Kim’s Comments (group member since Sep 17, 2008)

Kim’s comments from the Runs with scissors group.

Y'all are gonna love this one.

I was telling one of the Y employees on Wednesday what had happened to the flowers as she is quite interested in what I did and how the wedding stuff is going along. Another patron overheard us,looked me right in the eyes,and said, "Well, that should be a lesson in humility for you." and walked away. To say my gob had been smacked was an understatement.

Me,a humility lesson? Am I that arrogant?

Thank you sweetie. I am hoping in time that this will become a funny wedding story, and not the sick feeling I have now.

I hope to post pictures of the wedding,me,and the Narz looking, as he put it "spiffy" and of course the cake , which is being made by our own Paul. I will let you know when I post them.

This is very hard for me to type this.

I got a call from Kelley last night, to tell me bad news. It appears that one of their dogs decided to make a commentary on the up coming wedding on Saturday. Kelley's fiance raises pure bread Mastiffs. They only have a few at a time, and one female (fixed) is their family pet. The male stud was home from a recent stud out and was in the yard. Their personal dog, Candy, was in the basement as she and Max do not get along. (He's a little young for her to keep up with.)

To set the scene, Kelley was worried that I had made her bouquet too long and that it would catch on her dress (which I have not seen) so she and her sister were going to shorten it (I offered) on Saturday. Kelley's future mother in law was also over. Her future let in Max, who looks nothing like Candy,(the future claimed she thought she was letting in Candy) who then promptly worried the bridal bouquet to shreds and then, peed on it.

Needless to say, a new bouquet was ordered on line, her future mother in-law paid for it,and 2 hours of my life are gone with a stupid act by a stupid person (trust me,there is precedent here). Kelley is upset, I am hurt, and the new bouquet is at her sisters house for safe keeping.


At least I have pictures.

Ray Douglas Bradbury was born on Aug. 22, 1920, in Waukegan, Ill.

He was perhaps the writer with the most influence on me. "F.451" still scares the hooobies out of me to this day, and I read that when I was 10. You would think it would be his horror story "Something Wicked...." that would have scared me that badly, but censorship has a tendency to scare me more than the thing that goes bump in the night.

Bradbury was no stranger to the odd and strange. He had a relative killed in the Salem Trials and had an aunt who read him Poe and inspired a love of fall and all that comes with it. He was a voracious reader and he spent many hours at the UCLA library. He grew up on "Buck Rogers" comics, had a love of machines and wished his birthday could be Halloween. He wrote a 1,000 words a day and wrote "451" in nine days on a library type-writer that cost 10 cents a half hour, for a total of $9.80. He and his late wife had 56 years together before her passing in 2003. Like me, he hated e-books and e-readers, but did give in finally last year to allow "451" to be turned into an e-book. It was the only e-book allowed to be downloaded by library users from the Simon and Shuster Company at the time.

He did what he loved and exhorted others to do the same. His work inspired others authors, challenged authority, and still lives on as some of the best sci-fi fantasy there is. His work will live on and on, and as Bradbury said, "As long as there is censorship, "451" will never be gone from libraries."

Long live Mr. Bradbury, and may his work endure.

So,the nuns are in the news again. This time, a nun who wrote a book on sexuality from theological stand point is in trouble with the church. Sister Margaret A. Farley write a book in 2006,called "Just Love, a Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics". In it she supports gay marriage, masturbation,and other issues that are considered to go against the word of God and the church.

She feels that "same-sex oriented persons as well as their activities can and should be respected". On masturbation, she says that especially for women, "usually does not raise any moral questions at all" and that it "actually serves relationships rather than hindering them". The church feels that twiddling with yourself is "an intrinsically and gravely disordered action".

We all know how they feel about the gays. I stand my dictum of questioning everything as all religious ideals should be questioned. Like politicians, taking things at face value and only at face value is what has gotten us into all of this mess in the first place. For many faith is a place of comfort, but how is it supposed to comfort you when it rejects you out of hand? If a church is supposed to be a sanctuary, a place of peace, a place of love, then how can this attitude be acceptable?

