Another New Years Eve....

What Shakin Bacon my dear 4 1/2? Here we are at the end of another new year.  It went by so quickly and I'm sure we all had the good with the bad, but then I think that's what they call life.  Again to quote my fav John Lennon "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans". This year my goal is to quit planning life and take it as it comes, lord, did I just make a new years resolution??? Well, that was an accident cause I don't make promises I can't keep!  Ok, so I've decided there is something wrong with me, much more than the obvious!  I despise New Years Eve.  Yes, there I've said it.  The night where everyone is making merry I just want to stay home and watch an old movie.  It didn't help a whole lot when I had to bury my Mom on New Years Eve, but then I figure she didn't have a whole lot of choice in the matter and neither did I!  When it comes to New Years Eve I am a "glass half empty" girl.  I tend to look back at all the hard stuff instead of ahead to what can be.  My sainted Danny always looks ahead with his glass half full!  What a wonderfuly way to be!  He loves the social interaction and the hoopla.  We usually spend it with dear friends John, Suzanne and their son Johnny Jay.  I have to admit I never make it to midnight and I want to be in the privacy of my own home.  I totally don't get all the fuss about one night.  I guess it's just a way of marking a milestone.  The images of Time Square on New Years Eve just make me nervous.  I've had some good New Years Eve, most of them involve Danny.  I still remember as a child my parents having New Years Eve parties and it never failed, I puked.  Now some of it was nerves but some of it was the fact that I was allergic to the damn Christmas tree and we didn't find that out until I was about 5.  It's hard to have fond memories of puking. I didn't even have the benefit of tying one on!  I did have one drunken New Years Eve where I woke up in a closet (now this was not one of my prouder moments) all covered with coats and pretty hungover.  I thought I died because I couldn't see anyting!  Thank goodness my friends came looking for me cause I think the coats, and some of them not very fashionable, were smothering me.  I'm lucky I didn't throw up on them even though it might have improved the look and smell of some of them (those darn smokers didn't smell good!)  This was about the time I gave up getting drunk, it was really not that much fun, luckly I was in my early 20's when I figured this out.  I have to admit I did have one other drunken night and that was after a dear friends wedding.  I'm told I did a tango to a polka and proceeded to dip my partner!  I woke up the next morning basically neked on my bed with my head in a purse (what is it about me putting my head in places I can't see) and my panty hose was gone but somehow I still had the ankle bracelet on that was over my panty hose!!! Again, because of the dark I thought I was dead!  Seriously not a proud moment in my young life but funny in it's own twisted way.  Needless to say a glass of wine or a nice gin and tonic is about as far as I go nowdays!  So I think my random thought about New Years Eve is to watch out for the coat closets and big purses!!! So this New Years Eve I'm going to try to have a glass full kinda night and celebrate it to where I feel comfortable, even if it means coming home before midnight (Sorry John and Suzie it had nothing to do with you!) I wish you all a happy and healthy New Year! Be safe. Of course I do have a New Years fun fact, did you know that  foods that are eaten on New Year's Eve are cabbage because the leaves represent prosperity. Ham (or a hog) also symbolizes prosperity. In Asian cultures, rice is a hearty and lucky staple that is eaten around midnight to signify the coming year of fortune,  Well I think we all need to watch out for the cabbage and I still have trouble eating Miss Piggy!  So to quote Mr. Spock(which I've don't before!) Live long and prosper! And for all the Star Wars fans, May the force be with you!  xoxox Pammy  P.S.  I trust you all to share my embarresing drunken stories! 

Random thoughts: "And so this is Christmas....."John Lennon and Yoko Ono

Random thoughts: "And so this is Christmas....."John Lennon and Yoko Ono

"And so this is Christmas....."John Lennon and Yoko Ono

goedendag Campers (that's hello in Dutch, except for the campers part!).  So here we are 6 days before Christmas day.  Am I organized??? Not....Are you??? I hope so!  As I've always done since I was a little girl I always wait for the week before Christmas to bake my Christmas cookies.  Never any sooner because we liked nice fresh cookies.  When my Mom and Dad were both alive we baked around 12 difference kinds of cookies, doubling and tripling the batches.  That didn't even include the breads, candy and homemade Scottish Shortbread we made.  You never left our house without a package of cookies!  I spend most of the time fending my father off the cookies as he wasn't allowed to have any of the Christmas cookies until Christmas Eve....we used to make him eat oreo's!  Needless to say it didn't make him happy, so then he got to eat the "accidents"!  The cookies that broke etc.  I always made sure I "broke" a good many for him cause he was getting cranky on the oreo's!  The year my Mother, her best friend Evelyn and Evelyn's sister in-law Yvonne took up candy making was interesting.  We had chocolate covered cherries and pecan turtles coming out our eyes!  Talk about sugar plum dancing in your head we all had one heck of a sugar high going on!  I fondly remember as I grew older coming home from work and baking with my mother.  Now I must remind you I LOVE TO BAKE...but not so much after working 10 hours in an office!  We never used a mixer or a blender to do our cookies they were all mixed by hand (I still have the calluses!),  We had this one lovely little cookie that was a jelly star, you made a sugar cutout cookie of a star and on one of the stars you cut a hole in the middle and you iced the bottom cookie with grape jelly and put the star with the hole on top and sprinkles with powdered sugar....now these were really good and very time consuming.  They were also very very delicate.  You broke the cookie that had the hole cut out you were off balance.  One very busy Saturday before Christmas I was baking a pan of "The little bastards" as I liked to call them when for some reason I slipped on the floor and bam down went and entire pan of "little bastards". There were "little bastards" everywhere and me sitting in the middle of them.  I was really tired as we were doing what I like to refer to as "commando baking", only the strong survive.  I sat there half on the kitchen floor and half in the hallway and I cried, so what wasn't broken was cried on!  My Mother was in the other room decorating cookies and her hands were full so my Dad came to see what had happened.  I told him I had a whole pan of rejects for him and proceeded to sob.  Dad didn't think he'd like that batch so much what with the tears streaming onto them and the ones I was sitting on he thought he's pass.  He helped me stand up and brushed me off and took me into the living room.  Now mind you I was old at this point I must have been in my 30's.  Mum, Dad and I had a discussion about how if you had to give a cookie and name that had nothing to do with Christmas and sounded less than appealing it was time to stop making those cookies and cut back on the baking!  It was agreed...we'd cut back and no more "little bastards"!.  Now I must admit I did have a detox period.  My sisters used to call me Pammy Bakker, they said I was the illegitimate child of Jim Bakker and Betty Crocker and that at the end of the Christmas season I had to be sent to cookie rehab to uncurl my fingers from around a cookie sheet! Now that Mum and Dad are both gone I don't bake near as much and I don't enjoy it the way I did.  I always honor my Dad by making his mothers Scottish Shortbread recipe, you know you are special if you receive a cake of this from me!  I make a few different kinds that Danny likes and I try to make one recipe from my childhood baking past.  I still bake the breads as gifts and I've toned the candy down to homemade Carmel's.  I still enjoy it, but I much more enjoy eating other peoples Christmas cookies!  I look forward to my Aunt Marybelle's cookies as there are things that she bakes like we did but also wonderful Italian cookies.  After Daddy died it wasn't the same as I had no one to fend off the cookies until Christmas.   My Mom left me two days after Christmas three years ago this 27th.  I didn't bake at all that year as she had a heart attack on December 2nd.  Our last Christmas was spent in the hospital with her.  We opened her presents for her and we opened our presents from her (which I had bought trying to keep normalcy). When Evelyn's son Greg was a little boy he had bought her a gift of scented dresser paper and that was one thing she had wanted.  I made sure I had lovely lavender one's for her.  It really made her happy cause there was nothing like good smelling undies (doesn't sound so good when written!) She wanted a taste of my Aunt Marybelle's cookies (I can't even remember which one) but she did have it.  We stayed for a few hours but she couldn't stay awake and asked us to please go home and rest as it had been a long month.  Grudging I left her.  We checked on her several times during the day and wanted to go back in the evening but she was way too tired to have anyone come be with her.  I cried and cried because I knew my childhood was gone.  Two day's later Mum left me, everyone told me how wonderful it was that she went home to be with the lord at Christmas, I didn't feel it as I was just sad she left me at Christmas. Now as I look back I can see the poetic justice of dying at Christmas.  The holidays haven't been easy since she left.  Cookies aren't the same, shopping is not the same, wrapping presents are not the same...but now Danny and I have started our own traditions.  They are just as wonderful. Dan has made my life and my holidays complete and full. I think my random thought for the day is that it doesn't have to be the same to be good.  Honor the past but live for the present and enjoy every moment of it because someday you might be someones Christmas memory. I do have a fun fact for Christmas for you....Did you know Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer was a marketing campaign started by Montgomery Wards in the 1930's??  So until the 30's I wanna know who was "guiding that sleigh by night"???? Late at night I've been having cravings for broken cookies and those damn "little bastards"...who knows maybe this will be the year I attempt them again.  I wish all of you and my usual 4 1/2 a very Merry Christmas.  And remember, it's not all about cookies and presents.  Feliz Navidad!!

