Posted 11:34 AM by Bonnie

End of a legacy: March is ending and April will be with us tomorrow, so I am writing one last tribute to my friend and will say a final goodbye to him. Rick could be the sweetest man around and could also be a jerk and an asshole. Everyone who knew him would be smiling as they read that because they know it's true. But he did leave a lasting impact on people. Anyone from our hometown, in Erie, PA, will remember his old rock band The Electric Zoo. They played in many places in NY, PA and OH. As I stated in a previous post we dreamed of and finally started a music company and had a blast. We recorded a CD of some of the songs he had written over the years.

Over the years, when we weren't living in the same place or with each other, we played games online, so if nothing else we had a contact there. Rick once said it was a way of making sure he'd hear from me. He made a lot of friends in the game rooms. Rick gave me the password to his game room because he wanted all his friends there to know, if and when something happened. I have received so many wonderful responses I am going to post them here and then say a final farewell.

This from a recent email from Lyda, one of the singers for our CD....

Bonnie,
I’m glad I could provide a laugh for you. I know its not easy for you these days. I read through your blog and I saw how many people posts you posted about Rick. I’m sure that only just a few of them. It doesn’t surprise me how many people’s lives he touched. He had that special personality that affected everyone he came in contact with. I loved your line about him being the sweetest and yet the biggest pain in the ass. I could relate to that. I had been in touch with Rick recently too and it was nice to be in contact with him just before he passed away. Even though my relationship with Rick is nowhere near your’s was, I feel his presence. I’m glad that Beth and I could help in making both your dreams come true with creating your music business and making the cd. I refer to those days quite a bit and believe it or not, you both made one of my dreams come true also by recording a cd.
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gg Rick...im gonna miss u my friend RebelRider
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Is Spoker2000, Rick? Please tell me that is not what you are saying? Spoker is such a wonderful guy, he was the first person to ever try to teach me chess. I'm feeling a great sense of loss here. I'M so sorry to hear that you have lost a dear friend of over 40 years, i know how hard that must be for you, it's hard for me and we have only played here for a couple of years together, with moderate chatting, but i feel he was a friend. Could you tell me what happened to him?
He will be truly missed. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know about him passing. I think the world was a better place with him here with us, even though we were only internet gaming partners. Please give his wife and his family my deepest regards and let them know that i will say a prayer that GOD might ease their hurt and bring them nothing but joy in thinking about thier memories of better times together.

Thank you,
Mufasa (VIVIAN)
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Hi I am June and I played Rick for several years, in fact he is the one that taught me the game we were playing. What happen to him? How is his wife doing, I know he often talked about her, he was a sweet man and I will miss him.

June
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OMG!......Im so sorry! I had no idea he was sick or anything, we just met here playing a game...Very personable.......Oh my name is Aimee........anywho, again, im sorry!
If theres anything, anything I can do PLEASE let me know.......
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Sorry to hear of your friend's passing. Thank you for letting me know.
I assume this was very unexpected. Judy
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Hi Bonnie, I'm so sorry to hear that! :(
Thank you so much for letting me know, and PLEASE give my condolences to Naomi! He was such a sweet person and we had become friends over the last few years. I knew he hadn't been feeling well lately, but he didn't really seem to want to talk about it, so we didn't. At least now he's free of the pain and suffering and WE have another Angel among us! He will be missed!
Thank you again. Carolyn
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Thank you for letting me know. I am so sorry. He was a good friend in Its Your Turn. I will surely miss him.
Lynn
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thank you for letting me know about him and he must been stubborn not letting you and naomi know about his health - Naomi Kay
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Oh no! I am so sorry to hear this. I knew he had health issues but I had no idea. Please extend my condolances to his family. I really enjoyed playing Backgammon with him.
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Thank you so much for letting me know. I really appreciate that.

