Let's Debate

It's on for the GOP tonight!

I was thinking, on my way to work this morning, that the whole 2016 Presidential race is in the toilet. No really, I'm so disappointed with all of the candidates. All of them from both parties.

Let's take the Republicans:
Trump: The man with a double digit lead is a bully! I get that he's talking tough and people really like that, but let's talk temperament for a second. This guy continues to insult and belittle his opponents (like a grade school tyrant)-and it seems to be working for him-but can we afford for him to piss off Putin and call him a loser? He can talk the talk, but just because he runs a billion dollar corporation bearing his name does that really mean he can walk the walk on a global level? Politically? He's a loose cannon.

Carson: The media is calling Carson's recent surge in the polls "Trump-esque". Is Ben Carson the kinder, gentler Trump? Or is his recent surge due to the fact that The Donald's name calling game has turned off former supporters who find Ben more presidential? Trump better watch it. Carson's got God on his side, just saying, and if, after a great performance tonight, he emerges as the front runner it would be interesting to see how Trump handles that. Not well is my bet.

Fiorina: Carly, Carly, Carly. I recently read that she compared Trump's inappropriate comment about her face to the grade school bully who is mean and pulls your hair but secretly really likes you. Uh, no Carly. Make no mistake, Trump wanted to insult you and bring you down. I have to give her kudos for turning that ugly comment into political gold. A web new ad by Carly's camp said this about Fiorina:
"Ladies, look at this face and look at all of your faces, the face of leadership," Fiorina says. "This is the face of a 61-year-old woman. I am proud of every year and every wrinkle."

Bush: Ughhh..I seriously think that the ONLY interesting thing about Jeb is that he speaks Spanish. He is so vanilla that I'm asleep already...please somebody wake me because the man has yet to wake any of us up. It's do or die for him tonight. He can't play mediocre or rest on his family's laurels because Trump will squash him. I'm not sure he has the chops to go up against Trump. He is over matched.

Walker, Kasich, Christie, Cruz, Rubio, Huckabee and Paul: The only ones I want to talk about are Christie and Rubio. Christie, I like, but his offensive attack on Paul at the last debate did him no favors. In my opinion it made him look angry instead of strong. And Rubio? He needs to be noticed. He's intelligent and articulate, but if eloquence is his only Presidential attribute he will continue to get lost in the water with these sharks. The rest have no chance. Zero.

As for the Democrats, I'm supremely disappointed in Hillary. She literally had a cake walk back into the White House and now all she has is cake on her face. What the HELL happened? I'm calling that a choke of EPIC proportions. I'm not sure she can come back, but I hope she does because the Dem's are loosing the race against the fiery Republicans.

Tonight should be interesting...I can't wait to see who Trump insults and I'm guessing I'm not the only one. It doesn't make for great politics, but it sure does make for great TV.

Playing The Trump Card

Does anyone really think that The Donald has a chance in the presidential race? I gotta give the guy kudos though. He's got balls...He's for sure blunt, rough and no nonsense. The crap that comes out of his mouth is unbelievable but he says it like he thinks he sees it. And that's really the problem here-it's Donald's world and we just live in it according to him. Don't get me wrong-I like Trump. I think he's a likable character-and that's exactly what he is-a character.

But this time the stakes are high. Probably the highest he's ever had to endure and I'm not sure the world is ready for Donald to be in charge of us all. His recent comments about Mexico have illustrated that running the country is all together different than running a company. Like he can't just fire Greece-as much as he'd like to-and you certainly can't run a campaign that's based on bashing Mexico and a building a wall. You just can't fire Russia and the Middle East, that's not the way it works but I'm not sure Mr. Trump understands that.

What he will understand is the fallout of his thoughtless outbursts. NBC, Univision and now Macy's are all cutting ties with Trump. Do you think he's kicking himself for putting his foot in his mouth? I think not. I imagine Donald Trump loves being in the press regardless of whether it's for good or bad. A consummate showman, he probably believes he coined the phrase, "There is no such thing as bad publicity". But this isn't his boardroom anymore. This is a global boardroom and Trump doesn't get to make the rules. I doubt he would survive in an environment that he can't control completely.

I get why he's running though.

Trump thinks the world is based on "The Art of The Deal", and since he wrote the book, quite literally, his ego must lead him to conclude that he could be the Commander in Chief of the US simply because he never met a deal he couldn't manipulate to his advantage. At 69, Trump probably believes it's now or never and why not him? He's got the money, resources and time to make a run at it but that's about all it's going to be. A run-and at the rate he's going at today it's going to be over before it even started.

Yes Mr. Trump, this is the country of opportunity and if you want to run for President you have the freedom to do so! What you can't do is shoot your mouth off and make derogatory public statements about others without pissing off a nation. This time you aren't dealing with the likes of a Rosie O'Donnell that you can publicly shame and bully. It's not like you can tweet at Putin that he's a fat loser without becoming the biggest loser yourself.

This ain't no reality show, it's reality.

This Is Exactly Why I Don't Discuss Politics In Mixed Company-Again..

