BLAGO'S IN THE JUNGLE BABY!

Just when I thought the ousted Illinois Governor couldn't possibly get any more camera time... NBC wants him for a reality show called "I'm a celebrity, get me out of here!" That's right... impeached Governor Rod Blagojevich wants to sweat it out in the Costa Rican jungle. One problem though.. he is currently not allowed to leave the United States. His defense attorney is asking a judge to lift that rule and allow him to be part of the show. I guess I can't blame Blago for wanting to do the show. His political career isn't looking good... and he does enjoy being in the spotlight. I'm not sure where else he would go from here. NBC says the show dumps 10 celebrities in the jungle to test their skills at adapting to wilderness. Thoughts??

The Issue of "Sexting"

If you are new to the word "sexting" it is the act of sending explicit texts or pictures through a cell phone. It's very popular among teens and unfortunately even younger minors. As it stands, teens across the country have wound up on sex offender registries because of scenarios like this: 17-year-old dates a 16-year-old... the girl sends her boyfriend an explicit picture of herself. They get in a fight and out of immaturity, he sends it to her entire family. Police get involved... and he is charged with distributing child pornography. He winds up registering as a sex offender and his neighbors get email alerts that they are living next to a child predator. There are a million issues here. First let's start with the end result...
Should a 17-year-old be on a sex offender registry for a picture his girlfriend sent him? Probably not. I remember what it was like to be 16 and I am pretty sure that most girls sending out picture of themselves know exactly what they are doing and like the attention. Is it immature? Absolutely. Should he have sent it on to her family? Absolutely not. But let's take a step back for a minute. There is a bigger issue when minors are sending pornographic pictures and texts to each other. As if there isn't enough pressure on teenagers, girls now have to compete with each other via cell phone??? This is an issue parents need to address and monitor. I know she's not paying her own cell phone bill. That means PARENTS: You have some control. PLEASE USE IT! And please talk to your kids about sexting and the repercussions later in life. Not only could their boyfriend get mad or jealous and send it to anyone in the world... but those pictures could pop up one day when your teen tries to get a job, run for office, or any other time they come across someone in life who wants to humiliate them.
This is a tough issue for me because although I think there should be consequences for forwarding a naked picture of someone... I also don't think boys like the example above should have that shadow cast over them when the girl never should have sent the picture in the first place. There has to be another way.
Lawmakers in Vermont are currently trying to legalize teen "sexting" so that teens in this situation won't have the stigma of being a sex offender. However, when we make it legal... it makes it okay for minors to send either other sexual images. We also can't say that's okay. I don't know what the solution is, but I will say... it starts at home. Parents take heed.
If anyone else has any brilliant suggestions, feel free to post!

SUPER SECRET FAKE COP CARS

On my way to work almost daily I hit the breaks because I think I see a car that might be an officer. They are often in the corner of a used car lot, or an empty parking lot. However, they are facing the opposite direction, parked in the grass, and do not seem to be a car that is for sale or in the parking lot for any purpose. Upon closer inspection, these cars are definitely deserted and often beat up and might not even run. It makes me seriously wonder if troopers and police scour used car lots or other places of opportunity, notice a car that may look like a cruiser in the dark... and ask them to park it that way so it looks like someone is staked out. I guess if that is the goal, it works... because I slow down every time. But now that I've discovered this, I notice them more and more! Look around on your next drive, tell me if I'm crazy!

Where Are The Jobs?

Working in news, we obviously report every job fair imaginable right now. So many people are without work, my husband included. So we have these news releases, 1400 jobs... 1500 jobs... 600 jobs, etc. But there are still so many people without work! An HR recruiter actually told a local paper there are businesses here that needs jobs filled that can't do it because there isn't anyone qualified. She claims too many people do not have any computer skills. I'm sure there is some truth to that... and to those people, I say: get the skills! If you don't have a computer, ask a friend or neighbor to show you how to use it. Go to your local library. Having said that, I think her statement is completely untrue. I can name 20 people off the top of my head that are looking for jobs and have superb computer skills. I wonder if some of these companies are posting a lot of jobs for the media attention, and only hiring for a smaller portion. Obviously I can't prove that & of course I could be wrong. However, my husband has more skills than the average applicant and hasn't even had an interview... inside our outside his field. He's been told by several people, "Your resume looks great, but we're actually on a hiring freeze." This is from companies with several jobs posted. They claim they are posting the jobs so that they have some decent resumes, a "short list" if you will... once they can hire. I say, BOO! Don't post jobs if you can't hire for them. My husband's best option right now is a paper route. That's more than fine with him, but he would have taken a paper route a month ago had he known none of these other jobs were actually available. Just venting my frustrations... let me know your thoughts!

