Pull up a chair folks... I may ramble a bit, but I do have a point.

For about a week now an article I happened across has been running through my mind and I can't seem to let it go. The headline was timely and piqued my interest enough that I went to the site, "Why Joe (and Kanye and Serena) Won't Apologize" by Rabbi Brad Hirschfield. The title of course refers to the recent public outbursts we have witnessed from public figures during public/televised moments.

The Rabbi's article was born of another article written solely about Joe Wilson's outburst during the President's speech earlier this month: "Oh, Mr, Wilson..." in which she refers to "a political era of uninhibited belligerence." (btw, spot on Ms. Parker!)

Hirschfield makes many excellent points and describes our current social climate perfectly: It's all about me! Look at me! Look what I did! Look who I was! I'm mad! I'm happy! I hate this! I love that! I took a breath! I love cereal! I love haggis! I dressed myself! I exhaled! I go potty!

He also addresses our loss of civility toward each other. If you haven't noticed a lack of awareness for our fellow man, just take a look at how people act in stores, movie theatres, and how they park their cars. Our loss of civility is apparent in our daily interactions with others face to face, and how we expect it to be any better online where you can be faceless and nameless.

In the political venue, our town halls are rude, offensive and unintelligent. Our public displays almost always involve some sort of racism or kooky End Timer's declaration, and without fail defame or disenfranchise a minority.

In the social venue, we have retreated to the safety of our computer screens and cell phones where we can go about declaring our loves and hates for all the world to see, or not, depending on your friends or followers.

After playing around on Facebook for a few months and having caught up with a few people from high school, I grew tired of #1 feeling involved with people I really don't even know anymore or care to #2 taking a peek into the current views and thoughts from people of which I had fond memories started to really disappoint and depress me. "You mean everyone isn't a Democrat? Not everybody my age is proud of our new President?" I am naive in a lot of respects. So one afternoon it hit me----Hey! I don't have to do this! I don't HAVE to have a Facebook account and see people's stupidity. It was an epiphany that set me free like crazy and I felt a huge weight of involvement lift from my shoulders. I know it sounds stupid, but I felt chained. Granted, I had chained myself, but chained nonetheless. I understand that some folks really enjoy that interaction and involvement, but it's not for me. Much of my day is spent listening to people tell me things I don't want to know, so why subject myself to it on my off time?

(I told you I might ramble. Rethinking that chair now aren't you?)

Most of you know, I started this blog to give me an outlet for my frustrations during the dark dark time now known as the Bush Administration. It served me well. I had a creative outlet to express my feelings of being forced to watch a buffoon take over our country and, what seems like permanently change/deepen the wedge between parties and citizens.
Most of you also know that I tend to lean toward the Chicken-Little-Negative-Nellie-The-Glass-Is-Half-Empty-OMG-What-If-"That"-Happens? kind of thinking. I know, it's a shock! Mary Sunshine I am not! That being said, I am finding that I censor myself so as not to always post negative rants. I don't want to put that out there to become my destiny or prophecy. Some days I want to just rant like a loon about something or someone, but I've come to the realization that yelling about it on here doesn't help me anymore. In fact I think it feeds me. Bad, Seymour.
In short, I don't want to be a part of the uncivil or the uninhibited belligerents anymore. I'm sick of hearing me talk.
There are many times and days when I look at Jen and say, "I love my blog!" I know I am it's biggest fan. Isn't that just the definition of a self-centered individual?!

So after close to four years, 14K hits, and 918 posts, I'm done. At least for now.

Thank you for reading, thank you for commenting, thank you for still being my friends after knowing how My Brain functions. It was fun!

What's that? Twitter, you say? Oh I'm not giving up Twitter! Slices of daily life served with a side of brevity? Yes, please!

No Broadway Monday today.

Stay tuned.

so how did you spend your Saturday evening/morning?

Here's ours, don't be jealous.
10:00 pm: in bed hopeful for a good night's sleep
11:30 pm: participants for a gathering next door begin to arrive
12:30 am: taxis arrive to pick up the partiers and shuttle them to the local bars
2:00 am: drunk students arrive home from the bars and have more
revelers in tow
2:30 am: yay! pizza arrives
3:30 am: the party moves out back onto the deck--why not let everyone take part in the celebration?!
3:45 am: we call the non-emergency police
3:55 am: police arrive
4:05 am: citation issued for the dumbshits next door
4:10 am: we crawl back in bed
4:20 am: fireworks go off sending the Husky into her version of the Fight orFlight Response aka the Pee and Poo Response
4:30 am: we crawl back into bed...again
4:55 am: another round of fireworks
5:05 am: well we might as well stay up now
5:35 am: finish watching the movie from the night before
5:40 am: bleary-eyed we attempt to sleep one more time
8:00 am: start the day with baggy eyes and some phenomenal bedhead

Did I mention that I spent all of the daylight hours of Saturday with a fever? Yeah, so some rest would have been helpful.
But hey, aren't you glad the Gators beat Tennessee?

sometimes I am actually present in the moment

Poignant moment today as my lovely and I worked with a young man who just earlier this year was in a coma after suffering severe injuries and brain damage from a drunk driving incident.

