Life, Opinions, ACTION!

Hmm, where to start?
I've got a lot to say, so this blog may be a little long winded, so pull up a chair and get comfy.
First off, I've been really sick for the past few weeks with the swine flu and during this time I was also moving. It sucked, big time. Because I couldn't rest when I needed to I ended up being sicker, longer. I still have a hellacious cough, but other than that I'm feeling a little better. BTW, did I mention that I absolutely LOATHE moving? Just the thought of it exhausts me and there were a couple of times when I was ass deep in cardboard boxes that I almost dropped to my knees and cried. Yeah, I hated it that much. During the move I realized just how much stuff I held onto that I really didn't need. I realized that I'd been holding onto the things that people had given to me that I really didn't want. So, I got rid of a TON of stuff. I'd kept letters and cards that were just sitting in boxes, taking up room. It's not like I had them displayed on shelves or anything, they were just sitting there, collecting dust. So, I bit the bullet and tossed them. There were other things too...things that I really didn't need or use....EVER. What's the point of keeping something that you're not going to use? Shouldn't something that you truly treasure be OUT of a box and shown off? How can you really appreciate it if it's hidden somewhere? Anyway, I tossed a lot of stuff that, quite frankly horrified my mom. LOL. She was like "I can't beleive you're going to throw that away! Your grandmother gave you that." I had to remind her several times that I don't need half of the stuff that I've been storing since childhood and that I really didn't think that Grandma would mind if I donated certain items to people who could really use it and enjoy it! Besides, I don't have room for it....Know what I mean? Well, I really thought that I would post a lot more things, but I'm really worn out and I've got to wrestle the munchkin' into the shower and then BEDTIME! (My favorite time of the day! Yippeeeeee!!!! Maybe later I'll post more.
Blessed Be,
Jai (the very tired Witch)

R.I.P. Ted

You will be missed.

LotusMoonflower Creations

Well, it took me a while but I finally got my tag offer site up and running. This is where I will be posting all of my weekly tag offers from now on. Origionally they were going to be posted on this blog, but I decided it would be a lot better to seperate them. Hopefully this will cut down on any confusion. Anyway, click HERE to go to LotusMoonflower Creations. My tag offer for the week of 8/17 - 8/21 is already up for request. And don't forget to tell your friends!
Have a great day & Blessed Be,
Jai (aka LotusMoonflower)

Sick & Tired

I am so sick and damn tired of hearing about Michael Jackson! Seriously, I've had it. To add insult to injury I go into Walmart a couple of days ago and right there, as soon as you walk through the doors there's a rack with Michael Jackson tshirts hanging on it. WTF? About a decade (or longer) ago Walmart stated that they would NOT sell the music of Marilyn Manson because, apparently, Walmart didn't like his religion. (And if you ask me, I think some of his popularity grew because he was such a controversy, but I digress + he's AWESOME!). So, here's Walmart, with their "upstanding morals" refusing to sell the music of Marilyn Manson, but they're totally fine with selling merchandise of an accused child molestor? Are you kidding me? I wonder if Marilyn Manson died tomorrow (Goddess forbid!) if Walmart would retract their "morals" and decided to cash in on the death of a human being?
If Michael Jackson had been convicted of the crime he'd been accused of committing would Walmart still be making a profit from his death? Would it matter? Would those children whose lives had been affected (ruined, hurt, shattered) matter to a company with such upstanding morals? Exactly whose morals are they trying to pretend to defend, here?
Hey, Walmart, try this on for size: Don't cut off the nose to spite the face. You either have morals, or you don't. And don't try to sell people the idea that your refusal to sell music created by (the AWESOME) Marilyn Manson had anything to do about "morals", because the SMART people know exactly why you did it. At the time of the announcement, Walmart was predominately in the southern states, which holds the bible belt. Walmart just didn't want to lose half of the redneck shoppers, plain and simple. In the mean time, you really need to train your employees in customer service!

