Photographs and Memories

My friend, Kathy, recently purchased a darling little townhome in Bellaire. She had been living in the same house she purchased 30 some odd years ago and it really was time for a change. I can't believe how lucky she was to have found this darling jewel at such a reasonable price.

So, she's having her old house remodeled so she can lease it out. One of the daunting tasks she had to do was clear the stuff out of her closets. She threw bags and bags of stuff away. This got me to thinking about the stuff tucked back in my closets and maybe I should do the same.

Yesterday, I pulled out a box from my closet. It was a box of all my old journals and stuff. Obviously, coming across this caused me to pause and read through my past. Needless to say, the cleaning project was put on immediate hiatus while I delved into my past.

There it was. The letter he wrote me some 7 or 8 years ago. I had broken off our friendship, it was complicated. So many things have happened since then. She had come between us and the connection wasn't strong enough to salvage. And since breaking things off with her several weeks ago, I feel so damned free. I've come so far along since then. I'm so much more independent and self-determined now than ever before.

I feel compelled to send him a Christmas Card implying an invitation to reconnect. Do I dare?

Perhaps I should consult the cards.

Bon Voyage Astros

The World Series is over and the Astros are heading out on vacation. As for we Astros fans, well we're still trying to figure what the hell was going on with MLB. They insisted we open the roof to screw up the home field advantage for the Astros, disallowed the rally rags from being distributed to the fans, and (I assume) encouraged the umpires to make the strike zone as ambiguous as they could.

I was listening to Sam Malone this morning on 740 am radio. He made an interesting point. Apparently the TV ratings for the World Series was 33, 37 being the lowest. There was pressure to just end the series, so Bud Selig pushed to do whatever he could to end it. Among all the things that were discussed, the idea that they just felt pressure to end the series made the most sense.

I heard a lawsuit was being submitted agains the MLB regarding the roof. I think the suit should be directly against Bud but what difference would it make, really? In the end, he isn't going to reflect over his decision and regret it. I don't think that people, when they get to wealth and status of someone like himself, ever really look back and regret the decisions they made that made them wealthy and powerful. They may wish they didn't make those decisions but not if it means giving up the wealth and power. So, no matter what one says to them or does to them, it isn't going change who they are. He's a slimy bastard and will go to his grave that way.

The one thing that won't change is how much this city loves its Astros. And we are looking forward to a new season.

More Favorite Movie Quotes

Ok, Guys, it's time to get light and fun. So, after I submitted my "Favorite Movie Quotes", of course more surfaced that I completely forgot about.

"Remind me to slap your mama when we get home" Buford T. Justice, Smokey & The Bandit

"I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could’ve been somebody" Marlin Brando, On the Water Front

"Hold on to your butts" Juassic Park

"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition" from Sliding Doors (I know it originated from Monty Python

Satan in Sheep's Clothing

I saw Prime Time this Thursday and; what I saw sickened me. It has taken me a day to be able to put my thumb on it but I think I got it.

The episode yesterday began with a piece about 2 young girls, Lamb and Lynx Gaede. These girls are twins and are about 10 or 12 years of age. Both of them with blonde hair and blue eyes. They sing folk songs; one plays the guitar, the other the violin. So, what's the problem?

Their songs are about the greatness of white supremacy. They even have a song that celebrates the life of Rudolph Hess. These girls are scheduled to sing at the Phoenix Eurofest where Fritz Berg will be speaking. The deeper and deeper you look at these girls and the evil that is swirling around them the worse it gets. I don't know if I should be disgusted or heartbroken.

During the interview on Prime Time someone, not the girls, mentioned the hatred that one hears in Gansta Rap music that is embraced by many of the young African American population. He wants to know how is it any different. Ok, he has a point. If the Black population can sing about hatred and promote violence against the white man, why can't the reverse happen. It can happen and it does happen, every day. That doesn't make it right.

In most cases, and I'm aware not all cases, these African American rap singers who grow up angry and hateful got that way as a result of events that happened in their lives that kept hitting them until they broke somewhere. Maybe they were raised in the hood where they were beat by their parents, saw their brother brutally murdered by a cop or maybe a sister was raped. But the hatred they feel inside is a result of unfair and unjust events in their lives. Are they justified in being angry, of course they are. Should they push for hatred against their perceived enemie, no. Hatred is never ever productive.

Here, we have two, beautiful and talented girls whose parents are taking the time to ensure that they have hatred towards other races. They aren't beating them, hurting them or abusing them. They are taking extreme measures to teach them to hate as a part of their philosophy. What a waste of talent and of youth. These girls aren't fantasizing about growing up and becoming professionals where they can actually make a real contribution to society and be happy. Their future is in promoting the agendas of hateful white men who wish to promote the agenda of Hitler and the KKK.

