This is a story too scary not to share!
Source: Two Droplets
Category Archives: Uncategorized
What We Did Forget about September 11th
It’s September 11th. I feel like I should have something poignant or poetic to say, but I’m not sure that I do.
15 years ago, this day didn’t mean much to most people. For some, it may have been a birthday. For my brother and his wife, their anniversary. But for most people, just a day.
As of 14 years ago, however, it became much more important for most Americans. I have to say “most” because I have actually seen a Facebook post or two that has rather negative things to say about this day. Is this the result of someone who was too young when it happened to really understand or care about it? (It’s hard for me to believe I’m old enough that I remember something that other adults don’t.) Or someone who is still in that mode of trying to look cool to the rest of the world and therefore is beyond caring about what we went through as a country back in 2001?
I have to say I remember it quite clearly. Living in rural Illinois meant that I was very far away from the action physically, but I was certainly involved mentally. I was driving to college that morning, blasting my Red Hot Chili Peppers CD, when I decided to switch over to the radio. I can remember exactly what part of what town I was driving through when I heard the announcement. I can remember the angle of the sun as it glinted off the railroad tracks and made a morning that seemed so clean and precious. I remember the ball of fear that weighed in my stomach and made me consider pulling over instead of driving onward.
We still had our classes that day, but every television in the college was on. The cafeteria, the lounge area, the classrooms. The towers were burning everywhere. My calculus teacher actually had the audacity to turn off the TV and make us do math of all things, but it was a wonderful emotional break.
I suppose this is where the real point of my story is. That day, I felt like I was connected to every other American. I felt that when I walked down the hallway of my community college and made eye contact with a stranger, we were both thinking the same things: how much we loved our country, how blown away we were by the idea that this could happen, wondering what would happen next.
Now it seems that we spend all our time being afraid of each other. Social media declares that ISIS is everywhere and there is no escaping it. There is a fear of anything that isn’t Christian, which I can’t help but shake my head at. (Don’t get me started on whether this country was founded on Christianity or freedom of religion….HINT: It’s freedom of religion.) We make fun of our country and shame our president on a regular basis.
Personally, I liked our attitudes a lot better 14 years ago. Despite political or religious or sexual tendencies, we all live in the same country. We should still be proud of who we are as a whole and the wonderful things we have in America that we wouldn’t have anywhere else. You might not agree with what our president is doing, but he is still our president. You might not think that gay marriage is okay, but it isn’t as though these laws didn’t go through all the necessary channels to come about. You might think that your religion is the only “correct” one, but at least you live in a country where you are allowed to think that and not be forced to think otherwise.
I urge you to use your freedom of speech wisely and to remember that we are all Americans.
American flag and bright sky
Filed under Uncategorized
New on Amazon: The Art of Deception by Christine McLean
I recently had the pleasure of reading Christine McLean newest release, The Art of Deception. I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, because it always bothers me when reviewers do that! I like to read the story for myself, and you’ll want to do the same. This high-energy thriller is edgy, suspenseful, and raw. It’s always great to read a book that starts quickly, and this is one of them. It takes off right away and keeps going until the end. There is always something happening, with lots of characters and subplots. McLean takes seemingly random events and characters and brings them in to an interconnected web of unforeseen connections.
The experience of writing The Art of Deception was amazing for McLean. She fell in love with her characters and truly enjoyed creating the intricate plotline. A sequel will be coming down the line, but the date has not been set yet.
McLean’s first book, Becoming the Best You- Ten Pressure Points that Lead to a Successful Life has received four and five star reviews on Amazon.
You can also check out Christine’s blog here.
Filed under Books, Uncategorized
What Netflix has Done to Me, or The Summer without Satellite
As an adult, I’ve never been much of a TV watcher. Sure, I like to find something to entertain myself while I’m eating lunch, but in general I feel like watching TV is too unproductive. When I did watch a program, I usually found myself on the edge of my seat, but not because the show was suspenseful. No, I was waiting for the next commercial, when I would hop up and commence a hyper-speed cleaning session in the living room. Why? Because watching commercials is such a big fat waste of time, even worse than watching the shows themselves. If I wasn’t doing commercial cleaning, I was busy in some other way. I would cross-stitch during comedies, paint my nails during the news, or blog during ball games.
