Midnight Musings

Pagan & Proud

2007-08-09T00:05:00.000-04:00

I open my bulletin and what do I see,
another religion bulletin telling me what to believe.

They say the pledge should be as it was.
Wake up good sirs, the laws the law: separation of church and state.
Mix religion and politics, then people get burned at the stake.

I love all my brothers and sisters unless they promote ignorance and hate.
Open your mind and see, that others see in different ways.
I'm pagan and proud, if your not that's ok.

This bulletin I post of for kith and kin
and anyone who just wants to join in.

Blessed be to you all
Hailsa
Merry meet and part

Pass it if you wish - If not fare well

Response to: "Somebody's Watching You"

2007-06-13T18:26:00.000-04:00

I am probably going to catch hell for what I'm about to say but...oh well, why not! Every now & then I come across a news article where people can post their opinions about it. Well today I stumbled across one and the comments from one particular person just struck me wrong...as well as the video itself. So I thought I would post MY views here, away from possible censorship (it's happened to me a few times at certain websites).

One poster had some quite negative viewpoints of Sherman Austin, founder of Cop Watch LA, an activist group. Ironically, who was convicted several years ago of distributing information about explosives by linking to a page that included text copied from Abbie Hoffman's anarchist manifesto, "Steal This Book".

"This kid is an anarchist. He should be followed 24/7.
The kind of information he was putting out is very dangerous."

He's a what?! Just because he posted a link? Well hell, I know people who post adult links...does that make them pornographers? Personally, I think they went after the wrong person... if they had to go after anyone at all, they should have went after the original poster of the content. I know someone who writes a conspiracy blog. Not long ago someone linked to his blog, then wrote about white supremacy below it... both which could be considered "disrupting society". But the poster of the first blog does not agree with the one who linked to him...who do you go after? NEITHER! You CAN'T... because of our so called freedom of speech. Yea I said "so called" because even to this very day people all over USA are STILL being censored.

"There are to many idiots out there who would love nothing more than to make a name for themselves by disrupting society."

On THAT note, there is a LOT of information out there that can be construed as dangerous or "disrupts society"... not just on the internet but in books, music lyrics and even movies. So do we police and censor everything... everyone?

"They are arresting gang members people! that is the only side there is. These are criminals that kill innocent people all the time... If a gang member does no cooperate, they should slug him a few. Maybe they will think twice next time and you know there will be a next time, most of them are repeat offenders."

NO... that is NOT the only side there is. Granted, we don't know what happened that lead up to the arrest but there are other ways to subdue the one being arrested such as pepper spray or tazers. Hell, the cops here didn't have a problem with tazering an 8 year old little girl in school. As I was taught, 2 wrongs don't make a right! They could have handled the situation differently without punching the guy in the face a few times.

There were a couple who posted who put my thoughts into words so eloquently...

"I understand that the LAPD feels that Cop Watch only reports one side of the story, However; it's a side that is rarely if ever reported in main stream media. Direct Action is sometimes necessary to bring attention to an issue. ~Dee~"

"This just shows how we as a people need to come together and fight back in a positive way as he is doing. No one deserves such an error against them as a human being. The police department yes are there to protect us from criminals but who is there to protect us from them when it is them who become the criminals in the pursuit of their so called justice. ~Everett & Irene~"

This other poster considers those of us who do not think as him as naive. In reality, it is he who is naive. We as a society need to quit putting doctors, judges, police and the government in general, on high pedestals and revering them as gods or infallible beings. They are human, just like us... fallible, flawed, easily tempted and corrupted as the rest of us. I know someone that until I came along, believed in truth and justice. I came into the picture and he seen a very darker side to what he held true to his heart. He seen the city officials do so much wrong and get away with it; watched my children & I pay the price for it... all because I am different than mainstream society, I dare to speak out, I dare to be myself instead of cloned copies of mindless robots who need to be told what to believe, what to think... half wearing blinders so that can't truly see what's around them and the other half walking around looking at everything through rose tinted glasses. Bottom line is... justice should be equal to EVERYONE, regardless of what title they hold or how much money they have but the truth is... it's NOT! Without those of us who speak out and fight for what's right, those with money, power and/or title would never answer for thier own wrong doings.

