Are you having a chilly and rainy day today? Amazing what a difference two little old days can make! From 90-something to barely 50. I've gone from shorts and a tshirts and sandals, to sweatpants and a longsleeved shirt and socks. Mymymymymy!
I have several things to yak about today. Ready (smile)?
1. Do you have cable? Maybe they have these two documentaries available on dvd to rent, like maybe at Blockbuster, but I don't know. 'Why We Fight' and 'Iraq For Sale: War Profiteers'. These are both excellent and well worth your time to view. That's all I'm going to say about them, I sound like Forrest Gump don't I (smile), but both films (documentaries) speak eloquently for themselves. Catch them on cable or look them at your dvd rental place of choice. I don't think you'll be sorry you did.
2. Are you an Arlo Guthrie fan? I am! I've seen him live in concert a couple of times and he is a hoot! Arlo doesn't release new cds anywhere near as often as I'd like him to (doggone you, Arlo!), but when he does, well, they're always wonderful and worth waiting for. He has a new one out now, 'In Times Like These', I received my copy yesterday and it's probably semi-worn out from being played half to death already. If I spoke with you yesterday afternoon, well, you heard it in the background.
This new cd of his has the University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra backing him. You know, usually it's just Arlo and his guitar and it's great, or it's Arlo and his band and they sound wonderful. Well, Arlo with a full orchestra behind him is unbelievably wonderful!
I read a review of this cd at Amazon.com after I had already purchased it. Okay, it's backwards, big deal, that's how I roll (smile). The fellow who wrote it, Jim Newsom, is a professional reviewer for a newspaper. I'll tell you, Newsom gave such an eloquent review that you need to read it even if you don't care about Arlo's new cd (HOW COULD ANYONE NOT CARE?????).
Go to www.amazon.com. Click on music on the drop down menu. Type in Arlo Guthrie. Type in In Times Like These. Scroll down to customer reviews. Click on Jim Newsom's review.
If you decide you want to buy the new cd, www.amazon.com is as good a place as any to get it from, or www.risingsunrecords.com is good too. Arlo's cd is on that label. Or heck, your local cd emporium should work too, although if the music stores where you live are anything like the ones where I live, well, unless you're interested in the Top 40--good luck. That kills me too. I hear (on public radio especially) buy your music locally at the mom 'n pop places......So I've wandered into a couple of them, couldn't find what I was looking for and they offered to order it for me. Come back in two weeks, we'll have it for you. Shoot, I can order it myself off the internet and have it in 3 or 4 days.
3. Is anyone out there looking for a pen pal? A snail mail pen pal? I have a friend, a dear friend, who is in prison. He's been locked up for over 20 years, probably closer to 25 years. I've known him for almost forever, he's from Detroit. We're not romantically linked with each other, never have been, always been friends right from the get go.
Rick, that's his name, is doing a forever. That means that--barring a major miracle-- he is going to continue to spend his life in prison here in Michigan, and he is going to die locked up in a Michigan prison.
I'm not going to plead his case and tell you I think he should be released. That's not for me to decide. What I will say is I think after prisoners get so old and have so much time in they should be considerred for release. Statistics show that after x-number of years in custody, and after a person reaches a certain age, the odds of them committing a new crime, of reoffending, are practically nil, zero, zilch.
But what I'm saying here today is if anyone would like a snail mail pen pal, if anyone would like to do like Jesus said and 'visit' those in prison (remember, Jesus said a bunch of things we should do but probably don't because we're busy or we don't want to be inconvenienced)-and by 'visit' I mean by letter, I'm not asking you to hop on a plane, train or automobile and come to Michigan to see Rick-then drop me an email and I'll give you his address.
Rick is a nice man, he won't try to 'work' you for money, he'll just write back and forth with you. He's smart and interesting and has a great sense of humor.
Let me hear from you about this.
Okay, so that's it for today. I still have to get to the store. I'm going to dinner at a friend's house tomorrow night and I'm taking two homemade pumpkin pies with me. I need evaporated milk and eggs before I can bake pies. And I need to stop at JoAnn Fabrics. And pick up the mail. Whew! I'm wore out just thinking about it all (smile)!
