[Fiona] Oh And Did I Mention...

that I am fearful of clowns? Yeah, well stop laughing I am not the only one and let's face it they are beyond spooky. Whenever I tell someone that I don't enjoy clowns I get asked pretty much the same thing. Really? Why not?

The medical term for it is coulrophobia. I don't accept that my phobia is an irrational fear. I don't like people in masks as a rule. Safe to bet I will never be a good bank robber; I couldn't handle the costuming. I just feel that when a person dons a mask or paints over their features that they are really trying to hide their true selves from you. It makes me feel uneasy. Like I can't trust them. I never liked trick or treat. I like the concept(well the candy, ok!?!); I don't enjoy the costumes. Odd because I like the macabre and I like to fancy myself a Goth chick from a way back.

I can remember being a small child in the beginning grades and crying that I didn't want candy. The whole concept of dressing up and begging for junk food from strangers scared the beejezus out of me even back then. I know my fear comes from a neighborhood kid jumping out at me dressed in full costume. I peed myself because I thought he/she was going to hurt me. I didn't like not knowing who my attacker was.

While I am on the subject of things that I don't enjoy let's spend a moment with dolls. They turn my stomach to knots...so lifelike and yet not real. I harbor this fear that they will come to life and want me to rescue them.

[Shrek] More Than Welcome?

Just a few minutes ago a received an e-mail from a friend about a gathering we're planning in late February, asking if it was OK if another friend of the group joins us that evening. Without hesitation I replied that person was more than welcome to join us.

And as I sit here I'm wondering...what does "more than welcome" even mean?

I typed it automatically as I wanted to convey that person is welcomed to join us. But "more than welcome"? And exactly at what state does someone move from just being plain old "welcome" to "more than welcome"? Are some friends just "welcome" and others "more than welcome"? And how much more?

I know what "less than welcome" means: you're not invited.

But "more than welcome"? I guess I'll have to work on that.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

My previous post got a lot of talk on a couple of the message board forums I post on about which is better: older music or newer music. And it was the younger crowd that was the most vocal, saying "their music" was much better than what was put out before.

Being the voice of reason...(OK, I'll pause for a few seconds while you stop laughing)...To me it's not a question of better or worse, it's just that music evolves from one period to the next. And sometimes that evolution passes you by, moving in directions your personal tastes dislike.

One dim bulb mentioned that a group like The Beatles would never be able to make it in music today. Well, that's probably true, except for the fact that music is where it is today because of groups like The Beatles. When it comes to things artistic, what came before influences what comes after. Some things are crap and are usually quickly forgotten, while others stand out and influence the works of artists forever.

I'm just waiting for some group to claim Culture Club as their primary influence...

[Shrek] Who Are You?

A few weeks ago I was browsing through the new CDs at WalMart, and it kind of bothered me that I didn't have any clue who 90% of the artists were. I became a little disheartened when I overheard one of the employees talking to (READ: hitting on) a young lady just down the aisle from me.

"Yeah these guys are real good...it sucks we can't play their music here, we have to play this crap instead. Those old guys just don't rock it anymore"

Now I have no idea what group he was saying he'd rather play, but I know the "old guys" that don't "rock it anymore" were The Who because there was some sort of concert video being played on a couple of the monitors in the electronic area.

Don't rock it anymore? I beg to differ....

My Generation


I Can't Explain


The Kids Are Alright


Who Are You?


Won't Get Fooled Again

[Fiona] Once Upon A...

Time. We are all to some degree obsessed with time. There never seems to be enough time. What time we do have we waste. Time is not likely to be saved or savored. Time is elusive. You think you have a handle on it only to find out you didn't have as much of it as you needed. It drives me crazy. I don't know if anybody out in blog land noticed that I haven't blogged any entries in quite some time. That would be because my head was lodged very far into my butt cheeks. I am sorry. I started blogging as a method to keep my sanity in check. Somehow I let that nasty critter time get away from me and I have been having a bitch of a time getting any time to blog. Thus the naming of my post. I will try to be better about that. Later...when I can find the time...;^)

[Shrek & Fiona] Our Heartfelt Holiday Message

As we are now in the holiday season, please accept our heartfelt holiday greeting:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.

We also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2009, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great (not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country or is the only "America" in the western hemisphere), and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, or sexual preference of the wishee.

