Charlie and I watched The Darwin Awards this evening. I learned that many accidental deaths are caused by:

1. Unregulated military surplus
2. Second children who do stupid things to get attention
3. Drug and alcohol use

After the movie, I viewed the Darwin Awards website and I can’t believe how stupid some people can be! And don’t forget to check out the Honorable Mentions: stories of stupid people who actually survived their own attempts to chlorinate the gene pool.

Someone in the chatroom last night claims Barack Obama said in a Barbara Walters special as saying he was going back to his Muslim roots. The entire special is on ABC website, but without captions, I can’t verify this. Almost everyone I know that didn’t want Obama as president is STILL playing into that fear game. The saddest thing is, most of these people claim to be “Christians”. Whatever happened to “there is no fear in love” and “perfect love casts out fear” ?

Why is it so difficult for people to believe that Obama and his familiy are Christians? I know plenty of people who claim to be Christians but don’t live a Christian life in any way, shape or form. I don’t think Jesus would get drunk, have sex outside of marriage, or think up new ways to bully people. And what’s wrong with our political leaders being Muslim anyway? America was founded on religious freedom and one of the greatest things about living here is the diversity of cultures, races and religions.

I haven’t done much today except CRAMP. So the better part of the day was spent in bed. Almost 2 years after my Novasure surgery was done, I still have problems but no where near as bad as they used to be.

You’d think with all the Latino culture to grace Miami, American Idol would find some decent talent. But no, the show opens with the Belching Butcher aka Shannon McCough. Hideously dressed like an 80’s flashback in a green dress with a pink sequin belt and gloves and black sequined beret, Shannon just could not believe they didn’t think she was a good singer. After all, she was the local singing contest winner and has her pictures plastered all over her daddy’s butcher shop.

But the second contestant, “boy bander turned rocker” Robbie Caprico, was good enough to get the first ticket to Hollywood. He even has his own fan club complete with firecrackers and fiesta string that scared Ryan.

Galeb the Venezuelan Gypsy looks oddly familiar…almost like a Latino version of Balki from “Perfect Strangers” (remember him?). Galeb gets brownie points (and a golden ticket) for singing something DIFFERENT for a change, a Marc Antony (J-Lo’s hubby) song. He needs work on his accent, but he has a nice voice.

Meet the “Manhunters”, or as Ryan introduced them, Corliss and Brittany. Great personality and great banter with the judges, but from experience, I’m thinking the flashier they are, the less likely they have any singing talent. But like Jeffrey and Michelle, I was pleasantly surprised with both ladies.

Brittany’s version of “My Guy” blew me away (and no it wasn’t from the high winds pummeling Central Oklahoma right now). I couldn’t help but root for them; they were so energetic and vibrant.

Samantha Toon and Ramiel Maubai both won a trip to Hollywood. Samantha wowed the judges with her sultry sexiness and seductive voice. Then, Ramiel surprised them by singing “Natural Woman”. The judges didn’t expect such a big voice from such a little girl.

But Syesha Mercado, who probably had the best smile on Idol so far this season, overwhelmed them with her version of Aretha Franklin’s “Think”. (I thought it was a bit loud, but I’m hard of hearing, so I guess she was trying to make sure I could hear her?)

The last contestants featured in Miami were perfect examples of what NOT to do during an audition. Richard Valoy sang through his nose, while Julie Dubela was full of herself and proved she is an overindulged brat who’s never heard the word “no”.

Finally, Bran B managed to succeed in doing nearly everything you should never do:

1. Don’t run in like an idiot.
2. Don’t come on to Paula (unless your hawt).
3. Don’t sing in a bad falsetto.
4. Don’t start taking your clothes off (unless you’re buff and Paula is in the mood).

Shockingly, only 17 Miami contestants won tickets to Hollywood. Well, one more city left next Tuesday, when Idol auditions in Ryan’s hometown of Atlanta, Georgia.

For the first time ever, American Idol holds auditions in Omaha, Nebraska. And after an hour of watching the few auditions featured, I asked myself, who knew there were so many queens in the Cornhusker State?