Sexting, Erotic Encounters & Bangme.com

I just finished reading an article in "Glamour" magazine that I found completely shocking. Truly shocking. Entitled "Sex With A Stranger" I sorta knew what I was about to start reading, but NOT to THIS degree. Men and women have been going to bars FOREVER looking to find a "hottie" for the night. I know that the local bar has turned into a yahoo chatroom these days, but I had no idea just how many "hook-up" sites were on the internet! The article mentioned the "Craigslist Killer" but, in my oh-so-humble opinion I don't think they mentioned the word "KILLER" quite enough. Geez, ladies! Have you no respect for your own body? Here's the REALLY scary part: Memberships to online hook up sites INCREASED by 5% since the sad (and shocking) story of the Craigs List killer....are you fucking kidding me? INCREASED! Ladies, women's lib wasn't started so you could actually CHOSE to get yourself raped and murdered by the guy that sent you the email with the LEAST misspellings. Just because somone sends you an email when he's intown and "seems" nice doesn't mean that you know him or that he's nice at all. And for Pete's sake, if you are going to take a chance like that with your safety, do yourself a favor and sign yourself (and a couple of buddies) for self-defense classes. Hey, I'm not here to judge, and I'm definitely not here to preach to you ladies, but get smart and, like the Girl Scouts teach :BE PREPARED! Be safe, girls...you're worth it.

Tag Requests

Someone told me that I needed to start putting the tags I make in my blogs so that they can be requested. My tags are for request in 2 groups on cafemom, but I think I'm going to start widening that to my blogs as well. If I get enough requests, I'll re-open my "Always List" on yahoo. We'll see how it goes.
Above is my offer for 8/10 - 8/14 ONLY. Any requests after the 14th will be deleted. It's a gif file and with a translucent background.
I am using the FTU (free to use) artwork of David Desbois. You can find his AMAZING artwork by going to www.daviddeb.deviantart.com

New Look & Movie Suggestion

Yep, I got bored and decided to play around in the html section of my blogger. Pretty cool, no? Anyway, onto one of the best action movies I've watched in a really long time. I finally sat down and watched the movie Taken earlier today. It's PG13 and there's nothing that I would consider AC (Adult Content) except for the language. There's nothing sexually explicit in this movie but there are situation that really aren't suitable for young children. Check out the trailer:


This was a great movie and well worth the watch.
(And a big "Thank You" to YouTube for the trailer!)

It's A Major Award!

Ok, I know, that's a cheesy title, but I just LOVE A Christmas Story.....cracks me up. But, seriously, I was given a blog award today! How flippin sweet is that? Isn't it cute as hell, too? A huge "Thank You" and a big ol' "YOU F'n ROCK" to my girl MamaJosephine (The Tarot Queen...haha...omg that rhymes!) for thinking of me. I'm honored and kinda surprised that anyone actually reads my blogs...lol. WHO KNEW? Anyway, thanks girl, like I've said before you f'n rock! Go ahead, go check out her blog HERE you'll probably love it and stuff. I know I sure do. Ok ladies and germs, I gotta split and make dinner. But I will be back a little later tonight and tell everyone about my lovely trip to the grocery store with my six year old....don't worry, it's ok....I let him ride back in the trunk...teehee.
Luv, Hugs & Blessed Be!

The FINAL Destination

It's about damn time! I have been wishing and hoping for so long that there would be a new one coming out and low-and-behold.....THERE IS! If you haven't seen the preview, then feast your eyes on this link right here (go ahead, click it...you know you want to): YouTube Official Trailer
(Thanks YouTube!)
Ohhhh, interesting, isn't it? AND so far, rumor is that it's in 3d! Tell me that's not a cinegasm and a half! I am so dragging Syn with me to go see this! FOR REAL.

Blood Ties

A couple of years ago there used to be a television series called "Blood Ties" and it aired on Lifetime. After two amazing seasons, they cancelled the show. (the bastards!) I was utterly depressed. Anyone who knows me knows I am thouroghly intrigued by vampires. So, taking this show off of the air was a lot like waving a candy bar in front of a fat girl and telling her she can't have any....it's just not a cool thing to do! And then, I found out that the television series was actually based on a series of BOOKS! I was all like, "Hell yeah! Now you're singing my song." So, of course, I found a download link to ALL of the books in the series. (4shared ROCKS!) Shall I say that I am in a vampire addict euphoria? The books are even better than the series. If you love vampires, private detectives, blood, guts & magic, then you should definitely read these books! They're great. Anyway, I'm off to dive into the dark world once again. (Please do not send light, I like the dark...teehee)
Love, Hugs & Blessed Be,
Jai

No Child Left Behind?

