Mesmerized.....

I know most of you that are friends with me on Facebook know by now about my fascination with the sky, but what you may NOT know is 'Why?'.

Sure, the sky is mesmerizing and sure, I know that I'm not the only sky freak out there....but for me, it goes way beyond being a sky watcher.

Every time I look towards the sky I think of my Daddy, for you see it was him that got me started on my whole addiction to the clouds, the sun, the rain, the moon, the dark starry night.....

I can still remember the day wayyyyyy back when I was still a little Chicklet, can still visualize it clearly in my mind, when him and I were laying on a blanket in the park staring up at the sky watching the clouds roll by. I can still hear him saying "Look Ell, it's a doggy!" and he pointed a cloud out to me, and I remember laying there giggling because I thought he was just being silly, but THEN....it suddenly appeared right in front of my eyes! I thought it was magic!

And ever since that day, my friends, I've been totally addicted. Yup, now you know the reason for my madness. :)

So the next time you're looking up at the sky, mesmerized by the wonders of Mother Nature and all her Glory.... wave and smile... because my Daddy just might be waving back at you :)

Love you Daddy!!!!!

It's a bird... it's a plane....

A friend triggered a memory for me today. A memory for me that, after reading this blog, might give you a clue as to why I am like I am today.

I was about 3, maybe 4, and I was cute little Chicky. I was! Really! Just ask my Momma! And just like any 3, maybe 4, year old, I wanted to be a superhero. So my Yiayia (that means "grandmother" in Greek, in case you didn't know) knit me a very special superhero cape. It even had the initials "SC" on it, which stands for Super Chicky of course. My Yiayia ROCKED!!!!!

Now that you have that cute visual in your head, here is the story:

One day, Little Super Chicky wanted to see if she could fly. So she climbed up on top of the bathroom sink, which for a 3, maybe 4, year old you can imagine that this was as high as a skyscraper! She made sure her cape was on tightly, she spread her arms as far as they could go, she closed her eyes, and dove out headfirst......and.....

She was flying!!!!

For what seemed like eternity to a Little Super Chicky but in reality only lasted for about a split second before she landed head first into the tub.

THUD!

(Now fast forward to a hospital bed in the ER, because that's where she ended up.)

10 stitches later, head pounding from the huge lump on her head, and after several hours of listening to her parents, doctors, nurses, and every other adult she came in contact with that day tell her things like, "You are so lucky young lady!" and "Don't ever do that again!", there was one thing they could never take away from her.....

The fact that she DID fly.....

If only for a moment. :)

Home Away from Home....

Ah yes, camping. Nothing like being out in the middle of Nowhere's Land with just a tent, pillows, blankets, cooler of beer (and soda), camping chairs, and of course food and some necessities too (like the makings for S'mores! hehe)

But one thing you should never forget..... a flashlight!

Yeah we forgot to bring one with us and let me tell you I will NEVER forget it ever again. Trying to find your way to the bathroom on unlit dirt paths is nearly impossible. I tried using a lighter but after a short while those suckers start burning your thumb. A friend had suggested I try using the light from my cell phone to light my way, but that's not a good idea when you've been drinking. Why? Because you only end up dropping it and then the light goes off when it hits the ground, so then your adventure to find the bathroom is delayed a bit longer while you search for your cell phone. Thank goodness I have a strong bladder.....especially when I couldn't stop laughing!

And don't tell me I should've just gone in the woods. I couldn't SEE , remember? Have you ever tried to venture off towards the woods, not knowing where you're going, what you might be stepping on? Or tripping over for that matter. And don't forget about poison ivy! So yeah, that wasn't a good idea either. Remember, I had been drinking.

If you've never been camping, I highly recommend it. Well, that is if you enjoy being outdoors and having to 'rough it' at times. Because being surrounded by the beauty of nature and all of its glory.... it truly does wonders for your soul.

Just don't forget a flashlight!

Scattered thoughts....

Nothing gets your adrenaline pumping first thing in the morning like almost getting trampled by a tractor trailer. I know this because I experienced it first hand this morning.

Traffic had come to an abrupt stop on Route 78 in Central New Jersey, which is nothing new for this stupid highway so I thought nothing of it. That was until I looked in my rear view mirror and saw this huge tractor trailer closing in on me.... fast... and I had nowhere to go.

I heard the screeching tires and saw smoke coming from them, and if I could actually see the person driving the truck I'm sure I would've seen the frantic look on his/her face as well. I'm really surprised he/she didn't jackknife.

I prayed to God, I prayed to my Daddy, I prayed to anyone who was listening to PLEASE stop this monstrosity coming at me.

Many thoughts zipped through my brain, as if my life was suddenly flashing right before my eyes....

"Would my cats know I was gone?" "Will Eric and the kids be ok?" "Did I turn off the coffee pot this morning?" "Shit, I forgot the rent check at home!" "Who will train for my job?" "I want my Mommy!" "I'll miss playing Zuma" "Who will say goodbye to my friends for me?"

Then for what seemed like eternity, the truck stopped.... only a few inches away from bumper. I must've been holding my breath because a huge blast of air came flowing from my lungs and out of my mouth. Then I noticed my knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel. And my heart? It was pounding so hard that I was afraid it would jump right out of my chest and leave a hole during its departure.

