It is summer, so I am gonna lighten things up for a while. Sure, if something comes along that does not fall into the weight loss surgery or fibromyalgia category, I will likely post about it, but for now I am going to try and keep it light for a while. Last post I praised two people who are often on the receiving end of criticism. Actually a lot of things can be learned from these two people. They are not the ‘wrong’ people some think. They handled social situations with more eloquence, grace and Christianity than anyone else I have seen. So instead of criticizing them, I praised them. So again, THANKS MOM AND DAD! MUCH could and should be learned from you guys! This is *all* I am saying on this subject. I just wanted to give a bit of further explanation and explain as I was trying to be my Uncles voice since he has much to say but very limited access to the internet. Nuff said….. SUBJECT NOW CLOSED.
Now, on to some FUN FUN FUN! MUSIC! Plato said, “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” Life would not be life without music. It was a while back when I started thinking what are the best songs ever? (In this I mean, of course, contemporary songs…. not classical, songs that are 100’s of years old… songs written in the 1950’s up). Now, there are two ‘official’ contemporary Christian songs on the list, but in my heart of hearts they HAVE TO, MUST be there. I am not a ‘closet Christian’, so I listed them. Also, of all bands, a song that, if you listen close (once I get there), could at the very least, be defined as spiritual. There are SO SO SO many. It is tough. However, I sat with my list and finally came up with what I consider the top 25 songs along with several Honorable Mentions. I will start with #25, move to #1, explain why I think this song deserves its place in the “Kelli Glover Best Ever Song of Fame”. Then I will do the Honorable Mentions. I have around 8 honorable mentions though I may take a few off because I wanted to keep it at 5-6. I would love to hear from others what some of your all time favorite songs, of all time, are. This will take several posts and there may be some brief interruptions for other topics. But what fun. And remember! I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear from you what you think!!!!!
I will do the top 25 songs in reverse order:
Song 25 is an oldie if ever there was one. But it makes me melt every time I hear it. If it is on, I grab Paul and slow dance in the middle of the living room. It is one of the most romantic songs ever. And after finding the you tube video, I must say the lead singer was pretty hot too! But never fear, I always and forever only have eyes for Paul.
It took a long time, but I finally realize my parents were so much more than I ever gave them credit for. Mom and Dad, you were grace under fire.
Mom and Dad weren’t “War of the Roses” but they were far, oh so far, from what you would call an amicable divorce. I try not to remember much from that little micro-burst of my life, but I do remember the fights, the papers (divorce papers that is), the ‘possessions’, the endless ramblings of an intoxicated woman who was never happy with what life gave her. I remember more than I want and probably more than I should. I remember being Dad’s shoulder to cry on when I did not have a shoulder. I remember being the kid from Oildale (redneck central) now going to Thompson Jr. High School (Posh Central) and then becoming the laugh of the school when I dressed in plaid because my favorite singing group, The Bay City Rollers, were all I had.
I made it through…. somehow…. don’t we all? So when I had kids I wondered, what would it be like when we had birthday parties and other get-togethers and both sets of grandparents (as in my Mom and my Dad and their spouses) were, for a few hours, put together in the same time and space.
I must say, now more than ever, Mom and Dad, you make me so proud! You did so good…. better than good…. IMPRESSIVE! I tip my ‘hat’ to you. I now know how awkward it must have felt. However neither of you, nor your spouses, let it show. You came in, greeted everyone, and greeted each other with R*E*S*P*E*C*T. And for the sake of my children, I am thankful for what role model you guys made. Also, no awkwardness. No stone cold, hateful looks. You see, you knew it wasn’t about *you*….. it was about your granddaughters. Whatever grudges, hurts or anger you may, or may not have harvested and buried (and I know for a fact Dad harvested none, like me, I make peace with the past, make peace with the Lord and as my therapist says, MOVE FORWARD, don’t look back). However, any past grudges? If you had them…. both Mom and Dad….. they did not show. I felt so at ease. Throwing a birthday party for a child is stressful enough…. you have a lot of things to do and have to make sure everything is operating OK. Having to worry about whether the anger in the room is going to cause some sort of explosion is one thing you don’t want to worry about. With my Mom and Dad, I just knew it would not be.
