To church or not to,,,

So it's Monday again but at least it's a holiday! Presidents day 2012, yahoo! I have a feeling if our founding fathers had any inkling of what a fucking great big mess our current world leaders have dragged us into, they would be turning over in their graves.

My parents just left after a weekend visit. They are wonderful people but drive me absolutely crazy in about zero point seven seconds. I really must learn to be more patient. The thing is that we could not be any more different. I would swear that I had been switched at birth and if it were not for the fact that I look to much like them to question the matter, I would have demanded some type of genetic testing a long time ago! Let's just say that I'm about as far left as you can get, I hate rules, regulations or being told what to do by anyone in general ,especially by the fat old white man. Which unfortunately is the majority of those making decisions for the rest of us. I am the epitome of all that is unconventional. Mom and Dad on the other hand are some what conservative. They used to be democrats but somewhere along the way they crossed over to the dark side and before I knew it my dad was listening to Rush Limbaugh, whom I utterly detest, and they were both voting for Bush a super sore spot for me, especially for the second term. I'm still harboring just a tiny bit of resentment. I will get over it. I have to because I love them. I know they are always thinking of me and doing sweet things for me and my son. I do wish that they lived closer at times especially when my son was smaller. It's probably a good thing now that he is a teenager, nearly a man by legal standards and a senior in high school, that they can't just stop in whenever the want. We have to grandparent proof the house every time they visit.

I am sort of the original bad girl of the family. The only girl on my dads side of the family and the oldest. I sort of paved the way for the rest of them. I was the first one to get married and the first one to get divorced, twice for that matter. I was the first to move away from the area and the only one of us who does not live in the state of Pennslvania. I was the only one to live in another country for an extended period of time or date people from other cultures and religions, a fact that drove my mother absolutly crazy. The fact that I'm not religeous at all drives her even more crazy. I am of the opinion that religion is the downfall of society and in short is just another version of organized crime. I grew up going to church every Sunday and for the most part as a young child I remember thinking it was pretty fun. Then when day I actually started paying attention to what the preacher was saying and I felt nothing but curious nagging doubt. No deep strirring of my spirit at all not even a little bit. I remember just sitting there feeling judged with the rest of the so called sinners, asking for forgiveness so I get to go to heaven when all of a sudden it dawned on me that this was all a bunch of b.s., and I was never going to believe it. I was probably about 10 at the time. Needless to say I continued going till I was about 18, mainly because my mother made me. As soon as I was old enough to make my own decisions on this subject I stoped going, it just did not feel right to me. That is not to say I do not believe in God, it's just that the and I do not like the fear tactics that religion uses to control people, just like the mob and just like the government. It's all about the money.

When I had a child of my own the question arised, do we take him to church. My ex-husband who is british was never much of a church person so we would go occaisionally. After we got divorced when my son was still in elementary school he asked me one day "Hey Mommy, what religion are we?" Mommy obviously had some explaining to do. So I told him I was raised as a christian but that there were many different kinds of religion world wide and that there is good and bad in all of them, then asked him if he would like to go to church and see what it was all about. He said he would so I took him to a few different variations of christian based churches. He decided after about five times that it was very boring and that he did not really want to get up that early on his weekends. Over the years however I did take it upon myself to educate him to the customs and beliefs of as many different religions I could. I feel that it is so important to understand our world nieghbors and their convictions as long as they are not trying to persuade me to see things their way. My son is now 17 and has a very worldly wisdom about him that makes me so proud. I have raised a true, compassionate, citizen of the world for which I am extremely proud of.

Maniacal Mondays By Cleopatra Alexandria

Mondays,,, Blah! I don't even work Mondays and I can't get excited about them. The reason being,,, PAPERWORK! The one thing I will procrastinate on until there is no choice but to make some tea, take my adult ADD medicine and prepare myself for hours of mental agony. I would rather be lunching and day drinking and continue enjoying my weekend or shall I say lack there of since I worked all day Saturday. It really wasn't that bad. I always try to bear in mind that it could always be worse.

After leaving my job of 17 years I decided to live the American dream and start my own business. It comes with it's pros and cons but I'm here to tell you it's better then working for the man. Especially when that man is a liar and a crook, not to mention a sexist and an adulterer. I know this my all sound harsh but I have insider insight, as I was married to this mans nephew for 11 years and all total have known the perpetrator for a grand total of 23 years, as long as my new husbands daughter is old. Since 1988, a life time of memories, some good ,some bad, but a lot of them rich in the gaining of knowledge and wisdom. The great thing about knowledge is that it comes with a certain amount of power. It's how you use that power to benifit yourself and others. I love the quote that knowledge speaks but wisdom listens. I think Jimi Hendrix said it, at least that is what my 17 year old son says. There is much truth in that statement and you realize that more and more as each year passes. When I quit my job several people asked me if I was afraid. Well the truth is of course I was a little. After all it was all that I had known for seventeen years. I had devoted my life and a big part of my heart and soul to this company with so little as even a thank you from the big chief in charge. How ever I was a lot more afraid not to quit. Because staying there would have been certain death. The place just kept going down hill and now lacks the artistic integrity that used to be it's forte. I no longer wanted my name associated with it. I'm not the captain so there fore I do not have to sink with the ship. I will say I have no regrets, except that maybe I didn't take the leap of faith a little sooner but I suppose all things run their course. What I do have are lots of stories, full of juicy details. :) Happy Monday to all of you!