I looked to the Heavens and I thanked God and I blew a kiss to my Daddy and mouthed the words "Thank you". I felt a tingling sensation shortly afterwards and I knew it was my Daddy telling me he was there with me.

So how will I spend my day today.... you might wonder? I'm going to hug everyone I come in contact with, stranger or not. I don't care what they think or how they react.

I'm going to hug them.... because I can. :)

GET STONED!

Now that I have your attention, I want to know your thoughts about something I heard on the radio this morning.

I'm sure you've heard by now that Nike has come out with a couple of new slogans aimed towards those people out there who enjoy the finer art of extreme sports. Like snowboarding.

One of their new slogans is this....



A few people called in to say that they think that slogan is uncalled for and it clearly is stating that it's ok to do drugs. Then they went on to say that the slogan should be banned and Nike should be sued.

SAY WHAT?

I don't see that statement on that shirt, do you?

Sure the 'idea' of getting stoned is there (if you think that way) but it's not telling you to go out and do drugs. If it was, there would a pot leaf on it... or something.

The economy is bad right now and everyone is trying to make a buck and quite frankly, I think this slogan is a BRILLIANT marketing strategy. Young and old will go out and buy them and wear them proudly, whether they do extreme sports or not. Hell I know I would!

But it doesn't mean that we do drugs, or that we're trying to promote the use of them.

It's just a cool shirt!

My 12 year old stepchickies wear wrist bands that say " I LOVE BOOBIES ", in honor of supporting Breast Cancer Awareness because a dear friend of mine has breast cancer. It doesn't mean they're lesbians!

And my 15 year old stepson walks around wearing this shirt ....



It's got nothing to do with STD's!

So what do you all think? Are you with those people out there that think Nike should be sued?

Me, myself and I think society is becoming way too uptight these days. We need to focus on the bigger picture (like getting our country back on track again), not on something as silly as this.

Maybe those people who are complaining really DO need to get stoned and learn to refreakinlax! HA!

Peace... Out!

Buckle Up!

Have you ever stayed still enough to follow your own train of thought? Just paying attention to the bizarre places your mind might take you? I was doing that yesterday when I was trying to calm myself down from the overdose of caffeine or sugar or whatever it was that had me wired out beyond control. Let me tell you something. My brain is weird.

Want to take a trip with me? It went something like this:

Okay. You will relax. Relax. Relax? What a dumbass word. How can any word with an "x" in it calm you? The very sound of the letter is annoying enough to keep you from relaxing. Try calm.

Calm. Calm. Calmmmmmm. Oh great. Now I sound like a freak who is saying Ohhmmmmm. Pretty freaky how it vibrates your whole head. Ohhhmmmmmmmmm. *giggle*
Wait. No giggling in meditation. Try again. Focus Chicky.

Chicky. Why do I talk to myself and use my name? I mean, who else would I be talking to inside my own head? It's not like I have more than one personality. Hmm that I know of. Strange. What if I did, but didn't know it? And maybe my brain just says Chicky to ensure I know who I am talking to. Nah. Too out there. Focus.

"I am stuck on Band-Aid cause Band-Aid's stuck on me. I am Stuck on Band Aid Brand cuz band aids stuck on me." Do they even sing that anymore? When was the last time I heard that song anyway? Think think think? When? I dunno. Why do jingles from childhood pop into your mind when you are least expecting it? At least it wasn't that annoying one. Oh how did that go?? No. Think of something else. No jingles. No jingles.

I wonder how long I have to do this before I am considered relaxed. Ugh there is that word again. I mean calm.

*rrriiiiiiinnnnnnnnng* (damn phone) Ok, screw it, this aint gonna happen. Go back to annoying your coworkers, Chicky.

-------------------------------------------------------

So, that was my big attempt to chill out. There is a glimpse into my mind. Scary, huh?

Tell me you do this too. Don't you? Someone? Anyone? Well, if you didn't before, you will now. Trust me. If for no other reason than you will think of me telling you that you will and BAM! your mind is off to Tangentville...... Buckle Up! :)

Crunch & Munch.....

Super Walmart is one of my favorite places to shop at. Why? You might ask. Because that place has the BEST! AMUSING clientele ever. Sometimes when I'm feeling really sorry for myself you can find me there, sitting on a bench eating a pretzel from Auntie Annes, just people-watching. Talk about instant morale-booster gratification! I'm sure you've all seen "The People of Walmart" pictures floating around the internet so you must know what I'm talking about.

Anywho.....

The other day I'm standing in line at Super Walmart waiting to pay for my goodies when all of a sudden the voices in my head start going berserk. I hear "OH MY GOD! LOOOOOOOOK!" , and as I turn towards the candy section I see THIS.....



THIS REESE'S QUEEN DIDN'T KNOW THEY MADE A CRUNCHY REESE'S!

Needless to say, when it was finally my turn to check out, all that was left was the candy wrapper. I gave it to the clerk, smiled at her and said "Damn! that was tasty!".

The laughter that followed was priceless!

If you haven't tried one, I HIGHLY recommend you do so. And get me one too while you're at it. Errrrrr Please? :)