SPEEDY CHURCH READERS

Do you ever go to church or even some other large gathering where everyone recites something at once? What is with the people that insist on going their own speed... which is obviously a very different speed than anyone else? It's very strange. They always happen to be sitting right behind you and they also like to talk louder than everyone else. That way they can try to recruit speed readers to go at their pace and thus create two groups of readers, like a row row row your boat kind of thing. It's kind of funny, also kind of annoying. I find myself watching someone else's mouth up front by the priest so I can try to stay with the group and rebel against the loud and aggressive speedy readers. It's very tough! Then all of a sudden, you're tryig to read, lip-read, and block out the intense sound of the speedies. Lord help us!!!!

WHEN RECESSION HITS HOME

Layoffs that have been spiraling out of control in recent months have hit home for my husband and I. 11 positions were cut from our news station, and he was one of them. The struggle now is handling wedding bills and home improvement costs (see broken pipe story below) while trying to find a job that remotely comes close to his former pay scale. It's a boat millions of Americans are in right now and our only hope is that this is a blessing in disguise... An opportunity that will allow him to pursue something he can once again be passionate about.
I've had a lot of people say to me, "I'm surprised it's hitting news." But they shouldn't be. Advertising dollars pay for news and when the car dealerships aren't selling cars, they can't afford to advertise, therefore news stations lose money. Everything in our economy is a domino effect... A constant reminder of how much we all rely on each other. When one of us falls, we all fall. I think it's an eye opener for everyone complaining about bailouts. I don't know how I personally feel about bailout money because sure... Banks and auto makers and other large corporations made a lot of mistakes that got themselves in the boat they're in now. However, look at the aftermath. Once again, when one of us falls, we all fall. The fallout of the auto industry and banks that have collapsed is evident across the world. I do not have any answers as to what it will take to fix this, but I don't think it will happen any time soon.

THE WRATH OF FROZEN PIPES

My husband and I recently returned from an out of town trip where we were gone for six days. We found a note on our door saying "call me asap, i cut your water off." So we called the man... Who told us over the weekend several homes in our neighborhood had pipe problems and when they were at our neighbor's house, they were working on the water flowing out the back of his home, when they heard water at our house. He described it as Niagra Falls coming out of our back siding. We obviously weren't home so he turned our water off in case there was damage on the inside. Well, there was. Our living room ceiling was bowed down with water weight and our brand new carpeting underneath was wet. We thought the problem stopped there, but when the experts came out, they water tested 5 rooms... All were soaked. When they ripped up the floors we saw all the water and it was horrible.

Because it sat for three days, it had time to soak through even the dry floors. So the areas that looked fine to us were full of water underneath. We had dryers and humidifiers set up for days. And now we're preparing ourselves for the rehabilitation. I'm not looking forward to it, but it could have been worse. We made it out without damaged clothes or any significant furniture damage. We mostly just need new ceilings, walls, and floors! Come to find out the builders did not insulate the outside pipes properly and it's the same story for most of the homes in our neighborhood. We took all the right precautions before leaving town, but it didn't matter. I believe a lawsuit is in the works against the builder... Should be interesting!

OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE GPS

I am all about GPS systems. In fact, I recently purchased one. But I fear they are leading drivers into a sense of mindless wandering. I call it obsessive compulsive gps disorder... Or OCGD. You probably know someone with OCGD. Symptoms include pure panic if the GPS is not nearby and fully charged... Setting the GPS when you are three blocks away from your home and know where you're going... And any other obsessive behavior when it comes to the device. Sure, they are helpful when you are traveling, in an unfamiliar area, or even a familiar area, but want to scope out what's near you for food, gas, atm's, etc. But there are people who set it NO MATTER WHAT. They could go to the corner gas station, and they search it in the gps and set it before taking off. It worries me that these people are taking their OCGD to such a level that they will become incapable of driving without it. If the electronic voice you've named Monica, or Janice, or Lucy... Does not tell you to "stay right" or "recalculate" if you've missed a turn... Will you drive indefinitely wondering where you are, where you're going, and what your name is??
Maybe that's a little extreme, but still... Don't be annoying! Do not set your GPS when you don't need it. Maintain your ability to drive.. and make u-turns... And veer left all by yourself! Thank you kindly.