You take care of yourself, be good, stay strong. I look forward to hearing from you.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
tawnyford@webtv.net
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Today is all about yesterday. Nope, not trying to be profound. You'll see what I mean in a minute.
Do you have a fireplace at your house? If so, what type of a thing do you have in front of it? I mean, is it one of those things (sorry, don't know the proper name for it)that tightly fits the opening, with glass doors? Or is it one of those less expensive, decorative screens that folds open?
I have a fireplace in my family room. It came with the house, the previous owners had it built when they added the family room addition. I've used it a little bit, but not in a number of years, mostly the first year or two after I moved in. I used to tend bar at a bowling alley and every year when they replaced the pins they'd give them to any of us who had fireplaces. The pins are solid heavy wood and they burn for a long time. I used to have cases of them in my garage.
Anyway, I have one of those looks-like-it-was-built-in enclosures for my fireplace. No thanks to me, not a bit. Left up to my own devices I'd still probably have the decorative screen thing that the previous owners left when they moved.
When I first bought the house I had a roommate, her name was Mary, and we worked together at the bowling alley. Okay, for me it was my primary job. I tended bar five and six nights a week, putting in over sixty hours a week. With time and a half over 40 hours, generous tips, and employer fully paid health insurance, I was doing just fine and dandy. Fine and dandy enough to buy a new car and take out a mortgage on a house in the suburbs, in Farmington Hills no less! in the same year. Mary's first job, her primary job, was as a dental assistant. And she made good money at it. But Mary, well actually Mary and all of her siblings, 12 of them if I count correctly in my head, had serious major work genes. All of them, Mary included, worked primary 40 hour jobs, as well as at least two part-time jobs. And that's how I met Mary. One of her part time jobs was at the bowling alley.
That first Christmas (I was still observing the day back then) Mary bought me that gorgeous fireplace enclosure I've been talking about, as well as matching accessories for the hearth (the broom, etc.). And I've always kept it closed, except for back when I was burning in it, because it keeps the cat out of there.
So yesterday I was on the phone talking with a friend and I kept hearing all this racket outside. It sounded like someone was throwing something at the aluminum siding. I kept asking my friend to hang on while I looked out the window to see what was going on. Each time I looked, I'd see nothing, but then it would start up again. I finally told her look I have to go see what this is, call you back in a bit.
And just as I hung up the phone I heard serious clatter coming from the fireplace. A squirrel, play acting he was Santa Claus, came tumbling down and landed right smack dab in the fireplace and sat there looking out at me through the glass enclosure!
I caled my girlfriend back and said HELP! She said her husband, sons and herself would be over within the hour. I called my uncle and said HELP! He said he was on his way.
In the meantime that Santa Claus squirrl started trying to nose his way out of the enclosed fireplace. He couldn't have managed it, the enclosure fits tight like a glove, but, and understandably so, he was upset and he just wanted to get the hell out and go home. That's what I wanted for him too, but not while I was home alone. So I hollered at him and banged on the glass and he changed his mind, thankfully.
It seemed like hours, remember I was stressed, but was less than an hour in real time, and everyone pulled up at the same time to help me. They took the screen out of the family room window, set up something like a chute so that when they opened the doors on the enclosure the squirrel had only one way to go---out the window---and that's where he went. He was airborne and fast! Over the fence and gone!
Apparently what happened was the doggone squirrel someway somehow knocked off the screen that was over the chimney, tumbled in, hit the flue (is that what's it called? that thing you have to open when you have a fire going or your house gets filled with smoke?, knocked it open even though I had it shut and jammed/propped with a piece of wood, and voila! there he was!
So now the squirrel is gone and I have a new screen over my chimney. No one got bit, the squirrel didn't die, and my house didn't get tore up.
But, and this is important so keep reading, please, do you have a fireplace? If you do, and if you don't already have one of those enclosures for it like I've been saying I have, GET TO THE STORE IMMEDIATELY! If I'd just had that folding screen thing, and the squirrel had tumbled down the chimney like he did, he would have been loose in my house.
