The United States Constitution Means The Freedom To.....

and the freedom NOT to.

Could someone explain to President Obama, who purports to be a Constitutional scholar, that mandatory voting would be unconstitutional.

Never mind pointless and stupid.

4 Miles!

I walked four miles today.  I am so psyched!  It's even more exciting since I am in the middle of my 3rd round of Pomalyst.  I started last week and tonight will be the 7th pill of 14.  The first two rounds were 1mg each evening; but this month was doubled to 2 mg.  But some part of me must be getting used to it.  Less shaking, less panic, more energy.  It's still not a cake walk.  There is still insomnia and *cough* intestinal distress.  But I'm grateful for any good news.

Now let's see what this doubling does to my numbers.

History's "Sons Of Liberty"

To be fair, I have only watched the first of the three part series.  However, based on this first episode I must say....."History"?....not so much.

Very disappointing historical content.

That said, it's well filmed and acted. If it were an outright "drama", I would gave it many stars.

A few years ago " The History Channel" dropped "Channel" from it's name.  I would suggest they dropped the wrong word.

As I said, I have watched the first episode.  I had recorded all three episodes with plans to "binge watch".  But now I have decided to pace myself.  The third episode purports to deal with the Battle of Bunker Hill". Breath in.  Breath out.

 Just for a frame of reference, this is John Singleton Copley's 1772 portrait of Sam Adams.  Not much resemblance.

January 30, 1945 Raid at Cabanatuan

Seventy years ago today LtCol Henry Mucci of the US Army Rangers led a force of Rangers and Alamo Scouts in the largest and most successful rescue of American prisoners of war in American military history.

The Japanese held approximately 500 prisoners of war at Cabanatuan Prisoner Camp in the Philippines toward the end of World War Two.  These prisoners were largely made up of Bataan Death March survivors.  Men barely alive.  Allied/American intelligence knew that as our forces were successfully moving through the Pacific, the Japanese captors were killing POWs.

The rescue force of 133 US Army soldiers was vastly outnumbered.  Not just those Japanese soldiers in and running the camp, but very close by was a Japanese Infantry Battalion with approximately 1,000 soldiers.

So not only did Mucci's men need to get into the camp, overwhelm the 200 or so strong Japanese captors, rescue the POWs and escape; they also had to keep the camp down the road, from sweeping in and re-enforcing the camp guards.  That's where Filipino guerrilla Captains Juan Pajota & Eduardo Joson and their forces came into play.

Pajota and Joson with their force of approximately 270 Filipino soldiers coordinated a roadblock at the Cabu River Bridge.  This attack decimated the Japanese Battalion and took that pressure off of Mucci's forces.  It still wasn't easy, but it gave the Americans a real chance of success.

LtCol Mucci had handpicked Captain Bob Prince to plan the raid.  They had to go 35 miles behind enemy lines and they had to pull it off before Japanese to slaughter the remaining prisoners & deserting the camp ahead of McArthur's arrival on Luzon.  Prince's plan, featuring Army Rangers belly crawling across a large flat, open area right up to the camp landed him in the Army Ranger Hall of Fame!

The result - a great, great success!  This pic is the liberated prisoners.  Mucci & Prince lost only two men in the raid, which is astonishing as well.  I guess for today "BostonMaggie" can say - "Rangers Lead The Way"!

Global Tests - John Kerry Just Failed It

You know I don't believe in this crap, I have the sweatshirt (kinda tattered now) to prove it.

Back when SecState John Kerry ran against "W" in 2004, he made some ridiculous statement about "Global tests" during a debate moderated by Jim Lehrer

LEHRER: New question. Two minutes, Senator Kerry. 

What is your position on the whole concept of preemptive war?

KERRY: The president always has the right, and always has had the right, for preemptive strike. That was a great doctrine throughout the Cold War. And it was always one of the things we argued about with respect to arms control.

No president, though all of American history, has ever ceded, and nor would I, the right to preempt in any way necessary to protect the United States of America. 

But if and when you do it, Jim, you have to do it in a way that passes the test, that passes the global test where your countrymen, your people understand fully why you're doing what you're doing and you can prove to the world that you did it for legitimate reasons.

