F-14 Tribute

On Friday, June 16th I was able to watch history in the making. I attended the retirement of the last two F-14s at Republic Airport. It was a HUGE moment & very emotional all the way around. It was amazing. The two planes were sitting right there on the property & the only thing separating the 1500 people & the planes was a little yellow rope. Which meant nothing to me & my family. My brother & his friend were the security for the planes & waved us under the rope so that we could take pictures of the aircraft & of us posing with these legendary machines.

It began at 11 am & we had to walk a 1/2 mile from Dave & Busters parking lot to the entrance. It was so hot & dusty along the road and was only going to get worse. We got there & grabbed the poland spring bottles they had chilling on ice. And then I turned around & there they were. These impresive planes just sitting there. FANTASTIC! What really impressed me was the fact that I knew....no wait....I was related to the security. I never know the guy on the other side of the rope. I knew the only two running the show. Why these two were put in charge of something so important is beyond me, but they were & were they ever proud. I was, too.

There was a 45 miute ceremony at 12:45 & at 1:30 the planes began their movement out to the runway. My brother & his friend were the two to remove the blocks from under the wheels of the planes so that they could roll forward. He had to get the "all clear" sign from the pilots themselves...so cool! I had a bet going with my mom that he would get his eyebrows singed off while standing a the back of the plane. Plus, the video is on goole, I've been told.

The F14s did two fly-bys & then came around for a third loop & did a vertical take-off & disappeared into the atmosphere. Gorgeous. Deafening. Tear-jerking. It was so sad to watch the Grumman people who put their heart into this & their passion for the company cry at the retirement of what has been called the greatest fighter plane built.

Backstreet Boy Blues

I am so sad right now. I just read that Kevin Richardson is leaving the band. How will I go on listening to them? He is an intricate part of the music & entertainment. I have been listening to their music since 1995. I know their backgrounds, as any loyal fan should. I have even seen him as Aladdin in Disney before he joined the group. I have watched him grow as a leader & 'older brother-type' for the members of the band. I have heard him play the piano at their concerts. I even saw him fly at their millennium tour. Total devasation! Oh Kevin, how could you?

Wanna March In My Parade?

It seems that everyone gets to march in a parade except for me. Today the city hosted the Gay/Bi/Lesbian/Transvestite Parade and all came out of or in support of those who are gay, lesbian, bi, or just dress opposite of their gender. This is all very nice. Good for people having pride in what they practice in their sexual lives.

Recently we had the Puerto Rican Day Parade, too. This was a great festivity of the Puerto Rican tradition (watered down & Americanized because many of those who have pride in being Puerto Rican have been here for four or five generations & have yet to set foot on the soil of their "motherland", but have pride in heritage and culture. Before that was the Dominican Day Parade, the Latin American Day Parade, the West Indies Parade, the Italian Parade, and even the Tartan Parade. I think that this is great when people can come together in such traditions and celebrate what has made their family & its roots & culture. But I can not march in any of these parades because I do not fit in to any of the categories.

I've decided to start my own. It will be the Straight White American Pride Parade. Anyone can march in it & anyone can stand on the sidelines & cheer for us as we go on by. It will be a day where I can be proud being who I was born, the life choices I have made, and that which is my heritage. I want to be proud of these things.

Not politically correct, you say? How is the Gay Pride Parade politically correct? Shouldn't it be called the "Alternative Lifestyle Pride Parade"? Isn't that more correct? And, yes I am proud to be white. Do not call me caucasian. All of the aforementioned groups marching are caucasian too. They just don't know it because we have been conditioned to believe that caucasian is a nice term for 'white'. Ummm.....nope. It actually refers to anyone who has blonde to red or brown/black hair that may be straight, wavy or curly/frizzy. Those who have blue, green, brown eyes, and have fair to dark complexion. It refers to all except those from a mid-section of Africa...noting that even those of northern and south Africa are caucasian as well. So I am politically correct when I say it will be white.

I am proud to be an American. It seems that people today are ashamed to be called that. Well, it is where I was born, where I was educated (noting that not all countries would have allowed for me to be educated...so thank you America), and where I work, try to live, and definitely pay taxes. A whole heap of tax money. So trust me when I say I am an American. I say it with pride. Not in a snooty, better-than-you way. But like the rest of the world has patriotism for their land, I do too.

So, I am declaring August 1st my "Straight White American Pride Day" and will march. If you care to join me in the march or want to stand on the sidelines for support, contact me here on the blog for further information.

Patience Is Wearing Thin

I have been having techincal difficulties lately. I have posted two things on blogger and finally ONE has posted. I had to do it three times to get it through, though. This irks me beyond belief. I have also ordered some things from a site that has been pretty good with shipping in the past. This time? I got one of the three things I ordered. It says on the statement that all of the items were shipped. However, the envelope that arrived was only large enough to contain one of the orders & in no way could hold the other items. I have tried to contact the comapny, but have yet to get anywhere. And the other items have yet to arrive on my doorstep.

