Stevie Wonder - Superstition live on Sesame Street

http://www.youtube.com/v/_ul7X5js1vE?version=3&autohide=1&showinfo=1&autoplay=1&autohide=1&attribution_tag=14QkKH0batw3noRAO1I53A&feature=share

Stevie Wonder - Flip Wilson Show 1970

http://www.youtube.com/v/VLKkPUWbbR0?version=3&autohide=1&autoplay=1&autohide=1&showinfo=1&feature=share&attribution_tag=sKMARWJ4-3-on4-EIMchuw

geraldine and Jim Brown (Flip W)

http://www.youtube.com/v/tcbn0K84ZdE?version=3&autohide=1&autohide=1&showinfo=1&feature=share&autoplay=1&attribution_tag=E0aF9vClo6g47Lpy0Z3PPQ this comedy is absolutely timeless! I loved watching this as a little girl ;)

HELEN REDDY - INTERVIEWED BY ROSEANNE BARR PART 1 - THE QUEEN OF 70s POP

http://www.youtube.com/v/jPh-gwqRVdw?autohide=1&version=3&attribution_tag=Lj6vya566z11z1YVdo4uTQ&autoplay=1&feature=share&showinfo=1&autohide=1I love that photo of her as a baby!

"Today's bus shenanigans"

So, I walked to the bus stop and there were 2 men and one woman there.  Immediately, the one man reached out his hand for me to shake it which I would not do.  I would have been happy to fist bump but I was holding an umbrella.

It is extreme stress when men force themselves on women.  Many of the men from this ethnic group in Mountain Town (who ride buses) are perpetually drunk.

So unfortunately Daniel found it necessary to tell me his whole life story and how hard his life has been.

He, like many do, began to pull up his sleeve to show me and explain to me what each scar came from.

I said "I do not want to see your scars"

He said he grew up in foster care and is homeless and got all these scars in Afghanistan.  Of course, when I tried to tell him something about myself he seemed disinterested.

He said "here let me show you"

me-I just told you that I don't want to see your scars.  Because the truth is, the people whose lives have been the hardest HAVE NO SCARS!

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With him was a man I have seen millions of times who I get a vibe from, so I avoid.  He's about 350 lbs.

When we got to transfer center, I waited forever for him to disembark, so that he would not follow me.  I sat down at one of many many empty benches.  Big guy comes up behind me and says

"CAN I SIT ON YOUR BENCH WITH YOU, LOVE?"

me-"You may not"  (like I said there are a myriad of choices of places to sit)

So, he stands over me making no effort to sit at the other bench.  I am forced to move.

I find these interactions to be emotionally draining....................................................

"He lost his mind"

When I read today the cause of this murderer losing his mind I understood instantly.  A man killed an entire family because they would not control their dogs barking.

Since 95, nearly every single address I have ever had I have had to put up with nearly 24/7 dog crying barking squealing.  I have even made multiple recordings of this maddening noise pollution.

It is a huge problem I see no escaping it unless one has the means to build a house far far away from anyone.

He may have broken a serious law but it is easy for me to see how this man:

LOST HIS MIND!

"no good news"

Every day is the same, it's a fight.  Everything is a fight.  It feels like no matter what actions I take it makes virtually no difference.

I have 2 landlords.  They both have some sort of agreement with each other.  Landlord A gave me a lease to sign in May as did landlord b.

When I was discussing with landlord b about the lease with landlord a, she said" you should never have signed that lease, they were not supposed to do that, you onl.y sign with us"

So, when landlord a, asked me to renew today, I said but lalndlord b told me not to.  She yelled at me and said "your breaking the rules"  I am so angry I can't even eat.  There is nothing worse then anger at a person who has a lot of power and control where there would be a price to pay if you tell them what you think of them.

So, landlord b said to me today" yes, go ahead and sign it , it's not a leases"

landlord a said in writing that "yes, it is, it's a lease renewal"

this is the push pull I have dealed with constantly over the last 20 years.  I guess that many poor people have these constant battles which keep quality of life very low.  I'd like to move but I have nobdy to help me move out of town which is what I want.  So for now, it's shelter and I am stuck.

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I just got a letter from food stamp people stating that my monthly (yes monthly) allotment will go down by 10 dollars.

My October allotment is 25 a month, but after nov. first it will go down to 15.  There is no point in standing up for yourself, it's like slavery, you take what you can get and you have no voice.

Helen Reddy & Olivia Newton John - '1960's'

If I had "played my cards right" I would have had well more then just one Christmas in Australia!

Countdown to India

I haven't missed an episode in 3 months.  However, when I tuned in on Tues night prepared to watch them take off for India, the show didn't even air!  Now, I'm trying to find the episode where they go to India!  I love this family!

