MelissaInPhilly

Aw, please make nice. With the loss yesterday and the Phillies' meltdown on Friday, there's a huge dark cloud hanging over the city. At least the "Occupy Philly" people at city hall are having a nice time, but I'm still not sure what they're protesting. I suggest that the Eagles QB officially change his name to Michael PICK!

Hopefully their winning streak lasts -- I'm looking forward to seeing them on October 9th. I like the Eagles, I have to admit, but with all their problems (lousy D, lousy coach, and Michael "the Pick" Vick out for a long time) there's a good chance that those Birds will get their wings clipped again. Guess who I will be rooting for?

I "lurk" on these political boards and it seems like most of you are Obama supporters (personally I am not crazy about either candidate) but I wonder why no one is mentioning the elephant in the room - RACE. Obama presents himself as a "post racial" candidate, but I still believe that are a significant number of whites who will not vote for a black man as president, and not just in the mean ol' South. I am fifty years old and grew up in WNY. Some of you are going to get upset, angry and defensive when I say this, but my family and I faced a great deal of racism there. I literally can't count the number of times I was called "!@#$" there. Oh, don't forget being spit upon, nearly run off the road, the racist telephone calls, etc. I left WNY when I was 18. Things may have changed since then, but I could never bring myself to go back to the WNY area -- the memories are just too painful. I've lived in Philadelphia for 20 years, and there is also plenty of racism in the "City of Brotherly Love." I've been called !@#$, had people point to me and say "there's your cousin" and suffered other slights. And I am not a 'welfare mom," a drug user, a criminal, or any of the stereotypes often applied to black people. I've been working since I was sixteen. I am an articulate middle-aged woman with an Ivy League degree and a professional job, but to many of my fellow Americans, I'm still just a !@#$, and so is Obama. I'm not saying that all whites are racist, of course, but I think that are still quite a few who are. The polls say that Obama is ahead, but what people do in the privacy of the voting booth -- that's a different story. If you don't believe me, check out this article that shows bigotry even among younger voters: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/us/politics/15youth.html I wish I was wrong about race playing a big factor in the elections, but I don't think I am.

SD, I don't get it either. I'm not crazy about any of the candidates, but this is ridiculous. I work in an office that is mostly African American and although most don't like McCain, they ABSOLUTELY HATE this woman. I have not only heard her called a be-atch, but a "prostitute," "trailer trash," "accused" of being a Playboy bunny, , etc. I don't say anything about politics at work, I don't think it's appropriate, especially since I'm not 100 percent enamoured of Obama, but the last comment was so stupid I had to say "i think she was actually a Miss Alaska, not a Playboy bunny." And these are people they go to church, or say they do. There are also rumors that Palin was in the Ku Klux Klan -- do they even have the Klan up in Alaska? On the flip side, someone is sending letters to people with McCain signs on their lawns and calling them "white racists" and also writing if they vote for McCain they are "losers" and "sinners." WTF is going on here?

I only spend about $5.00 a month on lottery tickets and during the summer I won $500.00 so I guess I'm doing pretty well!

You say that I only come here when I have bad news to post. Well, I won $50.00 in the lottery yesterday!

I went to see it yesterday. Most of you probably know this, but it is about Ernie Davis, "The Elmira Express," who played for the Orangemen at Syracuse and became the first African American to win the Heisman trophy. Like most sports movies, it was a bit formulaic and a bit long, but I enjoyed it. The ending was so sad, I cried (and I usually don't do that in movies). I would recommend it for kids over twelve because there's some violence and racial slurs that may make some people uncomfortable. I was looking at reviews of it on other boards and some people said it was another "left wing film to make white people feel bad," etc. and other stupid things. Hmm . . . there were white people in the audience and everyone clapped in the end, so I didn't get that impression. There is a nice little street in Philadelphia called Ernie Davis Circle and I wonder if it is named after the football player. That would be strange, since he really didn't have any ties to the city. Well, John Heisman did go to the University of Pennsylvania many many years ago when the Ivy League teams were actually good . . . We missed the first part of the movie so while we were waiting for it to start again we sneaked in to see a bit of "Beverly Hills Chihuahua." It was cute but stupid, much like the dogs themselves -- looks like a good family movie.

In the last ten months there have been three police officers killed in the line of duty here. Officer Isabel Nazario was the last one. I didn't know her at all, but I went to the viewing to pay my respects (I once went to a Catholic funeral many years ago and didn't know what the heck was going on. When the priest said something about the "presentation of the gifts," I said to myself "isn't it a bit too early for Christmas")? Anyway, even though I didn't know her or the family at all, I felt tears come to my eyes. The officer has a young daughter and was about to be married. She was only forty. So sad. It just reminded me of how fleeting and precious life is. Thank you and God bless to all our first responders. Here's a link to the story: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking...en_officer.html

I heard that starving to death is painful. I just want to die peacefully in my bed!