I went right online and bought one of my favorite items of clothing, evah!!!  It's a sweatshirt of Uncle Sam superimposed over a UN logo pointing & saying "I DON'T DO GLOBAL TESTS".  It's been eleven years, so when people ask I explain it's a belligerent retort to an obscure political statement.

Anyway, if you did believe in them.....the test took place in Paris, France over the weekend.

 Kerry didn't even show up - his grade?

F

Who Is Back On Pomalyst?

I'll give you a hint - I am blogging at 0500.

Never mind I have already screwed up.  I was supposed to start December 30th; lounge on the couch for 14 days and be done & have my head clear for my January plans starting January 16th.

I didn't factor in the chaos of the move.  Believe me I am thrilled with the new place...but happy chaos is still enough of a distraction.

So I'm three days late.  And I forgot to take something to pre-empt the digestive upset...strike two!

Pomalyst is taken at night, two hours after you've stopped eating.  Out of the fourteen days, two are also steroid days.  Steroids are best taken early in the day.  I got my burst of energy....but had to waste it looking for some lost paperwork.  Meh, win some, lose some.

But I am bummed, I will lose out on some of my January plans.

We're Moving!

I've haven't been this excited about a move since John Miller, Tommy and I left our apartment on the top of Broadstreet Ave to move to Rocky Nook in July of 1981.

When Tom asked me to move down to Virginia and live with him for a while in 2013, I arranged for a temporary place in Harrisonburg near JMU for June & July.  That way we'd have two months to poke around the rental market.  There were at the time, others who had a say in our choice.  I said I didn't care except for two criteria,  One, I wanted to be within a mile of public transportation.  I haven't driven in years, unless you count nipping down to the Craigsville post office or over to the dump. My second request was that it not be a ranch house.  I find them depressing.  I can't tell you why, but I've never lived in one ..... until now.  That's right we ended up moving into a ranch house twenty-nine miles from public transit on August, 2013.

Wha' happen????  I-a-no.

The only good thing that could be said for it as far as I was concerned was that Tom's commute to the correctional facility was nil.

Tom started talking about moving  just after last Christmas and I was like a four-year old.  When are we moving?  Can we start looking?  Well first decisions had to be made about where he wanted to go.  Would he move to another facility altogether?  Which one?  Or would he stay at this one and we would move into Staunton?

Well decisions were finally made and I found something so fast Tom's head was spinning.

It's an old tavern in the historic distract called "Gospel Hill".  It is 400 feet from a trolley stop.  Staunton has a good public transit system considering you're deep in the southwest of Virginia.  It's not Boston, but hey it beats having none!  I will be less than half a mile from the Amtrak station - no more scheduling around Tom.  The library is maybe three quarters of a mile - no more worrying about overdue books.  And right up the street is -  A CATHOLIC CHURCH!!! 

Not to mention that the main thoroughfare, East Beverly Street, is full of shops and restaurants.  There is a Shakespearean troup  and a movie theater.  It's a small movie theater, but the public transit system will drop at the front door of a big, new theater.  There are supermarkets and little specialty markets.

But the apartment itself has me even without all the great things around it.  It's old, it's got tall windows and high ceilings and wood floors and a long west facing front porch.

It's a triplex.  We are the middle with a couple below us and a family above us.  The porch seems sturdy enough, but up close you can see how badly it needs to be painted.  The landlord assures us this will happen in the spring.  The open living/dining area is behind the front door and first three windows on right.  Further to the left and out of this pic will be Tom's room.

In the back you can see that they have closed in the wooden porches.  That's where the kitchen, utility room, bathroom and second bedroom are.  As with many old homes there have been renovations over the years that did it no favors, but being a little strange appeals to me.  I like that it's not like any other house around.

There will be lots of cleaning to do, but so far there has been no sign of the mold I had to contend with out here in Craigsville.  And as a special bonus, as near as I can figure the overall household budget (rent, utilities, etc.) will drop about $200.  Thank you very much for this Christmas present Santa!

Last Pomalyst Pill....

...for December will be swallowed tonight.

