I was SIMPSONIZED for REAL!

About 5 years ago my husband, Shane contacted Simpsons illustrator John Berado and asked him to do a drawing of my precious Pit Bull Roxanne, aka The Lick Monster, and me. Roxanne had recently passed away and we were both pretty devastated.

Roxanne was my best friend from the time I was about 19. I thought she'd be immortal, of course I also thought she was a voodoo princess who had been turned into a Pit-bull and sent to meet her doom in the Dog Fighting pits of Chicago.

Yep, she'd been fought, and starved nearly to death, and rescued, and had puppies, and given away, and then I inherited her from my irresponsible neighbor when she was about 18 month old. Thank you Art!

We spent 12 blissful years together, and contrary to popular belief she loved kids, liked dogs, and was the cuddliest bed partner ever - She slept under the covers with her head on a pillow or on really cold nights she slept all the way under the covers by my knees. She loved to dig holes and go for walks and eat bacon! Oh, how I miss her still!

Anyway, Shane commissioned this illustration, he said we should be in Hell and I should be in an SS uniform. John Berado said no Simpsons characters could be in the illustration. Shane said no problem, but when the creators of The Simpsons saw the illustration and heard the story behind it they insisted he draw in some Simpsons characters and that we be added to crowd scenes on the show.

This has been my most prized possession ever since, and I always try to scan the crowds on 'The Simpsons' for us, I'm pretty sure I've seen us on a few occasions!

Here's another picture of Roxanne, so you can see the resemblance:

Further News Weirdness...

Here re 4 different stories about the same toxic spill in Japan, notice the difference between the New York Times article and the others from the UK, Ireland and the Cayman Islands...

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/20/world/asia/20leak.html
http://www.caycompass.com/cgi-bin/CFPnews.cgi?ID=1023623
http://www.nature.com/news/2007/070716/full/070716-3.html
http://www.independent.ie/world-news/asia/nuclear-leak-plant-was-built-over-active-fault-zone-1039809.html

No, nuclear spills aren't harmful, not at all! And especially not when there's a fire at the same plant at the same time, when nuclear waste just happened to get into the exhaust filtration system.
Silly foreigners, there's nothing to worry about, it ONLY toxic nuclear waste.

Now, there has been an earthquake this morning in San Francisco, let's see what happens with the weather and the ocean over the next few months.

News Is Lies

The TV Ministry's foundation is built on the belief that television is the modern god (don't write me and say "no it's the computer" -- it's the same damn thing - a lit screen we stare at). Another conerstone of our faith is that the news is lies. It's all lies, and as far as I am concerned, it always has been lies. Edward R. Murrow wouldn't have had to fight for truth if the news was truth, it was lies, always-- before, during, and after him, and most likely he was just really pissed when he realized he'd been a shill for the liar makers.

Anyway, the lies in the news today are so thin, so obvious, I am not sure how ANYONE could beleive in it.

For example, a few days ago a headline appeared that said a "new" video of Bin Laden had surfaced, and it decribed him as looking older with a greying beard (oh my), still giving orders to destroy America. When I clicked the link to see "public enemy #1" mocking us from his current hidden locale, I instead found a very weak article saying this footage had surfaced and no one had a date on it. Here's a link: http://www.lauramansfield.com/j/default.asp

Better yet here's a photo from 2001 and the still of the "new" video - The grey doesn't look too different.


This pic is from 2001 or earlier.

This is the "NEW" video.

I watched the footage and saw the same greying beard I have seen in nearly every Bin Laden video. The footage looked old, and to be honest, the translation eluded to nothing but esoteric religious quotes, not unlike a christian leader or a mormon leader might say.

Are you fooled by this? Seriously, I want to know if you, the people, really beleive Bin Laden is alive, or that he is alive and making videos, or that he is alive and is dangerous or ever was dangerous to the "freedoms" we Americans currently enjoy?