"Trapped in my body"

You may find it interesting that the most oppressive part of being in this body is not the fibromyalgia.  It is the body wide 24/7 excruciating nerve pain that I am always aware of.  Perhaps I should take up a new career?  "alcoholism!"  Now obviously I'm not serious but how can anybody be expected to live like this?

VH1 PRESENTS CRAZYSEXYCOOL: THE TLC STORY

Wow!  What a story!

"Worst Product Slogan"

I'll tell you this is the worst I have heard in a long long time.

"What do you want on your tombstone?!"

The product?  Tombstone pizza!

"Quoted"

"The only true peace I got was when I was sleeping"

by

Shonto Begay reflecting on his childhood while attending boarding school.

"Grace and Aplomb"

I watched Obama speaking today on cnn regarding the government reopening.  Shwew.  I predicted it would open yesterday so I was wrong by one day.  In my case the shut down did not affect me at all.  But I was concerned that I would not get my October disability check, thank goodness I did.

I have been trying to keep up with the coverage of the issue on cable, sometimes it gets a bit boring but I feel like it's my responsibility to try to understand.

"Alaskan women looking for love"

Bear with me I do not have all the names memorized.  How wild that the one girl got asked out before even seeing the new house!  He seems like a real sweetie.  He reminds me of Francesco who I met when I went to cancun in 87.  Francesco wrote to me in Spanish for a whole year and then I lost track of him.

What a kic about them trying to go shopping for appropriate clothes.  I also would not feel comfy with so little threads.  Love those t shirts that had pics of bikinis.  Awesome.

Wild that they asked the rugby* team leader if he would bring all the men over for a party!  That takes guts!  In most normal circumstances I would be a little hesitant to invite a team of strangers over but it turned out beautifully!

Boy that house rocks.  Perhaps since the girls have all known each other a long time, they won't have the fighting that the breaking amish kids had.  So far so good!

Now if they get hungry they don't need to hunt down game or go fishing!

I love that they went to the nightclub with their mud boots on!  The clubs remind me of the best club I ever went to (just once) which was Carlos and Charlies in Cancun.  Very posh.

Yeah this show is gonna be a lot of fun!

"Pain management clinic"

I'll always tell u the truth, but I frequently have to change names or addresses that sort of thing.

I like to pay attention to numerology even though I don't always understand it.  The assistant at the clinic (who gave me wrong directions and a wrong address)

told me on 10/14 that my appt. is at 1014 elm.  Guess what suite?!  He said 1014!  (he was wrong about the suite)

anywho it is a wife and her brother and those are the only employees.  The brother is very unprofessional and it's a weird set up.  I knew his first name but I did not know whether he was an aide or what the deal was.

He asked me to sit in a particular seat.  I refused because it was set up in a way that if anyone came in I would have gotten hit by the door.  He said "by the way, my name is rob"  I had already finsished all the paperwork and mailed it in.  When he asked me for my insurance cards I only gave him the medicare card since I knew his clinc would not accept Medicaid.

His attempt at taking my b.p. appeared to be his first ever.  He was so awkward I asked him exactly what it is he is trying to do?

I stood on the scale and it said "93"  He said "we don't do pounds, just kilos!"  He tried to get a height measurement and I said "I'm 5'5" He said yeah but I need meters not inches!" (weird)

He stayed in the room during my exam and interview which took nearly 2 hours.  The doc asked me if her brother can "take notes"  (do I have a choice?) I said it would be fine.  But the 2 of them had a very weird dynamic because she wanted to spped through the questions and he kept interrupting.  Sometimes he would tell me the opposite of what she said.

She is a phenomenal doctor.  It was the most thorough exam I have ever had.  She asked me why I have nerve damage?  I said "Well, it is most likely because I am a starvation survivor"  She said she is sorry but she is sure that my hypothesis is correct.  She asked me to try to describe it and I said that it's like thousands of bees stinging my hands and feet 24/7.

She does not recommend pain meds for fibromyalgia however will allow me to take a low dose.  She made recommendations for the marijuana that are different from what they told me at the dispensary.  Bottom line is I don't agree with doctors on every single point, and no doc is going to force us to take their advice.

I do however feel like going to appointments or doing much of anything is really like "going through the motions" because I don't really have hope for any area of my life.

"Few can relate"

I really don't know anyone who can relate to these very dismal life conditions.  Just seems to get worse with every passing hour.  Case in point, I just got an overdraft notice which means I have 12 dollars to last 14 days.

There is so little joy that I don't even really see much point in leaving the house.  (but I do anyway)

Helen Reddy - You And Me Against The World

Orlando LIVE - Florida Film Festival 2012 - An Afternoon with Barry Levi...