And not a moment too soon!  My brain is seizing up.  Decisions need to be made and I am nearly incapable.  I am messing up other meds.  I am trying to arrange my Dr. Miller visit.  I am trying to remember things.  And I am nearly paralyzed.  I've been up since 10:44am (thanks Frank!) and only just out of the shower.

Pomalyst was none of the things I thought.  Unlike Revlimid which just put me to sleep, Pomalyst makes me shaky and dizzy, but unable to sleep.  My body is physically exhausted, my eyes are burning, but I don't sleep until I nearly pass out.  Even then, it's not restful.  It's full of strange, vivid dreams.  No, it turns out Tommy didn't come out to the living room the other evening and cut his hair and make a mess after I had just swept and washed the floor.  First off, Tom shaves his head to a whisper of hair these days.  He hasn't has curls in twenty years, lol.  But Sunday evening I dropped dead on the couch while watching CSpan BookTV (yes, I am that nerd).  I woke two hours later looking around for the hair.  Author James Robbins had been discussing his new book on Custer....I think that was the hair connection.  Anyway, I got up and went to bed and could not get back to sleep at all..  I didn't sleep until midnight last night.

New Chemo....and...STEROIDS!!

Relax.  You are all safe.  I am tucked away in the backwoods of the George Washington National Forest.

And Tom can just shut his office door; go to work or escape to his Dad's house.

With no license and no car, I am effectively incarcerated.

So....Pomalyst.  Don't Google if you are going to ask me questions.  I am not ready yet.

But steroids? We already know this story.  I have the living room pulled apart for cleaning.

 I only stopped because I was wicked thirsty.  Chemo aggravates my dry mouth (a common side effect of many medicines.... and I take many!!).

Back to it!

New Hampshire's Lessons

First - People say all the time that they want a candidate who votes issues and not party.  Voters claim to want an end to gridlock and politicians who will "reach across the aisle".

Clearly, if you are a New Hampshire Democrat who says such things yet pulled the lever for Shaheen......you are full of shit.

Shaheen has a proven track record of voting the party, and Brown has a proven track record of reaching across the aisle.

But this post isn't just about bashing hypocritical Democrats.  Oh no.  I am most disgusted with registered Republicans who bitch and moan about Democrats..... but stayed home yesterday.

I am so sick and tired of the RINO discussion.  I am not saying they don't exist, they do.  But labelling every Republican who doesn't toe the party line 100% a RINO is wrong.  And unhelpful. You play this RINO game and you defeat good candidates like Scott Brown.

Now you are stuck with Shaheen.  How's that feel?

If you are a liberal Democrat who voted for Shaheen because you believe in her and her issues - congratulations.

If you are a voter of any party who voted for Brown because you saw the value of moderate Republican and/or the danger of an Obama acolyte - good try, better luck next time.

But if you are a voter, particularly a Republican who disagrees with Shaheen or Obama and you stayed home..... well you are more of a problem than Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi.  You are playing some childish game you should have left in the sandbox.

I'm Tired Of Backhanded Compliments About The Pope

They are nothing new.  People wrote about Pope John Paul II the same way.  When he would write or preach to Catholics about some important tenet of Catholicism, inevitably some self important American would act like it was a sign.  A sign that the Catholic Church has found it's way around to their way of thinking.  So smug.  So self-congratulatory.  

It makes me want to retch!

And now it's Pope Francis....

The Pope preaches to the flock to love their fellow man.  How enlightened!  How modern!  

Well guess what?  All those commentators are about as narrow minded as one can get.  The Catholic Church was founded on the words Jesus spoke telling his apostles and followers to treat each other as they themselves would want to be treated.  It's been preached and taught for over 2,000 years.  And all those fat headed opinion writers act like they were miles ahead in this thought.  They disgust me.

The latest is a piece of satire reprinted at the Huffington Post by some ninny named C.J. Tuor.  The title of his crap is "It's Time to Start Ignoring Pope Francis".  Tuor thinks he's so funny, sarcastically pointing out all the "problems" with the Pope expecting Catholics to love homosexuals and feed the poor.  

Oh, my sides are splitting!  Not.

For the record, Catholics were always told to love each other and that while homosexuality was a sin; you hate the sin and love the sinner.  Sorry if that was too much for puny minds to digest.  And if you are gay and you don't like that and you want the Church to embrace your homosexuality, tough.  If you don't like what the Catholic Church teaches, then don't be a Catholic.  It's not a Democracy.  It's not a club.  If you don't like the rules, tough.  If you can't understand it, tough.