Sincerely Kim
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I am so sadden to hear about Rick, we played for a few years and outside of knowing he lived close by my house and that he loved music I can not say we were close. If you know his wife Nomi let her know how sad I am about the news. Right now I am on the road but he will be in my prayers. Mark
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Dear Bonnie,
Thank you for letting me know about Rick.
I didn't get to chat to him much during games so I didn't know him well. I hope his passing was peaceful and that he was not in any discomfort.

Please pass my condolences on to his family.

Best Regards,
Rob.
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My condolences to all the family of Rick. We have played for several years and I always enjoyed his games and the comments he often made with the moves. Im sure this is a busy time for you but yes when things settle down I would like more details if it isnt too much trouble
Jack Metcalf
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oh my, I am sorry to hear about that... i was not aware that he was ill or having problems. This is the first time I have been online in a few days, so i just now got your message. Thank you for telling me...
Amy
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Some of the players resigned the game giving Rick a final win.

Your opponent has resigned with the following message:

take care, my friend
:( (Carolyn)
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Your opponent has resigned with the following message:

In memory of Rick; one last win, good buddy!
Love ya. You will be missed!
Lynn
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Your opponent has resigned with the following message:

sorry to hear
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Your opponent has resigned with the following message:

I just can't do it. I will finish games with Rick. when we meet again, and we'll play on a cloud. I am just sick over this. love Patty
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Your opponent has resigned with the following message:

I won the last one, which was my first chess win ever as i have only played 2 games and they were both with you, so i figure it was your turn to win this one.
GOOD GAME SPOKER.
I miss you terribly and i find that really strange considering we were just 2 internet gamers:) But, i know my life is better having crossed your path, because you were living proof of one never to give up and you would not let me quit on learning that chess game...lol.
Mufasa (VIVIAN)
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Your opponent has resigned with the following message:

Here's to you my friend, you finally beat me at pente:)

YOU will be missed and it will be strange not seeing your name on my game status page here at IYT, I don't think that has happened since the day we started playing.

GG AND REST WELL MY FRIEND!!!
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Thank you to everyone for your kind thoughts and feelings towards Rick. Whatever anyone thought of him he was a very special person. I admired him for not letting what some would call a handicap keep him from living. He enjoyed his life, his music, his women :-), and yes Rick had many. And as I post these responses I am smiling and chuckling a bit seeing how, even online, he surround himself with women.
And now I guess for you and me, Rick, this is truly the End of Line.

One final note: Rick loved Meatloaf and introduced me to his songs and music. One of his favorite songs, that reminded him of us as young teens roaming the streets of Erie, PA and hanging out on the street corners was Lost Boys and Golden Girls, so one last time Rick...this is for you.

Meat Loaf — “Lost Boys & Golden Girls”

Lost boys and golden girls
Down on the corner, and all around the world
Lost boys and golden girls
Down on the corner and all around, all around the world
It doesn’t matter where they’re going
Or wherever they’ve been
’cause they’ve got one thing in common, it’s true
They’ll never let a night like tonight go to waste
And let me tell ya’ something, neither will you
Neither will you
Neither will you

We’ve gotta’ fast, we were born out of time
Born out of time and alone
And we’ll never be as young as we are right now
Runnin’ away and runnin’ for home
Runnin’ for home

It doesn’t matter where they’re going
Or wherever they’ve been
’cause they’ve got one thing in common, it’s true
They’ll never let a night like tonight go to waste
And let me tell ya’ something, neither will you
Neither will you
Neither will you
Neither will you

Lost boys and golden girls
Down on the corner, and all around the world
Lost boys and golden girls
Down on the corner and all around, and all around the world

If anyone from IYT comes to visit here please feel free to leave a comment about Rick and pass on the url to others who might want to visit here. I know he'd enjoy it.

(Please scroll down through my blog for other missives and a picture of Rick aka Spoker.)

Posted 8:44 AM by Bonnie

UPDATE! UPDATE!! Today, April 1st, Little Friend came around for dinner and was skinny again!! I wonder how many babies she had and where she's hiding them? Hopefully, she'll bring them around when they get big enough!

