Dancing With The Stars Lineup-March 19-8PM

           

Donald Driver , “The Greenbay Packer”

 PRO PARTNER: Peta Murgatroyd

http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/cast-announcement/ThemeGallery/928803

       

Gavin Degraw , “The Platinum Pop Star”

PRO PARTNER: Karina Smirnoff

http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/cast-announcement/ThemeGallery/928804

        

Gladys Knight , “The Empress of Soul”

PRO PARTNER: Tristan MacManus

http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/cast-announcement/ThemeGallery/928805

      

Jack Wagner, “Soap’s Steamiest”

 PRO PARTNER: Anna Trebunskaya

http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/cast-announcement/ThemeGallery/928806

      

Jaleel White, “The Sitcom Star”

  PRO PARTNER: Kym Johnson

http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/cast-announcement/ThemeGallery/928807

      

Katherine Jenkins,“The Sexy Soprano”

PRO PARTNER: Mark Ballas

http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/cast-announcement/ThemeGallery/928808

         

Maria Menounos, “Hollywood’s Hottest Host”

PRO PARTNER: Derek Hough

http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/cast-announcement/ThemeGallery/928809

       

Martina Navratilova, “The Tennis Legend”

PRO PARTNER: Tony Dovolani

http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/cast-announcement/ThemeGallery/928810

      

Melissa Gilbert, “The Little House Legend”

PRO PARTNER: Maksim Chmerkovskiy

http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/cast-announcement/ThemeGallery/928811

        

Roshon Fegan, “Disney’s Triple Threat”

PRO PARTNER: Chelsie Hightower

http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/cast-announcement/ThemeGallery/928812

       

Sherri Shepherd, “The View’s Sassiest”

PRO PARTNER: Val Chmerkovskiy

http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/cast-announcement/ThemeGallery/928813

       

William Levy, “The Latin Hottie”

PRO PARTNER: Cheryl Burke

http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/cast-announcement/ThemeGallery/934511

It looks like a pretty good lineup…I am looking forward to seeing Gladys, Melissa, Sherri and Martina…and I always enjoy watching Cheryl, Derek and Maksim and Anna. It should be fun…I don’t see any dullards on here this time….you can figure out for yourself who I might mean.

This is MeddlingMom…have a wonderful day…and do a little dancing at home!

Desiderata-a thought for the weekend and your life…

Desiderata

(things desired)

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

                       

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let not this blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams; it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.

— Max Ehrmann, 1927

This is MeddlingMom….you have everything you need…

Oh, Whitney, we didn’t want you to go!

Anyone who was a fan of Whitney Houston and her music is still feeling sad. She rose so quickly to amazing fame. We loved watching and being a part of such magnificence. Her voice was a gift..truly..clear, precise, strong, so beautiful. She was vulnerable, sweet and from what I understand, it sounds as if she truly loved her strong religious upbringing. She got lost…unfortunately as so many do, not just those with fame and fortune…addictions can be deadly…they are fierce to fight off. At this point it is  clear that people die every day from drugs that are prescribed and taken along with something else. The estimate I heard the other day said that 100 people die every day from prescriptions taken incorrectly. So be careful, folks.

I don’t know about you, but I wasn’t ready to see Whitney leave us so soon. I found great comfort and enjoyment hearing so much of her music in recent days.  I remember a time when I was not familiar with who Whitney Houston was…it was 1985 and my soon-to-16 year-old daughter called me at work. “Whitney Houston is performing at the Tower tonight.”Who is Whitney Houston?” Well, you get the idea…of course I left work early to be at the box office when they opened…

Here is my daughter’s description on Facebook:

“I saw Whitney at a little theater in 69th street in Philly on her first tour in 1985 with my mom, Jess and Jess’s friend.  She was amazing, dressed in a peach skirt suit, so low key and gorgeous and her voice blew the roof off the place.  There were so many standing ovations for this young up and comer.  The theater probably had a capacity under 1,000 and we were probably 10th row.   I remember she had family members singing backup on her first tour.  She was such a pure talent.”

and I will add to that…there was no glitz and glamour yet. She had the audience in the palm of her hand. I had  no expectation since I did not know anything about her or her talent, but I remember her taking the audience from a high note, down, down, down, each of us following her notes as if we were almost hypnotized. We were in awe…I was aware at how skilled she was…we were hers…

Here’s a glimpse of what her day was like before that amazing performance.

