Attention must be paid.

It's a big day in Bloggerville, people.


Happy 60th Birthday, Dana!


That's right.

My fake aunt and pseudo sister buddy Dana is officially The Big Six Oh.

Or as I prefer to call it...Fifty Ten.

So anyway...she's whining about followers and comments. "All I want before I die..." You know, that crap.

Cranky old woman.

So do me a favor and go to her blog, Life Is Good and become a follower. And while you're there, leave her a damn comment so she stops pulling out the "Poor little me, living in Florida with my wonderful husband Joe" card.

Just look how 'miserable' she is:



She's down there in sunny Florida, all tanned and blonde and looking far younger than her 60 years. I really wish I could give her a much harder time about turning 60 but the truth is, she is like a fine wine....getting better with age. And I really am crazy about her, as she has become very dear to me this past year. (Just don't tell her, for heaven's sake! I will never hear the frickin end of it! She'll start thinking "bitch" is my pet name for her!)

So Happy Birthday, darlin. I hope you have a wonderful day, and if you steal all my followers after this, I will kick your scrawny old ass. Love you!!!

Weigh In Day....

No casual wear met its untimely demise this morning!!!!!!!

Down 3.1 lbs. this week. Yay me!




Let's see...what did I do different....

Well, I started walking more.

Ate more fresh foods (ie: vegetables and fruits).

Limited my frozen meals to lunches during the week.

Cut my hair and took off my nails (ok maybe that had nothing to do with the weight loss!).

So what did we learn this week, class?

When one moves her ass and eats better, the scale will move south, and the weight will come off.

Go figure!

I'm cautiously optimistic that my plateau is over and I will continue going downhill from here.

I mean, down the scale.

For once I'm happy being a LOSER!

It ain't pretty, people.

You are witnesses to history.

For the first time in at least 20 years, probably closer to 25...I have no fake nails.

OK technically this might be the 2nd time, I seem to recall a year ago taking them all off one night but I was back at the nail salon the next day.

This time, I'm going to try and keep them off for awhile. I cut them all down last night, and then went and had the rest of the nails ripped soaked off this evening.

Do you realize that I have spent about at least $9,500 in twenty years on nails??? And that's probably a conservative cost estimate, based on one balance a month for 240 months. That's insane!

The biggest problem I have is that I can't type worth shit now. I am so used to long nails, that my keystroke reach is shorter than normal. Now, with no nails...I have no speed or accuracy!

I probably should have thought of this before now.

Head in the game, Julie!

And yes, I corrected all the spelling errors in this post...and it took me twice as long to type it!

This is going to take a lot of getting used to.

My nails are paper thin. Any ideas how long it takes them to grow out and become strong again?

Note to self: Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails...isn't.

I guess it's a good thing nobody is holding my hand these days.

It's just not pretty.

You like me, you really like me!

I have received a MAJOR award. No, really...look.



Given to me by one of the funniest women on the planet, The Peach Tart, it is an award that is for anyone who likes to smile and/or laugh, and just generally spreads that along in this blogging world we all travel in.

Boy, do I have HER fooled.

Regardless...I am grateful to be considered funny and/or entertaining in any capacity, so thank you, my peachy friend!

I gladly bestow this award on some of my newest and equally warped funny ladies:

Sunshiemeg
Shoulda been a stripper
Vodkamom
Ma Vie Folle

And of course, it also goes to the usual suspects....you know who you are...my posse of women bloggers friends. Come and get it.

This makes me want to get married again.

This made me laugh out loud. I would totally do this!

Sunday Rewind - PSA For Men

It's my blogging day off, so let's rewind back to November and post one for the guys. Happy Sunday!


PSA for men (I'm looking out for the guys these days!)

Guys, I gave you words you should memorize that women say, and now I want to make it clear what PMS really stands for. Take note.