Signs of Spring: Today Rick would have been 57 years old. We would always joke that for almost 2 months he would be 2 years younger than me. Rick didn't like people to cry and he didn't want his death mourned, but instead he wanted his life celebrated. So I am celebrating with signs of renewal... rebirth. These are a couple pictures I took outside today that show the circle of life is eternal.


Two beautiful flowers growing through the fence on the side of our house.


A very pregnant "Little Friend" enjoying her breakfast. She waits every morning for me to come feed her.

Posted 10:11 PM by Bonnie

Fire and Rain: It's still hard to believe Rick is gone and I'll never see him again. We would joke of ending up in a nursing home together. An old song keeps running through my mind, so I thought I'd post it here. I'm sure we all have had someone who has died suddenly and left us with this feeling....

Fire and Rain Lyrics

Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone
Suzanne, the plans they made put an end to you
I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song
I just can't remember who to send it to

I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you again

Won't you look down upon me Jesus
You got to help me make a stand
You just got to see me through another day
My body's achin' and my time is at hand
And I won't make it any other way

Oh I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you again

Been walkin' my mind to an easy time
My back turned towards the sun
Lord knows when the cold wind blows
It'll turn your head around
Well, there's hours of time on the telephone line
To talk about things to come
Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground

Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you, baby, one more time again now
Thought I'd see you one more time again
There's just a few things comin' my way this time around now
Thought I'd see you, thought I'd see you
Fire and rain

Posted 5:29 PM by Bonnie

Insanity Break: I really needed an insanity break this week. Scroll down through my recent posts and you'll understand why. So, time for a mindless meme to get away from it all.

Wednesday Mind Hump

Hello humpers! Today's mind hump isn't very exciting, but it's good for you so you have to do it whether you like it or not. Today, you see, is Finish Your Veggies day. So take that look off your face and answer the following, or no dessert!

1. What is your favorite veggie?

Lettuce in the form of a salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers)

2. Are there any veggies you don't eat?

Carrots - not because I don't like them, but because I am missing a lot of my back teeth and I can't bite or chew them anymore!

3. Which veggie do you think has the funniest name?

I guess it would be the turnip...simply because every time I see the name or hear it I remember the dumbest joke we told as kids... it involved lettuce turnips and peas... you take it from there.

4. If you're a vegetarian, why are you and do you like it? If you're not a vegetarian, would you ever want to become one?


I'm an on again off again vegetarian. I feel better when eating a vegetarian diet. I'm sort of a vegetarian in that I don't eat red meat. But I do eat chicken and fish once in awhile. Mainly it's soy burgers and soy products.

Posted 8:08 PM by Bonnie

Richard Joseph Foster - March 30, 1949 - March 28, 2006

I received a phone call, from the wife of my best friend, telling me he had passed away in his sleep. It’s not that I wasn’t expecting the call. He has been very ill for some time, but still we had planned on seeing each other one more time.

Rick and I have been best friends since we were 15 years old. More than friends a lot of the time. We have been friends and lovers over the years. Even though our paths took us in different directions from time to time, we always found our way back to each other, and we both thought we had time for one more reunion. I would call him every Sunday and we would chat for hours. He and my husband Keith became phone pals because they had so much in common. We hadn’t talked for a few weeks because he had problems with his throat and was having more and more shortness of breath. But, he never told me it was emphysema! He only told me it was nothing and he would talk to me soon, when his voice cleared up. He never told his wife what was really wrong. That’s typical of him. And right now I am not sure whether to be angry or sad. He should have let us know so we could have been better prepared. I’m at least glad he died in his sleep, but still… we were supposed to get together one more time! Damn you, Rick! If I had known I could have come for a weekend at least, but no, he had to keep pretending we were going to get together again, when all along he knew it wasn’t going to happen.

