Wallace & Gromit, Joe Dirt, The Spirit, and The Wrestler can be available for pickup tomorrow @ 1:30pm. Let me know if this is an available time for you
Thanks

“Awesome”, said I. Then I went back and read the listing again and saw that some were burned copies, not originals. I decided that I was no longer interested in getting them and I knew he wouldn’t want them, so I emailed the lady back at 7am with this:

Thanks for the response. I was going to get them for my brother, but he just told me that he didn’t need them after all. I appreciate it though. Thanks again. :)

A nice gesture seeing that most people on Craigslist will leave you hanging and waiting around all day without an email or a call. I gave the lady more that enough notice that I no longer wanted them. I thought I was doing a good deed. Apparently not, because I woke up to these three emails:

I am checkin to see if you are still coming today? I think I have you down to pickup around 1:30. My address is – removed -. Please email me back if you can come~if not I will have to gift to others
THanks

I have been here waiting. Your time was supposed to be at 1:30. If your not here by 230 then I will gift to others

disregard previous email. I cannot wait if you cannot show at appt time. As of right now, the only ones available to you are the wrestler, joe dirt. call me for another time

I read the emails and I’m a little pissed. Okay, so I sent you an email at seven this morning and you have time to email me three times in 30 minutes but NOT read the email I sent you? Come on now. So I sent her this back:

I replied back to you at 7:28 this morning. Here is the email:

On Sun, Nov 22, 2009 at 7:28 AM wrote:
Thanks for the response. I was going to get them for my brother, but he just told me that he didn’t need them after all. I appreciate it though. Thanks again. :)

So I sent that email, thought about it for another minute and decided that I just wasn’t going to let her off the hook for being a dumbass. So I sent this email right back:

I’m sorry that you didn’t see my email, but as you can see…I responded EARLY this morning. Thank you.

I swear to God, not three minutes later I get this email:

yes, i got your email and waited. no show. I have the ones in the previous email~wrestler and Joe dirt. If you can come pickup tomorrow after 5 that would be great(Monday)

*blinks* Okay, so you admit that you read my email, but you still think I want the movies even after I’ve told you three times that I don’t? I don’t get what’s so hard to understand about this. I’m clearly dealing with a genius here. So I wrote this back:

As stated in the previous emails, I don’t need to pick up the movies. I was going to get them for my brother, but he doesn’t want them. Thank you.

I didn’t get an email back for four whole hours and then ten minutes ago I receive this gem:

well as much as i hate to hear that, that’s fine. I just really would have appreciated a phone call instead of waiting around and having my children be antsy when we had plans.

Are you kidding me?!? You’re going to blame me because your kids had to wait around all day and got “antsy”? Bullshit. I’m clearly pissed at this point and I fire off this email:

I really don’t understand what was so hard about you reading my initial email at 7:30 this morning. I stated CLEARLY that I was no longer interested in the DVDs. I tried to at least to be courteous and give you a heads-up instead of just leaving you hanging like most people would. I’ve stated in five emails now that I don’t want them. If you waited, it’s your fault. I sent you an email early this morning so you wouldn’t wait, but you keep emailing me to set up a time to pick them up.

I don’t think I was rude anywhere in my emails and it’s kind of sad that I’m having to do so now. I am not a mean or rude person and I really do not like responding to people like this, but you’ve sort of forced my hand. I tried to give you a heads-up that I was no longer interested in the movies. I told you that I didn’t need them countless times, but you keep sending me emails. At this point, I’m at a loss as to how to handle this. You clearly are not getting it. You clearly are not understanding that I don’t want them. You clearly do not understand that you waited all day because you didn’t read my email. I’m sorry your kids got antsy, but that’s not my fault, that’s yours. I’m not going to call you at 7 in the morning to tell you that I no longer want them. An email is sufficient.

Please don’t email me anymore. This is ridiculous. I really do not have time for this.

As stated in the footer of her emails, she is a property manager for a Pooler subdivision. I feel bad for the people she works for and the people she manages, and if she handles her business any way that she’s handled this whole movie business, then damn.

I’m waiting with bated breath for her next intelligent email. I wonder what she’ll blame me for this time? War? Famine? Broken nail? Geezus, people piss me off. I hate having to take this to my blog, but this lady was just asking for it. And I don’t mind giving it.

UPDATE: I’ve been referring to this lady as the “Craigslist Lady”. It just occurred to me that I found her on Freecycle Savannah. My bad. Still doesn’t take away the ridiculousness of the situation.

