Coffee...We Don't Need No Stinking Coffee!

Hmmm, the sad thing is I did this without coffee. I got 147 clicks in 30 seconds...but I'm still not awake.


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Change, Loss, And Learning, and Release

Things have changed some around the Smith home. I'm working again. I was taking the summer off from my job at the Day Care, but I got a call asking me to come back. It turns out the woman my friend got to cover me during the summer wasn't working out and the older kids, as well as one of her own kids, asked if she would call me and ask me to come back in. The preschoolers were asking where I was, too.

When I showed up last week, I was mobbed and given the biggest group hug I've ever been given. It was a lovely feeling. The older kids did the whole fist pump in the air thing, that was just as cool.

My guys are adjusting to the change. They know the reason behind it. And they know that come the start of the new school year, I'm going to be looking for a different job. We have plans to improve our lives, and my guys are adaptable and resilient and supportive. I am very proud of how they can roll with the changes that are presented to them, and turn to us for help when things seem too much for them. Amazing family makes a difference, as well. My parents are rocks in my children's lives. And my MIL is great, too

Loss. If you've been reading for a while, you know we lost Smith's Gramma. She was a lovely woman who accepted me and Snake with open arms. I loved my Grandmothers, and wrestled with feelings of them thinking I was betraying their memories by accepting Gramma the way I did. My Mom said, "No", they would understand. I hope so, because I loved them dearly.

My Sister-In-Law lost her Grandfather recently. I am sad for her loss, but lad she had the chance to have him in her life for so long. I hope she's gone for the funeral when this posts. I love my SIL, and want her to be happy. She and my Brother are a great pair. They are a wonderful couple who grow closer every year, and I hope they will always stay that way.

She and my Brother have come through big-time lately, they know what I'm talking about. My kids think their uncle is a cool guy, and Snake says, "He's got damn good cooking skills". (Comment sanctioned). Moose loved the mohawk my Brother gave him. Smith thinks he's a neat guy, too. And, just for the record, for all the fighting we did I love you dearly and wish things could have been different. For all three of us, yes, I have a sister, too.

The learning of just who can be depended on. It's something that I figured out long ago, and is reinforced every time something comes up when family needs to pull together. There seems to be one in every family, whether the family is 4 people or forty. There is usually a person who holds a grudge just because they were born.

That person is never able to let go of the human foibles of the other people in the family. That person refuses to let go of things that happened to them when they were 2 years old. Yes, bad things happened to you, but you weren't the only one. Do you know what people were willing to do to get revenge for you. When you were in jeopardy of losing everything, who did you turn to for help? And then who had to listen to "I just want to have fun", while taking care of another person while YOU ran around trying to ease your sorrow by by destroying a friend's life and a relationship that he'd vested much time in. Then when he decided to break that relationship, you dropped him for someone else. "Fun".Wish I could have floated around on a lake. "I just want to have fun"- read "I want to run around and pretend no one else exists, especially if that person is injured and needs help eating, bathing, and getting dressed. I'm going to be selfish and self-absorbed" "Fun"...it wasn't for the rest of us, you know, those of us who don't have mansions in La-La Land. That word nauseates me to this day.

It is time to let go of all the slights, real or imagined, and join reality.

This post may not be kind. Neither is life. And to quote something you said to someone else on a day they were having something life-changing done: "Have a nice day".

Conundrum

I started this blog on a whim. It's grown since then, letting me get out things semi-anonymously. There are family members who know about it, and others who may not. My problem is this: I have some emotionally volatile statements I want to get out about a family member. Do I let fly full speed ahead, damning the torpedoes since our relationship is already strained? Or, do I continue being diplomatic, and have the backlog of venomous truths I've been holding in continue to eat at me, smiling while choking at the bitter taste in my throat?

There are several people who would urge me to let go of what I feel and forgive the other person. I will counter with this: you have no idea how hard it is to deal with someone who continually treats one of the people I love most in the world like a second class citizen and as little respect as can be gotten away with.

I NEED to get out what I'm feeling inside in a public, yet somewhat anonymous way. I need to get feedback from the people who drop by my little corner of Blogland. At the same time, I don't want to make it worse for those I deeply care about and love.

Thus is my conundrum. If you have a long reply, feel free to email me.

A Sample Of What We've Been Listening To

I listen to all kinds of music. These are two of my favorites from my teen years. They're also the first tracks on a CD I burned for the car. Yes, Snake and Moose know the words to them. Hearing Moose sing "Little Bastard" is hysterical. You should have been around to hear them laughing to the second song. I'll let you hear it.

