I BELIEVE IN SANTA CLAUS!

I got the best story via email the other day and just had to pass it on! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her. On the way, my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!"

My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her "world-famous" cinnamon buns.. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so. It had to be true.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus?" she snorted .... "Ridiculous! Don't believe it! That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your coat, and let's go." "Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second world-famous cinnamon bun.

"Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days. "Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.

I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church.

I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class. Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out to recess during the winter.

His mother always wrote a note telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough; he didn't have a good coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat! I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that.

"Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down."Yes, ma'am," I replied shyly. "It's for Bobby."

The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really needed a good winter coat. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag, smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat (a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) in Christmas paper and ribbons and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it. Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially, one of Santa's helpers.

Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going." I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his door and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma.
Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.

Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team. I still have the Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95.

And always remember, if you quit believing in Santa Clause, you get underwear for Christmas!!

Sometimes I just have to laugh at how well my friends know me... I got this random text message on my cell phone the other day. (By the way, check out scottgbrooks.com. Love his quirky artistic style!)

"I just heard on the news someone checked into the psych ward wearin just a thong & riding a goat. I'll come get you, but I swear, This is THE LAST TIME!"

Oh.. so VERY wrong!

My dear husband knows how very easily amused I am, so last night he sent me scouting for various lists that had real websites on them... that just weren't thought through terribly well. I haven't laughed that hard in a while, so I thought I'd share them with you!

ilovebigals.com - Got to love Big Al's bowling!

expertsexchange.com - Apparently someone got wise and now it's changed to Experts-Exchange.com.

therapistfinder.com - Therapist... that's therapist... one word, not two.

whorepresents.com - WhoRepresents has celebrity profiles with up to the minute contact information for agents, managers, lawyers and publicists... not a shoping site for presents...

molestationnursery.com - The now defunct website where you could purchase "frost hardy native shrubs, cut flower varieties and farm trees" in New South Wales. (was funnier when I thought it was a children's nursery. *chuckles*)

cummingfirst.com - Cumming First United Methodist Church, in Cumming, Georgia. Oh! Of course it's for a church...

speedofart.com - Does it make them swim faster?

gotahoe.com - Got a.. what? That's Go Tahoe!

truckersexpress.com - A specialized Heavy Haul industry leader, not a special press for... um...

helpmypenisstuck.com - I think they're trying to help with writer's block... but you never know!

Psst... I think I may have mentioned before that easily amused? ;)

The age old question... Is it a game?

Over the last two years, I've had some interesting discussions and even arguments with folks on whether SL is a "game" or not. And my final conclusion is that it is different things to different people. For me it's a game/past time that I use to satisfy my social cravings and let me play with a few fantasies. The title of my blog explains some about that... I love burlesque, but that's pretty much out of the question in my RL, so I get to "play one on TV". I can't, nor would I want to be a demon, neko, vampire, fairy... but sometimes it's fun to pretend! I think in a lot of ways, I never outgrew the desire to play dress up. :)

I know that for some of my friends who have very troubling and/or traumatic RLs, that SL is absolutely NOT a game, it's an extension of their RL. They go there when they can't cope with some of the issues that have come up in their RL. It can be a place to hide, a place to safely explore or experiment with hidden fantasies, a place to learn more about themselves. They have hit the pinacle of happiness and the pit of depression. I've had the chance to learn and grow within myself as well, but I've always had some very strong boundaries that I think in alot of ways have helped me maintain my own sanity and keep me from getting completely swept away by the fantasies.

I love my RL and that really helps me keep a firm grip on my reality. I really think that if I wasn't as grounded in RL... it would have been far easier to loose myself in the posibilites that SL presents. My husband spends works the graveyard shifts, so I don't get out much at night, so SL for me is a great social outlet that lets me meet new people, visit with friends and just have fun while I'm at home with sleeping little ones.

Second Life is, in my humble opinion, what you make of it. That's the beauty and the danger. It can be a tool, a game, or an addiction and you have to figure out how to safely explore and enjoy without letting it ruin your RL. So go out there, and live... love... and enjoy your world!

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. ~Anne Bradstreet

The Carnival's Coming!

I know it's shocking... two posts in one day, but I'm SO excited! My dearest friend Miss AnnaMaria Isabella sent me the first finalized image from our 2009 New Champagne Rooms Pin-Up Calendar and I just have to share! Isn't she darling? The theme this year, as you may have guessed already, is a travelling carnival.

