1. Expect people to comment on your stuff if you post it in a public place. If you don’t want people to comment on your stuff, use your pen and paper journal and hide it in your closet. You do have a journal, right? That’s what it’s there for, to hold your PRIVATE thoughts safely away from the public. It is your friend, use it.

2. Expect that when people do begin to comment, not all of them are going to agree with you. John Q. Public has a myriad of personal experiences to draw on, and those experiences will shape his opinions and it’s likely you haven’t exactly lived parallel lives. There will be disagreements and this can lead to lively and educational discussion, in which we all gain greater understanding of other people’s points of view.

3. If you are involved in a discussion that becomes heated, stay in the discussion. Don’t take it to another place and post snippy little tidbits that are actually part of the argument somewhere else. If you believe in what you are saying, man up, stay where you are and hold your line.

4. Stay away from the delete button. It’s tempting, I know, but it’s cowardly to delete something you said just because other people disagreed with you and refuted you with rational arguments. It’s also unfair to eliminate another person’s words because you are unwilling to stand behind your own. If you can’t stay away from the delete button, just refer back to #1 and save us all from your personal angst.

Blogging is still fun.

Cleaning is boring but satisfying.

You shouldn’t put a purl turning round on a rib to stockinette toboggan.

I do a pretty fair baritone on O Holy Night. Yep, I know that’s a male voice part, but I sing it way lower than an alto would.

You can pick up a whole plate of nachos at one time and eat them like a tostada if you don’t separate the chips before you nuke them.

Knowing you are living righteously can do a whole lot of good for your spiritual health savings account when confronted with the news that you are the town ho and have been for years. I have one thing to say to that: Matthew 5:10-12 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

One more: Matthew 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

And another: James 1:26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.

And finally: John 15: 12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

“A broken reputation may possibly be repaired, but the world keeps its eyes on the spot where the crack was.” ~Joseph Hall

Brian Clark, aka Copyblogger just tweeted that quote, and it so applies to what is going on here in my own little hell/Peyton Place that I thought I might use it as a springboard to get a few more things off my chest. BTW, if you use twitter, you might want to follow Copyblogger. He’s just full of little inspirational bits.

So here’s the deal. It has come to my attention that the rumors are flying thick and fast at my old church about why I left. Of course, no one has bothered to ask me for any details, they seem quite happy to make them up all on their own. For the record, I haven’t told anyone still at the church the reasons why I left, so they/you don’t know. I did let one person suggest a reason that did play a part in my decision, but was not the crux of it. Nor do I intend to tell it here in this very public forum. My reasons for leaving are my own business, but I can assure you that I was not having an affair with party xyz which is the rumor that is coming back to me. Nor is it because of abc person who I was rumored to be with just a month ago. Why some gossips are perfectly willing to hang innocent men just so they can brand a woman a harlot is beyond me, but whatever. Or did they really not realize that when they accused me, they accused those two men as well? That toothpaste can never be put back in the tube, just as the nail holes will never come out of a board. And let me remind us all that gossip is a sin, and it is just as much of a sin as what I am being accused of. Be sure and talk to God about that after you get through dragging my name through the mud.

And while I am here, you also don’t know why I left my husband, because I have kept that private as well. I still believe private business should remain just that. I aimed to get out of that marriage to protect myself, with as little damage to his reputation as possible. Apparently, I have succeeded in that regard. I can take satisfaction in that, even though it costs me.

Those of you who have know freaking idea what is going on here, please forgive me for this rant. You know that I very rarely use this forum to air my personal grievances, but some things just need to be said, and said right out loud. And if you read my “things post“, you’ll remember that I said I was going to hit publish more often instead of self censoring so much. So hitting publish I am, and the devil can take the hindmost. As well as the old gossiping biddies.

These parts particularly gripe me:

“African-Americans continue to suffer from the consequences of slavery and Jim Crow — long after both systems were formally abolished — through enormous damage and loss, both tangible and intangible, including the loss of human dignity and liberty, the frustration of careers and professional lives, and the long-term loss of income and opportunity,” the resolution states.

The resolution does not address the controversial issue of reparations. Some members of the African-American community have called on lawmakers to give cash payments or other financial benefits to descendents of slaves as compensation for the suffering caused by slavery.

The past is the past. Money can’t change it, the best we can do is learn from it and move on. White men have been punished enough for things they had no part of; every time a qualified white man is passed over so a marginally qualified woman or African-American can have the job, he’s being punished for what his great-grand-daddy might have done.

Also, where is my cash payment for being born to a working class white family? I really should have had more opportunities, don’t you think? Surely, someone somewhere owes me because my parents were working hard to put food on the table and pay taxes and couldn’t afford band and dance lessons.

Did you know that adult stem cells have yielded for greater results as far as curing illness than fetal cells? And yet the clamor rises for funding for fetal stem cell research. I’ve never understood that. Well, that’s not true. I have understood it: it’s a great platform to promote abortion on demand, that’s what it is.

You know, I was appalled after Ronald Reagan died to hear Nancy and Ron, Jr. begging for the Bush administration to fund fetal stem cells. Ronald Reagan was staunchly pro-life, and he lived to a ripe old age. I can just see him spinning in his grave over the spin his family dished out after his death.

