Focus.... Cath...

I'm sleeping in on Sunday so this is the super duper early edition....

Morning Showers Hi 57 Lo 39 for Baghdad, Iraq
Thunder Showers Hi 54 Lo 38 for Northern KY, USA

Song of the week: Take a Chance on Me, ABBA

Why did I select ABBA? Good grief... It's kind of like a train wreck.... I couldn't help myself... When I was deciding on a topic for my Sunday entry... I couldn't come up with anything... so, like I typically do, I went to VideoCodeZone.com and started searching for the song that would inspire brilliant rambling.... This song came out in 1978.... I turned 13 that year...The year of Grease, The Goodbye Girl, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Up In Smoke, Foul Play, and Heaven Can Wait... The hot new television shows in 1978 were Dallas (never watched it.... ever... not even when the whole "Who Shot J.R." thing went down), WKRP in Cincinnati (woo hoo!!), Mork and Mindy, Taxi, & Battlestar Gallactica. M*A*S*H, Happy Days, SCTV, Saturday Night Live, Welcome Back Kotter, Good Times, Little House on the Prairie, Barney Miller, Laverne and Shirley, The Muppet Show, Wonder Woman, Eight Is Enough, Soap, Love Boat, and Fantasy Island. Television in the 70's was excellent!! (please note, I just keep adding to this list.... I'm starting to wonder if I did anything besides watch television as a kid...) Give me a sitcom with an awful laugh track over reality tv any day.... Did I mention Quincy, Soap, and Family? Or what about Baretta, Chico and the Man, and Carol Burnett? OK.... so ABBA.... This group was the last "pop" band I listened too... I still secretly think about ABBA.... when we were in New York last spring.... I quietly suggested that we go see Mamma Mia.... hoping that no one would catch on to my little plot... Unfortunately, Mamma Mia was nixed by the majority.... ABBA... represents the happy part of my childhood and I adore them for making happy campy poppy English singing with a Swedish accent music. Go ABBA... Yes... so my record collection at 13 included ABBA, Elvis Costello, The Cars, Blondie, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Grease soundtrack, oh crap... and Andy Gibb.... let's just walk away from this now... One last question.... Which is your favorite?

Take a Chance on Me or Waterloo.... ?

What else happened in 1978? I remember it was an unbelievably cold winter... we were off school 2 weeks straight... Pete Rose hit 3000---- that was huge... at least it was here.... wow... remember Love Canal? Jimmy Carter... by far the worst President of my lifetime...(I hope)....Jonestown/ Jim Jones.... don't drink the kool-aid... George Moscone and Harvey Milk were assassinated in San Francisco... I know this because Michael, the husband lived there at the time- I think... or maybe he was living in LA because I also know about the Hillside Strangler in LA... Ah... I'll ask him.... The worst thing during this time had to be the Khmer Rouge and the Killing Fields... awful... just awful... Cripes... time to stop....

facts checked on Wikipedia

Let me take a moment and thank the following men... They are all home now- back to their families and friends. I have spent the past year reading their blogs- if you keep up with the mil bloggers on the front lines... then you know all of them... and if you don't, I suggest you go and read these.... or better yet, go find a new front line blogger... look at war through his eyes. Offer what little comfort you can through words of encouragement... I can't tell you how many times I cried for these very men... for their families. How hard must it be to read the words of someone you love so far away? Through their writing, I was able to glimpse at their reality and try to understand their frustrations, anger, sadness, pride, and yes....victories in a foreign place. I'm so grateful they made it home safe. A humble thank you is simply not enough. I don't know if any of these fine men will go back to their blogs... I imagine this is something pretty low on the honey do list.... I hope to at least see an epilogue and I'll pray for all of you to have the happy ending... Live your lives....


365 and a Wakeup
Lag in Iraq
Major K
My Vacation in Iraq
Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum
Six More Months
Who's Your Baghdaddy?

There are others... let me know if I missed your favorite and I'll be sure to add him/her here.

poster courtesy of Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States

And from Michael O'Rourke.... You'll remember him... he is coming home too...

"Our replacements arrived just a few days ago, so we've been busy training them and giving them all sorts of valuable information, intelligence, and the 'do's and 'don'ts.' Since the new unit is here, we were forced to give up our living space. As a result, we are now back to living in tents. Living in a crowded tent with 20 other soldiers gives you about as much privacy and solitude as a goldfish, but I can endure. It's only for a few weeks. We also turned over all of our vehicles to the new company, and soon we'll be giving up our weapons - all positive signs that our days in Iraq grow short."

I look forward to buying you a drink, soldier....

I've been checking out some new blogs (new to me anyway...) Here are some new favorites:

The Peace Moonbeam Chronicles - A must read and will be added to my blogroll, an absolute scream. She has a sound bite of the G Man (G Gordon Liddy) reading a letter of hers... I'm completely envious...

Scientomogy - Another scream... What is Whacko Tom Cruise up to today? Find out here... More importantly, get the scoop on Scientology... This blogger is on a mission...

Bully - This is a plug for my cousin Chuck's girlfriend, Anita's band (got that?). I can't really call this band - metal... but they are all chicks and they are talented. Anita is the front man... er uhah... chick... er uh... she sings...They are local to the Virginia Beach area, but play the entire east coast. Check 'em out.

Last Girl on Earth - "The wacky musings of a girly New York musician who is attempting to prove that you don't have to be a 19 year old anorexic model babe to be successful" I adore this chicky.... too funny!

I Love America - Go check out Italian girlfriend, Daisy Miller! You'll need a translator.

One last stupid thing....I received an email from someone asking if I had "turned Lib".... and I "must have stuck my head in the sand"...Uh...duhhhhh..... that would be a NEGATIVE....

For the record:

I am a card carrying member of the NRA... I am a conservative (I am not a registered Republican.... I will not give my allegiance to a party that John McCain calls his party... I love this country more and more each day. I am PRO-Life and PRO Death Penalty. I want our borders secured, I want lower taxes and my government to spend less. I want the government out of my life. I do not want the government paying for my medical expenses. I do not want social security... Let me have my money and I'll invest it as I see fit... If I screw it up... ah well.... sucks to be me... I loved Ronald Reagan and hope that one day I will see someone else like him in office. I cried the entire week President Reagan died. My first election after turning 18 was to vote for him for his second term. I held my nose and voted for George H. Bush and then again for Bob Dole... I thank God it was George W. Bush in office and not Al Gore when 9/11 occurred.... I believe that we are fighting something more sinister than anything to date. That is why you will see me stand up and fight and defend our liberty and freedom. I will stand and defend those that defend and protect me... Our men and women in the military. Have I made myself clear????

This blog is for me and my amusement....(Oh and the 22 folks that signed my guest map... and Captain B... since he intended to sign it.... so really, 22 folks, a Marine, and me..... that's who I blog for...yep... that's it...) As mentioned before, I will also exorcise a personal demon or two.... I write about politics, music, movies, squirrels and tomatoes (wait... that's my honey's thing...) whatever.... my blog--- my rules... why is this difficult?

I don't pretend to be something I'm not... I'm not a good writer... I ramble... I believe I make a full disclosure (top left hand corner)-- check it out... [deep sigh]

Now.... Have a great week and think ABBA!!!!

** I am doing some housekeeping too... please let me know if this blog is getting any faster... I'll be pulling off some inactive blogs from my blogroll. If you are one of the 22 folks that read this blog and I inadvertantly remove you from my blogroll... please advise immediately and I will be sure to rectify this erroneous error....