The Catholic Church says that if you are not in a State of Grace you can't receive Communion.  If you haven't gone to Confession, you aren't in a State of Grace.  Do you see protests outside Catholic churches where they carry signs demanding Holy Communion for those who think Confession is too much to ask?

The Catholic Church says if you have sex outside of marriage you can't receive Communion.  Do you see protesters carrying banners asking for equal treatment for adulterers?  If you know two people who live together without benefit of marriage, don't they love each other the same as two homosexual men?  But if you're gay, you should be above the rules?  Somehow the same Church that won't recognize two people living together, should make an exception for you if you're both the same sex?

You want to be gay - be gay.  You want to live together, live together.  You want to be two straight people who don't want to get married; have at it.  But if you want to come and tell the Catholic Church to change their rules to recognize your union, get lost. 

For the life of me, I will never understand the people who think it's ok to go picket or protest someone else's religious ceremony.  They'd be the first to scream about "separation  of Church and State" if they saw a creche near a public space.  But I could show you pictures of gay protesters throwing condoms at people leaving the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston.  I saw the pictures and nearly lost my mind.  Who the fuck did they think they were to put their views above someone else's right to practice their religion.  Don't fucking talk to me about equality.  You don't know the meaning of the word.

But anyways......I lost myself for a minute there.

Does the author imagine we are missing his digs?  How could  we?  They were too blatant.  Pope Francis tells you to embrace gays.....and the rest of the clergy are just mouth breathers.  For Mr.Tour's information, I was educated by a priest who has been saying such thing to me since I started 1st grade in 1966.  The same priest who called on us to help the poor and pray for those who turned away from Christ for any reason.

I love Pope Francis.  I loved Pope Benedict before him.  I love my pastor. 

The rules of the Catholic Church are the rules.  I don't always live up to them, but you won't catch  me crying that they should make exceptions for my weaknesses.

If you don't want to accept the rules and teachings then go away.  

If someone says that you can't buy a house in a particular neighborhood or join a club because you are gay; I am right beside you.  I will stand with you in that fight, and proudly so.  If someone says you can't have a particular job because you are gay, you fight that fight all the way to the Supreme Court and I am cheering you on.

But your freedom to love who you want and live where you want and have the job you want does not trump my right to exercise my freedom of religion.

And Mr. Tuor can write a hundred sarcastic, self congratulatory articles and it won't make him anything other than a fatheaded jerk.

You are wrong and narrow minded Tuor and a million fatuous barbs aren't going to change that.

HistoryOfBoston

This is a free online course that will be taught by Professor Robert J. Allison.  He is without a doubt, the perfect choice.  It begins October 20, 2014.  Enroll now!  It's free.

How awesome is this????  It's so awesome, I can't even tell you!  It's the total answer to my Jeopardy complaints.

The front page of the website explains why you should enroll.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BOSTON

Boston is the birthplace of the American idea of democracy. The Boston town meeting, where each citizen has a voice, set the stage for the American Revolution. In the early days of American history, the people living in the small towns of New England had more power of self-government than anyone else in the British empire.

After the Revolution, this ethic of local control led to the creation of the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780, the oldest functioning written constitution in the world, which separates powers to create a “government of laws and not of men.”

In the 19th century, a key part of Boston History was its place as global hub of trade and transportation. Its clipper ships set sail across the globe to China, Europe and South America.

Boston was also the center of the American industrial revolution. Boston capital financed the mills of Lawrence and Lowell. The Merrimack River Valley was the most industrialized place in the western hemisphere, and the wealth generated by the mills enriched Boston, allowing for the creation of the city’s cultural and educational institutions at a time when Boston was considered the “Athens of America.”

Billie Holiday Sings My Theme Song

This is my answer to everyone from now on.  It might sound strange, but there have been some people whose judgement I took to heart.  But I am done.  If you hear that I did something that you think is foolish or reckless.....my answer is "Who cares what you think?  Not me."

Jeopardy! What? What!