The first contestant, Chris Bernheisal, declared this to be the greatest moment of his life and even brought bribes, oops! I mean, gifts for the judges. Chris effeminately described American Idol as a second chance for people to pursue their dreams and started getting weepy. His audition was a combination of bad singing, weird dancing and shaky handstands while Randy and Simon laughed. After Chris demonstrated his “red carpet” announcement, Simon ordered him to tell the local FOX affiliate to send him to Hollywood for the Finale and he can be the Next Seacrest (Oh and be sure to tell Seacrest Simon said so).

While waiting for Paula to show, Jason Rich, a small town boy who works part-time as a farmer, performed and got stuck after the first line. And the second. And the third. Finally, he remembered enough of the song to give a Simon and Randy a reason to send him to Hollywood. Simon warned him there are no second chances in Hollywood if you forget the lyrics.

Paula finally arrived and we met Rachel Wicker, a six-time arm wrestling champion. After defeating most of the contestants and a stalemate with Ryan, Rachel offered to wrestle Simon, but he turned her down (BAWK! BAWK!). Rachel sang a country song complete with what Randy described as a “half-yodel”, then “strong-armed her way into Hollywood” by arm-wrestling Paula.

But Rachel wasn’t the only wrestler in the crowd. Sara Whittaker, a former professional wrestler known as “Lady Morgue”, sang what Simon described as “the soundtrack to this town” in a voice that did NOT match her personality. After Sara left, Ryan entered the audition room complaining Sara was not happy about being turned down.

Ryan and Simon bickered for awhile then Paula traded places Ryan during Samantha Sidley’s audition. From the start, it was obvious Samantha had confidence issues and the little girl sway she did while singing proved her lack. But the judges thought she was good and all four (if you count Ryan) said yes, with hopes that she’ll improve her showmanship, so Samantha is on her way to Hollywood.

Lack of performance and showmanship seems to be a theme in Omaha, because the next contestant was also told she needed to work on her performance. Angelica Puente was told she has a promising voice but she needs to quit listening to the divas.

Instead, start listening to…rockers? With the success of Season 5 runner up Chris Daughtry, more rockers than ever have been auditioning, including David Cook of my hometown, Tulsa, Oklahoma. David managed to get a ticket to Hollywood but was told…what else? Work on your persona!

Johnny Escamilla has plenty of personality, unfortunately it’s scary enough to get rid of Paula’s hiccups! He showed up wearing a sparkly gold jacket and was everything Simon hated. Johnny was the perfect example of “something ain’t right” just like the medley of bad singers featured after his performance.

Thank goodness, Omaha saved the best for last! Les Marlow impressed the judges with his friendly, outgoing personality. And he admitted his mother says she “raised the perfect homecoming queen; too bad it wasn’t one of her daughters.” Paula liked him so much, she wanted to take him home as a pet.

Only 19 contestants from Omaha made it to Hollywood week, but maybe more will be found Wednesday night as Idol “savors the flavor” of Miami.

SAN DIEGO

Perrie Cataldo – First IDOL SCANDAL of Season 7? In 2006, the Single Dad was arrested for having a concealed weapon in a Glendale, AZ bar. Reminds me of a story told by Ron “Tater Salad” White ; “I was drunk in a bar…and they threw me out of the bar…”.

Michael Johns – Holy Idol! He hasn’t made the gossip sites yet! But I found a site that claims to be his label called Beverly Martel Music.  Check out his music on “the forbidden space” under the handle michaeljohnsmusic. Let’s say it together, “The Aussie is a Hawtie”. 

David Archuleta – Making the leap from Star Search to American Idol and he’s still a minor. Check out this site with several of his videos. I’m rooting for this one to make it to the Top 10.

Carly Hennessey Smithson – the Irish girl is stirring up some controversy because she’s already had a professional recording contract and it’s not some CD made at home. Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune reports Carly had a contract with MCA and was featured on the VH1 website. Long story short: MCA spent $2 million preparing Carly to be a pop star and her debut album sold 378 copies. HOWEVER…this occurred back in 2001 and she obviously wants a fresh start.