A few days off

2006-03-31T11:14:00.000-05:00

Well I have found this wonderful place called tagworld that I have had a blast creating. I have made a few friends there but was even more over joyed when my friends from 360 came too. I still need to do some fine tuning to it so links don't overlap from page to page but for now I am quite content on my layouts.

Today is my youngest son's birthday and I have to plan his party tomorrow. Plus it's so beautiful outside (even though the pollen is kicking my sinuses in big time), I think I am gonna take a few days off and work outside planting. Besides...I rarely get on the net on weekends anyway. So...Everyone have a great weekend and I'll see you all Monday.

AOL Faces Email Protests

2006-03-04T00:44:00.000-05:00

http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=15898&hed=AOL+Faces+Email+Protests§or=Industries&subsector=InternetAndServices

An assortment of political and citizen action groups have begun a Sixties-style protest against AOL’s plan to charge for email.

February 28, 2006

If America Online was looking for public reaction to its trial balloon about charging for certain classes of email, then the portal firm has received its answer—a full-blown, Sixties-era consumer and citizen protest, Internet-style.

A disparate assemblage of about four dozen groups ranging from the National Humane Society to the Gun Owners of America have put aside their differences to focus on AOL and its plan to charge businesses for guaranteed delivery of bulk email (see AOL, Yahoo to Charge for Email).

The groups have set up a web site, www.dearaol.com, which will include an online petition demanding that AOL keep Internet email free for all. Among the groups behind the protest and petition are MoveOn.org Civic Action, the Democratic National Committee, the Association of Cancer Online Resources, and RightMarch.com.

Craigslist.com’s Craig Newmark is also listed as a supporter of the protest.

The petition asks AOL to refrain from auctioning off “preferential access” to giant corporate emailers while leaving their individual members to wonder “if their emails are being delivered at all.”

“The Internet is a force for democracy and economic innovation only because it is open to all Internet users equally—we must not let it become an unlevel playing field,” said the petition.

In a response, AOL did not mince words.

“There is nothing substantive about the events today,” said Nicholas Graham, an AOL spokesperson. “We will go ahead with the implementation in the next 30 days. Mark it on your calendars. These are organizations that exist to protest and perform political fundraising online, and they’ve selected the wrong target in AOL.”

Mr. Graham contended that AOL is not concerned about the presence of citizens’ groups among the petitioners.

“We know our members are supportive of the program, and that is the most important audience for us,” he said. “There are other companies doing what we are doing. It’s purely voluntary and there is no cost to the consumer.”

Shares of AOL’s parent company, Time Warner, rose $0.05 to $17.36 in recent trading.

Moving On

The protest is led by MoveOn.org, a political action group that claims to have more than 3.3 million members in the United States. MoveOn.org Civic Action, the branch of MoveOn.org leading the protest, has its roots in the high-tech industry. It was started by two Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, Joan Blades and Wes Boyd.

Ms. Blades co-founded Berkeley Systems, a one-time leading player in the entertainment software business. Berkeley Systems is perhaps best known for its immensely popular Flying Toaster screen savers, and You Don't Know Jack, an online game show.

The protest makes no mention of Yahoo, which has also made moves to charge for certain classes of email. Both AOL and Yahoo partnered last year with Goodmail Systems, a Mountain View, California-based company. Goodmail markets CertifiedEmail, a service that carries a kind of seal of approval, assuring email recipients their messages come from a trusted sender.

Now...I understand these companies wanting to squash spam but...do they really think this is gonna stop them? If a company has enough money they can still spam someone AND be certified cause they payed for it. Personally, I think that's a bunch of BS... and AOL's responce to them? Talk about blown egoes.

I used to to be with AOL loooooong time ago. The very first email I got ...my first time ever on the net, was from AOL...complete with a virus. When confronted they tried to deny it and later I got to be friends with someone on the inside who did some tracking for me and found out it was from one of them. Then they started double charging me monthly along with a bunch of other stuff. Finally I told them to kiss my --- and bailed. But everytime afterwards i tried to send an email to a friend who was using AOL and it said anything about them...it got squashed. I found ways around them though.