So I did not watch tonight's episode in real time.  I was making dinner.  But I am quite sure, down here in Virginia, I heard a faint screaming coming from the north around 7:45pm tonight.

After dinner was ready, I sat down and hit play.

It happened during Double Jeopardy! while I was finishing off my homemade meatballs and spaghetti.

The category was "American Revolutionaries".  The first question:

"DR. JOSEPH WARREN, A MASSACHUSETTS STATESMAN, WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TO DIE IN THIS WAR, IN THIS JUNE 17,1775 BATTLE"

Buzz "What is Lexington?"  What????
Buzz "What is Con Cord?"  Is he ordering grape juice?  There is a town in Massachusetts called "Conkid", but, yeah, no, that's not the answer.
3rd contestant - shrug.

Then a few questions later, after I have swept up the hair I have torn out, the second to last clue in the "American Revolutionaries" category is revealed.  It's the second "Daily Double" and the "shrugger" had the helm.  I guess that's when you felt that worldwide rumble as the entire US Navy, past and present groaned.

"UNEMPLOYED WHEN THE REVOLUTION BEGAN, HE WAS HIRED TO OUTFIT THE FRIGATE ALFRED"

Now, I know you're all rolling your eyes and saying "Come on, Maggie!  You can't expect everyone to know this answer."  And yeah, you're right.  Sadly, I can't expect everyone to know the answer.  But we should expect them to know what the answer is NOT......"What is George Washington?"

I have agita!  Last clue was about "The Swamp Fox".  I just said "Forget it Alex, they're not getting that."

I Am Diseased!

I have a head cold and I  must be rid of it by Saturday.  I have to many things to do for the ........TADA....event!

So the work has begun.  Pills, fruits, fluids, Clorox wipes.

I don't know how this happened.  I carry gallons of hand sanitizer.  I stay away from people.  I clean my own hotel rooms - you know the germiest thing in a hotel is the remote control.  I wipe down surfaces in fast food places.  I do not care if I look like Howard Hughes in his late phobic years.

But still, I have a head cold.  Damn, stupid myeloma!  As my number climbs the rogue IgA cells crowd out the useful white blood cells that fight infection.

I'm going to surf the 'net for homemade remedies while I drink enough water to float away.

Why, No Matter What, I'll Always Love My Bad Boyfriend!

It's true Senator John McCain, R-AZ has let me down a time or two.  Especially with our differing views on immigration policy.

He is exactly like a bad boyfriend.  I love him.  He lets me down.  He makes it up to me.  I take him back.  But in the end, I love him.

I love him with my whole, tiny, blackened, shriveled heart.

I love him for many reasons, but mostly, he's got the balls to say what needs to be said.

 Tuesday, September 2nd I had Fox News on in the background.  It was Greta (who I am not that crazy about).  But I hear her say that John McCain is coming on shortly.  So I stop what I am doing in the kitchen and stroll toward the living room.

Greta:  "Senator John McCain joins us.  Good evening, sir."

McCain: "Good evening."

Greta:  "ISIS.  What are we gonna go about it?"

McCain: "Kill 'em."

It's at about the 2 minute 40 second mark of this video.  There's more to the conversation.  But really.  That answer is all that matters.

"Code Words"....

...are giving me heartburn!

I get it.  There are some people who will use a euphemism or "code word" to condescend.  But sometimes to paraphrase Freud....."a word is just a word".

Last night, someone I follow on Twitter and think well of wrote that he found Rand Paul's "sexist" attack on Hillary Clinton "grating".  I was confused because I saw the same interview on "Meet The Press" or "Face the Nation" ( I watched them both) and I didn't hear "sexist".  The interviewer had just finished beating Paul up for doing cataract surgeries in Guatemala to garner votes in 2016.  It was embarrassing.  When the interviewer couldn't get around the fact that he had been doing such charity work for many years, she harped on the fact that he had his own camera crew there.  Yeah, shocking, a media savvy politician listened to his media people and brought a crew to film it - news at 11!

Now let us be clear, I think Rand Paul is a clown.  I don't want him to run.  I don't agree with most of his views.  We particularly part ways on foreign policy.

So, as I am when I am forced to defend donkeys like Obama and Rand Paul.....I am pained.