CHARLESTON

Jeffrey Lampkin – this “Big Boi” surprised everyone when he proved he could sing during his audition, despite his craziness in the pre-audition interview with Ryan. Jeffrey won a local contest in his hometown of Newberry, which features a short bio. Based on that webpage and his “forbidden space” page, I’m looking for Jeffrey to be the Mandisa of Season 7.

Amy Catherine Flynn- Like Simon, I find her completely annoying. Probably because of her overconfidence and her evangelical ways that are so easy to spoof. On Idol she appears all sugary sweet, but she has some pictures on her space that make me wonder if she’s going to go “Hollywood” like LiLo or Britney if she becomes famous.

London Weidberg – Like Carly, London has a background as a professional singer, but she’s been doing local cover bands not major labels. In 2006, she recorded vocals for a song that was featured in the tv show Vegas, but that’s not quite the same as making it big and losing it all. You can check out her forbidden space under the handle hearlondon.

The first time American Idol auditions are held in Charleston, S.C. more than 10,000 contestants, from all over the country, show up to audition. Some of them even look like former Idols. Simon has no idea where he is ("Are we on the West Coast?" he asks.) and Ryan is running late(I’m sure the limo driver got lost and nothing more).

Just as auditions are about to open, Oliver Himan gets a call from his wife, whose water just broke at 37-weeks, so off he goes to take her to the hospital to deliver their baby.

The first contestant to audition is the "Black Clay Aiken" complete with an afro SuperFly would love. I’d compare him to a young Michael Jackson, but that would be tacky because his "moves" while singing "I Can’t Make You Love Me" were just pitiful. Randy thought he was "over the top". Paula said the theatrics were too much. And Simon compared him to a 70’s cruise ship cabaret act.(snickering at the comparison)

The next contestant, from Albemarle, N.C. hometown of Kellie Pickler, actually made me yearn for Pickles to return. Deanna Prevatte was rude, crude, just a little cranky during her audition. Might have helped if she could sing, but alas, even Pickles was better than her. Let’s hope the local shrink will take pity on her after seeing this and offer her free counseling to deal with her anger at the Sunday Customers who only tip a dollar after running her ragged with the all-you-can-eat. (Think she’ll have a job after this airs?)

Those of you who spend hours on the AI.com boards and blogs like I do should have gotten a kick out of the story of Crystal Ortiz and Randy Stark who met through the MyIdol Community. Neither of them can sing good enough for a ticket to Hollywood, but the judges loved the story of their romance.

Who are these people on my television screen and why is he wearing a tie on his head? Why, it’s the brother/sister team of Michelle and Jeffrey Lampkin, singing a very good duet to "I’m Your Angel" by R Kelly. Randy and Paula were smiling, and Simon declared them to be a breath of fresh air (after telling them they were slightly inappropriate at the end). Jeffrey is the better of the two, but Simon can’t split them up, so while Paula does her Oprah clap, Michelle and Jeffrey receive the first Golden Tickets of the day.

And now an update on Oliver: he’s on his way to the hospital with his wife but can’t seem to find his way around. Does that mean he’s lost?

Perhaps not as lost as the judges as they (and us) sit through a medley of bad auditions with everyone botching and some were actually making up the lyrics to "Before He Cheats". Keep the Louisville Slugger away from that angry lady in the red dress with the bad color job though. She looks like she’s had experience dealing with a cheating mate!

The next contestant has probably never had to deal with a cheating mate because she preaches abstinence. Sixteen-year old Amy Catherine Flynn, a Catholic school girl, dance team captain, and AI contestant shared her beliefs regarding teen sexuality and abstinence. (I’d rather listen to her than Milo.) After singing "Reflection", Paula tells "A.C." she has a pure, innocent, beautiful voice and Randy think she has mad potential. But Simon thinks she’s an annoying girl singing in a bedroom. (Am not. Are too. Am not. Are too. ) After declaring her the newest recipient of the prized Golden Ticket, Randy tells her to stay away from Ryan Seacrest and to "give him that speech, he really needs it." (My daughter rewound the DVR and made me watch A.C. again and again. Can we get on with it already? I want an update on Oliver’s new baby.)

