While I was on a mini-vacay this weekend, my dear friend Maria was hacked. And not just the "I'm gonna send out Viagra Spam" kinda hacked. No. She was maliciously violated. And it was really uncool because if there is anyone in this world who doesn't deserve to be the target of such a spiteful act, it's Maria.
So, let me use this awful, awful event to remind you all. Change your damn passwords. Make them safe. The longer, the better (10+ in length = 10+ in strength). Include numbers, letters, symbols...and be smart about it. Don't do like I used to do and make it your puppy's name or your kid's name. Or worse yet, abc123.
And just in case you think you have a decent password but wanna verify it? Make sure it didn't make the list of 500 worst passwords of all time...
This has been a public service announcement. The more you know...
Today's guest blogger is actress, writer, and all around awesome gal: Laura Stone! You may find her online at Hey Don't Judge Me!
------------------------------------------------------ Big thanks to the Fictionista Ladies for the opportunity to guest blog!
This week a video of a little four year old girl has gone viral, maybe you've seen it? She's cute as a bug, hanging out in her britches on a warm day, playing in the front yard and being absolutely adorable. Oh, and she's holding a dead squirrel, or as she pronounces it, "A dead squee-al!" Their dog, a greyhound, caught the squirrel moments before and shook it to death, as dogs do. She immediately picked it up (it's not bloody or anything like that) and cradles it, crooning "Oh, pretty baby, pretty baby squee-al," while her dad happens to be catching this on film.
I made the huge mistake of reading the YouTube comments (protip: that way lies madness, avoid at all costs) and a small, but vocal, percentage are screaming for the parents' heads on platters. How dare they let their precious angel touch a rabid dead animal that is teeming with bacteria! Really, people? Have you ever sat on a park bench? Because I hate to break it to you, but when you're not occupying that bench, other things are. Like maybe wild animals. And your hands touch that bench at some point. And here you are, alive and among us, not rabid and deformed (I assume.) When did we get so weirded out by natural things as a culture?
I can remember when two of my kids were under the age of five and their father and I slept in on a Saturday, as you do. We were woken up by a phone call from our neighbor, laughing, who told us to go look outside our front window. On our front lawn were my daughter and son, still in their jammies, barefoot, and hurling dead rats at one another, like a morbid game of bean bag toss. We had a mouser of a cat at the time, and he happily cleaned our trees and surrounding areas of squirrels, mice, and rats, and sometimes, because he loved us, would lay them at our front door as a gift. Cats are so thoughtful.
The kids got tired of waiting for Mom and Dad to get breakfast going, so they entertained themselves. In a world of games that play for kids (can you even get Hot Wheels tracks that don't have a motor?) the important thing you just read was that my kids entertained themselves. And they were outdoors in the fresh air! ...flinging dead things. Ah, the carefree days of childhood! Please understand that we bathed the kids once they came inside. I didn't panic, I didn't smack the rats out of their hands and look horrified, that would have been a huge mistake. I told them that the rats were dead, we don't play with dead things, we bury them and let them "feed the garden."
In the YouTube video, the little girl understands that the squee-al isn't alive anymore, that her dog killed it, and that she understood she couldn't touch it later but for now it was a sweet, sweet baby. Her mother did look daggers at her husband, but they didn't needlessly panic and inoculate her from any and all diseases, they let it run its course, told her to tell it goodbye, and then it was bath time. Jeez, folks, let kids get messy. Let them poke stuff with sticks, let them eat pickles wrapped up in paper towels in nothing but their bathing suits, and don't sanitize their hands with alcohol, soap and water is a-ok. Kids should get dirty. They should scrape their knees, touch something dead and make the connection between alive and not, and you should write down every single hilariously disgusting thing they've done in a secret notebook somewhere.
After all, how else will you keep them from doing disgusting things when they're dating?
---------------------------------------------------------- Laura Stone hopes to one day throw the greatest party ever: cocktails with John Waters while hitting on Johnny Depp with her charming Paul Lynde impression as Corey Feldman, snacking on canapés, admits he’s been aping Michael Jackson all along. [@StoneyboBoney]
Before I was a published author, I remember hearing other pubbed authors say that they had never read their books in print.
Each time someone would say this, I was scandalized! What? How could you not read your printed book??? What is wrong with you?
Guess what? I've never read BITE ME! in it's published form. I've started a couple of times, but never could get past a few pages. It felt weird.
But then LOVE SUCKS! came out a few weeks ago and I realized I barely remembered anything about the book. I remembered Sexy Lexy but that was about it. So I sat down one night and started to read.
And I didn't hate it.
So I read a little more.
And I still didn't hate it.
And then I laughed out loud a few times.
Wow. Not hating it.