My Grandmother, God rest her soul, had many words of wisdom. One of my favorites that she always said was, "never tell ages or wages or discuss politics in mixed company." Boy she wasn't kidding. There is a notorious reason why I will never discuss politics in mixed company and I wrote about it in a four part series on the Daily Dandy HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. Feel free to check these out at your leisure-it's a doozy of a story. Of course it proves this theory nicely, because sure as sh*t, it happened yet again the other night.

Now it wasn't even close to what had happened before, but you can bet it got, shall we say, awkward? My Guy had arranged a fabulous birthday dinner for his wife (me) at our home with 8 guests. My nephew is an amazing chef and he cooked us a spectacular 4 course meal that was scrumptious! My parents were in attendance, some dear friends of ours and another couple we socialize with quite frequently. Interestingly enough, the latter couple are in the same age demographic as my parents, so the mix of generations couldn't have been more perfect!

Happily enjoying pre-dinner drinks and some fantastic appetizers, the group was getting on swimmingly until someone brought up politics. I will preface this with a disclaimer: Candy's Daily Dandy and it's management do not endorse any political party, organization or politician publicly. Whether or not I personally agree or disagree with what transpired is completely irrelevant to the story. So in the spirit of story telling, I will continue.

Someone decided to bring up the "O" word. I say that because suddenly the happy and smiling faces became blank and sullen. Someone said something disparaging about our President and immediately someone else defended our President. Political banter was exchanged and some not so nice faces were being made in one direction towards the other. Being the hostess, I jumped to action immediately and brought my dear Grandmother's words to everyone's attention. I then went on to tell a witty story about my Irish, swearing, sports loving, gambling Grandmother to which I had everyone's rapt attention.

I'm not sure if it was the spirit of my Grandma, the story about her I told or the fact that they got my message loud and clear-but the conversation ceased and merry was made for the rest of the evening. The two parties that had earlier disagreed even sat next to each other at dinner, laughing and enjoying the night. It actually turned out to be one of my favorite evenings I've had in a long time.

And to Grandma I say, thank you! I know somehow we dodged a bullet on that one.

It's Our Civic Doodie

Two friends are discussing politics on Election Day, each trying to no avail to convince the other to switch sides.

Finally, one says to the other: ``Look, it's clear that we are unalterably opposed on every political issue. Our votes will surely cancel out. Why not save ourselves some time and both agree to not vote today?''

The other agrees enthusiastically and they part.
Shortly after that, a friend of the first one who had heard the conversation says, ``That was a sporting offer you made.''

``Not really,'' says the second. This is the third time I've done this today.

Sweet Nothings

It's a fickle time that we live in. The man pictured above may not be known to you, unless you live in Massachusetts. Charlie Baker is a local politician who is running for Governor. His opponent is Martha Coakley, the Attorney General. It's a tight race, but according to WBUR , Martha holds a 10 point lead over Baker. With a month to go before the vote, every moment must be analyzed and calculated. Polls, people and photo-ops are the stuff that wins elections and the candidates know it.

That's why Charlie may have just committed political suicide by uttering one sentence-on camera. Charlie Baker made a huge error when he did something I do quite frequently. Something the President himself has done and something that may well be innocent, but not in these times. Not today.

Charlie Baker was asked a question the other day by local Fox 25 reporter Sharman Sacchetti on camera, His response was, "OK, this is the last one sweetheart." Immediately, Sacchetti responded with "Sweetheart?" The local news had a field day with it and the sound bite ran on loop on all the major news stations. A female journalist dubbed it a "sexist slip-up" and others criticized the comment as "degrading towards women".  Charlie immediately put out a statement then called Sharman Sacchetti and apologized for the error.

“I apologize to Sharman, as she is an accomplished professional and someone who I have come to both respect and consider a friend,” Baker said in a statement.

He then commented;

“I did call Sharman last night, apologized and she was gracious enough to accept my apology. My comment was a mistake and certainly doesn't represent my work, my attitude or what I am all about,” he said, according to Baker’s campaign manager Tim Buckley.

 Oh Charlie, these are not good times.

What he did was foolish, yes it was. But do I believe that Charlie was being sexist, or worse demeaning to a woman? I'm not quite sure. I have to admit that I use the term "honey" or "sweetie" more often than not when having pleasant conversation with people who I may or may not know. In fact I do it a lot, and I've decided that it may be received the opposite of the way it was intended. I need to be aware of NOT using the term. Case in point Charlie Baker. While my mother, grandmother and Charlie's relatives may use the term freely when conversing, they aren't running for public office or working with the masses.

I guess what I'm trying to say is WE need to learn to whisper no sweet nothing.

WTF?

Like my dear departed grandma used to say, "Jesus, Mary and Joseph and all of the apostles"......

Never one to discusss politics in mixed company, today I'm not really discussing politics, rather complaining about it. This new mess that the US government is engrossed in is just that; a fricken HOLY mess. I'm totally disgusted and I feel like the baby boys who call themselves the decision makers in Washington are acting like a group of spoiled brats who are taking their toys and going home. So where does that leave us? 