The things my parents never told me! by Cleopatra Alexandria

1. You have plenty of time to figure things out because life and it's trappings are fucking endless.

2. If your not a good girl you may still go to heaven. ( the requirements for entrance must be getting narrower by the second!)

3.You will have your heart broken at least once and it will SUCK! Wallow in it! but not for to long! Depression can be addictive and just gets boring.

4. You will fall in love with someone who never even knows you feel that way about them and never will. Don't focus on it for to long, ( I have always fallen for the gay ones)


5. You will be the holder of one or more secrets that you can never tell anyone but are yourself troubled by and wonder if in fact you need therapy.

6. Therapy is in fact,,, OKAY! more people should get it and most people I've met could benefit from a little bit!

7. Lose yourself in your sexuality, find pleasure in each unique experience, and no you do not have to be married to do that and no your are not a slut.

8. That stupid seventies song, "I've been to Paradise but I've never been to me",,, well , that is such a bunch of utter bullshit! Obviously that silly bitch never changed a nasty diaper or been thrown up on, I've been to Me and Paradise, and quite frankly, Paradise has its bonuses. Unless you meet a real man like my sexy Hubby! It took me 20 years to find him!

9. It is a okay to be brutally honest when needed, and quite all right to sugar coat the truth when a little decoram is needed. Some times people are vulnerable.

10. Know you are a beautiful, smart, and unique and can achieve what ever you want with perseverance and self belief!

11. Travel whenever you can and still look hot in a bikini! Have the nice clothes and shoes when you are young you can have the nice house when your old. Then you can surround yourself with treasures you have collected from all your adventures!

12. To much stress from social pressures cause premature anxiety. Yoga, meditation, and masterbation are all great stress relievers.

13. A revenge make-out session with some sexy stranger,(as long as he is not a danger) has remarkable healing qualities!!

Wordly Wednesdays!

Yesterday it was decided by my stepson and I, after a fierce yoga booty ballet workout,( no lie) that every Wednesday we would all take turns cooking a different dish from a different part of the world. So we collaborated on a hawaiian asian fusion kind of array of things for last night. So with much excitement for our brilliant new idea we raced off to the grocery store to buy our strange assortment of food, never bothering to change out of our exercise clothes. Ha ha we got some strange looks, but that could be because Chris had to get his dance on in the shoppers food warehouse! Wish I had video footage of that. So as not to keep you in suspense any longer. Da,da,na,na!

The Menu

Spam and mango sushi
Philly rolls (for this Pennsylvania girl)
Veggie stir fry with peanut curry dressing

Pictures to follow!

Hello 2012, so nice to meet you! by Cleopatra Alexandria

Happy New years one and all! It's 2012 and we're all still here, I guess the Mayans were wrong! I personally am very happy to meet you. 2011 was a year of big change for me. I guess you could call it my year of passive aggressive. Instead of living publicly and out there on the edge, I got all quiet and secretive. I got married without telling anyone until after the fact. We eloped, so romantic, so sexy, so wonderful! I don't think anyone was surprised since from the moment we met we were inseparable. The next huge thing that really effected me a lot was my grandmother passing away at 90. A wonderful, kind, sweet woman and such a big influence on me. I spoke at her funeral and I know she was listening, and as much as I said there was still so much, 46 years of memories, my lifetime. In a strange way I feel as though she was my last link to childhood. This means that I am officially descending into the second generation, that I'm getting mature.(old). I just flowed through the motions of life after that feeling sad for a little while.

I had been completely unsatisfied at work for a long time. The place was literally making me sick. So, I decided to end my year on a positive note, when I had a real moment of clarity after opening a fortune cookie that said "the truth is more bearable when told with compassion." With that thought in the back of my mind for days, I quit my job. I was planning on quitting anyways, as it was long over due. I just imagined, as one client put it, that I would leave in a blaze of glory, however, that is not how it went down. I decided to take the higher road, and after seventeen years of loyal service and whole lot of sweat equity on my part that aided in the success of the company, I passively aggressively, just simply left without even saying goodbye. Without the bravado I had envisioned, and was well deserved I might add I just never went back. I just left them guessing with my mild mannered, I'll see ya later,,, and maybe never would be to soon, type of departure. Life is just to short to work for a greedy, ungrateful, narcissist and that is putting it kindly, believe you me. Dwelling on the past however is a complete waste of energy. Looking forward to the future and concentrating on enjoying the present is a lot better use of my time and talent. With that spirit in mind I am happy to move forward and do what I am really good at and that is LAFS. Love, Astrology, Food and Style!