FINALLY! She’s tired of watching A.C. and I get my update. Oliver found the hospital and away they go to bring their new daughter into the world.

At the end of day one, only a handful of contestants have won the coveted Golden Ticket. Then, we meet full-time musician London Wiedburg of Charleston, who shared with us that after her father passed away, she was inspired to pursue her dreams. Her performance of a Billie Holliday song, "Good Morning Heartache" was enough for her to continue pursuing her dream of becoming the next American Idol.

Day two opens with me doing a double-take and rewinding the DVR. Is that Seacrest in the water? Sure looks like him!

She can fly the C-17, a plane bigger than a football field, but can she sing? The judges were surprised that such a young, beautiful woman is a USAF transport pilot , but Lindsay Goodman informed them that there were lots of female pilots who put pageant queens to shame. Unfortunately, Lindsay has more nerves flying Globemasters than she does singing "Black Velvet". Her audition wasn’t good enough for Hollywood.

Ryan segues with a comment about "bringing the big guns out". What is he talking about? Then I figure it out. Aretha Codner of Brooklyn has BIG UNS. She puts Dolly Parton to shame. And that big, wide, silver belt on a strapless blue dress does nothing except attract more attention to her décolletage. Simon thought she murdered Whitney Houston’s "I have Nothing". Randy liked the belt. To her everlasting shame, she will see herself on National Television making a fool of herself insisting "I Really Can Sing!"

American Idol auditions wouldn’t be complete without at least one reject rant, and we’re rewarded for our wait when Joshua Bosun starts rambling about how the show is fake and rigged and how the judges suck. He was so into his rant he walked out before the judges could tell him no.

Finally, Day Two comes to a close and Oliver returns with his new daughter, Emma Grace. I’m going to make excuses for him because he probably hasn’t had much sleep and his audition didn’t go well. Simon said his rendition of "Get Here" was weird and old fashioned. All of the judges agreed he had too much falsetto and vibrato. At least he has a great story to tell his daughter when she grows up!

Out of 12,000 contestants in Charleston, only 23 managed to get a Golden Ticket to Hollywood. Maybe next week they’ll have more luck in Nebraska.

I’ve been a little bummed since I learned Heath Ledger passed away this afternoon and couldn’t get into the show tonight. Halfway through, I decided to participate in the PLAY-BY-PLAY forum and I was able to get a little more into the show. If you have never seen the PBP forum, you may want to check it out tomorrow night. One person transcribes to the best of their ability and the rest of the “players” share their thoughts, likes and dislikes, and (lucky me) add information I missed because it wasn’t captioned or because I can’t hear the music correctly.

San Diego auditions opened with two old men (Is that Felix and Oscar of the Odd Couple?) monotonously saying “Welcome to San Diego”. Twelve thousand people showed up for the first San Diego auditions.
First up was
Tatiana Ostapowych singing “Someone to Watch Over Me”. She won a Golden Ticket despite Simon’s comment he thinks she’s not great and she’s obnoxious. She wasn’t memorable enough for the PBP players to comment on her.

But Perrie Cataldo and his son Evian got their attention. Evian was adorable and Perrie’s rendition of Boyz II Men “I’ll Make Love to You” gave goosebumps to one player. Another player thinks he’s going to make the Top 24. (Why do I get the feeling we’re going to forget his name and call him “The Single Dad”?)

The next contestant was introduced as “Michael Johns” but Simon dubbed him a “White Soul Singer” after hearing him sing Otis Redding’s “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long”. Michael scored points for the Australian accent and his unique voice.

Unfortunately, the California Gold Rush couldn’t last forever to paraphrase Ryan. And we’re tormented with some clips of bad singers or as the PBP called them, “the sillies”. They knew the quality of singers had to take a nose-dive eventually. And the Mariah Carey wanna-be who bombed, but gave us a new favorite quote: “Now, I’ll be one of the rejects.”