My Mom was put down so much it skewed my vision of her. But she was a trooper. She had a good heart and really tried. She is the one who bought the girls the first four Harry Potter books. When I flew home to jointly, with my brother and sister (step, but we dropped that pesky word, for we bonded in a way the next five days that only could be understood by someone who witnessed what we did) make arrangements, I found pictures of my granddaughter, her great-granddaughter. I also found a grad picture of my youngest daughter along with the announcement, framed. She loved her girls but was always kept at arms length. That was in part my fault and something I will regret for the rest of my life. No one should let one side of the family get favored over another. It is not right; it is not fair and just plain cruel.
Mom & Dad, grandchildren come first and you both were mature enough and loved your granddaughters enough to know that! God, please send this note of thanks to my parents: “I know when you go through a bad divorce it is not easy to be cordial, but you surpassed that! Gracious me, I am so so so so proud of you guys. It is stepping outside of your own feelings and pride and doing what is right for the kids. Screw feelings of the grown ups. You swallowed your pride for a few hours 4 or so times a year so your granddaughters could see that *they* were loved enough to come first. For that matter, as Uncle David says over and over and over and over……. “The past is the past…. just move on!”. Either way, Mom, Dad, I am so VERY proud of how you handled yourselves at get togethers/parties, etc. Others could learn from you both! You did your daughter proud and a special shout out to Dad on this 4th of July; Happy 4th Dad! This was ‘our’ holiday and you made them so very special!”
No one says you have to be BFF’s…. but my kids never questioned the awkwardness between the parents; Why? THERE WAS NONE! GO DAD, GO MOM! I think instead of listening to others about how my parents were, I am going to start listening to my heart. As for this, they did it right, right and REALLY RIGHT!
Today’s song of the day is….
“Life is very short and there’s no time for fussing and fighting my friend….” You got it……
Posted inUncategorized|Comments Off on I TIP MY ‘HAT’ TO MOM & DAD
I WANT ALL MY DOCTORS TO BE MCDREAMY, OR AT LEAST FROM THE TEAM AT 'SEATTLE GRACE'
For those of us with fibro…. especially the veterans of ten or more years….. we know the drill. Most Doctors are curt, arrogant and just want to write an RX and get you on your way! They don’t listen, talk over you, ‘shush’ you and are in the room maybe 5 minutes? I mean really….. a $50 co pay for a specialist and all I get is 5 minutes! Hey, isn’t there a T-Shirt in this somewhere….. I went to the Neurologist at Lewis Gale and all I got was more radiation from x rays and this lousy t shirt.
I know what you are thinking: this subject matter should be on my “Hitting The Wall” blog. However, this is not just about fibromyalgia or other chronic illness, this is about every day experiences that every single reader (that has had to go to more than one or two Doctors) can relate to.
I want to take an aside right now because there are some really GOOD Doctors in the Roanoke / Salem area who deserve a shout out.
Dr. Mark Gustafson my gynecologist. Not only is Dr. ‘Gus’ kind and caring, but he is funny and has one of the best bed side manners of any Doctor I have ever seen in my 40 something years on this earth. He leaves no stone unturned. Any problem…. big or small…. nothing is too frivolous for him. When I had my ‘female’ partial surgery nearly two years ago, he knew how nervous and, well….. sad, I was. It wasn’t the surgery itself, I had been through plenty of surgeries….. it was the finality of it all. That was it. When Old Gertrude came out, that was ‘it’ and one part of my life would have a door closed forever. I will not go into the details of what made me decide to go ahead and do it. I will say, however, before I could finish my question, still groggy from the ‘sleep juice’, “So Dr Gus, was there any chance at all… any?”. Before I finished his head was shaking no. There were so many fibroid tumors, the pathologist did not even count.