As I delivered the protocols for cold laser therapy to his legs, spine and brain, Jen was engaging him in activities to stimulate his gross motor skills. Something like lifting his leg in a requested direction is difficult for him. His brain and body are struggling to remap the paths that allow him to move effortlessly, like you and I.

Couldn't help but notice his struggle to complete the tasks as this song rang throughout the office in the background. ("Be OK" by Ingrdi Michaelson)

I wonder if his brain heard this quiet mantra as he worked so hard learning to walk again?
I like to think so.

Wowee Wednesday

Glee Someone in the TV biz took pity on me and the fact that I only watch HGTV, X-Play, and Damages due to the fact that there is a lot of shitty-shit on the tube nowadays. That's right the extent of my television entertainment involves home repair/design, gaming news, and a frightening and enthralling story about a maniacal lawyer in New York. Yeah. I needed something new, fresh and musical. Enter Glee (cue angels singing)

Glee celebrates that inner geek in all of us through the efforts of a hopeful young high school teacher trying to make a difference in the lives of a few misfit kids by breathing life into the defunct Glee Club.

Watching one hour of this show and I don't know how a viewer can escape from finding their high school selves in at least one of the characters. It is my hope that you weren't a bully, cuz let's be honest, bullies aren't nice.

I know that watching this show makes me realize that even though I was one of the popular kids in high school, I also felt like one of the misfits. That's the great thing about Glee: as an adult, you realize that no matter our status, inside we all feel a bit inferior and like an outcast.

Glee is sprinkled with music from all eras, including...wait for it...Broadway! Two shows in and we've heard everything from show tunes to disco, and Rhianna to Salt-n-Pepa. A special nod to theatre geeks is given as the cast includes many actors who have recently graced the stage on Broadway. The brains behind this show knew what they were doing when the cast Lea Michele from Spring Awakening and Matthew Morrison from Hairspray and South Pacific in pivotal roles. Fierce and loyal fans have already formed a following called "Gleeks" on Twitter and Facebook. Aww Internet, look at you bringing outcasts together...

Did I mention that someone at Fox was brilliant enough to woo the incredible Jane Lynch to star as the coach for the cheer leading squad known as the Cheerios? Brills! We have watched both episodes twice just to experience the comedy gold that Jane brings to the screen.

Glee lights up the screen Wednesdays at 9pm on Fox. Tonight is the third episode, so you are not too far behind. Tune in!

Broadway Monday

Oleanna

A female student charges her male professor with sexual exploitation in David Mamet's drama, which examines explosive contemporary issues — the assumption of power, intellectual freedom and sexual politics. The battle for power and control begins, but does not end on stage.

Inspired by the Clarence Thomas hearings of September 1991, playwright David Mamet presented Oleanna at the feet of the theatre community in May 1992. It is widely seen as a direct response to the hearings and the controversy and countrywide dialogue that ensued.

The play is also well known for making the audience squirm in their seats with discomfort over a touchy subject, yet leave them engaged in deep discussion at curtains end. In this regard, Oleanna reminds me of John Patrick Shanley's Doubt. No matter what side you choose, there are equally as powerful arguments for the other point of view and the debaters are swayed toward the other with each word. The official website even says, "Whatever side you take, you're wrong."

In other words: WARNING! Passionate discussions ahead!

The best plays leave you discussing the mechanics while strolling back to your room or home. Brilliant.

Bill Pullman and Julia Stiles have been tapped as the cast for the debut, and look to be handling it well according to the reviews.

Oleanna will make it's Broadway debut this year after playing Off-Broadway since it's inception.

Previews begin September 29, 2009 at John Golden Theatre with an Opening Night of October 11, 2009. The play is currently running open-ended.

Last night, for the bagillionth time in the last nine months, my president made me proud. It's like Obama is on some sort of quest to make me proud of my country again or something...

I hope you watched the speech on healthcare to Congress last night. I hope that any questions or fears were allayed and I hope you went to sleep feeling a little better about our possibilities of solving this decades old dilemma. Most of all I hope something positive comes from this.

If you watched, you were treated to the latest in Republican self-implosion techniques as Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) shouted "You lie!" and "Not true!" during the speech. I thought my head was going to explode! Since when is it okay for members of Congress to shout down a president during a speech? I don't care what party is in power--it is not appropriate.

Thanks Joe Wilson for adding another shovel of dirt on your party's already heaping grave. You guys are making this effortless.

Big ups to the members of the GOP who all but broke a leg to rush out of the chamber and denounce their colleague with demands for apology. However, they weren't fast enough to keep up with Wilson who blazed a trail reminiscent of the Road Runner before them. Wilson has issued an apology, but that may be little comfort to his party today as they try to distance themselves and defend him all at the same time. Should be an interesting news cycle, no?

Anyone spot Eric Cantor outside the chamber pourin' one out for his homies? Anyone? Nobody.