Of course I just received this final email. I say final because I’m now blocking her:

i received a blank email from you~no worries. I will let the moderator know all about this,
and God Bless you

Wow, really? So you’ve harassed me all day long and accused me of making your kids antsy and now you say “no worries”? What a pill. I don’t know this woman from Adam to Eve, though her name DOES sound oddly familiar, and she may be really lovely in person, but she has come off as a complete dolt in my exchanges with her. I don’t see how she could’ve interpreted me wanting the movies after all the emails I sent her saying I didn’t. It just boggles the mind. And now she’s going to let the moderator know? Please do. OMG, please do that. I beg you. And make sure to send them all the emails I sent you, because if they contact me, you’d better believe I’m going to supply them.

Word of advice Freecycle Lady: Read every single word of the emails people send you. When they say they don’t want something, don’t badger them. People tend not to like that. If someone asks if something is still available, don’t automatically assume you can demand they show up at a certain time. In fact, make sure the people want it before you assume you can just schedule them in. Also, don’t try to throw the blame on them because you’re too lazy to read an email. K? K. Awesome.

I need a Tylenol.

These are some of my favorite songs at the moment. Take a listen and let me know what you like. My hope is that you’ll find something you haven’t heard before. It’s all about discovering new music. So enjoy. :)

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Anya Marina – Satellite Heart
Download audio file (Anya Marina – Satellite Heart.mp3)
I’ve always liked Anya Marina, so when I discovered that she was a part of the “New Moon” soundtrack, I became very giddy..and then a little sad that she and other beloved Indie darlings had sold out to the hormonally crazed teenage wasteland that is the Twilight saga. Don’t get me wrong, I love the books just as much as the next 30′something mother, but I’m officially over the hype. I get it…Rob Pattinson is hot and merely looking at his hair impregnates girls. I get it…Kristin Stewart hates all of you and thinks you’re all stupid and she couldn’t act her way out of a wet paper sack…but she’s gonna take your money anyway. I get it…anyone over 16 who likes the books or the movie are considered losers by the snotty teenage girls who spend Mommy and Daddy’s money on Edward Cullen panties and go around begging him to bite them on the neck…then accuse us older ladies of being weirdos. Gotcha. I’m…over…the…hype! Just let me enjoy the books, don’t ruin the movies, and keep all those angry little teenage girls away from me, okay?

So yeah, back to Anya. I love the raw emotion she puts into her songs. Her voice is so amazing and unique. And despite the fact that she has this little Twilight stain against her, I still adore her because of songs like this.

Fefe Dobson – I Want You
Download audio file (Fefe Dobson – I Want You.mp3)
You know, I’ve never been a fan of Fefe Dobson. It’s not that I didn’t like her music, I just sort of looked over it and could never really get into it. But when I heard this song in a commercial for the movie “Whip It”, I was like, “Ohhh…must have precious”. Now I’m the biggest Fefe Dobson fan. Girl can rock! I’m such a Johnny-Come-Lately at times.

I should add that the “Whip It” soundtrack is going to go down as one of my favorite movie soundtracks of all time. There’s a lot of really great music, so if you get a chance, check it out. Also, I took one of those Facebook quizzes and my Roller Derby name is: BRAWLY VENDETTA. How badass is that?

Franz Ferdinand – Bite Hard
Download audio file (Franz Ferdinand – Bite Hard.mp3)
Those of you who listened to Episode 103 of Sound Check with CK will recognize this as the song that started out the Dizzy Girl episode. I’ve always been a big FF fan and the song was sort of perfect for the episode. It rocks my socks. Oh and if you haven’t listened to Episode 103, then you really need to. I picked some really great songs, if I do say so myself. *grins* And while you’re over there, check out all of the past shows. If you’re a fan of good music and you’re not listening to it, then you’re really missing out. Sound Check is the best music podcast on the net…period. I tell no lies. ;)

Holly Conlan – You Are Goodbye
Download audio file (Holly Conlan – You Are Goodbye.mp3)
I’ve been singing this song for weeks now, so it only made sense to include it.

The Brooke – Under the Milky Way
Download audio file (The Brooke – Under the Milky Way.mp3)
There’s been a lot of covers of this song over the years, and while none of them come close to the original by The Church, I will say that this is probably my favorite of the covers. The Brooke is a fairly new discovery for me, but I have to say, I’m loving her covers, especially “Stray Cat Strut” and “Landslide”.

Sia – Under the Milky Way
Download audio file (Sia – Under the Milky Way.mp3)
Heard this a couple months back in a commercial for Lincoln MKT and got really excited. I love Sia, I love this song, and oddly enough, I love car commercials that feature Indie goodness. It’s the small things in life, ya know? :)

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I think it’s only fair that I throw The Church into this post, seeing as two covers of “Under the Milky Way” are included. Here’s the video for the original, full of bad 80′s music video effects, Aqua Net, and cheesy hipster sunglasses. God, I miss the 80′s.

