Ba Loheme

Ever since I can remember, La Boheme has been a part of my life. My earliest memories begin when I was about 8 or 7 and my mother and sisters would sit on the sofa in our living room listening to it play from the Hi Fi. This was one of those reel to reel stereos before cassette players and CD players.

I didn't know the words but I knew the story. And the end always made me cry. Then when I was close to 14 or 15, my sister was listening to the vinyl version of the opera and so I joined her and read through the libretto for the first time. I confiscated the record and kept it in my room and played it over and over and over again. I used to play the 4th act repeatedly because I wanted it to stop hurting so much.

So, about 10 years ago I saw La Boheme for the first time. I was very very nervous about seeing it because there was so much anticipation. What if it didn't deliver the way I always imagined it would be like? Thankfully, it didn't disappoint and I've seen it few more times since.

This evening, my friend John took me and his oldest daughter, Sara, to see La Boheme at Wortham Center. For some reason, it was just off. I'm really very disappointed.

Initially we thought it started at 8. Thankfully we arrived at Will Call at about 7:20 to pick up our tickets; and were immediately greeted by the chimes hastening us to our seats. So, already we were off-kilter.

Then, there were the people in front of us who decided to talk during the performance. I hate it when people do that.

Musetta wasn't right. I think that her entrance and her performance, though lesser than Mimi's, is important and should be done correctly. Her melodies are beautiful. Here they went over the top with her flamboyancy and "loud" behavior. She seemed really shrill and not attractive. Her personna didn't match the delivery of her lines.

Then of course, there was the woman a few seats down and in front of me that felt the need to unwrap candy. There is no excuse for this. If you bring candy to the opera because you think you might want to eat some, unwrap it BEFORE the performance begins. It's not that difficult, really. The people around you do not want hear you unwrap the candy and then listen to you try to decide what you want to do with the little plastic wrapper when you're done. During the 4th act, this woman proceeded to eat a pear. WTF? No, I didn't hear her eating it, I saw it.

About 2 weeks ago, John and I went with friends to see Tosca at Opera in the Heights. There was a woman there who had an entire bag of wrapped candies in her lap and during the first act proceeded to unwrap several. It was horrible. It was so bad it was comical and both myself and my friend were desparately trying to stifle our laughter.

The ecoustics were off. When performing at the opera, there are no microphones so the audience relies on the performers ability to project their voices in order for us to be able to hear them. But for some reason, I had trouble hearing Rudolfo, especially at the end when he discovers Mimi is dead. I couldn't hear Schaunard (or was it Colline) tell him to be brave.

A cell phone went off during the first act in the middle Mimi describing her life to Rudolfo. Then during either the 3rd or 4th act some beeping alarm went off and it took at least 30 seconds or so for it's owner to silence it.

During the final lines of the opera, the sur titles projected the words "power off" so there was rumbling in the crowd while Rudolfo was crying Mimi's name. I wasn't paying attention to the sur titles at this point but noticed the audience rumble a little and become restless. It was like a wave. It was after the opera that John told me what he sur titles indicated.

After the performance was over, dozens of people headed for the door during curtain call. I never noticed this before and maybe it's because whenever John and I go to the opera we are usually in the first 7 rows. This time we were 18 back. I could not believe the number of people who rushed to the doors.

I sincerely hope this is not my last memory of La Boheme; I'm afraid it is not a pleasant one.

Me and My Guy

I thought I would post a few photos of me and my little guy, Seamus. He's the love of my life. Everyone should have a guy like him in their life. I feel so blessed.

This is us watching Lord of The Rings last night. He likes to watch T.V. with me.... well, I guess he's not watching t.v. here. Maybe it was a scary monster scene or something and he's hiding his face. :)

Persians like to do that.

They like to bury their faces against your hand or your neck.

Here he is helping me. He really likes being with me while I work.....like right now. He's on his back, letting it all hang out, snoozing away.

I want his life.

Why does it have to be so hard.

Ok, so I met with the design firm today to wrap up discussions about stationary, yard signs and such. I had my mind made up before going in. Then they had print outs of my stationary options. I couldn't decide between two of them. So they printed out 30 business cards from both designs for me to pass out and get opinions on.

My poor agents. I have been bugging them to death all along the way. I think they are ready for me to just make a decision and move on. It's not as easy as it would seem, you know? But I can tell you, I'm ready to give birth to this damn "baby".

I've mailed out samples to everyone I can think of.

The good news is that this is NOT holding up my web page. I think by end next week, we'll be able to launch.

Sisterly Visits

My Sister, Sunwolfie came to see me this week. We spent our time watching movies and doing needlework. This is a lot of fun for us, even though it probably sounds boring to most of you. We did, however, manage to go out and have dinner with friends during the evening.

I took her to Dharma cafe where we had dinner with my friend/her sister-in-law. We managed to finish 2 bottles of wine between the three of us and then proceeded back to my place where I concocted a drink with Tequila and Cranberry Juice, adding triple sec to the mix. It was actually pretty tasty. I had to add sugar to the mix. I'm going to try to experiment a little with this and see if I can get it just right.

Thursday night we had steak at my friend John's.

A couple of times we stopped at the Starbucks at Gray and Shepherd hoping to have a Timmy sighting. No such luck.

Unfortunately for me, I was fighting a head cold the whole time using Nyquil and Dayquil as my only source of ammo. I was so loopy the whole time she was here. In spite of it, we had a really nice time.

Oh, and what movies did we watch? Becoming Jane, The Jane Austin Book Club, Feast of Love, Death at a Funeral, Michael Clayton, Beowolf, Enchanted and The Squid and the Whale. Thumbs down on the last one.

I was at the bookstore Friday hoping to be able to replace a book I borrowed and destroyed; and I came across a book titled Mr. Darcy's diary. Anyone know if it is a good read or not?

Bad News - Good News

Remember the negotiation from Hell? The house was inspected and we discovered a problem that required us to need a specialist to come out and assess damage and repairs. This required my client to have to renogiate a term of the contract. It was like we were back at square one and I thought I was going crazy. The realtor on the other side just would not do her job. Finally my client looked at me and said, "Let's put a bullet in this deal and walk away". I was so relieved. (That's the bad news)

So, today a property came on the market and my client loved it. We put in the offer at 6 p.m. and at 10:00 wrapped up negotiations; we have a solid deal. This is a much easier realtor to work with. Oh, and for the extra little cherry on top, this contract is $80k more than the first one. (That's the good news)

Fun fun fun

I made a new friend last month and I can't tell you her first name because it is SOOOO unique. So, I'll tell you it begins with the letter "R". That's all I can say.

She invited me to a charity event this evening at Ra Sushi. PEOPLE. I had so much fun this evening. I don't know how long its been since guys have tried to "pick me up" but they were trying. "R" and I were each other's wing man. (I even tried to hit on someone; "R" had to break the ice) I don't know any other way to say it but I had so much friggin' fun!

Racial Controversy and Barack Obama

I've been reading about the racial controversy that seems to be surfacing around Barack Obama lately. I would like to point out that though my support is for Hillary, I think very highly of Barack. I see past his race. I have even had my clients who are African American tell me that I'm color blind.

But lately, because of the issues that are surfacing, his race is being thrown in my face. And interestingly enough, it isn't being thrown in my face by white people.

What most people don't realize is that African Americans make up roughly 13% of this nation's popularity. So it is quite evident that Barack's support goes well beyond that of his own race.

His campaign will be ruined if the racial card is played. I'll be damned if I'm accused of being racist just because I don't support him. And that's where I see this heading. If Obama doesn't win the primaries, will there be rioting in the streets? Will this mean that we have to hear Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton go on and on about how unfair this country is to the black man?

And if he does win, will African Americans suddenly believe that they are entitled to something more?

I heard Michelle Obama's speech where she stated that America was ignorant. I had a roommate in college that was African American. She and I had absolutely nothing in common with one another. I tried on numerous occasions to get to know her but that effort was not reciprocated. She would have her friends come over and I would be completely isolated; most of the time I could not understand what they were saying to one another. Segregation in this case was not forced; it was just natural. She hung out with her friends, I hung out with mine.

I have often discovered, even in my field, that there is oftentimes a racial connection between the real estate agent and his/her client. Is this forced or is it natural?

It is very unfortunate that the Democrats are stuck in this stagnant situation but I don't think that either of them should have to "blink first". Why? Hillary has donated 5 million of her own money in her campaign. What should be her reason to surrender first? And why should Obama surrender first?