Over the years we have been in and out of each others lives. When we were 50 and both getting divorced, we decided to start that music business we had talked about so much, over the years, since we were those young 15 year old kids with pipe dreams. We did and the business lasted 3 years. Oh, we never made much money, but we had fun! And then I left and went back to PA and ended up here in SC. Rick was in FL. We weren’t that far apart, but still we never made it for that one last reunion.

When I talked with his wife this evening she said he always talked about me and how much he loved me. On the computer she found a will, a list of contacts and my name was in BIG letters and BOLD print. There were some things he wanted me to have and she is sending them on to me. How do you say goodbye to someone who has been part of your life for so long.

We both loved to write songs and of course, wrote songs for each other from time to time. This is the last one I wrote for him.

Round and Round

Round and round we go again,
First we’re lovers, then we’re friends,
Just when we think it’s over,
Is when it really just begins.

We’ve shared each other’s hopes and dreams,
Broken hearts and childhood schemes.
I held your hand, you held mine,
From milk and cookies to glasses of wine.

From golden hair to shades of gray,
We’ve grown past the childish play,
You go here and I go there,
But in our hearts we’ll always care.

And round and round we go again,
First we’re lovers, then we’re friends.
Just when we think it’s over,
Is really when it just begins.

From the day we met the friendship grew,
When I hurt I ran to you,
And when your heart was broken beyond repair,
You knew you’d always find me there.

With and open heart and open arms,
I tried to keep you safe from harm,
And it was always you I’d call,
When I’d feel myself begin to fall.

Now round and round we go again,
First we’re lovers, then we’re friends,
Just when we think it’s over,
Is when it really just begins.

Here we are after all these years,
Through the laughter and all the tears,
Reaching out for each others hand,
Looking for someone who will understand.

Not judge, condemn, or place any blame,
Some to ease the hurt and shame.
There are times when you need me, and I need you,
When only the closeness of an old friend will do.

And round and round we go again,
First we’re lovers then we’re friends,
Just when we think it’s over,
Is when it really just begins.

Good bye, Rick. You may be gone physically, but you have left a legacy behind in your music and your songs.

Posted 1:50 PM by Bonnie

A new day: Went and talked with another vet in the area, and they have agreed to take our remaining 6 cats as patients. I went to the old vet and got the carrier we left behind Friday in our anger and frustration. Also, got the records of all the cats. I looked them over when I got home and nothing was on there for the last day Mr. Fuzz spent with them. I did get some vindication though, when one of the other vets, whom I do like, came out to talk with me and said she (the new vet) had not given him the proper treatment and he didn't understand why she changed treatment mid stream. He did say yes, it was a treatment that could have been used when the attacks first started, but at the point he was at the shots were all that were going to help. I don't know what I'll do with that information, but at least I know I wasn't wrong in my thoughts that her actions killed our cat. I am still not believing he is gone. It's funny, because I have lost many cats, over the years, but none quite like Mr. Fuzz. He was almost human in his actions and emotions that it was scary at times. He watched over the other cats and kept them in line. He thought nothing of batting one of them down if they got too rough. The other cats are trying to fill the void. Percy, the persian, who never got in my bed now comes every night and puts his face on mine and purrs. Heidi will come and sit on my lap, but she can't sit still the way Mr. Fuzz did ... and the two kittens (now almost cats! lay on my feet at night), but still it isn't the same without Mr. Fuzz.

So, we will start over with a new vet and hope this one works out better. I just don't want to ever see that woman again or I may be forced to rip her face to shreds.

Posted 2:29 PM by Bonnie

How seriously geeky are you?

My response:

Are you sure you are a geek? You sound suspiciously well adjusted.

Posted 9:01 PM by Bonnie

A difficult post: As anyone who reads this knows, our cat Mr. Fuzz, had issues with asthma. One time so bad it required an emergency trip to Columbia, SC because there is no emergency vet here in Sumter, SC. When he had an attack he was given a steroid shot and that would relieve his symptoms. Unfortunately, lately, the shots have not been working as well and his attacks were coming closer and closer together. It wasn't even a month this time. The vet wanted to try something different, that the other vets there hadn't tried, and since the old way was obviously not helping much anymore I agreed. He had a couple attacks last night and a small one this morning. I took him in for a shot of the milder drug and she agreed to give it to him. I left him there for the day and when we returned to pick him up around five we were informed just 10 minutes before we got there he had a major attack and had passed away while they were giving him oxygen.