Dr. A. Reif Kessler I hold in the highest esteem for on July 2, 2011, he saved my life. That was my Granddaughter’s 1st birthday to boot! I went in on July 1st, thinking I had the worst gas ever and found out I had perforated the intestine where the bypassed part of the intestine meets the pouch. I also had peritonitis. I was in ICU for three days and hospital for a week. It was the worst week of my life. 🙁 I will say 1st (I was worried…. at 4 AM when they call in a surgeon that you don’t know and it is one that is a little older, that has never done a gastric bypass and keeps telling you, “This is bad, this is really bad”) but he knows his stuff! You could not see my laporoscopic incisions from my RNY in ’07. However, I now have a big, long scar…. navel to breastbone…. perfect and straight…. and I call it my ‘badge of honor’ for surviving such a horrific ordeal. The worst part was the NG tube I had for the three days I was in ICU. Dr. Kessler told me in a dry tone, “I knew the brother of the man that invented that tube. He was mean….. real mean”. 🙂 We created quite a nice Dr/patient relationship and I will forever be indebted to him. I heard yesterday in one of my various stops at Lewis Gale that he is retiring next month 🙁 I was going to send him a card anyway, but really need to now. I tried to hold it together and get through my granddaughters birthday party, however, if I had, I would likely not be here getting ready to get presents for her 2nd birthday. We had a re-do a few weeks later.
I also have a wonderful LNP, Collette Carver, who really is my “family Doctor”. My pain group is decent as pain management goes. They are up to their neck in patients and of course walk such a fine line with some of the medications they prescribe, it is no wonder they have to be very strict. Overall I am happy with them (though I rarely, if ever, get my fifteen minutes when I actually see Dr. Baylor). They did, however, tell the neurologist I was to be seen for migraine headaches and what I was in for was my neck. Picture “Charlie Brown” standing on the stage for the Christmas pageant, proclaiming, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about ?” I sit here and proclaim, are there any Doctors left (besides the few I listed) who care enough to listen to their patients, who care to be respectful by letting you finish a sentence. I wanted Dr. Staykov to test me for MS and Lupus but we never got that far. He kept talking over me and stopping me. Is it too much to want a Doctor who just C*A*R*E’S? I am more than just the $$$$$ my insurance dishes out. As someone who racked up $90k in medical bills last year alone, I am so grateful we have insurance. However 20% of $90k still leaves about $18,000! =8-O For that kind of money we should be getting Doctors who serve us champagne with chocolate covered strawberries at each visit!
THESE ARE THE DOCTORS THAT WORK TO MAKE THEIR PATIENTS BETTER.... THAT STRIVE TO HELP THEM AND STEP UP. WHY CAN'T THEY BE REAL.....THE WORLD NEEDS MORE DOCTORS LIKE THESE!
My statement to healthcare providers: the bottom line is simple, really, we are the patients, and the health care provider is working for *us*. Our insurance and own personal money pay a lot to find answers to what is making us feel so unwell. We are the reason you drive the big expensive car, live in your big house with a pool and go golfing every week. We may not be as educated and rich as you. However, we are human beings and deserve the *respect* and need to be heard. Word has way of getting around, so if you have the bedside manner of a crocodile and talk over your patients (i.e. are rude), you may want to re-think, or you may find your patients going elsewhere.
The song of the day is Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear The Reaper”….. and the video is flippin’ HILARIOUS! LOLOLOLOL!
Posted inUncategorized|Comments Off on Why Can’t They All Be McDreamy?
Believe me when I say I am nothing like my late Mom when it comes to age. Not only was she serious about fighting the effects of Father Time, but she was very touchy if the subject of age came up. I don’t know why. She was striking and being only nineteen when she had me (and me looking a bit older than I was as a teen), people used to mistake us for sisters rather than Mom and daughter. The same was true with my Dad, except they thought I was his ‘younger’ girlfriend when we would go to dinner or any public place. That I did not find funny as a teen. Now I do. I followed in my parents foot-steps and with the exception of when my weight dropped below 135 lbs….. I looked very sickly and wrong then. For the most part, people seem to think I am at least eight to ten years younger than what I am. Not a boast, just an honest observation. Honestly, age has never bothered me. Getting older is better than the alternative! I truly feel old is a state of mind. Most days my physical body feels ‘old’. But judging by the belly laughs I get out of Paul, you would never know it! I certainly do my late Dad and late Uncle Larry as well as my Uncle David proud to carry on their zany, loopy ways. Now there were ‘three boys’ that could get some laughs.