Judging from that video footage, it's old, what he is supposedly saying is obtuse, and worst of all this nonsense was Big News. Shame on us America for allowing this hogwash to be broadcast to our eyes and ears.

Colander Of Truth and Other Nonsense

Okay, this has nothing to do with television. I didn't know where else to post such an oddity, so here it is:

A few weeks ago I awoke in the middle of the night. I looked across our tiny mountain shack, in the heart of the Hollywood Hills, and I saw the colander hanging there on the kitchen wall, (I got the colander at Ikea several years ago for about $3), and suddenly I thought, "That is the Colander of Truth, if I put it on my head it will give me all the answers."

This rather bizarre idea seemed to invade my brain, and so I decided that it was probably true, but the next day I just could not bring myself to put the colander on my head. Every day for two weeks I looked at that colander and thought I should do it, but each time I talked myself out of it. I told myself it was not because I didn't want truth or knowledge, but I thought it would mean for sure I was crazy -- and what if Shane saw?

Now my colander is in storage 2000 miles away and I keep thinking -- Why didn't I put that fucking colander on my head????

A Year At The Wheel - 365 days of driving!

My hubby Shane and I are going on a trip - for a year - yep, a year!

We are gonna drive all across this giant country of ours and cover the 2008 election. It will be a lot of fun, and alot of work, and a lot of driving, and alot of sleepless nights, and a lot of worrying about money, but we are gonna do it anyway.

We are tired of the current climate in our contry, I feel like EVERYONE is at fault for it - The Right, Left, Reps, Dems, everyone. So we are going to interview people about how they feel and put it up as an internet TV SHOW on our website.

Please check it out when you get a chance, http://www.ayearatthewheel.com, and if you like it subscribe to our RSS feed, and if you really like the idea, please post one of these handy dandy banner ads up wherever ya can. Thank you very much!

All you have to do is grab the code and go...
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Thanx in advance for showing some love - thanx!
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Pie Inspiration From The Movie 'Waitress'

Last week I went to see the movie 'Waitress' with my husband and my mother in law. It was a great time, and the movie was really sweet and fun.
The writer/director Adrienne Shelly is one of my favorite actresses. I was excitedly awaiting this movie when I hear the awful news that she had been murdered. It was a terrible and tale, and has even been played out in an episode of 'Law and Order'. Murdered by a construction worker she had an argument with, and then hung to make it look like suicide. She has been acting for nearly 20 years, I loved her in such films as 'Trust' and 'Road Killers'.
Look her up yourselves: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0791248/
In the movie, a young, small town waitress is a pie genius, but a mess as a wife. The film follows her pregnancy until the birth of her baby. It is an endearing film, not complex, but well told and well acted by Adriene Shelly, Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Keri Russell and Andy Griffith. Jason Fillion played the doctor, and it is always great to see the original "Joey Buchanan" from 'One Life to Live' doing well. The only problem with the film was Jeremy Sisto, who could not pull off the control freak husband Earl. We all agreed he was not believable in the role. Nevertheless, the movie did not suffer at all, it was a funny film and a great way to spend an afternoon.



Since then there has been no less than 3 pies made, and they have been some of the best ever.

Shane's mother immediatly made an incredible cherry pie with a latice crust, all from scratch. Then a few days later she followed up with this perfect looking and tasting apple pie. A few days later, I added a Chocolate "Dream Whip" pie to the mix. All three were really good, and Linda my awesome mother-in-law, also made crust crisps by baking the extra pie crust drenched in sugar, cinnamon and butter. They were godly!

KWIK E MART in Chicago

We went to the KWIK E MART in cChicago. It was on West 63rd Street, not far from Midway Airport. Formerly a regular old 7-eleven it is until the end of July a KWIK E MART direct from THE SIMPSON'S Springfield.
Here are some photos from our excursion...




Bart and Millhouse having Squishees atop the KWIK E MART. Chicago, IL 7/07.

Mmmm DOUGHNUTS! Simpson's style, Chicago, 7/07.

"Thank you! Come again!"