Somehow I am not believing this. I think she (the newest vet there) did something wrong and he died under her care. But, of course, there is no way to prove this. I think she gave him the wrong medication or too much medication and put his system into shock. I don't remember much of what she said, because I was having a hard time believing what she was telling us.

I always knew eventually we would lose him to the asthma or to liver damage caused by the steroids, but not this time. The attacks weren't that bad, and I only took him for the shot because the weekend is coming up and they aren't open on the weekend, so I wanted to give him some relief so it wouldn't escalate into a major attack. I still don't believe he's gone. I mean this was Mr. Fuzz!! He was a mommy's boy and would lay on my lap, sleep at the foot of my bed, and follow me around like a shadow. This will definitely leave a huge void in our lives and our hearts.

I'll go through my disks to find a good picture of him over the weekend and post it here, but I wanted to get this part up for all my friends and family who have been going through the trials and tribulations of caring for this lovable cat, with me, over the years.

Posted 9:42 AM by Bonnie

Short and sweet:

On Wednesday, March 1st, 2006, in Annapolis at a
hearing on the proposed Constitutional Amendment to
prohibit gay marriage, Jamie Raskin, professor of law
at AU, was requested to testify. At the end of his
testimony, Republican Senator Nancy Jacobs said: "Mr.
Raskin, my Bible says marriage is only between a man
and a woman. What do you have to say about that?"
Raskin replied: "Senator, when you took your oath of
office, you placed your hand on the Bible and swore to
uphold the Constitution. You did not place your hand
on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible."
The room erupted into applause.

Posted 1:13 PM by Bonnie

These Pics of my husband, Keith, and one of our cats, Marmadukealade (or Marmalade L'Orange per Keith) were just too cute not to post. Keith has become this cats favorite resting spot.

Posted 1:09 PM by Bonnie

End of Geico:



Now, where can I find that damn duck ???

Posted 1:26 PM by Bonnie

ZephyrBird has been getting way too serious lately and thinking a bit too much. Now we all know Zeph is wild and crazy so it's time to get a little insane.

Greetings, mamboers! Today's theme is "Lend a helping hand day," and I need your help. You can help me by answering the following questions:

1. What song, artist, or album has helped you through a rough time?

This one isn't as easy as it sounds. Whenever I feel down and need something to revive my spirits I pick Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, CCR, or even a bit of Meatloaf. All have their attributes that take me back to better times. Times when life wasn't so complicated and filled with all the problems that plague my life these days.

2. Name at least one song with the word "Help" in the title. If you really can't think of anything, a song by a certain British foursome is acceptable.

Can't HELP Myself (sugar pie honey bunch) by The Four Tops
HELP Yourself - Tom Jones

3. A really good band has members who help each other play better. Sometimes it's the entire band that clicks, and other times it's a pairing of two people who would not perform the same without each other. Name me a band, pair of people or whatever other combination you like that fits the above description.

Simon and Garfunkle for sure! (they were always better together)
Peter, Paul, and Mary
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
to name a few

The rules are, there are no rules!!! All you need to do is copy and paste the above questions into your blog and add your responses. After you've finished, return here and leave us a comment so we'll know you've Mamboed. Be sure your Mambo is linked back to http://bdinsanity.blogdrive.com so others can dance too.

Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. If one of the questions doesn't inspire you then simply "pass" it. Just use your imagination and dance like crazy!

If you don't have a blog or you're an exhibitionist *woo hoo* feel free to Mambo right here in our comments section. There's absolutely no pressure ... although it's called the Monday Music Mambo you can Mambo on any day.

