Happy New Year!

And in the end it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.
-- Abraham Lincoln

I'm off to Tennessee to meet up with some friends from college for the New Year - it should be a nice way to spend the holiday. I was originally thinking of going to London, but now glad I'm not, with an impending Tube strike. I always look forward to New Year's, a clean slate, the prospect of a whole year in which my life plays out, hopefully as I wish it (though usually not exactly as I had thought).

Taking a page from Random Kath, I wanted to ask everyone a question - what is one big thing you will remember from 2005? For me, it can't be just one thing, I think I'll remember my crazy love-life, meeting someone who I hope will be "The One," traveling like mad getting to finally see Athens, Venice, Vienna, Edinburgh, Stockholm, and Buenos Aires, joining this crazy blogging world (thanks Adorable Tony), saying good-bye to co-workers as non-descript airline closes this location, reading the next chapter in Harry Potter's live with the sixth book in the series out, getting the actual author of our chosen book come to a bookclub meeting, learning to cook Indian food, sadly having some good friends pass away. Finally everyone in my family being safe and healthy for another year.

I wish everyone a happy, festive and fun New Year!! Stay safe.

Check this Out

My good friend P - has created a blog (after I blatantly hawked mine to him). He is a fantastic writer, who I know will win a Pulitzer one day, if he is not busy saving the world. We share a love of God and an openess to spirituality, despite both of us coming from very strict (read oppressive) faiths. During the 2004 election, P- often was my soundboard to vent my frustrations. Finally P- has a thing for Indian girls, which is so endearing to me and if that isn't a sign that the man is a genius, I don't know what is.

Check out this superhero disguised as a mild-mannered reporter (sound familiar?? Don't think I've not noticed the similarities P-!).

http://outofmymines.blogspot.com/

Misc. Thoughts

It's another one of those posts were I have a ton of little things zinging around in my head so I thought I'd just jot them down.

Tsunami - I can't believe it has been only a year since the tsunami hit. So many people's lives have been shattered and yet we have moved on - it seems so wrong. I suppose many of the people who were affected don't have the luxury of wallowing in daily memorials and rembrances to the point of overkill, they are just living day to day. May God give these poor people at least one night of peace, from the sadness and the horror.

Torture - I had to just laugh when I heard that our great VP, Dick Cheney, was lobbying FOR torture. That's a first, if I ever heard of one. Lord, that guy really is a bully - I bet he was a real jerk in school, beating up on kids smaller than him, thinking he was all big and bad. He would have made my life hell. He hides from any real danger, just like a bully (deferring five times from the war! Crazy). I echo the sentiments of that doctor in New Orleans who shouted when Mr. Cheney was visiting the hurricane zone, "go f*& yourself."

Is my life boring? Do you ever think everyone else is leading these super exciting lives and you are just sitting around? I can't imagine that most people do have these jet-setting lifestyles, no? I bet most people just come home after work, like me, and unwind - doing chores and maybe catching a tv show or two (loving that new WB show "SuperNatural"). I would be interested to know what it is that others do...(we can't all be Paris Hilton's).

Homer Simpson: "Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals ... except the weasel."

Florida and a wedding

I'm back from Florida - yes it was decidedly warmer there than here in D.C. - but I still had to have my jacket on in the evenings. It was good to see family, especially the girls (my cousins), we hung out a lot this weekend, watching Indian films, going out to eat, just chilling. It was nice and I'm glad I did.

Actually, I was quite depressed on Friday, I had to go to a good friend's wedding. She was getting re-married. I was happy for her, but bummed for myself. She is also like me and had the unfortunate coincidence to end up divorced also. But unlike me she got remarried within a year. I feel like such a loser. I didn't want to go the wedding, so everyone could look at me and say (behind my back) "what is wrong with Virginia Gal, why doesn't she get remarried?" and other nasty comments. I really wanted to spend Friday nursing a big tub of Ben & Jerry's, but my friend would have been very offended so I went. I actually had a good time and the whole thing was put into perspective when another good friend said to me "you would have looked like a sore loser if you hadn't come, no one is thinking bad of you and those who are, well, screw 'em." It was exactly what I needed to cheer me up.