So why is it when men age they are distinguished and when women age, we are just…….. old? Women shave, pluck, bleach, lift, hold, cinch, crunch, do pilates, push, wrap, nip, tuck, conceal, dye and generally do anything and everything to look as perfect as possible disregarding comfort and dignity? Bear in mind, age has never bothered me. I run with the saying, “You are only as young as you feel”. That is a trick question for me. My mind feels 20 something; my body usually feels at least 80 something. Of course the latter is due to a very destructive condition and nothing to do with my frame of mind. It is with this in mind I am perplexed as to why the birthday coming up a year from this August really has me thinking……melancholy….. oh poo, downright depressed.
It is with all of these things in mind that I draw your attention to the Summer Olympics, 2012, hosted in London, England, UK. It seems like a blink since Paul and I were in London getting his immigration ‘interview’ sorted out. We made sure that was taken care of first thing so we would not be stressing about what ‘questions’ the interviewer might have. We had heard horror stories about these interviews. We went to the US Consulate, anxiously awaited our turn and went to the window. I think the American gentleman conducting the interview was taken a bit off guard to see me there. Then he proceeded, “How did you two meet?”. Paul answered. The man went on and explained what would happen after he flew in to the States, what he would have to do as he started stamping papers, etc. Paul and I looked at each other both with surprise and glee! One simple question. One. Giddy with happiness at the ease of it all, we were like children frolicking out of the building. Even a guard outside the Consulate asked us what was going on and with a big grin he wished us well! 🙂 So the rest of the week, we enjoyed what would become my 3rd favorite city on the planet. Paul and I just celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary and it seems like yesterday that in the underground, on the streets or even over the River Thames, the posters were everywhere: “Back The Bid”; “London 2012”. Here we are! 2012 is here and the games are due to start in a few weeks time! So what is all this leading to? ONE PILOT! Yep! A pilot. Captain David Thomas. If you are a Facebook friend of either and/or both Paul and I then you may have read our little diddy about how they flew the Olympic flame from Greece to London a few days ago. Paul and I heard this on the news and the goofballs that we are started hypothesizing. How do you get a flame through airport security? Does the flame have its own seat or do you put it in the overhead compartment…. which, as I said, would likely ignite the sprinkler system. So likely, as we found out, it does have its own seat… the little mini flames… each in their own container…. safety in case one or more of the other flames go out! Captain Thomas had a big job but has flown other high profile …. um, entities…. before flying the flame to its destination.
CAPTAIN DAVID THOMAS
The thing so upsetting? He is younger than me! Not by a lot, but younger!!!!! In all fairness, Paul thought he was well into his fifties. So did I. Maybe flying high ranked dignitaries and high ranking flames ages one a bit quicker? Maybe it is all in the perception? Genes? I know my Mom always looked fabulous! Beautiful! At least ten years younger than she was! At least up until things progressed to a very bad point….. but I choose to remember the ageless, beautiful, raven haired beauty that turned every head in the room! I am so blessed to have some of those genes. And Dad… whoa! Handsome as they come!
BOTH MY MOM & DAD WERE VERY BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE. NOT ONLY WAS I BLESSED WITH THEIR GENES BUT I WAS BLESSED TO CALL THEM MY PARENTS. FOR SO LONG I WAS LED TO BELIEVE THERE WAS SOMETHING DYSFUNCTIONAL ABOUT THAT BUT I NOW *EMBRACE* WHO I AM & WHERE I COME FROM. I WOULD NOT BE THE PERSON I AM TODAY IF I HAD NOT FOLLOWED THE PATH I WENT DOWN. I AM NOT SAYING I WOULD NOT HAVE DONE *SOME* THINGS DIFFERENT, FOR I WOULD HAVE, BUT I WOULD *NOT* HAVE TRADED MY PARENTS FOR ANYTHING!