Filmmaker Test Drive: Barry Levinson on Ford

Diner - Trailer (1982)

"Alaskan women looking for love"

I really enjoyed the premiere of this show.  It was shocking and interesting to learn about life in Alaska.  Wow, a 34 year old woman with a 20 year old kid!  It's pretty clear there isn't anything to do in AK but sex and alcohol.  I was stunned that there are no grocery stores and if you want to eat you have to fish and hunt!

The AK men look and act exactly like the Mountain Town men.

I think Lacey is the one whose very conservative mother is trying to control her life.  It will b great for her to get away.

I'd be scared of riding on that little plane also!  I also do not own a dress, skirt or dress shoes.  Like the AK girls there are no occasions for me to get dressed up. This is going to be a doozie.  I have not been in FL in more then 40 years..............................................

"The dumbing down of America"

So you know that I have been blogging about how everything absolutely everything gets done wrong and/or is broken.

I went into a thrift shop and asked the clerk

e-"where are the ladies hats?"

clerk-(English is her FIRST language) "the scarves are on that wall"

elana-"but I asked about the hats?"

clerk_"like I told you, the scarves are over there!"

I give up, and look at where she is pointing and I see the hats.

She comes over and says:

"Oh, I was thinking a scarf is a hat!"

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today I asked the waitress if she could: "pop by my table when she gets a chance"

she replied: "we're all out!"

me-"what do you mean your all out?!"

her-"we're all out of POT PIE!"

me-"but I asked if you could "pop by!"

"Who do you think you are?"

So my father threatened me if I use real names of "his" family on my blog.  My birthmother made me swear I "will never ever write anything about her.

So, in that regard I feel like I am walking on eggshells.

Here goes:

I found out that I was incorrect about my late uncle being an extra in the movie diner.  instead I found out that the movie

diner by barry levinson was based on the lives of these jewish boys who hung out at a particular diner.  one of those boys was my late uncle.  I never met him, nor do I know what he looks like

I also found out (are u sitting down?!)

My ancestor John King who was wounded and in a pow camp during the civil war, journaled about his experiences.  those journals are used as educational material in colleges!

See any parallels?  I have been journaling since I was little, and in latter life one of my huge motives for writing is to educate.

ALL I CAN SAY IS WOW, THIS IS REALLY EXCITING I have not yet read my ancestors journals.  however, he appears to be either my maternal 4x great grandfather or 4x great uncle.  I will not know that detail unless I join ancestry.com


here are some links that may help us read my ancestors writings:

www.redcross.org/ehl

here is a note for teachers "ehl helps navigate the world with your students"

www.redcross.org/newsletter/ehl_new

also

Laura Elizabeth Battle wrote:

"Forget me nots of Civil War is:

 a romance, containing reminiscences and original letters of two confederate soldiers
;)

this one looks promising:

go to google and enter:

"The account of confederate private John R. King p.o.w.@ Elmira, NY"

Whoops I forgot/geneology

Another exciting detail that I learned is that one of my female non Jewish ancestors spearheaded Billy Graham's television career!

"Severe insomnia"

I have not slept in a week.  So, I spent the night doing ancestry research.  I have not yet joined ancestry.com

I learned tons about my living as well as my rellies who passed on

Sadly I can't put the real names up, because bio. father threatened me and said essentially "you stay the hell away from "my" family and you better not say any real names on your blog"

Here is what I learned:

On the father's side there are many relatives who are very very successful

president
ceo
entrepreneur
business owner
billionaire

and on and on.

The cycle was broken when I was given up for adoption in that I have not been "successful"  However I found out that an ancestor on my mother's side who was pow in the civil war wrote his biography.  My mother is a writer and member of daughters of the American revolution.

One of my relatives was president of the Jewish Community Center

One cousin helps to run a prestigious chorale society

This stuff is really fun yet bittersweet, since Neither of my bio. parents want me to "be" in their family or contact them.

The only exception is that when I met birthmother in 89 she gave me the phone # for

my sister
my grandmother
and
an aunt

I tried to to develop a friendship with half sister but she is not interested.  In retrospect I should have tried to get to know grandmother......................

One relative was an extra in a famous movie.

So there are singers, leaders, writers and very very successful folks in my lineage and I'm glad I found that out

"More then a year"

For more then a year I have been trying to find someone who is tech savvy enough to help me transfer 600 pics to a flash drive.

You would not believe all the stuff I have tried to make this happen.  Today, I had my second appt. with the librarian (the most tech savvy on staff) and still after 2 appts. we have not accomplished a thing.

However, we have rescheduled for 2 weeks from now to try again, after she acquires "more devices" 2 help me!

I just told my friend that perhaps I should "reassess my goal" and plan to have this task completed before I turn 60!

I hope to create a photo website and consider making greeting cards out of some of the photos  and selling them.