Not too long ago a strange-looking "dog' was wandering by the (Delaware) riverfront and when animal control officers were called, it turned out to be a wolf! Then the next day the idiot "owner" showed up to claim the wolf, which had been sent to a sanctuary. Not smart. Wolves are beautiful, but once again, they're not pets! Is is true that they howl at the moon?

Has anyone been watching "Grizzly Man" on the Animal Planet channel? It's the story of Timothy Treadwell, who filmed his adventures with grizzly bears in Alaska until he and his girlfriend were killed and devoured by one and possibly two of them in 2003, I believe. The footage is amazing, but i think Treadwell had some serious issues. He had been warned repeatedly by park rangers to leave the bears alone, but he didn't listen. I guess he felt that was the bears' protector, but isn't that what the park rangers are there for? I'm a city girl, but I know enough to leave wild animals alone. Treadwell died a horrible death, and I'm not saying he deserved it, but he should have listened to the park rangers. I don't know why people feel that they can "tame" wild animals. They are unpredictable and can't be trusted. I understand that when that Australian guy (I'm sorry, I forget his name right now) was killed by a stingray, some people went around killing stingrays in revenge, which was crazy. As an animal lover, I also hate when people keep wild animals (especially big cats) as pets. They're cute and cuddly when they're little, but when they start to get too hard to handle, these same owners abandon these animals and even try to have them euthanized. There was a show on television about people "adopting" capuchin monkeys and keeping them as pets, treating them like children. Monkeys make lousy pets. They have sharp canine teeth and are highly excitable, and when excited, they may urinate and defecate. They also like to masturbate alot (nothing wrong with that, but who wants to see it)? Once again, many of these monkey 'children' end up in sanctuaries. Treadwell's tale reminds me of the story of Christopher Candless, who died of starvation after going to "live off the land" in Alaska. He's the subject of the book and movie "Into the Wild." I haven't read the book or seen the movie, but it sounds to me like Candless was a disturbed young man. I wouldn't dream of going into the Alaskan bush and trying to survive on my own. I would last maybe one day. Once again, he died a horrible death, but people romanticize him. Both stories should serve as cautionary tales. P.S.: Has anyone read "Into the Wild" or seen the movie? People seem to either love the book/movie or hate them.

We lost our old Chihuahua mix, "Poppy" today. Not only was he older, he had an enlarged heart (many Chihuashuas do) and he passed away in his sleep. He was a good little guy -- despite his size he had the heart of a lion -- and he will be missed. Rest in peace, dear little friend.

I like dogs, but I am never at home so I have a cat. When I was growing up we had a miniature schaunzer. Wonderful little dogs, very smart, feisty, and make great watchdogs.

Well,my husband and I are almost done paying restitution for my son's "tagging" of a local shopping mall. He's still in placement but will likely get out around late 2006/early 2007. Hopefully my son has learned his lesson. He was complaining about people "always stealing his ****" and I said "well, now you know how I felt when you stole money from me." He just didn't say anything.

No offense Bill, but I would rather stay out of NY completely -- it's not my favorite place. Philly is annoying enough. I'm glad my daughter decided not to apply to NYU!

I can feel your pain. I'm not a "neocon" or anything like that -- I'm an independent so I'm not too crazy about either party -- but Philly is a hard-core Democratic town, run by Democrats for decades, and the government is corrupt and incompetent as hell. The school system is so bad that the state took it over and it was written up in the Wall Street Journal as a textbook example of a terrible school system. I live in a fairly nice area, but many of the neighborhoods here look like Dresden after the allied blitz. The homeless population has exploded and I know many of them have serious mental health issues, but you can't walk down the street without being panhandled. And many of the parks and public areas smell like eau de pi$$. And who is to blame -- the e-vell Republicans, of course!

I have a friend named Carlos who is unemployed and he was feeling down and I offered to take him out for a drink. Carlos is gay --what some may call a "flamer" -- so he asked me if I minded going to a gay bar. I said no, I didn't mind. So we went to this bar, which was very nice, and the people were friendly. There were alot of very nice looking, masculine looking men there -- people who don't fit the stereotype of the effeminiate gay man. I had a nice time. Then Carlos sees an old flame of his and they start kissing -- I mean, not a peck on the cheek stuff, but a real kissy-kiss, tongues and all. I was shocked. I know what you're thinking -- I'm in a gay bar, so what did I expect? But I really didn't feel comfortable seeing two men kiss like this. I just stood there with a silly smile on my face. Then on the way home Carlos is talking about what he likes in a man, (big behinds, etc.) We're driving along I-95 and he's blowing kisses to truck drivers and once again I'm saying to myself "ewwwww!" Carlos is a nice guy and I've known him for years, but if we do go out again, I think I'll skip the gay bars. I try to judge people on their character, not their race, sexual orientation etc. but -- I guess I'm not as liberal as I thought P.S.: While we were at this bar this lesbian winked and smiled at me. Uh, no.