Until next time, this is your music-lovin' Mememeister saying have a good Monday and a good Mambo!

Posted 4:07 PM by Bonnie

TMJ!

How Does TMJ Work?
When you bite down hard, you put force on the object between your teeth and on the joint. In terms of physics, the jaw is the lever and the TMJ is the fulcrum. Actually, more force is applied (per square foot) to the joint surface than to whatever is between your teeth. To accommodate such forces and to prevent too much wear and tear, the cartilage between the mandible and skull normally provides a smooth surface, over which the joint can freely slide with minimal friction.

Therefore, the forces of chewing can be distributed over a wider surface in the joint space and minimize the risk of injury. In addition, several muscles contribute to opening and closing the jaw and aid in the function of the TMJ.

Symptoms:
Ear pain
Sore jaw muscles
Temple/cheek pain
Jaw popping/clicking
Locking of the jaw
Difficulty in opening the mouth fully
Frequent head/neck aches

I should have seen it coming! I had an earache a few days ago and have been suffering some bad headaches the past few days. I've had this before. I know the symptons yet still I didn't think about it until today when I woke up with a painful jaw! It took me 3 hours to eat a bowl of oatmeal! So, of course, I am not speaking to anyone. Not that I don't want to, just that it's too painful. So, if you call me and I don't call back or say I can't talk now it's because you're giving me a pain in the..... jaw ... well, maybe some place else too, but mainly in the jaw.

Posted 9:26 PM by Bonnie

Closet Sci-Fi Nerd: - recent exchanges with a Jamble partner:

My first word in the game was DUNE - thus the following comment -

(Me) Mouadib! Mouadib! Let the spices flow! and if you've never read the Dune series by Frank Herbert you have no idea what I'm talking about and think I'm raving.

(Burleymon)why i've been to Arrakis many times!! one of my favorite series!

(Me) LOL!!! ours too. We just watched all the DVD's again, and have every book in the series including the ones his son wrote...and I just bid on a set of the Dune books on tape off ebay.

(update: I didn't win the auction)

(Burleymon) my mom got me started when i was young. i've always been a fan of sci fi and fantasy novels

(Me) I don't really get into a lot of sci-fi and fantasy, but I read the first Dune book because I had nothing to read one day and that was the only book in the house I hadn't read... I got hooked!

(Burleymon) my mother loved Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit, she got me hooked when I was in Elementary school!

(Me) yep, I enjoyed them too... but never got to see the movie when it came out. i just realized for someone who says she doesn't like scifi and fantasy i sure read a lot of it...and also got into the Star Wars movies.

(Burleymon) so you are a closet scifi nerd!!

my entire family has been scifi nerds, especially when the whole family would watch the original star trek!!

(Me)LOL!!! Yeah, I guess I am a closet sci-fi nerd. Never thought of it that way. Guess I'm coming out of the closet.

Anyone else want to come out of the closet with me?

Posted 9:27 AM by Bonnie

I don’t normally do book reviews, but every once in awhile you get one that really rocks you, makes you think, and makes you want to tell others about it. As you all know I do books on tape since I spend a lot of time waiting for my husband while he’s at the doctors, at physical therapy, etc… Recently I came across one called Street Soldier, by Joseph Marshall, Jr. The copyright was 1996, so yes it is an older book, but still very relevant today. Especially for teachers of inner city schools.

Mr. Marshall started a boys club called the Omega Club and the first thing he did that was different, was invite not just the kids from the streets but their parents! He talks of how the drug dealers are the modern slave owners. The blacks who sell the drugs are enslaving their own people to the drugs. He also talked about how the black language is a language of hate against their own people – words like nigger, ho, crack ho, etc., are put downs and show a lot of disrespect especially towards the black women.

He talks of how respect is not something you get from someone else, but something you give yourself. If you let someone else give it to you, they can also take it away. He talks of how a friend is not someone who will “get your back” during a fight or when you are in trouble, but a friend is someone who will lead you away from trouble not towards it.