1. Pass My Shotgun

2. Psychotic Mood Shift

3. Perpetual Munching Spree

4 Puffy Mid-Section

5. People Make me Sick

6. Provide Me with Sweets

7. Pardon My Sobbing

8. Pimples May Surface

9. Pass My Sweat pants

10. Pissy Mood Syndrome

11. Plainly; Men Suck

12. Pack My Stuff

and my personal favorite

13. Potential Murder Suspect

You've been warned. If you choose to piss a woman off during this time, do not expect me to visit you in the hospital or identify your body at the morgue.

Ah, yes, I do remember what it's like to be married.

A man and a woman, who have never met before, but are both married to other people, found themselves assigned to the same sleeping room on a transcontinental train. Though initially embarrassed and uneasy over sharing a room, they were both very tired and fell asleep quickly... he in the upper bunk and she in the lower.

At 1:00 AM, the man leaned over and gently woke the woman saying, "Ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you, but would you be willing to reach into the closet to get me a second blanket? I'm awfully cold."

"I have a better idea," she replied. "Just for tonight, let's pretend that we're married."

"Wow! That's a great idea!" he exclaimed.

"Good," she replied. "Get your own f *** ing blanket!"

After a moment of silence, he farted.

The Incredible Hulk Lives

So yesterday I had a melt down.

If you read my post about my weigh in, you know I was NOT happy about the situation. Logically I do know that my weight loss is a slow journey, but damn does it have to be half a pound a week?

I really felt like I was going to have a good loss week yesterday, and when I got up and had gained .4 of a pound, I was not happy. Translation...I was furious.

So in the interest of full disclosure I have to tell you guys what I did as a result of that anger.

I turned into the Incredible Hulk.

Let me walk you through it.

After I got out of the shower, and was putting my make up on, I worked myself into a furor over the whole "2.2 lbs in 4 weeks" thing. I swear I was looking in the bathroom mirror and seeing Medusa.

Then I started talking to myself. And it wasn't pretty, flowery, supportive words either.

Mostly stuff like cow, heifer, disgusting pig, peppered with the F bomb every other word.

At that point, I made the mistake of getting dressed for work.

So here I am, standing in front of my closet, saying out loud "So, heifer, what feedbag/tent are you gonna wear today? Doesn't matter if it shows off your 20 lbs loss, because nobody can tell you've lost weight anyway. Fat f*cking cow. Yeah here, put THIS on. It's loose, and it makes you look like you're in your second trimester. Go ahead...wear it. Moooooooooooooo."

(I'm not proud of my actions, and yes it was a bit childish and nonproductive, but I'm a 48 year old menopausal woman. My hormones are not rational.)

Then I pull this black shirt out of my closet. It's a nice black shirt.

Or was.

I put it on, and look in the mirror, and successfully look pregnant. Which is such a great look for a woman my age....

Then I notice that the tie in the back of the shirt is really loose.

Now, you would think that would make me happy, right? Clearly I've lost weight since I wore this last, because the tie needs pulled tighter.

So I try to untie it.

And it gets knotted.

And I pull on it.

And it stays knotted.

And I pull some more.

And the damn thing won't budge.

The next sound you hear is the sound of fabric tearing. No wait, that's not the right sound.

RIPPING.

That's right, I pulled so hard I ripped the shirt.

Which sent me into a pulling and tearing frenzy.

I turned into the Incredible Hulk. You know how he grows bigger and his shirt starts ripping and he tears at it and rips it off his body?

Yep, that was me.

Here's the proof:



Now, because it's black, it doesn't photograph well, but believe me when I tell you, there is no repairing this one.

Go ahead. Laugh. I'll wait.

So after I rip the shirt from my body, I threw it on the ground with all the force I can muster, I guess in an effort to break the carpet.

And then I began to laugh. Maniacally.

I realized I had gone batshit crazy.

And I said out loud "Well, *that* certainly helped the situation, didn't it?"

