E.T. Phone Home

So today is Earth Day.

Celebrations around the world marking the occasion of paying more attention to our planet and attempting to stave off or even reverse the damage that's been inflicted upon it by mankind for eons. Just a "day" on the calendar that should be marked every single day of the year.

I'm all for trying to save our planet. I worry that there won't be much of it left by the time Hoodie even becomes my age after understanding how quickly it is declining from the era my parents were teens.

Aside from the multitude of recycling and eco-friendly articles online today, I also read some interesting things about planets just outside of our solar system that could host life. And I'm sure "they" (you know, THEM) are already studying these places to see if such planets could become our new homes somewhere down the line.

But what if they are already inhabited? I believe there is life out there in the universe aside from just our big, blue marble. Come on, think of all the billions of planets out there and it's just going to be lucky us to blog about it?

I don't think so.

I also wonder what aliens think of us and our planet when they do an intergalactic drive by. I wonder if they sit in their spacecraft shaking their heads with a sad look in their eyes and say things like, "I remember when this neighborhood was clean and safe. What a shame to see it going downhill so fast. Well, let's get outta here before we get mugged or someone shoots our tires out."

You know, or something like that.

Let's face it, our atmosphere is becoming too toxic, and more sadly than not being able for an alien to give a rat's ass about us, it's beginning to be VERY difficult for our own future generations to thrive here.

This place is all that we and our kids and our grandkids, their grandkids and so on have got. Our technology is a long, long way from teleporting entire civilizations to new planets, so we've got to step it up and push back the damage as fast and far as possible.

Preferable before E.T. starts dialing an interplanetary 911.

Star Hopping On Twitter

Do you Twitter? Have you ever checked to see if any of your favorite celebs Twitter? Oh yeah, I'm sure you have.

I have a THING for James McAvoy.

It began as a mild attraction with "Starter For 10," and grew into a lingering crush during "Becoming Jane," then proceeded to throw me right down on the ground with "Atonement" and "Wanted."

James twitters -- well, he has twittered in the past. Okay, so he's twittered 2 whole times. But he's got 855 followers just because of those 2 sweet tweets. James happens to follow the tweets of several celebrities, including Kevin Smith, who in turn follows Neil Gaiman.

Speaking of Neil, I used to LOVE reading Coraline to Hoodie when he was little and have been dying to see the film version of it. Have you? Is it worth trying to catch at the theaters before it hits video?

Oh yeah, so Neil Gaiman follows A LOT of people, including Emmy Rossum. Emmy follows Pete Wentz, who follows Seth Rogen, who follows Sarah Silverman.

I could keep going and going but most of these celebs actually twitter to their friends than I thought would.

Except James.

Tag - I'm It

Friday night, I opened my email to find I'd been tagged by a couple of friends to answer a million questions about myself. Okay, maybe not a MILLION...but there were a lot.

Because I'm lazy and because it's Monday, I thought I'd let you in on some of my answers:

What time did you get up this morning? 
5 FREAKING o' clock  

Diamonds or pearls? 
Well, I'd be dumb to turn down either one wouldn't I!!??

What was the last film you saw at the cinema? 
The latest incarnation of Friday the 13th because Hoodie wanted to and ugh........ 

What is your favorite TV show? 
Will and Grace and also Lost

What do you usually have for breakfast? 
15 minutes of extra sleep on the living room couch.

What food do you dislike? 
How about liver! 

Favorite sandwich? 
Grilled ham and cheese 

Favorite item of clothing? 
My pajamas! 

If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go 
My DREAM is Italy or England/Ireland/Scotland 

Favorite brand of clothing? 
J. Jill 

Any new and exciting news you 'd like to share with us? 
Let's see....the older Hoodie gets, the bigger pain in my neck he becomes. 
Oh no, that's neither "new" nor "exciting"....nevermind! 

What did you want to be when you were little? 
TV reporter and archeologist 

How are you today? 
PMSing terribly....bet you couldn't guess by my snappy answers, could you? 

What is your favorite candy? 
The divinity my Grandma used to make at Christmas. 

What is your favorite flower? 
Wildflowers 

What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? 
Any day I can sleep later than 5 FREAKING o' clock is great. 

Do you wish on stars? 
I've been known to do that from time to time. 

If you were a crayon, what color would you be? 
indigo 

How is the weather right now? 
Almost too warm for my liking. 

Summer or winter? 
Winter, cause I sweat too well. 

Chocolate or Vanilla? 
Both, either, why make me choose just one? 

Salty or sweet? 
I can be either one, just depends on the circumstances. HA!

I feel like whoever wrote these questions probably also writes many of the quizzes on Facebook! At the very end, I half expected to see a "submit" button and the next screen asking me which of my friends I wanted to send the quiz to.

At least I didn't find out that my stripper name is Rose SunnyDream!

Punched In The Heart

You know sometimes when you hear or read really, super shocking news how maybe you have the reaction to say "what" out loud like you're just not sure that's what you really read or heard?

That was pretty much all I could say this morning when I read that Shana Myers, otherwise known as Gorillabuns, had lost Thalon, her beautiful baby boy over the weekend.

It was like a syntax error that the crappy computer in my stupid, little brain refused to process. What...no more Thalon?

What? What?

In the midst of the tears I'm trying to comprehend how God and the universe can take such a handsome little baby away from a mother who loves her family so fiercely.

Shana has the most real-life guts of any Mommy Blogger I've ever read. She has laid it out, honest as can be so the rest of us can see that life isn't about book or movie deals. It's about dealing with whatever happens to you, your husband and your children and still hold on and hang in there even though is doesn't always land "sunny side up".

She bares her heart to us all and her love for her family always comes first and always shines through.

That's what kept me glued the most to reading her blog month after month, that unspun, unabashed, devil-may-care writing of hers. And it always brightened my day when she would take time out and leave comments here.

I don't know what happened to her precious baby. And all I want to do right now is leave my office and drive several thousand miles to her house and pick everyone up in my arms and make their pain go away ... somehow.

Somehow......how?

How could anyone ever be able to take that sort of horrifying pain away? Was it a syntax error in the universe that deleted that tiny little life? I just don't get it!!!

Please, please, please take this family into your prayers and wishes right now. They are dealing with more than any parents should ever have to for any reason.

If you have the ability to make a donation for hospital and funeral expenses, there is a PayPal account set up here. Just give from your heart.

Thank you.