Still, I am proud of this sister and what she has come out in front with and I intend to read this books to see what has the Vatican's robes in a twist.

I am not afraid of knowledge, but I do fear those who only have a little.

This books by Deborah Feldman is one of those that no matter what religion you are, you will find that this book speaks to you on some level. She rejects her Satmar Hasidic roots, which for those of you who don't know, Satmar is a very strict Hasidic that makes other strict sects go, "hey, lighten up!" Her voice will resonate with anyone who ever needed to stand up for themselves or for those who are seeking to stand up for themselves.

Well, the original parish I was talking about is in trouble,what else is new? Their church is one that is being re-opened but many of the 300 or so members are not sure that they want to go back there. They kinda like their warehouse and being the rebels they are, they are also still having services every week. Their priest says he was sent a letter by the bishop telling him he had 7 days to respond,give up his post,and be suspended. The bishop claims that the priest is confused and that the letter never said that he was suspended. The priest counter acts that claim with what he was told in a closed door meeting with the bishop this week.

No one seems to know what the fart-nub is going on here, and it seems to be a lot of he said-he said going on. At the heart of this is the idea that these people have had enough. They seemed to know that when the parish was closed, the bishop was in the wrong and they took it upon themselves not to no be run over by some pompous idiot who likes to shake his miter at them and rattle his beads in the name of a religion that is so far lost,that it may no be able to find it's way back with a map and GPS.

This parallels another national story regarding nuns. There is an over view group that they answer to that the church as a whole has taken up a great dislike to. The church claims that nuns are not doing their jobs as prescribed by the church and is pretty much trying to rap their knuckles with a ruler. The problem? Nuns are doing charity work. They are helping those who cannot help themselves, and there are those in this over seeing group who have spoken out in support of gay marriage, birth control,and abortion.

Since this fly's in the face of church doctrine, the priests are coming down hard. In a faith that is having trouble keeping nuns and priests, let alone new ones,and is losing members in droves due to diocese shenanigans across the board,this is getting over the top stupid.

These nuns are mostly ones who work with the poor and can see what happens when there is no access to birth control, the results of abuse and rape, and the belief that all people have rights. I was raised to believe that we are all created equal and that we were all created in the image of a benevolent being. So, if they worship the same one I was taught to believe in, how are they wrong?

The men in power don't like it. Bottom line. In either case, the men in charge are being questioned and questions don't belong in religion or politics.

So, GO QUESTION EVERYTHING!

Just came from the mammogram. Karen is just fine. If it gets bigger or a problem, she is to come back.

Mr. Eugene Polley quietly passed at the age of 96. He is the holder of 18 patents and was an employee of the Zenith Corporation. While he was not a literary person, he was indeed responsible for something we all use everyday. He invented the wireless remote control. He came up with the Flash-Matic for Zenith in the 1950's. It looked like a ray gun and touted the fact that you could get rid of commercials while still keeping your picture. He was an engineer for 47 years. He earned an Emmy in 1997 and also created many knobs and levers still in use today and the precursor to the DVD player.

So, as you channel surf today, remember Mr. Polley and his influence on your life.

Karen has an appointment for Friday (5/25) at 9:15 in the morning.

Oh Paul, I am so sorry sweetie. You are most assuredly in my prayers.

This is the first book by Susan Dennard. It is due out in July of 2012,geared for the teen and up set. Zombies. Steam-punk. A little slow at first, but it really picks up.

I got a scary email yesterday. My best friend Karen (I have 3 total, Connie, Karen and Kelley) emailed me to tell me that she found a lump yesterday morning. She is working on getting a mammogram scheduled ASAP. I will be going with her to her appointment and I will keep you posted.

The new avatar is my way of showing my support.

Thank you sweetie!

I should note here that Paul has been able to see them in person, so he has seen the details that did not come across in the photos and that he is just a real sweetheart and being most kind.