So why is there double standards for women on the whole aging thing? Is it fair? No! Even Paul admits to that and agrees! Most people know I am ten years older than Paul. In case anyone wonders, *No*, it makes absolutely no difference in our relationship. It never impacts anything. The only time it may come up is issues of ‘do your remember when_____’. For instance, the moon landing. I was young… very, very young when we landed on the moon and Neil Armstrong took that first step. I remember it like it were yesterday. Why? Well, of course, because it was such a huge impact in our history not just in this age but in all of the human race. Also, however, because I remember distinctly my parents saying to me, “Kelli Lynn, remember this! Remember this! You will tell your grandchildren about this some day!”. I do and I will! I have such a vivid memory of that hazy console, black and white TV set and Neil Armstrong ‘testing the ground’ and making sure he had his footing before making his statement, “One small step……” and of course, you know the rest. I fully intend on “You-Tubing” it with Kadence (and any other grandchildren I have) someday and adding in my own little observations that only an excited five year old circa 1969 could give (recalling that moment in time!) 🙂 The reason I bring up the moon landing and all this is simple: I remember it; Paul wasn’t born yet. One of the “BIG” things that define our age difference yet still…… it is as if even that does not make a dent in our relationship. So really, one has to ask, is age really all it is cracked up to be?
I am going to close this subject with some of the reasons I should not be dreading my birthday in August of 2013…..
KASSIE DEPAIVA
VALERIE BERTONELLI
MARIE OSMOND
ANDIE MACDOWELL
MADONNA
I am not a Madonna fan as I think she is quite arrogant and do not really care for her music. However, I must include her because she looks beyond fabulous (on the outside, anyway!) 😉
And my favorite;
SUSAN SARANDON: LOOKING FABULOUS WELL INTO HER SIXTIES! YOU GO SWEET LADY!
All of these ladies are still setting the world on fire and have no intention of slowing down anytime soon. Though I do have a handicap, my mind, my passions, my dreams and hopes are not handicapped. I have to work around them. That means it takes me a bit longer to do things sometimes…. especially when brain fog is high. However, I try as hard as I can to maintain a positive attitude.
So I leave you with this very fitting song! Enjoy! Until next time, K…….
Posted inUncategorized|Comments Off on Fighting The Battle Of ….. AGE! =:-O
Tattoos. I have to wonder what all the fuss is about? First I want to make this very clear. I am not putting down tattoos at all. Anyone that knows anything about me knows this: I am very much, ‘live and let live’. As long as your actions are not hurting anyone, C’est la vie. I will say this; There are three things I will say never to; I will *never* reject my Lord and Savior Jesus; I will never drink a boiler maker again; I will never get a tattoo. Let me explain. The reason I do not want a tattoo is probably not what you think.
I am not a ‘spring chicken’. Do not get me wrong…. tho the first hour of the day would suggest otherwise (I walk around the house like a feeble 90 year old…. I almost bought a walker at Goodwill a few weeks ago… for real!) but I am young at heart! I am not ‘old’ in any other way except my fibro makes my body behave old at times but my music, thoughts, views, opinions, humor, etc, are young…. very young.This is not because I am afraid of growing old, but because it is who I am! I have NOTHING against tattoos. In fact some of my favorite people have tattoos 8-D
So why when I do this
Would I not get a tattoo?
1. Tattoos are permanent. You are marked for life. When/and/or / if I decided I don’t want these piercings, I just take them out. It is as simple as that. There is also a significant reason for why I did this; a story behind it. It represents something to me; something very important.
2. There is an older movie… maybe 20-25 years old called, “Same Time Next Year” starring Alan Alda and Ellen Byrston. It is a fabulous movie, tho very cheesy and a bit of a chick flick. This movie shows all too well the changes that we go through over the years. It is a great movie to watch, if for no other reason, for that. Ten years ago when I was at a pretty low place in my life, I wore mostly black and cranked up heavy metal when I drove to and from my very stressful job. I was a 30 something ‘goth’. I thought I would always be that way. A friend on my team at work assured me it was a phase. Today, I have some black, but I compliment it with jeans. I mostly have bright colors; florals and plaids; cardis and camis. You get the drift. I shudder to think how I would feel if I got a goth tattoo…. I was certain I would stay that way, but I didn’t. I am old enough now to know the changes you go through in life. Phases. It never stops. You think it does after your teen years. It doesn’t. Life is a continuance of change and growth. We never stall and stay stagnant and that is a good 🙂 thing! Angelina Jolie, before she was with Brad and before she adopted 1/2 the world, was with Billy Bob Thornton. She got this HUGE tattoo on her arm with Billy Bobs name and some sort of lizard/creature. It took up the whole upper arm. To this day at awards shows, etc when wearing a sleeveless dress, she has that arm covered in makeup….. but it is still there. You can still see it (if you know what you are looking for). Maybe that why she flung her leg out at the Oscars, to get the focus elsewhere? Nah….. but it was worth a try.
3. PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THIS WRONG… this is just for me… kinda like, I love short hair, but not on me sorta thing… I just do not care for them… for me. It looks great on other gals and I wish I could wear it, but it just does not look good on me. I am not a fan of tattoos. Again, everyone beats to a different drum. It is funny, as a matter of fact, the nicest clerks I get at stores have full sleeve tattoos. Seriously. I have met the nicest people practically covered in tattoos. I have met the most horrible people that have only one ear pierced (woman) and not one piercing or tat (men). For me, I am very ‘soft’ and it just does not fit. I guess my biggest question is what makes tattoos so appealing? Again, not judging, just curious. Almost everyone has at least one. I guess I am just curious and in awe at the same time.
SINCE WE NEED A TATTOO MODEL, I FIGURE MR. JAMES HETFIELD WOULD BE A GREAT MODEL. 🙂 SERIOUSLY, THE BODY IS ONE THING BUT GETTING CLOSE TO THE FACE OR EVEN ON THE FACE; THAT IS EITHER BRAVE OR SILLY.... OR BOTH!
I am lurking in dangerous waters here…. giving hints to my age…. but here I go…. in High School my favorite group was “Journey”. I still like “Journey”, but they are probably about number 7 or 8…. closer to 10 than 1. That is what I mean by change. Up until the last few years my favorite group was “The Grateful Dead”, they are now #2. My (then) about 4th or 5th favorite group “Coldplay” got instantly bumped to #1 on 9-30-10 when I was driving my one hour commute home on a day that had actually *not* been too stressful (very unusual in the call center business). “Coldplay” as my ‘go-to’ guys for mellow. So as it goes, it was about 6 :40 PM; dusk. I was driving VA 24 east just outside Stewartsville. The song, “Fix You” was on. I as going 5 MPH *under* the speed limit, just winding down after a nice, slow day, looking forward to getting home to my gorgeous, wonderful husband. Suddenly, out of nowhere the car starts shaking. A moment later, for no reason, I am over-correcting and the next thing I know is I am on my roof. Coldplay’s “Fix You” is still there…. like a soft voice to calm me… somehow God let me know it was going to be OK. Then before I knew it, I was back on my tires. The music…. STILL going. Chris Martin’s falsetto, softly soothing me as I slammed the brakes and ended up in the side of a mountain. At that moment, “Coldplay”, taking the roll with me, as you will see me refer to from time to time, became my #1 favorite band. The Dead, still love them, are no #2. What if….what … if….. I had, at some time in the past, gotten a “Grateful Dead” tattoo? Hmmm suppose as of now it would be ‘ok’ since I still really like them. But I have this super bond with “Coldplay” now that I have never felt for a band. This bond is almost big enough to warrant a tattoo. However, no…. I will never get one. I will NEVER reject my Lord. I will never drink another boiler maker. I will never get a tattoo. The first one I think is beyond wrong. The other two… to each their own and I judge not. Maybe sometime I will tell the boiler maker story. I was 20…..sure glad I did not get a tattoo then, or really at any age. I am not the same person I as then or that I was at 30 and I am *certainly not* the same person I was ten years ago, two years ago or even a year ago. I would LOVE to hear from people about tattoos and the fascinated with them! Remember, this is not a judgement of any way, shape or form. Just not for me on my body. Some of the greatest people in my life have tattoos! We are all individuals and in the end, we have the right to express ourselves in any way we want as long as it is not profane and does not hurt anyone else.
The song for today, so apros pos is “Fix You” by Coldplay (if this is a repeat, I apologize, I just really have to use this song for obvious reasons!)
Lights will guide you home And ignite your bones And I will try to fix you
Love. Love is probably the most loaded emotion in all of mankind. “Love makes the world go ’round” they say. It is the center of songs, movies, TV shows, Broadway plays, Holidays and many other things. Retailers love…. well, love. It fattens their wallets with their $4 and $5 pieces of papers with pressed flowers and pretty poems, over and over, worded just slightly different in each card. Flowers, candy, perfume, etc. are also on top of the ‘things to buy’ all in the name of love.