I'm so concerned that yesterday I decided to watch, "Meet the Press" so I could learn something tangible to better understand how this debacle will affect my life, our economy and my business. I learned something alright, but it was of no help to me. What I learned is that the Republicans hate the Democrats, the Democrats hate the Republicans, everybody hates the President and the Tea Party hates everyone. Does any of this bullshit political posturing help anyone? Give anyone fiscal confidence? No. It serves to make investors jittery and our stock market loose points. It's bad for all of us and they know it. 

It's like the ultimate gamble and these idiots are playing a game of political "chicken" on this issue, while forsaking the outcome. For Christssake??? Where are the leaders of yester year, who threaten but then break political bread together and hammer it out. Where's good old Teddy Kennedy when you need him? I'm sure he's posturing like a madman up in heaven as we speak. 

For the love of God and all that is HOLY....get your shit together Washington! TODAY! before you ruin all the economic ground we have gained. 

Luck Be A Lady

This is Jessica Buchanan. Jessica could be considered one lucky American.

In the fall of 2011, Jessica and a Danish citizen Poul Hagen Thisted were working with children on a demining project in the Somali town of Adow, when they were kidnapped by Somali Pirates. Held for ransom for over three months, the Somali's nearly killed their golden goose, Jessica.

Apparently, the Somali's refused a 1.5 million dollar ransom offer and many attempts to free the hostages by the Danish Refugee Council were unsuccessful. Sick, half starved and beginning to give up hope, Jessica was recorded explaining that she thought she had what was a serious kidney infection, and feared that she would soon die.

For Jessica, luck soon intervened.

On January 25, 2012 a group of United States Navy Seals, late one night raided the compound where the hostages were being held, killed nine pirates and rescued Jessica and Poul. They brought medicine for a sick and weak Jessica and incredibly, as they carried her to the location where they waited for the helicopter to lift them away, the navy seals delicately placed Jessica on the ground then the entire navy seal team gently laid down on top of her to protect her from danger.

They laid down on top of her...They placed their lives before hers and ensured that Jessica would get back to the US safely.

Was it luck?

Some say Jessica placed herself in a dangerous situation that she could have avoided. That being where she was increased her chances of danger dramatically and that the US should not negotiate with terrorists. Personally, I feel that's an argument for another day. What I think the most incredible thing in this story is this:

They laid down on top of her.....

Was it luck that a Navy Seal Team rescued her that night when time was running out for her?
Was she in the wrong place at the wrong time or was she at the right place at the right time?
Maybe luck had nothing to do with it, but Poul Hagen Thisted reportedly said, in his interview after their rescue, he considered himself "lucky" to have been held hostage with an American.

Candy Does NOT make a Dandy Swami

OK, so I'm new at this.

Remember back this year, on January 3rd, a mere 363 days ago, I made some predictions for the year 2012 here?

Well, boy did I SUCK at it. Out of the five predictions, only one and a half of them were on the money. That's pretty bad and if I were a betting woman, I would not bet on me.

Lets go over them point by point, shall we?

I predicted:

1. Mitt Romney will defeat Barak Obama for the Presidency of the United States. Yup, I just see it, like you know how you visualize winning a race or scoring a goal? I just see Mitt as our next leader of the free world. This is by no means an endorsement of any candidate or political party by Candy's Daily Dandy. This is just a feeling, a hunch and I could totally be wrong.

Boy was I wrong...BUT, I'll take solace in knowing that I'm not the only one who may have thought this to be true at that time. I had a 50-50 shot at it and I was wrong. OK, so I better not quit the day job. I get it.

Next up, I perdicted:

2. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie will get married. This one's kind of a no brainer. I'm not the smartest or most incredible swami for making this prediction, I'm just a mother and a woman and right around, kind of, the same, not exactly but sort of the same age as the Hollywood power couple. Since they have 6 kids together and family is their number one priority, the next logical and romantic step is to make it legal. Really, who are they going to move onto? Both are the top of their demographic when it comes to picking a partner of the opposite sex, so it only makes sense. Plus, there is nothing more romantic or fulfilling. Again, just my opinion.

So this is the one that I got HALF right. Brad and Angie didn't get married this year, but they did get engaged. Brad put a ring on it and maybe next year we will see the wedding. Maybe not. Maybe they are already secretly married. Hmmm. Maybe the wedding will make it to next year's Daily Dandy predictions. I'll take the half here.

Then I predicted:

3. Over sized glasses will be all the rage. Take my advice here, and buy a pair of over sized sun glasses, but the real fire will spread with over sized reading and eye glasses. The bigger the better. Geek is chic and big, geeky, nerdy glasses will make a huge fashion statement in 2012. You know how I know? They are hot all over Europe in 2011 and we follow suit.

This is the ONE that I got right, which isn't much of a stretch seeing I consider myself to be somewhat of a fashion guru. Maybe I should stick to that instead of predicting the future., just sayin.

