JUST STUFF......I'VE BEEN BUSY?!?!?!

So much to talk about, and so very little time. I have been trying to achieve a new goal....official paparazzi of Bellaire, Ohio!! This has involved a lot of standing around idly, gabbing with friends and even newer friends.

On average, I have spent at least five hours a day, trying to get some good shots of all the action scenes. Not being naive to this process, I realize that a good portion of what is being filmed here in our fair burg, will be left on the cutting room floor. I'm just "into" the mechanics and mundane.

The upside to having these film people in town, is that I get to leave the house with a purpose. I have almost become a hermit over the past two years, and to be honest, the fresh air was great. I know my computer probably enjoyed the break. (I know the family did)!

Of course, all this doesn't mean I haven't received my daily dose of "goings on" in the world. I would have preferred to MISS Carrie Prejean and her Christian snootiness. Apparently it was just fine to go on Hannity and bare her soul and exhort her mea culpas - for the masturbating video she sent to a former boyfriend, but when confronted by Larry King - she told this icon that he was being "inappropriate" and proceeded to end the interview. Where does one go with this woman, in a discussion? I would prefer to head to the nearest bathroom and barf!!

Honestly, I've not missed a damn thing news-wise and rest assured, my opinion will be expressed as soon as I am done stalking. On Wednesday, I got into a political discussion with a client while waiting for a scene to be shot. All was going well till she said "you know why I don't like Obama?" (dumbfounded look on my face). "Because he never proved he was an American citizen." Whoa!!! I essentially told her "I'm not going there!" As much as I would like to have sent her shriveled, wrinkled body flying - I just walked away. (It's never a good thing to piss off a client!)

With that note - I am curious if she has read that Orly Taitz will probably lose her law license because she lied and manipulated the courts and witnesses???

Enough of that for now.....watch this clip I filmed yesterday. This scene shows the train coming into town, and Denzel Washington's double running across the tops of the train cars - and the helicopters flying so low over the train - AWESOME!!



Train Scene - Watch more Funny Videos


I have to run - heading to Fedex to straighten out some paper work on getting theson's belongings back in this country - then back to town with camera in hand.

Have a great day!! Later..........................




DON'T FORGET TO STOP BY: PAST THE VELVET ROPE (FRIDAY POSTINGS)

MY IRISH IS IN A RAGE....

This picture was taken two years ago, but I place it here to visualize my side lot. My lot extends to within approximately 2 feet of the concrete driveway on the left. We bought this house and moved in, April of 1986, and have been paying taxes on this lot since that time.

My neighbor, recently sold her house which was finalized yesterday around 3 pm, with all the money exchanges, loans and paperwork completed. By 6 pm, the new owners and relatives, comprising about nine cars, all showed up at this house, parking in MY side yard.

Thedaughter made the comment, "you realize that this lot is ours, don't you?" To which they replied "NO, our contract includes an additional lot and we paid extra for that." The argument ensued. It was more conversational - not really confrontational, as there was more shock from their camp.

I explained that I have been paying taxes on this property since I bought this house 23 years ago. I also explained that at one time it was completely fenced in along the property lines. In these past 23 years, I have removed a major amount of flora and fauna, as there was no placement logic, in most of the green stuff. Now, we have had a gorgeous lawn on the side for the past nine years.

The people (or clan I might say) are slightly pissed (as I am too), and all we could advise was to contact the realtor that led them through the property and to get a survey done for clarity. Many years ago, it was common practice that a survey was performed on all properties being sold/purchased. I know I am not paying for one, as I have the clear deed and by rights of 23 years - I'm standing firm.

Did I mention that they are "dirty asses?" I hate to use that term, but can't think of a more appropriate one at the moment. It was like the Clampett's moving in, with everything tied to the top of cars and stuff dripping over the sides of the beater pick-up trucks.

Thegrandson knows the two children, as they attend the same school and ride the same bus. My intention is not to piss off the "new" folks...but I will stand firm on ownership. The sad part, is there is very little yard for children to play for these folks.

Essentially, I am not shocked that his happened, as the "former" neighbor told me she was not going to have any problems getting $97,500 for her house since she had the "extra lot." I asked her several times, "where is your extra lot?" - never receiving an answer. So, for the past four weeks, I had an underlying feeling that this could become an issue.

