Most people would be embarrassed to go to Disney World with their parents, but not me.
I had snorted a line of coke before my parents had picked me up. I felt invincible. I felt happy and confident. And I definitely felt like I could handle my parents and their sick, happy lives.
“Grace, you look so thin, are you eating enough?” my mother gently pushed a tendril of hair behind my ear as we waited for my dad to park the car.
I smiled. “Yes, mom. I’m definitely eating enough.”
“Well, I hope you’re ready to eat today because they have all kinds of scrumptious foods to eat here.”
I squelched a chuckle – only my mother would say the word “scrumptious.”
My slightly overweight dad came jogging toward us. I squelched another chuckle as I watched his belly quiver and roll against his waistband. “Looks like dad put on a little weight,” I said, my affection softening the blow.
“Oh poo,” my mother waved her hand and smiled at my father. “He’s like a big roll of squeezable Charmin.”
I couldn’t help it, I laughed.
“All right, ladies,” my dad huffed as he joined us. “Ready to get this party started?”
“Of course!” my mom chimed up.
All I could manage was a smile. I was feeling jittery and I noticed my hands were shaking. I always got the shakes after I did drugs. But I wasn’t worried, it usually only lasted a few hours. I figured I could distract them once we got into the park –they’d never notice a thing, they were too wrapped up on being perfect.
I smirked at my thoughts.
They clasped hands and led the way to the gate. I rolled my eyes behind them. I loved my parents, don’t get me wrong, but their public affection for one another always sickened me.
For I knew what they were really like behind closed doors.
“Honey, are you coming?” my mother asked over her shoulder as she dug in her purse for the passes.
“Right behind you,” I murmured. I began running possible scenarios through my mind on how I could get rid of my parents in the Happiest Place on Earth.
So I thought I’d resurrect the video meme I started last year. Why? Because I like to vlog but I never know what to vlog about, so … let’s answer some questions.
Don’t want to vlog? No problem! Just answer the questions either in the comment section or answer them on your own blog and leave a link so I can visit.
If you played, please insert the DIRECT link to your video response below.
Here are the questions for this week:
1. Do you think you’ll ever go back to school?
2. What can’t you leave home without? (Either during an emergency or every day – or both).
3. Describe what your handwriting looks like.
And here is my video response to these questions:
I had too much fun taping this and I hope you had fun watching it; I also hope my children/grandchildren treasure it someday. Because really, that’s what In My Opinion is all about – leaving a bit of you behind.
Want to ask a specific question? Leave it in the comments and I’ll include it on the next IMO. (I reserve the right to edit the question for content or not use it if it’s too personal. *smile*)
Ready for next week’s questions? Brace yourself …
1. What makes awkward moments so awkward?
2. What’s the biggest challenge you’re currently facing?
The person (or people, if there is more than one person who meets the criteria then I will draw one person from those eligible), who participates the most (and it must be a vlog) before July 27th, will be eligible to win a $25.00 Amazon gift card! SO, in addition to having fun vlogging, you also have a chance to win a $25 gift card! Sweet!
Here’s a button to use on your site, if you want it. 🙂
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I’m on Twitter – a lot. You can find me @writefromkaren. Please follow me? I’m lonely over there.
by John Schoenheit
Since the Fall of Adam and Eve, every person on earth has endured pain and suffering in his life. Some of this is due to Satan and his demons, some to the fallen nature of the world, some to the sin of others, and some is due to our own sin and ignorance. The great lesson of the book of Job is that despite the condition of our life at the moment, we can still worship God. The book of Job shows that God is not the cause of our problems, and that He deserves our praise and worship no matter what hardship we are going through.
Job also comforts us by showing us that there is such a thing as a righteous sufferer, one who does not deserve to suffer but is suffering nevertheless. Job’s friends believed that people did not suffer unless they deserved it, and openly vilified him. Job refuted their belief, and was vindicated by God, who said “…to Eliphaz the Temanite, ‘My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has” (Job 42:7b). In spite of the lesson of Job, many religious people still believe the same thing Job’s “friends” believed. Nevertheless, the book of Job is clear that people suffer without deserving it.
This teaching by John Schoenheit gives an overview of the book of Job, with a detailed explanation of the first few chapters, and highlights throughout the rest of the book.
“Karen. The president is making a special announcement at 10:30,” Kevin says to me as I’m watching an episode of “Samantha Who?” on Netflix online.
I rolled my eyes. Excuse me for the sarcasm but that’s my general reaction whenever I hear Obama is about to make ANOTHER speech.
The man is stuck in campaign mode.
Still. Ten-thirty at night? This was unusual, but I figured I would hear about it soon enough and quite honestly (really, when am I NOT honest with you, Internet), I much prefer to read Obama’s transcripts so I don’t have to subject myself to his arrogant attitude, his haughty expressions and that annoying, drawn-out ssssssss sound he makes any time he says a word that ends in S.
Seriously. I picture a cartoon whistling snake slithering through tall grass whenever I hear him talk – I can’t help it.
I’m just getting back into the show (Christina Applegate is so adorable), when Kevin pops his head around the corner.
“Obama hasn’t come on yet, but rumor has it that Osama bin Laden is dead,” he tells me. Again. I remain motionless as I absorb this information.