This makes me sound like I’ve got adult ADHD, doesn’t it?
No, the truth is just that I hadn’t found much that made me feel it was worth wasting my time for. Even during all those DVR’d episodes of Once Upon a Time, I held my finger on the fast forward button in anticipation of the ads.
Then we decided to suspend our satellite service for the summer. (There’s a tongue twister for you!). The kids were mostly watching Netflix and the satellite channels were only showing reruns for the billionth time, so why pay the $100+ per month?
Even though we’d had Netflix for forever, I never bothered clicking over to it and using it. Why? Well, because I’m not much of a TV person, right? But that is swiftly changing. My next book is going to involve time travel, so I decided I needed to watch shows and movies that revolved around that theme as well. First up was Continuum. I’d never even heard of the show, but it turns out that a story about a policewoman who accidentally travels back in time and has to use her knowledge of history to prevent crimes makes for a darn good story. There were a few good movies, some other series that I tried out and got bored with.
Then. Came. Doctor Who.
I know, I know. How on earth could I not have watched this show before? How did I not check into this fantastic series earlier in my life? How can I not have been a Whovian all this time?
Well, I don’t know. Perhaps it’s because I spent my childhood as a Trekkie (not convention-level Trekkie, just enjoyed the show and had a huge crush on Will Wheaton) and thought I was done with sci-fi for awhile. Perhaps I figured I could never love any time travel story that didn’t start with the words “Back to the Future” (still huge on those movies, by the way). Perhaps I should just claim ignorance.
But it’s all changed now. I’m only in the second season, but I’m completely hooked. My latest fish is named The Doctor. I have a huge crush on a TARDIS teapot I found at Barnes and Noble. I have a feeling this is only the beginning…
And it’s all your fault Netflix!
(Oh, crap. Now I found Sherlock. And Torchwood.)
What’s your favorite thing to watch on Netflix?
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Filed under Random Things, Uncategorized
Shelter Snobs, or The Many Ways to Save a Life
Adopting a pet from a shelter is the popular thing to do these days. I’m not saying that makes it a bad thing, not by any means, but it’s becoming compulsory.
“Hey, check out this picture of our new dog!” is immediately met with “Did you get him from a shelter?”
They say that adopting from a shelter saves the lives of two animals: the one you adopted and the one that can take his/her place at the shelter. There’s no denying that logic, but it seems that people are becoming so skewed towards shelters that they don’t realize there are numerous ways to save an animal. The brief conversation cited above is one I’ve had before, and it’s amazing how hateful people can get when they ask if your animal is from a shelter. I understand the passion, folks, I really do, but you don’t have to make me feel like I did the wrong thing because my pet didn’t come from a rescue.
Nermal was found trying to cross four lanes of rush hour traffic when she was only three weeks old.
Porkchop was left at a foreclosed home in an outdoor pen so covered in weeds it was barely visible.
Annie was shuffled through five different homes before she was four months old, a series of people who didn’t want her because she wasn’t the ‘right kind’ of dog or who couldn’t keep her. I don’t have her original Craigslist photo anymore, but she looked absolutely terrified and miserable.
You can’t tell me these animals weren’t rescued. When we found them they were frightened, undernourished, and homeless. I shouldn’t have to justify having them simply because they didn’t spend any time at a shelter.
There are many ways to save a life.
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Filed under Animals, Uncategorized
Why Senior Shelter Dogs Piss Me Off
This is Leo. He’s eleven years old and very much feeling his age. He has arthritis so bad that you can hear his hips cracking and popping when he walks. He only has three legs, so when you throw in the fact that we have hardwood floors the poor guy moves at a pretty tortoiselike pace. The other day he lost his balance and fell off the porch into the gladiolas (he was fine). Yesterday evening he fell out of the front door and face planted into the concrete porch (again, he was fine). He has horrible skin allergies that make him greasy and stinky. I have to lift him in and out of the bathtub when it’s time for a wash. Leo can’t stay in the same room with my other dog, Porkchop, because they are both extremely territorial. He’s going deaf, so he randomly barks at the cats when they walk through his room and scare him. Or, we think sometimes he’s barking at his own foot. He’s old; he’s allowed to do that.
