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RIP Brittany Murphy. You were a really cool actress. I loved it when you were goofy the best! I liked you best in "Drop Dead Gorgeous."

( obit behind the cut )

Since our house is a disaster area (okay okay it's really 'cause we're poor, but I'm pretending it's because we're getting organized) we don't have a Christmas Tree or a Yule Altar or a Hannukiah so everyone PLEASE POST PICTURES of your tree or holiday decorations in the comments!

I think this is really cool!

Prisoners donating money to Lakewood families

by ERIC WILKINSON / KING 5 News

Posted on December 15, 2009 at 6:13 PM


MONROE, Wash. - It's a cold and unforgiving place - a place you'd expect to find nothing but bitterness and hatred toward police. But at the Monroe State Reformatory, the heartless killings of four Lakewood police officers are softening even the most hardened criminals.

"The first thing that went through my mind was, 'oh no, not again'," said triple murderer Tony Wheat, who killed three gas station clerks during robberies 44 years ago and who is serving a life sentence at Monroe.

He's part of a prison organization called "Concerned Lifers" where those serving life terms try to mentor young convicts and keep them from reoffending. Wheat says the Lakewood killings shocked many inside the reformatory's walls.

"We thought, maybe it's about time we start showing some appreciation and concerns, and doing what little we can and show that even though we are removed from society, we are a part of it," he said.

Wheat and a small group of convicts, most of whom will never set foot outside the prison's walls, are now organizing a fund for the families of the Lakewood officers.

Lifer Herb Blumer earns less than 50 cents an hour making furniture for state offices. He wants to give all he can to the cause, realizing in a case like this it really is the thought that counts.

"I felt that this donation might be a message to let them know that we share their grief and we share their pain," he said.

Maurice Clemmons executed four Lakewood police officers as the say sipping coffee and going over reports earlier this month, leaving nine children without one of their parents.

Inmates say they want to honor the officers' families with donations, but also their legacies by making sure another Maurice Clemmons doesn't come out of Monroe.

Three-strikes felon Curtis Caton says there are plenty of prisoners who are indifferent or even happy about the Lakewood murders. And those are precisely the people he wants to get to donate to the cause.

"Then we can hopefully change them and say 'look, you don't want to be like that. There's a better life for you out there'," he said.

With lifetimes yet to serve in prison, these fundraisers have little to gain in their cause. They simply hope to help heal broken lives... and perhaps themselves as well.

"When that cell door closes on your cage at night, day after day, year after year, you think about the impact your crime had on the victims," said Blumer. "This is a way to seek redemption. It's a way to give back and atone for the things that you've done."

I have been sorting out a tremendous buttload of books to sell. Some I don't realy care much about, others it is a HUGE STRUGGLE. I was trying to force myself to give up any book I hadn't touched in five years or so. Yeah......not really working out. Growing up books were nigh unto holy things in my life so it's way easier than giving up clothes or something like that.

I am quite over-whelmed. (Also I stubbed my toe and fell over. booooooo!)

Part of my issue is that if I sell them on ebay, I don't know what kind of person is taking my books. I mean, for all I know they will let their cats pee on them or use them as doorstops - you know?

Jordan said I could sell his autographed copies of "Sunshine" by Robin McKinley and "Anansi Boys" by Neil Gaiman. That made me cry and feel bad. He is MUCH braver than I am.

Dear Rain,

I love you.

Thank you for coming along and kncoking the pollution out of the air so I can breathe again. Thank you for warming up the ground so my chilblaines go away. Thank you for allowing us to put the cats outside without the danger of paw-freezies. Thank you for making everything smell GREEN.

I think this is a cop-out way to do things.

Visually stunning, BUT:

Yes, it's great that Disney had a "Black Princess" but she spends a lot of the movie as a green frog.

The treatment of Voodoo made my skin crawl.

So yeah, I'm having sort of the same reaction to it as I have to the six counties in Ireland or "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." ie: It's better than NOTHING, but it could have been so much better.

