Heartfelt Joe Paterno tributes? Really, people?

I think I’m going to have to avoid Facebook all day, if not all week, as I cannot abide the tributes to Joe Paterno that are overtaking my wall.  If anyone had the power to put an end to that horrible situation at Penn State, it was him.  The fact that people give him a by, that they accept that he is absolved of any responsibility because he did the bare minimum that was required by law to report the situation, is frightening to me.  He was the most powerful man on that campus.  If he had wanted to bring justice to the situation, it would have been done.  Instead he chose to turn his back while children continued to be molested FOR YEARS! 

I can understand still having pride in your school if you’re a Penn State alum.  This one situation doesn’t define the whole institution.  But to publicly defend this man?  Total moral failure.

I think THAT was the most dramatic rose ceremony ever!

Wow.  A woman who came on to the show for 25 minutes only to be sent straight back home, a woman belligerently heckling the Bachelor during his final rose speech, and another woman who passed out and stopped breathing twice —  TWICE! — during this process.  That’s why I sit through the other hour and 50 minutes of this crap.  Another highlight was when crazy Jaclyn stated “On a scale of 1 to 10, I’m about to throw up!”  I’m not sure what that means, but it was awesome.

When will Katy Perry go away?

Two quick things:

1. How is the Katy Perry/Russell Brand divorce taking precedence over Justin Timberlake’s engagement on the cover of US Weekly?  Seriously, this is Justin!  Haven’t we all loved him since he was the youngest one in curls?  F’in Katy Perry.  Who cares?
2. Katy Perry apparently was shocked that Russell Brand ended up being a “mad man”.  Really, Katy?  Because, the rest of us?  Not so surprised.

General thoughts on this season’s “The Bachelor”

1. The brunette named Kacie B. is the winner.  I’m basing this solely on the music they played when she got out of the limo.
2. First mention of people “not being here for the right reasons”: Episode 1, 1 hour & 18  minutes.  If there’s been a speech about “putting myself out there” yet, it went past me.
3. Why has Bachelorette Jenna’s blog not been updated since April?  If you’re a relationship blogger AND you’re on the Bachelor AND you bring the crazy on the premiere episode, you need to post an update.  Currently, her most recent post is from April.  It’s a rant about people who call her and don’t leave voicemails.  And, while I’m grateful for a glimpse of her off camera that certainly confirms some of my initial impressions of her from the show (did you really just manage to martyr yourself into the Anne Frank of people whose call log and voicemail totals don’t match up? ), I’m going to need much MUCH more.
4. Ben.  Why can’t somebody do something about his hair?
5. I want details about the clothing allowances they give these women.  Any info anyone who might be reading this can provide would be quite appreciated.

A Perfect Quote for a New Year

“Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it. Action has magic, grace and power in it” –  Goethe

I’d like to add, “whatever you want to do.”  Let’s face it, I’m not always sure that I can, but as long as I focus on what I want, the Universe will bring its magic.

Another try…

Okay, I think this is the final.  I was into this idea of playing with The Frog Prince until  I realized that I had the story backwards.  Anyway, here goes…

One wish? Easy!  For so long she’d had one thought, her mind a wall of bricks mortared by contempt for him. Had ridden into this forest to escape being handed over like a golden trinket, father to husband. “To marry for love.” A pause. “Granted.”  Hoofbeats pound like traitors at her door, closer, surrounding her. Armor crashes, father’s men before her on their knees. “The king is dead! Long live the queen!” Granted.

The Keys to the Kingdom

There’s a writing contest from Studio 360 that accepts submissions of only 420 characters (including spaces.) Since I have a lot of time off over the next week & a half, I decided to give it a whirl. Here’s my first try:

One wish. Think! But her mind is a wall of bricks mortared by her contempt for he whom she rode into this lush forest to escape, before being handed over like a golden trinket. “To marry for love.” The frog blnks,“Granted.”  Hoofbeats pound like traitors at her door, closer, until they surround her. Armor crashes, father’s men before her on their knees. “The king is dead! Long live the queen!” Granted.

YOU don’t get to tell ME shit about Duran Duran!

The cover for the 45, which, of course, I owned. That collage is clown-from-Poltergeist creepy.

So I heard, Do They Know It’s Christmas? for the first time this holiday season while driving home from work yesterday. And, I’ll forgive my dad for calling me right when Bono was about to sing so that my Bluetooth kicked in and the radio turned off because his call was quick. I youtubed the video today and was amazed by all the really bad hair. Not that that should be shocking because it was 1984, but when you see all of the coolest people in music at that time gathered in one place, you realize just how bad 80s fashion was. The only one without a mullet was Sting, and his hair was so greasy I could actually smell it through my laptop screen. The other disappointment regarding Sting was seeing him next to Bono and realizing he is only a couple of inches taller. I made peace with the fact that Bono is only 5’7″ a long time ago, but I always pictured Sting as long and lean, with that lanky yoga body. Oh well, as Band-Aid’s lyrics should make clear to me, there are bigger problems in the world.

The thing that I always think of when I hear this song, is sitting on the floor of my 6th grade classroom with a textbook in my lap waiting for my teacher to join my reading group as we sat in a circle and talked. Some of the boys were telling my friend Linda and I that  John and Simon were in this new band, Band-Aid, that had released a Christmas song. Even at age 11, I considered myself to be the Queen of All Things Pop Culture, and no one was going to tell me shit about Duran Duran. I was so indignant and so snotty when I told them that they were insane and clearly had no idea of what they spoke. I’m sure that I scoffed and tsked and rolled my eyes with the vehemence that only a young girl on the verge of her first period can. And, that day after school when I heard the song for the first time while waiting in the car for my mom to come out of the supermarket, I couldn’t enjoy it with the fervor that I should have because one of those boys was going to try to  make me suffer at some point for my rant, probably when I showed up at school wearing a Band-Aid t-shirt I’d hopefully find at Spencer’s Gifts next to the fiber optic lamps, but NOT behind the shower curtain with all of the dirty holiday cards and penis-shaped ice cube trays.

Victory, Golden Monkey!

Thank god for rainy Saturdays!  I believe I wrote a post on this before, the freedom that crappy weather gives you to be lazy.  Yes, it’s a grey, soggy day in Pittsburgh, and I am still in my pj’s, having just finished a homemade brunch of home fries, scrambled eggs with feta, and, yes, a beer.  Are there any two more genius foods than eggs and potatoes?  I mean, the possibilities with both are endless and all delicious.  And, the fact that both are staples of breakfast is a clear indicator of why that particular meal holds such a hallowed place in our hearts, in spite of its early hour.  Even without pork, its brilliance shines.

More than a year later…

Okay, so I’ve been thinking about getting back to my blogging after more than a year, but I don’t really know what I want to post about. However, sometimes the act of taking action can be more important than what the particular action is. So, I’m back. And, I promise the next time I post it won’t be this dull.