I received a letter today from the Department of Education of Knox County Schools and I was informed that my son's school is failing. So, I've been doing some searching on the net and since my son's school is a "project grad" school and because of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 my son's school is NOT cutting the mustard. Tell me, what's wrong with this picture? Seriously. So I got to the schools' website and I'm looking around seeing what lil tidbits of information I can find. I came across a picture of Phil Bredesen (Governor of Tn) and he was having a meeting about the Progress Report of the school's in Tennessee. And he was smiling. Why is he smiling? Should I not feel outraged that while my son's school is failing miserably in Science and Social Studies that our Governor is fucking SMILING? MIght I add that Reading and Math really aren't THAT far behind on the road to shit. Seriously.
With this letter was also transfer forms. This gives us the option of transferring our children to schools that aren't failing. Call me nuts, but here's an idea...HOW ABOUT ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS GET OFF THEIR ASSES AND DO THEIR DAMN JOBS! Knox County Schools needs to kick it up into high gear because these grades just aren't cutting it! I realize that there are loop holes and flaws (in multitudes) and the state seems to be turning a blind eye toward this problem.
Parents, it's time to speak up and stop being silent! Our schools are failing our children and if we (as parent) allow this to happen, the WE have failed our children, too.
Jai

Movie Night!

If you like suspence movies, then you'll like the movie I watched today. It's called 'Untraceable' and it completely kicked ass! You're glued to the screen from the moment it starts....which brings me to this: I know you'll be wondering (if you watch it) and no animals were harmed during the making of this film. I promise. (If you watch the show, you'll understan why I just had to say that!)
So, Diane stars in this and the detective is played by the guy that played Bella's dad in Twilight. (I have no idea what his name is...so bite me). I totally give this movie 2 thumbs up. But WARNING: This movie is definitely NOT for children. There is some serious graphic violence in this movie and some cursing. I know this is rare, but there is NO sex scenes (which to me is kinda nice for a change.)

7 Days Until the 1 Year Anniversary

It was a beautiful Sunday morning. I woke up early to get ready. I got my shower, and was halfway finished with putting on my make up when my son, then 5, ran to the bathroom and threw up. I sighed, because I had been so excited to attend a special service that day. But, my son comes first, so I called up our friends to let them know that we would not be attending the ceremony because my son was sick and to let everyone know that we'd be cheering them on at home. I tucked my son into bed, kissed his forehead and sat down on the couch to read a book. Only a couple of hours later my life would be forever changed. The day was July 27, 2008 and it was the morning that a man armed with a shotgun interrupted the children as they acted out the play "Annie" at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. The man stood in a circle of children and pulled the trigger on his shotgun, not caring who he hit or who he hurt. But, that man didn't count on anyone in the congregation fighting back. He thought they were all liberal cowards. Boy, was he wrong. Fates changed that day, mine included. I was asked to volunteer my services that day. Of course, I went leaving my son with his grandparents. But the memory of seeing those children with drops of blood still on their shoes will haunt me for the rest of my life. I had only seen it second hand, these children had actually lived it. Goddess Bless them all.
Sunday, was a long day of frantic phone calls, tears and disbelief. I knew these people and they were GOOD. These were the people who had prayed for my family when my grandfather died. Two of those people were dead. (Linda, you will always be in my heart.) Shot by a man who had no reason than their political and religious beleifs. These were MY people.
The next day, the Second Presbiterian Church, next door to the TVUUC (where some of the members of the TVUUC ran for shelter during the shooting) held a candle light ceremony for Knoxville and surrounding areas. Of course, my son and I went. So many people from different religions and walks of life showed up with open arms. The ceremony was absolutely beautiful. The candles were lit in the darkened auditorium giving it a spectacular amber glow. We all bowed our heads and prayed, we cried as a man spoke of the power of unity and the need to live and let live. When the last paragraphs had been read and the prayer had been spoken, we all prepared to leave. And then the children from the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist spread out on the stage in front of us and began to sing "Tomorrow". What touched my heart the most was that none of them looked sad, they're faces were beaming with smiles. Those children had courage and honor. They sang that song at the top of their lungs. When they finished there was not a dry eye in the house and everyone was standing up applauding. These children who had seen so much were standing up, singing, smiling.
As the 1 year anniversary creeps up I think about Linda. A woman who had always been so kind to me. Always laughing and smiling. I never heard her say a mean thing about anyone. Linda, I miss you. You are forever in my heart. May Goddess and God Bless you, your family and your memory. Always.
Blessed Be,
Jai

Virgin Post

Ah, yes, my virgin post on blogspot. Well, I guess I should tell you a little big about who I am. My name is Jai. I am a 30 year old single mother to a beautiful little boy. I am also an ordained member of the clergy, a certified herbologist and practicing Pagan of 16 years. Oh and I'm also the Co-founder of the Knoxville Paranormal Group. I love nature, old cars and curling up on the couch and reading a good book. My life is busy, there is never a dull moment, but there's also not a lot of time for me to actually enjoy my hobbies...but I do try. LOL..anyway, that's enough about me. Luv, Hugs & Blessed Be.

Jai