So to say I am not a big fan of AOL is a major understatement...but this is a new time low for them. Oh...and thier so called anti-spyware...not. Yea it may get rid of SOME spyware but...did you know that it has it's own? How do I know this? Because I have fixed many computers...even brought a few back from the dead...and the culprit was...AOL's anti-spyware.

Anyway...enough of my ranting. I have got most everything done so tomorrow I will be posting a bit more here on things that have been going on personally. I do most all my posting of a personal nature here because yahoo has already given me enough trouble and I have this thing against squashing someone's freedom of speech, especially my own *grins*, though I rarely say much...but when I do, I like to be heard, as do we all.

I have recently opened up 4 more gateways (links to the right side) for you to explore and got 4 more to go...those are more on a personal level such as an online dream journal, my childhood, a metaphysics type (nlp's, evp's, ghosts and such) site and more. Stay tuned...always glad to those who read what I write.

Oh, you are quite welcome to post a comment...no need to be a member but it may not show up till tomorrow cause I scan them. If you disagree with what I post, thats fine...I will not keep you from voicing your opinion but if you start name calling and such them have the balls to send me a personal email instead of trying to look big and bad and posting it in public.

Welcome & Why the move

2006-01-31T23:34:00.000-05:00

First, I would like to welcome you to my new realm. I hope you will enjoy all that I will be offering in the near future as well as what lies within. When you click on my profile, at the bottom you will find more places to explore. 2 realms are open outa 7...so stay tuned *swg*

Now as to why...those who have come from 360 to here, remember the post "Practice what you preach?" Well, Joni sent me a couple more emails afterwards, finally I had to put her on ignore. Guess she didn't like that so she reported me to yahoo. Tonight I got this pretty little form letter from yahell saying I was in TOS violation. I was like "What?!" So I went to my 360 and bam, there it was...that post was deleted. At first I was severely pissed but not to the point where I would do something stupid as to send her a nasty email (though she soooooo deserves it), I got smart and decided to do my posting here... making 360, just another portal to here. Which was what I going to do anyway...she just made it happen sooner.

But the situation still bugs me a bit. Supposedly we live in a country where we have freedom of speech...freedom of religion, but here lately my freedom of either has been stomped to hell and back. I do not see where I did wrong by the post I made... the only thing I did was post what she did and how I felt about it. I didn't call her any names or make any derogatory remarks about or to her.

Oh well, as long as she is happy with herself...more power to her. I have better things to do than to deal with the likes of her or those like her.

Anyhow, I hope that the friends I made in 360 will still stick with me here and I look forward to making new friends as well.

Till we meet again my friends @};-
Blessed Be,
~Akira Cheyenne Feathermoon~

God, save me from your followers!!! (to Joni aka:Von)

2006-01-23T22:25:00.000-05:00

Whether the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) is the irrefutable Word of God may be debatable. But there's no question about the information, Divine or not, having been filtered through the mind's of men. And even if the Ten Commandments were carved in stone, the rest of the Bible was written on paper by very mortal men — Moses and a handful of other self-proclaimed patriarchs.

Could something have been lost or misunderstood in the Divine Transmission or subsequent translations — something filtered out by some human predisposition? Does the Word of God as revealed in the both the Old and New Testaments never need amendment or revision? Does it not unfold with the evolution of humanity? Does God have nothing new for us to understand as we grow more worthy?

Gay Marriage —

The Presidential Prayer Team (Bush '04) is currently urging us to: "Pray for the President as he seeks wisdom on how to legally codify the definition of marriage. Pray that it will be according to Biblical principles. With many forces insisting on variant definitions of marriage, pray that God's Word and His standards will be honored by our government."

Any good religious person believes prayer should be balanced by action So here, in support of the Prayer Team's admirable goals, is a proposed Constitutional Amendment codifying marriage entirely on Biblical principles:

A. Marriage in the United States shall consist of a union between one man and one or more women. (Gen 29:17-28; II Sam 3:2-5.)

