Hoppin' John

This weekend I received an e-mail from a friend I have not heard from in quite some time. Daniel Rogers sent a recipe for Hoppin' John. I'd heard of it before, but had never tried it. Admittedly, I did not have all of the traditional ingredients on hand to prepare this southern delight, but I substituted with what I did have on hand and it yielded a fabulous, spicy, home-cooked dinner for us. It will continue to serve us for several more dinners, too.

Farrah's Story

We watched the painful odyssey of Farrah Fawcett as she has waged a battle against the insidious anal cancer that has spread to her liver. The two-hour program on NBC, which aired Friday evening (May 15), was a profile in courage and determination but despite all of that the outcome looks bleak.

It was painful to watch not only what Farrah has gone through with her cancer treatment and the ravages of the treatments on her body, but equally heartbreaking to see Ryan O'Neil loving her so and grieving that is so raw. Even more painful to see her son 'Red' at her bedside...in shackles. He is serving some time in jail for a drug conviction, but was allowed three hours for a final visit with his mother. The jailers who escorted him to her home would not allow him out of the shackles on his legs, but did release him from the handcuffs so he could cuddle with his mother one last time.

Heartbreaking...

And it is heartbreaking and sad not only because it is Farrah with whom we have grown up watching and knowing from television and the movies over so many years, but because it is a template of what ordinary people go through every day around the world. Farrah is simply a high profile personality who has been able to bring more light to the disease process in a public way.

It is all tragic...for Farrah, for Ryan, for 'Red', and for anyone and everyone who receives a cancer diagnosis.

As I watched Farrah's Story and wept, her constant unwavering statement was, "I want to live." That reminded me so much of my own mother's remark to me years and years ago. Mama said, "I don't mind getting old. I just don't want to die."

Washington state mass murder and suicide

In the shadow of this dormant volcano in Washinton State, there was an eruption of rage that eclipsed anything the mountain could dish out: five children and their father are dead.

My thoughts follow in the blog linked below...




http://inyourneighborhood.blogspot.com/2009/04/harrison-family-murders-and-suicide.html

Satellite radio whoremongers

Minutes ago it was announced that Sirius/XM Satellite Radio worked out a deal to avoid bankruptcy, but obviously they’re hanging on by the skin of their teeth…

What do you think of Sirius/XM being on the brink of folding? Howard Stern’s deal and the other overpaid talents and not-so-talented have gored the cash cow…

Yeah, satellite radio made a big splash...whoopee! Look how long that lasted! It will be flippin’ hilarious if the whole dang satellite radio industry goes belly up and the world goes back to AM radio! Ha-ha-ha!!! Don’t count AM out just yet!

For that matter, we could bring back AM Stereo! Now there's a technology that never had a chance to get off the ground; let's bring it back for another go-round.

I know you’ve got satellite radio in your Lexus, Avalanche, and Escalade and enjoy it on the open raod (who wouldn’t?) but I just think it is time for all these ludicrously, obscenely, shamefully overpaid people – whether in radio, television, movies or the sports world – to come get their feet back down on the ground. Welcome back to tera firma. Come back to the REAL WORLD here on Planet Earth where the rest of us live…

The whoremongers of satellite radio have bankrupted their own industry.

"Now we come to the end of another broadcast day...er, uh, era..."

Remembering "Aunt Vicki" Victoria Sorrells

Aunt Vicki was the most beloved person, so full of life and fun. She was a giving, loving, character who gave so much of herself despite her personal and physical hardships and trials. She had a zest for life and a sense of humor like no one else. No one could tell a story, really weave a tale, like Aunt Vicki could. I miss her terribly.

Larissa Kelly lost last night on Jeopardy

It was a crushing defeat for Larissa Kelly last night on Jeopardy. She set a record and I had high hopes that she'd be the long-running female equivalent of Ken Jennings.

Alas! It was not to be.

Larissa's momentum shifted after her error on the last question in the first round. She made a big wager, but came up with the wrong question. Psychologically, I think it did her in, sealed her fate even before the second round had begun. She never got off the blocks from that point onward. I think she was tired.

The only good news in any of it is that she will be back for the Tournament of Champions and I hope she smokes 'em all then and shows 'em whose boss.

Larissa Kelly on Jeopardy

Larissa Kelly, 28-year-old from Newton, Mass., has already broken a record for the highest amount of cash winning of any woman who has ever appeared on Jeopardy. She is on a roll!

She is absolutely delightful with a mild-mannered, gentle, quiet, sweetness, and adorable innocence that cloaks her incredible facility to nailing the answers in every conceivable category on Jeopardy.

She is unassuming and conservative, but can clearly kick it up in crunch-time when she has to and she is blazing a trail. I adore her. I hope she will not only be on Jeopardy as long as Ken Jennings was, but that she will even exceed his run.

Go, Larissa! Go!!!