waking up the memories...

I am way behind in getting some of the latest happenings out there. But something that I thought I'd post a quick note about is how great if feels to see some familiar faces from my high school days. I have to admit those weren't necessarily the "happiest" moments of my life, but it wasn't because of the group of friends I knew way back when.

Most people don't know that two weeks right before my freshman year of high school, my mom was diagnosed with breast and cervical cancer. Only a select handful of my friends knew at the time, and it wasn't until she past away in my junior year that my classmates and teachers then realized why I was often "absent" from school.

Usually my body was physically there, but my mind really wasn't. The hardest part of it all now is dealing with the fact that I intentionally blocked out a lot of those great moments because I was struggling with too many other issues at the same time. Watching the flurry of activity online these past few days has really helped to rekindle all those feelings and thoughts, but at the same time it makes me wonder what high school would have been like as a normal kid.

will work for...

A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes....

Happy Birthday Barbie!

In honor of Barbie's 50th anniversary, I wanted to share the most favorite Barbie doll of my youth. I grew up with very few Barbie's before my little sister was born and it seems that once there were two girls in the house, my mother could not resist getting us more dolls than we really needed.

We had so many dolls that at some point they became too many to keep track of, which then lead to an unexpected fate of nudity, brutal hair cuttings, limb removal, and permanent Sharpie makeup application. The majority of the cruel treatment going towards the blond dolls, since my mom somehow managed to save the "Mexican looking" ones from suffering the same atrocious fate. I really only blame my little sister for all the abuse. Considering she was only about three or four years old at the time, it was hard to protect my precious collection of dolls from her terrorising behavior.

Out of all the dolls that were subjected to the tragic abuse, there is only one that I really miss and remember with great fondness. Peaches n' Cream Barbie was the glamorous 1980's diva I could only dream of becoming. She was one part Dynasty, two parts Vanna White, and one part equally bad prom dress/ball gown. Her shimmery bodice top and flowing lace stole made me want to grow-up and be "fancy" just like her. Thanks for all the memories Barbie.

Now if only I can train myself to walk in 4 inch stiletto heels and hot pants.



Side Note: How appropriate that a very young Tiffani Amber Thiessen makes an appearance in this commercial. Kelly Kapowski the epitome of 80's & 90's hair and fashion.

And we thought we had it rough....

I can't take credit for writing this, but I came across an interesting essay I wanted to share, that gives us a new perspective on true sufferage. Knowing that our current economy is struggling and many people are making due without, I can only imagine how people during the great depression and in more dire times were able to overcome such strife.

My own parents used to remind me about being humble and appreciating the luxuries in life we are given. I'm sure you've heard your fair share of "I used to walk 5 miles to school with a pair of old worn shoes (in the snow)" stories, but the following essay details a few things I would never want to live through.

LIFE IN THE 1500'S:

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s:

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence, the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water."

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs."

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying "dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they adding more thresh until when you opened the door it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance way. Hence the saying a "thresh hold."

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, "Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old."

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could "bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat."

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or "upper crust."

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence, the custom of holding a "wake."

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside, and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the "graveyard shift") to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be "saved by the bell" or was considered a "dead ringer."

Say CHEESE!

This is so politically incorrect, but someone had to post it. To some degree it reminds me of the age old riddle “If a tree falls in a forest…”, the only difference being “If a woman smiles under her burqa, is she really happy?”.



props to http://laconcurrencia.wordpress.com for the original post.

Doubtful...

Have you ever noticed how more often than not The Weather Channel never quite gets it right? According to recent reports we (NYC) are due to receive anywhere between 8 to 14 inches of snow tomorrow. How is that possibly accurate?

1.) You know that is a total guess.

2.) If that range were in any way true, then tomorrow is going to suck.

and

3.) Do they know how much that difference of 6 inches could mean to the nearly 18 million people in the tri-state area? I think 14 inches of snow in 24 hours would practically cripple the area. No way it's going to happen... it better not!