Cardiovascular Surgeon-in-Chief at the Children's Hospital. In 1981 assumed the position of Surgeon-in-Chief of Children's. He served in the positions until his retirement from Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital in 1995.

So, you are probably wondering why I dig these cats so much? They are why I am still breathing. They are the reason I am able to celebrate my birthday today. As you may remember, a few posts ago, I was discussing how I was pissed that my Birthday was coming up. The fear of lost opportunities swamped me and I just was having my own little pity party wishing for the grand ending to take place.

After much reflection, I decided to look at my birthday from a different angle. I was born with a congenital heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot and, if it wasn't for Aldo and Alexander, I wouldn't be here to bitch and moan about getting so damn old. I said to myself "Your Highness, you need to rediscover what your disease is all about and maybe you will be snap yourself out of your sulk." According to the lovely morbidity rate chart that is shown at the link provided above, there is a 95% morbidity rate for those who reach the age of 40 with their condition untreated. It hit, me... the reality of my mortality... ooh... sounds like a song... I gotta remember that... anyhoo... it reminded me how blessed I am. I really believe I was blessed with the talent of Aldo and Alexander and it must mean I am here for a reason. It would be great if at some point I was shown what it was... *SIGH* It's all very tiring being patient with God.

So this up coming year, I am trying to be grateful for everyday I wake to another day. Not that I won't still tease the Dowager Queen with emotional guilt... "That's alright Mom... the blue baby will be fine *SNIFF*" ... "No, I thought it was chest pain, but it might be indigestion... Although, I do feel a bit dizzy." Hee, hee. :^Þ I do love to jerk her royal chain :^D

So, my children, go ahead and send the birthday gifts. I will receive them graciously. Just a warning, age questioners and commentators will be bitch slapped and will immediately be strapped to the rack in my basement. Remember, I have been working out, so I have a mean crank arm!

Stay cool and safe! I sure do look good for 32!

A Fascinating Brave, Bad Ass, Cuban-American Soldier...

"He stood, a soldier, to the last right end,
A perfect patriot and a noble friend,
But most a virtuous son.
All offices were done
By him, so ample, full, and round
In weight in measure, number, sound,
As, though his age imperfect might appear,
His life was of humanity the sphere."
-- Ben Johnson

So, one day I am surfing aimlessly. Just checking out the web and following links "as you do"... I so just heard Eddie Izzard in my head :)... and I came across a website called Babalú, which is a site by a Cuban living in America and a big time Anti-Castroite. His posts are very amusing and informative and debunked everything that I ever thought of people from Cuba and what they think of Castro. I suggest you take a spin by.

In my perusal of his blog, I noticed a post by a Yoan Hermida and I also noticed that the author of Babalú held the poster in great affection and had a link to a site called Yoan Hermida. The name fascinated me. It was just a really cool name. I wondered if Yoan was a version of the English Ian? I have to mention for the benefit of the Prince Consort, that the Welsh version of Ian is Ioan, as in Ioan Gruffudd of Horation Horndog fame. Interestingly enough, I think it may be pronounced the same as Yoan's name.

So, I clicked on the link to check out who or what Yoan Hermida was. In the Blogoshere, one can't be sure that that is a name or means something different. The first thing you read under the title is "Cubano, capitalista radical, soldado americano, exterminador de islamofascistas y comunistoides." If I understand it correctly, it means that he is a Cuban radical capitalist who is also an American soldier who exterminates Islamic Fascist and Communists. How can you NOT love this guy!

Yoan was born in Cienfuegos, Cuba and received political asylum from the U.S. at the age of 7. He joined the Army at the age of 17. The links Yoan provides on his website are reflections of his beliefs. He is a pretty multi-faceted gentleman. He has libertarian leanings and some of the things he supports are gun rights, abortion rights, President Bush, repealing the death penalty, withdrawing from the U.N. He is interested in the fiction of Ayn Rand, chess, and baseball. The fact that his favorite team is the evil empire will not be held against him :)

It never fails to humble me when I read of someone who has experienced what it is like to grow up in a country other than the U.S. and then come here and appreciates and is willing to defend what we take for granted. Their patriotism should shame us all.

Back to Yoan... He is just a really interesting individual ... complicated ... a veritable melangé of ideas and beliefs. It doesn't hurt that he is easy on the eyes ;)

He is also now in Iraq. He is able to occasionally post to his blog from there and I look forward to reading his observations. I think it is important to read stories about what is going on in the world from people who are actually there, rather than the twisted media, who don't like to report anything positive we are doing.