B. Marriage shall not impede a man's right to take concubines in addition to his wife or wives. (II Sam 5:13; I Kings 11:3; II Chron 11:21)

C. A marriage shall be considered valid only if the wife is a virgin. If the wife is not a virgin, she shall be executed. (Deut 22:13-21)

D. Marriage between a believer and a nonbeliever shall be forbidden. (Gen24:3; Num 25:1-9; Ezra 9:12; Neh 10:30)

E. Since marriage is for life, neither this Constitution nor the constitution of any State, nor any state or federal law, shall be construed to permit divorce. (Deut 22:19; Mark 10:9)

F. If a married man dies without children, his brother shall marry the widow. If he refuses to marry his brother's widow or deliberately does not give her children, he shall pay a fine of one shoe and be otherwise punished in a manner to be determined by law. (Gen. 38:6-10; Deut 25:5-10)

Civil Rights —

On numerous occasions, syndicated radio talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger, an Orthodox Jew, has defended her blatant bigotry against gay people by quoting Leviticus 18:22 which says homosexuality is an abomination and cannot be condoned in any circumstance. Dr. Laura is quizzed about the relevance of this ancient document in the following open letter first posted on the Internet in 1999. .

Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your radio show, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can.
When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states that homosexuality is an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the specific Bible laws and how to follow them.

a) When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev. 1 :9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

b) Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

c) I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21 :7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her? She's 18 and starting University. Will the slave buyer continue to pay for her education by law ?

d) I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanness (Lev. 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

e) I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should this be a neighborhood improvement project ?

f) A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination (Lev. 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?

g) Lev. 21 :20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here? Would contact lenses help?

h) Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev.19:27. How should they die?

i) I know from Lev.11 :6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

j) My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend).

k) He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? (Lev. 24:1016) Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with the people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14).

I know that you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging. Your devoted disciple and adoring fan.

-- Anonymous

There is a reason I posted this...which will be coming in the next Blog post.

Stay Tuned *swg*

{01-31-06} yahoo deleted the post that followed this one... nice to see our freedoms we proclaim we have at work.

The Fight Continues

2006-01-12T23:57:00.000-05:00

For those of you who have been keeping up with me about my boys, well, the fighting continues. My boys and I have a very close and strong relationship, I know them better than they know themselves sometimes. They know me as well, what I am, what I believe in... everything. They know that I support them in exploring their own paths...as long as it does not bring harm to them or others (or against the law).

Anyhow, where to start in this post. Well first let me say that since my last awakening, in 2000, I gained a gift of sorts...insight into events to come in the next year...usually happens between my birthday and new years (in addition to my dream visions). Sometimes they show me in a metaphorical way and other times...very graphic and detailed(911). There are times when it's been hard for me to cypher which it is and other times, it has been on both levels. This year...it's on both levels. I don't completely understand everything I have seen but...I do understand the "feelings" behind them. We will experience a death of a close one, either on a physical level, in a relationship sense, ideals or things within ourselves...and some...all of what I just described. But...and there is a BIG but to this...with the deaths, brings life...a birth of something new. Not sure in what sense, only that I felt euphoric afterwards, even after such sadness and turmoil. In a sense, it's like shedding our old skin and growing into something new, growing pains (best analogy I can come up with at the moment).

Well New Years eve I spent it with my girlfriend. We were talking up a storm and doing a reading when around midnight I felt it coming on. I'm a strong empathic...physical, mental, spiritual and emotional. Anyhow I felt another go into an epileptic seizure, someone I had been connected to since my last awakening. Anyhow, with her help I gained the strength and power and sling shotted the energy back to the source. It felt like my head opened up and something shot out like a volcano, like popping a really bad zit (yea gross, I know, but accurate description). I thought it was over...but then something else happened to me. I laid quiet for a few minutes then all of a sudden I started shaking really bad...couldn't stop it, my throat seized up, couldn't swallow, could barely breathe or talk...scared the living crap outta me...lol, and her. I'm still unsure what happened but one hypothesis is: I went through a year of major chaotic energy thrown at me from every direction and then some...none which could take me down but did cause a bit of a nuisance. I think I stored up all that energy from the year (unconsciously) and it finally ruptured. That "link" was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back so to speak and when I pushed it back, I got back-lashed. But thanks to her I got control over it and it eventually subsided.