This will be interesting as it unfolds, so I will update when necessary. Thedaughter wants to immediately put up a fence along the property, but I like "open" space and would hate to go back to being "fenced in."

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I am reading this morning that Massachusetts is suing the federal government over the DOMA. A bold stance I must say, but truly wonderful. It should be interesting to see how this issue will be addressed. For clarity on the state level and fairness - DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) needs to be nullified. Kudos to Mass.

I got into a loooong drawn out discussion with a group of friends last night, over the accomplishments of the Obama administration. The general consensus was that he is doing a good job, considering the mess he walked into. None of us are 100% happy with all the decision, which is a hard number to reach with any administration.

We all, also agreed that it is amazing that the detractors of Obama, are trashing him rather prematurely. But to get into the rethug mentality is almost a waste of my time and breath. Logic, facts and accurate data are no deterrent to these bigots, and the ones I speak of are very bigoted. No one point blank says they hate Obama because he is black...they just whip out the racial slurs and jokes. A real sign of intelligence there, wouldn't you say. If you want to argue with me, you better come armed with facts first. Although I get mad at these comments, I have not addressed them as I honestly desire.

I will not and never have tolerated bigotry and prejudice. I take my stances seriously, and will not even argue a point if I have no statistics to back my stance. But I am surrounded by those who march to evangelical, Conservative talking points and spin. No REAL facts mind you, just the blathering of haters. I use the word "hate" very little in my life, because it is such a strong emotion. Hate can drive people to unimaginable lengths. I refuse to let a force like tht own me.

Enough of that for now. The back deck is completed (yesterday), and we will probably have the front deck completed today. Thank you Mother Nature for cooperating these past few days with all this sunshine. While the outside task is being completed, I hope to get some major cleaning done INSIDE. Thedaughter is off today (as yesterday), so maybe I will get some assistance.

Have a great one all, and I shall return.........LATER...............

The time has come to FIGHT back...

Listening to all the Sunday political discussions, the common thread was - how low McCain has sunk in his attack ads. The downright lies and distortions are ringing loudly. It is time for the Obama team to strike hard - and essentially I don't believe they have to stoop to the same level...just using their (McCain/Palin) own words (in entirety) is enough.




In talking with so many people lately, the general consensus is quite the same...that we know the McCain ads are lies, but there are so many people (voters) who only believe what they see and hear. Heaven forbid people would take the extra step necessary to "check" the accuracy and truths (or half-truths) of these ads. It is a case of playing to the susceptible, for lack of a better phrase.

I have argued till I'm blue in the face with one local, and he has the computer capabilities and knowledge to check all this information, yet relies totally on sham e-mails he receives. Duh??? His argument is that he sees who sends him the e-mail and past recipients, and these are all good people - therefore they (e-mails) cannot be wrong. GIVE ME CYANIDE CAPSULES NOW!! That is the "brick wall" mentality I have referred to.

Karl Rove even stated over the weekend that McCain had made statements that weren't maybe 100% accurate - he also said Obama's team was in the same category. I disagree as do quite a few pundits, commentators, etc. Obama's ads had no blatant distortions or lies - statistics were misrepresented - but nowhere near to the extent that the McCain camp has stooped.

In all my 40 years of voting, I have never seen the outrageous lies as we are seeing now. It makes me ashamed at times to refer to our democratic society. But in truth I guess being a Democracy allows that kind of speech - although now is the time to stand up to the lies.

Time is winding down fast till we cast our ballots - and more fire is going to be spewed from all sides. I should hope that the gloves are off in the debates and we will see then who can hold up to the rigors and decisions that will be required of our next President.

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Well, we got part of Hurricane Ike here - winds hitting 70 mph and gust higher at times. I didn't need to worry about the rain - it skirted northwest of us, but I had to worry about the 50 foot trees behind my house. I was afraid they would come crashing down. Thankfully, I just have some large branches to get removed - I will try to drag them to the creek bank. I had a 10'X10' canopy on my back deck, and the wind was raising it up - I thought it was going to turn into a missile. I then started taking it down - a real fun task by oneself. Thegrandson wasn't much help, but I managed to get it all put away - one less thing to worry about.