I think this stagnation in their running is why this is surfacing in the first place. Had Obama won the primaries outright he would be moving onto the next thing.

I think that that which occurs whenever anything becomes stagnant will occur here. Slime and ick and all that stuff begins to surface and grow. So the question becomes, who's going to become the ickiest first?

Update on stuff

Well, I have received several e-mails from Lifelock telling me that they have indeed placed fraud alerts on my accounts with the credit bureaus and they also alerted me that I have been removed from the mailouts for credit card solicitation. Today, I received a note from Experian and another bureau that indeed fraud alerts have been placed on my behalf. I should be receiving my free credit reports any day. It is such a huge relief to have this taken care of.

I have made a new friend this last month and she came over today. I made us some pizza and salad and we watched War of the Worlds. You know, I don't care how many times I watch that movie, it disturbs me. I wish I could just watch it and remove myself from it but I can't. I can't believe that when it came out initially, I went to see it by myself.

I miss tv. But, I'm a trooper and I haven't watched it for a week a now. I went on to YouTube and watched all the performances from this week. Dave Cook's rocked. Kristy Lee Cook did superbly as well. She made the right song choice. Dave has to be careful. I remember how much I loved Bo Bice and then when it was down to him and Carrie, she sang "Angels Brought Me Here" and it made me feel emotional. It wiped out Bo. KLC was very very smart to sing "God Bless the USA". But Dave's version of "Billie Jean" was absolutely brilliant. I'm sort of disappointed to see how Jason Castro is turning out. I would like to see more out of him but I'm not sure he has it in him. Brook is really talented too, I liked her version of "Every Breath You Take".

I have nothing more to report. I'm going to bed.

Peace out.

Logo - Done

I am so excited. I finally have my logo!

(Sis, it's 1c and I asked them to incorporate the little design in 2 into my other stuff to help enforce the branding. They said, "Great idea", so I get the best of both)

I agonized over this step and it took a month to do. The company I'm working with is phenomenal! I love them. They gave me such an array of logos to select from; and they were so different. Each one gave off a different set of emotions and could go just about anywhere.

I must have carried the lot around for 4 days showing them to different people and getting different opinions. I walked away saying there was no commonality but I was wrong. I just didn't want it to be the most commonly selected one. Then I asked myself why and when I solved it, I approached them asked them to fix it. And they did and it's the one.

I'm changing the name of my company. It's not a major change it's a small one but it entails having to get another DBA. Augh! I probably should have done it myself but I'm hiring a company to do it and it takes about 4 weeks to do. It's not as simple as going to courthouse locally and setting up a dba. Since it's my LLC that's the dba, stuff has to be filed with the State of Texas. It's complicated. To me it is.

My website is supposed to up and ready to rock and roll by April 7 but I think I'm going to have to wait until the end of April before I can run as my new company name. This makes me very sad. :(

Rushmore

So, I'm watching my Netflix movie this evening.... just kickin' back and chilling. And the movie is going along and there is this scene where Bill Murray is standing on one side of the street and then accross the street a cab pulls up and drops of the character Max Fischer. The cab pulls away and Max is just standing there and the backdrop of this scene is the 11th Street Cleaners.

I'm thinking, wait, I know them. They're just down the street from me. So, I pause the movie and get on my laptop and google search the film.

Sure 'nough, it was filmed here in Houston. I never knew.

OMG, I found the exact scene on YouTube.

Negotiations

I am trying to negotiate a contract on a house and my buyer has a strong personality. The sellers of the house are very nice people and not as strong but they feel steamrolled. Part of that is me, I have a tendency to be harsh (I got that lovely trait from my Mother), and part of that is my buyer; once he's made his mind up that's it, he doesn't waver.

So, everyone in this negotiation has ruffled feathers. Me, the listing agent, the buyers and the sellers. We are inches away from a signed contract. But there's one more glich that has to be worked out. Hopefully it's workable.

So, at 11:45 this morning, I opened a beer. Warsteiner, a really nice German beer. I never ever do this. "This" being drink this early on a work day. I opened my fridge and there it was. I have to calm my nerves, this is a pretty big chunk of change on the table and I don't want to blow it.

I look at successful people, the entrepreneurs of society. These people are risk takers and when one is a risk taker one has to have the stones to move forward. One also has to have drive and that drive in me is what is scaring me. On the one hand, I'm moving a process along, that's my point of view. But the recipient of this is seeing this process as a steam roller process. Where is the line? How do I back off and move forward at the same time?

What is being a good negotiator? Is it getting the deal done? Is it a happy ending for all parties? Would I want me as my agent? I think so. I'm honest, I'm not going to lead my client down a path that I think is going to end up badly. Could I handle this process better? Absolutely, I just don't know where the disconnect is.

Where can I find a really good meaty class on negotiation skills?
**********************************************************************************

Post Script: My client just called; we have a successfully negotiated contract.

Day 1 - no tv

Ok, so yesterday was my first day without tv. Last night, I napped and then started a book. It's titled "The Tin Roof Blowdown" by James Lee Burke. I stayed up very late reading it and am half-way through. I hope to finish it by tonight.

My friend John, the foodwriter, has books sent to him all the time. I think way back when during his days with API he reviewed books. So publishing companies keep sending them to him. He has this basket in his home filled with books. So, whenever I need a good read, I go to him. He is the one who turned me onto Patricia Cornwell.

I really think I like the idea of breaking myself altogether of tv. I do see how I could benefit from cable, especially with HGTV where I could learn and understand how to re-do houses. Since my market is in the older section of Houston, being able to help my clients see how they can redo a small closet or open up a kitchen might very well be worth it. I think first, I break the habit, then I acquire cable.

I'm so excited about my sister's new dog, Kira. I hope she posts pics soon. It won't be until Christmas that I actually get to meet Kira but I have to say, I'm looking forward to it.

Ok, that' s all I have to report on the home front.

T.V. Dilemma

As many of my lurkers may already know, I have this love/hate relationship with my television. I never really had one until 2001 and I've compromised by not getting cable. I figure the less interesting stuff there is, the less I'll watch.

I got hooked on a couple of shows and now that plan is blown out of the water. Though I do have to admit, I watch less than I did a year or so ago. Just not nearly less enough.

I have made a new friend who has downsized considerably. Lucky me, I bacame the owner of a couple of beautiful wooden rustic pieces of furniture for my living room. One of which is an armoir that I have decided to use as an entertainment center.

Initially, my television fit at the top of my armoir with quite a bit of top room to spare. So, I thought, if I add one of the shelves, I could raise the t.v. higher. The tv is to heavy for me, so I had to wait till my friend could come over and help me.

My friend came by and we proceeded to put the tv in and discovered that even with both of us, raising it up to our heads was still very very difficult and we began to lose control of the tv. In order to regain control, we pressed the tv pretty hard against the shelf and I heard a SNAP sound. I said that I thought we broke something and she was pretty adamant that we hadn't.

Well, yesterday afternoon I began connecting my DVD player and antaennas to the tv and discovered we snapped the cable connector off the back of the tv. Now, I cannot pick up any stations but can use the tv with the DVD player. I have been told I can still get some sort of cable hook up for my tv even without that particular piece.

So, do I upgrade to cable or do I consider this a blessing in disguise and free myself from tv alltogether?

Mimi

You know, my sister's "dog blog" is inspiring me to think about my pets. I've posted about Seamus Heiney MacCool, Little Bear, Metisse and Musetta. But I realized, I haven't posted anything about Mimi. Shame on me! Here is her photo. Yes she has a tail, but it's blurred out, 'cause I didn't use a flash. Mimi should have been named "poopy pants" because that's her attitude. Here you see her with what's called a lion shave. At the end of tail is a little tuft of fur but you can't see it here. I believe she has some artheritis and that is why she is the way she is. So, I don't bother her too much. I give her kisses on the head and she seems to like that, but she'll get mad if I overdo it. She's a kitty only a mommy could love. I believe she'll be 12 this December.

And here is my little boy, Seamus, looking out the window.

Dreams and stuff

I had a dream last night that included my little brother.

I was at a game. I can't remember if it was a baseball or basketball game but I was in the stadium with someone I knew and it was during a break in play. While there, I receive a video on my cell phone and I proceed to play it. My brother sent me a video of him playing basketball and it looked professional. Meaning, it looked like a video feed done by a sports station and my brother was on a team.