Lesson learned...if you are going to inflict harm on innocent clothing, don't pick the black stuff. It's what makes a girl look thin. Go for color. Tear up pink or something.

I've fantasized a lot recently about someone ripping my clothes off in the heat of passion Somehow that fantasy never quite included me ripping my own stuff off in anger.

Sigh.

You'll be pleased to know I'm much better today. I ate really good yesterday, including fresh vegetables, and tomatoes and basil from my own garden. I went out and took a very long, fast, sweaty walk last night, and got to bed early.

My clothing is safe today.

I no longer feel the need to damage casual wear.

Let's hope my jean shorts survive the weekend.

I suck.

It's weigh in day.

And I've GAINED .4 lbs since last week.

And I've lost a total of 2.2 lbs IN THE LAST MONTH.

I've done nothing but yo yo up and down the scale for four weeks now.

And I'm really fucking tired of it.

I understand plateaus. I understand that I could weigh myself tomorrow and be down a pound or two due to water fluctuation. I understand, as Penny would tell me, that I shouldn't weigh myself at all, just judge how my clothes fit because the numbers on the scale don't matter.

Well, they matter to me.

Because it's a big goddamn number on my scale and I want it to be a whole lot smaller.

It's just frustrating to work hard at this, stay on plan 99% of the time (with the occasional margarita night with the girls being an exception) and get nowhere.

My son has lost 45 lbs in the same time frame that I have been dieting. Actually, he's been doing it about 2 weeks less than I have. And I've lost 20. I suck.

Don't get me wrong, I am so freaking proud of him for his success, that I can hardly contain myself. He looks amazing, and I know he's worked hard to get where he is.

But dammit, so have I.

Yes, I know I'm 30 years older than he is. Yes I know men lose weight faster. Yes I know he's far more active and gets a lot more exercise.

Ugh. I'm just very, VERY disheartened today. I feel like I'm never going to lose this weight, and I am destined to be fat and old and alone.

FML.

Wordless Wednesday

Remember when your mom told you never to take candy from strangers? This is who she was talking about.

The Adventures of Fred **UPDATED**

My son has a new best friend. Check it out.

You have no idea how many places Fred is about to visit, and things Fred is about to do.

It's going to be hilarious.

NOTE: He keeps updating it with pictures. The one with the tan, and "can't hold his booze" made me spew water on my computer monitor.

It's that time of year again....

It's that time of year to take our annual senior citizen test. Exercise of the brain is as important as exercise of the muscles. As we grow older, it's important to keep mentally alert. If you don't use it, you lose it! Below is a very private way to gauge your loss or non- loss of intelligence.

Take the test presented here to determine if you're losing it or not. The spaces below are so you don't see the answers until you've made your answer.

OK, relax, clear your mind and begin.

1. What do you put in a toaster?

Answer: 'bread.' If you said 'toast,' give up now and do something else. Try not to hurt yourself. If you said, bread, go to Question 2.


2. Say 'silk' five times. Now spell 'silk.' What do cows drink?

Answer: Cows drink water. If you said 'milk,' don't attempt the next question. Your brain is over-stressed and may even overheat. Content yourself with reading a more appropriate literature such as Auto World. However, if you said 'water', proceed to question 3.


3. If a red house is made from red bricks and a blue house is made from blue bricks and a pink house is made from pink bricks and a black house is made from black bricks, what is a green house made from?

Answer: Greenhouses are made from glass. If you said 'green bricks,' why the heck are you still reading these??? If you said 'glass,' go on to Question 4.


4. It's twenty years ago, and a plane is flying at 20,000 feet over Germany (If you will recall, Germany at the time was politically divided into West Germany and East Germany .) Anyway, during the flight, two engines fail. The pilot, realizing that the last remaining engine is also failing, decides on a crash landing procedure. Unfortunately the engine fails before he can do so and the plane fatally crashes smack in the middle of 'no man's land' between East Germany and West Germany. Where would you bury the survivors? East Germany , West Germany, or no man's land'?

