ANOTHER BIG WEEK IN NEWS

So Anna Nicole Smith died, huh? There's a big surprise. Why is this a mystery? The woman didn't exactly live life like a saint. And you know what really pisses my off about this whole thing? What about her baby? Because I don't watch the tellie anymore, my knowledge of what happened is very limited. Was this a suicide or did her body just give out from all the abuse it had to go through? If it was the former, all I can say is shame on her. If she did take her own life in some way I don't think she should be given any pity. The fact is that suicide is the most selfish act a person can do. I have always hated that so many people were 'destroyed' when Kurt Cobain offed himself, but I maintain that he was completely irresponsible. That is one of the major reasons why I haven't had children. Once you bring another life into this world, your life has to come second. Atleast until they are able to thrive on their own. This won't be the first child to grow up without a parent and who knows what kind of mother Ms. Smith was, but the fact remains that this child will have to live with a legacy. In this day and age, it is difficult enough to try to have a healthy, happy life without all the bullshit this baby will have to endure now. I just hope that there is a strong support system surrounding the child.

Anyway, that's enough ranting about that.

A NEW PASSION

I've rediscovered the pleasure of the spoken word. When I was a child, my mother read to me every night. It was something that I looked forward to all day. My favorite books were the Laura Ingalls Wilder series. She described food in such detail that it made my mouth water. Yet, as is so typical of 'growing old', I lost my passion for books. Many years ago my father told me that I needed to read Harry Potter and so began a newly energized love for reading. The problem is that there are just too many damn books on my reading list and not enough time. Several months ago, I was taking a long drive to Arizona to visit a friend and decided to check out audio books at the library. That one book was all it took. I was hooked. That book was Norwegian Wood by Murakami. A good story although I didn't like how it ended. Since then I have listened to too many books to remember. Some of my favs are Me Talk Pretty One Day by Sedaris and anything by Augusten Burroughs. I've also taken the opportunity to "read" those books that have been on my list forever: Son of a Witch, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and Life of Pi to name just a few.

I have yet to come across a bad book and have now begun to listen to some classics. Waiting in the wings is Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainance and I've just started The Silmarillion. I can tell already this will be a huge undertaking, but I'm up for the task.

I guess the whole point of this blog is to encourage you the reader to give it a try. I know that they are expensive to buy, so that's why they have libraries. I have always enjoyed visiting them and now base how good they are by how extensive their audio selection is. And don't use that sad excuse that you don't have any time. Do what I did, turn off the tellie and turn on the cd player. If you've already discovered the joy of audio books, I would welcome any recommendations and will share my own if you're interested. Happy listening!

"Strange"

Don't you dig this life

They call the meek

You whose feet are on the ground

And if you get too high

What goes around comes around

And brings you down

Cause people gonna see you

How they wanna see you

People gonna rate you

People gonna hate you

People gonna shove you

People gonna love you

People gonna do whatever

Makes them feel they own you better

Cause everyone knows we're strange

So why do you feel ashamed

Baby

Everyone knows we're different

So why do you feel ashamed

We love you all the same

That's why

Cause if you feel it

And if you mean it

Don't apologize

And you'll be just fine

Cause all they ever need is what you'll give them

They only put you down if you give them permission

People gonna see you

How they wanna see you

People gonna rate you

People gonna hate you

People gonna shove you

People gonna love you

People gonna do whatever

Makes them feel they own you better

Cause everyone knows we're strange

So why do you feel ashamed

Baby

Everyone knows we're different

So why do you feel ashamed

We love you all the same

Don't you ever change

You're undernourished

And unencouraged

And underrated

And unappreciated

You're always turning

In a different direction to us

With all you've come through

Considering all of the pushing and spitting and stuff

Everyone knows we're strange

So why do you feel ashamed

Baby

Everyone knows we're different

So why do you feel ashamed

We love you all the same

Yes we love you

All the same

Don't ever change

the Feeling