Recently, Leo had to have surgery. He’s at that point in his life where he’s covered in tumors. Most of them really don’t bother him, but he developed one that was hanging off his lip. The vet determined he was healthy enough to undergo surgery and removed the one from his lip, one by his ear, and one from his leg while I waited. Half an hour and several hundred dollars later I hefted all 54 pounds of him into the back of my Subaru and headed home.
There is an amazing amount of room back here! (Don’t judge me on my dirty car, just look at his cute tractor bandage instead. 🙂 )
I had to give him his antibiotic every day (as well as his allergy pill and arthritis medicine), wrapped in a slice of American cheese. I checked over his stitches on a constant basis to make sure he wasn’t picking them open. I ran to PetCo and got him this super cool (and expensive) collar to help keep him from scratching at his wounds, and apparently to humiliate him. I once woke up in the middle of the night with this panicky feeling that I just had to check on him (once more, he was fine). In short, I fussed.
I must be the meanest dog mommy ever to make him wear this awful thing.
Are you exhausted yet? Cause I’m pretty worn out just thinking about it, and I live it. I absolutely adore my animals, but I’ll still admit that they wear me out sometimes.
But you know what? I’m not going to give them up. I’m not going to dump Leo off at some shelter and tell them I “just can’t take care of him anymore.” He might take up lot of my time, but he needs us. He needs to have my youngest daughter curl up in his bed with him even though he stinks. He needs to know that once the kids have gone to bed, I’ll let his grumpy butt come into the living room and lay in front of the couch while I watch reruns of Doctor Who (he’s not allowed on the couch for safety purposes; see above notes about falling all the time). He needs someone to tell him he’s a good boy just for being there, and to give him a treat just because.
He wouldn’t get that in a shelter. We have some great shelters here in Southern Illinois, and they do their best, but there just isn’t enough time for all that. How could there be?
So if you’re one of those people that “just can’t handle” your dog when he gets old, don’t be surprised if I tell you just what I think about you.
He’s been part of your family since puppyhood. He’s guarded your house, laid his head on your lap when you were sad, and been a playmate to your children. He not only needs love, but deserves it.
Leo with one of his favorite girls!
Filed under Animals, Family, Uncategorized
The True Anti-Feminism in the Meghan Trainor Debate
Have you seen Meghan Trainor’s new video yet? “Dear Future Husband” borrows heavily (and successfully) from Dion’s 1961 hit “Runaround Sue,” creating a super-catchy number that you won’t be able to get out of your head. Many have criticized both the song and the video for being anti-feminist. Simply google the title and you’ll find plenty of articles slamming the singer for setting women back several generations. Unfortunately, these critics are spending so much time being defensive that they’re missing out on what has the potential to be a great girl power song.
Let’s address the lyrics first, shall we? Radical feminists have latched onto lines such as “Don’t forget the flowers every anniversary” and “Buy me a ring.” But what this group isn’t doing is taking these phrases in context. Snatching at these phrases alone, out in the cold without the rest of the verse, is unfair and short-sighted. Meghan starts right off with telling her potential man just exactly what he can and can’t expect from her:
You’ve got that 9 to 5
but baby so do I
So don’t be thinking I’ll be home and making apple pies
I never learned to cook
but I can write a hook.
I think the message is pretty clear here. Meghan is stating that her job is just as important as her man’s. She yanks herself even further up the scale of importance when she sings “You know I’m never wrong, why disagree?” You’re seriously going to tell me this is anti-feminist? She even tells the guy that “We’ll never see your family more than mine.” She is wearing the pants in this relationship and making sure he knows it. If anything, Trainor is a feminazi.