My first thought was “about damn time,” and then a feeling of vindication for all the people who lost loved ones on 9/11 and a surge of pride for our country – you mess with us, we will hunt you down and make you pay. It may take us years, but we WILL seek justice.
My second thought was, “crap. This is going to make Obama look good.”
And that made me angry. Not because I’m hell bent on removing the man from office (because I am, actually), but because he would likely take credit for it, with the media’s blessing (and I was right), and spin it so that he somehow comes out as a hero in this whole decade ordeal even though he vowed to shut down the hunt and instead, try and offer an olive branch to a section of radical extremists who have no interest in anything other than displaying our heads on spikes.
Let’s be clear, to coin an Obama phrase, Obama gave the go ahead to instigate the raid, and kudos to him for doing so, by the way, but he did NOT, nor should NOT, take credit for any part in taking bin Laden out. Those policies/procedures/plans were firmly in place from the Bush/Cheney era and carried out by our very capable and pretty damn awesome special ops teams.
Period.
I’ve been watching people on Twitter celebrate the death of bin Laden and even though I’m glad the man is gone and in fact, deserved to die for the sheer number of American deaths that him, and his followers, have carried out over the years …
Remember 9/11 and the 2,977 innocent men, women, and children murdered by bin Laden’s jihadi henchmen.
Osama bin Laden has only been a figurehead, there is still an organization, and I daresay it will never go away, not truly, that believe Americans are the devil’s spawn – we’ll never be truly safe until Christ comes back to save us.
Evil does, and will continue, to be present. People who think it’s possible to have a Utopia before Christ returns are naive and gullible.
I have questions; I can’t help it, I question authority, that’s who I am. I wonder if the person they killed was indeed Osama bin Laden. They allegedly compared DNA samples to his sister’s brain (who died last year from brain cancer) and that bin Laden’s wife called out his name during the raid, but what if, and humor me for a moment please, the DNA match wasn’t actually bin Laden but one of his brothers? After all, couldn’t a familial DNA sample match those within the same family? And why would the wife call out bin Laden’s name during the attack? Was that some sort of ploy to throw our soldiers off track and instinctively target the man she was addressing? What if it was a ploy to divert attention from bin Laden? And why was bin Laden buried at sea so quickly? I get that Muslim customs require a body to be buried within 24-hours of death, but considering the circumstances, wouldn’t it have been better to slow things down a bit and make sure it was in fact bin Laden before disposing the body?
I pray all of this is true and that bin Laden is indeed gone. Perhaps that will dissuade others, at least for a short time, to leave us alone. (Though I’ve heard a rumor that there might be a nuclear bomb hidden somewhere in the world that is supposed to go off if something happens to bin Laden – I pray that’s not true. It’s like an episode of “24”, isn’t it).
Anyway. Those are my thoughts on the issue. I have to purge this out of my system of I’ll never get anything done.
Thanks for hearing me out.
ADDED: Love how this is worded. From Sarah Palin’s Facebook page:
Americans tonight are united in celebration and gratitude. God bless all the brave men and women in our military and our intelligence services who contributed to carrying out the successful mission to bring Bin Laden to justice and who laid the groundwork over the years to make this victory possible. It’s a testament to the hard work and dedication of these brave Americans who relentlessly hunted down our enemy.
This is a victory for the American people, for the victims who were heartlessly murdered on September 11 and in Al Qaeda’s other numerous attacks, and for all the peace-loving people of the world.
May God bless our troops and our intelligence services, and God bless America!
From President Bush:
This momentous achievement marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001. The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done.
So I’m participating in a weekly plotting workshop hosted by Martha Alderson, the self-professed plot whisperer. I’m working through a story idea I’ve had in my head for quite a few months. I’m not sure how much of the story I’ll actually post here (it’s probably going to end up being a pretty steamy R-rated story), but if my progress helps another writer out their write his/her story, then I’ll consider this experiment a success.
Here is a description of Ms. Alderson’s blog:
Plot Whisperer offers plot tips for writers and bloggers eager to create compelling novels, screenplays, memoirs and blog posts with the reader in mind. All writers struggle with what to put in and what to leave out of their works in progress, how to hold a reader’s attention and earn their loyalty, and how to create depth and meaning in their writing for the greatest good.
Want to go through these workshops with me?
Sweet. Let’s get started.
My contribution:
My main character for Xcstasy is Dani Rae Pickett.
Second plot challenge: Dani’s character flaws:
Terribly stubborn, overly critical, argumentative and suspicious of anyone and everyone. She’s the oldest sister and had to grow up fast due to her mother being a drug addict and her absentee father. As a result, she had to take charge and make sure her little sister was cared for. She’s inflexible. Arrogant. Opinionated. Life is either black or white – there are no shades of grays. (Sound familiar?) She’s angry, bitter and very judgmental, except when it comes to her little sister, who she dotes on. Her little sister can do no wrong in her eyes.
Now before you think she’s too much of a b*tch, here are her good qualities:
She’s sympathetic to helpless creatures. She will give the shirt off her back for those less fortunate or for those caught in impossible situations. She adores children and animals. She will work tirelessly to right other people’s wrongs.
First plot question: What does your character want?
Beginning goal: Dani wants to find her sister. (Dani’s sister has been missing for three months).
The three words to use in a story this week are: 
Write From Karen 