Several schools are cancelled because of "no power" - our power was on/off so many times, I gave up resetting the clocks. Columbus, Ohio has almost 300,000 people without power today. Thedaughter was getting calls for hotel rooms (Wheeling WV) from those in Columbus (2 hours away) - because they just wanted their comfy amenities. Unbelievably, all the hotels in the area booked solid rather quickly.

Well, break time - the O.J. trial is starting - can't miss that one. later guys. TTFN

and they say the economy is booming....

I actually live for Friday nights at 11 p.m., when Real Time with Bill Maher airs on HBO. Sometimes he has wonderful guests with a vast knowledge of the political scene and then sometimes he has a battling Republican, who spouts the Bushisms of the past too many years. This past Friday he had John Fund, Wall Street Journal reporter as one of his guests. What a dickhead!!! When the argument arose about the poor getting poorer -he chimed in with something along the line of "the economy is better than EVER!!" To say the audience was pissed was an understatement. He followed that assertion by "UNEMPLOYMENT IS BELOW 4% - A RECORD!" EXCUSE ME!!!!! That 4% only reflects those claiming unemloyment - the Republicans always seem to forget those who long ago were dropped off the unemployment rolls - their claims used up - and some are now homeless! This is one argument that NEVER gets clarified. How can the economy be so great at this moment - when gas is well over $3 a gallon, and those earning minimum wage can no longer afford to GET TO WORK!! Is it a prerequisite to be a moron in order to be a politician - guess so! And should I mention HEALTH CARE???

Michael Moore (Fahrenheit 9/11) has a new film debuting at the Cannes Film Festival called "Sicko!" He had heard that the detainees were receiving excellent and major tecnological medical treatment at Gitmo - so he got several first responders from NYC (9/11 event) and sailed to Gitmo - begging for medical treatment equal to that given the foreign detainees - and was refused. He then sailed to Havanna, Cuba and all those on board were given excellent treatment with positive results - treatment and tests which were unaffordable here in the US. You see, Cuba has socialized medicine, as does France and many other countries - AND IT IS A WORKABLE SCENARIO. But the Bush administration fails to feel for the ailing citizens of this country - forbidding people to obtain cheaper medicines across our borders and setting up a Medicare plan - doomed to fail.

President Jimmy Carter labeled this administration as "the worst in history" yesterday, now the bushies are vilifying Carter because of the unprecedented statement. GO JIMMY!!

I guess my soapbox isn't big enough for all the things I have to say (especially when I am furious!) So I will sign off now.

Two weeks from today I will have a drink in my hand and be ready to sail to the Caribbean - one week is NOT long enough for me!

Take care all and TTFN.

**The son flew home Tuesday night from Briggs, England and may be leaving tomorrow for - who knows where?!?!

hold on folks...STATE OF THE UNION tonight!!

I don't know if I will survive the viewing of the "big" address tonite, but I am always ready for a good laugh. Historically, the Senate and Congress members always manage to give more than enough standing ovations and major applause - yet, for once I would love to see the majority - just sit quietly and unresponsive. Considering booing and throwing things might be considered a treasonous act, with major repercussions.

I have this one recurring dream lately that the Prez has finally had enough and a major reality check has set in, he grabs Laura, dog Barney and buddy Dick, and says "let's get the hell out of here!" Kind of like the obstreperous child, throwing a tantrum, taking his football and going home.

According to CNN, Mr. Bush may propose making health insurance benefits "taxable income" - yet give families a deduction on the first $15,000 (singles $7500.) This is ludicrous. Anyone familiar with taxes know that you can only deduct medical expenses over 7.5% of your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI), and if your income is in the higher brackets there are cut-off limits. Now for the poor lowly worker making $12,000 a year - health benefits for a family are running - on average - $500/month. You have just made that individual liable for $18,000 of income. After the 7.5%, this individual would only be able to itemize $4650. this would barely qualify for itemizing, and therefore the individual would have to pay taxes on an additional $6K they never saw.