December 09, 1985  By Mary Shaughnessy

• Whitney Houston climbs out of her black stretch limo and strides into the hilltop headquarters of Philadelphia’s WUSL at 4:40 p.m., right on time for her fourth live radio interview since 2 that afternoon, her 250th since June. Sporting a loose-fitting brown leather jacket, pegged jeans and dark glasses, a garland of black curls framing her delicately featured face, the rangy 5’8″ former model personifies casual elegance: a 22-year-old Nefertiti who carries herself with frightening self-assurance.
  Deejay Jeff Wyatt rises from his control board to greet Whitney. “You know, I coulda been a rich man if I accepted all the bribes from the guys wanting to be in this room today,” he wisecracks. The corners of her mouth hardly form a smile. This is a woman quite accustomed to—though still embarrassed by—male adoration. During the 15-minute interview interspersed with her hits Saving All My Love For You, Thinking About You and Hold Me (a duet with Teddy Pendergrass), they will touch on the manifestations of her meteoric rise this year: dates on three network talk shows, recorded duets with Pendergrass and Jermaine Jackson, appearances on Gimme a Break and Silver Spoons, and her self-titled debut LP, which has sold more than 2.5 million copies. Her sold-out Carnegie Hall performances last month attracted Eddie Murphy, Daryl Hannah, comic Howie Mandel, Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson, among others. Even New York Mayor Ed Koch showed up to see what all the fuss was about. (He got booed by some in the crowd, and the singer who once wanted to be a teacher told them that wasn’t nice.)
  After posing for pictures with radio station brass, Whitney heads for the hotel, digging into a brown-bag dinner of deli sandwiches, barbecue chips and soft drinks. With Whitney due to perform at Philly’s Tower Theater in less than three hours, there’s no time for a classier repast. A typical day in the life of this rising star.

Here are some other  links with 1985 TV performances of Whitney and The Tower Theater in Upper Darby, PA below…

see Whitney Houston’s 1985 debut on ‘The Tonight Show  on April 4, 1985.

see her perform on David Letterman’s show.

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/52   here’s a link for The Tower

We have lost a love of our own…here’s One Moment in Time at the Grammy’s 2009:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYFHAvULvJ0

RIP, Whitney…

This is MeddlingMom…have a wonderful day….support the arts!

Congress-Writing Your Own Petition-Exercise

Hello, Everyone,

It’s been awhile…yes, going to the gym..taking it slow. I’ve only been there 5 times so far. I am doing a little exercise in between…anyway, taking it slow, but it is having an impact. When I went yesterday…the sneakers are not such an issue anymore and I can see that I am more flexible..it’s easier to get on the machines, even though they are designed for someone 5’8 or 5’9..I am 5’1…but it’s all become easier. Yesterday, I did 25 minutes on the bike, about 4.5 miles and 3 sets of 12 on 3 machines…felt pretty good about it…will increase it soon…thinking about hiring a trainer…will have to look into it.

The reason I am writing today is that I received an e-mail this morning from my friend Bonnie. We have known each other since I was 4 and she was 2 1/2….that’s a long time. I have not fact checked this info, but it sounds like a great idea. Please take a look and if you like it, send it to your peeps.

Winds of Change….Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimumof twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise. In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around. _*Congressional Reform Act of 2011*_ 1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they’re out of office. 2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose. 3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do. 4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%. 5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people. 6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people. 7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen/women. Congressmen/ women made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive the message. Don’t you think it’s time? THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS! If you agree with the above, pass it on. If not, just delete. You are one of my 20+ – Please keep it going, and thanks. After I started writing this blog I decided to fact check the info. I don’t think fact check completely covered the areas mentioned. I thought they dispelled some of the issues, they’re explanation was a little “thin” and that some areas were completely ignored. You can write to them and challenge them to be complete. www.factcheck.org. Take a look and by the way, there is no mention of Warren Buffett having suggested all of this. It is good fodder for a rich discussion. I hope you will pass thing along anyway…there is much that can be done to strengthen our legislature. http://www.factcheck.org/2011/03/congressional-reform-act/ If you would like to start a petition for any reason, I saw on Sunday Morning on CBS, that you can go to www.change.org and there is a step-by-step for you to DIY. Molly Katchpole recently wrote a petition aimed at Bank of America’s idea of charging $5/month to use the ATM. The result was that the idea of a new fee was tossed out by the bank once they saw the petition. You go! Molly! My hero! FYI, Molly is in her early 20′s . So no excuses out there. Here are two other such sites for your perusal: www.signon.org and www.ipetitions.com/start-petition Anyway, folks, I hope I’ve given you some food for thought. Have a wonderful weekend..Here in the Philadelphia area, we have been enjoying weather in the high 40′s and low 50′s…so sorry about the Global Warming (and we WILL be sorry!). For now we are really happy to be wearing light weight clothes and feeling like it is almost spring!