The day after, I go back home. Later that evening I felt like a trucker's convoy ran me over...I got hit with sinuses, then my monthly wheel of pain (a very hard thing to explain) which consisted this month, of me not being able to walk, sit or even lay down for a couple of days... then 7 days ago, the flu (still recovering).

Now, this last week has been real hard for me to control my anger, but not without good reason. Tuesday I picked up Jaryn, my middle son, up from school and he proceeds to tell me that this boy had him jacked up against the wall by the throat. Yesterday, I picked him up from school and right as we walk out the door he tells me this same kid threatened him with a knife...so I got instantly pissed. I wheeled around and took him with me, walked right into the principle's office and told him what happened. In the meantime there's a message for me at home saying that the school counselor is gonna take ME to court over his attendance.

Now here's the kicker...last week he missed school a coupe of days cause he had the flu, brought it back from SC. I did what the court officer told me to do and wrote a note when he returned. A couple of days later the court officer calls me and says that the counselor is wanting to go to court, but that she would stand by ME cause I did exactly what she told me to do. When I tried talking to the principle about all of this he said he didn't have time to deal it. So...when Jaryn got threatened at school...i MADE SURE he had time for me then. Well last night they said they didn't find anything, that it was a pencil and all kinds of other excuses.

So I made up my mind and decided I'm gonna home school him for the rest of the year till I get him in the school he and I wanted in the first place. I do my home work, fill out all the paperwork and mailed it overnight. I went to pick him up today and asked the office what would I need to do to get him removed from the school so I could home school him. The lady gives me a paper and tells me to go to all his classes , have the teachers sign off it and turn in his books...even after I explained to her that I didn't have the card. So we did that. When I came back in the office she proceeds to tell me that all I had to do was bring in the paper stating he was being homeschooled BUT...all the days in between then and now would go against him!
Now I already had this bulldog of a woman on my tail because of his attendance and now this?!...So when I get home I call the court officer, who in turn calls the counselor. The counselor calls me (finally even though she wouldn't return any of my own messages) and I proceed to tell her what happened. She tells me that the officer wants to take me to court while they are saying she wants to...I tell her he is gonna be homeschooled...you know what she had the gall to say to me?! "You know, SOMEONE in the house has to have a GED" as if we are some kinda dumb inbred rednecks with no education...ooh, if I coulda got my hands through that phone it woulda been ON buddy. But instead I replied sarcastically, "Yea, duh, I know...I graduated 3rd highest in the state when I got mine" (of course considering what state, I wouldn't exactly brag about it)...and that was 3 years after I dropped outta 10th grade because the education level wasn't high enough for me...I was bored outta my mind. Anyway, guess she liked the way I said that cause she said to return him to school until I get the note and she would forget the whole court thing.

Now for fight 2 (lol, yea, there's more)...the city sanitation. For the past months I have had this one particular lead guy on the truck come to my door about some of the most stupid reasons I have ever heard. The last one though...they wouldn't pick up my trash...because I didn't have it over the curb (I had it 1ft behind the curb - as did many others). Now the way my yard is...I can't pull the darn thing over the curb (too much physical damage done to me - though it doesn't exactly show). You know why he had been giving me such a hard time?...cause I am pagan and when contacted the city, well...lets just say he picks up my trash now *grins*

Anyhow...please excuse the typos...will fix them later...just had to get this out before I hit the sack...finally a moment to do this posting. Oh, and I have got some real cool things kicking here soon for you all...I should have it ready by the end of the month and hope you all will like. (note to self...need to clean my keyboard too...darn keys aren't working right)

Christmas spirit my @$$!!!!!