He was wearing a white uniform, with blue seams and a red number and the point of view of the camera was from behind the basket as he was dribbling towards it and he did a slam dunk. Then I was in the video giving him a high five and I kept wondering how he got me in the video when I wasn't there. Then I looked up at the screen in the stadium and the same video was playing on the screen. I was embarassed so I stopped the video on my phone and it stopped it on the screen in the stadium.

I called him this morning after I woke up to tell him about the dream. When he answers the phone he says, let me guess, you had a dream about me. We are so in sync with one another, it scares me sometimes. You never want to play against us in pictionary. I'll draw just a few lines that no one can recognize and he'll call it out.

I know I refer to him as my little brother but he is really only 1 1/2 years younger than me. When we were young we were Pete and Repete...wherever you saw one, you saw the other. And most people were convinced we were twins. He's deep deep deep in my heart and we are closing the gap that developed between us over the past years.

He's looking at moving back to Houston, which thrills me. Now, if I can get him to work with me....that would be awesome.

More on Lifelock and Experian

I've been giving a lot of consideration to the lawsuit that has been submitted against Lifelock by Experian. The basis of the suit is that Experian is claiming that Lifelock doesn't have the legal right to place these "fraud alerts" on behalf of their consumers. They claim the individual has to do it themselves. What if I write a letter authorizing Lifelock to do this on my behalf?

But the basis of this lawsuit goes much deeper. It's about the cost to Experian and other credit bureaus that is driving the lawsuit. Once the fraud alerts are in place, they are required to generate free credit reports, I believe credit bureaus have to call the individual to confirm each time credit is applied for, etc.

But there is something that isn't being pointed out that I think should be pointed out. The people who suffer the most from identity theft are the individuals whos identity is being stolen. And the loss in measures of impact is much greater than they are to the creditors. The credit bureaus never had to feel this loss.

Now, the credit bureaus are feeling it. And they seem to believe their only recourse is to sue Lifelock instead of joining Lifelock's crusade to change the industry to make it more difficult for identity theft to occur. Maybe the credit bureaus need to call the credit card companies and tell them to stop mailing out so much crap. You know, if I need a credit card, I think I can figure out how to apply for one. I'm sick of shredding that stuff. Perhaps the credit bureaus should set up internal policies and procedures that require more inquiries whenever someone tries to set up credit to be sure that the person applying is who they say they are.

The credit bureaus up to this point could hold a neutral ground because they didn't have to feel anything. Well, now they feel it and they don't like it and it's putting them in the middle between the credit companies and the inidividual consumers. And they have decided to sell the consumer down the river by suing Lifelock than voice our concerns to the crediters.

Logos 2

I went to meet my Marketing/Design company yesterday. I brought all the logos with me that they had given me to select from. I narrowed my choices down to three. It wasn't easy. Though the logo boards are mine and I can keep them, I decided to leave them with them for the time being. I need a break from them.

I had been carrying them around with me for days showing them to one friend after another. I thought perhaps the choice would be so simple but each person had a different set of favorites with different reasons. I started to become anxious about my decision. It's important to me that I set the right image. Classy, elegant, yet approachable. I want high-end clientèle but I don't want to alienate some good lower end ones, either. It's a delicate balance.

So, now the next step is that they are going to play with my favorite logos and tweak them. I actually have 2 that I like one needs some "pop" to it and the other needs to be toned down a bit so that the name can be more legible. The third one looks very feminine but I liked where they were going with the design. I need them to tone the femininity down and make it a little bolder.

My next appointment is next week and I'll get to choose the one I like the most.

This is pretty exciting. I just hope I can have my web site up by April. I hope I hope.

Lifelock

Recently, I attended a seminar on Identity Theft. It is amazing how easy it seems to be for people to steal one's identity. Maybe the more appropriate word would be scary.

I decided that until I am ready to purchase a house, I don't really need any more personal credit. Any credit I apply for now, will be for my business. My business was recently approved for a loan so it is on it's way in developing good credit and I probably won't have to continue to use my own personal credit for it to get qualified for loans. I don't anticipate having to apply for more for at least another year. I don't mind having to go through extra, perhaps cumbersome, steps to apply for more personal credit if necessary.

So, I heard about this company called Lifelock. The CEO of the company openly gives out his social security number to demonstrate his confidence in his system. So, I signed on.

I've been doing some google research and it looks like Experian doesn't like them. Apparently Lifelock's method of protecting it's member's credit creates a lot of work for Experian. They feel that unless one has actual reason to believe they are a victim of fraud that the measures Lifelock takes shouldn't be implemented.

After further research, I understand that once one credit bureau is notified, then the other big 2 are notified. Those being Transwestern and Equifax. The process to apply for a fraud alert with the latter two is very cumbersome so my guess is that it is all falling onto Experian to process the alert and then notify the other two bureaus. This might also be why Experian is screaming about Lifelock.

I got a letter from my credit union telling me one of my accounts had been compromised but that they had everything under control. What was compromised, my social security number? I receive mail everyday. One day, I noticed I didn't get any mail. Was it stolen from my box? What constitutes a reason to believe I'm a victim of fraud?

Based on all the Credit Card crap I get in the mail and how easy it seems for anyone to access my information, and how fast identity theft is growing, I am increasingly concerned about my information falling in the wrong hands.

Everything Lifelock does for it's members, members can do for themselves. It's the hassle of doing it, sort of like changing the oil in my car, that deters me. I don't know how to do these things. If you go onto Experian's website, it takes a while to find the information to create a fraud alert. You have to dig for it.

Lifelock will also stop the credit card mail I receive. And they keep doing it. Not just once but every 90 days until I stop being a member.

I read somewhere, I don't know where it was, but I have a tendency to agree with this point: The credit bureaus make a lot of money doing what they do and having access to our information that protecting our credit is not really a priority. It is also my understanding that the measures used by Lifelock make it difficult for our information to be sold. One article went on to state that they really don't care. I believe that.

Logos

I am now over a year in my new business and it's time to begin a major make-over. The first thing to do is the logo design. The company I've hired has produced some outstanding logos for my business and I love them all. I'm very confused, though. It is so important to me to get this right. So, I've set an appointment with them for Wednesday to go over the logos and review my choices.

After I pick the logo, they'll design the signs and stationery. And then the last thing will be the website. My timeline is April, but I have a feeling we won't be done 'till end April. I want to have it ready in time for moving season but I think May will be ok.

I'm so excited to be doing this.

Sleep Deprivation

There was a really great report on 60 Minutes this evening discussing the effects of sleep deprivation. They showed that when people didn't get enough sleep they ate more and they also developed conditions that could lead towards diabetes. And, obviously, I feel better during the day.

I have two cats and at night, they want to play. It usually only lasts a little while but it wakes me up; and, most often when that happens I have been unable to go back to sleep. It isn't uncommon for them to wake me up at 4 and 5 in the morning. When that happens, I'm wide awake for about an hour or two and then I have to go back to bed and then don't get up until after 10.

Lately, I've been chasing them out of my room at night when I go to bed and not letting them back in until I get up. I have noticed a significant change in my sleeping as a result of this. I find I can get up at 9:00 a.m. every day. Sometimes, I wake up at 8:00 and can get up and get on with my day. I still wake up in the middle of the night but not as frequently. And my cats do get impatient and by about 8:30 a.m. are at my door meowing for me to get up and be among them. But for the most part, it's good. I get enough sleep and I feel better.

A tribute to Ziggy

I'm giddy right now. I know it's silly but I am. My sister has set up a blog, finally. Sunwolf Lightfoot

As I posted earlier, she lost her sweet dog, Ziggy. And now my sister is grieving. I learned when my father passed that everyone had their way of dealing with grief and then moving on. My sister is dealing with her grief by blogging about it. When my father passed, I sent out Christmas cards to every single person I knew and noted my father's passing in each one. I needed the universe to know of my loss, so I can understand my sister's need to do the same.

I admit, the circumstances inspiring the blog are not happy ones and I know how painful it is to lose a pet. And the pain and angst, in my opinion, is probably multiplied when the loss is as a result of having to put the animal down. I remember putting Metisse down and I couldn't stop crying for days. She was so cute and playful and suddenly, out of the blue, the vet said she had 24 hours to live. I was so sure the vet was wrong, I sought out a second opinion.

If I know my sister, the blog is to be a celebration of Ziggy's life and his legacy. After all, he was the first. And how ironic is that? My sister acquired him from her in-laws when Ziggy's owner could no longer care for him. Ziggy was named such because her in-laws decided that this would be their last German Shepherd. Get it? Z is the last letter of the alphabet. So, the Omega turned out to be the Alpha and Ziggy is to be the first German Shepherd in my sister's life.