xoxox Pammy

Random thoughts: "It was 30 years ago today......"

Random thoughts: "It was 30 years ago today......"

"It was 30 years ago today......"

Dear 4 1/2, sorry I haven't checked in for a few weeks buy my mind doesn't work quickly enough to blog every week, plus most of the time I don't have anything interesting to say! Well today we are going to discuss someone who helped write the soundtrack to my life.  I'm not old enough to remember Buddy Holly as he died the year I was born, but I have to say for myself that "the day the music died" for me was the day 30 years ago today that John Lennon was so brutally taken from us.  First off, I so can't get my head around the fact that John would have been 70 years old!!! I always thought about my parents being so old when I was little, but my Mom was only 3 years older than John Lennon and she was a year younger than Elvis.  I guess Mom wasn't that old after all!  On the other hand, Daddy was old...he was almost 10 years older than Mom, but I digress!  We could discuss for hours how horrible it was how and the fact that he died and how the person who did this should rot in jail and in hell (which I believe he will!).  I want to talk about the joy listening to John Lennon and The Beatles gave me.  When I was a little girl all of about 4 I remember listening to The Beatles on the radio and having trouble with the "concept" of radio.  I knew The Beatles were from England and I knew England was very far away because my family is from Scotland.  What I couldn't figure out was how they got The Beatles to be there on the radio in Pittsburgh to sing "I want to hold your hand" a few times a day??? So, I wasn't the brightest blub in the box.  I also had trouble with movie listings in the newspaper...I was appaled that after the movie synopsis it said "black and white"...I didn't know what racisim was but I didn't understand why they had to put a "color" to the movie.  It took me a while to figure out they mean't the movie was black and white and they were not talking about the people in it!  Like I said, not the brightest bulb! I still remember sitting on my living room floor with my sister Donna with her arm around me watching The Beatles on Ed Sullivan.  Cousin Philip was supposed to be watching us, but he slept!  I was only young but I understood the excitement.  I also remember being clearly taken by John Lennon, even though at that point I didn't know his name.  He looked like a "bad boy".  Even at 4 I had a thing for bad boys!!  I adored him flat out.  Mum got us Beatle Dolls, to this day I still have the Paul McCartney one (bet he's worth something!), I think I cut the hair on John Lennon's!  What can I say, I liked him and decided his hair needed to be done better!  I followed John and the rest of The Beatles career's all through the 60's 70's 80's on up to present day.  I watched the ups and downs.  I tried to put it all in perspective in my young mind.  It all didn't always make sense to me as youngsters in those days were not as savy as ones today.  All I really knew was when I heard a Beatles song nothing made me happier.  As I got older I really understood what a crush I had had on John Lennon most of my life.  I also remember clearly having the thought that wether or not you agreeded with what John had to say you had to acknowledge how intelligent he was.  Again, I feel this was before I even clearly understood what intelligence truly meant.  I was sad when John married Yoko, but I learned to respect her as I grew older.  All I could see was how much she loved him and that was so evident the days after he was killed.  I did want to join one of their "happenings".  My favorite one that I read about was a room all in white with a ladder that had a magnifying glass attached to it.  You had to climb up the ladder and use the magnifying glass to read the word "peace"!  To this day I want to climb that ladder. I also loved it when they hosted "The Mike Douglas Show" and created a happening there, they got the phone book and randomly called people to say "I love you"!  Poor Mike didn't quite know what to make outa that, but god bless him he went with it!  I was worried when they kicked John out of the country and relieved when he got back.  I don't know why, as this person was no one to me other than a voice on the radio and face on the TV.  But I cared.  The pictures of John with his son Sean as a little boy still always make me cry because they were so beautiful.  In the 80's I watched Julian start his career and it overwhelmed me how much he looked and sounded like his father.  Now when I see Sean I get the same feeling but in many ways he's so different musically (perhaps a bit of Yoko influence there as well!).  My first copy of a Beatles album came from my cousin Sammy who copied their first album to cassette for me.  To this day I still have that cassette, thank you Sammy! I love all the imagery of the music...you can see the music if you close your eyes, and no, I'm not taking drugs!!!  I just see their music and it's always beautiful!  I will say I remember waking up on December 8th 1980 and my Dad telling me John had died.  I cried, I cried, I cried......as we all did.  Imagine (as John would have said...) what he still had ahead of him.  People may not have agreed with his lifestyle, his politics but they had to acknowledge the music was amazing.  OK...here's my fun fact and surprise....it's a Beatles fun fact...In a contest held by Mersyside Newspaper to see who was the biggest band in Liverpool, 1962, one of the main reasons that The Beatles won was because they called in posing as different people voting for themselves!  I love it!!!! I can just hear John Lennon calling in as some little old lady!  So today friends when we remember John, try not to think about his death but the life he lead and the wonderful legacy of music and family he left us.  We will all be listening to Beatles music to the day we die because it's everywhere, and our children's children for long after that!  What a wonderful thought!  So...today I steal my random thought from John and Yoko....give peace a chance!  Take a quiet moment today to remember someone who brought great joy to many people......Seacrest out!!!! xoxxo Pammy

Happy Thanksgiving (no catchy title here...just a note of thanks)