If you love good music, then you really need to check out the show. CK does a lot of classic rock, music from the 80′s and 90′s, and he throws in some new stuff from time to time. There’s a lot of listener involvement in the show and requests make up a good portion of the show, and CK encourages everyone to take part. In short, it’s really the best music podcast around and I encourage you all to take a listen.

So back to the playlist…

I started adding all of these songs that I wanted others to hear. Seeing as my episode – Episode 103 – was going to be in October, I thought, “Okay, I’m going to find 10 of my favorite spooky songs” to add a theme to the episode.

That list lasted about five minutes.

So I scrapped that last and decided that I was going to put together a list of my all-time favorites. So I started adding songs and the list got to 10…then 20…then 30…then 32 songs! Um…yeah, this was going to be a problem. You see, I can’t just pick ONE favorite song, I’m just not capable of doing it. And yes, I have a core group of favorites, but there were other songs that I wanted to share. And some of the songs I wanted to share had already been played in previous episodes, and seeing as I didn’t want to repeat myself, I had to take them out. Hmm…that’s a problem.

This list last lasted about five days.

That’s when I decided that I was going to add some of my favorite songs, some of my favorite artists, and some songs that I love that Sound Check listeners may not have heard before. Twenty or thirty revisions later, I finalized a list and sent them in and here we are…Episode 103 of Sound Check, the very first installment of the Check List series. Huzzah!

The songs below the cut are all of the songs that you’re going to hear in the episode. I’ve given an explanation of why I picked each song. You’ll also find a list of songs that didn’t make the cut that I REALLY wanted in the episode, but had to cut them for one reason or another. There were a lot of my all-time favorite songs that I didn’t add. I started out with these songs, but I have to say, the entire process was organic and it really took a life of it’s own. I plan on doing a blog post here in the next few with my list of all-time favorite songs, so if you’re interested to know the ones I cherish more than anything else, you can keep checking back. A few songs from this list are included in this episode, but like I said, I either didn’t add them because they had appeared in a previous Sound Check episode or I took them out because I didn’t want to disrupt the “flow” of the show.

So I hope you all enjoy the episode. I’d love your feedback on the music and the show in general. You can leave one here or over at the Sound Check homepage. And thanks again to CK for inviting me to do this. It was a blast!

Click the cut below to see more about the songs I picked…and didn’t pick.

The songs below are in the order that they are played in the episode. So if you don’t know the name of a song, just refer to the list below. :)

Franz Ferdinand: Bite Hard: I’m a big FF fan, and I had originally decided to use “No You Girls”, but went with this song instead because I loved the way it began and knew it would make a great episode opener.

Spoon: I Turn My Camera On: This is the song that is usually running through my head when I’m out taking pictures. It really gets me going. You could say that it’s my “photography theme song”.

Bill Withers: Ain’t No Sunshine: Bill Withers is from an area about an hour from where I was born and raised. Love the fact that he’s a fellow Mountaineer. This song is an absolute classic. A hundred years from now, people will still be loving it. I love the desperation and soul in the the words and the delivery. “I know…I know…I know…I know…”

Van Morrison: Brown Eyed Girl: I always sort of thought of this as my personal theme song. I remember singing this very loudly with my girlfriends when it would come on. We’d dance around in stores, in our rooms, wherever. We were all brown eyed girls. It makes me feel good. It cheers me up. You can’t help but love it.

Bonnie Raitt: Love Me Like a Man: “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt is #2 on of my list of all-time favorite songs. When I was putting my list together, I found that there were a lot of slow, sad songs and I didn’t want the episode to be too melancholy, so chose this one, which has been a favorite for years and years. Bonnie kills it. I like it because it’s sexy and direct to the point. This is what we want, men!

Joan Jett – Do You Wanna Touch: I’m a child of the 80′s…so of course I love me some Joan Jett. This song kicks ass. And it fit really well in the little four block that I included it in.

The Georgia Satellites: Keep Your Hands to Yourself: Just one of those songs that I love to sing out loud when it comes on the radio. I love how cheeky it is.

Bad Company: Feel Like Makin’ Love: HUGE fan of Bad Company. I had originally wanted to include “Ready for Love”, but didn’t want too many slow songs. Went with this classic instead.

Alison Krauss and Union Station: Ghost in This House: Being from WV, I’m a big fan of bluegrass.I was raised listening to it – from my Dad’s records to singing in the church. It was everywhere and it’s one of those genres that I really hold dear to my heart. I’m also a big fan of progressive acoustic and Americana, which AKUS also fits into. I can only describe Alison Krauss and Union Station as absolutely brilliant. This is is my favorite song from them. I had the pleasure of seeing them in concert a couple years ago and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I’ve never, and probably will never, attend a concert on that level. My hubby and I were able to meet the band afterward, with the exception of Alison, and they were so nice. If they ever make gay marriage legal, I think my husband may leave me for Dan Tyminski, who is pretty much his idol. They are true legends in the bluegrass world. Shenandoah originally sang this song, but AKUS perfected it.