After a view of the Rancho Bernardo Inn complete with a beautiful golf course, Idol goes downhill even more. First, a guy with a sombrero teamed up with a mime and then we are introduced to Monique and Christopher. Monique, who dresses as bad as she sings, attempted to sing “I Believe In Miracles” by Whitney Houston, which prompted one player to declare that NO ONE should be allowed to sing Whitney. And another agreed and added Celine and Mariah on the “Never Again” list.

Immediately breaking the new PBP rules, Christopher performed his version of Whitney’s “Greatest Love of All”. SIMONS SAYS “STOP!” Christopher changes songs. SIMON SAYS “STOP!” Christopher sings lower. SIMON SAYS “SECURITY!” and Security shooed him out.

Finally, the last contestant of the day; Samantha and her sister think Simon is “hawt”. According to Ryan, NO ONE obsesses over Simon. Because its such a novelty for someone to “love” Simon, he allows Samantha’s sister to sit on his lap while Samantha gives her audition. All three judges give her a “yes” and Samantha’s sister says only if she can go too and spend time with Simon.

“With the nauseating stench of love in the air”, says Ryan, ends day one in San Diego.

Day two opens with a shot of…IS THAT BIG RED FROM SEASON 6 IN SEATTLE?

How many times does someone have to audition for Idol before they get a clue? Blake Boshnack admits he’s auditioned in 10 cities since season 3. Mom seems to be living through her son and clearly delusional. Even Simon remembers Blake; “The idiot who dressed up like the Statue of Liberty in Season 5.” After he sings “Stand by Me”, Simon said it was nice to meet him as a person as all three judges turn him down.

As Rod Stewart sings “never give up on your dreams” in the background, the judges turn down everyone and compare one girl to William Hung.

At this point in the thread, most of the conversation revolves around “The Aussie is a Hottie!”

The next contestant is more freak than hottie, wearing a hippie appliqué shirt, really long nails, and fanning himself…Meet Alberto…flakey, effeminate and generally indescribable. He performs an original song, “Live” so quietly no one can hear him, and Simon describes as “the most depressing song I’ve ever heard in my life”. One player compared him to Tiny Tim. (Could Miss Vicki be far behind?)

Maybe, if Miss Vicki looks anything like Aaron while he repeats “leave me alone now” in a monotone.

Thankfully, David Archuleta auditions. David is 16 years-old and just recovered from vocal cord paralysis. While David sang John Mayers’ “Waiting for the World to Change, Randy harmonized with him. He forgot some of the words, but the judges forgive him and all three send him to Hollywood. He’ll be a teenybopper fan definitely!

It’s 5:00 pm and auditions are almost over. After being disqualified in Season 5 because of visa problems, Carly Hennessy Smithson, originally from Ireland, gets another chance at Hollywood. She’s gotten married and she co-owns a tattoo parlor with her husband who is COVERED in tattoos; even his face. After singing “I’m Every Woman”, Simon tells her he doesn’t think she’s as good as she was two years ago, but all three judges agree she should go to Hollywood. One PBP player described her voice, “Wow! This girl has some great PIPES!” (Sounds better than Randy saying she can BLOW.)

Overall, thirty contestants from San Diego auditions will be auditioning in Hollywood. Tomorrow night the fun (and the puppies) will be in South Carolina.

I’ve been working so much this past week; I didn’t even get a chance to blog about Idol. I was too tired to take notes and I had to go to bed immediately after Idol ended so I could get up at 4:30 in the morning. Fortunately, the mandatory overtime is DONE KAPUT FINISHED for the time being, and I can work a normal schedule and start living a more “normal” life. And don’t tell me to DVR American Idol. That’s kind of like trying to translate a joke into ASL (American Sign Language)…it’s just NOT the same.

But we simply HAD to record the “Stalker National Anthem”. Simon had it right when he called that guy “creepy”. Poor Paula is such a NUT MAGNET. I feel for her.