So back to Paul's alleged "sexist" attack on Clinton.  Paul described Clinton as a "war hawk" and "gung ho".  The tweeter explains that "gung ho" was "code" for "outspoken woman".  Well I had to laugh.  I pointed out that Paul was born in '63 and I was born in '61 and of an older generation than the tweeter.  When I hear "gung ho" I hear USMC slang and picture Robert Mitchum.

The tweeter asserted that Paul needed to be called out for saying "factually incorrect" things.  I replied that Paul could hardly be factually incorrect about his own opinion.  I further stated that Rand Paul was an isolationist and most assuredly saw Clinton as a "war hawk" and "gung ho" from a foreign policy standpoint.  I mean isn't it even more likely I have the correct interpretation considering he was discussing her support for going into Syria and used those two terms together?

I tweeted that I was tired of the "code" thing anyway.  It's very frustrating for people like me who just simply say what they mean and let the chips fall where they may.  I mean, to me that's what social media is about.  It's not supposed to be an echo chamber.  I don't go on Twitter for validation.  Good God!  I couldn't have more self esteem......where would I put it??  I go for the give and take.  To hear the different views.

But anyway, the young tweeter told me "I disagree with everything you said, I'm disappointed you've decided to 'correct' me when I'm not wrong, and resent this convo".  So I did apologize saying that I wasn't correcting just giving my opinion, but if he was upset, I considered the conversation over.  Because I don't go out on Twitter to make people unhappy (unless they are deserving of unhappiness).  But he was too upset (no I don't get it) and "unfollowed me".

And I get being condescended to.....I may be a white Irish Catholic from Boston.  And I know there is nowhere it's easier to be a white Irish Catholic than in Boston.  But I have had to listen innumerable times to cracks about bank robbers because I was from Charlestown.  Even though everyone in my extended family worked hard, bought houses and held down respectable jobs.  I have had people make judgements about my trustworthiness because of a few bad apples in Charlestown, when I was raised by a woman who wouldn't take a sugar packet out of a restaurant.  I have had people assume I was raised in a ghetto even though my dad was an executive for a Route 128 company and Charlestown was much more than "The Projects".  I have had people of color express surprise at how nice and fair I seem for a girl raised in a rabidly racist place (which no, it wasn't).  I have had people express surprise at my knowledge of other religions because they assumed Catholic schooling made me insular and ignorant of other faiths.

I have even been called "white trash" because people assumed I was in a Catholic school to hide from the busing in '75 and '76.  And I would reply that my Dad must have been psychic because he enrolled me in St. Francis de Sales Elementary in 1966!

What is my point?

No matter who you are, you have run into someone who judged you out of ignorance.  Is it like being subjected to brutal racism that people of color face every day?  No.  Of course not!

But on the other hand, if you are always looking for offense, you will find it.

And if I say "gung ho", I'm thinking of Robert Mitchum and Randolph Scott.

Let's Make Sure This Doesn't Happen Again

Last Sunday, My Marine had to use the Pike.

And boy!  Was he steamed!  I can tell you, "steamed Marine" is not as much fun as "hot Marine".

So let us not have a repeat tomorrow.

First - If you are not the fastest car in the passing lane - GET OUT OF THE LEFT LANE!  I can only say this is truly one of my pet peeves as well.  If there was one thing I drilled into all my boys as they got their licenses, it was; Don't be that ahhsshole!  The left lane is for passing and going fast.  I do not care what the speed limit is, you do NOT get to decide how fast other drivers go.  If you are tooling along in a 55 doing 65 and a trail of cars are building up behind you, move right.  And the fact that you are already exceeding the speed limit is no excuse. You go as fast as you want to go and the other driver will go as fast as he/she wants to go.  I have heard people say "Sheesh!  It's a 60 and I'm doing 70.  What do they want?"  They want you to move your stupid, inconsiderate ahhss over.  It doesn't take a psychic to read someone's mind in this situation.  If the other driver wants to go faster, it's not your call.  If he wants to exceed the speed limit, it's none of your business.  If he's breaking the law, you are not the State Police.  Unless you are the State Police and then the person nudging you to speed up or move is a clown.  Pull him over and club him.