Man, I guess I got off on a tangent. What got me started on the subject, though, is that scientists have found another way to collect stem cells that doesn’t cause someone to DIE. Why hasn’t this been all over the news? Surely, in a country where we advertise herpes drugs in prime time, we aren’t still offended by menstruation! If you are, you can get over it by watching this Celle Client Testimonial. Then read on to find out more about how menstrual blood may be the panacea that fetal stem cells could never be:

Taking Control: Future Therapies for a Host of Serious Diseases May Be Found in Women’s Menstrual Blood

July 07, 2008: 01:28 PM EST

OLDSMAR, Fla., July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — With today’s hectic lifestyle, where most women are juggling careers, family, relationships, and a host of activities, the idea of possibly facing a serious illness in the future is not something that readily comes to mind — especially when a woman is in the prime of her life. But what most women don’t know, is that the key to treating a number of possibly life-threatening diseases that she, a parent, a sibling or even her children may face in later years, such as osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, may be found within her own body — in vital stem cells, which can now be harvested from her own menstrual blood.

Now, thanks to the revolutionary research and technology of C’elle, a service dedicated to providing women with a safe and easy method of collecting and preserving stem cells found in her menstrual fluid each month, even the busiest woman can take control of her future, right in the privacy of her own home. With C’elle’s non-invasive collection process, menstrual cells are processed and cryo-preserved (stored at a very low temperature) for potential cellular therapies that may be used in the future. These self-renewing cells one day may even be used for sports medicine or cosmeceutical treatments, such as anti-aging therapies.

“C’elle enables and empowers a woman to take control of her future health, and possibly of those genetically closest to her, in a fast, painless and stress free way,” said Michelle Kay, Marketing and Sales Manager for C’elle. “We live in exciting times, as science and technology are discovering how extremely valuable menstrual blood stem cells really are, and the enormous treatment potential they represent for future therapies. C’elle’s ongoing research is supporting these promising findings.”

For more information about C’elle, please call 1-877-892-3553 or visit www.celle.com.

We have a lot of what I like to call local celebrities around here. I’m sure you know exactly what I mean–folks or businesses that all the folks you normally associate with IRL know, but that if you step outside your comfort zone may not be so well known. Around here, we have Paul’s Place for hot dogs (known for at least 50 miles in every direction) and we have the two men who were mayor of the two cities I spend my time in for more years than I can count, but who were recently “replaced” by those of a more northern persuasion (insert eye roll).

And then we have businesses that are aiming to make a name for themselves far beyond the immediate area. Bruce Cavenaugh is one such entity, and I say entity, because that name belongs to both a person and business. Bruce Cavenaugh (the business) wants to be known as the place to go for used cars Wilmington, NC. With the price of gas these days, and the need many people have to move into smaller vehicles, it can actually make sense to travel a couple of hundred miles to get a sweet deal on a good used car. And that’s a fine reason to come see Bruce and his cars, but there’s another one that’s maybe even more compelling to me lately: in a day when I can hardly drive from point a to point b without running over 48-11 yankees, Bruce Cavenaugh (the person) has one major advantage over the competition. He’s a native, and he still sounds like it. Just click the link to hear a short clip and hear for yourself.

Okay, it’s time to get started with the updates, but I will let that be another post. I think we can safely go back to the 11th-ish of June and go from there. Relax, it won’t be a post per day, LOL!

Before:

During:

After:

Today:

All in all, I am satisfied. The color costs less than $5, and so I saved myself at least 55 bucks over having my hairdresser do it for me. It didn’t smell bad, and the after conditioner was incredible. And I had half a bottle of the solution left when I was done. No hat you can do anything with that except throw it away, since it doesn’t keep once it’s mixed. I think I will keep doing it myself a least for now.

I also had a hair cut on Saturday, with a different stylist, and that was a disaster of incredible proportions. The cut was fine, but the woman knew nothing of curly hair. She turned her blow dryer up as hot and as hard as it would go, and she blew my hair dry (say that like the bog bad wolf blowing on the pigs’ houses.) She burned my scalp, ya’ll. And I ended up looking like Broom Hilda. On a bad day. When she was done, I had her put me back in the bowl and re-wash it. Then I styled it myself. And then, when I was checking out, she asked me “Would you like to add anything to that, Cassie?” So I added five bucks, and that five dollar tip was her severance pay. I despise to be called Cassie, truly I do. Not to mention the truly horrible hair she gave me.

And over at their forum, which they have, but we aren’t allowed to quote it OR link to it, if you mention something like this, you are accused of trying to weasel out of your assignments, people volunteer to take your work, and the thread is locked and/or deleted. And yet there are still people going on and on about the wonderfulness of the company. Now, don’t get me wrong, the company is run by a nice group of people, and for the most part, I enjoy the work I do for them. But it would be nice to be able to express a concern or ask a question without the saccharin crowd coming after me with pitchforks.

Speaking of saccharin crowds, it’s interesting that all of them apparently hate the one paid blogging company that does take feedback from it’s users and also allows (no, encourages) it’s bloggers to pick and choose relevant topics. But, hey, I at least got the link in, right?

Now let’s discuss that one where they want me to create a logo and a business card, screenshot it, crop it, post it and tell how easy it all was for $7.50. Hahahahhahahahah, yeah right.

I worked my tail off today to get the last of the house cleaned so we could finally put up the tree, sat down in the recliner, not to relax but rather to work and plan what I needed to pick up this weekend, only to find out that I can stop planning my shopping right this instant. Umm, yay. I guess. Also, to get fussed at for not discussing things with him. In all the time that I was home I guess, because the date for Christmas fluctuates from year to year, and so it has to be ironed out afresh each December. Ummm-hmmm.

Well, at least my hair dresser can take paypal. I’m finally getting my hair cut that I desperately needed last week. As for the shopping, DH says Monday is soon enough to get that handled. I’ll let you all know how that works out for him.