By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms:

This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.

Any and all applicable taxes that arise from accepting this greeting are the sole responsibility of the wishee.

Yours neutrally,
Shrek & Fiona

[Shrek] To all our Jewish friends...

...HAPPY CHAKA KHANIKAH!!!!

[Shrek] Semper Fi

Both Fiona and I have been busy as of late, so as I work on a "real" posting, I thought I'd share this story from the Marine Corps News, via military.com...

Marine Makes Insurgents Pay the Price

November 18, 2008
Marine Corps News|by Cpl. James M. Mercure

FARAH PROVINCE, Afghanistan — In the city of Shewan, approximately 250 insurgents ambushed 30 Marines and paid a heavy price for it.

Shewan has historically been a safe haven for insurgents, who used to plan and stage attacks against Coalition Forces in the Bala Baluk district. The city is home to several major insurgent leaders. Reports indicate that more than 250 full time fighters reside in the city and in the surrounding villages.

Shewan had been a thorn in the side of Task Force 2d Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force Afghanistan throughout the Marines’ deployment here in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, because it controls an important supply route into the Bala Baluk district. Opening the route was key to continuing combat operations in the area.

“The day started out with a 10-kilometer patrol with elements mounted and dismounted, so by the time we got to Shewan, we were pretty beat,” said a designated marksman who requested to remain unidentified. “Our vehicles came under a barrage of enemy RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) and machine gun fire. One of our ‘humvees’ was disabled from RPG fire, and the Marines inside dismounted and laid down suppression fire so they could evacuate a Marine who was knocked unconscious from the blast.”

The vicious attack that left the humvee destroyed and several of the Marines pinned down in the kill zone sparked an intense eight-hour battle as the platoon desperately fought to recover their comrades. After recovering the Marines trapped in the kill zone, another platoon sergeant personally led numerous attacks on enemy fortified positions while the platoon fought house to house and trench to trench in order to clear through the enemy ambush site.

“The biggest thing to take from that day is what Marines can accomplish when they’re given the opportunity to fight,” the sniper said. “A small group of Marines met a numerically superior force and embarrassed them in their own backyard. The insurgents told the townspeople that they were stronger than the Americans, and that day we showed them they were wrong.”

During the battle, the designated marksman single handedly thwarted a company-sized enemy RPG and machinegun ambush by reportedly killing 20 enemy fighters with his devastatingly accurate precision fire. He selflessly exposed himself time and again to intense enemy fire during a critical point in the eight-hour battle for Shewan in order to kill any enemy combatants who attempted to engage or maneuver on the Marines in the kill zone.

What made his actions even more impressive was the fact that he didn’t miss any shots, despite the enemies’ rounds impacting within a foot of his fighting position.

“I was in my own little world,” the young corporal said. “I wasn’t even aware of a lot of the rounds impacting near my position, because I was concentrating so hard on making sure my rounds were on target.”

After calling for close-air support, the small group of Marines pushed forward and broke the enemies’ spirit as many of them dropped their weapons and fled the battlefield. At the end of the battle, the Marines had reduced an enemy stronghold, killed more than 50 insurgents and wounded several more.

“I didn’t realize how many bad guys there were until we had broken through the enemies’ lines and forced them to retreat. It was roughly 250 insurgents against 30 of us,” the corporal said. “It was a good day for the Marine Corps. We killed a lot of bad guys, and none of our guys were seriously injured.”

I am reminded of a quote by Gen. William Thornson, US Army..."There are only two kinds of people that understand Marines: the Marines and the enemy. Everyone else has a secondhand opinion."

My best guess is that "young corporal" is 20 years old. Think about what you were doing at age 20, and then think about what the young men and women serving overseas are doing as you read this.

So as we approach Thanksgiving, a day where most of us gorge ourselves on turkey and all the fixings, how about we spend just a few minutes thinking of those that aren't home this holiday season, and how they volunteered to be away from their homes so we could be safe in ours.

[Shrek] Some Words

Anti-American
Big Government Loving
Communists
Clueless
Elitist
Godless
Immoral
Lefties
Liberals
Marxists
Progressives
Radicals
Socialists
Tax Raisers
Tree Huggers
Unpatriotic

Winners

[Shrek] A mostly non-political Sarah Palin post?

