Politics

Now I generally don't post about politics. People in politics mostly piss me off. I just read an article in Bloomberg Business (my boss gets them at work and I sort the mail), about why business doesn't trust the Tea Party.

To be honest, does any rational human being trust the Tea Party Movement? Here's a "political party" that wants to take government and business to the pre-1920's era. Can anyone remember what happened in the 20's? Even before that? I remember my history lessons.

With no government regulation businesses were allowed to use child labor, they didn't need to have medical coverage, medical leave or even give workers a lunch break. 8 hour work days were unheard of, you worked until you were done. Businesses could have a monopoly and run as a legitimate gang, "if you don't work for us, you don't work". The Gilded Age was just that, looked great on the surface, but was still crap underneath.

Without government oversight, the stock market crashed, companies went under and people lost their jobs, their homes and their dignity.

Government regulation is what started an even keel for the economy. There was not the huge up and down swings that we had before the Great Depression. Until the 1970's, companies didn't even have to worry about the environmental impact factories had, or if their products were hazardous for people. They just wanted to make money for themselves and to hell with everyone else.

I know that there is corruption in the government now, but you can imagine what kind of corruption there was before there were oversight committees?

The gradual de-regulation of government started by the Republicans of the 80's and 90's is what caused the housing market collapse of 2008. Without the regulation of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the banks they felt free to "play" with our money, our mortgages and our futures. Selling the loans back and forth to each other just to make their bottom lines look good.

I purchased my home using a sub-prime loan. I was one of the lucky ones. Before my interest rate became variable, I was able to re-finance and lock in a fixed rate. But others were not so lucky. There are more houses in my neighborhood with For Sales signs than there were 5 years ago when I bought my house. And everyday, I see more. Everyday I hear reports that the executives who run the banks that have caused this mess giving themselves bonuses. How can they justify these bonuses when they screwed up? If I were to make an error that cost my company money, I'd be lucky to have a job let alone get a bonus.

My husband and I work as hard as we can, but we are still having trouble making ends meet. The Tea Party and their pundits, Glen Beck, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh and Fox News, think that by reversing the clock on government will make things better for all Americans are either blind, incredibly naive or they are complicit in keeping the poor from improving their situation and are driving the middle class down to the depths of poverty.

So many of us are hanging on by a thread, the Tea Party and anyone who wants to take us back to the Gilded Age are sitting there with the scissors waiting to cut it and let us fall.

Rocky Auditions

Yes, it’s that time again…

Because of sick freaks like you, sick freaks like us have a reason to act like complete fools on stage.

We will be holding Rocky auditions on August 21st at the Tower Theatre from 11am to 2pm. These are volunteer positions only! You do get some treats but don’t count on getting paid. Pick a song or two, no more than 10 minutes, to perform to. We will have the music on hand. You heard me music, not the movie. We ask that you know the part you are trying out for (no half assed effort please). You do NOT have to sing or actually speak. What we do is shadowcasting.

What is a shadowcast? A shadow cast is a group of people that performs a movie in front of a screen while that movie is playing; they essentially pantomime the movie.

Please fill out the attached form and bring it with you to your audition. No form, no audition. This will be a first come first serve basis, no appointments.

Our showtimes and events for this season are:

Fundraiser - September 20th at 7pm at the Tower. A couple of bands and a short video, with a short performance by us, will be the entertainment.

Shows – October 28th at 10pm, 29th and 30th at 8pm and Midnight and Halloween at 10pm. Tickets will go on sale the night of the fundraiser.

We may add some bar shows to the mix, but none have been added yet. Because of this we ask that you be at least 21. We can make certain exceptions but you need to be at least 18 as this movie is rated R and we add more explicit content.

............................................................................

Out of the Shadows Theater Group

Audition Form

Please complete and hand in at audition

General Info:

Name: __________________________________________________________________________

Phone #: _______________________ ____________ Texts: Y N

Sex: M F Age: ______________

Email: __________________________________________________________________________

Role(s) you are interested in: ________________________________________________________

Roles that you do NOT want: ________________________________________________________

Previous Acting / Dancing / Singing / Theater Experience and Formal Training –

(Feel free to use the back of the form if you need more space):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Just a Few More Things:

In the event you do not get a part, would you still be interested in remaining involved with the

production in any of the following areas? (Please check all that interest you).

Lighting/Stage Crew

Costumes

Make-up

Understudy/Transylvanian (Tranny)

PLEASE LIST ALL CONFLICTS YOU HAVE BETWEEN NOW AND THE PERFORMANCE DATE AND WHETHER THEY ARE FLEXIBLE OR NOT (rehearsal schedule will be provided at auditions):

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Read more: http://bulletins.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=bulletin.read&authorID=8574113&messageID=6679738945&actp=n%2b0prKAebczfG13CmB%2fL170xxzjSK8k%2f19igSi%2f1c3uQLTXTYANJMky0qJd%2b9I2kpV%2boQz%2b4%2b4TJK2%2bmFdN%2fpyVWyhOLSOWpNrZq79U0TkJbWWaXqXLrBPk4z4h20PQ9Brj%2fNsyPMXjaEmNGvqqM8XcEURG3pYSLfW5akXbQJPgSN4FHof2NMoXJ06Ks2vsb029sCwKX2pj72LmMjNzw1k7wuWGRziXR0C7U2CMrPh0%3d#ixzz0whtFT7jb

I had started a diet before going on vacation. Big mistake. I couldn't keep on a schedule at all. So, I'm starting up again. Here's hoping I keep with it.