P.S. I kid about my husband. He’ll kill me if I don’t point out how very un-gay he is. Not that he has a problem with that, of course. :)

Steve Earle: Guitar Town: One of the very first songs that came to mind when I was putting the list together, but I didn’t include it. It just sort of organically added itself back in during the course of putting the playlist together.

Whiskeytown: 16 Days: One of my favorite singers in the world is Ryan Adams, so I knew that he was definitely going into the list. I wanted to add “Come Pick Me Up”, but decided at the last minute to change the song to “16 Days” from his time with Whiskeytown. I think Steve Earle was the deciding factor. This complimented “Guitar Town”.

Don Williams: I Believe in You: One of those artists that I was born listening to, was raised on, and still love to listen to today. My husband likes to sing “Til the Rivers All Run Dry” to me from time to time, which is really one of the most romantic things I’ve ever heard. Personally, this is my favorite Don Williams song. It sort of explains how I look at the world around me and how I go about my daily life and what’s most important to me: living right and using the common sense God gave me, doing the best I can, accepting those around me, and loving those in my life…namely my husband and my son. The world would be a much better place if everyone would listen to this song at least once a day and try to live it.

Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock: It Takes Two: The one song that will get me up out of my seat and shaking my butt real quick. The song is 21 years old and it still kicks ass. It is classic.

Peaches: The Boys Wanna Be Her (Gary Glitter Mashup) This is my favorite workout song. When I really want to sweat, I throw this on repeat and just go to town. I love the original, but the mashup just knocks my socks off. I’m a big fan of Peaches. She reminds me a lot of 80′s Joan Jett.

Beck: Go It Alone: Big fan of Beck. He’s brilliant. I couldn’t decide between this song and “Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime”. It literally came down to the flip of a coin. This song won, which worked for me, because it rocks and really fits with the other songs in the playlist. Also, it has Jack White on it…and I do love that man.

Raconteurs: Steady As She Goes: I’m a huge fan of Jack White, and instead of going with the obligatory White Stripes song, I decided to go with something a little different. The Raconteurs are one of his side groups and I think this song is just fun. Also, this has been my favorite cell ring tone for my like two years. Well, this and Beck’s “Girl”, which really is the most perfect ring tone ever.

AC/DC: You Shook Me All Night Long: Come on…it doesn’t get any better than this song. It was my anthem “back in the day”. We’d go into a club with my friends and always request this song.

Fleetwood Mac: The Chain: One of the bands that my older siblings introduced me to as a very young kid and of my favorite bands now. “Rumours” came out the year I was born…as did Star Wars, which pretty much makes 1977 the best year on record…ever. Stevie Nicks has always reminded me of my older sister Becky. When I was little it always confused me. The similarities are uncanny. Another one of those “will see in concert before I die” bands. “Dreams” is my favorite Fleetwood Mac song, but this is the one I chose for the episode. Buckingham and Nicks rock my socks.

Bell X1: Eve, the Apple of My Eye: Heartbreaking, pleading, and beautiful. In my head, I have the absolute perfect video for this song. Imagine my utter disappointment when I saw the actual video…with people with giant apples as heads. Oh, Bell X1. You really should’ve come to me first! My vision was very Rococo and full of Greek tragedies. “How Your Heart is Wired” is also pretty damned amazing.

Sarah Bareilles: Gravity: This is a fairly newer song, but it’s in my top 10 favorite songs of all time. There’s so much emotion. I cried the first time I heard it. I had reservations about adding it at first, because it’s so slow, but in the end I decided it was too good NOT to include.

Counting Crows: Murder of One: I’ve requested this song on Sound Check before…and CK has played it…but I’m a HUGE Counting Crows fan and couldn’t justify NOT including just one of their songs into the episode. This is one of my favorite Counting Crow songs.

Keane: Is It Any Wonder: Technically, “Bedshaped” is my favorite Keane song, but I wanted to include something upbeat from Keane to keep my playlist from being too slow for your listeners. I don’t want them to think I’m depressed all the time! This is one of my favorite bands in the entire world and right up there near the top of my “will see in concert before I die” list. Also, this song has a very U2 “Achtung Baby” feel to it, which I love.

Dixie Chicks: Godspeed (Sweet Dreams): This is the song I used to sing to my son when he was little. It’s still my special song to him. There has never been a time, not once, that I haven’t just broken down in a big ball of emotion when I’ve listened to this song. I really feel like it was written for my son.