Morning dear 4 1/2 and all my other malcontents.  I knew I had a Thanksgiving blog in me just had to wait for the mood to be right and the inspiration to hit me. I've been watching my dear friend Barb Smith's facebook postings in the past few weeks and Barb has everyday listed her many blessings and things to be thankful for. Well Barb, I'm blatantly "borrowing" your idea. Also, this morning as Danny was getting dressed for work at 5 am I was telling him about Thanksgivings from my childhood and he was telling me about holidays in England (usually our conversations in the morning consists of one of us snoring!)  First off...I'm thankful Barb you did that and made me go "mmmmmm".  Where to begin....Where to begin??? I'm not even sure I can do justice to the things and people I am thankful for. I will start off thanking God for letting me have another year of life.  Something we all take for granted. I'm thankful for the love and support of a wonderful man who has stood beside me through thick and thin and as I've said before, he is a saint!  I'm thankful for my family.  I have a wonderful, dear Aunt Marybelle and Uncle Sam who have raised the most kind, giving group of children and grandchildren.  They love and support us everyday unconditionally.  This might surprise you dear reader, but somewhere in my heart I am happy that Donna and Ruth (no I'm not going to use there evil names here because God would not appreciate sarcasm on this wonderful holiday) have had another year of life and have each other.  There will always be a hole in my heart where they were, but don't we all have a hole here and there.  I'm thankful for my Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa.  I know they are all in heaven together with Dan's Mom and Dad.  Even if I don't have their physical presence I have them in my heart and in my head.  I'm thankful for old friends and new.  I'm thankful to facebook for allowing me to connect with some of the lost friends (Tracey, Barb, Shelley, Cassie, Margaret just are a few who come to mind) they enriched my life at one time and yet again I will benefit from their friendship.  Thank you for my new friends that I've met on facebook.  Crystal I'm talkin to you (In my best Robert DeNiro, Taxi Driver impression!) There are others that I might have failed to mention but you are all in my heart. How could I not be thankful for my English family and friends.  Please know on Thursday when I say my Thanksgiving prayer you will all be right there at the fore front.  I must thank God for the new people he's sent me in my life, Noreen and Emalee there you are! I must thank God for my dear sweet David, who next to Danny is a real close second in Sainthood, I say that cause he loves me and I'm not always easy to love (imagine that!).  I remembered past Thanksgivings this morning with my family and I thought about my extended family from my past.  Imparticular my dear, sweet Ruth Johnson was on my heart.  She's the lady my younger sister was named for.  Some of my happiest holidays memories come from the time we spent with Ruth and her boys Butch and Bob (yes Butch I know you will never read this but you will always be my "Seaman Duppy" and the man who when I was 5 I was planning my wedding with, it didn't matter that he was at least 18 years older than me!).  Big ole shout out to Tommy Joe Smart who was the "other man" I was supposed to marry and yet again it didn't matter about our age difference, Evidently I was a tart at the age of 5 and gave my heart to much older men!  Alas, I did not marry either of them....My blessing are too many to mention and I might have missed a friend or family member here or there but it was not on purpose, it just shows you how much I have to be thankful for.  How could I not be thankful for my Judy my Debbie and my Evelyn.  You are all my rocks. There are so many people who have nothing. I cannot go on without thanking all our brave service men and women who are keeping us all safe.  Many of them are not at home to be with their loved ones.  Thank God they are willing to make that sacrifice for all of us.  I am a "rich" women in so many respects.  Sigh....now I'm tired!! I must give you my fun Thanksgiving fact...did you know : Turkeys have heart attacks??? When the Air Force was conducting test runs and breaking the sound barrier, fields of turkeys would drop dead.  Poor Turkey, either the airplanes get them or the butcher does.  So on Thursday when you sit down to dinner with your family and loved ones I think the most important thing we can do is just to give thanks that God has given us another year together.  Of course as I'm writing this I've had a random thought.  What do you think the Pilgrims would think of our Thanksgiving today??? I don't think they could relate to the Underdog Float!!  So...Gobble Gobble all my peeps.  Don't eat too much turkey and pumpkin pie, save room for leftovers on Friday!!!  Love to you all and Mummy and Daddy, I miss you.  Turkey kisses to all of you!!! xoxxo Pammy

Kanye West and his "Magical Mystery Tour" ...Shout out to the Beatles!!

Dear 3 1/2 and my Margaret...It's been a few days since I've checked in but that is because I'm not a natural writer, I gotta think of this stuff...mull it over and see if it makes any sense. I do write this crap for myself but I am aware there might be someone else out there who reads this and I really don't feel like apologizing for what I have to say as my goal is not to offend people but make people go mmmmm!! So, just as I write this I'm also aware that people have the choice not to read it.  This is just the place I organize the scary place that is my mind.  First off...Big shout out to my Margaret who had some surgery last Friday.  She's doing well and she tells me she is "too mean to die" which could not be further from the truth (the mean part I mean).  I must say she is one of the kindest, coolest and funniest ladies I've ever had the please of knowing.  She enriches my life just by knowing her!  Love you Maggie.  So, that said let me get to the subject at hand.  Kanye freaking West, god bless him!  Did God and his Mother not give him any filters? We all have natural filters and we have free will so there is a choice when and if to use them.  I respect the fact that Mr. West is able to live in a country that allows him to express his opinion with no fear of retaliation.  That is what our wars are fought for.  I watched with much disbelief the interview with Matt Lauer on the Today Show the other day when Mr. Lauer addressed the statements that Mr. West made regarding George Bush and his response to Hurricane Katrina.  Mr. West has an opinion (and again I must state opinions are like assholes, everybody's got one!)  I am not in anyway calling Mr. West an asshole.  But what I must say one thing that I feel and what I feel is that he did not have the tools to respond to the questions Mr. Lauer was posing. The journalist used technique that we have seen time and time again when the media plays a sound bite under the conversation and he used his little rant about how this was distracting him and he would not go on if it continued to distract.  Distract from the fact that he was not prepared enough nor articulate enough to have this conversation.  I doesn't mean he's is unintelligent.  I actually think far from it. He is a young man that wants to be heard. He needs to find a way to be heard where people will actually listen to the words not the way he presents them.  Racism is a fact of life everywhere and the only way we change it is by speaking out the way Kanye West did.  I might not agree with his statement, but I give him his props for trying to articulate it.  Just please, someone send this man to school to learn how to say it without the anger he is so vehemently trying to fight.  I don't know if he realizes he comes off like a racist as well.  I felt bad for Matt Lauer, but then he's a big boy who has probably experience worse that a pissed off rapper.  Bill Cosby where are you when we need you.  Take this young man under your very classy and learned way and and teach him how to act in a public forum.  I felt bad for George Bush.  9/11 was a mess but it was a mess in someways that New York and the Government had been preparing for years to handle.  Katrina was nothing like we ever saw and granted allot of things should have been handled differently.  I don't know If Mr. West noticed that it not only black people who were effected?  Black, white, yellow, old and young were effected by both of these tragedies.  I don't know if there was any good way to respond to either.  We do look to our government to take the lead and do all the right things.  Sometimes men are just men (and I say that meaning all sexes) and are trying to figure out what the right thing to do is and how to handle it.  It doesn't mean they always do it right.  So yet again dear Kanye decided to express his opinion which he feels is valid and in a way that no one will listen to him.  They just say, what an asshole.  I mean picking on Taylor Swift and taking away from what she did as an artist was unacceptable.  If someone had done that to Beyonce racism would have been screamed to the roof not only by Kanye, but The Reverend Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton.  Al and Jessie show up for everything.  Here's a fact about racism and it is in no way shape or form "a fun fact".  It was published on line in an article by Loveleena Rajeeve on 3/10/10 at a website called buzzel.com. "One of the ugliest racism facts pertain to the reality that racism sees no geography, it is rampant, and in most cases state sponsored."  There was much more to this statement but I chose the part that hit home with me.  Yes, I can understand where people often feel that racism is state sponsored and that goes back to the day when in the south it was acceptable to lynch people of color and the state did turn the other way.  What Mr. West forgets is most of us are just people who want to get along.  There are bad people out there who hate everyone.  As they say the squeakiest wheel gets the old.  So Mr. West, perhaps you need to join the Pope who went on his tour to apologize for priest who abuse children. I'm sure there would be plenty of room in the Popemobile as long as he leaves "his ego at the door".  Sometimes sorry isn't enough and that goes for the government as well as people who do nasty things.  I am in no way shape or form comparing Mr. West to a priest who abuses children. I'm just expressing my opinion that we seem to have lost all sense of politeness and common courtesy in our everyday life.  Seems to me the best way to fight racism is to respect one and other and that seems to be something that Mr. West has forgotten to apply to himself and his statements.  Here's my Random Thought....think before you speak...it's a simple thing that Mom and Dad and your Kindergarten teacher (Unless it was my Kindergarten teacher who abused children, but that is another blog!) taught you as a child.  Kayne had a Mom whom he loved very much, who can dislike a man who loved his mama.  She would probably be proud of the fact he expressed his opinion but not have loved the way he chose to do it.  So I realize this was a bit heavy and my goal is usually to make people laugh, but today my mind is sorta going mmmmmm.  Freedom of Speech is a beautiful thing and we all should use it.  Just do it in an intelligent way, it makes people listen a bit harder and longer.  So my loves, this might not have been a poplar opinion for me to express, but oh well I've tried to do it somewhat intelligently.  As always, thank you for reading, I enjoy and look forward to your feed back positive or negative.  And as it was so clearly said is STAR WARS...."may the force be with you"!!! xoxoxo Jedi Pammy.

