Happy Birthday Amy

For 17 years Amy was my best friend. She was kind and caring and always there for me when I needed someone to talk to, whether it was about stress I was having about my kids or their dad was being a pain in the butt or whatever. We always had a good time together when we went out to family dinners or the mall or whatever we did. Even though she had a lot of medical issues and problems of her own she never let that get in the way of her love for us.

Today would have been her birthday. She died a year ago this past May.

I miss you my friend.

Just had to post this......

I was intending to do a post about what's been going on here at home lately, but for now I think it's really important to make a standalone post for this:

http://youniquelychic.blogspot.com/2009/10/must-watch-for-everyone.html

I tried to embed the video but it's taking too long....definitely a must-watch for everyone concerned about the state of the US health care system. I've found it on a couple different blogs and I think it needs to be passed around as much as possible.

Great news!

You may remember this post I made a few months ago...we had the final court hearing this morning, my ex is dropping the case! Hopefully this will be the end of it, but to be honest I wouldn't be surprised if my ex's friends find some other way to use him to harass me. For now I'm happy though, and my daughter is too. :-)

This is what I get for not signing into my store page often enough.....

http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=17807637

I had a sale.....THREE WEEKS AGO!?! I've been so wrapped up with personal stuff that's been going on I haven't checked my Etsy site for ages. I'll have to drop the buyer an email to make sure they still want it, I guess. I'll have to renew some items too, my store page is empty at this point.

Fellow Etsy bloggers, has this happened to you?

Happy Birthday Daniel Radcliffe!

Hey, you're not a teenager any more! Quit growing, would you?? You're making me old!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2zOoo5nK-Q

My thoughts about Michael Jackson

What a tragedy for the music world. We have lost a great talent. And there are reports today that his children were actually fathered by his dermatologist--my first thought was, so what?? By all accounts MJ was a devoted and loving father, and it takes more than blood ties to be a parent. The fact that he's not their biological father (and apparently never officially adopted them either) could lead to the courts putting them in foster care. This I think would be a HUGE mistake. The entire Jackson family has suffered a great loss with Michael's death, they don't need the trauma of the children being taken away from the only family they've ever known.

Memorial Day

Lt. John "Jack" Kipling, 18 years old, killed in the Battle of Loos in France in WWI, 1915

'My Boy Jack'

1914-18

---

"HAVE you news of my boy Jack? "
Not this tide.
"When d'you think that he'll come back?"
Not with this wind blowing, and this tide.

"Has any one else had word of him?"
Not this tide.
For what is sunk will hardly swim,
Not with this wind blowing, and this tide.

"Oh, dear, what comfort can I find?"
None this tide,
Nor any tide,
Except he did not shame his kind---
Not even with that wind blowing, and that tide.

Then hold your head up all the more,
This tide,
And every tide;
Because he was the son you bore,
And gave to that wind blowing and that tide.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP0GBLk5MjE

There's a line from the film My Boy Jack from Jack Kipling's mother Carrie, after his parents found out what happened to him. I'm not sure if I have it quoted exactly right, I didn't find any video of it online and haven't watched the DVD recently:

"He was 18 years and one day old. He died alone in the rain, I can't see any glory in that!"

No glory, Carrie. There is no glory in war, only death and destruction. Memorial Day is about more than parades and barbecues, it's a day set aside to honor those brave souls like your son, who risk or even sacrifice their lives so the rest of us may live in a free world. I post this in honor of those brave men and women who have taken that risk or made that sacrifice. May they never be forgotten.

(In case you're interested the DVD of My Boy Jack should still be available on www.shoppbs.org.)