I know I probably did not make that very clear - but my premise is - HEALTH INSURANCE SHOULD NOT BE TAXABLE INCOME. Only a moron would come up with such an idea.

Say what you will about Hillary Clinton, but remembering back when Bill took office and she made health care a priority, she was shoved into a back room. Now it seems the reality has come back "in their faces" and DUH BUSH wants to cure the problem. And we all know that curing any problem is NOT his forte. I really need to find some drugs before I watch this spectacle tonite. I can just see all of Bush's minions running around trying to see who they can seat in the gallery to make HIM look good or sympathetic. I really liked the old days when rotten vegetables could be thrown at the stage/speakers. But oh no - have to be politically correct. Kind of takes the fun out of life.

Each to his own - I plan on being the skeptic as usual - and can't wait to see what samurai frog has in his analysis. He is a young man and very astute. Three cheers for the generation behind me!! He enjoys the porn much like Slyght (the Porn King from his college days.)

Gonna take a break and reaarange some dust in the house now! Everyone stay healthy. TTFN

*** I will be leaving for Boston on Thursday (25th) and back on the 30th. So Happy Birthday to me on the 26th. Maybe we will get snowbound in New England like we did 5 years ago. One can only hope.

Yes....SOAPBOX TIME AGAIN!!!

Watching the "Commander In Chief" (and I use the term loosely) last night, addressing the nation about seding more troops to Iraq, got my blood pressure up again. The man is an idiot!!!! Neo-con, warmongering idiot. First of all, and this has nothing to do with Iraq - can we say the word N-U-C-L-E-A-R ????? It is not NUCULAR - it is pronounced exactly as it is spelled - guess this moron never had phonetics as a youth. Really chaps my ass - cannot stand stupidity - especially if you are going to stand in front of MILLIONS of people and TRY to give the impression you might have a brain.

OK - back to the address. The people of this nation gave a definite mandate in the last election, that they have had enough of this Iraqi debacle. The prez made statements such as, Iraq has an established democracy now (I paraphrase), because of our intervention. Query me this - what democracy? An election alone does not constitute a democracy. His new "sound plan" assures the American people that if Iraq does not help themselves, we will be done with them. Right - can't see this happening. Take a country that thrives on fighting (a few thousand years cannot be changed in ten) will never become a passive democratic society. It appears that these people are only happy when fighting with another sect in their region. (DUH - since biblical times.) Hopefully this democratic Congress can save the youth of our country from having to fight a war that our CIF arbitrarliy started. And how about the ten officials (well paid I would assume) to chair the Iraq Study Group? Bush has completely ignored their recommendations. Hello - remember Osama Bin Laden? He seems to have become some detail placed on the back burner - when in actuality his connection to Al-Queda, was the catalyst for this debacle. OH God, give me a nerve pill. I view this administration almost as a dictatorship. The prez says you either do it MY way or out comes the VETO pen. I know our country was founded on REPRESENTATION. When is the last time anyone can remember - your representatives - coming to your locale, and polling the constituency, about their collective feelings on matters? NEVER. Once elected, these individuals, garner a large paycheck - for little actual working hours, and vote their OWN consciences and not the views of the majority of their voters. I have always been a strong advocate for "town hall" meetings for these elected officials - where they would be more accountable to those who elected them to REPRESENT the majority.

Well, my BP is still up, but I choose not to ramble on anymore. Theson is in Minneapolis with Jules, as she recovers from eye surgery. He is cooking (or so he says) and taking care of the basics I believe. At least he is there to cuddle with her during the healing process. Wish you all the luck Jules. No glasses or contacts - how great.

We have had a few days of COLD and now I say "ENOUGH!" I so love the tropical weather yet unfortunately live in a cold zone. Just give me the opportunity to celebrate Christmas in the tropics. I could get used to it I am sure.

Thegrandson loves the cold and we got a dusting of snow yesterday, so he was excited to wear his new boots to school. Doesn't take much to impress the young - hahaha!!

Well, I have errands to run and some house cleaning to tackle. Everyone stay healthy and TTFN.

***TheRuss is recuperating from cataract surgery on one eye and will have the other eye (imagine that he has two eyes) done next week. Recuperate nicely Russ!