...the BEST is yet to come!

So another Christmas has come and gone. I think a lot of people feel a little bummed after all the planning and the hype, and excitement. Then bam, it's done and you feel sad. Nothing left but the clean up. But this year, for me, I don't feel that. It's different for me for some reason.


This time last year my life was VERY very different. I had a job that I thought was secure. I had a relationship, was in the process of falling in love and I thought that was secure too. My parents were both working and living on the farm. My bills were paid , my life was orderly and i was happy.


Then January came and most of that changed. I lost my job. Laid off thanks to the economy. Apparently when the money is bad the marketing department is the first to get laid off. My relationship changed... and for the most part ended. Tho i would allow it to drag on for another 4 months, I think i knew in my heart he was lying to me and instead of going forward with his divorce and some sort of thing with me, he was starting to think about getting back together with his wife. Which is exactly what happened when I finally pulled the plug in April.


My dad scheduled his knee surgery and was told he would be forced to retire in September of 2010 so my parents rented an apartment around the corner from me in the same building. With no money coming in other then unemployment, i was struggling to even put food on the table. it was a bad month, to say the least.


Then i started working with a life coach who began to point me in the right directions. I started writing my book, which will be published and available for sale before or on my birthday in October of 2011. I developed new friendships, reconnected with old ones and started dating again. Found some fun and some great sex and even better guys then the one I was leaving behind and that helped me move forward and get over him...for the most part.


I love having my parents live so close and enjoy every minute I get to spend with them. Dad seems to be enjoying retirement but seems to be ready to get something part time soon. I've started studying to be a life/business coach myself and look forward to finishing that up and moving forward with that new challenge.


And so as this January roles around, and I put Christmas behind me again, I find an excitement for what's to come. Not a sadness at a another year gone by, but pride at what I have been able to accomplish. I've learned that change is good and freeing and healthy! I have an undeniable sense that the best is yet to come and it's just waiting for me to find it. And find it I will.


So bring on 2011... it's gonna be fantastic!

and a Merry Cliffmas it is...

As most know, or will know after reading my blogs, I am a sports fan. HUGE sports fan actually but then living in the philly burbs usually goes hand in hand with a love of all sports philly style. It also should lead to an all consuming love of cheesesteaks, soft pretzels, cheezwhiz, Rocky and the Mummers but that's another blog topic. Being a philly sports fan means loving The Eagles, The Phillies, The Flyers and the Sixers. (tho personally i hate basketball... sorry). It also means a hatred of all New York teams (and New Jersey teams that say they are new york teams) Like the Yankees, Mets, Giants, Jets, Rangers and UGH The DEVILS!!! Oh and Dallas Sucks! Please ...we are born saying that in this city LOL.

Just to clarify tho, I am not one of those people who love the latest hot player**(see bottom note). I think sometimes, because I am a girl, guys will think less of my sports opinions. But rest assured, I know my shit. I may not be able to spout statistics like a guy (an enviable trait btw) but I can sure as hell hold my own in a conversation and may even offer up a new insight or two. I also admit and ask about something I don't understand (mostly weird new stuff in football LOL). I love the sport, the give and take, the symmetry and symphony that goes into playing it. I want to know the stat's and the odds and figure out what makes a team tick.

As a Philly sports fan, this past week has been probably one of the best in a while. First off, one of my favorite baseball pitchers, Cliff Lee, says NO to the Yankees and for less money comes back to play for the Phillies. HAH! in your face Spankees...see money can't always buy your perfect team. Oh the joy that is involved in watching Cliff Lee pitch. He is truly amazing. Poetry in motion! And fast too, 1,2,3, bam back in the dugout. no fooling around with him. And he makes it look so effortless. I was sad to lose Jayson Werth to the Nationals, or as I used to call him... ma huzzzzzband. It seems when I follow a player they get traded. But having Cliff come home to philly to pitch with Hamels, Halladay and Oswalt gives my Phillies one of the best pitching line ups in the league...perhaps in the history of the league. And if you know baseball you know- you can't win without good pitching!

Secondly, the flyers are kicking some major ass! I love to see them winning! I admit I don't follow them as closely as I should until after the Superbowl though. My brain can only handle so much. I enjoy seeing my facebook friends get Flyered up about the games and i keep tabs on how The Flyers are doing. I think hockey is an amazing sport! Complex but simple at the same time.And the fights?? Woohoo! Ya gotta love a good hockey fight. (and yes I know they lost... I wrote part of this before the game, but they are still doing great! #1!