4. Robert DeNiro will make a huge Hollywood comeback as Bernie Madoff. DeNiro's Production company, Tribeca Films, will produce the film as HBO bought the rights to the Madoff Family's Book, "Truth and Consequences: Life Inside The Madoff Family". Written by Ruth Madoff, Andrew Madoff and Andrew's fiancee, Catherine Hooper. I venture to guess that there isn't a person out there who isn't curious about this story, and this predictions about DeNiro. It should be released by year's end, so DeNiro will have at Oscar in 2013.

Where the HELL did this come from? Now I'm not saying that this one may never come to fruition, and If it does, you all will be the first one's to hear about my prediction coming true, but Oscar? Really? I want some more of what I may have been smoking at that time, because that's just not even close. Unless someone knows someone, who knows a guy,  who knows that this deal is going on in Hollywood behind closed doors as we speak, please let me know. Otherwise I'll just sweep this prediction under the carpet and move on with my life. 

And speaking of sweeping predictions under the carpet. I said:

 5. Ok, so I'm going out on a limb here, but it's no fun otherwise. AND you know that I truly believe this: The New England Patriots will defeat The New Orleans Saints to win Super Bowl XLVI in 2012. Yup, they just may be on their way to peaking right now, and just in the nick of time. I may be off about the Super Bowl opponent, so if it's not the Saints, it's going to be the Packers. Even though the Pats have serious, serious issues on defense, and they can't afford to fall behind more than two scores with either of these teams in the beginning of the game, we have Tommy. He's the best in the business and he knows how to get it done. And he will. Also, My Tommy is the MVP of Super Bowl XLVI.

I'm such a homer. I really DON'T want to revisit this heartbreak again.,but:

On the positive side for Candy: I did predict that that Pats would be in the Superbowl, so, I think I get half a point there and the rest is just not worth discussing without HURLING. 

So, I'm gonna take the extra half a point and call my overall prediction score 2 for 5 and be done with it. Even so, I've decided that I'm going to do it again and make my predictions for 2013. It can't get any worse, right? Stay tuned. 

Happy New Year Bloggers. I PREDICT a healthy and happy 2013 for all my blogger buddies. 

The Politics Of Life

So Frack started asking me about the issues in this election. What I found so interesting was that he seems to be forming opinions about political parties and political posturing. He asked me specifically about taxes and what Obama has done and what Romney claims he will do. I didn't quite have the answers for him, and I'm realizing that we both need to be more informed.

The one thing I could tell him for sure was that partisan politics has never been more divided than it has at this moment in recent history and that the crux of this problem lies in the House and the President's politics. When the two can't agree to look over party lines, real damage can be done and not for the good of the people.

What can I tell him and how can I help to mold his political opinions when I myself, do not affiliate with any political party?

So I told him I vote for the man. I told him I listen to the issues and I try to focus on the ones that matter to me and my family. I'm a small business owner, so I listen when they talk about that. I am a tax payer, so I am concerned about where my tax dollars are going and whether or not they will increase or decrease. I have a family and I'm concerned about their health and well being. I want to know that the government cares about them too. And I told him that change comes in small doses and that it's important to give back to the community.

I'm in awe of his 16-yr-old political curiosity.

I hope I am doing him a service by spewing forth my very own brand of politics so that he may someday become politically responsible too. It's certainly something I thought about but not to the extent that I need to now. I owe it to my son and to the future of this country.

Foxy Brown

EDITOR"S NOTE: Today's post is not a political endorsement of any candidate running for office or any political party. Today's post is just an observation/opinion on physical appearance and has no political agenda whatsoever.


Ok, so can we talk freely?

When did Scott Brown become so foxxy?? I'm watching my TV and I spy a Brown for Senate ad and I'm suddenly thinking. 'damn, that Scott Brown is handsome'. Of course, the ad portrays him as an everyday kind of guy who folds laundry and takes to the road to speak to the people, but I can't stop thinking that the guy is hot. Shame on me.

As a political figure, I'll keep my Scott Brown opinions to myself, but if he's speaking to a group of ladies, I'll wager that he's got ALL of their attention. I'm not sure that is a good or a bad thing, because during that speech, I'm sure 90% of those ladies aren't quite getting his whole message. Yeah, they're thinking what I was thinking and, "What was that you said again? Never mind."

It's true that Scott Brown got some mad swagger these days. Is it because he is a US Senator and he splits his time between Washington and the state of Massachusetts and has tons of photo ops with important and influential people? It can't hurt, and that's what I'm talking about here today. Physical beauty=opportunity. Shallow, but true. Now with all that attention, I have to ask the question if attention=votes? And in an election year, when the women's vote is highly respected and sought after, I wonder if Foxy Brown here has a slight advantage in the voting booth.

As my dad would say; maybe yes, maybe no.

I'd hate to think that women were that shallow.

The Tangled Web

I'm not quite sure what to make of this woman, but upon first glance at her, my thoughts are not good.