In case anyone is interested, I have just posted photos of the wedding flowers I have made for my best friend and her up coming event next month. All are made from silk flowers and the pictures are on my profile.

Narzain took them for me since I don't have a digital camera.

Maurice Sendak passed at the age of 83. At the age of 75 he wrote and opera, "Brundibar",of which he was most proud. Sendak created many memorable characters,such as Hector Protector, Max and the Wild Things, Pierre (who didn't care),Little Bear,and George and Martha. He produced the Pacific Northwest Ballet production of "The Nutcracker" as well as designed costumes for ballets and operas.

Sendak loved children, but knew how dark and scary childhood was. He, along with a sister and brother, were one of the few surviving members on his father's side of the family, only knowing his mother's mother. The rest of his Jewish-Polish family never made it to America. Inhumane conditions and treatment were the stories he heard as a child as the fates of is family were discussed.

He began his long and highly awarded career in 1957. He illustrated for others as well as his own works. At least 3 of his books were turned into educational shows for kids by Nickelodeon and HBO. The live action movie of "Where the Wild Things Are" was a hit and was well produced, staying true to Sendak's illustrations.

Sendak's work is instantly recognized and will endure for many years to come. I know that I have read "In the Night Kitchen" to countless children over the years along with "Where the Wild Things Are", as my own favorites from my childhood. Sendaks' contribution's to children's literature will be forever felt, and he will be missed.

So raise your glass to a great man, and let the wild rumpus begin!

Yet another ARC historical fiction that I read the other day and this one was really good. Mary Bowser was a freed slave in Virginia who was educated in Philly. She came back to VA, against the law, and posed as a house slave in Jefferson Davis' home, acting as a spy for the Union. Not much is known about Mary, but the family she was freed by did indeed do what happens in the book and it is also a good look into the South pre-Civil war and during the war not to mention how it was in the North.

I recently got to read the ARC for this book and I have been wanting to read it for sometime. Perhaps my excitement to read this colored it for me, but I found this historical fiction to fall flat for me. The main character gets lost in the machinations of another character and the ending is anti-climatic for me. I read historical fictions, so it wasn't that. I just felt let down by the story which was underlined by a "fortune telling" device called The Octavo and how everything was intertwined, which I was hoping would be more utilized but wasn't to my taste.

Some of the parishes involved in this mess, got help from the Pope and he said that the bishop wrongly closed at least 12 of the Parishes, and that they are to be re-opened ASAP. The bishop, who is not happy about being spanked by his boss, can drag his feet on this matter if he chooses. Well, yesterday, it was announced that these churches will reopen soon. I am very happy about 2 of them being reopen. One has absolutely gorgeous design and is only 1 of 5 buildings in the world that is made from a certain marble,so it would be a shame for anything to happen to this place,and the other was the church in my old neighborhood where I grew up. I know what that church meant to so many residents, so much that when Cleveland Hopkins International Airport started to buy up the homes near where I lived at the time (my house is gone to this, but several years after we moved) that people were doing their best to stay in the neighborhood so that they could stay in this parish.

I remember an older couple who lived 2 doors down from me,who treated me like a grandchild. They were very active in this parish, and in the winter, the husband couldn't go outside due to what is now called COPD. She couldn't drive, so the priest would come everyday and give them mass, which they went to every day when they could. She was one of the ladies of the parish who cleaned and they both did all they could.

For me this is just as joyful as it is for the members. I love it when a positive result comes from standing up for yourself.

Again,I read an ARC which is due out in May/June 2012. Geared for the teen and up reader, this book is one of those that leaves you not too sure what you read. You kinda like it,and you kinda don't as you felt that nothing really happened but since it's geared for a younger reader, you let that feeling go. There is a world made of human dreams and something nasty is threatening this world. The start of the book leaves you with wanting to beat some of the characters with a tire iron and it is a little heavy handed when you get the context later on in the book as to why these people were the way they were. The main character, whose perspective the tale is told through, even admits that some of what happens is a little telegraphed, I guess as the authors apology. It is still worth the read, though, so don't hesitate to read it.