Questions, always
In this day and age I continuously wonder how much shock value I have left in me when it comes to news of violence and crime, especially within the family. Oh, to heck with the shock value – what about the age-old question… why.
Just why.
The latest murder-suicide combo in Gastonia – a husband and wife who were upstanding citizens of the community and were well-known for helping people in need. She was a cheerleading coach and teacher, he was a county building inspector who helped out and volunteered at the school with his wife. Friends, teachers, and students alike loved and respected them both. They also had children, though the news didn’t list their ages.
Just what is it that makes the human brain snap? Is it a split-second occurrence, is it something that’s carefully calculated… are the consequences even considered? Is a chemically-imbalanced person even able to conceive of the repercussions of their actions? Did these family members used to sit around and have conversations about this kind of violence and how awful it is, thinking nothing like that could ever happen to them?
I just don’t get it. I guess we’re not meant to get it.
The Hawkeye-Pokey
Here’s a nice bright spot for all of you this morning. The University of Iowa Hawkeye fans succeeded in breaking the Guinness world record for the largest organized Hokey-Pokey dance. How cool is that?
The record-breaking event happened September 3rd at the Iowa River Landing as part of Fryfest, an annual festival named after the former football coach Hayden Fry. 7,384 Hawkeye fans gathered to break the record, which was previously recorded at around 4,431 in 2003.
Credit: Sourcemedia Group News
81-year old Fry did not participate in the dance but did address the crowd to announce they were now members of the Hokey Pokey team. The crowd danced for about five minutes as part of the second-annual FRY Fest, which preceded the start of the Hawkeye football season this past Friday.
Credit: Sourcemedia Group News
Former Iowa Football Coach Hayden Fry watches as his wife Shirley (from left), Coralville Mayor Jim Fausset, and radio personality Ed Podolak participate in an attempt to set a world record for the most people doing the “Hokey Pokey” Friday, Sept. 3rd, 2010 during Fry Fest at the Iowa River Landing district in Coralville.
I’ve always said, a little song and dance will brighten up any day. 🙂
Recipe for Disaster
Another one has happened. A death, albeit a celebrity – at the hands of an automobile texting behind the wheel. Dr. Frank Ryan, a plastic surgeon to the stars, gained even further celebrity status when he controversially performed ten procedures in one single day on the reality series star Heidi Montag.
Dr. Ryan was driving along the Pacific Coast Highway immediately following a scenic hike with his beloved dog, Jill. He snapped the below picture of sweet Jill lying in the sand atop a cliff, as she gazed longingly towards the sea.
Twitter has become increasingly popular over the past few years, and Dr. Ryan seemed to have become as fond of it as I. Personally, I feel it’s the one social network in which you can share your thoughts with the rest of the world… without people yacking back at you. Rather, it doesn’t appear on your own page if they do – it dirties up their own.
Photo rights © http://twitter.com/drfrankryan
His tweet: “Border collie jill surveying the view from atop the sand dune”
The one thing I don’t understand is why he didn’t tweet the picture right upon taking it, instead of waiting until he was behind the wheel. His car veered off a PCH cliff, down a 20-foot embankment of rocks. Dr. Ryan was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash with the official cause of death being blunt head trauma. Amazingly enough, his dog Jill survived but she has serious injuries after being found in the ocean below. I can only imagine the heartbreak his poor Mother is feeling! Quoted as saying on his 50th birthday just last year, “Happy birthday dear.. birthday boy… our miracle baby. He’s been wonderful, and I hope he has a long life.”
Photo rights © http://www.tmz.com
I know this is a hard one to look at, but there could be worse. Some of us need to see the reality of our actions… because I know I did.
I’m ashamed to admit that texting while driving is something I myself used to do. Before all the hype and headlines about the dangers it brought, I did it. Trust me when I say I’m not proud of it, and have had a few very close calls resulting from this selfless and careless act. I can’t tell you exactly what it was that changed my whole outlook – maybe it was the close calls, maybe all the news headlines… or maybe it was that dreaded four-minute video that circulated around on facebook and elsewhere. Whatever the case is – I realize how very lucky I am.
Texting while driving can be life changing, and life taking. For yourself, and for others. We don’t need the celebrity status to deem ourselves invincible… we have the uncanny ability of feeling that all on our own!! Please don’t chance it.
Green eggs and ham, hurricane Bonnie I am
It’s basically what I feel like this morning, green and salty. I could think of no better title. I know my last few posts have ventured over to the darker side, and I need to brighten it up. There’s no better way to begin that brighter note than to say it is a Friday!