Answer: You don't bury survivors. If you said ANYTHING else, you're a dunce and you must stop. If you said, 'You don't bury survivors', proceed to the next question.


5. Without using a calculator - You are driving a bus from London to Milford Haven in Wales . In London , 17 people get on the bus. In Reading, six people get off the bus and nine people get on. In Swindon two people get off and four get on. In Cardiff, 11 people get off and 16 people get on. In Swansea, three people get off and five people get on. In Carmathen, six people get off and three get on. You then arrive at Milford Haven. What was the name of the bus driver?

Answer: Oh, for crying out loud! Don't you remember your own name? It was YOU!!

I can see that the majority of my blogging buddies are afflicted with CRS (Can't Remember Shit) just like I am....

Provocative start to the week...

An interesting question was posed in a movie last night, and it got me thinking.

And therefore, I'm going to get you thinking today.

Here's the question....and for the record, I will post my answer in the comments section later today.

Ready?

If you were to be asked the most difficult thing you can imagine by your best friend, what would it be?

Think about that for a minute.

And then tell me what your friend would ask you that would be so difficult for you to answer....is it something he or she wants you to do like 'Will you raise my children if I die tragically tomorrow?', or are they asking you to confirm something you may have already done such as 'Did you ever sleep with my ex-boyfriend when we were dating?'

What would be the hardest question for you to answer?

Sunday Rewind....and a Happy Birthday to my BFF

It's my blogging day off, so enjoy this little funny from last year.

Oh, and by the way, to my oldest (in length of time!) and best friend Cheri...Happy Birthday, darlin! I hope it's a great day for you! Love you much!

Husband Down!

A husband and wife are shopping in their local Wal-Mart.

The husband picks up a case of Budweiser and puts it in their cart.

'What do you think you're doing?' asks the wife.
'They're on sale, only $10 for 24 cans,' he replies.
'Put them back, we can't afford them,' demands the wife, and so they carry on shopping.

A few aisles further on along the woman picks up a $20 jar of face cream and puts it in the basket.

'What do you think you're doing?' asks the husband.
'It's my face cream. It makes me look beautiful,' replies the wife.

Her husband retorts: 'So does 24 cans of Budweiser and it's half the price.'

On the PA system: 'Cleanup needed on aisle 25, we have a husband down.'

69 And Saturday

Get your minds out of the gutter.

It's 69 degrees in Ohio this fine Saturday.

69.

I've always liked that number, especially in July!

I love having the A/C off and the windows open.

I love weeding the flower beds and not sweating like a whore in church.

I love the smell of fresh air in the house and not stale air conditioning.

Oh, and I love that I lost another .9 lbs since Wednesday, bringing my grand total to 21.7 now.

As my son would say....boom!

Enjoy the day!

Sex isn't supposed to be this funny.

The following is a true story as told to me by "she who shall remain anonymous" (to avoid complete embarrassment from my family and friends!), so for the purpose of this blog, their names have been changed to protect the sexually dysfunctional innocent.

So my good friend "Angelina" and her husband "Brad" were home alone last weekend. They have four children so they don't often have the house to themselves, and when they do, they take full advantage. Meaning...they strip off the clothes and don't come up for air til one of the offspring return.

From this point the story is going to have to get kind of graphic so bear with me, I'll try to be as delicate as I can!

OK so Angie and Brad are having a good old time, and Brad has "taken a trip to Florida", which is our code word for going south....you get my drift, and Angie is completely enjoying Brad's tour of the land!! Naturally, that particular part of their evening progresses to the main event, and afterwards, Brad falls asleep on top of Angie. Typical, right?

So being the good wife that she is, she lets him lay there sleeping until she can no longer breathe (she's maybe 125 lbs and he probably comes in at 220) but in the meantime, she starts noticing this burning like pain coming from Florida the lowest part of The Promised Land. She tries wiggling around under him to pinpoint the location of the burn/pain and all she can determine is that it is external and down very low, but not internal. This has her stumped.