My daughter Sam is a senior in high school and is looking at colleges. She is a "church girl" -- much more religious than me, I'm afraid -- and is interested in Oral Roberts University. No offense to anyone, but Tulsa seems like a hick town without a whole lot to do. Anybody live in Tulsa or go to ORU that could give me some insights?

Well, Memorial Day is the big day for barbecues -- I live in townhouse (a fancy name for a rowhouse) with a postage-stamp sized patio which is full of plants, so I don't have room for a grill. But anyway, probably the best grilled meal I had consisted of tuna marinated in lime juice - delicious! Probably the worst was grilled tofu. It's as bad as it soons! I don't care for grilled fruit, either. And I can't see the appeal of ribs. All that bone and gristle, yeech! Whatever you're cooking, have fun!

A successful rancher died and left everything to his devoted wife. She was a very good-looking woman and determined to keep the ranch, but knew very little about ranching, so she decided to place an ad in the newspaper for a ranch hand. Two cowboys applied for the job. One was gay and the other a drunk. She thought long and hard about it, and when no one else applied she decided to hire the gay guy, figuring it would be safer to have him around the house than the drunk. He proved to be a hard worker who put in long hours every day and knew a lot about ranching. For weeks, the two of them worked, and the ranch was doing very well. Then one day, the rancher's widow said to the hired hand, "You have done a really good job, and the ranch looks great. You should go into town and kick up your heels." The hired hand readily agreed and went into town one Saturday night. One o'clock came, however, and he didn't return. Two o'clock, and no hired hand. He returned around two-thirty, and upon entering the room, he found the rancher's widow sitting by the fireplace with a glass of wine, waiting for him. She quietly called him over to her. "Unbutton my blouse and take it off," she said.Trembling, he did as she directed. "Now take off my boots." He did as she asked, ever so slowly. "Now take off my socks." He removed each gently and placed them neatly by her boots. "Now take off my skirt."He slowly unbuttoned it, constantly watching her eyes in the fire light. "Now take off my bra." Again, with trembling hands, he did as he was told and dropped it to the floor. "Now," she said, "take off my panties." By the light of the fire, he slowly pulled them down and off. Then she looked at him and said, "If you ever wear my clothes into town again, you're fired." (P.S. I hope I didn't offend anyone with this joke, if so I'm sorry. Everyone seems to be in a glum mood today so I thought I'd print something amusing. Have a nice holiday)! | |

You know, people ask the same thing in Philadelphia, since we haven't won a championship since 1983. Maybe in both cities it's not a curse, but poor management.

Many happy returns!

I have a small laundry room with a floor of vinyl tiles. Some of the tiles are stained and loose and I would like to replace them (the former owners of the home left a box of extra tiles in the garage, so I don't have to buy any). I will probably remove about four of the tiles. What should I use to glue down the tiles and how should I prep the floor? How long should I let it dry? I live very close to Home Depot so if you can recommend a specific product, I would probably be able to get it. Also, I am interested in replacing some of my other floors. I am very interested in using semi-precious materials such as onyx, lapis lazuli, etc. Does anyone know anything about this type of work?* ** Heh heh, this last paragraph is just a joke, but have seen photos of onyx flooring. It must cost a fortune. It's beautiful, but it must really chip like hell!

Thanks for all the nice comments. And also the not-so-nice comments; they've given me something to think about. About your son being in a band -- That's very exciting! Once they become rich and famous they can buy mom and dad a mansion somewhere. Are they coming to Philly? If so, I'll go see them, as long as they don't play country or metal. Actually I had a very nice birthday, even though I have a bad cold. It was a beautiful day, the kind that always lifts my spirits. Yeah, sometimes I get depressed -- don't we all --but I usually get over it. And no, I don't hate life.

Since you guys like to post jokes about dumb blonde females, here's one about a dumb blond guy for a change: A BLONDE GUY GETS HOME EARLY FROM WORK AND HEARS STRANGE NOISES COMING FROM THE BEDROOM. HE RUSHES UPSTAIRS TO FIND HIS WIFE NAKED ON THE BED, SWEATING AND PANTING. "WHAT'S UP?" HE SAYS. "I'M HAVING A HEART ATTACK," CRIES THE WOMAN. HE RUSHES DOWNSTAIRS TO GRAB THE PHONE, BUT JUST AS HE'S DIALLING, HIS 4-YEAR-OLD SON COMES UP AND SAYS "DADDY! DADDY! UNCLE TED'S HIDING IN YOUR CLOSET AND HE'S GOT NO CLOTHES ON!" THE GUY SLAMS THE PHONE DOWN AND STORMS UPSTAIRS INTO THE BEDROOM, PAST HIS SCREAMING WIFE, AND RIPS OPEN THE WARDROBE DOOR. SURE ENOUGH, THERE IS HIS BROTHER, TOTALLY NAKED, COWERING ON THE CLOSET FLOOR. "YOU ROTTEN S.O.B.," SAYS THE HUSBAND, "MY WIFE'S HAVING A HEART ATTACK AND YOU'RE RUNNING AROUND NAKED SCARING THE KIDS!"