2005-12-18T16:15:00.000-05:00

I have been taking all day yesterday and part of today off-line because I have never been so disheartened in all my life...and believe, I have been through more crap in my short time of life so far than most have thier whole lifetimes. But what happened to me yesterday beats all. First let me say I am not a rich woman (financially)...not even comfortable, in fact, I have to use food stamps and medicaid...not something I am proud of but something that is necessary for me and my children. I don't like the fact that I get looked down upon for having it. one time i even had a social worker tell me I needed a man to take care of me... I blew up big time at her, won't repeat what I said. Anyhow, I received in the mail a toys voucher where you can go pick up toys for your kids for Christmas if you do not have any for them. It was located at a church and had to be there at 8am. Well i got up early and went there. I overshot the turn to go into the parking lot, so I drove past the church to make a u-turn. The car I was driving was my 88 Jag. My tags says "Bi-Witch" on it...when I drove by I got called heathen and a few other names. That hurt like hell. Made my u-turn and they were still yelling names at me and a fight broke out...I left. I only have enough money to get 1 present each for my boys. My oldest and youngest won't have any problems getting presents as they have thier fathers and thier father's family but my middle son only has me. He has never met his father. But at least the 1 present will be outta love and not outta hate & prejudice. I feel so bad for my winter solstice child. He is so bright & asks for so little, yet I can't give him the 2 things he wishes for...Nintendo ds and animal crossing (the wild life) game. You know, going there, I thought we all had something in common...we want to get things for our children for Christmas and don't have the means...guess I was wrong about the so-called Christmas Spirit.

To top things off, I got a call Friday saying I have to go to court Tuesday because of his absences and he got suspended for defending himself by pushing a girl off of him who was trying to beat the crap outta him. I have always taught my boys to walk away from a fight if you can but defend yourself if you have no other choice. I have dealt with city and county official all year long...and won. A couple more isn't gonna bother me none...I will take all my boys with me and let the school system have it. I am without a doubt the last witch anyone wants to mess with.

I am sooooo tired of people ignorance and narrow mindedness. My kids can't even play with other kids because of what I am...their parents think I am the devil's servant. Yea....right!...like i am gonna worship some mutated narcissistic goat. I am so proud of my babies though. Despite the crap others dish out to them, they still hold on to thier non-prejudicial views.

Well Phooey!

2005-12-11T14:04:00.000-05:00

My usual Sunday routine is to post to my BoS Library group, post info on blog, clean house, do laundry and get things ready for everyone for the up coming week. Not today. This morning I woke up with a swollen gland (hard to swallow), high fever and shakes. No, it's not the flu. A while back, 2 of my teeth cracked, 1 on each side of my mouth, 1 vertical, the other horizontal. Needless to say, it's not been easy for me to eat (and i doooo love to eat too). I think one of my teeth is trying to go abscess on me. Not good cause I do not have money for a doc...only medicaid. And I need to find one that will gas me (even for cleanings) and won't remove my teeth. There's sooo much more to this story but right now, I'm too hot and can't seem to get my thoughts together right. Anyway, I will try to post later this eve after i lay down a bit.

Hey Doc Angelia...sweety, if I was in your area I would be a medical mystery to you. I'm allergic to most man made medicines...especially antibiotics. I haven't found an antibiotic I can take yet with out it damn near killing me. So to treat someone like me would be a major medical mystery.

Humor: My Sister's Christmas Rum Cake

2005-12-11T13:07:00.000-05:00

My Sister's Christmas Rum Cake

Every year around this time, my sister makes an attempt to create what she says is her masterpiece of culinary delight (in fact, she usually makes two or three attempts) but alas, I have yet to sample even a tiny morsel of it. Here is the recipe she uses:

1 or 2 quarts rum
baking powder
1 c. butter
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. sugar
lemon juice
2 large eggs
brown sugar
1 c. dried fruit
nuts

Before you start, sample the rum to check for quality. Good, isn't it? Now go ahead. Select a large mixing bowl, measuring cup, etc.

Check the rum again. It must be just right. To be sure rum is of the highest quality, pour one level cup of rum into a glass and drink it as fast as you can. Repeat. With an electric mixer, beat 1 cup butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add 1 seaspoon of thugar and beat again.

