Happy Canada Day…and some early 4th of July Wishes

Happy Canada Day

To start out this post, I want to say Happy Canada Day to my neighbors to the North. I hope that it is a much nicer day there than it is here, and that all of your celebrations go the way you want them to.

God Bless America

I know that it is a few days early, but I want to wish all of my fellow Americans a Happy Independence Day, and maybe over the next year we will finally become a true democracy in all senses of the word. Maybe the new government will see fit to truly enfranchise the nation and do away with the Electoral College, for if it wasn’t for them we would probably be in a better place than we are today if they were not given the opportunity to overrule the popular vote in 2000. We would have the respect of the rest of the world–the respect that we had before Bush stole the election–and the respect of all Americans because we would deserve it. Maybe we will finally give equal rights to all citizens: men, women, gay, straight, black, white, yellow, purple…whatever and whoever we are. Someday the Declaration of Independence will mean the same thing to everyone:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

While those truths are self-evident, they are not nationally-evident. The people–the enlightened people–may know that everyone is equal, but until the government recognizes this fact we are not nor will we ever be a democracy. I love the US, but I think that it has not reached its full potential, the potential that the framers of the Constitution and the writers of the Declaration of Independence saw in 13 colonies that together changed the course of the British Empire.

With that hope–the hope of a bright future for the United States–”that government of the people, by the people, and for the people”–I pray that one day freedom in the US will really and truly be freedom.

Sick and Tired

What the hell is wrong with people? Micheal Jackson was a fucking pedophile, despite the fact that he was acquitted, he was a pedophile. He admitted to sleeping in the same bed as little children. Doesn’t anyone see that there is something wrong with that? People hate the Catholic Church because they allow priests to rape little boys, but if a “music genius” does it that’s fine. Guess what? It is not fine, nor will it ever be fine. Nobody that touches a child inappropriately should be allowed to get away with it. The problem with the CA justice system is that it was built in a way that guilty people can get away with murder if they have enough money. When celebrities rape or murder someone, they get away with it because they’re “special”. Only normal people go to jail in California. At least here in NYC we send our celebrities to jail when they break the law. We need to stop worshiping these people, who are nothing more than regular people with high profile careers.

So, I will not tell Micheal to rest in peace. Rather I hope he burns in Hell for his sins.

However, I will say RIP Farrah, Ed McMahon, David Carradine, and everyone celebrity and normal person alike. You will be missed.

Healthcare

Apparently, I don’t have health insurance anymore because I graduated last month. Gee, if only mom had told me that a month ago, I would have started looking at insurance policies or something. So when did she decide to spring it on me? When we were watching Sicko last weekend, that’s when. Now I’m left hoping that Obama gets the Universal Healthcare passed because I doubt that I will qualify for insurance based on my weight problems. Yay me. I have to wait for a conservative country full of idiots that think that universal healthcare would be socialist to pass a bill. I’ll keep my fingers crossed, but I won’t hold my breath. I guess I’ll be watching the Town Hall meeting on ABC tonight.

Update…

It has been awhile since I have written anything because it has been crazy here for the last few months. Who knew that graduation could be so stressful? The ceremony was nice, but more than a little wet–it was the first time in 22 or 23 years that it rained (the ceremony was outside). So, now I have my BA in psychology. I graduated Cum Laude and got highest honors in psychology.

My party was great–my grandfather even sang to me, which was amazing! We took tons of pictures, and the best were taken by little N–, especially those taken of baby T–. I got to dance with my dad and my grandfather. The food was okay, but it could have been better. Overall it was the most fun that I have had in a long time.

For the past month, I have been looking for a job, so I might have some money for grad school in Boston. I have also been looking for an apartment near campus. I wish someone had told me that rent in Boston was like rent in NYC, but oh, well. Classes start in September, and I already have homework. I’m waiting for some books to come into the library because they are way too expensive to buy considering that they aren’t textbooks. I’m in the middle of reading an article about making moral decisions as a cop and how immoral decisions can taint not just your case but yourself.

I went to the Mets game last night with C– and Ch– and the other QC Ambassadors. They actually won this time–last year they were slaughtered. The new stadium is really nice; there were even elevators if you don’t want to take the escalator or the stairs. I was really surprised that they didn’t play Sweet Caroline, which Dad said they usually play. I guess the fans voted to get rid of it because it is the song for the Red Sox. Whatever. I can’t stand Neil Diamond, so I was glad not to hear his voice.

Hopefully I’ll be writing more often now.
L

The End of General Hospital

No, GH is not ending, but this is how I would like it to end.

The Last Days of General Hospital:

Scene 1 The Docks: Fog covers the ground. A man chases a woman across the docks. The woman screams. Fade to Black. The old GH beginning (from the late 1990’s) comes on showing all the characters past and present.