The reason I bring this up is because before Friday night, I was seriously thinking of not going down to Florida - I love my family but they can really stress me out about my marriage situation. They were beyond nice though, no one said anything rude or mean, amazing! InshAllah by this time next year I won't have to tip-toe around the issue, I'll be married by than (or close to it!).

Hope everyone had a great Christmas (will have to check out everyone's blog to find out).

Merry Christmas

For this post before the big Christian holiday, I want to wish all those who celebrate this day, a Merry Christmas! I hope it is a happy time, you get at least one good gift and get to watch at least one complete edition of my all-time favorite Christmas film A Christmas story. (Frageeli - too funny!!).

I'm off to Tampa, Florida to visit with family, be back next Tuesday.

Be Mindful, O Lord

Be mindful, O Lord, of those who travel by land, by sea, and by air; of the old and young, the sick, the suffering, the sorrowing, the afflicted, the captives, the needy and the poor; and upon them all send forth Thy mercies, for Thou art the Giver of all good things.

- Christian Orthodox

Christmas/Holiday debate

I didn't really want to get into the fray of this whole "War on X-Mas" debate. But this morning I had this guy I was car-pooling with me, state very obviously, "this weekend I'll have a Merry Christmas and next weekend I'll have a happy holiday."

'oh Lord, we got a live one,' I thought. Give me a break! Who cares?! I felt like yelling at him, "get off your fat ass and care about something that means a damn! Stop trying to make your lazy self feel better about being a Christian by saying that you are fighting for Christ, if you really wanted to work for Christ, help those who can't help themselves, instead of arguing about a holiday that was converted from paganism. Crikes!"

In the end I got my own, when he dropped me off he said "Merry Christmas." I pointedly replied, "happy holidays." (ps, I think it is really rude to presume that I celebrate Christmas, cause I don't! Until you start saying "Eid Mubarak" to me, forget me saying "Merry Christmas" to you. It is a two way street my friend!).

My friend sent me this editorial written by someone at the New York Times, I think it sums up my feelings on the subject pretty well.