Sung to the tune of THE BRADY BUNCH

Hum along dear 3/12 and Margaret too!!! Here's the story of a man named Danny who lived in a country far away.  He was one man living in the city but he was on his own (side note, Lot's of family but I had to make it work musically!) Here's the story of girl named Pammy who was busy with two parents of her own.  They were three of them living in the house, but she was all alone.  Till the one day when Pammy met her Danny and she knew it was much more that a hunch, that this group might somehow be a family, that is how they because The Beattie (Shore) Bunch!!!!  Good Morning or Afternoon dear readers.  Today's sermon is a "homage", said in that good french kinda way (You know how it sounds Margaret, you've been to the south of France!) to my dear sweet Danny.  I married a saint, did you all know that. We were talking to a friend last night and it came up about very Little Danny and I actually argue.  When we do argue it's about something stupid.  The last one was a few weeks ago when my sweet sainted husband accused me of using his tools and hiding them.  Now friends, we all know me using any kind of tool other than a fork and knife is so not gonna happen!  I always tell people that I'm not the one who cleans up after the disaster, but I will cook you a good dinner and a nice desert (big hey to a real chef, Greg, Margaret's son-in-law. How's the restaurant doin?)  Anyhow's....my dear Danny is such a good man.  He always says he's just to lazy to argue.  Let me just say this.  Danny is not lazy about anything.  He's just a very smart man how knows sometimes there is not a battle to be had.  We have been married for 8 going on 9 years.  I have never been happier in my life and I must say that these past 8 years have been some of the hardest of my life.  My Dad died, our cottage flooded, Danny's dad died, we had struggles with Danny not being able to be with members of his family, my sisters (and I used this term loosely disowned me and Mom, my Mom died, We flooded at home and had about $56,000 worth of damages and then to top it all off I lost my job (we will not even go into the state of my so called mental and physical health as that is a blog all unto it's self)  ....Whewww!!!!  Our life at times has been like a bad country western song.  do you know what happens with a country western song if you play it backwards?  You get your car back, you get your house back, you get your wife back!  So somehow my dear friends my song is being played backwards.  Yes, I'm still unemployed, but my Danny who says he's "lazy" got an amazing promotion because of his hard work and knowledge.  Yes the hormone fairy has stopped at our house and it's not that much fun some days, but when it's good it's great.  No the cottage is not sold or fixed yet, but we did get help from a The Pitcarin Recovery Project to help us rebuild a retaining wall leading to our basement here at home that was destroyed in the flood.  No, we will probably never speak to the sisters again and we cannot bring back either one of our dear Mom's and Dad's, but we have a wonderful family in England and my dear dear  Aunt Marybelle and Uncle Sam and their amazing children and grandchildren here in the States.  Yes, there is again contact with a very special family member in Danny's life.  Yes, I still have much work to do on my emotional and physical health, but there is a top of the mountain and it's far away and I can see it through the clouds. Yes, Danny and I have built our own little family with our girls Gracie and Lacy (no, they are not dogs, well OK....yes they are!)  Our little talk last night with a friend made me take a good long look at my amazing guy.   He has stood by me through worse and we have had better!  One of the last things my Dad asked Danny to do before he died was to take care of his girls, and Danny has.  He took care of both Mom and Dad as if they were his own.  My Mom once told him she couldn't love him more if she had brought him home from the hospital herself.  So in a way my friends this is my open "love letter" to the man I love more than my life.  I wanted to share it all with you!  I thank god every day for sending me my best friend and the love of my life.  Here's my random thought for the day....don't you hate those letters people send you at Christmas time giving you all the little strange and boring facts about their lives??? I think I've just compared what I have written to one of those!  My life is strange at times but never ever boring!!  So Danny, I give you all the credit for keeping everything together.  On those days where I suffer from "I'm the only person in the whole world syndrome" you allow it to be about me.  I try with all my heart and soul to love you back as much as you deserve.  One of my favorite poem's written by Robert Sexton, which was printed on our wedding program, last line is" And when our time on earth is through, in heaven, too, you shall have my hand" the poem is called "The Promise".  Danny, you always have my hand and my heart,I promise.  It's so wonderful to know I will spend the rest of eternity with you (and god bless you cause I bet I'm even more of a trial in the after life as I am here!) Got a little serious here on you guys, but I had allot to say! Let me end with my fun fact...lets' go back to the beginning of my my little commentary here and refer to THE BRADY BUNCH...did you know that Alice, the housekeeper was never shown eating that that she didn't drive a car so she couldn't even go to the grocery store without Mrs. Brady.  Now that's a job, your employer shuffles you around but you don't get to eat (and you live there!).  So, keep it on the cool side babies!  xoxox Pammy  

"What a load of shit"...quote from Cayla,Danny's Niece and mine too!