I realized I've never actually done the "shuffle your ipod" meme!
I know you're supposed to do the first 25 songs that pop up on shuffle, but I like even numbers and I'm 34 so here are my 34 songs:

Song - Artist:

Trash - The Bobs
You Are Not Alone - Leonard Nimoy
Giant Monster - filkertom
I Can't Stop Laughing - The Brak Album
Carol of the Old Ones - The H.P.Lovecraft Historical Society
There's More To Life Than This - Bjork
I Give You - NitzerEbb
Something to Sing About - Joss Whedon (Once More WIth Feeling: The Buffy Musical)
Spiderwebs - No Doubt
(This Song's Just) Six Words Long - Weird Al Yankcovic
Rein Raus - Rammstein
Go To Sleep Little Leech - The Arrogant Worms
Mambo #5 - Lou Bega
Salty Dog - Flogging Molly
Ontario Sucks - The Arrogant Worms
Oh No You Didn't! - The Mercenaries
Dostoyno Est (Hymn to the Mother of God: It is truely meet) - Sergei Rachmaninov (Corydon Singers)
Zoot Suit Riot - The Cherry Poppin' Daddies
Just a Touch Away - Echo & the Bunnymen
Tempus Vernum - Enya
Into the Night - Julee Cruise
Gumby Jaws Lament - Barnes & Barnes
I Want to Sing - Regina Spektor
I Love My Father - Galt MacDermot (1972 Two Gentlemen of Verona Soundtrack)
The USS Make Shit Up - Cabaret Voltaire
But You Get To Have Cake - Robert Lund & Spaff.com
Everything Feels Wrong - Bree Sharp
Rico Vasilon - Karl Zero
Rock Around the Clock - Bill Haley and His Comets
I Can Hear the Bells - Broadway Cast Recording of Hairspray
Fever - The Bobs
Bombs Away - Paris Texas
Jazz Police - Leonard Cohen
Valley of the Dolls - Menagerie of Extravagance
Voting Time - Robert Lund


Wow. I am such a fracking NERD.

libraryraven asked:

What media things that scared you as a kid still scare you?

Here are some of mine; I'm interested to see your's as well!

Omadon from "The Flight of Dragons." He still gives me the jeebies, but in all fairness, he doesn't make me want to hide under my bed like I used to. The same goes for the Chamberlain in "The Dark Crystal" and the devil doggies in "Ghostbusters."

I still loathe Gremlins, but now my reaction would be to take a baseball bat to them, rather than the screaming horror they evoked in 9-year-old me.

And yes, while I still check lakes for hypoglycemic baracudas (don't ask, it was the baby-sitter's fault!) I no longer think JAWS can come out of the drain in my bathtub.


I am, however, STILL UTTERLY TERRIFIED of:

The Gentlemen from The Buffy episode "HUSH." (Although I was in my 20s when that came out, so maybe it doesn't count.)

Zombies in general.

Scary moving clown dolls. (EAT A DICK, "Poltergeist!!")

and worst of all...

Those Mother F)#!*(&%^)*!(#^%)KING creepy horrid squeeking ear-slugs from "The Wrath of Kahn!!!!" REEEEEEEEEEAUUUUUUUUUGH! I can tell I'm gonna have to sleep with earplugs in just thinking about them. *twitches*

Anyone ever considering giving me a wet-wille or some other ear pokey-thing - Be Warned - I will not react in a controlled way and you will be in pain afterwards. It's completely a reflex. Just be aware.

I don't know if anyone watches "Tabatha's Salon Takeover" but the horrid Irish woman "Nikki" who was a c*nt to her staff tonight - my ex-boss at the insurance place was like that except she was also racist, homophobic and screamed constantly.

That episode gave me some serious flashbacks.

Perfect Pear Products has what you need for yourself or yumtastic holiday gifts!

If ordering for christmas presents:

Order by the 14th if you need to mail your order on to somewhere else.
Order by the 18th if you just need it to arrive at your place by the 24th.
Want me to wrap and ship it somewhere? I will!

I do gift baskets too!


lip-BLAM!
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SOAP
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BODY BUTTAH
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HAND & FOOT SALVE
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PERFUMES
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BATH SALTS
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Money Orders accepted under certain circumstances.

Everything will be shipped bulk-style, neatly wrapped unless otherwise specified.
Fancy/Individual gift wrapping available for a small extra fee.
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Shipping to the USA is:
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