Today she drives to meet Kira, a beautiful German Shepherd at a local rescue. I cannot wait to hear how it goes. I wonder if the original owners named her Kira after the heroine in the book We The Living by Ayn Rand.

Another video from The Other Guys

My nephew's band "The Other Guys" had a competition in London. On their way home back to St. Andrews, on a whim, while waiting for their train at Leucher's Train Station in Scotland, they made the following video. My nephew is the one in the very middle up front, with the scarf. That scarf is a Dr. Who scarf and goes on and on and on. My sister made it for him. The accoustics aren't that great but the moves are cute; the girl you see dancing with them choreographed the moves. Enjoy!

A moment for Ziggy

My sister's beautiful German shepherd had to be put down this morning. She had called me yesterday and told me he was sick and had some sort of aggressive cancer that had attached itself to his spleen. This afternoon she texted me "he's gone".

I thought perhaps he had passed away during the night and was relieved that she didn't have to make the decision to put him down. But when I called her, she told me that she had made the decision herself. Her husband is out of town and her son is in school in Europe so she pretty much had to do this alone. She's really broken up over it, he was a really sweet dog. He would wipe his feet before coming into the house from a walk or play in the back yard.

So, goodbye Zigfried Von Wolfhausen, you were a very good dog and I hope that you find lots of fire hydrants to pee on, cats, cars and postmen to chase, and a good man to be a best friend to up there in doggy heaven.

The Obama Advantage

I have been giving great consideration to why Obama is doing as well as he is in the primaries and why I believe he will have a very strong chance at winning the Presidency if he successfully wins the Democratic nomination.

Let's start with a commonly known statistic. When a Governor goes up against a Senator, the Governor always wins. Recent examples would be Carter, Reagan, Clinton and G.W. who were all Governors. So why do Governors win against the more seasoned and experienced Senators? In my opinion there are two reasons.

First, the Governor is perceived as not being "corrupted" by D.C. politics. They are untouched and represent a pure break from what the rest of us hate about Washington D.C. We naive voters hope this new "innocent" will be able to resist the corrupt D. C. machine.

Secondly, they don't have a record that sticks to them. Once one becomes a Senator, the deals and negotiations begin and votes are traded for favors, etc. The Senator develops a track record of voting which later becomes public record and then is used by the "enemy" to begin defining who the person is. The objective is to put the person on defense.

Ok, so here we have a gaggle of Senators running for the White House. Both Clinton and Obama are minorities and there is no way that either of them would have had a shot at the White House if they were to try to run as Governors. They had to prove to America that they were Presidential material by first proving themselves as Senators.

So, how does one get the Governor advantage? By doing as little as possible while being Senator so that nothing sticks. And that, my friends, is what Obama has been doing. We can argue until we are blue in the face that Obama has no experience but then neither did all the Governors who became President of the U.S. Even though Clinton hasn't been Senator for long, we know her too well and she has some baggage she may not be able to rid herself of. Notice how Obama doesn't defend his lack of experience and instead promotes himself as a "new page".

Obama has cleverly demonstrated his D.C. "innocence" by not accepting specific types of donations for his campaign. This is his way of giving the image that he is "untouched" by Washington politics.

So, Obama's advantage, in my so ever humble opinion, is that he has studied all the reasons a Governor wins these elections and has effectively found a way to wrap himself to be a Governor in Senator's clothing.

Very addictive game

Hey guys. I found this game. Beware, it's addictive. I don't know how to quell the music though. It's nice music but I'd like to be able to turn it off.

Boomshine

The objective of the game is to explode ONE dot that causes a chain reaction that explodes other dots. Each level challenges you to explode more dots. Levels 9, 10 and 11 are where they really have you pulled into the game; and it's really easy to reach those levels.

Have fun.

I'm not kidding, it's addictive. Oh and I found out how to turn off the music (the little speaker icon) but you still get zen sounds when you play.


OK, you've been warned... this game is very very addictive.....

And So it Begins

Augh, moving season is beginning to trickle in. I've been busy. But really most of the things I've been busy with this month has been very exciting. I have hired a marketing design company to do a make over on my company image. They are going to design my logo, stationery and website. I'm so very pumped. January and February are good months to focus on this type of stuff because it's slow.

But this last week I've picked up two customers.

So this means that I might be a bit scarce. During the day I have lots of things I want to blog about but at the end of the day, I'm dead. I become a vegetable. I pick up the remote control and start mindlessly flipping through all three channels. I don't have cable... I'm too frugal. Every dime is going into the building of my business. But next year..... next year, I'll have cable AND maid service. And hopefully blog just a wee bit more.

Bored Dot Com

I was bored so I googled "fun things to do online" and found this cool website. www.bored.com.

Anyway, I went there and created the following Masterpiece. IT'S A MASTERPIECE, I TELL YOU..... A MASTERPIECE.


Click here to create your own painting.

I voted

Well, I did it. I voted in the Primaries. First time ever for me. And I voted for Hillary, a Democrat. My father is rolling in his grave, I just know it.

No! Say it isn't so!

Apparently YouTube's DNS has been hijacked and the whole sight is down..... Augh! I need my comedy fix.... somebody, make it stop.

Von Lee Smith - Another one to watch

Another recently discovered talent, Von Lee Smith, surfaced some time last year and was on "The View". This is his performance. I don't know what's become of him since his performance below. Does anyone know? This video is pretty good and you can see he's very talented and demonstrates a very broad vocal range.

He probably can do just about anything. You can also go HERE to other videos - his version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" is outstanding.

Josiah Leming - A Star is Born

I am absolutely crazy in love with this kid. He auditioned for American Idol, made it to Hollywood and then got cut. He was having trouble working with others and with other material. I think they did a big favor for him by letting him go. I know a lot of people are upset by it but I don't think he would have been able to shine because he was having so much trouble working with the unfamiliar. And that's part of how you grow with AI. If the performer can't go out of his/her comfort zone, then he/she can't grow. He is still somewhat pretentious but so were Elton John & Bernie Taupin when they first started.

I sincerely hope this kid grows and isn't just a flash in the pan. That's up to him, though. Enjoy the video.

More on Joran Van Der Sloot

As you can see, I'm still really caught up in this. I found this video on YouTube. It is an interview the Joran Van Der Sloot had BEFORE the televised confession. He had no idea what was going to be televised, he just knew it was something he had said. Note that when they make reference of the person that helped him dispose of the body, he doesn't deny it. He actually plays down his relationship with the person that helped him.

Additionally, HERE is a very interesting article that puts more of these events into perspective, including how much involvement Van Der Sloot's father had in influencing Joran's answers to the police interrogation from the very beginning of the investigation.

Campaign Science

The "candidate matchmaker" I have posted just prior to this post has really been making me think. For some time now, I've been posting about my thoughts and opinions regarding the Republican Party and how I'm ready to abandon ship and go Democrat. Even going so far as to declaring my desire to vote for Hillary Clinton.

If someone told me 8 years ago that I would be voting for Hillary, I would have laughed in their face. Fast forward to today and that's where I am. I am about to vote for "the enemy".

So, I take the quiz and I discover that based on my answers and Hillary's existing position on the issues she is the least compatible with my views on politics and Huckabee is the strongest. And yet, I still want to vote for Hillary.

That's where the science of campaigning has to be an extremely fascinating phenomenon. I'm curious about the different markets that candidates have to woo. I guess I don't fall into the "I want to see where they stand on the issues before deciding" market. Because, obviously, I'm voting for the one I'm least aligned with. How do candidates decide to market themselves? What do they throw away and what do they keep as benefits for their constituents.

I guess it goes back to the seduction of G.W. I fell for him.....hard. And then I regretted it. So what difference does it make if they line up or not.

James Carville is the only political consultant I know of and I really know so little about him. But for some reason, I feel like I know of him well enough to think he's probably the best. But I'm sure timing is everything. Bill Clinton's campaign was the right time for Carville. Still, I would have to think that listening to his strategies and the reasoning behind them would be absolutely fascinating!

Who is your match?

I took the quiz and shockingly was told I'm closer to Huckabee than to either Clinton or Obama...... Interesting.

It's Decidedly So

I have given it a lot of thought and I feel very comfortable with my decision to vote for Hillary. Both in the primaries and in the big election.

I think this is our only shot at getting a woman in the White House. That isn't the only reason I'm voting for her. I honestly do not think that either McCain or Huckabee have the charisma to win an election for President. I'm tired of the Republican way of doing things.