Songs that didn’t make it that I really wanted to include:

Chris Isaak: Wicked Game
Patsy Cline: She’s Got You
Bob Seger: Night Moves
Jann Arden: She’s Got You
Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong: Dream a Little Dream of Me
Snow Patrol: Run
Nickel Creek: When You Come Back Down
Don Henley: Heart of the Matter
Etta James: Sunday Kind of Love
The Eagles: Witchy Woman
Black Crowes: Twice As Hard
Crowded House: Don’t Dream It’s Over
Johnny Cash: Cry, Cry, Cry
Mindy Smith: Hurricane
Mindy Smith: Come to Jesus
Dusty Springfield: Spooky

There is something very wrong about the petition and I think we all need to take a good look at it and remember the names of those who sign it. Personally, I’m really disappointed to see some of my favorites – Wes Anderson, Terry Gilliam, David Lynch. My husband and I were talking earlier about the fact that I’m very good at separating a person’s politics and their art. I can disagree with someone so vehemently and still be a fan of their movies or music or what have you.

To tell you the truth, I don’t know if I’ll enjoy watching movies by any of those people knowing that they think it’s alright for a man to drug and force himself on a child. What does that say about them? Do they think this is cool? That by signing the petition that it’ll win them over in anyone’s favor? Because if they are, then they are mightily delusional.

The fact that there are WOMEN who signed their names to that petition is equally disturbing. Monica Bellucci, who I’ve admired for years, is another disappointment. Have any of you ever seen “Irreversible”? There is a nine minute rape scene in the movie that is so real and so disturbing that you almost have to turn away. I had to actually stop the movie and wait a couple of days before I could finish the scene just to see the rest of the movie. You really feel like you’re watching a woman get raped.

And then there’s Tilda Swinton, who is such an amazing actress, and a strong woman in real life. Have you ever seen “The War Zone”? It took me a week to finish it. The father in the movie has been raping his daughter since she was a young girl and there’s a very graphic scene towards the middle of the movie where the son actually witnesses it. It’s so disturbing to watch. Afterward, you feel like you should take a hot shower and scrub the movie off of you. Brilliant movie, but hard to watch.

And now, to see these two women add their names on that list, I’m just without words. You can’t be a strong woman, fighting for feminist causes, and then add your name to something like that. They’ve both made movies that deal with sexual assault, you’d think they’d know better and stand up and say something!

At this point, it’s just the principal of the fact. I say let Hollyweird and their ilk stand up for the man. I expected nothing less than from a bunch of scumbags. Who are they to the rest of us who know right from wrong and live in the real world where if you do horrible things, there are consequences? They’re used to having everything handed to them and never hearing the word “no” and believing they are never wrong. They are above the law apparently. How many celebrities are in jail for DUI, manslaughter, drugs? Not many. They get a slap on the wrist while the rest of us get thrown under the jail. At this point, it’s expected that they’ll get off the hook for their little “indiscretions”. There’s no justice in the land of excess. Taking advantage of young girls is common place…just ask Woody Allen, who is throwing his support behind his buddy Polanski. Shocker there.

Well, we are better than that and we need to start sending a message that we just won’t put up with their shit anymore. And there’s no better way than with our wallets.

If this were the real world and he wasn’t a big name celebrity, he would be sitting in jail, and EVERY celebrity in the world would be outraged. But he’s their pal…and don’t forget the fact that he’s a “genius”…so it’s alright. And how dare we ignorant, mean Americans do this to him? Hasn’t he paid for his crimes enough already? I mean, he hasn’t been able to step back on American soil for years. Poor thing. He’s been living in France with his wife and children, tucked away from civilization for all these years, repenting and thinking about what he did with no-one to talk to or confide in and no-one to stand up for him. And he lost so much work. I mean, look at all he’s suffered because of that little Lolita!

Er…wait a second, that’s not how it happened at all! But don’t tell, Hollyweird. They’re under the illusion he’s been cast down all these years and that he’s the victim.

Are you kidding me?

Recommended Reading:
Hot Air: Name ‘em and shame ‘em
The Anchoress: A Study in Contrasts

Stop defending the man! That goes for the rest of you morons who think that Roman Polanski is some sort of genius who shouldn’t have to pay for his crimes. Read the two links I provided and you tell me what is rape and what isn’t. She said “no” more than once and she was afraid. This is all a matter of public record. But it isn’t “rape” because her mother knew she was with him.

*brain explodes*

I was a 13 year old girl once and I can tell you right now, if a 40 year old man had encouraged me to take photos without clothes off, then gave me champagne and drugs, and had sex with me, I would be scared. And yes, it would be rape.