>December 18, 2005
>Op-Ed Columnist
>A Challenge for Bill O'Reilly
>By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
>
>Let us all pray for Bill O'Reilly.
>
>Let us pray that Mr. O'Reilly will understand that the Christmas spirit
>isn't about hectoring people to say "Merry Christmas," rather than "Happy Holidays," but about helping the needy.
>
>Let us pray that Mr. O'Reilly will use his huge audience and considerable
>media savvy to save lives and fight genocide, instead of to vilify those
>he disagrees with. Let him find inspiration in Jesus, rather than in the
>Assyrians.
>
>Finally, let's pray that Mr. O'Reilly and other money-changers in the
>temple will donate the funds they raise exploiting Christmas - covering
>the nonexistent "War on Christmas" rakes in viewers and advertising - to
>feed the hungry and house the homeless.
Amen.
>
>Alas, not all prayers can be answered. Fox News Channel's crusade against
>infidels who prefer generic expressions like "Happy Holidays" included 58
>separate segments in just a five-day period.
>
>After I suggested in last Sunday's column that a better way to honor the
>season might be to stand up to genocide in Darfur (a calamity that Mr.
>O'Reilly has ignored), Mr. O'Reilly denounced me on his show as a
>"left-wing ideologue." Bless you, Mr. O'Reilly, and Merry Christmas to
>you, too!
>
>Later in the show, Mr. O'Reilly described us print journalists in general
>as "a bunch of vicious S.O.B.'s." Bless you again, Mr. O'Reilly; I'll pray
>harder for the Christmas spirit to soften your pugnacious soul.
>
>Look, I put up a "Christmas tree," rather than a "holiday tree," and I'm
>sure Mr. O'Reilly is right that political correctness leads to absurd
>contortions this time of year. But when you've seen what real war does,
>you don't lightly use the word to describe disagreements about Christmas
>greetings. And does it really make sense to offer 58 segments on political
>correctness and zero on genocide?
>
>Perhaps I'm particularly sensitive to religious hypocrites because I've
>spent a chunk of time abroad watching Muslim versions of Mr. O'Reilly -
>demagogic table-thumpers who exploit public religiosity as a cynical ploy
>to gain attention and money. And I always tell moderate Muslims that they
>need to stand up to blustery blowhards - so today, I'm taking my own
>advice.
>
>Like the fundamentalist Islamic preachers, Mr. O'Reilly is a talented
>showman, and my sense is that his ranting is a calculated performance. The
>couple of times I've been on his show, he was mild mannered and amiable
>until the camera light went on - and then he burst into aggrieved
>indignation, because he knew it made good theater.
>
>If Mr. O'Reilly wants to find a Christmas cause, he should invite guests
>from Catholic Relief Services, World Vision or the National Association of
>Evangelicals - among the many faith-based organizations that are doing
>heroic work battling everything from river blindness to sex trafficking.
>Indeed, the real victims of Mr. O'Reilly are the authentic religious
>conservatives, because some viewers falsely assume that ill-informed
>bombast characterizes the entire religious right.
>
>(I'm tempted to think that Mr. O'Reilly is actually a liberal plant, meant
>to discredit conservatives. Think about it. Who would be a better plant
>than a self-righteous bully in the style of Father Coughlin or Joe
>McCarthy? What better way to caricature the right than by having Mr.
>O'Reilly urge on air that the staff of Air America be imprisoned:
>"Dissent, fine; undermining, you're a traitor. Got it? So, all those
>clowns over at the liberal radio network, we could incarcerate them
>immediately. Will you have that done, please? Send over the F.B.I. and
>just put them in chains, because they, you know, they're undermining
>everything.")
>
>Some authentic religious conservatives are embarrassed by television
>phonies. Cal Thomas, the conservative Christian columnist, warned: "The
>effort by some cable TV hosts and ministers to force commercial
>establishments into wishing everyone a 'Merry Christmas' might be more
>objectionable to the One who is the reason for the season than the 'Happy
>Holidays' mantra required by some store managers."
>
>So I have a challenge for Mr. O'Reilly: If you really want to defend
>traditional values, then come with me on a trip to Darfur. I'll introduce
>you to mothers who have had their babies clubbed to death in front of
>them, to teenage girls who have been gang-raped and then mutilated - and
>to the government-armed thugs who do these things.
>
>You'll have to leave your studio, Bill. You'll encounter pure evil. If
>you're like me, you'll be scared. If you try to bully some of the goons in
>Darfur, they'll just hack your head off. But you'll also meet some genuine
>conservative Christians - aid workers who live the Gospel instead of
>sputtering about it - and you'll finally be using your talents for an
>important cause.
>
>So, Bill, what'll it be? Will you dare travel to a real war against
>Christmas values, in which the victims aren't offended shoppers but
>terrified children thrown on bonfires? I'm waiting to hear.

March of the Penguins

side note - I got into a minor fender bender this morning (taking a right of all things!) - thankfully I didn't hit anyone or get hurt myself, but I did injure my car. I took out a tiny chunk of the car next to the passenger side and the front tire rim is cracked and the side is a tiny bit dented - all cosmetic changes. I'm so mad at myself, what was I doing, not paying attention! Great another $500-$1000 down the drain (I'm assuming that is how much it is going to cost to fix these cosmetic changes - how stupid am I?!).

Penguins
On my recent trip to London I was able to catch the movie March of the Penguins on the plane. People had been talking about it all over the summer and my curosity was piqued. After reading Belinda's review, I was even more interested in this flick.

If you have ever seen a Wonderful World of Disney nature special, you have a good foundation for the movie. March of the Penguins follows the birthing cycle of empire penguins. It starts with the mating, to the hatching of the egg, the chick being born and ending with the parents leaving the chick to fend for itself. It is very engaging and you can't turn away, a film that makes you laugh and cry. The penguins are so cute! I loved the baby chicks, with their fuzzy gray hair and tiny waddle, they were adorable and I just wanted to scoop them up and cuddle them. At the same time there were times when I cried, like when the lone penguin is out on the ice, having walked too slow and been left behind by the pack. As Morgan Freeman narrates "this penguin will fade away." Oh nice sugar coating, Morgan - just tell it like it is, this penguin is going to die!!

I did learn some intersting things about penguins also, how they huddle together to escape the bitter cold winds of the Artic. How the moms and dads recognize their chick by their squacking (which does beg the question if your baby died, how come you can't help a motherless chick? why does it only have to be related to help?).