Now who am I to judge her, really, but I truly believe this woman has some bad karma following her around. Rielle Hunter, her real name, Lisa Jo Druck, has lived a tough enough existence since meeting then Presidential candidate, John Edwards in a hotel bar in New York in 2006. She famously became his secret mistress and bore his love child in 2007. All by choice. You see, she has been weaving this web of tangles for quite some time and karma, as they say, can be a real bitch.

Ok, so what makes this situation more tawdry than most adulterous affair stories? The guy was running for President of the United States, while engaging in an adulterous affair with his so called "document-arian" who scored a $250,000.00 contract to film Edwards behind the scenes of his campaign. When his aides quickly realized her work was shoddy and unprofessional, the jig, behind the scenes was officially up. And up meaning everybody involved knew that Hunter and Edwards were doing the nasty on the quiet.

John Edwards, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?

The guy was swimming in the biggest fishbowl of all, yet he continued to have a adulterous affair with this woman while continuing his campaign for President and doing so while his wife of many years battled cancer.

Talk about lying and cheating.

How do you live with yourself?

These two not only lived with themselves, they lived with Edwards trusted aide, Andrew Young, who is no better than them, and bilked the wealthy Edwards campaign supporters out of millions to keep the secret quiet. What did they think would happen? Did they really think that Edwards had a chance at the White House? And that if he won they would sneak Rielle and her baby in the back door of the Oval Office?

I'm sorry to say that they both deserve each other, Rielle and Edwards. It's the innocent children I feel sorry for. Elizabeth, may she rest in peace, got her revenge. After it was all revealed, she got rid of the biggest cancer of all, HIM, and went on with what was left of her life. As for Edwards and his mistress? These two continue to dredge up feelings of  lies and deceit wherever they go.

Edwards is a social and political pariah and Hunter? She's just a pariah. And I'm not quite sure what to make of that.

Why I Will Never Discuss Politics In Mixed Company: Part 1

Today I'm going to tell you a story.

This story is so legendary that I'm thinking it's going to take three blog posts to complete. The subject matter so unbelievable, that I know you'll be coming back for more over the next few days. What I'm about to tell you is 100 percent true. I may color an outfit or an expletive or not remember the exact words that were used, but the facts are the facts, both true and unbelievable. I couldn't make this shit up.

This story begins 8 years ago in May 2004, back when I was married to an asshole. It was said asshole's birthday, and being the Queen of the birthday celebration that I am, I decided to mark the occasion with a proper celebration. EX-ASS's birthday falls in May and I planned a dinner out with some of our closest friends. I decided to go to a new place in Boston called Kings, which is a bowling alley with a nightclub type atmosphere. You can get drinks while you bowl and listen to music under disco balls and black lights. At the time it was waaaay cool and very busy, so the plan was to have dinner first, directly above at Jasper White's Summer Shack-a great seafood restaurant, then go down to bowl.

I had invited 3 other couples: We will call them:
K&J, very dear college friends:
L&A, very dear local friends and
C&T some new friends with whom we had become VERY close with, who lived in our neighborhood.

I invited all three couples to my home before heading into Boston for margarita's and chips and dip. It was a spectacular warm spring evening and needless to say there were a lot more margarita's going on than chips and dip. I might have even had a heavy hand with the tequila because by the time we got to the Summer Shack, we were all having a grand old time and feeling GREAT. Let me just set the scene: The Summer Shack is one of those celebrity chef restaurants with great food, but the Summer Shack has a casual, beach like atmosphere. The tables are picnic tables with table cloths and benches. Mini tin buckets are on the table tops so you can discard lobster shells and crab legs and bibs are a pre-requisite. The dress code is flip flops, t-shirts and shorts.

We, on the other hand, are all dressed to the nines. My friend L, of L&A, is a Russian and NEVER is dressed down. Casual is a dirty word in her vocabulary. Her winter boots are Christian Louboutin 7inch heels, and that night she was wearing skin tight leather from head to toe. We sat down to eat; girls on one side of the picnic benches and boys across from their spouses on the other side and immediately ordered more margarita's.

The good times were flowing. We were laughing and talking and just when you thought things couldn't get any better, someone brought up the P word. POLITICS. This was right around the time of the Iraq prisoner abuse scandal, and what transpired next is true. Whether you agree with me or not is irrelevant to the story and not something I choose to debate at this time.

These are just the facts:
I was sitting in between J and C, with L on the other side of C. J says something about the Iraq prisoner scandal like:

"You know, we don't really know what motivated the Americans to abuse those Iraqi soldiers," she said. "They could have said things about killing and torturing other American soldiers that possibly provoked the abuse."
To which C responds,"Are you kidding me? What are you a FUC*ING moron?"

The table goes silent.

Now remember, I'm sitting in between the two ladies, on one side of a picnic bench. These ladies don't know each other, having just met for the first time this evening. I could hardly believe what I just heard. As hostess, I calmly say to C, seated on my left.

"Whoa, whoa..no need to name call here, C. Calm down. We are just having a discussion and I believe J is entitled to her opinion."

To which C responds, "What? Are you a FUC*ING moron too."