You know, there’s a lot of personal things that I don’t share on this blog. As much as I love sharing my life, I don’t feel like there are things that you all need to know. I have strong opinions about a lot of things and I don’t mind throwing them out there, but there’s a lot of things that I keep closed up, because I still enjoy my privacy and I want my family to have theirs.

That said, there have been many times over the last nine years when I’ve wanted to share what I’m about to share. I haven’t, because I didn’t feel like I was ready to just throw it out there for everyone to read and to judge me. But this Roman Polanski business has been the breaking point for me and now I’m going to share something that happened to me, so maybe you’ll understand why I’m so upset about it and why all of these Polanski defenders have me past the boiling point.

I was sexually molested when I was maybe nine or ten years old by someone in my family. I have family that reads this blog, some of whom know what I’m speaking of, but some who don’t. I won’t go into the identity of this person on this blog, but I will say that this person is someone in my immediate sphere. Not blood-related, but a constant the whole time I was growing up.

This person did not rape me or have intercourse with me – thank God, but he did do things to me that were inappropriate. He touched me in places that he shouldn’t have. He tried to get me to do things to him. He kissed me in a way that he shouldn’t have, even after I told him “no” and that I didn’t like it.

He told me not to tell anyone and that if I did, everyone would be mad at me. He told me that my father, who was very abusive and beat us regularly as it was, would beat me more if he found out. He did this to me twice while we were alone. After that, I was never alone with him again. Even at that age, I knew that what he was doing was wrong and I made sure that he wasn’t going to do it again.

I remember feeling scared and helpless. I didn’t tell anyone at first, though I did finally mention it to the wife of the man, and she accused me of lying and I never brought it up with her again. I was too afraid to go to my father, because I knew that I would get the bloody hell beat out of me. My father would’ve killed me and I am not joking about that. He would’ve killed me. I was also afraid of people being mad at me. I felt like I had done something to make this person do these things to me. I was just a child, unable to defend myself out of fear, and with no-one to stand up for me.

But the abuse didn’t stop there. Unable to do anything else to me physically, this person would rub up against me if he saw me alone. He would whisper to me in passing that he had thought of me while he was having sex with his wife. I heard those words more times than I care to count. He also told me that he wanted to have sex with me. I would stand there uncomfortable, no words coming from my mouth, and praying to be out of his presence. There were times I had to be in the same car with him alone and he would always make me sit in the front seat, where he would tell me disgusting things and try to feel my leg.

I refused to be alone with this person if I possibly could, because he made me feel dirty and uncomfortable and I knew that given the opportunity, he would try to have sex with me and I was afraid he wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. Do I believe he would’ve raped me? No, I don’t think he would’ve, but I have NO DOUBT in my mind that he would’ve tried to talk me into sex.

This happened until was maybe 17 years old, when it stopped for the most part. I don’t know if it’s because I had gotten older and able to defend myself against his words or because he had lost interest in his little game. In any event, I’m glad it stopped. Even now, I feel very uncomfortable in his presence. My husband knows about this person and what he did to me and he won’t get around him, and that’s probably a good thing, because I imagine the man would come out worse for wear from it.

I have lived with this guilt and this “smudge” on my innocence my whole life. Granted, I’m luckier than a lot of children who’ve been molested and my story isn’t nearly horrific, but I share this to make a point. And the point is, a child is a child, whether they are 10 or 13. And when a grown man takes advantage of a child and uses guilt or fear to have sex with them, then it’s rape. I’m sorry, but it is. Roman Polanski raped that girl, and while I appreciate her stance on it now, the fact remains that she was scared, she said “no”, and he didn’t stop. He took advantage of her. And everyone defending him and saying this isn’t “rape-rape” or that because somehow he’s a brilliant director that he should be forgiven are spitting in not only my face, but the faces of children everywhere who’ve had someone take advantage of them. Theses morons don’t know what it’s like to have this done and the impact it has on you, even into adulthood. I could go into how I feel about sex and why I still don’t like for people to touch me, but I won’t. That’s as personal as I’m going to get.

And yes, I called all of you Polanski defenders morons. Own it. Stop being morons and I’ll stop calling you out for it. The girl was 13 years old. He took advantage of her. He got her drunk, gave her drugs, and then had sex with her. There’s a word for what he did…it’s called rape. If he weren’t a celebrity, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. He’d be in jail right now…period. And the only reason he isn’t in jail is because he fled the country instead of being a man and paying for his crimes. It could’ve happened 100 years ago and it still wouldn’t excuse what he did, and just because he was so yellow that he hasn’t set a foot back in the country during all these years means that what he did should be thrown aside and that justice shouldn’t be rendered.