It's just creepy.

More on Scientology

I don't know why I have taken so much interest in this thing with Tom Cruise (TC) and Katie Holmes (KH) but I have. It isn't their relationship with one another that I've been so interested in knowing about as much as it is his and her involvement in Scientology.

I have been doing a lot of reading; and I have to admit, I have been focusing on the control part of the religion. There is so much stuff out there on it now. It's quite impressive how motivated people are to make this information available.

Something I have concluded though is that TC is pretty clueless about many aspects of this religion. He has no idea regarding the concept of Xenu and Thetans based on this interview. I believe that Tom sincerely has no idea what the reporter is referring to in the question that he poses.

I can imagine the fear that Scientology has regarding the backlash that all this interest in their organization is bringing. If you put the term "Scientology" in a google search, the second link on the page is this one. I don't think that's very good for them.

I came across another interview that leads me to believe they are both being so totally used by Scientology. I don't think either of them realizes how much they are being used.

In one interview I've listened to, TC really is a bright guy and he seems very sincere but he also seems to think that many things evolve around him. I think that Scientology has something to do with this; they constantly feed his ego. If TC starts to get wind of some of the other aspects of this "religion" he might begin to pull away from it. He is their biggest spokesperson. That wouldn't be good.

Tarot Cards Arrived

My eagerly anticipated Tarot Cards arrived yesterday. I love them, they are soooo beautiful. I need to buy a wooden box for them and, apparently, I'm supposed to store them with crystals and sage. I wonder if the Magic Cauldren will have these necessary items.

The book that comes with the cards is excellent. It explains the cards and offers exercises to help me understand their different meanings. I can't wait to start reading them for my friends. I thought about putting a sign in my window but not everyone of my neighbors is going to be open minded about this. So, if it looks like this might be my calling, I'll just let it be word of mouth.

An observation I've made is that it seems that all of the tarot readers I've been to use the same deck. Do these people not know there is a place one can go to to find some beautiful and artistic cards. Artists have pulled together to design some fabulous cards, all of them committed to understanding the meaning behind each card as they illustrate them. The deck I selected is the Gilded Tarot. They really are just beautiful and are very deserving of their own wooden box.

I'm curious about Oracle cards, too. Here is a gorgeous deck called the Goddess Knowledge Cards. And the Goddess Oracle Cards look rather ulluring as well; something about the Indian overtones seem to add to their mystery.

Anyway, I'm thoroughly enjoying my cards.

My Favorite Movie Quotes

Ok, I'm playing, too. My favorite movie quotes as played by Amy, Freebird, Cathy and other bloggers I don't know yet. This is all I can think of now..... I reserve the right to add to the list. :)


"At this point, I'd spit on a spark plug If I thought it'd do any good" War Games, Gen. Jack Beringer

"Ferris Bueller, you're my hero" Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Cameron Frye

"Run! Back to the river, back to the river! Save yourselves!" E. T., Elliot

"You are my density", Back to the Future, George McFly

"I am Wind in His Hair. Do you see I am not afraid of you!?" said the wild and valient Wind in His Hair to Kevin Costner upon first meeting him at the fort in Dances with Wolves. And then....

" Dances With Wolves. I am Wind In His Hair! Do you see that I am your friend!? Can you see that you will always be my friend!? " Dances with Wolves

"I am somebody!" Steve Martin, The Jerk

"This is all I need. I don't need anything else..... wait, I need this chair" Steve Martin, The Jerk

And then, my favorite Star Wars quote would be Princes Leia's "Will somebody get this walking carpet out of the way?"

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehn, Good Bye

Music: None - NPR
Mood: Apprehensive

Last night our office held an all office meeting to discuss the goals and future of the company. One of the decisions we made in this meeting was to let go of one of our agents. This particular agent didn't really seem to want to invest much in the overall goals of the company but she wanted to be able to benefit from our success. I know that I have worked really hard to help our company grow and I've watched others succeed from the effort without giving anything back.

So, today we let her go. I'm very mixed over this. I really adored this person as a friend. However as a colleague it wasn't working. This is the second agent we've lost since we've opened.

I hope we made the right decision.

Wierd Dreams

Music: Silence
Mood: Amused

I had the strangest dream last night. I dreamt that I had decided to become a Scientologist. It started with my attending a session. The meeting place itself was rather unceremonious. It reminded me of the place I used to go for yoga classes. Those of us in attendance were not seated in any orderly fashion but rather lounged in an informal sort of way. Tom Cruise was there and believe it or not, I wasn't that excited about his presence, which is strange because I used to be crazy about him.