As for the video itself, the complaint I’ve seen the most is that Meghan is seen scrubbing the floor. Gasp! How dreadful! Everybody knows that feminists don’t want to have clean floors! Okay, okay, I know that’s not what they’re getting at. It’s the idea that a woman should be home and scrubbing the floor. It’s the idea that it’s supposed to look sexy while she’s rolling around on the bubbly floor. But find me a music video that doesn’t have some sort of sex-sells element in it. Besides, are you going to tell me you wouldn’t enjoy it if a man was scrubbing your floor? Have you not seen those Porn for Women calendars, full of men cleaning the house?
Again, we need to look at the entire picture, not just the part that serves your particular point of view. Yes, she’s making pies, but did you notice that they’re all burnt? Let’s pretend she’s doing a good job cooking and cleaning that house. It seems to me like a true feminist would believe that a woman has the right to choose to be a housewife (can I even use the h-word anymore?) if she wants to. The guys she dates go to great lengths to impress her, but the one she’s finally happy with shows up at her door with a take-out pizza. Sure, she ‘pouts at the camera,’ but if this is something that offends you then you shouldn’t ever watch any music video by any artist. She’s wearing tight-fitting, sexy clothes…But what is she supposed to wear? Must she don a t-shirt and sweatpants to suit the feminist agenda? Or is she not allowed to show that a curvy woman looks just as awesome as a skinny one?
To call Meghan Trainor anti-feminist is to categorize nearly all female singers. Those of you who believe she’s a detriment to the women’s movement might want to analyze what’s really going on in the world around you. Taking arbitrary stabs at another woman’s artwork without considering the entire thing is just as shameful and discriminatory as anything you have accused her of.
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Filed under Uncategorized
The Courage to Write
The last couple of months have not been very productive as far as writing goes. I started NaNoWriMo, confident I would “win” and have a rough draft of the sequel to The Wanderer’s Guide to Dragon Keeping by the end of the month. But then my kids traded around a stomach bug, we got a new puppy, Thanksgiving, blah blah blah. Of course then Christmas came along, which is basically a month-long excuse. Now that we’re rolling on through January, I’ve been struggling to reestablish and keep up with a good writing routine. I tell myself that I’ll have a writing session when the kids go to bed. I’ll write when my husband goes out to the garage to work on the Jeep. I’ll write in the morning, getting up early before anyone else does and making a pot of coffee.
But I don’t.
I can’t steal snippets of time here and there at random parts of the day and expect to get any decent work out of it. I can make all sorts of excuses for myself. I’m too tired. I’m just not feeling it. I shouldn’t force it. It’s a slow process to get the creative juices flowing again. My fingernails are too long. While there’s some truth in all of that, it’s not the real reason. The real reason is that I’m scared.
Any time I tell this to someone who has any occupation other than “writer,” they don’t seem to get it. “Oh, you’re a good writer. Just do it.” And that advice isn’t much different from what you’ll find on many writers groups and forums. You just have to get the rough draft done. Nobody has to see the first draft, so there’s no need to stress. We’ve all read that, but do we really listen? Is it really true? I mean, I see the first draft, and I’m the one that’s freaking out about it. Don’t I count? Do I need to be like Hemingway and just get drunk to make it happen? (This really wouldn’t be a good option for me, considering I usually fall asleep after one beer.)
And what causes all this? Do other people feel nervous about their jobs? And maybe this only applies to people who are doing what they love for a living. I say that because I didn’t feel nervous about previous jobs I had, at least not most of the time. Perhaps, subconsciously, there just wasn’t that much to lose. I could get another dead end job any day, right? If Diana Gabaldon can crank out an entire series of books that each ring in at over 800 pages, why can’t I commit to working on my novel for an hour?
The real truth, I think, is that I just want so badly for it to be good. And the excuses just make it that much easier to avoid the risk of failure. But now that we are well over the holidays and the kids are most definitely back in school, I can force myself to truly get my nose back to the grindstone instead of these little pretend sessions where I really just have my fingers hovering over the keyboard while I watch TV. Today marks the first week since November in which I have officially carved out an hour every day to write. TGIF!