Yes, he’s a fantastic director. I don’t think anyone is denying this. But does that really give him a pass for what he did? And it begs to question, how many times did this happen that no-one knew about? I have a hard time believing this is the ONLY time he had sex with an underage girl. I’m not saying this as truth, it’s just an opinion, but it’s one to think about.

You look at YOUR 13 year old daughter or niece and you tell me what YOU would call it if a grown ass man did that to her. Would it be okay if he was a celebrity? Come on people, common sense. Parents, protect your children and NEVER give them a reason not to be able to come to you if something like this happens. Do not throw them out for the lions like this girl’s mother did. She’s as much to blame as Polanski.

I’d like to warn anyone who even thinks of defending that man in a comment to go ahead and click the little red “x” in the top right hand corner of the page. I don’t want to read it. And if you’ve come here to judge me, I suggest you do the same.

Recommended Reading:
My Bottle’s Up: “rape rape”

The Book Girl: Jane Austen Week Grand Prize:

Today is the first day of my Jane Austen week and I’m very excited. I have read a lot of great books in preparation for this weeks reviews. Plus, I have lots of fun giveaways planned.

There will be something you can win everyday, but today’s the day for the Grand Prize listing.

All contests will be open until midnight on Saturday 9/25.

Comments from all posts will be gathered for the grand prize. Extra ways to earn entries are to post a facebook or blog post about the book girl’s Austen week, or tweet about the contest. (Please put link to post or tweet in separate comment)

Make sure to come back everyday for the Jane Austen and Austen inspired reviews and giveaways!!

Here is the GRAND PRIZE:

Jane Austen Action Figure

Pride & Prejudice DVD/Book

Assorted Jane Austen buttons and stickers

I Love Mr. Darcy coffee mug

Good luck, everyone. And if any of you win that action figure, let me know so I can give you my snail mail…because you will be sending it to me, right? Right! :)

Project 2,996 in an internet memorial project honoring the victims of September 11th. It began in 2006, with over 3,000 bloggers signing up to honor one victim. Now in it’s third year, Project 2,996 is still going strong and remembering those who died and those who heroically gave their lives.

This year, I was assigned the name of John A. Cooper, an accountant manager at SunGard Trading Systems/BRASS. After a little research I found that Mr. Cooper was just 40 years old when he died on 9/11 in the World Trade Center attacks. He grew up in Brooklyn, excelled in sports, and called Bayonne, NJ home at the time of his death. He was a graduate of Fort Hamilton High School in Brooklyn and was described by co-workers and friends as someone who always had a big smile on his face when you saw him and someone with an amazing sense of humor who never had an unkind word for anyone he met.

School friend Mike Anagnostakis reiterated John’s kind and good nature and says that “he could not help but to bring happiness into peoples lives that he touched.”

Mike also had this to say about John:

Many a spring day, we would forsake the bus ride home from school, in favor of an hours walk home – talking all the way about sports, as young boys would do. I always thought he would become a baseball star – but, you know, he was always a star, a star in life!!

John was also known as a big hockey fan. He held season tickets at Madison Square Garden for the NY Rangers, and it was at one of these games in the early 80′s where he took Cathy DeCicco on their very first date. It was in the rowdiest section of the Garden where Cathy became a fan of hockey herself and the two fell in love. They married in 1993 and had two sons: Jefferey and Adam. Adam, the youngest was just three months old when his father was killed.

On the morning of September 11th, he was visiting a friend at Sandler O’Neill on the 104th floor of One WTC. He, along with so many innocent people, were killed in the worst acts of terrorism this country has ever seen, and hopefully ever will.

Eight years on and it’s still hard to fathom the pure hatred behind the attacks. How can one person or a group of individuals have so much evil in their hearts to kill so many innocent people? To think of all the mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers and children and grandparents and grandchildren and best friends and husbands and wives who died for what? What did they die for? Hate and intolerance and evil.

It breaks my heart…it literally shatters it into a million tiny pieces when I think of all the people who died for nothing. Nothing was gained from these attacks. Thousands more have died as a direct result of 9/11. There are those who were lucky enough to survive the WTC attacks, especially our brave firefighters, police officers, and military, have died because of illnesses attributed to Ground Zero. And those still alive today still bare the scars, both physically and mentally.

Our brave men and women have left their families and have given their lives to defend us overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan. My own brave nephew was one of those who felt compelled to do his duty to his country after 9/11. He joined the Marines, leaving behind his wife and young children at home in Illinois. He was killed in May of 2004 Iraq. This is just one of the ripple effects of 9/11. We’re all being affected by what happened eight years ago, directly and indirectly.

And at the end of the day, it all amounts to nothing. Absolutely nothing. Nothing was gained, but so many precious things were lost. Our loved ones. Our faith in humanity. Our ability to trust others. All of these have been fractured by people who were martyrs for nothing.

