Poetry Sunday

Playing Just Dance 2 with my girls and Brad...well Brad did one dance with us.

I am sweating...Body Movin' (Fat Boy Slim mix) kicks my booty!
We are having fun though. Girls don't have school tomorrow for a teacher work day so I told them we would stay up and play. They crack me up playing this.

Today is supposed to be poetry Sunday..so I suppose I should blog something poetic. Haven't really got anything new, but have some things running around in my head.

It has to do with going home and all the feelings associated with that experience. Not just going home to family but going to where you grew up and seeing people you grew up with and going places you went to and how it makes you feel now...now that you are older and have been away for a long time.

What is it about going home?
That something that creeps
into your conscious again.
That something that brings
back old feelings.
Nostalgia isn't right,
it's not that easy
it's not that nice.
Not always.


Well that is a start...

Had a good day today. Got up and went to church, then to our favorite Mexican restaurant for lunch. Came home and worked on getting rid of old stuff and making way for the new. I have decided that we desperately need a play room. There are justs too much toys for the girls now and I'm tired of my living room being a catastrophe! So..I see bunk beds and a shared room in the girls' future!!

and many a Saturday afternoon......

If any of you had any doubts about my total geekdom, this post should but them to rest forever:

I was catching up on my news this morning before the girls woke up and found this obituary in the technology section of all places.

"Gary Gygax, Dungeons & Dragons creator, dies"

I was introduced to the game in 1981. I was chosen to participate in a gifted program held at one of the universitys in Arkansas. It was a two week program and we had one main class each day and then two side classes (one each week). I believe those two weeks help shape me and the person I became tremendously. My main class was "Medieval Studies". We talked about the Crusades, the Plague, Shakespeare, Jousting, Knights, Religion.... just what it was called: Medieval Studies. That began my love for the romantic notion of that time period: knights, maidens, kings, crusades... I also read the Arthurian Legend series by Mary Stewart during that time.

We had lunch and free time before our mini classes. One of the free time activities was playing Dungeons & Dragons. I wanted to find out what it was all about and went and played. I was hooked! It wasn't long after that my mom found an add in our local paper asking for anyone interested in joining a D&D group to call. Of course I called and began playing almost every Saturday afternoon with a large group of guys. I was 11/12/13 years old playing this amazing game with a bunch of goofy guys.

I believe we had a good solid group of 8 players who met regularly and played together. We took turns meeting at each other's homes. I fell in love with fantasy books, games, shows, movies.... and I still am to this day. I've played D&D, and then later in life an online game called Evernight

I've been elves, humans, gnomes, dwarves, demons, fighters, pixies, magic users....I've been a good gal and a bad one...I've even been a guy a few times. I guess I just think it's fun to get to play at being someone or something else every now and then.

Good bye Gary, thanks for all the hours and hours of fun and fantasy!

Running With the Devil

Oh yeah, I went and saw Van Halen in Cleveland, Wednesday night!! It was AWESOME!! Another band that I never thought I would get to see together again in my lifetime. Eddie Van Halen is AMAZING on guitar. Probably the best guitarist I've ever seen/heard in person. He rocked on "Eruption"...just unbelievable.

And yes DAVID LEE ROTH is back! *Van Halen with Sammy Hagar and that other guy from Extreme doesn't really exist for me* I love Diamond Dave! He is such the performer. Can't do all the crazy jumping around like he did back in the 80's but he still has that high kick!

He sounds just like he always did. I had flashbacks to being 14 again and sitting in my best friend's room, hanging out with all the "heads". All the guys liked her and I was always the odd girl out....until we got older.

They didn't have Michael Anthony with them...but Wolfgang *Eddie's son* did a fairly decent job. I only saw him get flustered on one song...and I think they got off track as a whole band.

And so, I leave you with some classic Van Halen: JUMP! *The year I made cheerleader we tried out to this song* They ended the concert with this song...oh Dave, you were so hot then....you are so strange now.... I know he misses that hair.

Manic Monday: Kit

Todays word is Kit:

The first thing I thought of when I saw the word Kit was KITT the car from Knight Rider. Duh..how many of us who grew up in the 80's thought that one. So... I skipped it.

The second thing I thought of was Catwoman. Yes, that's right Catwoman: Eartha Kitt. I know, I know, the name is spelled with two "t"s instead of one, but that's what you're getting today.