Everything turned out okay at my house and I want it to turn out okay at your house. Home Depot and Lowes are your friend (smile)!
So be good and be careful, stay strong. You're in my thoughts.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
Do you have a fireplace at your house? If so, what type of a thing do you have in front of it? I mean, is it one of those things (sorry, don't know the proper name for it)that tightly fits the opening, with glass doors? Or is it one of those less expensive, decorative screens that folds open?
I have a fireplace in my family room. It came with the house, the previous owners had it built when they added the family room addition. I've used it a little bit, but not in a number of years, mostly the first year or two after I moved in. I used to tend bar at a bowling alley and every year when they replaced the pins they'd give them to any of us who had fireplaces. The pins are solid heavy wood and they burn for a long time. I used to have cases of them in my garage.
Anyway, I have one of those looks-like-it-was-built-in enclosures for my fireplace. No thanks to me, not a bit. Left up to my own devices I'd still probably have the decorative screen thing that the previous owners left when they moved.
When I first bought the house I had a roommate, her name was Mary, and we worked together at the bowling alley. Okay, for me it was my primary job. I tended bar five and six nights a week, putting in over sixty hours a week. With time and a half over 40 hours, generous tips, and employer fully paid health insurance, I was doing just fine and dandy. Fine and dandy enough to buy a new car and take out a mortgage on a house in the suburbs, in Farmington Hills no less! in the same year. Mary's first job, her primary job, was as a dental assistant. And she made good money at it. But Mary, well actually Mary and all of her siblings, 12 of them if I count correctly in my head, had serious major work genes. All of them, Mary included, worked primary 40 hour jobs, as well as at least two part-time jobs. And that's how I met Mary. One of her part time jobs was at the bowling alley.
That first Christmas (I was still observing the day back then) Mary bought me that gorgeous fireplace enclosure I've been talking about, as well as matching accessories for the hearth (the broom, etc.). And I've always kept it closed, except for back when I was burning in it, because it keeps the cat out of there.
So yesterday I was on the phone talking with a friend and I kept hearing all this racket outside. It sounded like someone was throwing something at the aluminum siding. I kept asking my friend to hang on while I looked out the window to see what was going on. Each time I looked, I'd see nothing, but then it would start up again. I finally told her look I have to go see what this is, call you back in a bit.
And just as I hung up the phone I heard serious clatter coming from the fireplace. A squirrel, play acting he was Santa Claus, came tumbling down and landed right smack dab in the fireplace and sat there looking out at me through the glass enclosure!
I caled my girlfriend back and said HELP! She said her husband, sons and herself would be over within the hour. I called my uncle and said HELP! He said he was on his way.
In the meantime that Santa Claus squirrl started trying to nose his way out of the enclosed fireplace. He couldn't have managed it, the enclosure fits tight like a glove, but, and understandably so, he was upset and he just wanted to get the hell out and go home. That's what I wanted for him too, but not while I was home alone. So I hollered at him and banged on the glass and he changed his mind, thankfully.
It seemed like hours, remember I was stressed, but was less than an hour in real time, and everyone pulled up at the same time to help me. They took the screen out of the family room window, set up something like a chute so that when they opened the doors on the enclosure the squirrel had only one way to go---out the window---and that's where he went. He was airborne and fast! Over the fence and gone!
Apparently what happened was the doggone squirrel someway somehow knocked off the screen that was over the chimney, tumbled in, hit the flue (is that what's it called? that thing you have to open when you have a fire going or your house gets filled with smoke?, knocked it open even though I had it shut and jammed/propped with a piece of wood, and voila! there he was!
So now the squirrel is gone and I have a new screen over my chimney. No one got bit, the squirrel didn't die, and my house didn't get tore up.
But, and this is important so keep reading, please, do you have a fireplace? If you do, and if you don't already have one of those enclosures for it like I've been saying I have, GET TO THE STORE IMMEDIATELY! If I'd just had that folding screen thing, and the squirrel had tumbled down the chimney like he did, he would have been loose in my house.
Everything turned out okay at my house and I want it to turn out okay at your house. Home Depot and Lowes are your friend (smile)!