Eventually it really starts bothering her, so she wakes Brad up, and as he gets off of her, he raises up and sits back on his knees, right? They both happen to look down...and there is this string of white stuff leading from his johnson to her va-jay-jay! As she described it to me, it wasn't just like a filmy white stuff, it was a solid white string of something!

She's looking at him, he's looking at her, and they are both wondering just what exactly the other one has and is there a medication for it? She's like "Dude, it's coming out of you!" and he says "No, it's coming out of YOU!".

So he proceeds to pull on the string of white stuff.

And pull.

And pull.

Now picture him, sitting on his knees, pulling this string of some unknown but kind of frightening thing that is connecting his private parts to his wife's, and he's pulling it in a hand over hand method like he's reeling in a boat or something!

And he keeps pulling.

And suddenly they both realize...

....wait for it....

it's his gum.

Yes, you read that right.

Evidently when he was down there pleasuring his wife, he forgot he had gum in his mouth, and at some point that he doesn't recall, it fell out...and then as they were going at it, he was basically grinding it into her skin/hair in that area waaaay down below!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So to make this story even funnier, once they stopped laughing (and believe me, Angie says they were crying from laughter), the poor girl realizes she's got gum stuck in those tiny little hairs at the base of her va-jay-jay and that's what was burning/hurting...every time she moved it pulled at them and it was like getting a bikini wax or something.

Cut to the next scene, and Angie and Brad are now on the bed putting ice on the gum, trying to harden it to pull it off of her and not rip her skin off! That didn't work, so they tried peanut butter, and every other remedy you've heard of to remove gum, and he's like "Just shave it off" and she said "It's skin! The gum is stuck in invisible little hairs, there is nothing to shave!!!!"

OMG, I laugh just thinking about it.

Eventually, they got it removed but could not go to sleep because they kept giggling about how this could have happened, and the looks on their faces when they both thought the other one had some God awful disease!

As she relayed this story to me, and after I picked myself up off the floor and was able to contain myself enough to ask questions, I was like "Did he get down there and realize he had gum in his mouth, and park it on your inner thigh for later, or what??"

She said what's worse is that he said as he finished up down there, and before he climbed on top of her, he noticed some unusual white stuff in the area, but didn't have his glasses on and thought he'd just done such a good job she was frothing! OMG...LOL...I just burst out laughing as I typed that!!!!! Frothing???? Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

And of course, the obvious joke that she now is Dentyne fresh in that area. As I told her, Brad's new claim to fame is that he can go down on his wife and come up with the freshest breath in town.

Ah yeah, good times.

She may never top me with the dysfunctional husband stories, but I think she is now head of the hilarious sex department.

Weigh In Day....and coming Friday....

I don't know how I did it....

But after a weekend in Chicago where I didn't count WW points at any time, and I ate things like:

Bacon & Eggs
Pancakes
Hash Browns
Hamburgers
Hot Dogs
Potato Salad
Baked Beans
Brownies
Club Sandwiches
French Fries

....and those insanely ridiculous cupcakes that are at least 400 calories each....

I still managed to lose 1.8 lbs!

Yay me!

After two straight weeks of not losing, I was pretty annoyed, and used Chicago as an excuse to pig out and eat everything I haven't eaten in three months. Yes, I see the ridiculous logic in "I haven't lost weight so I'll eat like a cow"...but you people know me, and know that being rational isn't exactly my strong suit! I only ate twice a day but trust me, I ate probably triple my points allowance on Saturday and Sunday.

I think the massive amount of walking I did is what kept me from gaining. Gee, there's a concept. Exercise aiding in weight loss. Go figure.

Anway...I am thrilled with the scale doing down and am very thankful for it!