I absolutely LOVED to watch that 1960's Batman show. It came on every afternoon after school where I lived. All my friends and I watched those reruns religiously. "Same Bat-time, Same Bat Channel". Somewhere, I even have Adam West's and Burt Ward's autographs. We would play "Batman and Robin" for hours on end. I would always be Catwoman or Batgirl...not like there were a lot of choices, but Catwoman was my favorite. (I have a thing for villians)

Now, Eartha Kitt was not my favorite Catwoman....no way jose'. That will always be Julie Newmar. She was just soooooooo sexy, slinky, cool. But, Eartha Kitt had that voice....WOW, she could purr like no one's business. Here are some facts about the wonderful Eartha Kitt, who is best known as Catwoman, but is also a renown singer.

Eartha Kitt was born on January 26, 1928 in South Carolina to a family of sharecroppers. When she was eight years old she was sent to live with her aunt in Harlem. While in high school she became involved in the performing arts and studied dance. She was part of her church choir and also took piano lessons.

At sixteen she joined the Katherine Dunham Dance Troupe and toured in Europe. While in Europe she had to fill in for a singer during the tour and decided she liked singing more than dancing. Orson Wells called her "the most exciting woman in the world" and signed her to star as Helen of Troy in his stage production of Dr. Faust in Paris. Her first film was Time Runs, an Orson Wells film. She acted in Batman in 1967, supposedly because they wanted to make it seem that Batman was in love with Batgirl rather than Catwoman.

While attending a White House luncheon in 1968 she denounced the Vietnam War in front of Mrs. Johnson, which led to her blacklisting, where she could not get a job in America for six years. She performed solely overseas from 1968 until 1974. "It wasn't that the American public didn't want me. It was that I couldn't get work anywhere. Even people I had contracted with wouldn't work with me," Kitt said.

She was watched by the C I A , which for years kept a thick file on her. "I was rejected artistically, emotionally and personally. I remember thinking, my own mother had given me away and now my country didn't want me either,"

She was one of only a handful of performers to be nominated for an Emmy, a Tony, two Grammys and an Academy Award. She has made a comeback of late, has released a book, a new recording and performs on a regular basis. Still, an activist, she is outspoken for her stance on Gay Rights which she feels is the community that stuck with her through the bad times when she was blacklisted.

She lives in Westchester, New York where she still amazes audiences with her one-of-a-kind personality.

Flash Back Friday Photo: Great Grands

This is my Great Granddad George Mann White on the left, and Great Great Granddad David T. Rochelle on the right.

I was sent this picture by one of my Mom's 1st cousins. I actually was born before my Grandad White passed away. I have pictures of him holding me as a toddler. This is the only picture I have ever seen of Great Great Grandad Rochelle.

I wish I knew what year this was...I love this picture. They both look so relaxed and happy. I'm guess late 1920's? Grandad White always had a cigar. He looks so much like my grandfather and my uncles ..or I guess they looked like him.

Grandad White owned a feed store in Arkansas and had a farm house. My great uncles took over the feed store and one of them lived next door to the farm house. I have such great memories of going to the feed store as a kid. We would roller skate there. It was set up in a way that it formed a perfect sized roller rink "circle". The floor was just smooth concrete perfect for skating.

It always had such a distinct smell as well. A mix of seeds, dust, salt, hay, soil... it smelled good to me. I loved to go to the seed bins and open all the different drawers and look at the seeds. They were different colors, sizes, textures.... They always felt cool, and I would scoup huge handfuls up and let the them run through my fingers back into the drawer....until someone caught me and told me to get out of those drawers! Someone always ran me off from there, I never understood what was so bad about me playing in the seeds. I guess they thought I was going to spill them everywhere.

The other thing we used to do is make our own sausage there every year. My family would all pitch in together *all grandparents, cousins, and kids* and buy a hog or two. Then we would gather at the feed store one evening and grind and mix the sausage, and link it ourselves. At my cousins and I were too young to help...that's when we would skate and explore. Then, as we got older we were allowed to help out. Making your own sausage is pretty gross.... but man oh man was that sausage good. I will never have sausage as good as that again.

Anyway.... like I said, I love this picture. It makes me think of good times and makes me wish I could have known the both of them. I love to hear the stories about them, but I wish I could have known them.

Clue

I guess what immediately comes to mind when I hear or see the word "clue" is, of course, the board game. I spent many a rainy afternoon or late night playing this game with my friends and/or family. I liked being Professor Plum...I think because the piece was purple, and he looked smart on the picture....My mom was always Ms. Scarlett..wonder what that says about her personality? Wouldn't that be an interesting quiz type thingy. What does your favorite Clue piece say about you....hmmmmmmmm....


Looky what I found! I took the quiz and wouldn't you know it...I got Prof. Plum. Too freaking funny!

What Clue Character are you?