This movie really exhibits the Darwin theory of "survival of the fittest." Antartica is the harshest of climates and these penguins are warm-blooded mammals, yet somehow they survive. They have perfected a method of reproduction and keeping alive. Nature has made their bodies in a way to be able to exist and thrive despite the atmosphere. It is amazing to see!

With all the current arguments going on about teaching evolution, this movie really brings a fresh perspective. I think nature and God work together - only us humans put them in a war against each other. (ps in case you were wondering, I don't believe in teaching intelligent design in school, too much blurring of church and state. But who says God didn't start evolution??).

Tagged!

I've been tagged by Pissed Off Pencil, so here goes...

1. Four jobs you have had in your life:
Barista at Starbucks
Assistant to Director of Marketing and Director of Group Sales, Nassau Coliseum
Daycare worker
Human Resources employee at non-descript airline

2. Four movies you could watch over and over:
Sound of Music (I love this movie!!)
Ever After (with Drew Barrymore)
Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Guam (Indian film)
Pride and Prejudice (with Colin Firth)

3. Four places you've lived:
a. Manassas, Virginia
b. Staunton, Virginia
c. Long Island, NY
d. Baltimore, MD

4. Four TV shows you love to watch:
ER!!
Martha Stewart Apprentice
Re-runs of Will and Grace and/or Friends
Gilmore Girls

5. Four places you've been on vacation:
Sydney, Australia
Buenos Aires, Argentina
St. Petersburg, Russia
Copenhagen, Denmark

6. Four websites you visit daily:
http://www.ucomics.com/calvinandhobbes/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
http://www.yahoo.com/
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/

7. Four places you'd rather be right now:
London
With my honey, married in London
London
Being with someone cool and jet setting around the world, staying in no one place for very long.

I'm not tagging anyone cause I can't decide, please feel free to play along if you'd like.

Side note - I got the soundtrack for the Sound of Music this weekend. I love that film, it is so happy and sweet. the shots of Austria, gorgeous! Whenever I watch the movie, I have a warm glow, outside worries go away. I am proud to say I know all the words to almost all the songs. Stamp my hand, I'm an official fan!

Nutcracker

This weekend, I went to see the ballet, The Nutcracker. It was part of my side job as an art critic for a local paper. This was the fifth year in a row, I had to schlep out to see this production. I love the ballet (having studied/danced it for 14 years) but good Lord, how many times can I see the same show, from the same company, which puts in the same quirks and often times the same choreography?! I'm starting to get Nutcracker'ed out! Besides which, this is a local dance company and the audience is full people who are related to the dancers on stage. Anytime I dare to critize anything about any of the shows, I got reams of nasty letters. so I have to put on a happy face even when I feel like screaming out at the stage "get a move on!" It is a tough rope I walk in this situation indeed!

Things I like about the Nutcracker:
Sugarplum Fairy Suite (if done right, so often this lovely piece of music is butchered with crappy choreography)
Snowflake and Waltz of Flowers scenes - again, if done right, looks gorgeous. All the girls need to be in unison and the choreography should be lite and flowing, lots of easy jumps and spins that cover the stage or make big circles, nothing too complicated.
Beautiful costumes and pretty girls with graceful arches in their pointe shoes - always a joy to watch ballet danced right!

Things I don't like about the Nutcracker:
Mouse/Nutcracker fight scene - boring!!
Smary kids - oh God stop forcing them on us poor audience members - you crazy stage moms! You're kid hamming it up is not cute for the classical Nutcracker.

Side note - went to see HP and Goblet of Fire at IMAX this weekend - best way to see an action film! Even though I still don't love this movie, I wasn't as annoyed by the mistakes and bad acting. If you haven't been, try to see one film at an IMAX theater, put it down as one of those things you should do before you die.

Good-bye My Friend, I hope to Hear you Again..