I think the blood drained form my face as I then looked over at C's husband who launches into a whole, "don't tell me you are a Bush supporter, because if you are than you are a FUC*ING MORON too." J is speechless, and I let this sit for a brief moment, because I think I was in shock, when I see L, looking like a Russian Lolita, get up and walk over to T to ask him to not make a scene and ruin the night. I am now sitting between K and J and K is spewing forth all this bullshit about what a moron J is for saying what she said with her finger pointing in J's direction.

To say I was SHOCKED would be an understatement. With my face contorted into an angry expression I did not recognize, I launch into a tirade on C about how this is a free country and J is entitled to her opinion and who the hell does she think she is. Out of the corner of my eye I see T and L fighting and I hear him say, "you're a FUCKING MORON too. You're all MORONS." And with a wave of his hand he says, "Now get the fu*k outta my face."

Not a good move. At. All.

I snapped. And, like my big brother, I never snap unless provoked but get me there and it ain't going to be pretty.

Just as the table is about to erupt into some kind of ugly, fist-a-cuffs bar brawl, I stand up, completely red faced with steam coming from my ears, and I slam both of my hands down onto the table as hard as I could. The entire restaurant is now silent and all eyes are on me.

I look over at T an C and with my entire body shaking with anger and my mouth scrunched into an evil scowl I say:

"I WANT YOU TO LEAVE." I then added so that there was to be no confusion, at all. "AND I WANT YOU TO LEAVE NOOOOW!"

Not another word was spoken. No one moved, except for T&C who quietly got up from the table and left the restaurant in complete silenced shame with everyone watching.

My heart was racing and everyone was in shock. Including everyone in the restaurant.

Part II tomorrow: Just the tip of the iceberg.

The Critical Thinker

Frack had another academic A-HA moment at our kitchen table yesterday, and I love it when that happens. See, I got an email on Wednesday from one of Frack's teachers that-let's just say-didn't make me want to shout up and down the street with pride. Having said that, Frack took it like a man and paid his penance. Yesterday was a gorgeous day and since Frack was home, I told him that I needed two solid hours of homework from him after he was done helping out around the house.

Frack was pissed. He was moaning and groaning and I think he might have even punched a wall on his way upstairs to retrieve his backpack. (oh no you didnnnt!!) When he came down stairs, we spread everything out on the kitchen table and I decided to help him study for a Biology test he had today. There was a hell of a lot of huffing and sighing, eye rolling, and 'tude flowing from the young man at the table, so I confronted him.Frack expressed his belief that Biology was "stupid" and you guessed it, "unnecessary for his future."

"I'm never going to use this in real life, mom." he complained. "It's a colossal waste of my time."

Probably, I think we've all thought this exact same thought when we might have been Frack's age. I'll guess I even said those exact same words to my beleaguered parents at some point in my adolescence. But the Gods of Academia must have been smiling down on me at that very moment because I unleashed this sage-like monologue about how academics is really about teaching critical thinking strategies. Since Frack will not be pursuing a career in medicine or science, (so he says) Biology, I opined, is a specific means to an end to train his mind to approach a subject, any subject, using critical thinking techniques.

I was brilliant and I was eloquent. I don't know what came over me. I used my own experience with politics. While I don't really claim to jump up and down when Bill O'Reilly is on TV, (My Liberal Guy watches political news programs often) I told Frack that I listen, because it's my responsibility to make informed decisions about what happen to our country. Frack was uncharacteristically riveted. It was just one of those teaching moments with my children that made me grateful for the opportunities that I received as a kid and took advantage of. After I was done imparting my wisdom, I left the house to do some errands. I told Frack I would return later and quiz him on his "Cell Transport and Cell Structure" studies.

When I came back, some 4 hours later, there was a different kid sitting at the kitchen counter. He was brilliant and eloquent. He was explaining methods of cellular transport to me like he was a Rhodes Scholar applying for a Biology grant, and he was DELIGHTING in his own knowledge. After Frack aced everything we had dinner and sat to relax. My Guy later showed us a pro-Obama YouTube video touting his achievements during his time in office. Frack, in his newly minted sponge-like desire for information, loved it. He started asking questions about politics, political parties and political ideologies. Never one to discuss politics in mixed company, I gently reminded Frack that what he had just seen was produced and released by our President, a President who is running for re-election in this election year.

A robust political debate ensued between My Guy and I and Frack soaked up every bit of it. He got a great education about all sides of the politics of an election and such. And just when I thought that My Guy had the advantage with Frack, Frack looked and me and said,

"Don't worry mom. I can use critical thinking to make my own decisions about partisan politics."

I freakin' love that kid....

Meanwhile, Over At the Hen House

Overheard at my water cooler yesterday.

• What did Sandra Bullock expect? He was married to a PORN star?


• Who the hell does Kate Gosselin think she is?


• All I have heard for three days is the incessant drone of the FOX news channel. I'm beginning to think Bill O'Riley is sexy.


• Navy blue and black is the new black.


• The guacamole is the good fat. The six hundred chips you ate with it are the bad fats.


• How could your a*s look fat in those skinny jeans?


• What am I making for dinner tonite? Reservations. hahahaha!