And third...you know what it is don't ya? THE MIRACLE IN THE NEW MEADOWLANDS!! 

The Eagles scored 28 points in a little under 8 minutes, the last 8 of the 4th quarter i might add, to win the game and become 1st in the division. The adjectives don't describe it - fantastic, miraculous, historical, impossible,
magical...i could go on but i won't. i was helping out a friend so i had to listen to the first 3 quarters on the radio. When I left to come home we were losing 24 to 3 and even Merrill Reese said he knew we couldn't perform the impossible so that meant we were gonna lose. But then, it happened. I don't know what IT was, but something changed. And as if on script we performed, the Giants didn't and BAM! We were walking away with a 38-31 score. The idea that every thing has to be done exactly right, timed perfectly in the universe, for this to happen amazes me. Down to the fumble by DeSean on the kick-off return. if he hadn't fumbled, he would have been tackeled. Then we would have had to hail mary it for a field goal attempt...you get what I am saying. Everything just clicks and the magic happens!


SO all in all it's a pretty damn good week to be a philly sports fan! Merry Christmas to us!! Or should i say...

**ok so i picked Jayson Werth to cheer for because he is friggin hot AND he shakes his junk over the plate before he swings. just clarifying here...

Copyrights and Trademarks and Lawyers, Oh My!

So I am working on branding myself, my words, my website etc. In the world of marketing and advertising, branding yourself is the best way to gain some success. It creates that first and lasting impression, makes your product memorable and helps you stick out in a field of similar products. For me, my brand is my quotes, my affirmations. What I am putting in the book. It's what I want to be able to help drive my message of positivity that will get me in the door and on the stage to give motivational speeches. You get what I am saying right? So the first step is to actually have something you can trademark, something that makes you recognizable. for me that is the phrase, This is me damn it! So I start to do some research on my phrase and see if trademarking is a viable option.


Keep in mind I have my words copyrighted. but as we will find out, that just isn't enough. 


So in my research I come across a cool website called blurb.com. It started as a way to make actual books out of your pictures and has grown into a self publishing website. If you want one book or 1000 it has the goods to make it happen. I have looked into this website before, when I decided that the tone of my book was going to be heavily artistic with drawings and pictures to accompany  my words. What I missed on my first pass thru it tho, was a book I had now found called, This Is Me Damn It! 


http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/712839


Yes - let me let that sink in for you.... My book title - already produced. FUCK!!!


Ok I think - lot's of people have ideas for titles and books can be called the same thing. Anyway, i have a secondary title that goes with my book, something along the lines of "Surviving & thriving no matter what life throws at you" (something like that...I am still ironing that part out). I can still possibly trademark it. And then I look inside the book...


http://www.blurb.com/books/712839


This book isn't just titled This is me damn it, It IS This Is Me Damn IT! it's my quote, my words in someone else's book.  Double FUCK! If you can, click on the links above and preview the book. If you can't, well basically a 21 yr old girl in England took my words and combined them with individual pictures to create a book. The idea itself is great, but ... and this is a BIG 'OL BUT... THIS IS MY STUFF DAMN IT!  I am at least thankful that she credited me in the last 2 pages of the book, but come on! 


So I send her a few comments and an email trying to get her to discuss this issues with me and i get no response. So now, it's time for the lawyers. I contact a copyright & intellectual property lawyer explain my situation, agree to pay his fee and then receive his answer about 4 hours later. My question was" I had my quote copyrighted and now this person has used it for their own monetary gain. What is my recourse?"


His answer was...
Copyright normally does not cover short phrases or titles, unfortunately. So if all you have is copyright, you might not have a good legal response. Your best bet would have been to use state or federal trademark law -- assuming you either registered (which you didn't) or used the phrase to identify your products in the marketplace (which it doesn't sound like you did either.) It's discouraging, I know, but clever titles and short quotes are just hard to protect in isolation. The law leaves them out in the cold. Sorry. Good luck.


In his defense, I was told if I wasn't satisfied with his answer that i didn't have to pay his fee. But come on, this is me we are talking about here. Of course I paid his fee. Just because it wasn't the answer I wanted doesn't mean he didn't work for me to get it. Now the fee was only $30.00. Which is reasonable. And I got my answer in about 4 hours. but it was $30 I didn't have to spare.