The activity we participated in was similar to a virtual reality game one might find at D & B. In the game, what was seen were small black dots. Using Tai Chi type motions, these dots were connected simply by using our fingers or feet to point to one dot then draw a line to the next dot. The lines from dot to dot were generally bright neon colors. It was a very simple activity, there didn't seem to be any challenge in it.

Then we were told what we were allowed to eat. All I can remember is that we were not allowed to eat onions. According to the leaders, we were to follow a path of resistance in order to be strong and wise. Onions allowed a path of least resistance. I happened to like red onions on salad.

I remember being dangled off of something similar to a cliff. It was a growth exercise dealing with fear.

I woke up from this dreaming thinking, what the hell was that all about? Obviously, I'm bothered by Katie's abandonment of self for something so dubious. But why was the dream so bizarre. Well, dreams have a tendency to be bizarre, so I guess I shouldn't question that so much; however, the dream was really pulling me to conclude something.

And as I was recounting the dream to colleagues I found what the dream meant to me. It just sort of came to me.

Scientology is bogus.

The Apostasy of Katie Holmes

Music: None - watching the Astros vs. Braves
Mood: Relaxed

Based on an article I read on Foxnews.com that basically states that Katie Holmes has abandonned her business allies (manager, publicist, etc.), has stopped projects and has stopped contact with her friends, I would say that she has in effect abandonned her life "Pre-Cruise".

So, let's fast-forward 6 months from now. The "Honeymoon" is beginning to wear off. Katie learns more about herself, Scientology and life overall. What happens when she doesn't share the same point of view on any specific issue with Tom?

A woman abandonning her ideals for that of a man's; does that really work? I know of stories of men who have bent over backwards to win over a woman, even if it means changing religions to satisfy parents. But does it really ever work when it's the reverse? I don't think Cruise has proven to be a good catch for Holmes. No doubt, there probably isn't a woman out there who wouldn't give away her first born for Tom Cruise. Let's face it, though those women have about as good a chance at having Tom Cruise as they do at winning the lottery.

I guess the bottom line is that it is my own opinion that women should never ever chase men. A woman can catch a man without chasing a man. But for a woman to abandon everything she is for a man who has yet to prove himself to her, that only spells problems. If Tom becomes abusive towards her, where will she turn? Who are her allies? She has none. She is abandoning her roots and her identity.

Knowing that this woman is a complete stranger to me, I sincerely hope for the best for her. The best thing for Katie is a family who steps back while constantly reminding her that they are there for her and that no matter what, they will always be there. I have a very strong feeling she is going to need them soon.

I think that the whole world is beginning to understand why Nicole Kidman divorced this man.

Tarot Cards

Music: Where I Come From - Alan Jackson
Mood: Blue

Remember the lottery ticket I took the time out to purchase on Friday prior to Rita, well I got 3 numbers from it and won $7. Yee haw...isn't that exciting! :) Hey, you never know, right?

Well, as a result of Rita I got a chance to get to know my neighbors. That is really nice and we've been hanging out ever since. Last Sunday, Jackie, Dawn and I went out for dinner and got to talking about ghosts and stuff. Next thing I know, we've decided to go get our tarot cards read. Dawn knew of a woman off of Westheimer, so we went there.

I actually regret having gone to this woman. I've never had my cards read where the entire deck of cards was used. I can see the logic in it and realize there are any number of ways that one can have their cards read. But I felt manipulated during this reading. This woman tried very hard to get me to focus on the negative part of my readings in order to get me to solicit further assistance from her to overcome it. She was able to get both Dawn and Jackie to cry from their readings. I wasn't that moved but I was very bothered by it. There was something about this gypsy woman that really bothered me.

I've had very good readings in my past and I don't mean good as in positive, just good as in useful. I have used American Indian medicinal cards when dealing with a crisis and was completely blown away by what came up. I actually did what the cards told me to do; it was amazing.

So, I decided to purchase my own Tarot Cards and learn how to read them myself. I found an awesome website: www.aeclectic.net . They have a variety of Tarot cards one can purchase; The Guilded Tarot cards selected me. I believe a book comes with the cards to help you learn how to read them. I'm looking forward to receiving them.

I had to mail my check in advance of receiving them. I went to drop the letter in the post office box at my local post office; you know the drive up boxes.... Well, the letter popped back out at me and fell under my car. So, I put my car in park, and leaned down to get the letter. I couldn't reach it, so when I came up, I hit my head on the mail box. Ouch. So I pulled up to go back and get my letter. The car behind me got it and put it in the box for me. I hope that wasn't an omen.

I'm blue these days.