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Filed under On Writing, Uncategorized
Check Out My Back, I’m Getting Married!
So who else out there is trying to plan a wedding? No, you don’t need to raise your hands. I can tell you who are by that panic-stricken look on your face. It’s the same one I see in the mirror most days, so it’s easy for me to recognize it.
And notice I didn’t say “planning a wedding.” I think the world “try” is really key here. I’m hoping you aren’t going through the same experiences I am, but I’m hitting a lot of brick walls. Sometimes it’s money, sometimes it’s simple logistics, but either way I find myself with a bigger and bigger bubble of anxiety in my chest every time I sit down to work on this shindig.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited. This will be my second marriage, but I’ve never had a wedding before. I started dreaming about my wedding day when I was about 10. Whenever we went to JCPenney and they had a new bridal catalog, I would always pick it up and take it home. I spent hours in my room perusing the beautiful dresses, picking out which headpiece I would wear, and dreaming about the handsome, romantic man that I would marry someday.
I do, in fact, have a handsome, romantic man that is willing to marry me. What I don’t have is a dress. Our goal is to have the dress picked out by the end of this month. There will be many decisions that revolve around the dress, so it’s an important one. At first, I figured pinning down a dress would be easy to do, but so far I’m pretty wrong.
I don’t like to follow current trends when it comes to, well, anything. And I’m not much of a shopper, so even though I live in a world where I can buy anything I want to online, it’s just not the most practical thing to buy a wedding dress online (believe me, I’ve tried). I’ve gone onto eBay and typed in “unique wedding dresses.” This resulted in an odd mix, including a short number made of see-through lace and ostrich feathers. I guess this means I’m not that unique. Go ahead and do it yourself, I’ll wait.
The big thing in dresses seems to be going strapless. Since I can’t envision myself having to yank my dress back up every 30 seconds, I’m not interested. (Yes, yes, I know I can have straps put on. But then it isn’t strapless, is it?)
And who decided that bridal gowns should be backless???? Why does anybody need to see my back? “Oh, hello, welcome to my wedding. Check out my shoulder blades. Do you feel a draft?”
So wish me luck next week as I punch my agoraphobia into submission and go dress shopping.
While waiting for my upcoming live action search for a dress (which I look at with equal parts excitement and dread), I’ve been trying to make other little decisions. What will our first dance song be? Hmmm… What kind of cake do we want? Do we even want cake? Or should we have pie? Uh…. What kind of food will we serve? Considering they probably won’t be happy with leftovers from my fridge, I really don’t know…..
At least I have the groom picked out!
Filed under Uncategorized
The Anti-Climax of Christmas
Even thought it’s a bit stressful, it’s fun to get ready for Christmas. I enjoy putting up the tree and going through all those ornaments my kids have made over the years. I love decorating the mantle with garland and my Christmas Snowbabies. It’s fun to wrap presents as long as it isn’t on Christmas Eve. Isn’t it great that they still run that same Hershey’s kisses commercial from 1989???
But then, it’s over. Once we’ve visited every relative and stopped by every holiday party, once we’ve unwrapped all the gifts and pitched the crumpled paper into the trash can, all the holiday spirit is gone. The tree is now just in the way, and the gifts are just something else I have to find a place for. The miniature village looks more like a ghost town. Christmas carols regress back to the equivalent of nails on a chalkboard. All of those Christmas cookies that seemed pretty innocent on the 23rd are now chock full of guilty calories. People talk about getting depressed during the holidays, but most of it for me comes after the holidays.
Ah, well, time to move on to the next holiday. A new year, and time to improve myself (at least for a month). Time to make resolutions that I’m really going to keep this time (I really will get in shape this year. Really. Oh, look, cookies!) And time to start worrying about what to give everyone for Christmas next year (I just can’t help myself!)
Mmmm….red velvet cookies!
Filed under Holidays, Uncategorized
Ashley O'Melia, Author 