The other thing that comes to mind is Sherlock Holmes and my little brother Daniel. I am a crazy mad reader. I can NOT ever get enough to read, or enough time to read what I want. I like reading mysteries....good mysteries. I enjoy a nice Sherlock Holmes story. They make you think and most of the time they are a little bit creepy too. Daniel likes Sherlock Holmes stories too. He even went so far as to dress as Sherlock Holmes at Halloween once. I think....I have a picture of him dressed up....he also collects pipes. I wonder if his love of Sherlock Holmes led to his eccentric hobby

"O My God"

So went to see a little group called THE POLICE Monday night in Cleveland.

The concert was AWESOME!!

I still can not believe I was there, that I saw them, and that I heard them live....I have managed to see the #2 group of my list of bands I never got to see!

I had chill bumps when the lights went down and being the total dork that I am...I cried when they came on stage and started playing. It was a very emotional concert for me...

I suppose it's because I had always thought I had missed my opportunity. I would never get to see The Police in concert. The concert was a lifetime wish come true. I know that sounds so goofy...but it's the truth. When I got my first CD player for Christmas way back when, Synchronicity was one of the three CD's I got with it.

The concert reviews had all been sort of negative up til now. They all complained that the songs were too slow, the guys weren't playing together, they didn't seem to be enjoying themselves...

Not this time: The Cleveland show has gotten rave reviews. Everyone who had been to previous concerts said the Cleveland show was the best so far. I know I thought it rocked!! It was also Stewart Copeland's birthday. Everyone in the crowd seemed to be on their feet the whole time, the guys played pretty tight, only a couple of screw ups and I think once or twice they were messing with each other. Stewart is awesome on the percussion, if you get a chance to go to one of the concerts you have to keep your eye on him.

I stood up when the lights went down and never sat back down til we got in the cab to go back to the airport. So depressing that it was over.....

Here's the set list for those of you interested:

1. Message in a Bottle

2. Synchronicity II

3. Walking On The Moon

4. Voices Inside My Head/When The World Is Running Down

5. Don't Stand So Close To Me

6. Driven To Tears

7. Truth Hits Everybody

8. Bed's Too Big Without You

9. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

10. Wrapped Around Your Finger

11. De Do Do Do De Da Da Da

12. Invisible Sun

13. Walking In Your Footsteps

14. Can't Stand Losing You

15. Roxanne

16. King Of Pain

17. So Lonely

18. Every Breath You Take

19. Next To You/Dead End Job

I am sooooo happy that I am going to see them again in New York. I can't wait!!!! *said while mentally jumping up and down* It's like being 15 again.....

I don't have any pics for you because we don't know how to get them off the camera. Hee Hee! I'll do better for the New York concert.

I was a Techno freaky girl....

So I have started working out again. This means that I need motivating music. In my quest to download music on i-tunes I ended up back in the techno world...



In the early 90's I lived in Little Rock. I had my own apartment and was going to nursing school. Yeah, I know....I was in nursing school. Hard to believe isn't it.



One of my best friends from high school was also living there and she and I had a BLAST! We went "clubbing" at least 4 times a week. I don't have any idea how I did and managed to keep a Four point in my classes but I was young and crazy.



The best club in Little Rock was *and still is I think* Discovery. It was considered a gay club, but EVERYBODY went on Saturday nights. There was a dance floor on one side, games and crap in the middle and a stage on the other side where they had drag shows. It was THE place to be on Saturdays. During that time Techno was the "in" thing. That was all they played at Discovery....I still love listening to some of it...makes me want to get up and shake my groove thing...I've downloaded a shitload of it for my workout playlist.



Let's see, where else did we go... Our Wednesday night place was called Reunion. We knew everyone who worked there. Wednesday was ladies night so it was always packed. Because we were such the club regulars we NEVER stood in line there. It was pretty sweet to just walk past everyone and get ushered in by the door dude.



Thursdays.... I think we went to the bar at a place called Cajun's Wharf. It was an excellent seafood restaurant, but we couldn't afford to eat there, we just hung out at the bar.....they usually had live bands.



Fridays were kind of wierd. There really wasn't anywhere to go on Fridays. Sometimes we went to Reunion again, sometimes to a place called My Generation. Alot of times Friday's we just hung out with friends.



Sunday nights...we went to the Country Western club. BJ's Honky Tonk...it was not country western on Sundays. They had "The Duck Races" on Sundays. Cracks me up just thinking about it. You know those carnival games where you pick the duck. Those were what they had. Everyone picked a duck and they let them all race and the person who's duck won the race got free shots. There was a whole routine to it. Everyone knew all the duck's names, and it was announced just like a the horse races. I wish I could remember some of the names....