I think that Hillary has a lot of experience and she has an extremely intelligent man at her side who understands people. I like Obama but I just don't think he has the experience.

So, I'm really excited about voting in the Primaries becuase I've never done it before. I never would have thought that when I did actually get around to doing it that it would be Democratic Primaries. Interesting how times and people change.

Curious Kitty

Seamus is very curious about the workings of my printer. Every time I fax, scan or copy something, Seamus becomes the detective.

Joran Van Der Sloot

I watched the interview on 20/20 last night and I've been reading the fallout from it. Specifically the response by Van Der Sloot's attorney.

This is what I think. I think he lied about calling someone to dispose the body. I believe he disposed of it himself. The events around his friend coming over to dispose the body and Joran's walk home apparently don't line up. The phone call from the phone booth couldn't have happened because it doesn't take local calls. I believe that he was on the beach with her and I believe that while she was with him she died and I believe that he did absolutely nothing to help her and I believe he disposed of the body.

And the fact that he did dispose of the body implies to me that he was somehow involved in her death.

One thing is for sure; his attitude regarding the entire episode has been and continues to be absolutely disgusting.

I wonder if his parents continue to feel compelled to unconditionally stand behind him.

My Top 10 Superbowl Facts

I love the SuperBowl. It's the party and the commercial and tradition around it that I love so much. I don't watch a minute of football during the season and I pay very little attention to the statistics throughout the season but I'm always aware of the upcoming event.

So, I found a site that lists 40 amazing Superbowl facts. Below are my favorite 10. The link to the site is at the bottom of page.

1) Per their contract with FOX Sports, camera operators will get paid a bonus every time they show a celebrity in the stands -- and the bonus doubles if the celebrity is young and female.

2) Super Bowl footballs are made from specially modified pigs commissioned by the league with "NFL" watermarks tattooed into their skin.

3) A recent study was supressed because it revealed the TV average viewer loses 2.6 I.Q. points while watching the Super Bowl.

4) The current Motorola headsets used by sideline coaches feature military-grade voice encryption.

5) The week before the Super Bowl is the peak U.S. sales period for beer, soda and urinal cakes.

6) The NFL commissioner's office gives a pair of tickets for the following year's Super Bowl to the parents of the first baby born after kickoff.

7) Cruise ships are forced to remain in port the day of the Super Bowl because the last three times Boston and New York teams played for a sports championship, the game coincided with the sinking of the Titanic, the Andrea Doria and the Lusitania. This doesn't make sense to me, there were no superbowls when the Titanic sank.

8) The number of chickens used to meet the nationwide demand for hot wings during the game is roughly equivalent to the population of New York City.

9) At one point during their 1980 Super Bowl season, 31 players on the Los Angeles Raiders 40-man roster were convicted felons.

10) New technology proposed by the FCC would determine when an obscenity is spoken by fans attending the game, who would then be required to pay fines as a condition of leaving the stadium.

The source of these Amazing but True Facts is HERE. Enjoy!

Closure

There are some national stories that linger with me for a long time primarily because I need closure in order to move on. Schapelle Corby is one of those stories that I just keep waiting will have a happy ending. I wonder about her now and then. Unfortunately, I'm not optimistic about her fate; I wonder if she were American if it would have turned out better for her

The other story I've needed closure on has been the story of Natalie Holloway. I went on to FoxNews.Com this morning and at the top of the page is a report that the confession that was pulled from Joran van der Sloot by a hidden camera is admissable in court. That arrogant piece of ---- is going to get what's coming to him.

A Great Day

I had such a great day today!

I have to be honest, though, it didn't start out great. I have an e-mail problem. I cannot send mail from Outlook through my business e-mail account. I can receive but not send. My host is GoDaddy. They are telling me it's not them but the more things I try, the more it points back to them. So we'll see.

I have a friend who owns a title company here in Houston. Once a month, she invites various people she knows, i.e. realtors, mortgage people, etc. over to her office for a game or two of Pictionary. I kick ass at this game. I had so much fun. We played two games and had so much fun.

Then my girlfriends called and we went out, as we usually do, to Trulucks for drinks. Then we headed to Sambucca's for more drinks. Initially, I had their Wedding Cake martini but for some reason, it just didn't deliver. So, I followed it up with a Tiramasu Martini. Perfecto!

I LOVE MY GIRLFRIENDS!!!!

Seamus-isms

As everyone knows, I am just crazy in love with my little Seamus. Whatever I'm doing he has to somehow be involved.

Initially, I placed the litter box in the bathroom. I had to put it someplace where I would see it all the time so that I would remember to empty it. I'm the "out of sight out of mind" sort of person. So anyway, every time I would use the restroom, Seamus would jump in the litter box and potty. And if he didn't need to, he would still get into position.

A friend gave me her automatic scoop litter box and it's very big, so it doesn't fit in the bathroom. It's in my project room. I love it, it's wonderful. Now all I have to remember to do is empty the waste receptacle part of it.

I cleaned out the old pan and it's sitting in my bathroom until I decide what do to with it. So, Seamus being Seamus, still thinks he should jump in it every time I use the restroom. He doesn't do anything but he definitely thinks he's doing what he thinks I'm doing.

Spinning Wheels

This month has been busy and I feel like all I've been doing is spinning my wheels. I've had a couple of lease deals fall through and I'm trying to get a short sale to close. The mortgage company is not very good at returning calls. I feel like I'm calling into the Borg every time I call. When they do return a call, if it goes into my voice mail, all they do is identify who they are and tell me they are returning my call. They don't address any of the questions I pose in the voice message I leave with them. All the while I'm working against a time clock. Tic Toc Tic Toc

My agents require quite a bit of hand holding right now. They are a priority so, it's ok. I was anticipating this. They are both already bringing business to the table so it is in my interest to help them as much as possible. But it's messing with my focus as I try to assess what is important.

Some days I wish it wasn't my company. But that soon passes and I know that in the end it will be worth it. I have to be patient and develop a plan.

I was thinking that maybe I would have an office in the middle of the year. That might be too ambitious and I may have to rethink that possibility. It all depends on how we do this year. I'm not willing to do too much on credit and that's where the pressure is. I have positive cash flow and I don't want to mess that up.

It's hard to know where to be frugal and where to spend. Baby steps, I suppose.

Odette - South African Diamond

This is one of three needlework pieces I did at my sisters this Christmas. The designer of the art is named Odette. Not sure of the last name, it may be Wright or something like that. This was a fun piece to do. My sister is going to teach it at the Needlework Guild in Virginia.

I need to photograph the other pieces I've done. I'm trying to decide if I want to wait 'till I've framed them first.

I have a project room

Whenever I visit my sister in D.C. we do things like make necklaces, needlework, paint, make beads from polymer clay, create origami ornaments, etc. And she has converted the second bedroom of her house into a project room.

Well, now I have a project room. So, whenever the mood hits me, I can go into my room and find what I'm looking for. AND, though it's hard to see from this photo, I have my drawers labeled so I can find whatever it is I'm looking for.

In the right side of this photo (not showing) is my sewing corner where I have a dress form, a sewing machine and cabinet with patterns and fabric. I'm so excited to have this room finally organized. I still have a few boxes I need to go through and I also need to buy a bookshelf and perhaps either on cabinet or another set of storage bins.

I love Clutch

My friend with the season tickets to the Rockets wasn't available to go to the game today so she asked me if I wanted her tickets to take my brother. Hell Yes, I said. So, I took my brother to see the Rockets play the New Orleans Hornets. A slightly better team than us and Yao Ming just wasn't himself today. We lost by 3 points.

But this little guy, Clutch, is so damned cute. I just love watching him. What a great job to have. I'm sure that the guy in the costume complains that it's hot but he does it so well. How cool it would be to actually collect a paycheck doing his job!

Rise and Shine!

I wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of Van Morrisson's "Brown Eyed Girl" blaring out of someone's car. I roll over to look at the clock and it's 5:30 a.m. WTF? Who parties at 5:30 a.m. Along with the sound of the music is hootin' and hollerin' like someone is being cheered on. Is it a drinking binge, I wonder. At 5:30 a.m.?

So, then they turn the music down and it gets quiet. Thank God. But then, just a few minutes later, they turn the volume back up, same song, same hootin and hollerin. Then they turn it down. I'm thinking, cops are going to come around and cool this off, surely. It continues like this for about 30 minutes. I notice flashes of light through my window, like a photo flash or maybe it was police flash I wasn't sure but the music and shouting continues.