Scene 2 The Hospital: EMS brings the woman in and Epiphany examines the puncture wound on her neck. “I don’t think that you’re going to need stitches, but I’m going to send a doctor in to see you anyway.” Monica comes in, and exclaims,”Lucy! What happened to your neck? Those are some strange puncture marks.” Lucy is visibly uncomfortable, “I fell on a spoon. Could you call my cousin, Rafe? His number is in my blackberry. He needs to get here as soon as possible.” Monica searches through Lucy’s purse, and finds the blackberry. She reaches Rafe and tells him that Lucy needs him at GH.

Scene 3 The Park: Liz is playing with Cam and Jake. A shadow appears in front of her. “Can I help you?” She asks the familiar stranger. She knows she has seen this man before, but she can’t figure out where. Because she was pondering that she was too late to fight off the stranger’s bite. Her life passed in front of her eyes (Her and Sara, her rape, her and Lucky, her and Xander, her and Jason, her and the boys) before everything fades to black.

Scene 4 Kelly’s: Mike is working the counter, and Rebecca is waiting tables. Patrick picks up a basket of food to take on Emma’s play date with Cam and Jake. As he leaves, he gets a feeling of foreboding, and he wonders what Robin is up to now. He puts the basket on the bottom of Emma’s carriage, and heads to the park.

Scene 5 The Park: As Patrick and Emma arrive at the park, Patrick hears Jake screaming, and finds Cam wandering around with blood all over him. He examines Cam and realizes that the blood was not his own. He then goes searching for Elizabeth, who he finds lying in a pool of blood. He looks for a pulse, knowing that he would not find one for she had lost too much blood. He calls 911, before getting Cam and Jake away.

Scene 5 The Hospital: Rafe arrives just as the ambulance carrying Liz’s dead body gets there. He immediately sees it for the vampire-related death that it is. He follows the body to the morgue where he stakes it.

Scene 6 Kelly’s: Sonny and Claudia come in for lunch. Rebecca takes their order. She goes into the back where Mike’s lifeless body lies. She bends down to lick some blood off of his neck. Her cell phone rings. She listens. “Its about time. I can’t stand being Rebecca. I miss being Emily.” She walks back into the front. Sonny asks where Mike is. Emily takes the knife out from behind her back and slashes Sonny’s throat. Claudia screams, “Bitch!” She attacks her, but it is too late. Sonny is dead, his hand resting againt the gun he was too slow to get. Emily bites Claudia, but decides to turn her instead of killing her. She had been punished too much already just by being married to Sonny.

Scene 7 The Hospital: Rafe finds Lucy in the hospital, and tells her “It has begun.”

Scene 8 The Docks: Lulu walks along the dock. She runs into Robin who again is contemplating suicide. They see Rebecca running towards them. She calls out, “Help! Someone attacked Mike!” Robin shakes off her suicidal thoughts long enough to run to help Mike. Rebecca stabs Lulu in the gut and pushes her into the water before Lulu can make a sound. That girl was way too sour to bite. She catches up with Robin at Kelly’s. Robin is crying because one of her oldest friends is dead. Emily knows not to bite her (vampires could get HI-V too), so she slashes her throat. Robin was dead before she knew what was happening.

Scene 9 Jason’s Penthouse: Jason and Sam are tracking Jerry Jax’s movements. Sam’s cell phone rings, and she takes it in the hall. “My dear, Olivia. It has been far too long.” “Caleb, I have missed you. It has begun, I take it.” “All the players are in place. Rafe and his ditsy cousin are in town. Recruiting Emily was a brilliant idea. She has already killed four and turned one.” She ends the call, and as she goes back into the penthouse Jason runs out. He yells to her that Epiphany needed him at the hospital. She figures that she will get him later.

Scene 10 The Hospital: Jason meets Epiphany, who tells him that Elizabeth is dead. He blinks in incomprehension, not understanding how that could be. Lucy sees Jason, and gets him to help in the hunt. He takes out his gun, and Lucy tells him that guns will not help. She then explains to him and Epiphany what is going on, and asks her to call anyone that could help. Jason tries calling Sonny and gets his voice mail.

Scene 11 Jax and Carly’s home: Carly’s phone rings. Its Jason, and he explains about the vampires. If it was anyone else, she would have thought that it was a joke, but she knew that Jason would never do anything like that. She agrees to help, and she talks Jax into helping too.

Scene 12 The Quartermaines’: Tracy and Edward are bickering over her marriage to Luke when her phone rings. She laughs at the caller. Luke walks in just as Tracy hangs up. “I knew that Lucy Coe was nuts, but vampires!” “Lucy’s in town?” Luke asks. “Yes, and according to her so are a bunch of vampires. She wants us to help fight them.” “Cool, I’m in,” says Luke as he calls Lucky and Nicholas. He hesitates before calling one last person. “Hells, are you up for a little game?”