This morning I was reading my local newspaper and discovered an “Idol Recap” of Tuesday night auditions written by Tami Althoff of “The Daily Oklahoman” titled, “Embarrassment doesn’t deter ‘Idol’ hopefuls”. In the article, Ms. Althoff points out that some of the auditions should never have made it as far as they did, but I think the producers let these people embarrass themselves because it is “good television”, meaning it brings them ratings.

The judges (mainly Simon) constantly refer to some contestant performances as “bad karaoke”. I wonder how many of these “Idol hopefuls” actually show up at auditions thinking they can sing because they get drunk and sing karaoke all the time. These are the people without any experience of any kind, not even school chorus or church choir. Or do they actually sing in a choir and the director is too scared to tell them they can’t sing?

Flashback. I was in my junior high chorus because I love to sing. I mean LOVE it. As you know, I’m profoundly deaf and use hearing aids. But at 13 years old, I had NO idea I couldn’t hear myself sing. No one told me. Until one day, I was so off-key, the teacher was so frustrated she yelled at me in front of the entire class, “I know you can’t hear yourself sing, but you are way off.” I was so embarrassed I just sat there trying not to cry my eyes out. I never sang out loud in public again. Not that I let that incident stop me altogether. I learned sign language specifically so I could sing again.

I get embarrassed easily when I sing in sign language though, because people will stare at me and I can feel their eyes on me. This was at church when I still attended. But after church, several people would come up to me or talk to someone with me and tell them watching me “sing” touched them. I’ve even “sang” at karaoke while a friend was doing vocals to a song I knew. That was even more embarrassing to have all those drunks watching me!

Fortunately, I’m so much older than 28 now that I won’t even consider trying out for American Idol and embarrassing myself on national television. Scratch that statement. The age limit doesn’t mean anything to several of the people trying out. Just as that freak “Milo” who sang about “no sex allowed” while wearing a faux fur animal-print vest.

P.S. I think Weird Al needs to buy the “Stalker National Anthem” from the Paula Fan and record it!

After the announcement the Golden Globes would be revealed at an hour-long press conference Monday January 13, instead of a televised ceremony, I started thinking about how this WGA strike has affected me the last two months. Other than my disappointment that Heroes is no longer aired and the spin-off, Heroes: Origins, will not air until later this year (if at all), I can’t think of much to complain about. I either watch reality shows or movies on the premium channels, and they don’t seem to be affected by the strike.

So, does anyone care about the WGA strike besides Hollywood? Actors make MILLIONS of dollars for crappy movies that probably should never have been made. Writers probably don’t make millions, but I bet they make more per hour than I do. But, we lose out on watching our favorite shows because the WGA thinks they should get a cut of the profits for any shows viewed or sold over the internet.

Knowing I’ll be perceived as a “diva” (that’s being polite) for saying this, but the finished product belongs to the company that purchased it from the writer. Why should the writer get paid additional money because the show is aired or sold on the Internet? Do they already get paid extra for DVD sales of television shows? Do they get paid extra for syndication and reruns?

How many more minutes of commercials are going to interrupt our favorite shows now because the studios have to pay the writers more money?

My favorite show is Heroes. I love it. So does my son. But he doesn’t always find time to watch it because of school and sports. I tried to record it for him, but forgot to save with the protect feature on the DVR and lost all the shows. I found all the current season shows on the NBC website and (THANK YOU NBC) he was able to catch up.

I also download TV shows for him from ITunes. It gives him something to do while riding in the car every weekend for kid-exchange (two-hour commute every Friday night and Sunday night). Most TV shows cost $1.99 per episode through ITunes and I think that’s reasonable. How much is it going to cost once the WGA gets a cut for each episode sold?

With nothing new to watch on TV, I’ll be finding other things to do…like watch the new season of American Idol starting January 15!

Ok I swear some men on are sick puppies. 