According to Weight Watchers, I'm averaging 1.5 lbs a week and should be at my goal weight the end of March. Just in time for my birthday....I can deal with that. I plan on turning 49 in Texas with Dr. Penny, so I'll gladly flaunt my hot new body there! (OK, hot old body. Whatever.)

Oh, and coming Friday....

The funniest sex story ever. Yes, it really happened and NO, it didn't happen to me, but it did happen to one of my friends. And it's hilarious....

My living will.

I, Julie R, being of sound mind and body, do not wish to be kept alive indefinitely by artificial means.

Under no circumstances should my fate be put in the hands of pinhead politicians who couldn't pass ninth grade biology if their lives depended on it, or lawyers/doctors interested in simply running up the bills.

If a reasonable amount of time passes and I fail to ask for at least one of the following:

Glass of wine
Chocolate
Margarita
Sex
Chocolate
Grey Goose
Coffee with Bailey's
Sex
Mexican food
Chocolate
Sex
Ice cream
Strawberries
Chocolate
A big salad
Sex
Chocolate

It should be presumed that I won't ever get better. When such a determination is reached, I hereby instruct my appointed person and attending physicians to pull the plug, reel in the tubes, let the 'fat lady sing,' and call it a day!

If this happens at the same time I have shrunk down to a size 6, even better. Please refrain from pulling the plug until I can wear couture into eternity.

*************In other news********************

My son is blogging again. Check out his upcoming new tattoo. And you've seen his Chris Daughtry look in the picture on the right, yes? I hardly recognize him anymore. Between the weight loss and the bald head, my baby is gone and my adult son has emerged. Sigh. Where does time go when you're having spawn?

And one last thing....my good buddy Deb over at Postcards from the Edge is going through a rough time with her mom being very sick. Please send some love and prayers her way, will you? She sure could use our support as things are really difficult right now.

So....Chicago

Actually had a great time. Had the trip planned for some time but at the last minute got the opportunity to go to the Nascar race on Saturday, and since I was going to be there anyway, I rearranged my schedule to accomodate it.

So here are some pics from the race. We got to tour the pits and all that fun stuff.

The flower arrangements in the hospitality tent:



In the pits:


Victory Lane (podium? whatever the hell you call it)



Our seats on the start/finish line:



Me in Tony Stewart's pit:



This is video I took of the race starting so you can see how good our seats were:



It was a lot of fun.

Saturday before the race and Sunday before we left, we did a lot of walking and just enjoyed hanging out in Chicago. I was lucky to be staying at my boss' condo on Lake Shore Drive, overlooking the lake with an amazing view. Here are some pictures from both days....the darker ones are Saturday morning right after it stormed at 5am (thus the dark clouds and raindrops on the windows) and the better pictures are from Sunday morning when it was much nicer out.

This is the view from the living room couch. It's all black (walls, ceiling, furniture) because of how it makes the wall of windows looking out over the lake pop:



This was early Saturday morning. Didn't look like the day would turn out well, but luckily the rain blew over and it was a great day:



This is the view from the bedroom on Saturday morning:



Same view on Sunday morning. What a difference a day makes!



Then I took this video around noon on Sunday as all the boats were starting to show up on the lake. Unfortunately you can't see that on the horizon are hundreds of white sail boats, they didn't show up in the video but it was amazing to see!




Here are some other random pics from my walks around town:










And the best part? More Cupcakes. Strawberry, Salted Caramel, Red Velvet, Mocha and S'mores. OMG...a party in your mouth!



This concludes our tour of Chicago. Please watch your step while exiting the blog.

Hey, does this work?

 

So, this Picasa thing will upload pictures to my blog for me? I guess I'll find out when I hit publish post!

If it does...this is a pretty glass dragonfly I saw on the way to Chicago at a truck stop. Wouldn't this be a beautiful tattoo?

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack. Did ya miss me?

Whadda ya mean, you didn't know I was gone??

Chicago was great....had a blast!