So be good and be careful, stay strong. You're in my thoughts.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Okay, so the other day (last blog entry) we (the royal we!) talked about things that were in bad taste. Today I'm giving you a link to something else that's distasteful, something that should make you feel creepy and slimey and in a hurry to get to the shower and wash it off. No, not Halloween stuff, and not perverse sex stuff either. So much for your guessing abilities!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwater_USA
Yes, it's the Wikipedia encyclopedia entry for Blackwater, that US-based private security firm that's busy as can be over in Iraq. And who, I do believe, is the subject of an ongoing senate hearing.
I'm not going to rehash the site, you can read it for yourself. There are numerous links to other Blackwater-related sites in the wiki entry that will keep you busy for a long time.
Two things (among oodles) I found really interesting:
1. We, that's you and me, us taxpayers, paid Blackwater over 20 MILLION dollars to protect Bremer over in Iraq! I know, how can you put a price on human life, right? But 20 MILLION dollars to protect some guy in a place we shouldn't be causing trouble and wreaking havoc in? Just think of all the people, all the human lives, that dough could have saved/helped over here. Not just food, or jobs, but healthcare too.
2. Blackwater recently purchased and renovated a huge parcel of land in Illinois. They are looking to do the same in California. Hmmmmmmm. Prison camps for US dissidents someday??????
Anyway, read the wiki site. Then, if you're not feeling too creepy and crummy, do a google search on Blackwater. It's enough to curl your hair.
New topic.
This is something that I shouldn't even have to make mention of, but something has come up that's forced me to write about it here.
Okay, even though I go to great lengths to protect my off-the-phone personna and have done everything I can think of to make it doggone nearly impossible for anyone to track me down and show up on my porch, we still know that if anyone was in the stalking mode and determined to catch up with me, well, with enough hard work, a load of luck and good sleuthing tactics, they could manage it.
Over the years I've had several instances where people got it into their heads that we (them and me) had something 'special' and they owed it to the both of us (?) to come a-calling. They thought of themselves as suitors, I called them stalkers.
I even had one crackpot, and, sad to say, that's the nicest thing I can think to call him, who said he 'was coming for me' and he didn't mean it sexually, nor like he wanted to have a cup of coffee down at the local diner and buy me a meal. No, it was that he wanted 'to do' me in that Soprano-like mode where you sleep with the fishes, or get found in a landfill cut up and packaged in garbage bags.
Like I told him, and like I'm telling anyone reading this who has similar crackpot/stalker ideas, come for me if you want to, but be prepared. I am not going easy. And, if you're lucky, crackpot, you'll end up in prison.
Now for all of you wonderful folks reading this, I'm real sorry for having to expose you to this nasty stalker stuff.
On a much more pleasant note, it's going to be several wonderfully warm and sunny days here. A warm front in October, who'd have thunk (smile)!
Take care, stay strong and keep in touch.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwater_USA
Yes, it's the Wikipedia encyclopedia entry for Blackwater, that US-based private security firm that's busy as can be over in Iraq. And who, I do believe, is the subject of an ongoing senate hearing.
I'm not going to rehash the site, you can read it for yourself. There are numerous links to other Blackwater-related sites in the wiki entry that will keep you busy for a long time.
Two things (among oodles) I found really interesting:
1. We, that's you and me, us taxpayers, paid Blackwater over 20 MILLION dollars to protect Bremer over in Iraq! I know, how can you put a price on human life, right? But 20 MILLION dollars to protect some guy in a place we shouldn't be causing trouble and wreaking havoc in? Just think of all the people, all the human lives, that dough could have saved/helped over here. Not just food, or jobs, but healthcare too.
2. Blackwater recently purchased and renovated a huge parcel of land in Illinois. They are looking to do the same in California. Hmmmmmmm. Prison camps for US dissidents someday??????
Anyway, read the wiki site. Then, if you're not feeling too creepy and crummy, do a google search on Blackwater. It's enough to curl your hair.
New topic.
This is something that I shouldn't even have to make mention of, but something has come up that's forced me to write about it here.