Today is Howard Stern's last show on free/public FM radio. It's the end of an era, not only for him but for me. Every morning, for the past five years, I've switched on my radio to listen to Stern and company as I get ready for work (at non-descript airline). I've liked the banter without the music - its like having some company in an otherwise very silent house. You start to get to know the personalities and it became familar, like friends. Despite my deep faith, I never had a problem with Stern's antics, always just laughing at the outlandishness of some of it. Most of the time, in that first hour, at 6am, Stern was pretty tame and I enjoyed and agreeded with many of his opinions on Hollywood (especially liking it when he made fun of Starr Jones and Kathy Lee and similiar holier than thou hypocrites with no sense of humor!), his take on narcissism and in the end, his unabashed hatred of the Bush administration. I will miss those rants. I'll miss the in-fighting in the cast of characters and the making fun of each other. I'll miss Artie, the newest addition to the Stern gang, who ALWAYS made me laugh. I'll miss the terrible parady songs, especially about Gary (who I adored as being the only sane one in the bunch). I'll miss the weird callers who always were begging for free stuff. I'll miss Ronnie the Limo Driver getting mad at a drop of a hat. I'll miss common sense Robyn. I'll miss Howard recounting his weekend stories and how he always feels insecure at big Hollywood shindigs. Really, I think...I'll miss my morning friends.

Ironically the show is on the same day as my final Christmas party with non-descript airline, as the company is closing down my location and I'll be out of a job sometime next year. Things, they are a-changing...

Good-bye Howard and good-luck!

http://www.howardstern.com/

Side note - so disappointed last night that on The Apprentice Randall didn't allow Rebecca a position as well. That was mean-spirited and has diminished my opinion of him.

Help - I need a human!

I saw this brilliant article in People magazine recently - about this guy who has a website dedicated to helping you get to a human voice when calling some big corporation. I love it! I don't agree with always going to the operator, sometimes the prompts and automated system provide me with exactly what I need and I don't have to bother with a potentially surly human being on the other end. But usually when I call a place, it's because I've really hit a roadblock.

For example yesterday checking my credit card statement online, I couldn't find out what a temporary authorization was for that was showing up on my statement and the site didn't provide details, though I searched hi and low. So I had to go the mat, go to the phone. Fortunately, it was relatively painless, but there are some companies that make it virtually impossible to get to a human voice, that is where this great website comes in. Brilliant! Frustrated with your bank, need to find out something about your package delivery, check this site out!

http://www.paulenglish.com/ivr/

Virginia Gal's Ministry of Justice

With all the talk of the death penalty in the news of late, I thought I'd list some of my solutions for crime and punishment (I should say right now, I'm not an altogether forgiving person, one of my favorite books is the Count of Monte Crisco, because he gets such awful revenge on those who did him wrong).

Killers/Murderers who show no remorse - send their ass to Afghanistan, to the caves to find the Taliban, its a fair fight. If they get held hostage, we don't really have to care, we didnt' want them anyway.
Child Molesters/Phidophiles - castration. These people, as it has been shown, can not be rehabilitated (they will say that themselves), so lets nip this problem in the bud.
Juvenile Deliquents - up to six months working in a Nike Factory in Indonesia, all work and no play for a nickel - suddenly life in America seems good and you'll be grateful for what you have!
White Collar Crime - people like Ken Lay and that Tyco guy, should be made poor - all their assests should be sold, the profits to be given to those they wronged and than these guys can go out and panhandle.
Serial Killers/Rapists - all put on some remote Island in the Pacific - they can stake and kill each other (it would probably be fun for them, since they like that).

Of course, the ideal solution would be to not create these people in the first place, to take care of all members of our society - people with mental health issues, children whose parents beat them, less worship of violence and condoning drug use, de-celebritizing the criminal world ... actually being a compassionate community instead of just talking about it.

Time after Time

I'm back! London was nice, as usual. I didn't do as much I wanted, but it was still a good trip.
Unfortunately, I only got to spend an hour with my guy. This whole long distance thing is becoming very painful, especially since we are still, "just friends." I cried on the plane ride home, I didn't want to go away from him (not that he knows). Is there any possibility at all, even in the remotest corner of the universe that he feels the same way about me? Sigh.

On a different note, I just got a bottle of that new shimmery body lotion from the The Body Shop (you know the one with all the naturalistic stuff). It is so divine! It smells lightly of cranberry but makes your body all shimmery.

oh if you are in the DC area, the Smithsonian Natural History muesum IMAX theater is showing Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire from Dec 16 - Jan 2. Tickets are going fast!