I have pictures and video to upload, so my recap isn't coming til tomorrow. I got home late, it was a long drive and an even longer weekend, so I didn't feel like doing it last night.

Meanwhile I'll go get caught up on my blog reading. What did I miss?

Until tomorrow, here's a picture for you. I stayed in my boss' condo on Lake Shore Drive, and this was my view from the bed every morning....

I could not say it better

I got some flack the other day for posting my displeasure at the hoopla surrounding Michael Jackson's death, and the what I consider unnecessary abundance of media coverage surrounding it.

Today I got an email that I feel needs posted. As always I welcome your comments, and I expect that not everyone shares my point of view.

Regardless, I hope you understand the message.

Yes, Michael Jackson did pass away a week ago,

...and so did:

Army SSG Paul G Smith, 43, of East Peoria, IL
Army SSG Joshua A Melton, 26, of Carlyle, IL
Army SPC Chancellor A Keesling, 25, of Indianapolis, IN
Navy MCPO Jeffrey J Garber, 43, of Hemingford, NE
Army 1SG John D Blair, 38, of Calhoun, GA Army
SGT Ricky D Jones, 26, of Plantersville, AK
Army SGT Rodrigo A Munguia Rivas, 27, of Germantown, MD
Army SPC Casey L Hills, 23, of Salem, IL
Army 1LT Brian N Bradshaw, 24, of Steilacoom, WA
Army SPC Joshua L Hazlewood, 22, of Manvel, TX

***********


This is written by a young soldier serving his third tour of duty in Iraq. Thought you might find his take on the Michael Jackson news interesting.


"Okay, I need to rant.

I was just watching the news, and I caught part of a report on Michael Jackson. As we all know, Jackson died the other day. He was an entertainer who performed for decades. He made millions, he spent millions, and he did a lot of things that make him a villian to many people. I understand that his death would affect a lot of people, and I respect those people who mourn his death, but that isn't the point of my rant.

Why is it that when ONE man dies, the whole of America loses their minds with grief. When a man dies whose only contribution to the country was to ENTERTAIN people, the Amercian people find the need to flock to a memorial in Hollywood, and even Congress sees the need to hold a "moment of silence" for his passing?

Am I missing something here? ONE man dies, and all of a sudden he's a freaking martyr because he entertained us for a few decades? What about all those SOLDIERS who have died to give us freedom? All those Soldiers who, knowing that they would be asked to fight in a war, still raised their hands and swore to defend the Constitution and the United States of America.

Where is their moment of silence? Where are the people flocking to their graves or memorials and mourning over them because they made the ultimate sacrifice? Why is it when a Soldier dies, there are more people saying "good riddance," and "thank God for IEDs?" When did this country become so calloused to the sacrifice of GOOD MEN and WOMEN, that they can arbitrarily blow off their deaths, and instead, throw themselves into mourning for a "Pop Icon?"

I think that if they are going to hold a moment of silence IN CONGRESS for Michael Jackson, they need to hold a moment of silence for every service member killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They need to PUBLICLY recognize every life that has been lost so that the American people can live their callous little lives in the luxury and freedom that WE, those that are living and those that have gone on, have provided for them. But, wait, that would take too much time, because there have been so many willing to make that sacrifice. After all, we will never make millions of dollars. We will never star in movies, or write hit songs that the world will listen too. We only shed our blood, sweat and tears so that people can enjoy what they have.

Sorry if I have offended, but I needed to say it. Remember these five words the next time you think of someone who is serving in the military;

"So that others may live..."


-Isaac
A US Soldier

God bless you, Isaac, and all of our service men and women.

In other news...I won't be posting this weekend as I'm headed to Chicago for the Nascar race! I'll be back Monday with pictures and details!

One last thing....please keep my friend "E" in your prayers. He lost his mother this week, and lost his father just a couple of months ago. Please send him strength to get through the rough days ahead.

Have a great weekend!