So, show your support to Yoan and head on over to check it out. Also, if you can keep him in your thoughts and prayers for a safe return, it would be greatly appreciated!

Images copped from owned by Yoan Hermida.

Stay cool and safe! And Yoan, Vaya con Dios, mi amigo...

The pansy asses are at it again!

"Political correctness is driving machismo underground and recalling effeminacy from exile."
-- Mason Cooley
"Political correctness is the natural continuum from the party line. What we are seeing once again is a self-appointed group of vigilantes imposing their views on others. It is a heritage of communism, but they don’t seem to see this."
-- Doris Lessing
"Me want cookie!"
-- Cookie Monster

Before the Commie, Liberal, Pinko, Bastards
got a hold of him

After the Commie, Liberal, Pinko, Bastards got a hold of him


This is an abomination! This is UNAMERICAN! In case you haven't heard yet, the people at Sesame Street are going to have the Cookie Monster discard his monster ways. He is going to be eating more healthy. More fruits and vegetables. He is even going to have a new song called "A Cookie Is a Sometimes Food," where he sings of "anytime" foods and "sometimes" foods. What a bunch of crap! Cookies are for ALL the time!

This PC BS needs to go MIA for this VIQ PDQ! *GGRR* Next are they going to change his name because the label Monster is too hurtful and it may stigmatize him? Maybe he can be the Cookie Challenged Furry Friend?

This is just the tip of the iceberg as to what is going on with the kids of today. The way society is treating children is dreadful. No wonder there are so many whiners in the world. They are being bred this way. They are given everything without having to earn it. Schools now don't encourage competiton. Kids in classes don't have to work up to the gifted kids in the class... No, mediocrity is emphasized. No challenge given. Dumb down baby!

Back to the "healthy" issue. Studies show that childhood obesity is becoming a problem. I acknowledge that. But as I type, I can hear people blaming the obesity woes on the media and fast food conglomerates and the pansy ass, commie liberals enable this way of thinking... The norm is not to take responsibility for your actions anymore. Yeah, let blame McDonald's for the fact that you are a slovenly swine. That's right... those commercials are hypnotizing all of us to go there to eat their diabolical food.

The movie Super Size Me is the biggest scam going. It's so shocking and McDonalds is SO HORRIBLE! BOO HOO! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that if you eat at McDonald's everyday you are going to get fat. This is not news. It is about choosing. The guy CHOSE to eat at McDonalds all those times. What did he expect? It doesn't make me want to stop having an occassional order of the best french fries on the planet. Oh.. that's right! Now because of the "controversy" you can't get a super size order of fries. CRIPES!

In regards with the child obesity problem, parents, here's an idea... teach your kid not to eat like a pig by example! There ya go!

Maybe kids shouldn't be plopped down infront of TVs to watch shows or play video games. Maybe... (shocking suggestion coming) the kids and the parents could get off their fat asses and actually do something together. Maybe if an effort was made to bring the sitdown meal back to the norm, then all the fast food crap wouldn't be an issue AND families would actually have to talk to each other at the table *GASP* No! Not communicate! The more you know about your kids life the safer they are.

By talking about the sitdown meal, I am not implying that women be the ones doing the cooking. If they have the time great! If not, the guys can certainly come up with a meal. Bringing kids into the mix and teaching them how to cook would not only give them self-esteem and make them emotionally closer to you, but actually give them life long tools to survive out in the real world. It would also be fun! If it is a single parent household, then some "above and beyond the call of duty" effort should be made. It's hard, but that is the burden that was taken on when the hot guy knocked up the chick, whether they be married or single.

Rather than screwing our kids out of a fun, crazy character like the Cookie Monster, fix the problem at home. Don't rely on the TV to do it for you.

You want some weasel assed pig kid? I didn't think so.

Stay cool and safe! And have a damn cookie... if it is with some milk, it is healthy!

If only they were really taking him away in shackles...

"Evil is something you recognise immediately you see it: it works through charm."
-- Brian Masters

[This post contains adult language. Reader's discretion is advised.]

So... I am livid. I am furious. I have been this way for a few days ... since Thursday, when I heard the happy news. Bernie Law gets to be a celebrant at one of the major Masses honoring JPII in Rome. Never have I felt more kicked in the teeth. Right off the bat, I will say that I think JPII has not been making decisions for the past few years. I think they basically wheeled him out and propped him up. I mean no disrespect by saying this, but some of the statements and decisions attributed to him over the past few years do not sound like him. I may be naive, but that is my take. This is something I just have to believe, because if it is true... I just couldn't deal... I just would not be acceptable.