London Calling

Despite the "Storm of the Century" (I love overhype of snow storms, sheesh), I'm going to try to fly out today to my favorite city - London!!! Let's be honest, I'm going because its been too long since I've seen my guy. I do hope I get to see him. He is mad busy this weekend.

I'll be interested to see what is making the big news across the pond. I have a feeling the whole CIA planes of torture made much bigger headlines than over here (really nothing this administration does surprises me anymore, I'm just waiting for the dentention camps for Muslims). Also, I'm fascinated to see how England does the holidays, do they go a bit overboard, like we do?

For my East Coast peeps - stay warm and enjoy this snow/slush!

Childish Antics

A friend of mine forwarded me this link, a story about a cafe that has put a sign about unruly children and denying service in their window.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10338070/

I have issues with misbehaving children in public. There are some places where I do agree misbehaving children don't belong. When I went to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, someone brought a crying baby. For pete's sake, you cheap-ass bastard, have some decency and GET THE HELL OUT OF THE THEATER!! I paid good money to see that movie experience, and that doesn't include your crying 1-yr old. If Iwasn't smack dam in the middle, I would have gotten the usher and made them remove that person.

As a frequent flier, my one big rule to the gate agents, "please don't give me a seat assignment next to a kid." They can't sit still or they cry or they hit your chair throughout the entire flight. Plus they want to play. Hey, I'm sorry if you're kid is bored, but I was not put on the plane to entertain you child, leave me alone and let me sleep!

Nice resturants are another place where screaming and crying kids should be a no-no. Why do you bring them here anyway? Dropping $20 for a meal, when the kid would probably be happier with a $5 happy meal.

Yet at the same time, having worked in daycare, I know kids can sense when is the worst time for them to act up and pick that moment to have a temper tantrum. I feel for parents when I'm at the mall and their kid is acting like the Tasmanian Devil. How does one control this...? Are misbehaving children a sign of poor or lazy parenting?

My mother would whoop my sister and I's asses, if we stepped out of line. I'm an adult now and she still has a look that can cause me to sit down and shut up.

This is an interesting issue...not particularly black and white...

Pearl Harbor Day

December 7th is the day Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, back in 1941. The next day, America entered WWII. For some reason I always remember this day. In college I mentioned this fact to our mailman, an older guy, graying hair and glasses. He looked up and smiled at me, "I"m glad someone from your generation remembers." A light went off in my head.
"Thank you," I replied back. He just smiled with understanding and shuffled off to sort some more mail. Brightening someone else's day (hopefully), made my own. God bless everyone out there who is working to make this world a safer and better place. So hopefully in the future we won't have to remember war dates.

From Laurie I have been tagged to write ten unusual things about myself, things you might not know or think about me....I've been mulling it over and here is my list:
1. My official New Kids On The Block fan club picture still hangs in my bedroom in a frame.
2. I swear like a sailor when provoked.
3. I've never seen "Its a Wonderful Life" or "The Godfather."
4. I haven't told my secret crush that I'm divorced.
5. I use to be a cheerleader in middle school.
6. I hate sharing my pens on the plane (cause I don't get them back!)
7. I go to Barnes and Noble to see what are the new books and write them down on a list and than I head to the library and check them out.
8. I once voted Republican (hanging head in shame), it was for a local election!
9. I subscribe to International Figure Skating magazine.
10. If I can't finish everything on my plate when I go out to eat, I take a doggy bag, even if it is for three fries :)

ok, now I'm suppose to tag five people...but I hate choosing five people - so instead I will leave it open. If you would like to do this, please do, if not I shall not be overly offended.

Just for Laughs

Lately my last few posts have been quite depressing...so today, I'm endeavoring to put something funny in, cheer me up.

Enjoy and happy Tuesday!

Homer: Marge? Since I'm not talking to Lisa, would you please ask her to pass me the syrup?
Marge: Dear, please pass your father the syrup, Lisa.
Lisa: Bart, tell Dad I will only pass the syrup if it won't be used on any meat product.
Bart: You dunkin' your sausages in that syrup homeboy?
Homer: Marge, tell Bart I just want to drink a nice glass of syrup like I do every morning.
Marge: Tell him yourself, you're ignoring Lisa, not Bart.
Homer: Bart, thank your mother for pointing that out.
Marge: Homer, you're not not-talking to me and secondly I heard what you said.
Homer: Lisa, tell your mother to get off my case.
Bart: Uhhh, dad, Lisa's the one you're not talking to.
Homer: Bart, go to your room.