HANNAH'S HOPE

She found light at the end of the darkest tunnel.
It's a story about a teenager who's level of faith is inspirational. She battled cancer through high school and even in her hardest times... Thanked God for choosing her. She has shown incredible strength, bravery, and hope while facing a death many of us would wallow in. A story as incredible as Hannah's tells itself, but it is equally important for the storyteller to allow her inspiration to shine. This story by News Channel 7's Connie Legrand touched my heart in a big way and I hope it will reach you as well. This story is only three minutes long and will stay with you a million times that.
Just click to catch a glimpse of Hannah's Hope.

EXCELLENT BIRTH CONTROL

This is from a press release from Christina Elston. She writes the Health-E blog on Parenthood.com. I read this and thought, "whoa"...

Your precious new bundle will cost you a bundle, and bring you both joy…and anxiety! It's estimated the average family will spend more than $10-thousand dollars on child-related expenses this year - much of that on medical and child care!

I do not have children but I would dare to say that is a conservative figure. Add up clothes, food, school activities, birthday parties for classmates, trips to chuck e cheese, the list goes on.... and of course medical costs...
I bet your children take in much more of your salary than that! Anybody feel like guessing how much their child costs them a year?

I WANT MY KIDNEY BACK...

There's a story out today on CBS News where a man is suing his wife during divorce proceedings... Because he wants his kidney back! He donated a kidney to her several years ago when hers were failing. Then a couple years later she had an affair and filed for divorce. He says he's hurt, angry and humiliated. He at least wants from her whatever the value of his kidney is because it saved her life. I think his lawyer is planning on more than a million dollars. This is the first time I've ever heard of something like this. Obviously, no judge will require her to remove the kidney, but I do wonder if he will be compensated for making such a sacrifice just to be the victim of infidelity. The claim is pretty out there, but wouldn't you feel the same? Wow, so many variables going on here...

I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Hear from the broken-hearted "want my kidney back" man here.

GOALS FOR THE NEW YEAR

Let's start by listing a few I know I can keep:
1. Eat more ice cream.
2. Find a church that I like.
3. Be a good wife to my new husband
4. Encourage my love of cooking
Now the tougher ones:
4. Get active in some way.. working out, dancing again, etc.
5. Find a way to be near my family & friends
6. Finish my house!

Old-Fashioned Love

I watched a piece a few days ago on an 80-something year-old man who says the cure to his wife's Alzheimer's is cuddling. He's an inspirational individual who met his one true love very young and says his advice to other couples is to crawl in bed and cuddle as much as possible. It all sounds heart-warming, but is there any truth to it? Doctors say yes! They say touch can help patients like his wife, and she has certainly shown a dramatic improvement since he began holding her every day.

An article for the Boston Globe states the following:
"Rita's agitated behavior may be improving because Sol's touch is decreasing her levels of cortisol - a stress-related hormone, said Lynn Woods, an assistant professor at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Nursing."

You can watch his story here:
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/touch-may-counter-alzheimers/1258649488

Stories like his are captivating, not only because it's so wonderful to suggest human touch may actually help her condition, but it's an astonishing love story. It got me thinking about the older couples I know in my life. My parents, for example, starting "going together" in 8th grade! My mother went out with him to make another boy jealous and says "he just kind of grew on her." He walked several miles out of his way to pick her up and walk her to school every day... through snow, sleet, whatever. My older brother first proposed to my sister-in-law the first day of kindergarten! I was talking about this with a fellow producer who said her parents are high school sweethearts and every year return to the place they had their first date in their hometown. I sincerely hope love is still like that now. It seems all the amazing love stories are from times far away from our own. They tell stories of parents, grandparents, maybe aunts and uncles. I wonder if the rules of love are changing...