And, please, I know these probably aren't the most appropriate thing for them to listen to, it still beats most of the crud on the radio.

Enjoy. (Not responsible for damage to screen if drinking).

All Creatures Great And Small

I try not to post stories that can be read elsewhere, but this was so touching, I couldn't resist. I hope that somewhere, someone smiles from it.

How Christian the lion became a YouTube sensation

Surprising story behind the video that tugs heartstrings after 34 years

By Mike Celizic

TODAYShow.com contributor

updated 8:27 a.m. PT, Tues., July. 22, 2008

The decades-old footage of a full-grown lion joyously embracing two young men like an affectionate house cat has made myriad eyes misty since it recently landed on YouTube. What is it about the old, grainy images of Christian the lion that has attracted some 3 million hits and counting?

Is it simply that a lion remembered the two men who raised it and then released it into the wild? Is it nostalgia for a simpler time 39 years ago, when you could walk into Harrods department store in London, stroll through the “exotic animals” section, and buy a live lion cub? Is it a longing for the swinging Austin Powers-era London of 1969, when you could take the animal home to a basement flat, play with it in a nearby churchyard, and even take it to dinner in swanky restaurants?

The answer may be all of the above. After all, people love animals, and there are few things as enthralling as a lion that could kill a person with one swipe of its paw acting like a pussycat with people who obviously love it. Top it off with Whitney Houston’s sentimental love song “I Will Always Love You” as background music, and you have keyboards shorting out all over America from the tears dripping on them.

TODAY played part of the video Tuesday with little comment or introduction, and when the grainy footage, originally shot on 16-mm film, was finished, Meredith Vieira was among the many in the studio wiping away tears.

Two hip Australians
The video is the work of Anthony “Ace” Bourke and John Rendall, two Australians living in the hip Chelsea section of London in 1969. According to published reports, a friend came back from a trip to Harrods and told them that you could buy exotic animals there.

The two friends went there out of curiosity and spotted a 35-pound lion cub in a small cage. The cub had been born in a zoo and sold to the department store, which wasn’t considered that unusual back then.

Bourke and Rendall felt sorry for the cub and bought it for 250 guineas. The store was glad to be rid of it, as the cub had broken out of its cage one night and wreaked havoc on a display of imported goatskin rugs.

Inspired by the Bible and a sense of irony, Rendall and Bourke named the lion “Christian,” a name that became even more appropriate when the Vicar of the St. John’s Church, which called itself the “Church at the World’s End,” gave the young men permission to exercise Christian in the churchyard.

The opening segments of the video show Rendall and Bourke romping with Christian and playing soccer with the lion. A lengthy story published by The Daily Mail newspaper last year said that the pair lived in a flat under the furniture store where they worked and ferried Christian about town in the back of a Bentley. Mick Jagger lived on the same street, and Christian became a local celebrity, even accompanying Rendall and Bourke into restaurants.

Growing pains
But after a year, the 35-pound cub had grown to 185 pounds. Feeding him was costing the friends 30 pounds a week, and in 1970, that was real money. They knew they couldn’t keep Christian, but didn’t know what to do with him.

As luck would have it, actors Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna dropped into the furniture store one day looking for a writing desk. The married couple had just finished filming “Born Free,” the inspirational story of Elsa, the lioness who is reintroduced to the wild, in which they played real-life naturalists George and Joy Adamson (Joy Adamson wrote the book on which the hit film was based). They suggested that Rendall and Bourke contact George Adamson in Kenya.

Rendall and Bourke flew with Christian to Kenya, where they and George Adamson introduced the lion to his natural habitat. When they felt sure he had a new family and a safe territory, the two friends went back to their lives in London. But they kept in touch with Adamson and made a few visits to Kenya to see Christian from afar.

But in 1974, Adamson lost touch with Christian for three months. When he told Rendall and Bourke, they decided to make one last trip to Kenya to attempt to say goodbye to Christian. The night before they landed, Adamson said, Christian suddenly reappeared and sat on a rock outside the naturalist’s camp — as if waiting for his pals.

Emotional reunion
The main part of the film shown on YouTube was shot the following day, when Bourke and Rendall went into the bush to attempt to see their old friend.