• Tolani scarves are the must have accessory of the spring. "They are all so gorgeous, how can I choose just one." Serious...


• Is this "March Madness" thing a reference to the big winter clearance sale at Bloomingdales?


• Do men curse more than women?


• The Kevyn Aucoin mascara is the BEST EVER! (the item is sold out, but I have it and I'll ship it!! Contact me at candy@thecandybaratww.com )


• Let's meet after work for a few Margarita's and our own brand of March Madness! Hell yes, look out!

The Distinguished Office Of The American Presidency

Stress.

Constant exposure to daily stress can take it's toll on the best of us. It can cause serious health problems, early heart attacks, deplete the body of essential vitamins and minerals and reek havoc on a healthy body.

You think you've got stress in your life?? Check this out. Leading researchers have recently completed a study on the physical effects of stress and what it has done to the last 4 surviving American Presidents.

The photograph on the left is of the President and First Lady going into office. The one on the right is of them after leaving office.

Any questions?

A Little Dash Of This And That

I know sometimes I'm likely to throw up a funny for a cheap laugh.......and that's exactly what I'm doing today!

I jacked this baby off the Boston Herald's web site this morning because it gave me a chuckle. You would have had to have watched Sunday's Super Bowl to "get" it, so if you don't know what I'm talking about, please see here for more hilarity.

I seem to be on a "greatest show on turf" theme this week, so in keeping with that theme, let's have a debate on tomorrow's Daily Dandy. I've had more than a few discussions and seen some media about legendary rock band The Who's halftime performance which has sparked a controversy about aging rockers and when to say when.

Bring your A game tomorrow and we'll have a throw down over who's sexier; Bruce Springsteen or Adam Lambert? Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day or Steven Tyler?

I can't wait....

Despicable Doesn't Begin To Cover It

Sorry about the confusion over Friday's post. As my friend, Mrs. Hall explained so eloquently on Friday's post in the comment section, yes it was judgement day for my EX ASS, meaning my asshole of an EX-husband. Thanks to Mrs. Hall and I apologize to you bloggers for my quick, crap post, as it was literally thrown together on an iphone as I sat in a court house. (I thought the picture was brilliant, though)

Funny, but after listening to the lies of the EX-ASS, and the lengths he would go to to save his own hide, I went on about my day only to come home that night to catch ABC's news program 20/20.

How ironic.

The topic was Andrew Young, ex-aide to John Edwards, tell all book about the despicable John Edwards and the cover up of the decade. It would seem that this was the day for me to sit mesmerized by tales and lies and the lengths that people will go to, to cover up the truth. Of course, not everything we read, see or hear is the absolute truth and Mr. Young is just as despicable as Mr. Edwards, but whoo boy, I couldn't help but wonder what the HELL John Edwards was thinking.

Seems Edwards was in the midst of his run for the White House and the American Presidency, when the shit hit the fan and the fan was on high. Edwards, seen by the media as the dark horse in the race against Hillary and Obama, was the possible front runner in the pending Iowa Caucuses. Around the same time Edwards wife of 30 years, Elizabeth, was diagnosed with breast cancer, and she valiantly and publicly urged her husband to continue his presidential bid. What we, the American people, didn't know was also at the same time Mr. Edwards VERY PREGNANT mistress Rielle Hunter, was about to give birth to his illegitimate child. And that there were lots of people willing to lie, finance, and cover up this fact, to get Edwards into the White House at all costs. But lucky for us, we have the National Enquirer, who's sole purpose it is to expose scumbags of all race and class and political party.

The National Enquirer was hot on Rielle Hunter's trail and Edwards had to make a move fast. What's even more ironic is that Edwards didn't seem to be worried about loosing his presidential bid as much as he was worried about his wife finding out about Rielle and the baby. In stepped trusted aide Andrew Young to save the day. This boob had his nose so far up Edwards ass that he actually made a public statement, claiming paternity of Hunter's child. Young, married with three children, moved Edward's preggers hussy into his home, with said family, and fell on his sword for Edwards. Motivated by what could only be an unlimited bank account, Young, his wife and Hunter went into hiding while they waited for the birth of the child.

The rest is history, as they say, Edwards tanked in Iowa, then New Hampshire and pretty much suspended his campaign after that. Ya think? How the hell this guy did not have an anxiety attack during all of this is amazing. It just reinforces the fact that he is most certainly a pathological, self absorbed, despicable liar who will ruin, destroy and crush anyone in his path. I mean, did he really think he could become president with THAT skeleton in his closet?? I will never understand how terrible people manage to get away with terrible things.

Andrew Young is not without fault. He has fallen in the graces of his colleagues for a man who promised to take care of him forever, only to find himself now unemployable. A man who told Andrew he will always be family, and today will not take his calls. A man who abused Andrew's trust, his wife's trust, his mistress' trust, this country's trust and for what?

Today, they are all sitting in their own stink and despicable doesn't begin to cover it is a mere understatement.