Anyway...listening to the techno made me remember all these things...fun fun fun!

Interviewed by Velvet Girl

I signed up over at Velvet Girl's Blog: Secret Suburban Misfit to be interviewed. Here are the five questions she asked me and my answers. If you want to participate follow the directions at the end of the post! Thanks Velvet, this was fun!

1. What inspired you to start blogging?

As usual it was my brother’s fault. My two brothers and I have been pretty much into the whole internet gaming and chatting world since the mid 90’s. One of my bro’s stumbled upon the whole blogging thing and made one. He sent me the link and I started reading his blog. Surfed around and read a few others. I liked what I was seeing. I have kept a journal off and on since I was 12 so why not take the next step and blog for the whole wide world to see. Besides, my husband says I have a weird need to make my thoughts public….a blog works for that.

2. Do you share your blog with your friends or family? Why or why not?

I do share my blog with friends and family. Just not ALL friends and family. When I first started the blog I was using it as a venting tool. I was dealing with some crazy hormonal and emotional issues *post partem* and it was a good release for me. Unfortunately some things I said were maybe too personal for some folks and things got nasty and it created some problems. So….now I am more careful about who knows about the blog, and I am also more careful about what I say. I am not anonymous here and I do talk about my children…. There are times when I would really really like to rip someone a new you know what, but I hold back now. Besides there are so many things to talk about that are interesting I don’t have to go there….

3. You're granted the superpower of your choice. What do you choose and why?

Well, I like to get my way…*who doesn’t?* so, I would have to say telekinesis.
I could read people’s minds. Manipulate them from what I learned to get my way. I could move things with my mind…hopefully myself included…that way I could fly too. Sort of like Jean Grey in X-Men….but I would be much cooler than her..she always seemed to be such a wuss to me.

4. If you could share one thing or time from your childhood with your own children, what or when would it be and why?

I’ve thought about this question a lot. It is the reason it has taken me a few days to post my answers. After thinking about it I finally decided on a thing…
Family is so important to me. Not just immediate family but extended. I have always been surrounded by my extended family. We all keep in touch. I always thought that was how everyone’s family was until I got older. I want my girls to think this way, to know the love of so many people surrounds them. I want them to know where they come from and the history of the family. So…..

My great uncle had a cabin on the Arkansas River. We would go there in the summer several times for huge family gatherings. I’m talking grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, friends… There would be forty to fifty people sometimes. It was so much fun! We would water ski, tube, swim, play games, and just visit with one another. There was always so much food. Catfish, chicken, homemade french fries, homemade pickles, homemade ice cream, ham, cakes, pies, cookies…every age group was there. From the babies to the great grands….those times helped me create bonds with family members I wouldn’t have known otherwise. How many people consider their 3rd cousins one of their best friends growing up? How many people know if they have a 3rd cousin? Hee hee! I wish I could recreate that for my girls…just be able to take them back in time for one of those days on the river. It would be awesome to be able to introduce them to everyone that is no longer with us. To let the girls meet them in person instead of just having them look at a photo.

5. You can invite five living people to meet for dinner. Who would you choose?

This one is hard too…. It’s the living part that’s hard if you would have said dead I wouldn’t have had any trouble. I’m not picking anyone political or religious because those things just aren’t fun to talk about in a mixed group setting. This would be my party and I want to have fun! Also, there are no other women…this is my party and I don’t want to have to do the whole competition thing with another woman for the attention…and you women know what I mean!

1. Being the Star Wars geek that I am: George Lucas. Not even going to go into it because if you read my blog at all you know I’m a nerd.

2. Stephen King: I bet he would be so interesting to talk to. I’ve read almost everything he’s written and I would love to talk to him about several of his stories/ novels.

3. My Dad: because he’d like to meet these people too….and he’s cool to hang out with.

4. Johnny Depp: I would just like to meet him and chat. I like the quirkyness of the roles he plays, yet the kind of bad boy image he has had in real life. He seems very serious in his interviews and such the dad now… not to mention I think he is totally hot.

5. Dave Matthews: because I love his music and his stories. He would be fun to have around.


If you wish to do this meme, ...

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me.”
2. I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your weblog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

30 Years and going strong: The Force is Strong With This One

As anyone who has read my blog at all knows, I am a Star Wars fanatic.

That being said you should also know that I couldn't let the 30th anniversary of my favorite movie of ALL TIME go by without having something to say.

Oh my GOD, I can not believe it has been 30 years since I was taken to that galaxy far, far away for the first time.

Do you remember your first Star Wars experience? I most certainly do...