Okay, even though I go to great lengths to protect my off-the-phone personna and have done everything I can think of to make it doggone nearly impossible for anyone to track me down and show up on my porch, we still know that if anyone was in the stalking mode and determined to catch up with me, well, with enough hard work, a load of luck and good sleuthing tactics, they could manage it.
Over the years I've had several instances where people got it into their heads that we (them and me) had something 'special' and they owed it to the both of us (?) to come a-calling. They thought of themselves as suitors, I called them stalkers.
I even had one crackpot, and, sad to say, that's the nicest thing I can think to call him, who said he 'was coming for me' and he didn't mean it sexually, nor like he wanted to have a cup of coffee down at the local diner and buy me a meal. No, it was that he wanted 'to do' me in that Soprano-like mode where you sleep with the fishes, or get found in a landfill cut up and packaged in garbage bags.
Like I told him, and like I'm telling anyone reading this who has similar crackpot/stalker ideas, come for me if you want to, but be prepared. I am not going easy. And, if you're lucky, crackpot, you'll end up in prison.
Now for all of you wonderful folks reading this, I'm real sorry for having to expose you to this nasty stalker stuff.
On a much more pleasant note, it's going to be several wonderfully warm and sunny days here. A warm front in October, who'd have thunk (smile)!
Take care, stay strong and keep in touch.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! The website address I am going to post for you today is hilariously funny, but also in very bad taste. Don't email me and say 'but Tawny, that was in such bad taste' because I am warning you right from the get go. It's not sexual, you won't get bounced off the library or work computer if they find it on the hard drive, your spouse won't run to her bedroom in tears because you're looking at it. But it's still in very bad taste. But funny, don't forget funny.
www.bradrand.com/Pages/redneck_page.htm
Something else that's in bad taste, very bad taste, and not even remotely funny, was the way the leader of Iran was treated when he was invited to speak at that US university a week or so ago. I'm sure you saw it all over the news, both on the cable news stations as well as on your local broadcasts.
Now it's not like the leader of Iran just ran up into that university and snatched up the podium and microphone. Oh no, he was invited. And he accepted the invitation.
And then the moderator, the gentleman who invited him, went out of his way to disrespect the man. And the audience, all future leaders of tomorrow, went out of their way to be impolite, ignorant and downright disrespectful.
Since when is that the way we treat people?
I was extremely embarassed by their actions. I've had a half a mind to send a note to the Iranian embassy in DC apologizing for the way those people treated him. The only thing that's stopped me is the realization that doing such a thing just might land the feds and a plethora of other governmental types on my front porch.
I don't know about the folks who were in attendance at that New York university. Maybe they were raised in a barn, as the old saying goes. But I was taught to treat guests politely. You treat them the way you would like to be treated. You treat them with kindness, respect and dignity.
It troubles me that I haven't heard a single elected official speak out against the way the leader of Iran was treated.
Your president, (not mine, I didn't vote for him) it would seem, is beating the drums, trying to gather up support so he can declare war on Iran and invade that country. Is that why those people were disrespectful? Because they think that as 'good Americans' it was acceptable behavior?
Since when is Iran a threat to us? There weren't any Iranians involved on 9-11, it was Saudis and Egyptians. How come those countries aren't 'axis of evil'?
There's been a whole lot of sad stuff occurring in the USA as of late. Disrespecting a leader of a country is one more thing to add to the list.
Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
www.bradrand.com/Pages/redneck_page.htm
Something else that's in bad taste, very bad taste, and not even remotely funny, was the way the leader of Iran was treated when he was invited to speak at that US university a week or so ago. I'm sure you saw it all over the news, both on the cable news stations as well as on your local broadcasts.
Now it's not like the leader of Iran just ran up into that university and snatched up the podium and microphone. Oh no, he was invited. And he accepted the invitation.
And then the moderator, the gentleman who invited him, went out of his way to disrespect the man. And the audience, all future leaders of tomorrow, went out of their way to be impolite, ignorant and downright disrespectful.
Since when is that the way we treat people?
I was extremely embarassed by their actions. I've had a half a mind to send a note to the Iranian embassy in DC apologizing for the way those people treated him. The only thing that's stopped me is the realization that doing such a thing just might land the feds and a plethora of other governmental types on my front porch.