To me it's just so bizarre that I have to pay a lawyer to find out that my own stuff, my intellectual property, my heart and soul and work, is not just my own. It could be used anywhere that anyone wanted to use it.


Very discouraging to say the least. So needless to say, I am now on the path of researching how I can trademark all of my writing. I have found out, that it would be easier & less expensive, if i just wrote a book and owned the copyright (and therefore the rights) to all of the content. Hmmm write a book? Now there's an idea. Sometimes, when you least expect it, the universe actual comes full circle.

Stuff's coming... promise!

So, I am crushed with a huge amount of Eagles jersey sewing right now. Which is good for me and for my friend who owns the business, not so good for blog or book writing. On top of that i am sleep deprived and battling this stupid cold that everyone seems to have come down with.   Please bear (or is it bare? ) with me because I promise I have new blogs coming soon. I am working on a one about my recent lawyer trip. In trying to trademark  and deal with my copyrights for the book an interesting and disturbing issue came up...


Also - I am working on a blog about being sick and lonely... LOL woohoo sounds uplifting doesn't it? But come on you know me well enough by now to know that it will end up being funny or positive. Promise.


I have a few other tricks up my sleeve as well! I should be able to post something tomorrow (friday).


Then i will get back on an every other day schedule again. I miss it - the writing and the creativity. 

"The pages are still blank, but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible ink and clamoring to become visible. " ~Vladimir Nabakov

Too much time to think can be dangerous...

So spent a lot of time with myself in my head this past weekend and week. Sewing all nighters for Eagles jerseys means music's playing, brains working and thoughts I manage to push aside most of the time pop into my brain to be dissected and examined. The psychologist/coach part of me says "good for you! Embrace those thoughts, deal with them and get rid of them..."  The strong silent part of me says "hide those feelings & stop thinking about this shit- make it go away" . Then there's the stoic Irish part of me which says "Feckin shite  -drink a damn beer & get the hell over it already girl". (my irish part likes beer...)


 All of it pisses me off and makes me want to write about it but I find that I am self censoring myself which pisses me off even more. I should be able to talk about anything I want on my blog - after all this is me damn it... BUT something's holding me back so i turn to music.It's all in the words... A few songs that are speaking to me  - that I will allow to speak FOR me here...for now.


Kenny Chesney - Somewhere With You



Missy Higgins - Where I Stood, acoustic live version



Mumford & Sons - White Blank Page



Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova - Falling Slowly from the movie Once

It's all my fault...Really!

So, my birds did not win today.Eagles 26, Da Bears 31. So it wasn't a total blow out and we rallied in the 4th quarter like we always used to do in the old days. But Vick threw an interception and fumbled 4 times. On top of that, friggin DeSean Jackson was playing like Betty White trying not to break her 83 yr old hips. WTF?? Seriously, I like Jackson but if he's going to play like he's afraid to get hit then get the hell off the field. 


It's okay tho, I mean I am not your typical Philly sports fan. I am not trashing the team and talking about how they suck and lamenting my poor damaged soul because I bleed green. What I am doing, is taking full responsibility for the loss. Yep you heard me...um read me right. I accept responsibility for todays loss, It is all my fault. (btw - write this day down on your calendar, I don't admit total fault often... I am a woman after all)


So how is this loss today my fault you ask? well I'll tell ya... I let my team down today. It was busy from my wake up on. Shopping with my mom and the kid. Then my first mistake... it's 1pm and we're headed for Applebees for lunch and my mom says "Do you want me to drop you off at home so you can watch the game ?"  I tell her no worries, it's a 4:15 game because the Eagles got bank right now - ads for our games are at a $$$ premium and everyone wants to watch Vick. Then I say..."Even if it was at one, I'd be ok eating lunch and missing the first half." DUN DUN DUUUUH. 


Jinx #1 - Me miss a game? What the hell was I thinking. And i said it out loud. 


Then I get home and it's cleaning and decorating and tree trimming time. BUT first i have to run out and pick up my Eagles nameplates from the boss man. Gotta do some sewing (which i should be doing right now but why work when I can procrastinate...) And because of that trip into town, I miss the kick-off.


 Jinx #2. I never... EVER! EVER miss a kick off. If I am out for the game I must have a miller lite in my hand. At home I must be on the couch to watch it. 


And when I got home, 3 minutes after kick-off I couldn't find the damn tv remote. So i spent another 3 minutes looking for that. then Finally - game on , ass on couch, let's play some football. Half-way thru the first quarter already - or at least it felt like it.