And then, the book was finished. I read it all. And, dare I say it? I actually enjoyed my own book. Sure, there were a couple of things I would've done differently. It's very fast paced (which I prefer) BUT there were moments that it felt a little rushed to me. But then, I'm the author and I'm never gonna be truly satisfied with my own work.
Armed with this knowledge and new found courage, I thought I'd try to read BITE ME! again.
Yeah. I'm pretty sure BITE ME! will always be my one unread book. I just can't do it. I dunno why, and I'm quite certain I'm ok with not knowing the reason behind my psychological block.
What about you? Do you think you'll want to read your book in print or are you gonna be like me? And if you're a reader not a writer, do you find it weird that some authors can't read their own work after it's published?
Could somebody please explain how today I woke up to discover my firstborn is a FREAKING JUNIOR?
My little treefrog. My 5 lb 6 oz baby who's little bottom fit into my palm...is a FREAKING JUNIOR. IN. HIGH. SCHOOL.
Now I know this should be about him and his awesomeness, but really, I'm gonn a make it about me. Because let's face it, I'm way too cute and way too young to be the mother of a 16 year old HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR.
He started a new school today. They aren't quite year 'round, but close. It's a Math and Science charter school (sadly 2 of his weakest subjects) but it's very student focused, with very small classes and an extended school day for students who need the extra attention. He's pretty excited about the school even though he's not too happy about his summer ending a month early.
My son is a JUNIOR.
I may need a day or two to process this. Wake me up before he graduates, mmmkay?
Today is President's Day which is a Federal holiday in America. Many schools, all banks, the Post Office, and other every day offices (like where I work) are closed today.
Did you know that "Washington's Birthday" is the official name for President's Day? During the month of February the birthday of two of our greatest President's takes place. Both George Washington who was born on Feb. 22nd and Abraham Lincoln born on Feb. 12th.
However, Washington's birthday has been publicly celebrated since he was in office, before Abraham Lincoln was even born. Much of the debate over the name of the holiday springs from the fact that state's can follow their own holidays how they see fit and many of them chose to also honor Lincoln, calling the celebration President's Day.
In 1968 Congress voted down the motion to make President's Day the official term for the holiday, but a resurgence of the term by advertisers in the 1980s solidified the name in American culture.
But on the books, it's still officially known as Washington's Birthday.
19 year old Lauren McClusky started a charity to raise money for the Chicago chapter of the Special Olympics, and so far has raised $30,000.
Too bad she's had to spend $5,000 of that money on legal fees because she's being sued by McDonald's for trademark infringement because she's calling the event McFest.
Um, her last name is McClusky....remember?
Why is McDonald's being such a bully here? They say they are required by law to "guard against third parties that infringe our trademarks." but c'mon! isn't this overkill?
Dear McDonald's,
My maiden name was McKenzie, would you like to sue me as well? I think you guys McSuck and I think you should McSTFU and leave Lauren McClusky and her pretty awesome charity event McAlone. McGot it?
WHY are the Zhu Zhu pet hamsters THE MUST HAVE GIFT of the season? Can someone please explain their appeal to me? If not, can you explain their purpose?
Sometimes I'm glad I have teens...because I GET why they want video games, computers, cell phones, music and gift cards. I don't get fake hamsters.
President Obama is scheduled to address the nation's schools on live television tomorrow and some school districts are refusing to air it.
And some parents are refusing to allow their kid to go to school.
Sigh.
Obama is not the first president to address the schools. Back in 1991 Bush, Sr. addressed the nation's schools and the nation thought this was a fabulous idea! Honestly, what better way to start off a lesson plan about our own national government than with a speech given by our nation's leader?
Parents are arguing that they don't want Obama using the address to "indoctrinate the children."
Can I just say, WTF?
Kids are exposed to differing political, religious, moral, educational, and social POVs every single day. They use their brain to discern what is right for THEM AS INDIVIDUALS and what isn't right and then they apply it. Sometimes kids make mistakes, they learn from those mistakes and they mature into (hopefully) wise adults.
So parents, trust that you have raised a child who has developed the ability to think for himself and decide right from wrong for himself. I can't imagine you're really raising a sheep that would be so easily 'indoctrinated' by one speech. No matter if you agree with Obama's politics or not, he's still our president and he deserves our respect. Trust me, I know...no matter how much I disagreed with Bush, Jr. (and it was often and a lot) I never once uttered the words, "He's not my president." Because guess what? he totally was.
Oh and FWIW, when Reagan addressed the schools my senior year, you know what I remember most about that speech? YAY! NO CLASSWORK! and I'm pretty sure I took a nap.
While I was on a mini-vacay this weekend, my dear friend Maria was hacked. And not just the "I'm gonna send out Viagra Spam" kinda hacked. No. She was maliciously violated. And it was really uncool because if there is anyone in this world who doesn't deserve to be the target of such a spiteful act, it's Maria.