Please keep my opinion in mind if you read some of the links I am about to provide below. Some will seem less than gracious toward Papa. To me, what they say about Bernie outweighs the critique of our former Holy See.

So back to the fucker, Bernie... I have always LOATHED Bernie. He, from day one, has been an arrogant, condescending, pompous misogynist prick. This is even before it was revealed that he purposefully and premeditatedly covered up the biggest child abuse scandal our fair USA has ever experienced. It was very brotherly of him to shuffle the accused onto new, brighter victims pastures. That period of time when the abuse was let known and his part was shown made my head want to explode. The anger I felt. *GGRR*

One of the things at that time that warmed the cockles of heart was that the senior Senator of the State of Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy, a devout Catholic himself, valiantly deemed himself the avenger to those abused and their families, fearlessly calling for the resignation of Bernie for his part in the heinous events. Defending his constituency was heart warming... Oops! Who am I kidding. Bernie is a family friend! Teddy did nothing. If only Teddy had taken Bernie on a nice long ride over some bridge, I would be a happy girl today. (Is that laughter I hear from the Republican Princess?)

Anyhoo... My favorite atheist anarchist, Christopher Hitchens, seems to feel the same way about Bernie as I do. I heartily regret missing him on the Dennis Miller Show the other night, when he ripped Bernie a new one...

Sure, Bernie eventually resigned, and following his resignation and going on a retreat from which he could contemplate the injustice of being blamed for others' sexual misconduct, he was given a sweet gig at St. Mary Major Basilica, one of four Basilicas in Rome under the direct jurisdiction of the Vatican, with a monthly salary of at least $12,000. If you followed the Christopher Hitchens link I provided, he points out that Bernie also gets to sit on two boards supervising priestly discipline and the appointment of diocesan bishops. Now he even gets to be one of the 117 that decides on the new Pope! YOU have got to be fuckin' kidding me!!!

Back to the Mass... I keep getting sidetracked.... *GGRR* I have to give major props to Barbara Blaine of the Survivors Network of those Abused, who traveled to Rome to protest Bernie being given this honor. Eventhough the police quickly scuttled her away, she did get some press and was able to state her dismay, speaking for those who have been hurt by the appointment and the honor. Bravo for pushing the injustice in their face.

Justice is a swift sword and has pierced the evil... no wait...that didn't happen. I figure if that son of a bitch, Bernie gets to live his last days out in plush peace, there must be one hell of a room (pun definitely intended) waiting for him in the afterlife. And it will be bad... really bad... there are a number of serial rapist there ready for duty I am sure. I am counting on the Great Equalizer to come through for me.

Stay cool and safe! And may that bastard Bernie rot in Hell.

Oh, the shame of it...

"...the expression of shame, in general, as well as in the particular form of it that is embarrassment, is not just the desire to hide, or to hide my face, but the desire to disappear, not to be there."
-- Bernard Williams

I leave this space black, as the Prince Consort and I are in mourning over the embarrassing defeat of Manchester United by last place, soon to be relegated, Norwich City - 0-2.



Stay cool and *SNIFF* safe!

Let the healing begin...

"A woman is like a teabag—only in hot water do you realize how strong she is."
-- Nancy Reagan

Mrs. Smash took a terrible fall from her horse. It looks like her spine is intact and her full recover is assured, but she is going to have to curtail some of her activities. It seems she is one tough lady and is already chomping at the bit to go home to recover in peace. Take a spin over to one of my favorite blogs and give Lt. Smash some support and send some well wishes.

Stay cool and Safe! Especially you Mrs. Smash!

By the Beard of Zeus, I Have Found the Demon Juice!

"A bottle of wine begs to be shared; I have never met a miserly wine lover."
-- Clifton Fadiman
"It is time to get drunk! So as not to be the martyred slaves of Time, get drunk; get drunk without stopping! On wine, on poetry, or on virtue, as you wish."
-- Charles Baudelaire
"Wine is a little like love; when the right one comes along, you know it."
-- Bolla Advertising Department
"I love scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch. Here it goes down, down into my belly...
-- Ron Burgundy
"I love wine. Winey, wine, wine. Here it goes down, down into my belly...
-- Queen of the Land

The title is true... Gloriously true. So, I am at the Flame of Cheshire's house for my weekly Friday cocktail. I have been so looking forward relaxing with an adult beverage after the crappy week I had. The Flame had just gotten a new wine that she wanted to try, which was Forest Glen Forest Fire White Merlot. I had never had a White Merlot, so I was quite enthusiastic to launch into what I hoped was a sassy bouquet.