Next - I don't know what you choose to call it; turn signal, directional, whatever.  Here on the Mass Pike we call it a "blinkah".  The purpose of the blinkah is to let other drivers know what you are about to do.  It is not part of the game "Red Light" as in......1, 2, 3, I'm in your lane just as I turn on my blinkah.  It is supposed to go on ahead of your move so other drivers can adjust their moves.  Now don't whine "But when I put on my blinkah sometimes the other driver speeds up and blocks me!"  Yeah, we've all driven next to that ahhsshole.  That's life.  It's not an excuse to be an ahhsshole yourself.  One or two car lengths isn't gonna kill you.  And if you needed to be in that lane immediately, you planned poorly.  So it's half your fault.

Do I really have to say "Don't text while you drive"?

 Do I have to say "Don't use your phone if it's not hands-free"?  Do I really have to point out that NO ONE can drive well and text?  Sure you can get lucky.  The road could be straight and flat.  You could have the thumbs of a thirteen year old girl.  The road could be kind of empty.  But the truth is when you are in actual traffic, your phone should not be in use.  When I see someone with the phone tucked at their shoulder I know they are A) distracted and B) creating a blind spot because they can't move their head.  And Heavens forfend you drop it!  Now you are really distracted.

Most people when asked, rate themselves as "better than average" drivers.  You know that's impossible.  So some of you suck.  And when you drive slowly in the passing lane, ride up people's bumpers, give them "brake jobs" or "life lessons", flash your brights, fail to use your blinkah properly or not at all or talk/text....you suck even more.

So don't do those things on The Pike.  I have a hot date coming up with My Marine and I need him there in one piece.

Because remember - in the end, it's all about me.

As I Was Saying.....

So when I am not reading Herbert Hoover's bio, etc., I read distracting stuff on the Kindle.  It's usually something short and fluffy.  A snack as opposed to my "meat and potatoes" reading.  Lot's of Zombie stuff.

The other night I wanted something different and I got an email from BookBub.  It's a free service that sends a daily email with one or two low price ebook suggestions.  I love it!

On July 27th I followed up on their suggestion of "I Wish I Could Say I Was Sorry...".  It boasted a #1 rating in the categories "Travel non-fiction" and "Biographies & Memoirs/Travelers & Explorers".  It had lots of 5 star ratings and mentioned that it was primarily about a young English girl growing up in Kenya as it's time as a colony ended in the 50s.

So I downloaded it.  It was only 99 cents.

Here's the same spoiler alert I put in my review.  I am going to tell you what I didn't like and you have to read the whole book to realize it.  Susie Kelly, the author, goes through her whole childhood and lists all the bad things and then there is no revelation.  At least not as far as I was concerned.  Adults in her life say and do things that she doesn't understand - typical for a child - but then, she never finds the answers.  Why did her father do "X"?  Why did her stepmother say "Y"?

Now I realize that not everyone's life wraps up in a bow with everything in order.  However, I do expect some answers when the person bothers to put pen to paper.  I read this book (it wasn't that long) straight through the evening of the 27th.  I wanted to know "WHY?".  After I finished I was peeved and wrote the review detailing this.

Here's my review -

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful

 Easily the MOST disappointing Kindle purchase I have ever made., July 27, 2014

By 

Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: I Wish I Could Say I Was Sorry... (Kindle Edition)

**Spoilers**
This book was ridiculously depressing and dissatisfying. After you suffer through her whole stupid, sad life, no answers! The author dwells on all the awful stuff that happened to her - everybody has some lows - and passes over the good happy stuff. I must say I totally misinterpreted the title, lol! I thought, "I Wish I Could Say I Was Sorry...." would finish up with "....but I'm not!" and there would be details on an interesting life well lived. But no, just drudgery and complaints.

I see it's rated highly and I am baffled. When you recount the people in her life who should have been there for her and weren't, I just want to line them up and slap them.

Hey, Susie, I'm here, you can apologize to me anytime you want. Thank goodness I only paid 99 cents.

The first reply comes from a woman identifying herself as Stephanie Zia, Susie Kelly's publisher.