I’m not gonna have the chance to write about this again for a long time, as it’s already been twelve years since the last one. I doubt I’ll reach hurricane status this time, but we’ll see.
Photo courtesy ABC news
The last hurricane Bonnie was in 1998. Ironically enough, she made landfall on August 27th, my eleventh wedding anniversary. 1998 was to be an iconic year for me, just as 2008 was. Something about that number 8 has always come into play for me. In 1988, my beautiful daughter was born. In 1998, my dear stepfather left this earth to go to heaven. And in 2008, I walked away from a twenty-one year marriage. I have more fascinating stories… but that’s a whole other blog. 🙂
I don’t know where you guys are – but it’s supposed to reach 100 degrees here for at least the next three days. Guess this begins the old ‘dog days of summer’. Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend… and stay cool out there!!
Soul Sucker
Ever since I cancelled my cable, I tend to stay behind on the Hollywood news. I’m well aware that some people think it’s silly to keep up with famous people anyway – but it’s more of a curiousity to me, the ability to see how the ‘other half’ lives.
The Mel Gibson telephone conversations with his wife – I just ran across a few of the audio recordings online. Oh. My. God.
To say this ‘man’ has serious, serious, serious problems would have to be the understatement of the decade. In my opinion, Ms. Grigorieva did the right thing by acquiring a restraining order before it was too late. Say what you will about her secretly taping him… I personally think she did the right thing. The whole situation, left as-is, surely would have resulted in tragedy. Given his fame and social status, she likely would’ve had problems proving that her very own life, and that of her child, was in danger.
It’s obvious there is no arguing with him – simply listening to the recordings is proof enough the rational is just not there. Something is so definitely amiss here… I’m no psych doctor, but I am able to recognize that little factoid all the way from Hollywood over to the east coast. Ranting and yelling until he’s hoarse; cursing, lewdness – he leaves no stone unturned. No area unchartered. Beats her right down to a pulp. Yells that she deserves a bat to the head, that he’ll bury her in the garden. On another audio, he admitted hitting her in the face with their baby on her lap, even breaking her teeth. You needn’t see any video to hear the sneer in his voice when he boldly yelled that she deserved it.
And guess who’s to blame? That’s right, folks. It’s all her fault. Amazing, isn’t it? From start to finish, she’s to blame – the fact that his career is over, that he has no friends, literally everything.
You cannot argue with a person who possesses that ‘something’ in their brain which causes them to act – and react – like this. I shuddered the entire time I listened to this, because it beared such a striking similarity of the many instances which occurred in my old life. Instances that up until recently I was embarrassed to even speak of. I haven’t had to witness this type of violent behavior in years, and hearing it again tonight brought it all back. I so despised the sinking wave of weakness it brought over me. For the entire eight minutes of audio, I felt as though I was inside her – sitting there with no voice, once again powerless. Beaten. Broken. Reduced to nothing, yet again.
Have a listen for yourself. This is only one of the releases, to date there are four – all equally as disturbing. Be forewarned – if you’re offended by ‘mature’ language you may want to skip this one. To be quite honest… it was his whole violent demeanor that got to me. Bad.
Link to Mel Gibson telephone “conversation”… one of four.
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If you or someone you know is in a situation of domestic violence, please get help.
There ARE people who CARE.
For the love of God, yourself, your children – DON’T stay and become a statistic…
these numbers are growing daily.
Click here for link to National Domestic Violence 24-hr Hotline.
Tragedy
I have lived and breathed this story since it broke. What a horrible, horrible nightmare…. I have no other words in me to describe it right now. My heart literally breaks for this family.
Saturday they decided to take the boat on a family outing. It will be a decision they’ll forever wish to reverse. On the beautiful river I live near and cross daily, Lake Wylie – a tragic boating accident has claimed yet another life.
It was the life of a child. One of an eight-year old boy who just completed his first football season at his elementary school. I simply cannot imagine the depth of agony and anguish this family is experiencing right now.
RIP, Tanner Blake Goshen. I’m praying for God to wrap his loving arms tight around your family.
Just some observances, and a little rant
I know opinions are like assholes – we all have one. I didn’t make that little ditty up, and it’s very true. But blogging forces out the best in me, as well as the worst. I’d like to I must share my opinion on the spoiled brat little dutch psychopath killer.
Urine vander Shit. And I did make that little ditty up.
Based on the facts I’ve already heard, and presumptions on the ones I haven’t – here’s a quick Bon-take on what really happened.