Finally, I roll out of bed to look out the window. I have an 8 ft fence around my duplex but because the building itself it raised on top of crawl space, I can actually see over my fence and onto the street. I live on a very busy street.

I see people, a lot of people, walking on the street. And then I remember, today is the Houston Marathon. I just didn't realize it was going down my street. Apparently the Marathon directors allowed walkers to start early, and that is what was passing my house. Each time new people walked by, the van of enthusiasts would turn up the volume and cheer.

Finally about 30 minutes later, I heard the helicopter approach and then fade away. They were following the lead runners. After that someone thought it would be cool to play a snare drum in beat to help the runners as they went by. I think it got quiet again at about 8:30.

I am not a morning person and this is why I don't have a gun.

Trust and Politics

From responses to my previous post, I see that perhaps we see all Presidential candidates as narcissistic individuals that want to be President. Truly, there has to be some personal reward in the position. I think that a selfish agenda probably is very important in order to create the drive one would need to make it to the finish line as the winner.

Now the questions is "what are we afraid of?" When someone is selling us something we instinctively don't trust the person doing the selling. We know they want our money. They want us to part with it and in exchange we are supposed to receive something of equal value. Our fear is that we aren't actually receiving what we paid for.

So, what are we afraid of when it comes to our President? Each one of us has our own set of fears, I suppose. With Bush for example, he seems to be on a single track and he's hellbent on seeing it through, right or wrong. Parents across the nation are losing their sons and daughters. That's worth being afraid of. What about the loss of individual rights and freedoms? How do we lose those rights?

We lose those rights when we are afraid. When we are faced with a scary situation, we decide to give up our freedoms in exchange for "safety". The more afraid we become the less we want to risk.

So, do we vote for someone who will protect our rights or do we vote for someone who will protect us from terrorists? Or from evil corporations that want to destroy our environment? Or from our health costs? Are we voting for someone to take care of us?

If we are buying into an argument from any candidate that equates to "I'll take care of you and protect you from (insert whatever here)" then perhaps we should be afraid. When you give anyone the power to protect you then you also give them the power to enslave you.

Thoughts on Hillary

Ok, so I've been giving further thought to Hillary and her campaign. Oftentimes I come across little bites of conversation where her name comes up and I hear a similar theme. It isn't expressed, it's implied. "Can we trust her?".

I was getting ready for a breakfast meeting the other day and I was listening to Dean and Rog (FM 93.7 The Arr0w) and they were discussing Hillary Clinton's emotional moment that's been reported all over the news from New Hampshire. They were discussing whether or not it was sincere. Everyone guesses at her sincerity and I believe I can put my thumb on it.

It goes back to the famous 60 Minutes interview back in '92 after Clinton had won the primaries. (the complete dialog of that interview is here) His affair with Jennifer Flowers was the big question. He denied the affair and Hillary stood by him and was rather defiant about it.

It was implied during that interview, that the affair-like behavior was behind him. It was also implied in that interview that he and Hillary loved each other. And I think that Clinton made a mistake when asked if he successfully put the issue behind him he said "That's up to the American people and to some extent up to the press. This will test the character of the press. It is not only my character that has been tested."

In that interview, he and Hillary were trying very hard to come across as not only a loving couple but also as a devoted team. America always wants sincerity from her candidates. We want to know that if trust someone with our vote that they aren't going to sell us down the river. We need and want to believe that they understand our daily lives and struggles and that once they are in that isolated culture on the hill that the won't forget the values of those who helped them get there. We want to believe they say these things to us not just because the want to be President. Whether our wants in this manner are realistic is not the point, it's what we want.

I think America watched this man's affairs unfold and then we watched Hillary. We watched her very closely and when she continued to stand by her man, we questioned why. Hillary wasn't a waif. She is a strong woman and had she not been the President's wife, she would have walked. But she didn't walk. She stayed and Americans believe she stayed not because she loved him but because she had an agenda. She looked at Bill and said I scratched your back, now you scratch mine. And so here she is running for President.

But she is Hillary, with an agenda running for President.

I like her and I've considered voting for her as I have said in previous posts but I can't help but refer back to the gut feeling inside that she wants power. Is she the male version of Bush? I don't know but I wonder. I can't help but think that if she had been a more a personal intimate partner or confidant to her husband he might not have had such a lack of reverence for his position as President. I think that since she was as ambitious as he that he didn't have an outlet, so he turned to women who could keep things fun and light. Notice that these women he pursued were not power mongers but were indeed the opposite of Hillary. He needed a release from the pressure of politics and he couldn't turn to her for that.

I'm very curious about her and would like to believe but I'm not sure and I don't know if we can ever know unless we just give her a chance.

Did he or Didn't he?

For many this particular subject is going to have little meaning. But for me, Roger Clemens has been a source of interest for a couple of years, specifically when he played for the Astros and we had real shots at the World Series. I have jokingly hated the guy for going back to the pinstripes but truth be known, I think he's awesome.

My younger brother and I spent over thirty minutes on the phone this afternoon discussing this very issue.

I'm torn. My perception about the Rocket is that he truly loves the game and that he challenges himself to do well every time. He's disciplined and has been an inspiration to many players and wannabe players. I find it so very hard to believe that he would have participated in performance enhancing drugs. My brother brings up a point that he probably used them when he was coming out of retirement to help speed up his "recovery" so he could get back into the game. I would buy into that and don't see that as an issue. I don't think for a second that he used them to actually enhance his performance during the season. And I don't believe he used them in key months of play (July - August) as McNamee suggests. His skills as a player are just too consistent for me to think he was relying on these drugs.

I think he made a mistake having the recorded call with the trainer that ratted him out and then making it public. I was listening to Dean and Rog this morning, they're local morning talk on FM 93.7 The Arrow; and I think it was Rog that made the comment that it didnt seem as though the two men were speaking to each other. I was waiting for Clemens to ask the question: "Why'd you do it?, Why'd you say that about me?" But he didn't. The call seemed like a dance of sorts and really wasn't conclusive enough for me. Here is an article about McNamee, the trainer, and even here it is unclear that McNamee's stance is so solid.

If Clemens has to back down from his claim that he didn't do it, it's going to look really really bad for him.

And, if that isn't enough, from my conversation with little brother, I find out that Pujols is named as well. And, oddly, I do believe he does steroids.

Anyway, I'm actually looking forward to hearing his testimony before congress whenever that is supposed to take place.

And then there were Three

I hired another agent. Now I have two agents on my team. My goal is five by June. Now, I feel like I have a real estate company. When it was just me, it felt funny calling it a "company".

Next step: A new professionally designed website...... I can't wait to get that done.

Basketball been bery bery good to me.

I went to the basketball game this evening and watched the Rockets clean up the court with the Knicks. 103 - 91 was the final score.

Baseball has been my favorite. It's a pass-time for me. An opportunity to kick back and spend quality time with my brother.

But I have to admit, basketball is pretty fun. My friend bought season tickets and she has invited me to two games so far. We have so much fun. I love our little mascot, Clutch. I love the high energy and watching the girls dance on the court during timeouts and between halves. I envy all that energy.

Having seats just 8 rows from the court doesn't hurt either. We're right behind the net.

It would be just so awesome if we made it to the Finals this year......so awesome.

Who's a sweet boy?

Seamus is here resting on my arm while I do work on my computer. You can't see it in this photo but his other paw is underneath my arm like he's hugging me.

I really missed him when I went on vacation.

Home from the Holidays

I arrived back from my visit to D.C. today. This is the first time that I have stayed with my sister through both Christmas and New Years. I had a good time and hope that it wasn't too long for my sister. I would like to do it again this year.

We don't really venture out when I visit. I've already done the Smithsonian, Alexandria, Fredericksburg thing. Though we did come close to going to Monticello but it was cold and rainy the day we selected and my sister and I decided to stay inside and continue on our projects.

During my visit I managed to do three needlepoint projects (photos are forthcoming, I'll post them later). We watched all 8 episodes of Horatio Hornblower, which I absolutely loved. We watched 3 of the Sharpe's series; my brother-in-law got 5 episodes but we only had time for 3. Interestingly, I had some difficulty following everything that was going on in the series. We also watched the entire 4 hours of A&E's Pride & Prejudice in addition to the movie version that starred Keira Knightly.