What is it with....

Me and the bikes I purchase? I got to work yesterday and Matt's been frantically trying to call me. Monday night, while my son was sleeping 10 feet away, someone broke into my garage and took Matt's tools and two of our bikes. One of them my brand new Schwinn cruiser bike. I loved that bike.

Now I am seriously looking for a different neighborhood to live in. Two break-ins within 5 years.... it's time to move. Now I have to find a way to sell my home and buy another one.

Weight Loss?

I'm wondering the best way for me to lose weight. I need to find something else. I have almost no will power when it comes to food or exercize. I can always find another reason to put it off, or to just not do it.

Hypnosis? Lap-Band? Acupuncture? I just don't know.

Just as an FYI: my BMI is 45. It doesn't look it. And I don't see myself like that unless I look in a mirror or see a picture of me. And who thought of this BMI crap anyway? Never takes into account muscle or bone density. But I'm just making excuses.

Need to get a gym membership with a trainer. I need to do something. Any suggestions?

Crafts and stuff

Anyone who knows me knows I like to work with my hands. Gardening, crochet, cross stitch or even sewing.

I also have issues completing some things. I have 4 or 5 cross stitch projects that are currently unfinished. Some big, some small, all in various stages of completion. I love starting new cross stitch patterns. Wonder if I just get bored. I do complete smaller projects sooner. Or maybe deadlines are my issue. I need a reason to finish things. And just for my personal enjoyment isn't a good enough reason.

The only thing I seem to finish on a regular basis are books. I love books. I've even been thinking about an e-reader. Matt's is really nice. Not proprietary like the Kindle or the Nook. A nice little Sony. About the same size as a book. Fits in just about all my purses too. It can wait.....

My son is back!!!

Steven came home today. I missed him the week he was gone. We had a good talk tonight about all kinds of things. Here's hoping his week will be better. I get him til July 30th and then he'll be with his dad til the 15th of August. The 16th he'll be entering middle school. 6th grade. He's getting so big.

The conversations I have with Steven from time to time are rather depressing. A portrait of a person can stay the same in someone's mind over the years, even though a person has changed. But the perspective of past events get muddled and twisted.

One of my favorite quotes from Babylon 5: "There's your side, their side and the truth." Your side can be distorted by hindsight, their side can be distorted by their feelings. And the truth is the truth.

The truth is that my ex and I wouldn't have made it anyway. Yes my actions were deplorable and I could have handled things better, communicated more, etc. There's no sense going over it constantly. It's been 10 years. Why can't some people move past that? They have their own life, I have mine.

By my perspective, my life is a bit better than it used to be. I have a fantastic husband, own a home (or rather pay the mortgage on one), a good job and I have my wonderful son. My wonderful son that I have console when he comes home from his father's house because he feels that he's last in his father's attention. I know my son can exaggerate, but there is always a grain of truth in a story.

It's bedtime now, here's hoping that things are better in the morning.

I really should go to bed

I'm sure I'm going to get bored posting.

We've been spring cleaning in July. There's a reason for that. Going outside right now is painful. I hate the heat. When it's cold, I can layer more clothes. Doesn't work when the same when it's hot. I hate it when my skin is sticky. Spring cleaning meant cleaning up the yard. Not that I did a lot of that, planted a few things, pulled some weeds, didn't do nearly as much as I wanted to. Would need a LOT more money than I have right now. Last year's surgery put my yard on hold, catch up takes longer than I thought it might.

We have been getting rid of a lot of clutter. Trying to streamline life. We have a lot more room around here than we have in the past. Just finished resetting the cords for the surround sound and got rid of one of those hideous Sauder bookshelves. We hung up the RockBand guitars and are able to put the drums in a corner. We seem to finish one corner and find 5 more to re-do.

Last bit of info: I liked Glee. Never thought I would.

Thoughts at Midnight

My step-dad is a Marine. He is one of the most awesome people I've ever known. He never makes a promise that he might not be able to keep. He's honest, thorough and likes to get things done the right way the first time. While he hasn't been in my life for as long as I would have liked, I feel honored for the time that I've spent with him.

The tenor of this post suggests that he isn't with us any longer. Sooo not the case. I'm probably hormonal and just thinking about Marines a lot since I've been watching LOTS of NCIS.

My mom once suggested to me that I should have been a Marine. She sited my inherent body strength and high pain threshold. And the fact that I like to shoot guns and blow things up (not that I get a chance to do it all that often). I've thought about the what ifs, who hasn't? I think I might have liked the Marines. Or some form of military service. However, if I had joined, I wouldn't have this wonderful family. My son, Matt and Loren would never have been in my life. Not to mention my step-dad.

To all the Marines out there who have given their service to their country and to protect us all: Semper Fi!

Virgin Post

This is my first blog setup and post. So I guess you could say that I've popped my cherry. Then again, if you count FaceBook, MySpace or LJ, then I guess I've been around the block a bit. But I'm thinking I want to add a few more things here than I do at FaceBook. I'm leaving this open to all rather than the restrictions I have on my other pages. I'll be posting about all kinds of things, might even post from my phone, once I figure out how to do it. Visit the links on my website, there's more info there as well.

In the meantime: TESTIFY!!!!