There are, however, so many types of love. There is the traditional ‘partner’ love….. as in couples whether man and woman or any other couple type relationship. There is parent / child, child/parent, the love we feel for friends (and even then there is a tier between close friends and casual acquaintance type friends), love for extended family members, love for pets, love for mankind in general and the list could go on.
The deeper loves…. or what we equate to deeper loves…. are supposed to be unconditional. However, I pose this question to the universe: If God could send His only son to die a horrible, gruesome death on an old rugged cross for us… all of us….how is it that we can become so pissed off at those we ‘love’ that we hold such a grudge that we never ‘want to talk to them again’? Some might say, “Well Kelli, isn’t that what you did to your Mom?” and the answer is a NO! My Mom, tis no secret, had a disease that made having a relationship with her, difficult at best. I tried to maintain a contact but she severed each and every contact and relationship she had and that is *all* I am going to say about that except that I forgave her for everything. When I did, it felt like a 1000 lb elephant was lifted off my shoulders. But see, I *loved* my Mom. What I have to truly, really wonder with people that get stuck in the past is if they ever truly, really loved the person they now hate. Maybe, as hate is the opposite of love. Over the years I continued sending my Mom pictures and letters. I found some of the things I had sent her when I was in California when she passed in September. Most people, at any given moment in time, really are doing the very best they can just to survive. They do not make a mistake that hurts a relationship because they get pleasure and great joy out of hurting others… especially those they love most in the world. Sadly, that is just the collateral damage that comes with being human and making mistakes.
If you love someone, you should do so without conditions. If conditions are set, you have to ask, is this really love and/or did I really ever truly *LOVE* this person? For me… the ones I love… nothing will ever change that….. NOTHING. Love, for me, is unconditional.
One thing I like about and her Adele is the way her songs can be about romantic love or any kind of love, so for today the song of the day is from Adele. Enjoy:
Until next time…. K…….
Next time I’ll be braver, I’ll be my own savior When the thumb that cost me Next time I’ll be braver, I’ll be my own savior Standing on my own two feet
The Righteous Brothers sang it best in “Rock And Roll Heaven”, If you believe in forever, then life is just a one-night stand If there’s a rock and roll heaven Well you know they’ve got a hell of a band.
I rarely tear up when a celebrity passes. Honestly I think Princess Diana may be the last well known person I shed a tear for. However, I felt my eyes tearing up last night when Paul said, “Dick Clark won’t be on ‘Rockin New Years’……” and, well the rest as they say is history. Dick Clark was so much more than ‘just’ a celebrity…. he was an icon. I found myself missing my Dad. See Dad and I had our ‘things’ we talked about. We would talk about politics and even though Dad and I did not agree on some things, we respected each others right to believe as we wished. The other thing we talked about quite often was “The Twilight Zone”. We would bring up certain episodes and slice and dice them like a deranged pathologist on a busy night. And then there was Dick Clark…. Dad and I talked about how that man never aged. He retained that youthful looking face, forever!We would ponder on how he maintained that youthful look even after his stroke.
I have never known a world without Dick Clark. For me it was “American Bandstand” after my Saturday morning cartoons and the weekly countdown of the top fifty songs in the USA on every Sunday morning. Then there was New Year Eve. Being the big party girl I am…. *Laughing till it hurts*…… you can find me every New Years eve in my favorite jammies or sweats (probably my P*I*N*K sweats from Victoria’s Secret with Christmas money) vegging out on the couch , snuggled with my honey waiting for the ball to drop. I feel robbed because New Years of 2012, I was in the throws of a near week long migraine (after being put on medication I had a bad reaction to). I was awake to watch Dick countdown…. never on beat since his stroke, but bless his heart, he was there and that was what mattered. I truly mean this when I say New Years will *never* be the same for me, ever.
So as Dick finds his place in Rock and Roll Heaven, we must say goodbye, for now, to a legend. It is sad and no one can ever replace him. However, the mark he left in the world of Rock and Roll will forever make him a legend.