Moshi, Moshi 3 1/2!! Just read in my facebook that Danny's niece, Cayla, watched the movie "Paranormal Activity 2" and her reaction to it was...."What a load of shit"! I found that amusing. I had the same reaction years ago to "The Blair Witch Project" (and Geoffery, I only told you I was scared cause you are so damned cute!). What happened to Hollywood doing just a plain old scary movie.  Now, of course they have an entire genre that is "Horror" but that's not scary stuff, it's just plain gross in my humble opinion. Pretty much slice em and dice em! I just don't find it scary, I think it's sick.  There seems to be enough ugliness in the world that Hollywood doesn't need to show us how to do it!  People have pretty much figured it out themselves, so the instruction manual is not needed!  Now "Psycho" and "The Wizard of Oz" that's some scary shit and I must give an honorable mention to "The Birds", man Alfred Hitchcock must have been on scary fuck!  That guy laying next to the bed with his eyes plucked out got me, not because it was gross, just because it was something as harmless as a pigeon (OK, it's a rat with wings)!  I believe to this day the evil sister, Griselda (otherwise know as Donna) cannot stand birds and can't take a shower with out panic, who knows, maybe by now she's pulled up her big girl panties and chilled.  That shows how scary that stuff is, we were children when we saw it and I think she is now perhaps 55.  Also I must mention Griselda is scarier than any movie.  Now I have to give you my fun fact here because between what I read on Cayla's post and something else I read prompted this little rant...did you know that the Lion suit used on "The Wizard of Oz" was made from real Lions???? Holy crap....that is some scary shit...that and those damn flying monkeys!  To this day I piss myself when "The Wizard of Oz" is on.  I belived they show it always at Easter here in the States (clarification for my English family and friends should they read this!).  Yup, Jesus dying on the cross is equated to the flying monkeys! No this is not a commentary on religion, it's just as I was typing I had a WTF moment.  It's been a long time since I've seen a good scary movie that made me jump outta my seat and need to leave the nightlight on.  I really think the last movie that made me do that was "The Exorcist"...It wasn't the scary make up that did it for me, just the fact that   the concept of the devil was so clearly stated in a way that people could relate to.  Also, the fact that it dealt with children.  I once asked a learned friend (Yo to you Jim Glenn, wherever you are) why things with children scare us so much.  He told me it was a very primal fear anything that threatens children, it taps into all the paternal stuff that you have that even if you are not using you do have (at least most people do).  Not that Jim Glenn knew everything, but he did spend allot of time in school!  I have to remember to send my friend Sherry a message and let her know I'm using "Jim Glenn" knowledge! My new friend Noreen and I had a conversation on Halloween, refer to my prior posts for my Halloween opinions, as valid as they are!  Anywho, Noreen and I had a conversation about scary stuff and how we both were afraid of "Bloody Mary".  For those of you who don't know about "Blood Mary" it's an old urban legend that if you stand in from of a mirror and say her names three times you can see her in the mirror and something really horrible will happen.  You notice I refuse to even type her name three times cause I aint' taking no chances!  Now Noreen's smart and very funny 10 year old child, Em found that to be as we are saying a load of shit. Noreen said she was very matter a fact about it and said it in the mirror and basically said, and I paraphrase, Well that's done now (did I get that right Noreen?) "Bloody Mary"  would be some scary ass movie.  "Supernatural" the series did do one about it (shout out to Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, not that they will know I shouted out to them!)  Oh my, this little rant has taken us on so many twists and turns.  It's probably because I think of this crap and type and not write it down, so if I ramble I apologize.   If you think of it let me know what your favorite pee your pants movie is.  You of course can comment here to share it all with us or you can find me on facebook under Pamela Beattie-Shore or email me at pambshore@comcast.net.  I'm interested to hear what you think.  So come on Hollywood, let's make one of those old fashioned, cover your eyes, jump outta my chair, sleep with the light on movie!  As usual, thank you all for reading and thanks to all the people I've mentioned that help form this little missive!  So, I'll talk to all again soon as I'm sure there will be something else that prompts my fingers to take on a life of their own!  Yo, Later Peeps!

"Erection Day" quote from Bobby Subgum via Jimmy Krenn from WDVE Pittsburgh PA!

Howdy (Texas greeting this morning!) Dear 3 1/2..now darlings, we know that Pammy doesn't like really deep thoughts but I really feel the need to share how much I enjoyed this last "Election Season"  It seemed a bit like deer hunting to me, you stalk your prey and then shoot right between the eyes and try to drop that sucker!  Now this is not about my political views as they are really fairly boring, but about Election Tactics..I adored, no lived for every new commercial endorsed by some political candidate.  I loved it almost and my weekly "Supernatural" fix as it had as much drama, and as much as "The Big Bang" cause I laughed my ass off.  I adore the mud slinging. Now during all this mud slinging I often though WWALD, What would Abe Lincoln Do??? Now poor honest Abe had much mud slung at him, we just didn't have TV and the Internet to enjoy it on.  I adore Abe, what of my favorite presidents (yes, I'm old, but I don't remember that election!)  and one of my favorite historical icon's.  They called his wife a "Southern Sympathizer" and accused her of "dabbling in the Occult" .  Now what prompted this for me was the commercial against Joan Orie Melvin (I think that's her name) well, as well as talking about her legal problems and what a nasty ass person she was because she supposedly used her office phone for personal gain they also said she basically delved into the Occult.  Now, perhaps in her life she attended a slumber party as most young girls do, and there in a darkened basement or family room we all sat with a candle trying to contact the spirit of JFK or Marilyn Monroe!! I wonder who kids today try to contact, Anna Nicole Smith or Kurt Cobain?   Now personally I always thought we should have tried to read Elvis and ask why he decided to kick on the white wishing well.  Anyway, how do they know she dabbled in the occult.  Did someone from that last slumber party talk?  I guess that makes us all dabblers in the occult! The only commercial I loved better than that was one that I saw from the Canadian election and it talked about how rotten this poor schmuck is but then they ended it with a clip of kids playing soccer and some poor boy got smacked in the face by the ball and then the statement was made ...so or so "kicks children in the face" Lordy I fell of my chair laughing, something gentle readers our Canadian friends are used to.  P.S. there I love Canadians, some of my best friends are Canadian, I like their Bacon and their Falls.  Back to the mud slinging...they did that to poor Nancy Regan in the 80's or "Balloon Head" as Jimmy Krenn and Scott Paulsen used to call her.  She "consulted" her psychic for important decisions.  She also talked to Frank Sinatra...did that make her a "supposed" member of the Cosa Nostra?? Now again I loved Frank and have no idea how he conducted most of his personal business, I just know he was a shit to poor Mia Farrow in the 70's!  So now dear 3 1/2 election season is over and all I have to look forward to is Thanksgiving and Christmas and to be honest the commercials are not as good.  Well...I must give you a fun fact that ties into election day...did you know why we vote on a Tuesday in November??? here's the answer " As for Tuesday, people used to have to travel overnight to their polling location. (In 1845, horse was the preferred method of transport.) In an effort to avoid religious days of rest, Congress chose Tuesday, leaving Monday and Wednesday as travel days. Tuesday was voting (and horse-resting) day"! So we got where we were going, everyone rest their horses.  My random thought for the day is so random that I can't hold onto it!  Perhaps that is my random thought...write things down.  So love ya all (still channeling Texans who still get a bum rap cause young Georgie Bush was their Governor!)  Everyone have a great weekend....see ya on the flip side....xoxox Pammy (aka Abe Lincoln's biggest fan!)

Post Traumtic Stress Syndrome???