Beginning of the second quarter, I got things I have to do, so I start doing them as I watch the game...yeah, that would be


Jinx #3. I don't DO THINGS during a football game. I sit, and watch. Every second. Even if I am at the bar. I may go outside for a cigarette but I watch thru the windows.


Oh sweet Jebus... we are in trouble now. But wait... there's more. 7 minutes into the 3rd quarter I realize I AM NOT WEARING MY GAME JERSEY!! NO. JERSEY. ON.  Holy shit!! I had an Eagles shirt on but thats NOT a jersey.

Jinx#4. No JERSEY???? I always wear my jersey. even at home. I know...I am hanging my head in shame!


So again I say, I was wearing an Eagles shirt but a long sleeved tee IS NOT A JERSEY!!! and wait what the hell... where are my Eagles earrings...NOOOOOOOOOOOOO


Jinx #5. I always wear my Eagles helmet earrings. Shit, shit shit I can only find one.

How can I put them on so the helmets face away from my face (we were playing away... if we are home they face in, towards my face - makes sense right? Whatever...shut up) So now, knowing how badly I have screwed up for my team, it's half way thru the 4th and the kid says  "We are getting beat and it's time to decorate the tree. Can't we just put on Christmas music?" and I say...


Oh God the shame... I say..."OKAY!" 

~That is not football on that tv!

Jinx #6. I say OKAY?? I never stop watching a game. Ever. Even if I am at the stadium I stay until the final second ticks off. 


And as for the kid... well that 'stop watching when we are losing' attitude doesn't come from me. i blame her father!

Then finally, I realize that I haven't changed my facebook profile picture, OR mentioned the game in my status update. I mean COME ON... 

we might as well just not even played today because

Jinx #7. I always put up my 69 jersey profile pic and say something profound and moving like"Go Birds" or "E...A...G...L...E...S... EAGLES!"  Earth shattering stuff my words are... and now you know why I want to be a writer.

Look at that, 7 Jinxes, 7... just like Vick's number...7. Coincidence?? I think not my friend. I think not.

Sooooo there you have it. The Eagles lost today, and because of my selfish Christmas spirit, and total lack of Fan-ship, I jinxed it all and caused the loss. Really, I did. So It's all my fault. I promise to not let this happen again. I've sent the team my apologies and now I apologize here, on my blog, on the inter-webs, for all to see.


But, my tree is friggin awesome!! 

It's the end of an era... you might say - RIP Philadelphia's Spectrum

"She glances at the photo, and the pilot light of memory flickers in her eyes."  ~Frank Deford


Oh Spectrum, the stories you could tell. Anyone who grew up in the Philly area from 1967 on has most likely been to a concert, Flyers game, Phantoms game, or some other type of event at the Spectrum. Pearl Jam played the last concert there in 2009 but still it stood, like a forgotten friend, in the shadows of the Comcast Spectacor/FU/Wachovia/Well's Fargo Center (or whatever it's called now) and the Linc and Citizens Bank Park. It was the place to go and growing up in the 70's & 80's believe me, we went.


I remember my first time there - obviously before my serious clown-phobia kicked in - was to see the circus. It was huge and busy and something was going on in every corner of the place. But of course my brother and I were more interested in seeing the elephants take a crap then in the highwire acts lol. 

We didn't have a lot of money growing up (tho I didn't know it...ever) so I'm not sure how mom & dad managed the tickets but they did. My first taste of the Spectrum. And my last circus. Now you couldn't pay me to go to one.


After that it was 1976 and John Denver in concert for my 13th birthday. (i'll wait while you do the math.....


done? YES that makes me 47 years old UGH! anyway...) Just mom and i went to this one and it was the coolest thing ever! John Denver, right down there on stage singing. I knew he could see me way up in nosebleed section. I just knew it. 

Man that was one of my favorite gifts. What?? I was 13 and so not cool...I am way cooler now. Really.I am... ok fine! Maybe not but I like to think I am! So humor me!


Then the infamous sneak away concerts... you know the deal - 15 years old - you tell your parents your going to stay at so & so's house- in my case it was Denise Zawacki's house - and instead you take a train from Paoli to Philly and the subway to the stadium complex. It was 1978-79 and believe me it was much safer back then. Anyway 5 of us girls sneaking into philly to see Heart in concert at the Spectrum. Most of us weren't allowed to go you see, because as every one knew, Heart was a band made up of Charles Manson followers and they worshiped the devil. Yep, that's seriously what our parents believed and why they said we couldn't go. But Denise and I just had to be cool and sneak off and we got away with it too.