I don't know about the folks who were in attendance at that New York university. Maybe they were raised in a barn, as the old saying goes. But I was taught to treat guests politely. You treat them the way you would like to be treated. You treat them with kindness, respect and dignity.
It troubles me that I haven't heard a single elected official speak out against the way the leader of Iran was treated.
Your president, (not mine, I didn't vote for him) it would seem, is beating the drums, trying to gather up support so he can declare war on Iran and invade that country. Is that why those people were disrespectful? Because they think that as 'good Americans' it was acceptable behavior?
Since when is Iran a threat to us? There weren't any Iranians involved on 9-11, it was Saudis and Egyptians. How come those countries aren't 'axis of evil'?
There's been a whole lot of sad stuff occurring in the USA as of late. Disrespecting a leader of a country is one more thing to add to the list.
Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
Friday, September 28, 2007
Who would have thought it would take this long to get back chatting with you? Whew! Feast or famine, huh (smile)? I tried to write a couple of days but--one day the blog hosting site was down, the other day the library was busy and I couldn't hang around and wait for a computer to free up.
I don't know how much attention you pay to news about Michigan, or if they even talk about this state on your news programs, but have I got a web site for you so you can read about all sorts of things Michigan from the point of view of bloggers!
www.bloggingformichigan.com/ShowDiary.do?diaryld=38
There are a number of sites/blogs and some of it is pretty interesting to read even if you don't give a hoot as to what's going on here. Me, I enjoy reading about the scandals in Detroit involving their mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick. It's like a regularly occuring train wreck that his mama, Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, who is an elected representative in Washington, DC, keeps running interference and bailing him out of.
Another thing that may have missed your radar, although I'm reasonably sure it'll be discussed somewhere on the above site, is the potential shut down of the Michigan state government. Budget woes. The state government officials have been doing sleep over meetings (cots in the state capitol building)to try and resolve it but so far it's still unresolved.
People have been jamming their local secretary of state offices (that's where we renew drivers liscenses, liscense plates, etc.) because of the uncertainty of whether they'll be open for business come next week. People have also been buying up liquor (the hard stuff, not beer + wine) for fear that the government will shut down for however long and the stores, once their stock is depleted, won't be able to refill.
If the state government shuts down, the three casinos in Detroit will have to shut down the gambling part of their operations because the gaming control (or whatever their title is) folks will be shut down too. The mayor of Detroit has said in so many words 'damn that! the casinos will stay open! nobody is shutting down the gambling!' He said the state can sue him, he doesn't care, he's certain the courts will uphold his decison (?). Did you know (and I didn't until all this became a daily part of the news) that the three casinos in Detroit kick back to the city of Detroit nearly a half a million dollars a day! The state gets almost a half a million a day from those three casinos too!
I'm not getting caught up in all of the state shut down hoopla. The way they bombard us on the news with it (and I'm not saying it isn't important, it is)it's like they're trying to whip us into a state of hysteria. Personally, I'm sick to death of the media trying to scare me. Granted, there are some things that should scare us. But not nearly the number of things they push at us daily.
Like with Iran. I don't care how often your president (yes, I'm an American citizen but he's not my president) goes on tv and says Iran is our enemy. Bush wants to invade Iran so badly I'll betcha he can taste it. I don't see Iran as my enemy. I don't think they as a government are arming the 'insurgents' in Iraq. I don't think Iran had a doggone thing to do with 9-11.
I think, and I know this is going to rankle somebody reading this, that some day we're going to find out that we, the USA, were behind 9-11. Why do I say this? Well gee whiz---think of all the crap that's happened since that day. We started a war (for personal gain of Bush's cronies), we lost inumerable civil liberties and rights, and that's just two reasons right off the top of my head.
How can we the people accept that Iran is our enemy when it has been proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Bush and his crew lied their stinking nasty heads off as to why we 'had' to invade Iraq??!!! How can we ever believe anything that ever rolls off their lips?
Yeah, yeah, I know. 'But Tawny, it's supposed to be fun to read your blog!' Whinewhinewhine.