My favorite was Horatio Hornblower. I simply loved that character and think that the actor that played the role was perfect. Last year when I visited my sister, we watched the entire season of Firefly. I felt the same way about that series; I can't beleive it didn't continue beyond.

Last year before I left we started to watch the Hamish MacBeth series. I think we got throught 2 but for some reason we didn't pick it back up. I think we were really hooked on the late 18th early 19th century Brittish stories. We even through Dances with Wolves in the mix this year.

I really can't believe how much we squeezed in. In addition to this we did manage to celebrate Christmas and New Years and even visit with some friends.

I had a realtor that I could forward my calls to so I was able to pretty much disconnect myself from Houston. Besides the fact that the surroundings of Arlington are so different from Houston but so are the sounds. Sirens there do not sound like the sirens we have here in Houston. For some reason they sound more ominous. My sister's house is very close to Lee Hwy and I hear them often while visiting.

I'm glad to be home and back with my pets, especially Seamus who I really missed.

It's hard for me to leave my sister; both of us become very anxious when parting. Sometimes I wish I had moved to Washington D. C. back in '90 instead of to New York. I think I might have stayed and perhaps gone to Georgetown to get my MBA. Who knows. But my relationship with my sister was so much more strained then than it is today. I am not the same person, so she and I get along much better now than we did then.

I am going to have a kick ass year ahead of me. I hired an agent before the end of the year and I possibly will be hiring another before the end of this month. I've been contacted by two people who want to buy a house this month. I even think I found a place to open my office and if things continue as I hope, will be in that office by Summer.

Ok, bed time.

I Dedicate this to all Fellow Whopper fans

The Sanctity of Marriage

I had a conversation with my little brother this afternoon that I have to write about. Now I want to say that I absolutely love my brother to the very depth of my being but I was really shocked by what he said and how strongly he believes his position.

Remember, we were raised Republicans. We were discussing political candidates and he expressed that he didn't like Giuliani because he considers him to be a closet Democrat. He brought up that Guiliani supports gay marriage; and then he said the following. He said that if gay marriage was legalized that it would open the door for pedophiles being able to marry children and people marrying animals. He was dead serious that this is where it would go and I was floored. I'd heard people say this but I didn't give it any thought because I think they are nuts. When I heard my brother say it, I didn't know what to think. I'm passed it though, like I said, I love him. But I've been tossing this thing around in my head all day.

I really began to consider everything his statement implied. What was he saying when he made this claim?

First, like others who hold this position, he doesn't see homosexuals as complete people. It is implied in his argument that he sees homosexuality as just sex. And since it isn't between a man and a woman, it's unnatural sex. Immediately he relates it to other "unnatural" sexual activity: Bestiality and pedophilia. Both are examples of activity where one party is not consenting.

But what I realized is how he and others who make this claim view marriage. People don't get married so that they can have sex "legally". But they do get married so they can have sex morally. And that, I think, is where it gets confusing because people who marry for moral reasons cannot get their head around gays being married because, according to their moral code, homosexual intimacy is not moral. What an interesting dilemma.

Then I began to think about the sanctity of marriage and what I thought would protect it. I think that the sanctity of marriage could be protected if the people getting married understood the law regarding marriage before saying "I Do". If people knew going into marriage how property was divided, credit was allocated, homestead issues applied, custody issues, inheritance issues etc. etc. maybe they would reconsider marriage. Maybe it would discourage young people from just jumping in.

Encouraging young people to wait before marriage would then force them into immoral sexual activity. Ah another dilemma.

The sanctity of marriage isn't threatened by the sexual preference of the people seeking the union; I think that the sanctity of marriage is threatened by the lack of forethought of those who go into it. The legal aspect of marriage as a binding contract isn't romantic but that's the heart of the issue. My brother doesn't understand that aspect of marriage. Neither minors nor animals can be bound to a contract. And allowing same sex consenting adults to enter into the contract of marriage isn't going to make it possible for animals and minors to enter into any contract, much less a marriage contract.

I think the reason marriage is looked at mostly as a moral issue is because the ceremony takes place in a church. I think if the majority of individuals had their marriages in front of the JP that there would be very little debate regarding homosexuals being allowed to marry. Because then most people would understand more clearly the legal implications of their union.

Anyway, that's my take on it.

Musetta wishes everyone a Merry Christmas!

Make custom Glitter Graphics

Big Day

Today is a big day for me. First of all it's my Birthday! and secondly it's the first anniversary of my business!

Nothing exciting to report on the Birthday front. A couple of dinners and lunches planned and that's about it.

I'm very excited, however, about my business. I had a stellar first year AND I hired my first agent last week. I have an agent, I'm so excited. She got a very sweet deal because she IS the first. My goal is to have 5 by June. I'm hiring a PR/Marketing to totally revamp my website and at some point perhaps redo my logo.

I'm trying very hard to get my little brother to join me. He's in Clovis NM right now but is contemplating relocating his family to Texas. I was looking at my logo and I realized it's very girly. If I want male agents, I might need to have it redesigned. It's not a priority at this moment but it is something that is definitely worth revisiting.

I've been a chatterbox lately. For months I've been absent and then suddenly, I can't stop posting..... Funny how life works.

Everybody, Meet Seamus Heiney MacCool

This is my dear, sweet, Seamus. I got him from a local breeder who does very well with Bi-color persians. I actually think she is an excellent breeder overall; her cats are healthy both physically and emotionally.

I don't even know where to begin to tell you how sweet this little boy is. He loves everyone who walks in the door. Is always at my side. And is just a love machine.

When I was younger, I used to thumb my nose at Persians. I never really considered them to be real cats. My short time with Little Bear sort of changed that for me. And I'm afraid that Seamus has truly made me see the light. I will definitely get another Persian. Seamus is the sweetest most loving creature I've ever experienced.

Dead or Alive?

If you are a Patricia Cornwell fan and have not yet read her latests Scarpetta book "Book of the Dead", then stop here. This is a spoiler!



So, if you read the book and you walked away wondering if Marino was dead or alive, I'm pretty sure he's alive. This book ended sort of abruptly and I'm weary of the tension between these dysfunctional people. I often wonder if they even like one another and if they have any happy moments. I wonder if Cornwell suspects that and that she left us with a cliff hanger to so she could get another chance to keep us drawn in.

I'll always love her Scarpetta series. I don't think that I would ever stop reading her stuff in spite of the problems her characters have. I just get tired of all the tension, I feel like they should move on by now.

Our Attempt at Show Business

Looks like my sister and I have been drinking just a wee bit too much egg nog....if you know what I mean.

Check us out!

Women - Apply Within

Norway has passed a law that requires all publicly traded companies to have a certain number of women on it's board by January 1 or risk being shut down. The law was initially passed in 2003 and now everyone is scrambling trying to meet the requirements.

I learned of this news as I was reading through the Wall Street Journal today. Initially, I started reading the article because I was curious. I'm not really sure how I feel, I'm sort of letting it sink in. I am a firm believer of free trade among goods and labor. Norway is the only country in the world that has this law.

But here is something that just really hit me funny. In the article I came across this: 'Trygve Hegnar, CEO and editor-in-chief of Hegnar Media, publisher of Norway's biggest financial newspaper and newsmagazine, [a man] says boards have "kicked off some very good" members to make room for inexperienced newcomers whose "main qualification is that they are women."'

If I were to change that to read "boards have kicked off some very good members to make room for inexperienced newcomers whose main qualifaction is that they are men", could we say that was a true statement?

I thought over my life experiences throughout my past career. And I can honestly say that the pot is calling the kettle black. Ladies, have you ever felt that a job or an opportunity was given to someone because their "main qualification is that they are men?". Ever had a man as a boss who may as well have been a monkey?

I've held positions in organizations where I produced and was intentionally held back and passed over because I am a woman. And I'll bet my bottom dollar that Trygve Hegnar has probably passed over a woman quite simply because she was a woman.

How many times have we heard of men who started as a clerk in the mail room working their way up to eventually become president of the organization. It happens. Men don't get pigeon holed into clerical positions. Has anyone ever heard of a woman promoting from the mail room? Or from the typing pool? No. Why? Because she was a woman. If she had any skills she wouldn't be in the typing pool....right?

The source of Trygve's frustration is that women in Norway are able to nominate themselves for these board positions, even if they are currently teachers or flight attendents, etc. My brother is a landman and has been for years and years. He didn't always have work but today he's making a six figure income. During the dry times, he was a baggage handler. Does my brother being a baggage handler disqualify him from being able to do work that pays six figures? I was a secretary and I heard over and over again that I couldn't be more than that in spite of my educational background, awards and previous work experience. Once a secretary always a secretary.