Come to think of it - that may have also been the year I lost my virginity too..LOL we'll blame that on the evil teachings of Heart as well.  I still have the concert baseball sleeved t-shirt I bought. Of course I said my friend at school bought it for me.


Next, later that same year was the Doobie Brothers. God that dreamy Michael McDonald and my personal favorite, lead guitarist Patrick Simmons. 

We didn't have to sneak to this one, since both my parents were big fans of the Doobies. But we did sneak in on the train again. When we got there our four floor seats were separated by the huge sound mixer machine so we asked the security guard if we could be moved back a few rows so we could sit together. I'll never forget him saying follow me and we'll fix this. Next thing we knew, we were in the first row.  On the floor.   Directly under Michael McDonald's key board. Close enough, and I swear I am not exaggerating, to reach up and touch his foot if we wanted too. Fan-friggin-tastic. We were on the end over towards the left of the stage sitting next to security - a bunch of cute ass guys if I remember, but we were only interested in the Doobie Brothers. At one point, Patrick Simmons reached over and handed me a carnation he had been wearing in his lapel. I mean seriously , if your a 15yr old girl, does it get any better then that? Hell this 47 year old girl would have loved it too LOL!!


Then there were the Flyers games. The seats in Wachovia (whatever) now are better then the Spectrum but you can't beat the history in the Spectrum. Thats where we won the cup for God's sake. 

My best friend Brian's mom had season tickets to the games and would let me use a pair of tickets to impress whoever I was interested in at the moment. The one that sticks out was John Carrigan...ahhh handsomest boy in school. A senior when I was a Junior or a Jr when i was a soph... either way he drove and was older. And did i mention handsome? LOL I mean really what guy will say NO when you ask him to a Flyers game. Ranks up there with one of my best dates ever!! (Sorry John Carrigan if you're reading this but I did have a major high school crush on you LOL) I still remember him calling the house to tell me to dress warmly since it would be cold. Um Hello! Does it get any sweeter then that to a 16yr old girl? I also remember all the people and thinking Please God don't let me get lost cause I will never find him again LOL. 


John Carrigan does real estate now so if you are looking for a Realtor in southeastern PA look him up and use him. http://www.johnnycrealestate.com/ Hey if he has to read about my high school crush on him the least I can do is give him some free marketing!


So many memories - I saw Phil Collins there and remember getting goosebumps when he sang In the Air tonight. That was after I got married and had the kid. A fun date night for me and the hubby. And then the last time I was there, was in 1998 I believe. To see Bush! God I loved that band - Please,  Gavin Rossdale? Good God he was yummy!! 

Every song on that damn album spoke to me. Razorblade Suitcase. Machinehead was my jam  ♫Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out♫

That became my mantra when I was going thru the divorce and custody bullshit.BREATHE! Hell it still is!  I even got a personalized license plate when my divorce became final that said breathe out. well it said BRTHOUT which some people thought meant Birth out - but that's a whole other story LOL.My friend Dan Gross and I and the guy I was so in love with at the time Rich all went and spent the night outside in line for tickets. It was February. Yeah... I know. But it was on my bucket list of things to do after my divorce and I did it. Dan, my dear dear friend, probably doesn't remember too much of it. LOL We left a birthday party for my roommate Christine to head down to Philly and while Rich and I decided early on to stay somewhat sober, Dan was a late addition to our adventure and drank like a champ pouring Dan Gross drinks at the party. It was worth it tho - we froze our asses off and met some fantastic people and 13 hours outside in the cold scored us some killer seats to see a group we all loved.


So yeah, a little wistful at the thought of losing such a fantastic place but I'm happy that I have so many fantastic memories from there. Because while the Spectrum falls down and gets carted away, my memories will never fade.  RIP Philadelphia Spectrum! Thanks for all the good times

Beach bound w/ a spotty internet connection

Finishing up my sewing and getting ready to hit the bed in an hour or so. Beach bound tomorrow and the internet signal down there is spotty at best.I have to piggy back or borrow time on someone else's open line so I may not be posting a blog until Monday night. 


The time i actually get a signal will probably be used building "the baby". So have a fantastic weekend all and make the most of it. I know I will! ~S 

Random thoughts, beer, evil men and fabulous hair...