This is MeddlingMom…wishing you all that is good…

Related articles

• Ideas For Reforming Congress (bulldogdrummond.com)
• Warren Buffett says he can end the deficit in five minutes! (jhaines6.wordpress.com)

Health-Reclaiming It! Back to the Gym..

Day 2-off to the gym

..or so I thought.  Do you have any idea how hard it is to go to the gym when you haven’t been there for over 5 years!  Nearly impossible. On day 1 I suffered trying to select something to wear. Then I put on those huge New Balance sneakers that make me feel totally claustrophobic, I mean, does a sneaker have to be so built up all around as if you are in a space ship? Exactly what are we doing, practically cutting off all circulation…so you know that if you have many rolls of skin, it is nearly impossible to bend over and put on your sneakers, even with the help of a shoehorn.  I huff and I puff and bend over this way trying to get around my belly if even just for a moment, long enough to get the shoe on (while negotiating the sock that may be sliding around) , pull the laces tight and tie it!  This is really hard to do…it took me a good 5 minutes of struggling to get one sneaker on and this isn’t even the dreaded New Balance…this is a mere, lightweight original Keds sneaker (yes, I am old and gay and I prefer this to those that are cool).  So I took a break from the huffing to literally catch my breath before I tackle the other sneaker. What I discovered while putting on the first sneaker was that these have not been worn in years! And I believe I am probably a half size larger now, so I need to order some new Keds pronto!  Later today, online…

The whole process of getting ready for the gym is excruciating for an obese person…truly it is a great disincentive (as if dying of a heart attack is not!).  You go through so many mixed emotions just as you try to decide what to wear (that won’t draw attention to your girth with all of those strange thin people at the gym). You already feel bad, so bad, about how did you let this happen to your body and then you have to stuff those feelings once more and just go do it…EXERCISE and sweat (which I don’t like, the sweating, that is). So of course, this is why I am writing right now, instead of being at the gym. Seriously I will go to the gym, but the other day (the first day), I had so many emotions while I was getting ready and when I went to write them down later, all of the passion, feelings and emotion were gone. The writing was flat…I didn’t know how to re-capture what I had experienced. I CAN tell you that every single thing I felt was about shame and embarassment and about the courage it took to be out there. You see this is the year I reclaim my health. It will not be easy, but what is, really? Easy isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I am only 5’1” and with the bulk of those New Balance sneakers and my inflexibility, I could not get my foot up over the center of the stationery bike I was going to ride. It took about 4 tries…then I had to figure out how to choose a program while my glasses were in my bag on the floor….and that’s a whole other issue, where the hell are you supposed to put your jacket and keys?  The locker room is at the farthest point from the front door…blah, blah, blah….Now that was fine, but the bike I got on was broken! So I had to get off and attempt another and then all was fine.  From there I went to the abductor, the machine  where the machine parts are on the outside of your thighs (abductor) was ok. Then I went to the one where the parts go between your legs (the adductor). I had to have help to get my right leg over to get on..I was fine with the left leg, my left side is stronger.  Then when I went to get off that machine, I got one leg off, but could not clear the other foot of the machine and had to ask someone for help.  So this was humbling to say the least. Of course I met some very nice people during this process, very kind.  I also did 3 sets of 12 on the leg press, no help needed, here!  I imagine I won’t need the help today. The truth is….all of this is the very reason why I need to be working out and regaining my strength and flexibility.  I do have to admit, there were some moments where I felt very teary, like right now.  Nobody wants to be fat…and have such a huge (pardon the pun) task ahead of themselves.

I have realized in recent years that there have been many things I have not participated in or have shied away from due to my body’s appearance. I am ready to have a normal size body and to choose whether I do whatever activity based on what I want and my interests.  Now comes the hard work..oh, well, I’ve done lots of things that were more difficult…

One thing I do recommend as a result of my experiences this week: Before you embark on this venture, gather together whatever you think you will need in terms of clothing, sneakers, socks, sweatshirt, tote or gym bag, etc and try on everything long before the day you start. Be clear about your assessment of everything. If you hate a pair of pants or sneakers, banish them and replace them with something that works for you. Only wear what you will be comfortable with and keep all of these items in one place so that when you go to get ready, you can avoid some of the trauma that I experienced. I will be doing that later today so that I will have a better and uneventful time of it tomorrow.  Remember the reason you are in this position is because you did NOT put what you need FIRST.

This is MeddlingMom…have a great weekend…off to the gym, via the post office…