Perhaps the way the world is today creates a whole new medium for people to meet and fall in love. The internet, of course, plays a huge role. The need to go to college probably makes a difference as well. People were married earlier, started families earlier... all out of high school. Would those same couples have stayed together through the college years? I certainly hope so, but I think our way of life today creates a hard atmosphere for old-fashioned love. I hope everyone can still find it somehow. I know I have : )

RETAIL BREAKDOWN

It's no surprise the economy is a mess and retail outlets are suffering. I, personally, spent more this holiday season than any other I do believe. I didn't exactly keep track but I spent more on my nieces and nephew this year because they're getting older and the stuff they're into costs more. My husband and I also make more than we did last year at this time, so it seemed to make sense. But the same is not true for most people. I did notice a lot of people walking the mall, but not many people were checking out. Lines were not long, things were not crazy. I have to say Christmas shopping was not stressful and I actually enjoyed it. The future of this country, though, scares me. The fear for most people is the worst part because everyone will pull in the reigns just in case they end up on the chopping block or get laid off. It's the smart thing to do but it won't help the economy any. We've backed ourselves into quite a corner, or "they" have or whomever. Regardless, I have a feeling we are all about to see some things that will make us very uncomfortable. We'll no longer be on top, seem so untouchable, or live beyond our means. A large reality check is in store for us all. Working in news, I obviously have fears of my own. My news company has seen layoffs and there is a sort of cloud looming over us wondering if there will be more and if it will affect the news department. This is a bad time for news right now. Not only are we struggling with the internet, and people changing the way they get news, but newspapers are struggling. Most stations own newspapers, so cuts must be made across the board to make up for those losses. Right now, my husband and I are thankful to have a job, any place, anywhere. Here's to hoping for all of you as well!

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS

I tried to see some holiday lights in South Carolina during our first Christmas away from Illinois. I must say everything you see here is small potatoes compared to the Festival of Lights in East Peoria. You really can't get much better than what they do. The lights we went to see were made to be a pretty big deal, but it was a lot of blow up decorations and I really felt like I was driving through Creve Coeur. Most of the decorations could have come from a local store... And although there were a ton of lights, it was nothing special, a lot of trees lit up, etc. It made me really miss home. Be thankful if you are in the Peoria area this holiday season! Although I can't complain about the 68-degree weather we had Christmas Day : )

HANDICAPPED PARKING

It's always been a pet peeve of mine when people park in handicapped spots and they're not handicapped. It seems to happen more around the holidays. Parking is a nightmare, so people think they are somehow better than everyone else and deserve to take these spots. Especially when crazy holiday shopping is happening, should these spots stay open for those who really need them. Then there are the people who have the little handicapped tag because they often transport a family member who can't walk far. Those people are not with them, but they use the spot anyway. They bother me too. Don't take advantage of your loved ones' disabilities. Is it so horrible to walk a little? I don't think so. I think I should become one of those citizens who is able to write tickets to people like that. I would go crazy & spend a lot of my time busting these people... LOOK OUT!

ELDERLY ATTACKED

Today we covered a story about a home invasion where a 19-year-old was accused of breaking into the home of an elderly couple. The 80-year-old man jumped up to defend his wife and was beaten for his wallet. It breaks my heart to see an elderly couple, still best friends of course, be treated this way. It seems more elderly people are being targeted for robberies lately because they are most vulnerable. It's a despicable truth that makes you sick to your stomach. I don't know how anyone, especially the teenagers who are usually doing things like this, can find it in themselves to hurt someone who would never be violent back. They often steal the wallet and then beat them.... When they could steal it and just run away. It's bizarre and sad and I feel like they should maybe be punished more harshly for attacking someone who is unlikely to defend themselves.

JAMAICA MON!