Oh it is late and I should so be in bed but I am trying to stick to my blog schedule and  i realize I haven't written anything since Monday Night so here it is 1:17 am and I am slightly , mildly buzzed and I am writing my blog. Hmmm. What random things can I discuss tonight that I will regret in the morning. LOL very few things experienced in my life, buzzed at night, have been regretted in the morning. What can I say, I make great late night buzzed decisions. 


So got the hair did and my girl Kelly McMahon at Hair Cuttery in West Goshen hooked it up. Something about a fabulous new sexy haircut that makes a woman feel fabulous. I hated my hair - very MOM like.... and I needed a sexy new flirty cut. Lots of layers etc. She did a fantastic job and I LOVE IT! Tho of course i haven't done it myself yet so hopefully I can pull off the look on my own.


Heard from a friend tonight who's far away and I miss him. It was nice to hear his voice! Would have been better to see him in the flesh... so to speak... but alas not to be. 


Looking forward so much to going away to the beach this weekend. No kid, no dog (tho i love them both) and 4 days to simply be. To write, to think, to breathe. I need it. I deserve it... and it's the beach so of course I crave it. Hoping my girl Tami stops down for the night - do some adult art therapy (aka jigsaw puzzles and coloring books) drink some wine. It's the little things. Spending some time with mom and dad which is always a great thing.


Also YAY ME - celebrated the new website tonight - www.thisismedamnit.com. Wow - I am still a bit blown away about the realness of it. Dealing with the building of it, the SEO words to make it show up on google and yahoo search engines. But that's part of what I used to do at my last job so I have a bit of an idea of how to make it work. I am lucky to have some fantastic and supportive friends. Friends who believe in me and say woohoo! BUT... Still get the looks and the "Really's?" and WTF's?? from people in my life who have no idea what I have been doing., I like to see the surprise in their eyes, and the doubt. The doubt fuels me. Yep I am writing a book... surprise. Yep, got a website... and building it myself - imagine that.  I love it. It's almost like a challenge from the doubters, to prove them wrong. But then I don't spend too much energy worrying about that. I know what I can do. I know what I have lived thru, survived in my life. And yet I still thrive. So yeah, I don't worry about the doubters. They will be the ones who say 'Hey give me a book for free. I don't want to buy it... I was behind you all along'. Sure okay. 


And speaking of surviving  - Out for happy hour tonight - which is an unusual occurrence. I usually head out after 8. I like to do it every now and then so I can catch up with the regulars at the Stone. Such great people... and who shows up while I am riding high on my fabulous hair and my brand new baby ...I mean website but the EVIL ONE. Yes THAT evil one. You know the guy that tried to kill me and then stalked me for a year... The one I hid from for 3 years...yeah, I guess he randomly stops into the Blarney and tonight was one of his nights. But you know what? I didn't panic. My heart didn't race (well a little but not a lot). I didn't have an anxiety attack... in fact I didn't even tell anyone. I sat in my seat and laughed at jokes and talked across the bar. And then my phone rang - my far away friend I mentioned above. And I went outside to talk to him, oblivious to the asshole in the bar. And who folllows me out but said evil asshole. But guess what? I pretended to ignore him and I talked to my friend. And as I hung up and went to walk inside I saw him heading towards me. No one else there, just me and the guy who tried to kill me... and I hung up my cell and opened the door and walked inside. And I never saw the evil one again. I guess he left... 


But I didn't care, because I had my friends and my book and my website and my fabulous hair. And the song in my head that kept playing ... ♫ ain't nothing gonna break my stride, ain't nothing gonna slow me down....♫ 

A little change is good... a lot of change is Fan-friggin-tastic!

“The key to change... is to let go of fear.”~Rosanne Cash


Soooo I changed the blog background etc. You likey? Time to try on something new. It doesn't make my butt look big does it? My old set up was messing up the videos and had a lot of empty space so I wanted to widen things up.


Also, on Wednesday... you ready for this? I am buying my domain name for the book website! WOOHOO!!! I spent some time doing research this weekend and found the webhost AND my domain name is available. I will be going DOT COM baby!!! Very exciting!


This of course means that I have to stick with the name of the book I have chosen which is so friggin final but okay too. I haven't thought about calling it anything else in the past 9 months so I guess the name will stick.


Now I have to decide if I should move everything over to the dot-com site or keep it totally separate for the book. That's a whole other decision I am not prepared to make right now LOL. God forbid I over tax myself.