The color film has no sound. Subtitles tell the story, but they’re hardly needed. There are two

TODAY Christian's former owners had been told the lion wouldn't recognize them. But the video shows the lion's obvious joy at being reunited with the two men.

men in flared jeans and shaggy hair, and there is a lion. The huge carnivore approaches from a distance, slowly at first. Then recognition sets in, and soon everyone — men and beast — are hugging and crying.

Christian even brings one of the lionesses in his pride over to meet his former roommates. The Daily Mail story reports that the lioness was clearly not happy with Christian’s two-legged friends, and Adamson told Rendall and Bourke that it was time to leave. They went back to the camp, and Christian went with them, staying up late into the night as the humans partied with their friend.

The next day Christian walked back into the bush, where his lionesses were waiting. He was never seen again — but the power of the Internet guarantees that he will never be forgotten.

How wonderful Christian the lion remembered the men who raised him. How wonderful he survived, is part of a pride, and has offspring. Most of all, it is amazing how lucky he was to have been purchased by two men who truly cared for him. What an amazing situation.

Shamelssly Lifted From Another Blog

Jesus Was Not a Republican

It never ceases to amaze me how right wingers claim Jesus as some kind of mascot, yet spend all their time decrying welfare and social programs for the poor and calling for the eternal damnation of gays. Were Jesus on earth in the 21st century, he would be volunteering at AIDS clinics and helping uninsured families, not whining about the tax burden on wealthy soccer moms.

Now for my comment: I must say I agree, (case in point:Jesse Helms-may he boil in urine in Hell- see http://tvickers.blogspot.com/2008/07/hell-aint-half-full.html to find out)...and don't care if anyone else doesn't. After all I do have the power to delete comments, but I'll more than likely leave them up so have fun.

Halfway Through Coffee

Snake said to me, "Is it ok to use this sponge?", as mandarin orange syrup starts running off the table and onto the carpet. "YES!!!!!" Why is a kid who is so smart so stupid about everyday things? (Head in heads.) I'm going to get more aspirin today-the jumbo bottle.

Open For E-mail!!

Hey, everyone, if you want to send me an email, I'm set up to get it at Mrs_Smith@earthlink.net .

I Get It Now

"They're penguins, just wipe the oil off the white part and throw them back in" - from Speed Racer The Next Generation.

I understand why my Mom let us watch some of the cartoon we did. "Rocky and Bullwinkle" is a different show now I'm able to catch all the stuff I missed as a kid. There are some fabulous one-liners in some of the shows I let the boys watch. (Well, to tell the truth, I watch the shows with them). Mom and I used to have our "quality" afternoon time watching "Tiny Toons", now that show had some great lines in it as well.

I'd love to find "Danger Mouse" on tv again. That was a great show. Anyone care to share their favorites?

Random Thoughts

Why did the twit in the restaurant think that talking about her cyst "down there" was appropriate conversation? And not only did she yammer about it, she did so at a volume that could be heard by the diners at several tables around her's.

Why do the heaviest rotation of ads for medications for E.D.(limp d*ck syndrome), crotch funk, and constipation happen at dinner time? (Shame on us, we sometimes plop in front of the tube to eat).

Why does the kid who insists he doesn't have to use the toilet before we get into the car act like his bladder is going to explode 3 minutes after we drive away?

Why do my kids act like they are being raised in a barn, but when we are out they open doors for people, and I hear how polite they are?

I wonder if any of the crotch fruit I saw walking around on the 4th of July will ripen to maturity or just rot on the vine from the inanities they were spewing.

Moose made the comment that he "really needed to wear a helmet with a Mohawk, because (my) head isn't secure" as he rubbed the side of his head while he was roller skating.

Snake is developing a sense of humor, after claiming it was never going to happen. He's got a taste for the Britcoms and the typical 14 year old boy humor that runs rampant around here.

Moose had to deal with the death of not one, but two pet rats within two weeks of each other. Snake was a wonderful big brother and related how he felt when his first rat died. Luckily, one of the two original rats we got for the boys made it. My folks got Moose another rat, and her own cage set-up. We're hoping to move the two rats into the bigger cage soon, and are getting the two used to each other. (Both rats are female, and are the most darling little creatures you could imagine!)

It's been busy, and we're trying to keep our heads above the proverbial water. I hope all of you in Blogland are doing well, especially you Incognito - you've been in my thoughts.

Here We Go Again...

Me to Moose: "Put the gun down and get the sword out of your pants!" Just your usual day at the Smith's. I love having 2 boys.