After meeting Holloway in the casino in Aruba that night, he slipped her a date-rape pill. (The same or similar to the evidence recently found in Flores’ car.) From that time to her death I can only speculate, but I’m all but convinced some sort of date-rape drug was used on Holloway, since that same speculation has already all but been proven on Flores. Note the way she was walking with her head down behind him – and from the video I perceived her to be swaying from side to side a bit more than she should.
He’s already admitted to Flores’ death. Everyone knows his daddy got him off with the lawyers on the Holloway case in Aruba – add to that the fact the Aruban police and officials totally mutilated the case. They handled the whole thing like the amateurs they are. I wouldn’t doubt the stress of all his son put the family through is what killed his father anyway.
I also believe there’s a strong possibility that there are others he killed. Now it comes out that his mere presence in Peru that enabled him to kill Flores was most likely caused by our own Feds funding to vander Shit for him to tour the world. Twenty-five grand, in fact. It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard in my life. The US was the Enabler. Plain and simple.
Once again I present to you – our government, at it’s best.
Freak of nature
Some things in life run unbelievably short of what my mind is able to comprehend. Things. Like Tidal Waves. Mega-scrapers. Terrorism. Sharks. Adultery. A faulty sort of bend in reality is how I feel about these things. Even though life is continually reminding us of their true existence, the full perception of them never seems to develop within my brain. I think that’s why I like to write about these things, bring them to the surface. My fears.
Yeah. All of them seem to fall into that same category. My fears.
I wrote about the Burj Dubai when it opened. It’s another massive architectural feat that I can’t read or see enough of. I’ve wanted to write something on the Skywalk since I started blogging – but I think it must blow my mind so much more so than the average person, that I’ve just never been able to convey my thoughts into words. I’ll give it a grave attempt now.
How about this one:
Picture source: Skywalk Website (www.grandcanyonskywalk.com)
If you were presented with the opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon and walk out on the glass skywalk, would you? Or should I ask, could you? Keep in mind, this ain’t no stroll across the mile-high swinging bridge, my friends.
If asked the question above I would respond quickly with a firm no. I personally would be unable to walk even one small step onto the platform. No way, no how. If I were forced, my heart would most certainly fail me then and there. This would be the ultimate test of my own fear of heights, resulting in Epic Fail.
Then again, my fear of heights surpasses that of most others. I abhor the word fear – always have. Rather, I like to think that I’m altitude-challenged. 😀
Situated on the Hualapai Indian Reservation (pronounced wä’lə-pī’), this remarkable achievement in engineering was constructed with more than a million pounds of steel beams including dampeners that minimize the structure’s vibration. It was designed to hold 72 million pounds, withstand an 8.0 magnitude earthquake 50 miles away, and endure winds in excess of 100 mph. The horseshoe-shaped walkway juts out about 70 feet into the canyon.
It has been estimated the walkway could carry 822 people that weigh 200 pounds each without overstress, but maximum occupancy at one time is limited to 120 people. (The question has been asked, just how comfortable would you be walking alongside 119 other people on this thing? Again, just a personal observation…)
I have to keep reminding myself these measurements are in METERS. Picture source: Skywalk Website (www.grandcanyonskywalk.com)
The Skywalk is commissioned and owned by the Hualapai Indian tribe. According to Hualapai officials, the cost of the Skywalk was $31 million. Future plans for the Grand Canyon Skywalk complex include a museum, movie theater, VIP lounge, gift shop, and several restaurants including a high-end restaurant called The Skywalk Café where visitors will be able to dine outdoors at the canyon’s rim. The Skywalk is only the cornerstone of a much larger plan by the Hualapai tribe, which it hopes will be the incentive for a 9,000-acre expansion to be called Grand Canyon West. This development would precipitate the growth of a 100-mile stretch along the canyon’s South Rim. The vast addition would include hotels, restaurants, a golf course, as well as a cable car to ferry visitors from the canyon rim to the Colorado River – an area which has been previously inaccessible. All this blows my mind… I especially cannot fathom which piece of land they might choose for a golf course.
A short doable 2 1/2 hour drive from Las Vegas, this magnificent framework promises a sure thrill for the not-so-faint-at-heart persons unlike myself. A flat rate adult admission of around $30 allows access to the Skywalk, where you may ‘hang out’ as long as you like up until closing. You know – hang around, have some casual conversation, file your nails, do a little barfing. That type of thing.
Click for a short video that showcases the sheer height of the Grand Canyon Skywalk
Total elevation: 4825 ft. / 1471 m (estimated)
Sources: Wikipedia and Official Grand Canyon Skywalk website
Life of Bon 
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