According to various on-line sources, a White Merlot is made the same way as its more famous cousin, White Zinfandel. The grapes are crushed, and after very brief or even no skin contact, the resulting pink "must" ferments. It normally has a hint of raspberry flavor. White Merlot was reputedly first marketed in the late 1990s...

I'd like to add that the Forest Glen Forest Fire White Merlot gets you hammered... completely out of your gourd ... in other words, roaring drunk. It was indeed quite flavorful and stealthily snuck up on the Flame and I. It works as well as a Micky. One minute we are sitting sipping this tasty treat, commenting how different and delicious it was, then the next we are like... "Oh my ass, are you cocked, I'm cocked!?". Needless to say, the Prince Consort (every so dreamy!) was summoned to take me home. There was no way I was driving anywhere.

The Forest Fire was fast and furious. I would not say that it had a nice finish or that it compared to a finer wine, such as a Coppola. This was basically a jug of wine, a can of spicy cajun Pringles (see wine review below for how ironic that is), and thou, being the Flame of Cheshire. I wouldn't recommend it as a regular indulgence, but if you need surgery and they have no anesthetic, drink up! The Devil is come to town and he arrived in that damn bottle.

Forest Glen Forest Fire White Merlot

It's totally new! Totally fun! Forest Glen's Forest Fire is a bold, zingy, fruity White Merlot that really complements all the hot, spicy, assertive foods you love. Try Forest Fire chilled with crispy Asian spring roll, grilled fish, barbeque, hot tamales, sizzling Thai pizza, chili-spiked sauces or spicy onion "flowers"...the cool complement to fire & spice!

"THE BEST CALIFORNIA WHITE MERLOT WE KNOW...a mouthwatering wine with character. Delicious." --Quarterly Review of Wines, Summer 2001

Forest Glen White Merlot begins with a brilliant hue of reddish-pink. The aroma is reminiscent of fresh-cut watermelon, but the taste is cold raspberries and cream. The wine finishes with a slightly sweet balance and is at its best when chilled.

Be careful kiddies and DON'T drink and drive!

Stay cool and safe!

Good Night, Sweet Prince, And Flights of Angels Sing Thee to Thy Rest!

"When you wonder about the mystery of yourself, look to Christ, who gives you the meaning of life. When you wonder what it means to be a mature person, look to Christ, who is the fulfillness of humanity. And when you wonder about your role in the future of the world … look to Christ."
-- Pope John Paul II

I find it comforting to know that Papa lived such a long, full life. As a youth he was into acting, sports, music ... normal things, primitive, human things, if you know what I mean. He was a man before he was a priest. In his native Poland, he lived a regular existence. His roots were integral to the humble, amazing, bold reign he had as the Holy See.


I was lucky... no, I think people say lucky when they don't have the guts to say blessed. I was blessed to have the opportunity to see him in Central Park on October 7, 1995. He lived up to the hype. I think people want to believe that the leader of their faith community is something special, Godly, mystical. It gives confirmation to ones faith and it doesn't make one feel stupid for believing and not seeing.

Papa did not disappoint. He most certainly had the vibe. I remember looking around and wondering if it was just me. But it wasn't. Everyone was mesmerized by his charisma. We were all awe inspired.

When you think about how they choose the Pope, you can't help but be leery as to how meditative it really is. With our jadedness, we expect that politics is a major factor is the choosing. No matter how or why John Paul II was chosen, there is no doubt in my mind that he was the one God meant to be chosen.

Some of his work included bringing attention to the poor, changing the position of the Church on the death penalty, apologizing for the Church's role in the Crusades and Holocaust, helping give youth a valid face and worth in the Church, reaching out to validate all other faiths, and helping the end of Communism. Amazing, revolutionary.

There still is much to be done and it will be interesting to see who will be next chosen. The Church is at a crossroads and this next Pope will have to be quick in mind and in heart. God bless the College of Cardinals (except that &*#@$ Bernard Law who should be defrocked) and may they pray humbly for God's guidance.

Stay cool and safe!