I am also going to buy staceygatescharter.com as well. Not sure what I am doing with that one yet. And in case you were wondering, umm no, I did not win the lottery. My webhost (as most web hosts are) is extremely affordable. Like, $3.50 a month affordable. which is what...$42.00 bucks a year. Or $84.00 a year for both sites. It will be my Christmas present to myself! I am going with one of the top 10 web hosts available and am very excited! I will tell more about the host and the domain name once the deal is done... Promise!


Hey what can I say I'm Irish and don't want to jinx anything. We are a superstitious group.


That means I will have 2 websites, this blog (if i don't convert it over), my personal Facebook page and my Spread the Positivity Now Facebook page. WHEW!!  It also means this weekend coming up will be full of website design and writing. Which is a great thing since I will be heading to the beach from Friday thru Monday. Then with a little luck I will also be at the beach for the weekend after Thanksgiving as well.


So the times, they are a changin' and it's a wonderful thing!!


“Change is the essence of life.Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become.” ~Unknown


...and that quote just about says it all, doesn't it?

Mumford & Sons

I put some of these up on Facebook but i had to put them on the blog too. For some reason I just love these guys and all their music speaks to me. I think they sound Irish but they are from England.  the words to this one struck very close to home... just awesome!



Next ones called the Cave. This one is my daughters favorites!



and now the last one is the the first song I heard them sing. I love it and can't ever get it out of my head!



Now i need to go listen to some Irish music LOL!

Damn, is this what I have to look forward too? Kthnksbai

So my goal now is to write my blog everyday - doesn't sound like much right? But i am also writing a book on top of that, working with an editor and in talks with a self publishing group. I promised my friends at my birthday party that by October 13th 2011 they would each have my book in their hot little hands. And if you know me, I don't promise lightly... or let the promises I make go unfulfilled. Soooo back to my blog, I was trying to figure out what to write about and lately my minds been a bit muddled with life crap and heart bullshit so I was having a tough time. When lo and behold (strange phrase that one - is it a pirate phrase? arrrgh lo & behold... hmmm ) the subject just dropped in my lap, or rather my email in box. 


I am lucky in the fact that my stuff, quotes & poetry etc, has permeated the interwebs and can be seen by a lot of folks. Sometimes, when someone likes what they've read they do a little googling (hahaha...googling. sorry), find me and email me. For someone who stayed completely off the radar for 3 + years, when i was being stalked, it can be a little bizarre to get emails from total strangers. But I have come to appreciate it and even enjoy it. So it's Tuesday night and I am online going thru some emails when I come across one that says

From: Princeton Kennedy

Subject: Quote on thinkexist.

To: staceycharter@yahoo.com

Date: Tuesday, November 9, 2010, 10:04 PM

Hi Stacey,

I was wondering where you found this quote:

"Don't rely on someone else for your happiness and self worth. Only you can be responsible for that. If you can't love and respect yourself - no one else will be able to make that happen. Accept who you are - completely; the good and the bad - and make changes as YOU see fit - not because you think someone else wants you to be different."

I reply back... a little something in the back of my head saying, this one's not a fan letter, with 

From: "Stacey Charter" <staceycharter@yahoo.com>

To: "Princeton Kennedy"

Hi - I wrote it. It's part of a longer quote I wrote in 2000 called 'Advice for my Daughter'. Thanks for your interest. ~Stacey

Short, to the point and not as nice as I usually send but like I said my spidey sense was tingling. Then I get the response -

From: Princeton Kennedy

To: "Stacey Charter"

Date: Tuesday, November 9, 2010, 11:05 PM

That's interesting. Seeing as that's an exact quote from one of my blogs that I wrote back when I was still using Myspace.  

I'm sorry... bitch-said-whaaaat??? WTF???  I know he's mistaken! See I write my own damn stuff. If I quote someone else I credit them and I sure as hell don't try to pass it off as my own. I have even found my name attached to quotes I didn't write and sent an email telling the person or website that it wasn't mine. So I think, he's simply confused, let me send him a reply...

From: "Stacey Charter" <staceycharter@yahoo.com>

To: "Princeton Kennedy"

That is interesting considering i have written all of my own stuff for over 30 years. All of it. Sorry of you feel it's similar but i can assure you it's my words. if i quote someone else, believe me I credit them.