Scene 13 The Cemetary: Caleb, Livvie, Emily, and Claudia meet with the rest of the vampires. The time was coming, and everyone was getting antsy. Caleb smiles as he sees Lucy and Rafe leading a group of people wearing designer workout clothes into the cemetary. An arrow pierces his bicep, and he rips it out. Emily attacks Nicholas and turns him. She still loved him, and she didn’t want Spencer to be an orphan. Just then Lucky plunges a stake into his former best friends’ chest, mourning the girl he once knew. Helena is torn. She loved her grandson, but she didn’t want to have a vampire in the family, plus she thought she might be able to get custody of Spencer if his father was dead, so she staked him. Carly goes after Claudia, the woman she had just found out had been behind Michael’s coma. She was dust before she knew what had happened. Livvie went after Jason, the man that broken her heart. Not knowing that Sam was a vampire the whole time, he was confused, but dodged her fangs just in time. Sad, but not really surprised, he dusted her vampire ass. Seeing this, Caleb went after him, but he was intercepted by Rafe, who knew that in the end it would be the two of them against each other. As Caleb’s fangs hovered over, Rafe’s neck, Rafe plunged the stake into his heart, sending him to Hell forever. Caleb’s death caused all of the other vampires (which were being fought off by the denizens of Port Charles) back into humans.

Scene 14 The Hospital: The battle was done, and Port Charles lived to see another day. When the smoke cleared, they discoved the bodies of all the slain. Mac greeved for his niece, the first daughter of his heart. He called Robert and Anna, who were on their way. They also found that the vampires had killed the five families, except for Johnny, who was in Manhattan on assignment with Maxie.

The End.

Happy Easter!!!

I just wanted to wish everyone in blog-land a very Happy Easter. My mom just finished making the lasagna, and Aunt J– is trying to call L– as I writer this. Uncle made some eggplant and slow roasted ribs. Aunt J– and N– baked a couple of cakes yesterday for desert. C–, Ch–, P–, A–, and T– are coming over later. So is Uncle’s new gf, D2 (his last gf was also a D–hopefully this one is sane). Here’s hoping that nobody (grandma or Aunt J– specifically) don’t lose it today. Grandma went nuts on Aunt M–’s ass last night for no reason at all. She did the same to Uncle on Wednseday. This happens whenever there is a holiday coming. It just seems worse this year.

Dinner is in about 3 hours, so I need to go shower.
Happy Easter!
L

Parents and Kids Today

Controversy has been stirred up over a school bus driver that stomped on the breaks while a group of students were on the bus. The Vermont bus driver claims that the reason for her actions was that the students had gotten so far out of control that the only way for her to make them behave was to startle them. The driver has since been fired and arrested for putting the children in danger. My question is: were the children already in danger just by misbehaving on the bus? While I have never taken the school bus, I have heard things that go on during the time between leaving school and arriving home, so I know what kids do. Chances are that the bus driver was forced into doing things that seem wrong from the stand point that children are little angels. Parents need to get over themselves and realize that their children are far from angels–demons are more like it. Because I take public transportation every day, I am honored with their presence. Here in NYC, we don’t have school buses for teens, so the rest of us take the same buses as they do. There was this one morning a couple of years ago when one of the little brats decided that she wanted to play a joke on the bus driver, so she faked passing out until after the driver had kicked everyone else off of the bus and called 911. She thought it was hilarious that the other passengers were tossed off of the bus to wait for another one. As far as I know nothing happened to her, although I haven’t seen that bus driver in a while. I did see her a week later on that same bus. She was laughing with her friends about how she got the bus driver to pull over. Apparently she didn’t want to take her math test that morning.

The problem is that the parents today do not care what their children do as long as it doesn’t embarress them. I even heard the mother of a pregnant teen say something like “How dare you embarress us this way?” It is ridiculous! They don’t want to discipline them, so the brats do whatever they want without any real repurcussions. One girl I knew in high school would drink and drive (at 14) the car that her parents bought her. When she crashed the car, the cops charged her with underage drinking as well as driving without a liscence. Her parents yelled at the cops, claiming that she was only having fun, and since nobody had gotten hurt it wasn’t a big deal. No wonder teens are getting killed while driving drunk if this is what their parents’ think.

I was at the mall getting lunch at the food court yesterday when this woman brought her 5 spawns of Satan to the play place, telling the oldest (who couldn’t have been more than 10) that she was going shopping and to call her cell phone if something was wrong. She then turned to the woman sitting at the table across from them (a complete stranger) and asked her to keep an eye on them. That woman told her that she was leaving, so she would not watch her children for her. The first woman gave her this frosty look before turning to me. (I simply stared back at her.) Could you imagine what would have happened if something had gone wrong while I was watching her kids? She probably would have had me arrested for endangering her little darlings! I would have had ACS on her ass so fast she wouldn’t have known what had happened.