Senate Race Rule #1: Spell Check

Just in case the rest country wasn't aware of it, there's a little Senate race going on here in Mass between a man and a woman. The woman's a Dem and the man's a Republican and they just so happened to be fighting for THE Senate seat that once belonged to one of the biggest legends of the Senate, the Liberal Lion, Ted Kennedy. If that doesn't warrant the rest of the country's eye upon them, I don't know what will.

The man, MA State Senator Scott Brown, who's biggest claim to fame is his 15 hundred, way-over-the-time-limit-on-fame, minutes daughter, Alya Brown, a Season 5 reject from American Idol, is running against the woman, MA Attorney General Martha Coakley. And it's getting ugly.

Or I should say it's getting good.

Just a few short weeks ago Scott Brown, a pallid underdog who was points behind the technicolor Coakley in the polls, is just now showing his true colors when it really counts. At the finish line. Before this week, Brown was the clear underdog going up against Coakley and the Democratic machine that is MA. With the election one week away, Coakley turned up the heat with an onslaught of negative media ads and it's strategy backfired. Brown then pulled out his favorite weapon, his daughter, *yawn* who was on the front page of the Boston Herald yesterday, blasting Coakley for playing dirty pool with her Daddy. Coakley tried to play the "woman" card in her negative ads, and it may have given Brown the surge he needed in the polls, for as of today, the race is locked in a dead heat.

Besides the snafu the Coakley campaign made with the strategic error, they also made a HUGE, embarrassing error, which wears like a big spot of Ketchup on Coakley's clean whites. In a last minute attack ad on Scott Brown, the campaign misspelled the state of Massachusetts, as, "MASSACHUSETTES". Which leads some to believe that they smell a bit of panic in the air. So what happens when panic ensues? They bring out the big guns. A Brown win would not bode well for Pres Obama's health care reform push, and the Dems would loose the majority in the Senate. I can just hear Teddy turning over in his grave. So Barry just may have to take a trip to Beantown an smile nice with Martha. I know I just LOVE my TV and radio bombarded with their political ads, 24-7.

Either way, it's going to be a busy weekend for the two candidates. Martha has Barak and Scott has Ayla.

While Coakley is still projected to win, Brown has siezed the opportunity to have his voice on the issues heard. If this race is really about health care, I think maybe Scott/Alya have the advantage.

And maybe Alya's 15 minutes is not quite up yet. Maybe the next song she sings won't be a swan song at all, but a song her dad's victory party.

Maybe not. But I bet Scott and Alya Brown can both spell Massachusetts correctly.

The Lion No Longer Roars

Senator Edward Kennedy died last night at the age of 77.

"We've lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever," his family said.
It's been a tough few weeks for the Kennedy clan. The latest of Joe and Rose Kennedy's children to pass, Ted and his sister Eunice, who died less than a few weeks ago, leave a legacy of public service and political fortitude like no other family in political history.

At a time when health care is at the forefront of the President's political agenda, Ted Kennedy's passing calls to mind his efforts in the health care arena. His name adorns almost every piece of legislation for the advancement of health for Americans in the past five decades. There are those who now speculate what the impact of Sen. Kennedy's absence from the Senate floor will have on President Obama's health care proposals. A tireless advocate for civil rights and welfare rights, Senator Kennedy fought for the advancement of the people of America and his constituency.

Diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in May of 2008, Ted silenced the doctors and critics when her returned to work at the Senate not long after stringent radiation and chemotherapy treatments. He lived almost a year to the day of his address at the 2008 Democratic National Convention where he spoke of his ilness and Obama's message of hope. There was still work to be done, and as long as Teddy could handle it, he wanted to continue on with his life's work.

Ted Kennedy was certainly not without controversy. He took his Senate seat in 1962, a seat that was vacated by his brother John when he was elected to the higher office of the President, and never quite realized his own political goal of high office. The fate of Senator Kennedy and high office was pretty much sealed with the 1969 Chappaquiddick scandal. We may never know what truly happened in that auto accident that left a young woman dead, but Senator Kennedy was never able to truly atone politically for the tragedy.

As a Massachusetts resident, I cannot help but mourn the loss of our own son, public servant, and advocate of the people. I may not have agreed with his political agenda at times, but I recognize that today, the world has lost a great one. The last surviving son of a family of political giants, bred to wield the power of elected office. They say he was the last of the natural politicians. In this country, I would venture to say that the Kennedy family were the closest thing we had to royalty. To the people of this largely Irish-Catholic commonwealth, Ted Kennedy was our Elvis. He may not have been cannonized as a Saint, but we adored him and respected what he represented and from where he came.

The Lion may have been silenced, but the word passing around the internets today somehow sum up Senator Kennedy's legacy and how his voice will still be heard; "In lieu of flowers, pass health care."

NSFW Friday

(For those of you who don't know, NSFW means Not Safe For Work)
Hi ho peeps! I've got a crazy day today so I gotta be brief and get right to it.


This is definitely NSFW!!! and something I was thinking about posting a while back but never got around to it. Who knew Eddie Murphy was a clairvoyant?

Have a great weekend everyone!