Ok so i feel like I was a little bitchy, but hey this is my soon to be livlihood here (from my lips to Gods ears...) and I put my heart and soul into this stuff when I write it. So now I think, he'll see the error of his ways. Point taken apology from him on it's way...ummmm not quite. he responds-

From: Princeton Kennedy

Subject: Re: Quote on thinkexist.

To: "Stacey Charter"

Date: Wednesday, November 10, 2010, 1:53 AM

whatever you say.

OH NO HE DID NOT!!! Whatever you say??? WHATEVER??? Oh bitch it's on now. (a little aside here... I HATE HATE HATE the word Whatever. My kids uses it all the time, and up against the other hated word FINE, I find my blood pressure rises just upon hearing it.)

So as you can see at this point it's almost 2am. I am still up because of the knee bugging me and now because of this assclown trying to tell me I STOLE his myspace blog quote. WTF!!?? So... I respond...

From: "Stacey Charter" <staceycharter@yahoo.com>

To: "Princeton Kennedy"

I SAY I wrote it and it was copyrighted in 2000. and the proof is on the internet.try it on someone else next time. Thanks

Surely this is done now right? I mean i am starting to feel like i am in high school again but also I think to myself - is this the shit I am gonna have to deal with when this damn book comes out? I mean not that I think it's gonna be on Oprah's book list or anything but still, what will I have to deal with? I remember a conversation I had last year,- with that guy i used to sleep with-, when he saw I copyrighted my stuff. He of course had some condescending, flippant remark to make about how he was sure copyrighting my stuff was so lucrative and important.and would really help me out in my writing. Yeah I know... - thanks for the support jerk... any way...I say to him now- if he's reading this blog which i think he does HAH!!!  HAH!! This is why I copyright my stuff buddy!!!  

So it's now getting later and I do a little research on this jackass sending me e-mails. I find him on twitter and he has tweeted...twitted...twatted...what ever the hell it is - about how he's so mad that Stacey Charter stole his work. Again i say WTF!! Now i am super pissed. I remember when I wrote this damn quote - 1999 - I remember who I was thinking about when I wrote it - we'll call him MD- and this guy emailing me looks like he's about 23 by the way. AND then... i get a response -

Re: Quote on thinkexist.Wednesday, November 10, 2010 2:53 AM

From: Princeton Kennedy" <princeton.kennedy@gmail.com>

To: "Stacey Charter"

What exactly am I trying? Did I ask for money? Did I ask for recognition. I'm fine with the satisfaction of knowing you are a thief and your soul is going to rot for it. Kthnksbai <3  

Now let's all say it together...OH NO HE DIDN'T!!!!!!! I am a thief? My soul will ROT?? and then this 12 yr old bitch boy signs it Kthnksbai <3  ??? (that's "ok, thanks, bye" with a fucking heart in case you didn't get it)

Picture a hockey game. You got it in your head? Ok I just thru my gloves on the ice and I am hell bent on ending up in bloody brawl now. That's how pissed I was. And what do I do? Well I act like an adult and decide to go to sleep on it. It was 3am and the Advil PM was kicking my ass at this point. Any thing I said to this Mensa Scholar was going to result in a bitch back & forth war and I needed to think about my response.

Next morning, still pissed but we'll say more hot then boiling, I do some more research. I can find just about anything on the internet. Research used to be in my job description, so I set out to find the original quote I submitted. I find it on www.motivateus.com (great site by the way) and the date it was copyrighted and published was September 29th 2000. Okay, now I look up MySpace, because I know I need to have cold hard facts to throw at this douchebag or this will never end. And here was my response -

From: "Stacey Charter" <staceycharter@yahoo.com>

To: "Princeton Kennedy"

Look i am not quite sure what your deal is or why you think you wrote something that i wrote and published. I have no idea why i even care when i know the facts - remember when, who for, and why i wrote it. Maybe it's the writer in me who would never plagerize, or the Libra in me who hates discord. Regardless here's the cold hard facts for you and then I am done with this.

Here is the website link to my original published quote http://www.motivateus.com/thou-11.htm . Sept 2000. You say i copied this from your myspace? Myspace didn't launch until 2003. Almost 3 years to the day AFTER my quote was published. Please do the math and realize, if you wrote something similar, it was because you read my quote a good 3 years before you even knew what myspace was.  Kthnksbai 

BAM!!! Bitch got served! LOL well nicely served, but served none the less. Surprisingly, I have not heard back from Mr. Princeton Kennedy in regards to my email. I figure he's still trying to do the math. 

Who the hell names their kid Princeton anyway??