He talks of life on the street and how it is not life, but death on the street. He gets angry at the young black boys who say he doesn’t understand. In his opinion life on the street is a lot of “gottas” – gotta take care of my homies, gotta get my money, gotta get my drugs, gotta get my respect… well, you read about what he says about “getting” respect.

Oh, yes, there are the few intonations that all this is the white mans fault, but he goes further to say it is the black communities fault more than anything. The black community allows these young kids to run the streets and doesn't help them to learn differently. They just accept it and don’t try to change it. He is one man making changes!

On one radio broadcast he summed it all up beautifully. He started the broadcast with a line that this show was ‘dedicated to his grandmother and all the other grandmothers out there for whom we have made the streets – unsafe!’

Even though I didn’t agree with some of things he said or felt his partner in the business went a bit too far in saying the prisons were the white mans way of keeping them down, Mr. Marshall made a stronger point. He states that between employed white men and employed black men the imprisonment rate is almost equal. The difference in the ratio, he states, changes because the unemployed Black Men choose a life of crime and drugs more often then unemployed white men. And the prisons are full more with the druggies, the robbers, the murderers, who chose a life of crime. Instead of taking responsibility, they place blame and make bad choices.

Like I said, I didn’t always agree with the entire content of the book, but it is well worth the read if you are involved in inner city schools, black education, etc., because he made one very important point. In spite of all his and the Omega Boys Clubs efforts (yes girls joined, too) to get them off the streets, to get them college scholarship funding, once they were in college they were not prepared. Black children are not brought up to study, because in his opinion they are raised by crack mothers, absent fathers (if not physically then emotionally), and although they have large families, there really is little family unity and family support or supervision. He ended up bringing in a special teacher who taught the Club kids how to study, how to write, how to read, and how to speak in a real language and not street gutter speak, to be able to speak in complete and understandable sentences. As he says, not all are graduating still, and only one of the original eight managed to complete college, but at the time of the book progress was being made. I am going to see if he has a follow up book, because this one definitely caught my interest.

Posted 12:39 PM by Bonnie

Updates! Updates! Updates! To hold to my promise for the new year I figured it was time to actually post a real upate, rather than all the fun things I get in my email from my friends. Not to say they aren't worth scrolling down to check out - because they are! I love my sick friends for all the goodies they send me.

As for me, well, you know how we talk about Karma and what goes around comes around? But how often do we get to see it actually happen. Usually we just rely on the fact that someone who did something dirty to you will get theirs in the end. The old what goes around comes around theory. But, oh, to actually be there when it happens! Now that is true Karma and you know you did something right to actually witness your redemtion!

Remember the job I had because the younger girl had quit to stay home with her newborn, premature baby? The one who got bored with the baby after a week and came demanding her job back and she got it. At the time I said I guess 22 and blonde beats out 58 and grey anyday. Well, it really didn't do her a whole lot of good to take the job back from me, because there have been so many comlaints about the people and the running of the place it's being shut down! So, in the end I lost nothing except a few weeks pay! And my online business is doing so good that I've been having fun staying home working. I will eventually go back out into the public workforce, because I do miss the people interaction and I have a good lead from someone who said they need someone like me where he works. I just have to wait until my husband is able to get himself to and from his job again - but this guy told me there would be no problem as the turnover is pretty high there. Apparently, the young people they hire don't like hard work and end up leaving within a few weeks, so they are looking for people with more work ethics - older workers.

Anyway, as I said - sweet redemtion! Now maybe she'll have to stay home and actually take responsibility for raising her own child and caring for her own baby. And I can feel vindicated that justice has been served. Mean? Maybe! But, for now I can't help smiling knowing she got little out of it. She came in giving me nasty looks and glaring at me and sticking her nose up in the air and acting all snotty and in the end...well, as they say...she who laughs last laughs loudest.