I just returned from Jamaica with the most wonderful husband on this planet. It was a wild experience on so many levels. First, the excitement of going on a honeymoon... Then the warm beach, the ocean view, the hammocks, and an all-inclusive resort. It was so strange to walk in to nice restaurants, order from a menu, be waited on hand and foot, and then not pay. We all know we really did pay of course because the trip wasn't cheap. But still...
I was a big fan of the big green flag they give you to stick in the sand when you need something. We stayed at Couples Swept Away... A 10-acre property with just about everything you can imagine. We didn't feel the need to take any day trips because everything was right there... Parasailing, snorkeling, a cruise, glass bottom boat tour, sailing, etc. I was perfectly happy laying on a raft in the ocean, although I was a fan of the hobie cats... Little mini sails for two only. They were a little tricky to get the hang of but pretty fun. When we wandered off the property even just a foot, people of course were offering us all sorts of illegal activities. But at least they don't hound you when you say no. They kept telling us they would show us "the real sunshine." Whatever that means... Lol.
Can't wait to go back!

MARRIAGE IN THE 21ST CENTURY

I was recently married and throughout the planning process came across the road blocks, and speed bumps many brides do. The real struggle is whether or not you will turn those bumps into bridezilla moments. Most of them are small, and if you are a sensible bride you recognize them as such and move on. A few of them make you angry and you decide they are important enough to make a fuss about. But throughout the blood, sweat and tears, I was lucky enough to remember how special the day is for my groom and myself. Every second of it is about the bride and groom... So straying from tradition was not so scary for us. First, was the battle with the church. The Vatican is pushing for more strict rules in the Catholic Church and this includes outlawing the unity candle. Every ceremony I've ever been to has one so I didn't see what the fuss was about. We ended up having one, we just had to call it a "remembrance candle."
Then was the issue of taking pictures before the wedding. It was an evening ceremony so daylight pictures after the ceremony were not possible. Should we see each other before the wedding and break tradition? We decided to go for it because we didn't want to feel rushed getting to the reception. To make it special, the groom started off with a blindfold (someone's sock because we forgot the real one) and we took pictures of "the unveiling." We're so glad we did this, and for any brides who battle with the decision, it did not in any way take away from the moment when I walked down the aisle. As my mom told me, it's about the whole scene, the people, the church, the lighting, the music, and everyone standing for the entrance. The whole setting creates the feeling where you know you are about to marry your best friend. Seeing each other for some pictures before that can't touch that feeling with a ten foot pole.
We set the tone for our wedding from the very beginning. Our invitations were a little unique:
__ Will attend with bells on
__ Will attend, free of bells
__ Will attend, undecided on bells
__ Will not attend; have heard there will be people wearing bells
__ Will not attend, regardless of bell controversy
The end result -- our families and friends surprised us with bells they started ringing as my father and I walked down the aisle. What a great way to break the nerves! It seems everyone already knew what kind of event it would be.
The ceremony was incredible. Our priest was fun, sprinkling more water on the best man's face than the rings during the blessing, and pointing out to the congregation that he was thoroughly enjoying it. He ranked our kiss a six and said last week's couple was an 8 and dared us to beat them.... We did! People laughed and cried and the catholic mass really didn't seem as long as it was.
Our reception entrance was different as well. Our wedding party pretended to run slow motion in to chariots of fire... .Then the bass kicked in for the bride and groom, walking in to the hip hop song "swing" by Savage Garden. After our wedding video, which had surprises even for us (we taped some things ahead of time that neither one of us watched), we surprised our guests. After tears throughout from our last video/slideshow song.... My groom stated there was one more thing about me... He shouted baby got back and the music began! That was our first dance. Everything else was pretty traditional, the cake, the father/daughter, mother/son dances, the boquet and garter toss, etc. But what was so important was setting that tone. We had so many people tell us they had more fun at our wedding than any other. And I think it's because we broke the ice right from the beginning. I certainly don't want to take away from the importance of a marriage celebration, but your guests should know they are free to be themselves. I think showing them we were relaxed about the whole day encouraged them to kick back and really enjoy themselves.
My wedding was not like any wedding I have been to either, but I think it's close to where more brides and grooms are headed. We may have some very fun times ahead because marriage in the 21st century is a blast.

WHY?

Why do stores/manufacturers put sticky labels on the part of a product that will show? Why not put it on plastic wrapping or cardboard packaging or something you remove anyway? Of all the things we have invented in this world, you would think such a simple thing would be doable. I am tired of peeling away at those stickers to get them off my decoration/new plate/picture frame!