Initial post: Jul 28, 2014 1:34:06 AM PDT

Stephanie Zia says:

Thank you for issuing a spoiler alert, though I can't see any spoilers in your review. As you are requesting an apology here for wasting your 99 cents, as Susie's publisher I am writing to say sorry to you for having to go through the purchase of and the reading of a book that wasn't to your taste. A book you read remarkably quickly for something you disliked so much, the offer only went out a day and a half ago. I am curious to know exactly what you based your opinion on?

So I reply because you know I have no problem with discussions and people disagreeing with me.  Whatever, it's fine.

There was someone else who replied, but they were trollish.  Stephanie was engaging me in a discussion, so I paid more attention to her.  I understood she was a little hurt.  After all, she was Kelly's publisher.

Your post, in reply to an earlier post on Jul 28, 2014 10:06:42 PM PDT

Diane Miller says:

I am a quick reader. Also, I was eager to get some answers, some resolution; so I basically sat all evening and read it in one go.

For me personally, the point of an autobiography is to learn something from another person's journey and self examination. Kelly didn't learn anything and had no answers. I'm not saying everyone's life has answers and wraps up in a pretty bow, but this was just a pity party. It sounds like a hard life, but she was just rambling.

By spoilers, I meant that I was revealing that there was no resolution.

But....

In reply to your post on Jul 29, 2014 2:47:43 AM PDT

Stephanie Zia says:

That's not a spoiler but an opinion. To which, of course, you are more than entitled to. Of course she could have added a whole chapter showing what she learnt from this difficult childhood: her successful life both professionally as an author, traveler and animal rights campaigner; and emotionally as a wife and mother and friend to so many who love her dearly, including thousands of fans who have never met her other than through her writing. But she's not that type. The resolution is there in this book. In one line (I won't spoil it for those who haven't read). That's the skill of this writer. I find your review such a strange one: you read the book in one sitting, you are so angry you want to line up the people who weren't there for Susie as a child and slap them. That's an emotional immersion that only a highly skilled writer can achieve. I have to say, I think the unpleasant sneering directed at the author says more about you than the book.

OK now she is apparently offended.  But that is not germane to my review.  Susie Kelly may be a wonderful person, but I am still ticked that she wrote this ebook with all these loose ends and doesn't wrap them up for me.  So I reply in this vein.  I say I can't say anything about her other books and fans because I haven't read these books.  And I say I am aggravated with the whole "says more about you than the book".  Everyone's review is colored by their thoughts and opinions and says something about them.  That phrase is a smoke screen.  I vehemently disagree that my being upset with the people who were emotionally abusing Kelly is because Kelly was such a great writer.  I wrote that a kid could scratch out "Someone was mean to me" with a crayon and paper and I'd wanna slap them too.  And I didn't like the "unpleasant sneering" part and didn't think that was a fair representation of my review.  I said my review wasn't about grinding any ax.  I hadn't even heard of Kelly before I ordered the book.  I was just expressing my aggravation.  Or something along those lines.  I can't quote it because Zia complained and got Amazon to remove it.

Then she left another comment crowing about it and mischaracterizing what I said

Posted on Jul 30, 2014 1:44:48 AM PDT
Last edited by the author 15 hours ago

Stephanie Zia says:

Pleased to see that Amazon noted and have removed the earlier comment by Diane Miller who wrote that her comments were intended as aggravation. We appreciate feedback from all readers and respect their opinions. Why anybody would go to the trouble of posting comments for the purposes of causing aggravation are a mystery, unless for the purpose of attention-seeking?

Yeah, I never said I wanted to cause aggravation.  And congratulations Ms. Zia, you have managed to aggravate me EVEN MORE!!!

So I wrote to Amazon to ask for a copy of the comment and a fair hearing.

So here I am.....beefing at you guys.  For pity's sake, don't people know better than to try and stifle me by now????

My Ripley Laptop Is Back!

It's got a new screen and a new back and they even replaced the missing #6 key.

We are going to surf and play.  I am so happy.

Thank you CTS Computers, Inc. and thanks to my friend Kathy who brought it there, picked it up and shipped it to me!!

I was considering buying a twin bed because my room is a little small.....but what was I thinking!!  It will have to be at least a full size bed so I can sleep with my laptop again.

I've missed you laptop.