I was six years old. My twin brothers had just recently been born and were very sick. They were in and out of the hospital for all kinds of things. Many times the doctors said one or the other of them weren't going to make it through the night. You can imagine what my parents were going through.

Two babies in the hospital and a six year old who still needed their attention. My dad wanted to do something to spend some quality time with me. He thought I would like the movie Star Wars so he loaded me up in the car and took me to the local theater.

I grew up in a rural Arkansas town. Population when I was about six had to be around 10 thousand. Our theater was a two screen place, red curtains and padded seats. Typical sticky floors. Not that big..probably sat around 100 people or so in each theater. *to this day, I don't feel like I REALLY see a movie unless it's in one of those small little theaters....surround sound, stadium seating be damned*

We got to the theater a little bit late. Bought our popcorn and drinks and then entered the already darkened room. From the moment I stepped around the back wall and saw the movie screen I was hooked. I remember that exact moment. Watching spellbound as I tried to follow my dad to a seat and not look away from the movie screen.

We entered right when Darth Vader walks into Princess Leia's ship. All that white surrounds him. I couldn't take my eyes off of that huge presence in black.....and the sound of his breathing...and then James Earl Jones' voice echoing through that theater.... It gives me goose bumps to this day.

It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen..... remember I was six. It has been a part of my life ever since. I don't know if that's a good thing to admit or not.... I guess in reality it makes me a TOTAL GEEK! But, so be it.

Now, I didn't have a bunch of the toys or anything like that... I was a girl, Barbies were my thing. But, I did have a few of the characters and I would play with my brothers some when they got older and started to get the ships and play sets. When I got older and was in my 1st marriage, my husband and I collected the figures and the ships. See I told you, GEEK.

I even had one of my students buy me Amidala's ship to put in my classroom when I taught 11th grade. Hee hee, I had a poster in my class that was a :Everything I Need to Know About Life I Learned From Star Wars. GEEK!

My cousin is pretty bad too....for Christmas one year I bought him an autographed photo of Darth Vader...

We usually play Star Wars Trivial Pursuit at least once at all family gatherings.

I don't remember going to see The Empire Strikes Back, but I do remember going to see Return of the Jedi. By the time Jedi came out I was in the 9th grade. One of my best friends' parents took three of us girls to go and see it. Now I think that says something about my generation: THREE GIRLS and we went to Little Rock to go and see Return of the Jedi in the Big theater. Oh , and they weren't geeky like me..they were both pretty girly girls.

So.. Happy Anniversary to my favorite movie, and THANK YOU George Lucas! What a master story teller you are!

Flashback Friday?

In an effort to keep from being too boring, and to keep me from becoming lazy on here I have decided to try a "day" again. I am going to try making Fridays: "Flashback Fridays".

I have kept a journal of some kind since I was 12 years old. So....my idea is to pick a day of the year...doesn't matter what and to find an old entry to talk about. I will take date suggestion from you my wonderful readers. Pick a day that has some significance to you and I'll see what I can come up with for that day or as close to it as I can get. There are huge gaps in my writing when I just didn't do it.

Tell me what you think and if you are up to suggesting days.

Today I am going to share with you something I wrote 2/19/1997 or '98. I was married to my first husband and taking some grad classes. It was written at 2:00 am in the morning. Amazing that I was up that late....I can't remember when I've seen 2 am in the past 4 or 5 years and not been pissed that I was awake.

A Good Day

Do you ever have one of those really good days? I guess they would probably be different for everyone. My good days are usually on Thursdays. I usually wake up early, in a good mood. I have time to dress nice, put on a little make-up and fix my hair. I always feel really good about myself when I have time to look nice. I gain an air of self-confidence.

Usually on my happy days the sun is out. I love sunshine. Not just how some people enjoy sunny days, I mean I really love it. I love the way it feels on my skin and hair, warming me even on the coldest days. It's as if the sun lays a warm blanket across my arms. I can put on my sunglasses and stay outside in the sun for hours.

I get to school and I usually have to walk a pretty good ways to class. It doesn't matter, I'm having a good day and nothing bothers me. I smile at the people I pass and they always seem to smile back. The air smells fresh and clean and if there is a small breeze, I'm in heaven.

I tend to relate certain types of days to sports. In the spring when the wind is blowing, the air is fresh and cool, and t he sun is shining, I always think of running track. In the fall when the dusty smell of falling leaves blows through the wind I always think of football. It's a nostalgic feeling, but not one of sadness. it is a nostalgia of great times. Playing basketball with my brothers, jumping hurdles on the black asphalt, or sitting in the bleachers with the band waiting for the team to run out.

Good memories for a great day.