It may be the illness. It may be the humidity. It may be the lack of dating I have done in 2006. I have no patience left.

Dropped Out Of Reality For A Bit

It has been awhile since I posted anything on here at all. It's not that life has been dull or that I have nothing to write about. I've been sick. For six days. I feel horrible. And I can't sit long enough to write anything. I had to teach Monday night & it literally wiped me out for Tuesday. Thank goodness that my T/Th class was online that day. I didn't get up except to keep refilling my glass with something cool to drink & to soothe my throat. I have to teach again tonight & am conserving energy by -- again -- doing NOTHING. I have learned from this experience that I could easily be a "lady of leisure". If I could find a man who would like to marry & fully support me financially --in a style that I am accustomed to or better --- I'd get married tomorrow. I could travel a lot. I could catch up on all of the shows that are already reruns that I never got to enjoy the first time around because I was working. I would never have to grade a paper for a cranky, demanding student who decided to mistake me for a Burger King employee. Oh it could be good.

Crau & I would be able to put a dent in the list of things we want to do in NYC. That is a full month and a half itinerary alone if we went in every day. I'd be able to read all of the books and magazines I never get to read because my eyes are so batty from the grammatically-challenged essays I assigned. I could enjoy all of the restaurants on my list that I have been dying to try...and so many i'd love to go to again.

Yes, a man in the 7 figures would be splendid.

Can you tell I have too many cold pills in me?

Can You Believe This?

Dustin Diamond (aka Screech from "Saved By The Bell") is selling t-shirts on the internet to save his house. Yes. He apparently has bad credit & signed a contract with "shady people" (as the article states) and may lose his house. So he is now selling shirts ($20 if you want him to sign it) to save his abode in Wisconsin. Is this nuts or is it me? I want to know if this is really even news worthy to be on the internet at all.

Is Being An Independent Woman Really All That It Is Cracked Up To Be?

Elizabeth Cady-Stanton & Susan B. Anthony did so much for us.
They started the suffrage movement, earned us the right to vote,
And gave us a voice.

The 1960s gave us NOW, Betty Friedan, and the burning of our
restrictive underwear.
Women could bake pies, clean a house,and have a job.

The eighties & nineties brought about the "corporate woman".
She wore slouchy socks and sneakers with her designer skirt on the
train to work, read Forbes, and hung on to the lower rungs of the corporate ladder,
even though she was capable of grasping the top.

Magazines and the media tell us to be assertive, aggressive, and ambitious.
Beyonce sings about "Independent Women" & pays her own bills.
Men state that they want a woman with a brain, the capacity for conversation,
and someone who is not afraid of a hard day's work.

Well, let me tell you Mrs. Cady-Stanton, Ms. Anthony, Betty & Beyonce:
Men lie.

We earn the degree to get the job to afford our own place & pay our bills & half the check and end up sitting home alone anyway.

Education makes us wise. It gives us positions in companies, yet we are not taken seriously. We are paid less because of our gender. We are viewed as using the workplace to scout out that potential husband.

It gives us a brain & views on the world around us. We gain insight into politics, medicine, and world issues. This frightens men because now they may have to actually know what they are talking about instead of using BS words to confuse us and sound intelligent.

My money has earned me a place at the table only because I have the ability to offer to pay my share of the check (which many men do take me up on). And, when I don't offer, they point out that I must do "alright" & never call again because I must be a "gold digger".

My career (which I have been told I would not have if it were not for my looks) pays for my own place (which men find attractive because it is a good spot for casual relationships....sex....), pays my bills (so that the man never has to worry about taking care of me or has to buy me anything of value because I can do it), pays for my car (which is usually nicer than his and means I can drive instead of him), and pays for that date with the man ("because it is what you wanted to do tonight" is what I have been told).

One good conversation, one glimpse of my car, shoes, or handbag, or one meal in the early stages of (what ends up never being) a relationship, where I do not offer to assist in paying the bill, gets me a ride (in my own car, by the way) back to my home. Alone. My independence has given men even more independence than ever before.

Thank you, ladies, for affording me opportunities of advancement and a lonely life of noncommital men.

Laugh It Up

I was invited to see someone perform for the first time at Caroline's. I am not the comedy club type & usually turn something like this down. However, the Beginner Comic took a class on how to get started in stand-up & this was BC's first time in front of an audience.

Caroline's is so TINY! I can't believe it. And they have a 2 drink minimum. But they make a smooth melon martini that only my legs & equilibrium felt after I tried to stand up. We were entertained my 3 master comics. One has a show coming out on HBO & another has a regular show on Sirius Satellite. Pretty good. And there were 10 beginners. It was an amateur night but they performed like this was a routine. They were all really funny. I know~~if I laughed it must have been good because I don't typically laugh at comedic acts.

I am already planning my next visit to this wonderful little nook in the heart of TS.

FANTASTIC! And congrats to BC.