Hola 3 1/2! So, it's Halloween..I've never been a fan of Halloween to tell you the truth.  I hated it as a child and I tolerate it as an adult. Now many of you who know me might say..."but Pam (you'd say) how is it you hate Halloween but love a good ghost story"?? Well let me bore you with my sad tale of woe as to why I have  no love for Halloween.  Picture this..1963 approx. Tiny little round girl  with blond hair (yes, I was chubby and blond dressed up as Casper the Friendly Ghost (how twisted anyway, a child that's a ghost, that always made me sad!) Anyhoo..there she is in the dark of night, OK it was probably 6 pm, but at 4 years )old it seemed like the dark of night! There...looking down my little street I see a familiar figure, I knew it was familiar because I recognized the walk.  The figure got closer and I got excited and ran to meet my neighbor Carol, who was a dear friend of my Mothers.  I ran to Carol for her to pick me up as she always did and lo and behold when she got me up in her arms I looked at her and she wasn't my Carol but a horrible Hobo....yes dear readers how chilling!!!  I don't know who screamed louder her or I as I was kicking her and screaming to get out of her arms. God knows to this day that memory still makes me ill.  Once she got me to my Mother and they calmed me down and convinced me it was Carol I still was a little trooper and wanted to go out in my little Casper Costume, with the mask with the little slits for eyes that could cut your retina's out...and out I went with my older sister and the horrible Hobo (not my sister) and her children. So...la de da...off we go walking down the hill near my house to go to my Mother's other dear friend, Elsie (god bless her).  Elsie had two boys, Johnny and Danny.  I adored both of them.  Johnny imp articular was a favorite of mine and to this day when he's in town comes and visits us.  He always called me Sam, don't know why, but he did, but I digress.  Anyway, hip hop down the lane (oops, that's Easter) we get to Elsie's house...Trick or Treat we all said and what opened the door was a tall green man (at 4 everyone is taller than you!) who also tried to pick me up (what the fuck was it with people picking me up?)  He was green with ugly black hair and nasty fanged teeth, OK he was green, but maybe I "imagined the teeth and hair".  Anyway, again I kick, scream and cry loudly this time.  Well it shocked the green man as it was my dear Johnny, who was about 10 or 11 years old at this time.  He had painted him self green to celebrate the holiday and no he was not a leprechaun. By now the Hobo and the Green man had had enough of me and to tell you the truth I didn't care if I got candy or not.  Home I went to Mom and Dad to to my safe little bed.  Needless to say the next year I threw up when it was time to go out Trick or Treating, I went out very few times in my young life after that but the one time I did I went as of all things...a Hobo! Looking back it is actually not a horrible story and I might have been a "bit" of a drama queen, OK princess. To this day I try not to go out on Halloween...weird huh, cause I sit home and watch ghost stories!  I had a shrink tell me once that it was because I was afraid of what was under the mask not the mask itself.  I don't like people who I think are hiding something from me..wayyyy too deep.  So on to the ghostie part, I love, nay adore a good ghost story.  I'm not afraid of the ghosties it's the real people that scare me.  I would welcome a visit from my dear Mom or Dad or Grandma or Grandpa coming back to say hello.  I know they would just be checking on me.  So folks, if you're out there listening come say hello tomorrow night, I'd be happy to see you as long as your not green or dressed like a Hobo!  Here's my random though....if you are a ghost and you come and see me, please bring candy (Russell Stovers assortments would be fine, no damn snickers for me) as I never really collected on Halloween.   So have a happy and safe Halloween and don't pick any little one's up unless you are costume free! Ok...here's my fun Halloween fact...did you know that a sign of a werewolf is a uni brow,long fingers and hairy palms??? Sounds like a few dates I've had and a few women I know!! In the words of the late Michael Jackson "it's a thriller diller night!"  Live long and prosper....love Casper (aka Pammy) xoxxoxo

For my little round Mama in heaven

Dear 3 1/2..It's been a few days since I've checked in, but haven't felt like writing, nor have I had anything interesting to say.  I now have something so say, and it's more for me than for anyone else.  I am appalled and horrified by the blog written for Marie Claire magazine that bashes the TV program "Mike and Molly" because the two characters are heavier people.  I am fucking sick to death of the term morbidly obese..If your Doctor uses this term to you that's fine, but for society to throw it around like it's a term like happy or sad is pissin me off.  This "so called journalist" stated she was "sickened by watching" two fat people on TV.  If you watch the program it's about two people dealing with the stuff that any two people who first start dating deal with.  This "journalist" has since apologized stating it has to do with her own hang ups with anorexia.  Well...God bless her (the fucking bigot that she is..) How would she have felt at the time of her "dealing" with her  anorexia if someone had put a TV show on and the character was that was anorexic and then had people say it sickened them?  We see anorexics on talk shows and programs like The Today show and people are sympathetic.  I have no problem with the program and it's not because I am a fattie.  I have lost 116 pounds and work every day to keep it off.  I am now a size 14-16 but I still don't view myself as "regular" because of what society drills into us.  Even when I was as size 28 and I have never ever admitted to anyone that this was the size I was, I still was told I was beautiful and felt loved by people who mattered.  There were plenty of people that wanted to spend time with me, that were attracted to me.  I am not bragging but I did just fine.  Yes, there were people who did not accept me, that made horrible remarks and tried to make me feel bad about myself. At times they won and I did let it get to me.  I chose not to let them destroy me.  I'm not saying it's hasn't taken it's toll.  I still have no body image, I still dress like a fat girl at times and have trouble showing the shape that I have not that it is that amazing, but it's not all that bad for a 51 year old broad! I chose to lose weight not for society but for myself.  To be a healthier human being and to make sure I was going to be here for a long time with my amazing husband.  This is just another form of bullying and the message that it sends to young people.  That they are not good enough.  People kill themselves over remarks like this.  Yes, we do have a problem here in the USA with people being overweight, yes we need to be healthier and to learn better eating habits, but one thing I want to say is people do not chose to be overweight just as a person dealing with a eating disorder that takes them to the other extreme.  Yes there are people who just don't care about themselves and have lost all hope, but most of us do care!   What does this say about society??? How irresponsible of Marie Claire to have allowed this hurtful thing to be so meanly put out there.  I am a strong proponent of freedom of speech and freedom of expression and this "journalist" or whatever she is, and had every right to express here opinion just as I have the right to mine, but she and the Magazine needed to remember and think that words hurt, words kill and words can never be taken back. Have they not be paying attention to the news lately???  Sorry means jackshit.  So basically, this is a big screw you to anyone who has ever taken a potshot at anyone who is different.  Let me bend over so anyone who doesn't like it can bite my big fat ass.  I will never be a "skinny" girl or a size 6 nor was that my goal.  But I am proud of who I am and what I have a accomplished fat or skinny.  My random though for today is as Depeche Mode so aptly put it in the 80's "People are people so why should it be, you and I should get along so awfully?" ....I love skinny people, fat people, gay people, straight people, green people, black people, white people, disabled people, unattractive people and beautiful people and yes people with eating disorders.  I don't care what you are just that you are good people. So rock on to the station that put this program on the air, just because you are showing diversity of life.  The next time you see a person who is different don't look at them as different, just as a person and think of perhaps some of your own short comings as we all have them. Whew...I had a lot to say and I thank anyone who read this.  I'm stepping off my soap box now and one thing I will apologize for is the angry tone I have used.  I have stooped to the level of the bigot who wrote the acid blog.  So now, let me end with a fun fact, because yes I do have one...Did you know that Marilyn Monroe was a size 16??? People wanted and adored her and has gone down in the world of pop icon's as one of the sexiest most desirable women.  One last thought before I go (and I shut up as many people probably wish I would) but did ya ever think about how a word looks and sounds funny the more you use it??? My word is "People"....looks funny, sounds funny but that cause I've used it over and over again today.  Love you all 3 1/2 and anyone who reads this.  Please feel free to share it with other people, not that I'm that eloquent but just so people think.  Shalom!  Pammy.   

Out of the "closet"......