But you know something? In all of that nothing, it’s important to remember the very important something from 9/11. That something is the bond we all felt as Americans in the days and weeks and months following the attacks. When we looked upon our neighbors and friends and complete strangers and said, “I love you, my friend. Be safe.” When we took a moment to reflect on what was really important in our lives – our loved ones and those we held most dear. When we stopped looking at people as “them” or “the other side” and accepted everyone as “us”. Democrats and Republicans didn’t exist. We were all just Americans, holding on to each other and trying to make sense of the world around us and feeling like if we just loved each other enough and respected each other enough, we could make it through anything.

And we did. And we’ll continue to if we never forget 9/11 and all the people like John Cooper who were once just like us. Living their lives, loving their families, and trying to live the American dream. We can’t forget these people. We can’t forget their names. We can’t forget their faces. We owe it to them to continue paying tribute. We owe it to their families. And we owe it to ourselves. Because if we forget for even just one second what it was like to be united, we’ve lost the battle for nothing. And in that, we lose ourselves.

So please, let’s all take a second to just love one another today. And to make an effort to love each other EVERY day and to start respecting each other. We need to start looking past the political lines that separate us and working towards a common goal of making this country the best it can be. We need to stop, before we degrade each other in disagreement, and work our differences out like rational human beings. And love…the world is begging for more love. It’s starving for it. Can’t we show more of it? Because in the end, we’re all we’ve got, and that truly is something.

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9-11 Victim Memorial: John A Cooper
Voices of September 11th: John A. Cooper, Jr
Hudson Reporter: Bayonne Remembers: Candlelight Ceremony Marks Fourth Anniversary of 9/11
American Memorials: John A. Cooper

http://project2996.wordpress.com/

Will it be the crazy town hall meetings and the pompous attitudes of our ELECTED officials and the MSM towards those voicing their 1st Amendment rights? Maybe. I did learn that WWII vets and little Aunt Betty with her walking stick and fresh baked apple pie were dangerous thugs. They were also un-American brown shirts and the REAL enemies of the state. Thanks Nancy Pelosi…you dick. I also learned that dissent is only patriotic when Liberals do it, that it was only acceptable between years 2000-2008 for people to carry swastikas and paint Hitler mustaches on pictures of our President, and that when you run out of talking points you throw around the words “racist” and you just bite off the fingers of those you don’t agree with. Sweet. God bless America.

Just a note: it’s NEVER acceptable to carry around swastikas and compare the President to Hitler. Also, it’s not racism when people disagree with the President. Stop throwing that old battered card around please. K? Thnx.

Maybe it’ll be the celebrity deaths, like Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Billy Mays, Sen. Ted Kennedy and DJ AM? I know I’m forgetting someone, but to tell you the truth, I can’t remember everyone that died this summer. Besides, according to the blogs and media, no-one else mattered except for the King of Pop. Poor Farrah. I’ll probably miss you the most.

Maybe it was just the humid, almost unbearable summer heat and crazy summer storms that drove most of us in South Georgia inside.

Oh wait, that was the invasion of Queen Miley on Tybee Island. She’s not my favorite celebrity, but I do have to give her this: she genuinely loved Tybee and Savannah and I never heard a bad word about her or a member of her crew getting into trouble or being divas. She just sort of hung out, ate our good Southern food, and brought throngs of screaming teenage girls and one crazy ass psycho stalker with her. She’s welcome back any time.

As for me, I’ll remember the Summer of ’09 as one of the best summers of my adult life. We spent time at the pool, we ate watermelon and played in the mud. We chose to stay away from the crowds and camp out near the Savannah Wildlife Refuge to watch the 4th of July fireworks.

My son befriended a llama and was licked by a pony.

I met a really cool Australian who was riding across America on horseback trying to revive the days of John Wayne and the Wild West.

We adopted a kitty that we named “Monkey”. I took my very first dolphin tour – something I’ve been wanting to do for years. We hung out in cemeteries and the Savannah Wildlife Refuge, giving our cameras good exercise and trying NOT to get eaten by alligators.

We lit sparklers and danced around the yard like a bunch of crazy people…and we loved every single second of it, despite being broke as a joke and with not a pot to piss in. It was all about family.

(Click on the thumbnails for a larger version)

But now it’s almost Labor Day and the end of summer is officially upon us. As much fun as we had, I can’t say that I’ll miss it too much. I enjoy the Fall weather and I’m ready for cooler temps. Also, my favorite holidays are this time of the year. So I’ll be seein’ ya, summer. It was fun. Until next year…

These are the songs, in no particular order, that got me through the sticky Summer of ’09. Just click on the little blue arrow next to the song and enjoy.

P.S. What was your favorite memory of the summer?