I am leaving you with two songs; first a tribute; “The Bandstand Boogie” and “The Righteous Brothers”, “Rock and Roll Heaven”. These are dedicated to you Dick! You will forever be in our Rock and Roll Hearts <3 Godspeed, sir!
Years ago, in the days of ‘chat rooms’ and message boards (do such things still exist?), anyone who took part in these internet hot spots probably at one time or another got involved in an internet ‘flame war’. Remember back in the day when your friends in the neighborhood would pick one unlucky kid of the week to pick on? The week in which you were the kid really sucked. However, everyone made up until the next kid was voted off the neighborhood island for a few days. I did my tour of duty (call center employment where gossip is an *understatement*)…. I used to sit there and watch the ‘in group’ look at people and talk, talk, talk behind backs. I was not immune. I know they thought I was oblivious to the gossip crap at both the bank and Liberty Medical….. especially Liberty….. but I was not, not, so not going to get caught in the sad and childish nature of backstabbing and I never will.
So what happens when you post something harmless…. something you think is ‘neat’ and you get attacked? So you defend yourself and the guy grows fangs. So you delete a harmless picture (not aimed at anyone). I have enough troubles in my life, I am not going to sit there and have some ‘know it all jerk’ ruin my peace over something really stupid! Yet he has to go on and PM me and attack me further… over a picture; a non-partial picture which he did not agree with my (and numerous other peoples) interpretation of. It is like, “Dude, pick your battles, really!”. When I removed the post he could not leave well enough alone…. no, he had to personally attack me and use curse words (which is a class 4 misdemeanor in VA). I have not decided what I am doing with it yet. If he had just left it alone when I deleted the post. But no… and that is why I am considering pressing charges…. tho not 100% yet. Lucky, I have it on message. It is right there for anyone to read and that is not hearsay.
I don’t have time for creeps and jerks. If I speak with someone or friend them it is because I find them nice, neat, caring and trustworthy. I also watch EVERYTHING I say to anyone on the Internet if I am not 150% sure about my trust in them. Personally, I think people like that have low self-esteem and have to put other people down to make him/herself look better.
So my song for the day is for all the fake people out there….. whether you are an internet bully or doing any sort of ‘stretching’ of the truth… one of my faves by Radiohead. And no, I DID NOT pick this video because one of the babies in the middle of it is wearing red with white polka dots! The song stands on its own awesome merit, but the cute baby was just a nice little polka dot coincidence! Enjoy. Until next time. K.
Love. It makes the world go ’round. When you think about it, what is everything we do centered around? Holidays, get-aways, Sundays, nights, work, EVERYTHING. It is all centered around being with people we love. Whether it is romantic, parent for child, family, friends or anything else we can think of. However, with love, also comes the capacity for hurt. It is easiest to get hurt by those who we hold closest to our hearts. Think about it. If some jerk I don’t know says something hateful to me, is that really going to offend me as much as if someone I care about says it? No, of course not, However, it does not make us immune to both hurting or being hurt by those we love . Of course we would never do this on purpose. However sometimes it just happens.
My song of the day for people who have ever unintentionally hurt someone you live is Damien Rice’s “Cannonball”. I LOVE this song. The video is a little weird, but get past that and listen:
Until next time……….
Stones taught me to fly Love taught me to lie Life taught me to die So it’s not hard to fall When you float like a cannonball
I am not old, but I am not a spring chicken! So when we get something new and shiny that is electronic, happy as I am to the the last person to finally have what everyone else has, it is all so overwhelming at first.
I am a hands on learner. So I have to just get in a do and usually within a few weeks I am plucking and moving with the best of them.
However, at first, it is trying to say the least. My hubby is great but for some reason, his nerves can be short with me. He is the most patient man with the kids, granddaughter, and friends. However, with me, not so much. Part of my issue is it all the brain fog I deal with from my fibromyalgia. It is frustrating to say the least.
In any event, the song of the day is by my favorite 90’s band, The Goo Goo Dolls, “Dizzy”, live from Woodstock ’08 and boyya! Did I forget how delicious Johnny Rzeznik is (lead singer). I was never really into blondes, but can make an exception 😉
I think I should get out “Dizzying Up The Girl” and give it a listen.