The way I see it is that this law has been passed because women in Norway aren't given opportunities to reach their full potential. So if teachers and waitresses and flight attendents are applying for these positions it may very well be that these people are underutilized and fully capable of the positions for which they are applying, just as my brother was while he was a baggage handler making minimum wage.

So I say, suck it up Trygve Hegnar and take it like a woman!

Post with no title

It's been so long since I've posted anything I think my loyal readers have probably moved on. Still, I'm torn. Do I account for my 6 month's absence or pick up as though I never left? I don't really have an explanation for my prolonged absence other than I just didn't feel like i had much to say. I don't even know what to title this post.

My first year on my own in my business has been a very good one. I have been blessed. If someone had told me that this was how my first year was going to go, I don't know that I would have believed them. I plan on hiring a PR/Marketing company to carry me to the next step. I'm nervous about it because it's a lot of money but I think I'm doing the right thing.

There was a brief moment where I was dating someone. It didn't last long. I just don't think he was that into me. I can't really pull anything interesting from the our time together except for the story of how we met. He actually inadvertently followed me to a local place for breakfast. He didn't intend to, he just did. And the place that we went to is frequented by gays. And he was driving a miatta, so at first I automatically assumed he was gay. Then while we were waiting for a table, we started chatting with one another. Then when they called his name, he asked me to join him for breakfast. When he asked me out on a date a few days later, I knew he wasn't gay. I told some gay friends about him and they told me he was "metrosexual". That's the first time I'd ever heard that term and they explained it to me. Yes, he was definitely metrosexual. Our little dance lasted about three months.

I've taken some of the money I've earned this year and revamped my wardrobe a little and completely changed my makeup. I even went to Jose Eber and had a make-up lesson from Edward Sanchez. And a new hair color from Urban Retreat. I also lost quite a bit of weight. I don't have a scale, so I don't know how much I lost but my clothes are much looser and I can see a difference in the mirror. I feel great. I don't think I'll ever be a size 6 again, though, because my body has changed. It's not weight that's keeping me at an 8/10, it's a shift in my body.

Little Bear died in July. He was sick on a Sunday, I took him to the vet Monday morning and then that afternoon he died at the vet's office. No one know what killed him. I had recently had my home exterminated for roaches but the vet was pretty adament that it the insecticide wasn't the source of his illness.

I loved that kitty and wanted to get another persian, so I did some research and found the sweetest little boy. He's white and red, also known as a bi-color persian. Since he looked celtic I wanted to give him a fitting name. His name is Seamus Heiney MacCool. Seamus Heiney after the Irish Poet and Finn McCoul is an Irish character. But I wanted him to have some Scottish too, so I butchered the name McCoul and changed it to MacCool. He's a little love machine. I absolutely adore him.

I saw a really good movie recently that everyone should see. It's called Lars and the Real Girl. It's such a sweet poignant movied. I loved it.

Ok, what else? Oh, I have lots more to say, I'm sure. It's just been so long since I've said anything. Cheers everyone.

Storms

I love a good storm, especially when I'm home and cozy and dry. At least, I used to love a good storm.

Since I've moved to my new place, I don't like them as much. For some reason, lightning strikes very very close to my duplex. I'm talking feet away, and it is so loud, it makes my teeth hurt. It's very unnerving and I can't figure out what it is that makes lightning strike so close.

My Blackberry Pearl arrived yesterday morning! I wasn't expecting it until Saturday. I'm so very very happy to have it. I just love it. I like the feel of the touchpad. I'm not accustomed to the trackball, yet. I like the maps feature, as a realtor, that comes in very very handy. I like that it has a loud ring. My last one had such a soft ring. Sometimes, I would hear my cockatoo say "hello"...."hello" and that was how I knew my phone was ringing. She could hear it but I couldn't.

I hit pay dirt on this one.

It's a Good thing

I have a Blackberry T7100 that I bought last July. I love this phone. But lately, it's been freezing up on me, giving me Java errors and resetting itself. Yesterday I was stuck in voice mail because the phone wouldn't let me hang up. I had to open the back and take out the battery in order to end the call.

So,today I marched right down to the store from where I bought the phone. Ready to raise hell and get some satisfaction. Turns out the phone is under warranty and that they can replace it. However, they no longer have my model available.

So, they are going to replace it with THIS.

Isn't life SWEET sometimes?

More campaign thoughts.

I think that the Republicans made a mistake having their debates so early in the game. A couple of weeks ago, I heard a commentary on NPR where they were saying that Guiliani had incredible support in South Carolina and that it was shocking because he is pro choice and supports gay marriage (unions).

Guiliani watered down his position during the political debates and has lost his footing and he is now neck and neck with McCain. When I saw that Guiliani watered down his position, he lost my support. The way he watered it down insulted me. It was a coward's approach. What I HEARD was, I support the idea of pro choice and gay unions but I support the party line, too. Somewhere in there, Guiliani stopped being Guiliani.

So, now I'm back to the Democrats AND drum roll please...... I am even open to the idea of voting for Hillary Clinton! OMG, what a shock! Here is this born and bred Republican girl entertaining the idea of voting for Hillary Clinton.

Why the change? Because I believe it should be the responsibility of the next administration to exit from Iraq for a lot of reasons. First of all, the administration that makes the exit needs to believe in the exit because it's going to require a lot of thought and work. Secondly, the exit strategy might be complicated so I think that it should be done while there isn't going to be a "change in command". And thirdly, I believe it should be done by someone who has a lot of knowledge and experience of the region. I think Clinton has that and she has Bill and his experience.

I do believe that over the years Hillary has become more conservative than when she became First Lady.

I do wonder if Barack could be a world leader.... I think I have to watch and see.

Thoughts of the campaign trail.

I've been reading about the campaigning that both Clinton and Obama are doing. Hillary has been very pointed and blunt in her criticism of Bush and Obama is not quite as direct, though he is implying some feelings of dissatisfaction with the current administration.

A lot of people are unhappy with Bush, including myself. The problem I have with any politician running to replace the current administration by campaigning against it is that it just gives the signal that nothing is changed. If I criticize how someone is doing a job and I'm trying to take their place, my criticism implies that I would do it without making mistakes.

But the truth is, whoever takes Bush's place is going to make mistakes. One of the things that is good about Bush is that he can stand his ground. Going to the extreme with someone who cannot stand their ground is not good either. Compromise is not always good and it isn't always bad.

It's easy for those who oppose the war to demand withdrawal. I think that the plan to withdraw should be the mission of the incoming administration, though. I would suspect it's a long process and should probably be done by a team of people who are going to be around for more than a year in order to get it done right.

God help the Democratic party if it's them. They are screaming for withdrawal, they may be given the opportunity to show the rest of the world just how difficult it is to withdraw. Then, when they discover how complicated it really is, they can stand there with egg on their face. Or just spend their term blaming the previous administration.

I hope that doesn't happen. I hope that the new person, whoever he may be, picks up the torch and does things intelligently and deliberately. I actually think that Clinton, Obama or Guiliani could handle it. I don't think anyone else has what it takes to do the job. I'm pretty encouraged, though, that we actually have three strong contenders with some leadership skills. Very encouraged.

Catching up.

I have spent the majority of the day working on my business website. I have so much to do. I am getting ready to map out a campaign to really get things rolling. I have had a great first quarter but things for me are slowing down and this is not a good thing. We are heading into the moving season when things traditionally pick up and get busy. If I'm not busy, something is wrong.

Working from home has some really interesting challenges. I'm so thankful that my new "office" is no longer attached to my living room. The T.V. is in a whole other room and I am unable to watch any T.V. while in my office.

I have a tendency to get bored and start focusing on stuff, such as global warming, political campaigns and other such distractions. I used to wonder why Freebird was able to post as much as she did. Now I understand. When you work from home, you just don't have the same distractions you have when you're at the office.

Tonight is Madonna Ramma at South Beach, a local gay bar in Houston. They play Madonna songs all night long and drag queens come out dressed like her and lip sync her songs. I have some gay friends that are going tonight. I should go. I think it would be fun but I'm just not up to it. I want a quiet evening with wine and some lobster a friend of mine just dropped off.

John had Bob's Steakhouse on his radio show today. They brought him food to try and discuss. He always has leftovers from his show. Unfortunately for him, he has to go out of town for the next few days and he can't eat it. So he brought it over to me along with two bottles of wine.