Northeastern or Alliant

Last month I was accepted into the doctoral program in forensic psychology at Alliant International University in Fresno. Yesterday, I was accepted into the Masters program in criminal justice at Northeastern in Boston. When I got the message from Alliant that I was accpeted, I was really excited because I didn’t think that I would get into a doctoral program anywhere (since I didn’t get into John Jay). I also figured that because it took 5 months to be accepted there that it would take equally as long to hear from Northeastern, which I had applied to in February. I was told that I had until April 15th to decided whether I was going to go to Alliant, and up until yesterday I figured that was what I would do. Then I got the e-mail from Northeastern. Now I don’t know. I really like the idea of having a doctorate, but I could still get one after getting the Masters. I also am getting a little burnt out with psychology, so a change of pace might be a good idea. Plus, I don’t know if I am ready to live in an apartment, even though dad wouldn’t be too far away–only about 2 1/2 hours away. The thing is that as of right now, I will only know one person in Boston, and that is a girl I went to elementary school with and that I haven’t seen in a few years. (She’s going to start at Boston University in the Fall.)

I called Northeastern about an hour ago, and I am waiting to hear back from them. I have a whole list of questions to ask them before I make my final decision, but unless they say something that totally turns me off I think I will be moving to the land of cream pies, beans, and the Red Sox. Don’t tell Sister M–!

A Petty Annoyance, I know

I was just reading a fan-fic series over at the Scrubs Hub, which is a website dedicated to General Hospital’s Robin and Patrick. I admit that I can hardly stand GH anymore, although I have been watching since the fall of 1995–back when the show was still good. Anyway, I really enjoyed the story. It was a series of letters written for Robin and Patrick’s baby, Emma, and it was absolutely amazing. My one problem was that the author(s) kept making the same stupid grammar mistake. It is the same mistake that my mom makes all the time when she speaks, and it is constantly getting on my nerves. For a long time, I thought that I was going to be an English teacher, so I always try to be grammatical. My biggest pet peeve is when someone says/writes “I” instead of “me”. For instance, “They gave the pen to Jimmy and I”, which should read: “They gave the pen to Jimmy and me.” Even reading this back, my brain fixes the mistake in the first sentence, not even attempting to process it the way that I wrote it. In my mind the only excuse for this is that people simply don’t think when they write/speak. If they would only consider their words before they come out, things would be more grammatical. When I learned this rule (the indirect object rule), Mrs. B– told us to ask ourselves if we would say “me” or “I” if the sentence read: “They gave the pen to __”. Anyone who knows grammar, knows that “I” just doesn’t fit there. “They gave the pen to I?” It is more comfortable to say me than to say I there. That said, grammar isn’t always about comfort. One of the most annoying rules is the one about not ending a sentence with a preposition. Do you know how many papers I have strugged with because every other sentence ended with “to”, “on”, “in”, or “for”? Even Winston Churchill hated that rule! Another annoying rule is the one about not writing in a passive voice. I’m sorry, but I just don’t like writing in the active voice. I never have. I got a C on an assignment in High School because Ms. Z– thought that I used the passive voice too much. I never understood how she could fail someone for not using active voice. It wasn’t even part of the assignment. Then again she never really liked me. Could she have given me a C because she didn’t like the way I write? It is possible. I remember a conversation I had with one of my friends about Ms. Z–. Apparently, she flunked her brother because A–, my friend, helped him write the paper. She supposedly came out and told her that the reason he got an F was because he used A–’s writing style, a style that she hated.

Anyway, I’m going to end this post now before it gets further off the beaten track.

Rest In Peace, Mr. M.

I just found out today that one of my favorite teachers from elementary school died last month. I was skulking around on facebook, checking in on one of my groups. Someone posted to the wall that Mr. M– had unexpectedly died last month. I simply can’t believe it. Mr. M–, which is what he called himself from time to time, was one of my favorite teachers from back then. Probably because he was the music teacher and ran the choir. I saw him every Sunday at mass, and although he never gave me the solo at Christmas, I thought that he was so cool. When he was able to actually teach the class (because he was also the church’s music director), he taught more than just music. I still remember the day that he warned us against Me-itis. He had just come from teaching the 8th grade (about a month before they graduated), and told us that we shouldn’t act superior when we got to where they were because he didn’t want us to screw ourselves over the way that he did.

Wherever you are Mr. M., I hope you know that you will be missed–and that Amazing Grace is still one of my favorite songs.