Dear 3  1/2 readers...it's time for me to come out of the closet....are you listening???? Are you worried about what I'm going to say???? Good....I've hooked you in!!!! Let me say it loud and clear....I AM A CLOSET BARRY MANILOW FAN!!!.....There, I've said it and I feel so much better.  The relief of not hiding it any longer, changing the station when someone get's in the car with me and "Mandy" is on. The relief that I no longer need to wear my Blondie Tee Shirt over my Barry Manilow Tour 1987 Tee Shirt.  FANILOW'S unite (or untie if you spell badly!)  Who doesn't feel good when Barry sings "Daybreak"!  I dare you to listen to Barry Manilow Live and not feel the need to clean and sing along (the soundtrack from Oklahoma also does that to me, but that is another Blog.)  Yes, I am a Alice Cooper, Sammy Hagar listening hybrid. Dear  3 1/2 there is room for all of my personalities in there!  We all know of my love for "The Biebster" and Donny Osmond....I can't help it....all the wholesomeness  makes me happy and takes me back to my childhood.  That is why I find lil ole Justin so darn appealing (I also like Justin Timberlake, but my thoughts are not that pure when it comes to him!).  I think I actually pissed someone off the other day when I compared the young "Biebster" to "The Great Donny Osmond" What I was trying to say is his music takes me back to a simpler time.  Ah well you can't please everyone all of the time...All I can say is kudos's to Mr. Manilow, Mr. Osmond and the young Master Bieber.  Let's have some more happy!!! There is plenty of time for Flo Rida and The Beastie Boys (went old school on ya there!)  Sometimes it's just about singing along and feeling good.  So...my random thought for the day is.....Don't hate the playa, hate the game!!!!  This was one of those random thoughts that I'm not sure if it fit's in with my rant, but I always wanted to use it!  Spend a few moments this weekend with the above mentioned artists.  You always can go back to the dark side (and no I don't mean country music, no offense to anyone as I've been to a few country music concerts myself).  I was referring to "The Dark side of the Moon"!!  Ok soooo speaking of pure and innocent here is my fun fact for the day.....Did you know that Kermit the Frog is left handed???  I'm not sure if we call it a "hand" but some crazy took the time to figure this out.  They were perhaps the same people who "outed' Bert and Ernie as Gay.  Have a great weekend my dears....and as John and Yoko put it so aptly in the 70's "Give Peace a Chance"   

I've got friends in strange places (stole the tune from Garth Brooks)

Mornin Sunshine's (ain't that crap...I don't shine until 12:30 and that's only if someone turns the light on!).  The other night I was online late playing a game and a lady came on that I don't know, but we play each others games.  We started talking and it turned into 15 min. conversation.  It was one of the nicest conversations I've had in a long time.  Found out we had a lot in common even though we've never met.  Years ago I met one of my best friends on a bus, we've since lost touch but for many years we were one and others confidants.  I was one of the nicest memories of I have of a friend.  I met one of my best friends at the video store he worked at and my other best friend at work.  Danny and I maintained a long distance relationship for over a year (and when I say long, I mean looonggg) he was across "the pond".  The Internet has made the world a very small place where we are all neighbors.  I've always kept an open mind about who and where I will find my friends.  If I put them all in one room you would be trying to figure out what we all had in common.  I think what we have in common is an open mind.  It didn't matter how old we were, what we did for a living, what we looked like.  Our hearts all recognized each other.  Sometimes I've looked at the most unlikely person and thought to myself "I need to be that person's friend".  Sometimes it's as simple as this person will enrich my life and I will learn something from them.  Now dear 3 1/2 face book followers it's not that I'm that deep, as we know I'm a silly girl who doesn't always use her common sense but I have learned over the years when someone else has that good heart.  When I was younger I picked people as friends that weren't always that nice.  God know why cause it was more combative than "friendly". Sometimes I was afraid I was going to be killed by "friendly fire" or at least that's what they'd say!  I guess you have to do that a few times to find out those people did not enrich your life.  Wow, that was way too deep!! I feel the need to crack a bad joke or something...definitely something that has to do with farting or pooping, but I will refrain!  My Random thought for the day comes courtesy of my sainted Danny....he always tells me "Strangers are just friends I haven't met yet!"!  I like that and it helps me keep and open mind.  Keep an open mind dear 3 1/2, you never know where it will lead you.  Now my fun fact ties in pretty well, because without it making friends would be very hard....did you know that like every one's finger prints every one's tongue is unique to themselves???  Now I know you all just went to the mirror and stuck your tongues out.  Yoko Ono used to do in the 70's what they called a "happening". We need to have our own, take a picture of our tongues and compare...that's what they called "av ant art" in the 70's...I like it!  So today, talk to someone you don't know in some weird place (just make sure the person it's a nose picker or something like that cause that's not a good sign!) and stick your tongue out at them (or just say Hi!)  Shalom for the day my dear 3 1/2.  I will finish with a quote from the great James Brown..."I got ant's in my pants and I gotta dance!" Doesn't mean jack shit about what I've just said...I just always wanted to use it in a sentence.  Be cool!

Cranky ole girl...

Hello followers, all 3 1/2 of us.  I have been in a cranky mood for the past few days.  Ask my sainted husband Daniel!  No good reason other than the fact that I'm old, impatient and going through the change.  I'm trying to look on the brightside of going through the change...and I'm sure there is one if I can ever see past the estrogen that is flashing before my eyes!  I only get small hot flashes of heat but I get MAJOR flashes of bitchiness!!!  I don't even like me!!!  I realize I'm not the first woman to go through this, even though we all know it's all about mememememememe!! I am suffering from "I'm the only person in the whole world syndrome", now usually this is a male malise, but I have claimed in now as our own in the name of all women everywhere who are in a bad mood! If there was a flag for this syndrome it would be a woman climing up a hill in red high heels and stepping over the poor sap standing next to her who tried to open the door for her! Mine would have a nice gin and tonic in her hand on the way up Mount Estrogen. I think that,and Xanax maybe the answer to menopause. There is no shame to better living through chemicals.  So my random thought for today is....WTF!!! Menopause for a woman who has never had a baby seems redundant....it's not like we were using those body parts for making babies.  God Bless all my sainted "sistha's" who have used those parts for making babies...someone had to do it and I'm just glad it wasn't me.  You all deserve medals...in the middle of menopause you still get to run a household, keep a job and marraige going and raise childen.  So...it seems as if the "the menopause" got me!!! I feel like my Grandma (god bless you Grandma Bessie!).  Perhaps the hormone levels will be better tomorrow and I will not feel the need to pull the nearest man's testicles up over his head, Don't worry Dan you are safe, I like you.  So...let me end with my fun fact for the day, which even this pisses me off....Did you know that brides started carrying bouquet's of flowers on their wedding day to mask bad body odor???? Well if that's not crap...Men back then must have smelled bad too!!!! What did they carry??  It was our job to smell good??? ooppps sorry there goes the hormones again...I'm not man bashing by any means I'm an equal opportunity crank to all sexes. Have a great evening my dears and if you hear howling tonight it's just me baying at the moon.....because I can!!!!!!!!!!!!   Ciao Bella!   Pammy   