We've taken our burlesque carnival act on the road before and performed at Flashman's, a 1920's style opium den and night club. It was a great success and we thought it would be a fun theme for the calendar this year.

20 Ways To Maintain A Healthy Level Of Insanity (aka. Easily Amused)

I normally am not one to pass on emails... I hate that whole forward forward thing. But occasionally I get a few gems that I love to pass on. I've seen this list before but it really does bear repeating!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

20 Ways To Maintain A Healthy Level Of Insanity

1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.

2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice.

3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, ask If They Want Fries with that.

4. Put Your Garbage Can On Your Desk And Label it "In".

5. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks. Once Everyone has Gotten Over their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso.

6. In The Memo Field Of All Your Ch ecks, Write "For Smuggling Diamonds".

7. Finish All Your sentences with "In Accordance With The Prophecy".

8. Don't use any punctuation.

9. As Often As Possible, Skip Rather Than Walk.

10. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.

11. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is "To Go".

12. Sing Along At The Opera.

13. Go To A Poetry Recital. And Ask Why The Poems Don't Rhyme?

14. Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area and Play tropical Sounds All Day.

15. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You're Not In the Mood.

16. Have Your Co-workers Address You By Your Wrestling Name, Rock Bottom.

17. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream "I Won! I Won!"

18. When Leaving The Zoo, Start Running Towards The Parking lot, Yelling "Run For Your Lives! They're Loose!"

19. Tell Your Children Over Dinner, "Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You Go."

20. And the final way to keep a healthy level of insanity... send this on to someone to make them smile. Its called therapy.

*blows you a kiss*

I can haz storytime?

I got the cutest photo of my daughter today from my mom and brother. She was over there and decided to read one of her books to the cat. I just couldn't resist!

On another note, I got a very profound quote from a friend of mine via email today that I wanted to share with you. Have a great day and Enjoy!

'Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she'll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of shit". ~Unknown

A turkey in the ten!

*giggles at herself* So we went bowling last night in SL and I had an absolute ball! (Pun intended) My SL sweetie decided for our anniversary to have a surprise party for Ahnya and her friends at a bowling alley, and I learned something very important! I SUCK at bowling! But I love having my dear friends around me just relaxing and having fun. I wind up spending so much of my time in game focusing on the club and other work related things that it's soo nice to just kick back and have fun together with a group again.

It's always interesting thinking and trying to express myself as two different people... Ahnya and I (her typist) because in some ways we're very much the same... and in some ways we're very different. I think that's probably common for many folks but it's always odd trying to explain how she can have a sweetie when I'm so happy in my RL relationship. My husband always laughs at me and rolls his eyes when I try explain that it's almost like having a "Choose your own" romance novel, but he humors me.

I have the distinct pleasure of becoming good friends with Ahnya's beau's typist. A really wonderful man and a fantastic father. It's been fun learning about him and his life over the last year, and also just enjoying some fun RP time in game when our schedules seem to collide.

I want to take this time to thank everyone who's made my time online such a joy. And even thank them for the occasional pain... because it reminds me how wonderful reality is. I know we in the US just celebrated Thanksgiving and I think that maybe that's why I'm waxing poetic on the past, but I just have so much to be thankful for! Love you all! Here's a fun little quote that I've heard paraphrased in several different ways, but the message clicks for me...

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out and proclaiming, 'WOOHOO, WHAT A RIDE!!!'"

And um... why are we here again?

With a gentle prod from a dear friend of mine (thank you Bettye! *blows you a kiss* I finally decided to take your advice), I have decided to jump into the wild world of blogging. I always have these silly little tidbits that amuse the hell out of me that I always forget later, so I figured I'd use this forum to keep track of them for future reference. I have no idea how often I'll toss out my deep thoughts or ridiculous musings, but we'll see how it goes!

I suppose I should start out with a bit about me. In my real life I'm a wife and a mother of two, my beautiful baby girl who's about to turn 3 and a darling 10 year old step-daugher. I am disgustingly happy with both roles! I'm deeply smitten with my fabulous husband of 7 years. I'm an online gamer who has travelled through various MMORGs and MUDs before landing in the crazy world of Second Life. In my second life I just celebrated my second Rez Day and somehow have somehow found myself the proud owner of a rather unique, vintage burlesque theater there called the New Champagne Rooms. You can find out more about that here if you're curious!

So I guess that's enough for now, but I thought I'd leave you with my amusing quote for the day...

"I will find that special person who is wrong for me in just the right way" ~Andrew Boyd