On a brighter note, the weather here is still wonderful! Sunny skies, warmer than average temps. It's the best of summer without all of that icky humidity.
Before I forget. Vacuum cleaners. You have one, right? What kind? I need a new one. I have a Hoover and it broke down again. I'm thinking about a Dyson. Everywhere I read (newsgroups) people talk them up. The only thing that's holding me up is the price. They're expensive. Really expensive. But if they're good and they do the job and they last for a bunch of years, well, then it's worth it. What do you think?
Okay, that's it for today. Have to get home so I can talk to you when you call.
You take care, stay strong, be careful.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
I don't know how much attention you pay to news about Michigan, or if they even talk about this state on your news programs, but have I got a web site for you so you can read about all sorts of things Michigan from the point of view of bloggers!
www.bloggingformichigan.com/ShowDiary.do?diaryld=38
There are a number of sites/blogs and some of it is pretty interesting to read even if you don't give a hoot as to what's going on here. Me, I enjoy reading about the scandals in Detroit involving their mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick. It's like a regularly occuring train wreck that his mama, Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, who is an elected representative in Washington, DC, keeps running interference and bailing him out of.
Another thing that may have missed your radar, although I'm reasonably sure it'll be discussed somewhere on the above site, is the potential shut down of the Michigan state government. Budget woes. The state government officials have been doing sleep over meetings (cots in the state capitol building)to try and resolve it but so far it's still unresolved.
People have been jamming their local secretary of state offices (that's where we renew drivers liscenses, liscense plates, etc.) because of the uncertainty of whether they'll be open for business come next week. People have also been buying up liquor (the hard stuff, not beer + wine) for fear that the government will shut down for however long and the stores, once their stock is depleted, won't be able to refill.
If the state government shuts down, the three casinos in Detroit will have to shut down the gambling part of their operations because the gaming control (or whatever their title is) folks will be shut down too. The mayor of Detroit has said in so many words 'damn that! the casinos will stay open! nobody is shutting down the gambling!' He said the state can sue him, he doesn't care, he's certain the courts will uphold his decison (?). Did you know (and I didn't until all this became a daily part of the news) that the three casinos in Detroit kick back to the city of Detroit nearly a half a million dollars a day! The state gets almost a half a million a day from those three casinos too!
I'm not getting caught up in all of the state shut down hoopla. The way they bombard us on the news with it (and I'm not saying it isn't important, it is)it's like they're trying to whip us into a state of hysteria. Personally, I'm sick to death of the media trying to scare me. Granted, there are some things that should scare us. But not nearly the number of things they push at us daily.
Like with Iran. I don't care how often your president (yes, I'm an American citizen but he's not my president) goes on tv and says Iran is our enemy. Bush wants to invade Iran so badly I'll betcha he can taste it. I don't see Iran as my enemy. I don't think they as a government are arming the 'insurgents' in Iraq. I don't think Iran had a doggone thing to do with 9-11.
I think, and I know this is going to rankle somebody reading this, that some day we're going to find out that we, the USA, were behind 9-11. Why do I say this? Well gee whiz---think of all the crap that's happened since that day. We started a war (for personal gain of Bush's cronies), we lost inumerable civil liberties and rights, and that's just two reasons right off the top of my head.
How can we the people accept that Iran is our enemy when it has been proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Bush and his crew lied their stinking nasty heads off as to why we 'had' to invade Iraq??!!! How can we ever believe anything that ever rolls off their lips?
Yeah, yeah, I know. 'But Tawny, it's supposed to be fun to read your blog!' Whinewhinewhine.
On a brighter note, the weather here is still wonderful! Sunny skies, warmer than average temps. It's the best of summer without all of that icky humidity.
Before I forget. Vacuum cleaners. You have one, right? What kind? I need a new one. I have a Hoover and it broke down again. I'm thinking about a Dyson. Everywhere I read (newsgroups) people talk them up. The only thing that's holding me up is the price. They're expensive. Really expensive. But if they're good and they do the job and they last for a bunch of years, well, then it's worth it. What do you think?
Okay, that's it for today. Have to get home so I can talk to you when you call.
You take care, stay strong, be careful.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
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