Meanwhile, make sure that the rum is of the finest quality-- try another cup. Open second quart, if necessary. Add 2 arge leggs, 2 ups fried druit and beat till high. If druit gets stuck in beaters, just pry it loose with a drewscriver. Sample the rum again, checking for tonscisticity. Next sift 3 pups of pepper or salt (it really doesn't matter which). Sample the rum again. Sift 1/2 pint lemon juice. Fold in chopped butter and strained nuts. Add one babblespoon of brown thugar, or whatever color you can find. Wix mell. Grease oven and turn cake pan to 350 gredees. Now pour whole mess into the coven and ake. Check the rum again, and bo to bed.

Now you know why.....

***

I met a new friend on 360. After reading and posting to her blog, she & her friends made me feel right at home. One of the things I remember the most about growing up was my grandfather's sense of humor. He would pick on me, tell a joke...something, everyday. One day he barely said anything to me. All day long I kept waiting for something from him, but nothing. So finally before bed, I asked him..."Are you mad at me, Did I do something wrong?...he looked at me expressionless and said "No, why do you ask?". I said "Because you didn't pick on me today." He smiled and said "Ahh, but I did". I looked puzzled, then I got it and started laughing (by ignoring me he was picking on me).

He always told me that laughter was the best medicine for whatever ailed you and you have to laugh at yourself before the world will laugh with you. Words I have never forgotten.

I hope that this piece of humor will bring a smile to your face...enjoy.

School Politics

2005-11-29T14:31:00.000-05:00

I've always known that the governmental systems we have in place has some major flaws and unless you are a childless-self sufficient hermit living where no one can touch you, there's no way to avoid politics. It's in our schools, our roads, even our stores and workplaces. The one I am gonna address today is school politics.

I have 3 boys, all ADD/ADHD, all with the same initials (what was I thinking *shakes her head*). Big J is 15, middle J is 11 and little J is 9. I moved to NC 3 years ago from SC... to save my boys, to get them away from the damage their fathers were doing to them and to get them a better education (there are more reasons why I moved here but we won't go into that right now). SC, at the time, was ranked the lowest in education in the USA..NC was ranked 3rd highest. The reason, I recently found out, is NC's "No Child Left Behind" act.

When we moved here, big J was suppose to repeat but they went ahead and promoted him. Middle J was supposed to be in "Gate" which is a curriculum geared towards bright gifted children. The closest thing they have here is "AL" classes, only in math and reading. Now little J is "special". Although a whiz at math, all other subjects he has problems with, he doesn't learn the way most children do, he doesn't learn through books. Instead, he learns through visuals and hands on learning, which I am still fighting to get what he needs. The second year, my oldest and youngest both failed...and again they were promoted, while middle J aces school, despite the obvious negative feelings towards me because of who/what I am - bi, pagan and don't hide it (I've been negatively approached a few times).

Last year, middle J missed the last 2 months of school because my beautifully bright child decided that he was gonna stick a knife, that big J left outside, in a tree outa anger. Unfortunately the knife was wet so he sliced 3 of his fingers, 8 tendons & muscles. Needless to say he had to have surgery. Well I went to the principle and told her what happened and she said she would get his work together and send it via little J on a daily basis. I got nothing, not even a phone call or him a get well card. The day he returns back to school it was time to take the EOG's (end of grade tests), which he made a perfect score but his teacher calls social services on me for him missing school. Luckily, I had paperwork backing me up, social services said I did what I was suppose to do and dropped the case (pissed his teacher off). In the meantime, the other 2 boys failed yet again...and again, they promoted them.

Now, I have someone else on my butt about middle J. I got a call from her this afternoon saying they are gonna take me to court because he has missed so many days...which he has...cause he was sick. Unlike his brothers, he doesn't fake being sick to get outa school. He doesn't even get sick like most kids. He could be fine one minute, get a headache and his temp will shoot up to 102 the next minute. School & games is all he has, because of his intelligence, he can't relate to other kids and usually unnerves most adults, plus it doesn't help to have me as a mother in this area. He knows what schools he wants to go to and what he wants to do with his life, he wants to be an astronomer...has since he could talk. Now here's the kicker..even though he has missed a few days...he got A/B honor roll. In the meantime, big J is lucky if he has spent a whole week in school...and yet, nothing.

Now these political puppets need to either help me where/with whom I need it or...get the hell outa our lives and stay out.