In the meantime, Keith has next week away from the school so that will be fun. Monday he has to go to the orthopedic doc in Irmo, but I won't be driving him this time. Another of his colleagues will do the driving and I may even stay home this time. We're debating on this point. She even mentioned I could stay home if I wanted as they will also be visiting another colleague while there. So, I may choose to do that since I know it will be a lot of school talk. We'll see. I told him she and her could still stop at Lizards Thicket for dinner (one of my favorite places) as long as he brought me dinner home. Then we could watch movies when they got back home. She and Keith are both movie buffs. I enjoy them, but not quite as much as they do. I mean they remember every movie characters made and even the years they were made! Me, I just like to sit back, watch, enjoy, and not get personally involved with the actors.

It's been beautiful weather here this week and I've been enjoying the outdoors as much as I can. The problem with this area is it's either too hot or raining, so these few weeks in between are wonderful!

Until next update!!!

Posted 12:33 PM by Bonnie

For a fun time click here!

Posted 4:12 PM by Bonnie

Baking Cookies (with your cat)

1. Look in cookbook for cookie recipe.
2. Get cup of coffee.
3. Get cat off of cookbook.
4. Find that special recipe.
5. Get cat's nose out of coffee mug.
6. Go to fridge and get eggs.
7. Get dry ingredients from cupboard.
8. Break eggs in small bowl.
9. Sift dry ingredients in large bowl.
10. Answer the phone.


11. Cat ate eggs; get more from fridge.
12. Get cat out of flour bowl and dust cat off.
13. Get Band-Aids for scratches on hands.

14. Throw flour out and get more.
15. Preheat oven for cookies.
16. Looking at cat & wanting to bake cat now.
Cat runs for cover into bathroom. 17. Flour the counter to roll out cookie dough.
18. Big crash in bathroom; run to see what happened.
19. Cat has TP all over floor; stuff spilled
and knocked over on top of bathroom counter.

20. Yell at cat. Cat falls in toilet bowl.
21. Can sense cat is angry.

22. Take cat out of toilet to dry cat off.
23. Get bandages to cover more scratches on arms and legs.
24. Cleanup bathroom.
25. Hear a thump in kitchen ...
Oh Golly ... now what?
26. Get cat off floured counter in kitchen.
27. Try to pick out cat hairs from flour.
28. Step on cat's tail and get bitten.
29. Get coat, car keys, and go to store to buy cookies!!!

Posted 4:17 PM by Bonnie

For those of us past middle age:

A distraught senior citizen phoned her doctor's office.
"Is it true," she wanted to know, "that the medication
you prescribed has to be taken for the rest of my life?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so," the doctor told her.

There was a moment of silence before the senior lady replied,

"I'm wondering, then, just how serious is my condition
because this prescription is marked 'NO REFILLS'."

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

An older Jewish gentleman was on the operating table
awaiting surgery and he insisted that his son,
a renowned surgeon, perform the operation.
As he was about to get the anesthesia
he asked to speak to his son.
"Yes, Dad, what is it?" "Don't be nervous, son;
do your best and just remember, if it doesn't go well,
if something happens to me ..
your mother is going to come
and live with you and your wife...."

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

Aging: Eventually you will reach a point when you
stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.

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

The older we get, the fewer things seem
worth waiting in line for

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

Some people try to turn back their odometers.
Not me, I want people to know "why" I look this way.
I've traveled a long way and some of the
roads weren't paved.

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

How old would you be
if you didn't know how old you are?

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

When you are dissatisfied and would
like to go back to youth, think of Algebra.

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

You know you are getting old when everything
either dries up or leaks.

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

I don't know how I got over the hill
without getting to the top.

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

One of the many things no one tells you about aging
is that it is such a nice change from being young.

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

Ah, being young is beautiful,
but being old is comfortable.

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

Old age is when former classmates are so gray
and wrinkled and bald, they don't recognize you.

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

If you don't learn to laugh at trouble,
you won't have anything to laugh at when you are old.

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

First you forget names, then you forget faces.
Then you forget to pull up your zipper.
It's worse when you forget to pull it down.

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