Common Courtsey

Hello my 3 1/2 flollowers (I only count as a half, but like to acknowlege myself).  I've been thinking alot about alot of things and some of this crap really get's on my shit, so I will now share with you!  I am very irriated with the generations of young people who don't feel the need to say "Please, thank you and excuse me".  As we've talked about before I'm getting older and disrespectful people piss me off.  My Mom and Dad (God Bless their souls) taught me manners.  They were drilled in to our heads.  To the day they died either Mom or Daddy could just give me a look and no matter how old I was I was aware they thought I was not using my manners.  Lois often said "Pamela Joyce, I did not raise you that way".  Not that I was a saint, but from the time I was young I used my "manner" words, I held doors open and basically tried to be a good Girl Scout, especially when it came to my elders.  I could still be a pain in the butt and not always nice, but I tried and I knew the proper thing to do.  It's paid off in my later life.  It made me more respectful at work, I called people Mr. and Mrs. until they told me otherwise and it taught me to be respectful of friends (who did not always return the favor, but then I figure they were raised by wolves).  I hear horrible things on the news about people shooting peoples car window's out because they cut them off...disrepect has been taken to a whole new level.  If I took out all the frustrations I had in a disrespectful way there would be alot of people limping around and driving cars that looked like they joined the demolition derby.  Sherry, I know you have manners like me cause remember how we had trouble walking through a door together, "no you go, no you go" it's a miracle we made it back from lunch and up the elevator into the office!  Ahh well, I don't know if I have the right to comment on other generations as I have chosen not to procreate and have no clue how to teach a child these things.  The only role models I have are my Mom and Dad.  I think they did pretty good in the manners department.  So basically to anyone I might not have used my manners and manner words in my youth I truly and deeply apologize to you ( no, I'm not going through a 12 step program that makes me say I'm sorry to everyone!).  Self awareness is an interesting thing to go through and you seem to do it in stages at different times in you life....Random thought (and I stole) for every action there is a reaction.  Keep that in mind the next time someone cuts you off or doesn't say please or thank you.  Like Earl said "Karma is a bitch"!  OK...so enough of my sermon for the day...bless you all, and please don't think I'm being sacrilegious!  Here is our fun fact for the day and its a Pittsburgh fun fact and actually has a tie to my ex-family (that would be Griselda and Maude, the evil sisters!)here it is....First Mr Yuk Sticker - 1971
Mr Yuk was created at the Poison Center at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh after research indicated that the skull and crossbones previously used to identify poisons had little meaning to children who equate the symbol with exciting things like pirates and adventure. Dr. Richard Moriarty created him and Griselda (the Murrysville Matron (no offensive to Murrysville) Donna, was Dr. Moriarty's first office manager and was there helping with starting the Mr. Yuk program and the First Poison Center in the United States.  We used to call her Mrs. Yuk....I think we were right!  When Danny reads this I'm gonna catch hell cause he hates it when I use "my bitter words"...but hey...felt like it!  Perhaps today I need to listen to some Elvis Gospel music so I work out my issues..."Peace in the Valley" might help!  Hope you enjoyed it or not!  Have a great evening....Word to your Mother (Vanilla Ice!)  Pammy

How old am I and how did I get here.

Good Morning all..still trying to figure out why only a few people can place comments (today I can't even place them on my own blog, because I became my own follower to see!) Oh well, it's not going to shut me up, I feel the need, the need to speak (ok, I stole it from Top Gun, but I gotta talk, not go fast!) I've been thinking a bit about my age lately.  I have a friend who has a 10 year old child, she calls me Oldielocks! The kid is funny and quick, but it makes me think.  I guess I am old by 10 year old standards.  I remember in the 80's and even the 70's I was considered cool.  In the 70's I wanted to save the world and wished I was old enough to protest something, anthing, but I was still in my teens.  In the 80's I loved the glam.  Annie Lennox red hair spiked to kill,cut short with a tail that went down my back braided (do you remember that Tracey Smith??) in my opinion I was way cool.  Maybe I was the only one who thought so, but hey, it only really mattered to me at that age.  Now I'm in my 50's.  I don't look bad for an old broad in my opinion and my husbands, but I finally realized I am old enough to be some one's grandma (that's another "love" name my friend's child and her friends call me)! I don't mind, it just made me think.  I may not be able to wear my high heels any longer because of bad knees and I might find a gray hair or two every now and then, actually I find a gray eyebrow, but in the long run I don't feel any older than 25.  My body tells me otherwise many days.  I still listen to Def Leppard, David Bowie and The Beatles (and God almighty, John Lennon would have been 70 the other day!)  I love a good concert and I think Justin Bieber is as cute as Apple pie (OK, I'm not a perve, I just have Bieber Fever!) The joy fullness of a young person enjoying what they do and making other young people feel that is so wonderful to watch.  So I guess my random thought for the day is....IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER (courtesy of Bill Murray in Meatballs)  I think I sound more like Andy Rooney than Jack Handy! Oh well.   So here's my fun useless fact for the day, did you know that you can't snore and dream at the same time??? My husband is praying for dreams for me!!! Thanks for reading or not. Going to listen to Billy Idol...Peace out  xoxxo Pam

GRRRRRR

Ok folks...I'm officially frustrated...I can place comments, my new and only follower besides my husband, Michelle can place comments (Hi Michelle). My husband can't place comments and you guys have been telling me you can't place comments.  Let's face it...I'm not the sharpest tack in the box but I have a working knowledge of a computer...I keep reading the help articles and perhaps I'm getting old (no comment necessary on that one!) but I can't make heads or tails out of "how to allow people to make comments on your posts" Michelle you must know something the rest of us don't!!!!  My store house of useless information is stalled because all I can think about is how someone can place a post!! Blogspot said setting this up would be as easy as 1,2,3....well they don't know me and I usually need 4,5 and 6 to explain 1,2 and 3...If anyone has any clues enlighten me...Not that I really think that anyone will really be that interested in what I have to say and actually comment, but I'm hoping so...Oh well...back to the reading and reading and then reading some more of the easy 1,2,3 instructions.  Pray for me!

HELP!!!

I am having an issue in allowing people to post comments to my blog....does anybody know how in the world to do this??please send me an email at pambshore@comcast.net if you can help me!!!

It's Monday (like we don't all know that! duhhh)

Yay!!! I actually have a follower (Thank you new follower Michelle)!! My friend Maureen sent me message saying she had read it and was going to follow it...yay again!  I'm still trying to figure out why all of a sudden I need and want to be heard...I think because for many years I didn't want to draw attention to myself.  I have to admit all the stuff in the news about children and young people killing themselves because of bullying has sparked some of this for me. My random thoughts often extend to something with substance (hard to believe). I was a victim of childhood bullying and being bullied in the work place as an adult.  I have never hidden this fact but only talk about it to a few people.  So there...I think I've just come out of the "being bullied closet"! This would be were I would like to "thank" all the bully's from grade school on up and from a company that shall not be named for making me what I am.  They made me a kinder more understanding person (with several body ticks!).  I understand how some of those children and young adults felt. The hardest thing to understand at that time is that it is not your fault.  I actually had school personnel and supervisors (and in the case of work it was the supervisors doing the bullying) tell me it was my own fault because I didn't fit into the mold of what everyone thought was acceptable.  Here's one of my random thoughts for the day....be yourself no matter what.  I had a very good friend pay me what I think it the nicest complement she said "Pam, you are unique!" Thank you Tracey Smith for that! It kept me going and made me proud and happy I wasn't like everyone else.  I know in our lives we have all felt pushed around, bullied or taken advantage of.  I hope we can teach our children someday to be in control in a positive manner.  That it doesn't involve abuse of another human being.  AHHHHH...alot to get off my chest this morning!!!  On a lighter note...I do have an amusing "fun fact" for the day courtesy of my friend Tekla...here goes...a Pig as an orgasm that lasts a minimum of 30 minutes!!!! That must be one tired pig! Have a interesting Monday.  I don't like to say "have a good day" cause I hate to be told what kind of day to have! Just enjoy at whatever level you like to.  Peace.

I've done it!!!

I've actually told people I'm going to blog...let's see if I set this thing up right and people can actually post!!

New blogger

Well, I never thought in a million years I would need to share all my random thoughts with anyone other than myself and my husband...I was wrong.  I have always called myself a storehouse of useless information and I think that is truly what I am.  I'm hoping that some days I will have something to say that will not only help me collect my thoughts, but perhaps say something that makes someone say....AHHH! My dear husband and I always play a game that is "fun fact for the day" ...Well I do have an all time fun fact that I like to share with people...did you know that you have goosebumps where your ancestors used to have hair???? Told you I was a storehouse of useless info!!! Well...come back if you want. I'd love to hear from you!