Unless you've been hiding under a rock these last few weeks, you know who Sarah Palin is. Depending on your political leanings, she's either the best thing since sliced bread or she, well, isn't.

I'm starting to think she's the best thing since sliced bread. Nope, it has nothing to do with her being a "hottie". Nor does it have to do with her $125,000 wardrobe and make-up purchases. And it certainly isn't for her political beliefs.

It's because she's a "Hockey Mom".

Yep, after all these years we finally have a candidate that's really into the coolest sport on Earth--ice hockey. Because of that, she's been invited to several NHL games to make the ceremonial puck drop.

Her first puck drop was in Philadelphia where one of my most hated teams plays, the Flyers. After her puck drop, the Flyers, who were predicted to be one of the top teams in their division, are in next to last place with just five points in seven games and are 10 points out of first place.

WAY TO GO SARAH!!!!!

Her second puck drop was last night in St Louis at the Blues game. St Louis once owned the minor league hockey team here in Worcester, only to steal it away five years ago and then lie through their teeth about trying to find local ownership and many other issues.

It would be hard to make the Blues, who already are in the bottom tier of NHL teams, any worse...but my girl Sarah looks to have done it. Never mind the Blues lost the LA Kings (one of the few teams worse than the Blues) 4-0, but while skating out to his net Blues goaltender Manny Legace tripped over the carpet that Sarah and her kids were going to walk onto the ice on and hurt his hip. He had to leave the game after one period and will miss at least their next game.

YOU GO GIRL!!!!!

And my love for Sarah is starting to spread, even to Lagace himself!!!! "I’m starting to like her more and more. No grudge." Lagace told the Associated Press after the game.

So in just two puck drops, Sarah Palin has managed to do harm to two teams I root against. Let's be honest, how much more could I have hoped for?

I have taken it upon myself to e-mail the McCain/Palin campaign to suggest a few other teams she could drop pucks for, starting with the New York Rangers. Yes, I know New York is a solid "blue state", but I think her dropping the puck at a Rangers home game would be great for me...errr...the country.

And since she won't be too far from New jersey, she could always swing down to the Meadowlands and drop the puck at a Devils' game while she's in the Northeast. And by dropping it at two buildings so close to each other she'll use less fossil fuels, making the tree-huggers happy. Win-Win, if you ask me.

She could also get some foreign policy experience by heading to Canada and dropping a puck at a Montreal Canadiens game. Perhaps she could even do it for a couple of games there.

Now the best part...in a recent article in the Washington Post Sarah said if she and husband Todd had had a sixth child, they had already picked a name for a boy joining siblings Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper and Trig.

"I always wanted a son named Zamboni," she said.

So folks, some candidates talk a good game, but Sarah Palin really delivers for this hockey fan.

Vote Sarah--vote for hockey.

[Fiona] ARGH !!!

A fog has rolled in and I am having difficulty cutting through the haze to find the sun. How's that for waxing poetic? I am in a funk. I am battling the sadness demon. I feel useless in my job and I feel overwhelmed taking care of my dad. I am not sure which way to turn. I have always been multi-talented. I sing, draw, paint, write. In other words I can do lots of things well but not any one thing well enough to earn a living at it. It frustrates the bejeezus out of me.

As a little girl I wanted to be a ballerina. No, that didn't pan out, way too much work and not enough food. The same can be said about the art career I wanted and the writing. So I settled on not really setting the bar for anything. I was complaining to Shrek just this morning that I was pissed because life didn't turn out the way I planned. Funny thing is I never really made any plans so... didn't it turn out just the way I planned it? Odd but true. Life happens around you even if you don't participate in it.

I get frustrated because I want to work in a job that I care about. A job where I can make a difference and I am respected for my input. Is this really too much to ask for? I suffer from being more intelligent than my job. I suffer from(I have)too much brains(stop laughing) and not enough education in any one thing so I can make a career. Ok... maybe I am a dumb ass. Do you see the recurring theme here? Is it too late at age 44 to change lanes?

I have a lot of life left to live; well, I hope so anyway. How do I find meaningful employment that will pay the bills and help me build a nest egg? There is something to be said for the person who is fearless, not afraid to go after what they deserve. I wish I had that kind of confidence in my abilities.