The way a certain male from AOL is acting about me not adding him to my MySpace buddy list, I get the idea he thought we were having some kind of sexual relationship.  I mean this is WEIRD.  I’ve only known the guy thru his ex-girlfriend and only met him in person a few times.  I haven’t seen him in person in ages, not since he came to the house and picked up the extra bed we were giving his son.  I think that was a year ago?  Maybe more?  I don’t even remember.

It’s not like he came over once a month or hung out with us on a regular basis.  But I’m thinking, because I refused to get in the middle of their breakup, I “wasn’t there for him” and I was “not a real friend”.  WTF?  What do these idiots on AOL consider a “real” friend?  We were acquaintances nothing more. 

I’m sorry but if you and I don’t “hang” on a regular basis (about once a month min) and we live in the same town, WE ARE NOT FRIENDS.  A friend is someone you spend time with.  Someone you enjoy being around. NOT someone you use when you need them and then drop like a hot potato as soon as you’ve used them up and spit them out!

So, if you’ve noticed I’m not “friends” with people that I hung with a year ago….there’s a reason for it.  (See above)

Or maybe there are “levels” of friends that I’m not aware of…but to me, a friend is someone I spend quality time with and someone I can talk to about anything. Not someone I say hi to in chatrooms or see in person once every 3 months at an AOL drunkfest!

Over the summer, I accidentally turned on a TV program that turned out to be a “church program”.  I was all set to change the channel then noticed the speaker was talking about friends and relationships.  So, I thought I’d watch for a bit.  Ended up watching the entire show, it was that interesting (it was captioned too believe it or not).

Three C’s of Relationships

Let’s see if I can remember it all…I wrote down the 3 C’s though

Commitment

Are they there for YOU when you need them? Or do you only see them when they need something from you?

Confidentiality

Can they keep their mouths shut about your private business? Or do they tell everyone they know what you’ve been doing?

Constructiveness

Do they encourage you or put you down? Do they hold you back? Or do they encourage you to be the best you can be?

What do I say? For someone with the handle “chattycathy” I haven’t been very talkative lately. I’m usually very quiet at work because I’m trying to stay out of everyone’s business…and to not get involved in any drama. I miss the chat room more than you’ll ever know because it was the one place I could have spontaneous conversations with a group. I snuck into Places – OKC the other day and 2 things stood out. They talk a lot about weird shit like having fingers up their assholes and a chat room regular is squatting in there as well as in her member-created room.

Geeze.

I know some of the people in the Places-OKC room talk nasty for the shock factor, trying to run off the “old people”. All I have to do is click ignore if it bugs me, so no biggie there.

But how pitiful is it when someone squats in two different chat rooms? Afraid you’re going to miss something?

Ok enough of the small mind bullshit.

Last night, Charlie and I watched Bill Maher on HBO. John Mellencamp was on as well as (former) Senator Mike Gravel and US Ambassador Barbara Bodine. I didn’t watch all of it but they talked about Iraq and how the Dubya administration totally fucked that country up. They all had different opinions and ideas about what happened and should happen. (I can’t remember it all now! But you can check out the Real Time with Bill Maher website if you’re interested.)

Senator Mike Gravel

Mike Gravel was awesome. He’s 77 years old and he’s “hip” to the reality of how life works, not some dreamer who has plans and ideas that can never be put into action. I liked him. (He’s running for President in 2008.)

There’s nothing to win in Iraq. They’re dying in vain. They died in vain in Vietnam and they’re dying in vain now!

– Mike Gravel

US Ambassador Barbara Bodine

Barbara Bodine was cool and calculated and she can get her point across without acting like an idiot. I can tell I’ve been on AOL too long for damn sure if I’m impressed with that. When asked by Maher why Iraq is still such a mess (Bodine was the Coordinator for Central Iraq in early 2003), she explained the Bush Administration removed anyone with experience in restructuring and replaced them with inexperienced 20-somethings. Basically, the Bush Administration wants to turn Iraq into a mini-USA. And to do that, Bush has to get rid of any opposition.

I know I’m not an expert at politics, just thought I’d share what I saw on the show last night. It’s worth watching and it’s entertaining at the same time!