Missing Monday

Robert, who also goes by "Robbie," was last seen on Route 675 in Buckingham County, Virginia. He was involved in a vehicle crash on that route and has not been seen or heard from since. His family is concerned for his well-being.


DOB: 09/19/1967
Race: White
Sex: Male
Height: 5'7
Weight: 160lbs.
Identifying marks: goatee
Missing from: Buckingham County, VA
Missing since: 07/24/05
Last seen wearing: Blue t-shirt, jeans

Manic Monday

Thanks to everyone for their kind words and thoughts from my last blog - it certainly makes me feel loved and today more than ever I need it.

This wasn't the best weekend, I got mad at my kids in Sunday School (gave them an easy task to do at home and some of them were just to lazy not to do it - so frustrating!).

Than my father told me that all my prayers and efforts etc to get married were a waste of time, because as he said "you got a job in six months, so if you really wanted to get married you would have done it by now." yeah dad, cause getting a job is exactly the same thing as getting married. Give me a break! As if I haven't been trying my hardest to find someone!

I was so upset with him I broke my beloved tea cup on our front stoop and threw away all my medicine for my winter allergies. I expect those kind of cruel statements from people in our Indian Muslim community, not from my own family. To me it was like hitting below the belt - I can't understand what joy he got out of say such a hateful thing to me. But at least his true colors and feelings have come out. I hope he is happy and pleased that he made me feel so bad, because to me that can be the only reason a person would say mean things to another, to make the other person feel like less than dirt (as if I don't already think I suck).

Miracles

Right so I alluded to this in my previous post. I am obsessing over this guy (my crush as some of you call it, but I swear I feel stronger about him than any other man in the past, at times I'm so frustrated at being so far from him and not knowing how he feels that I start to cry).

This guy is SO out of my league. He is hot, successful, sophisticated, worldly and still religious and cultured. Sometimes I think, "why bother, I'm a guppy and he is a slick blue shark." I can't even believe we are friends and that he continues to stay in touch, I'm such a geek, he is the cool captain of the football team. And yet, I can't entirely give up hope. Probably because I believe in miracles.

Everyday I pray to God to give me this miracle, to make this man fall in love with me, to make him realize that he wants me in his life daily. We believe, in Islam, that everything is done by God. If it doesn't work out with this guy, people will tell me, "it wasn't meant to be." As if somehow in the future, my life with this guy would have been bad. I understand that, but at the same time I say, "God is all-powerful, can't He change the future, can't He make it so I would get my happily ever after?" Is that an outlandish question to pose?

Do you believe in miracles? Could this miracle happen? Is there anything I can do (my obsessive-compulsive behavior coming out) to make it happen?

World Aids Day

I was going to post about my hopeless love life, how I yearn to be with someone, though not sure if he wants me or even thinks of me in a romantic way, how I wake up in the morning thinking about him and spend all my free time day dreaming about him, but than I heard today is World Aids day. My woes seem so insignificant in comparison.

I've only known one person who has passed away from an AIDs induced illness (menigitis), the partner of a good friend of mine. When AIDS was being "discovered" I was a small child. I don't have any memories of the fear that it created in people, nurses not coming to work, being called the gay cancer, how Ronald Reagan wouldn't even mention it, how it was such a taboo. I only learned about this from watching the movie And the Band Played On, in college. AIDS became a reality to me, when my mother tsked tsked over some narrow-minded parents in some Midwestern state who wouldn't send their kids to school because one of the classmates had been diagnosed with AIDS.
"Poor child, he is suffering already. Why punish the child more?" she said. Little did she know then, how many children now suffer. It is sad indeed.

We pray, O God of hope, for all families whose lives are torn and disrupted by AIDS. Bless them with the power of your love. Grant that as they walk this tortured road,they may journey together and bound close in the bond of love. Amen.
- Vienna Cobb Anderson