I was at the local grocery store this weekend and I noticed something that has been there for a couple of weeks…it's PEEPS season again!

Now, I am what I consider a Peep coinsure after all I’ve been eating them for almost 50 years now and these are my observations.

First and foremost true Peeps are Yellow, not pink, not blue, not purple, not pink just Yellow. The other colors actually have a funky taste to them.

And also, remember PEEPS are chicks not bunnies or any other animals or humans or anything else.

And now for those of you, who like myself LOVE them stale, the staler the better as far as I’m concerned, I have a theory of 3. You need to buy 3 packs of 2 boxes. (Weren’t they packs of 3 boxes just a few years ago?) The reasoning is when you get them home you have to open all 3 packages to let the air start to get to them. Now, you know you’re going to eat that first pack with in the first 2 days, then it’s time for the 2nd pack of 2 and they have started to firm up, and by the time you’re done that pack the 3rd pack and they are just write. You could say it’s just like Goldilocks a and the 3 bowls of porridge.

Well, I hope all my peep, peeps enjoyed this and remember to stop, take a look around, and enjoy your view.

With tomorrow being Martin Luther King Day which is a day that is supposed to be devoted to service, I would like to talk about the way we treat each other and people in the “service” industry.

Yesterday I was shopping at my local grocery store. As usual I had my IPOD on and playing in my ears, but as I was checking out I made sure to say please, thank you and as before I walked away I said “You have a great day!” I then proceeded to the customer service desk to purchase my lottery tickets, since I AM going to win! I noticed the women who was behind me when I was checking out my groceries coming to the same counter and I jokingly said “Are you following me?” The women then kind of shocked me and said that I was very kind to the young man checking out my order and that I had a great personality. And just this past week I was purchasing a coffee at Wawa and when I said “Thank you and you have a great day” the young man seemed to be shocked at what I said.

This made me think, why should what I had done stick out to this women or this teenager at Wawa? Have we become such a entitled society that we no longer thank people for doing us a service? How many times have I held the door for someone or let a car out in traffic and not been acknowledged for doing so? It seems that more and more this common courtesy seems to be disappearing. I don’t think that this is a generational thing, because it’s the young and the old that seem not to know how to say “Thank you”.

This not only be courteous but is also, just good manners. Parents teach your children by not only your words but also by your actions.

I’ve often said that EVERYONE teenager should have to work in the service industry. It teaches them at a young age what it’s like to be on the other side of not being thanked or not being tipped well or in some cases being yelled at.

So, in the spirit of Martin Luther King Day, when someone does you a service no matter how small remember to say “Thank you” or wave at the car letting you out in traffic, you might be surprised at how “karma” comes back to reward you!

As always your comments are welcome and remember to stop, take a look around and enjoy your view.

I know I am behind in updating my blog but it doesn’t mean that my opinions still aren’t flourishing and hopefully I will be playing catch up in the weeks to come.
The one subject that has been top of mind for me lately is the news that Michael Vick would like to be able to get a dog for his kids! Say WHAT???
On “The View” (the show that inspired this blog) this was one of their “Hot Topics”. Everyone, except for Joy Behar thought that he did his time and should be allowed to get a dog for the kids, including Barbara Walters, proud owner of Cha Cha her own dog. They said that he paid his dues to society and felt that he was rehabilitated and his girls really wanted a dog.
I’m sorry ladies but I’m going to have to disagree with you. Personally, I equate animal abusers to pedophiles. They both prey on innocents who do not have the capabilities to fight back. And for both the children and the dogs they will never be the same innocent beings again. They are scarred for life both loosing “trust” in their lives.
On “The View” they said that we let people who have been abusers to go back with their families and children once they get out and give them a second chance. But, do we do it with pedophiles? No, they have to register with the local police and on sex offender’s websites and are not allowed to live near children. We even have Megan’s Laws in most states to protect the innocents.
Michael Vick, I’m fine with you making millions of dollars playing football, you are entitled to make a living but as far as the dogs go, I think it should be part of your punishment that you have to explain to your children why they can’t have a dog.
And as far as your so called “rehabilitation, why haven’t you called and checked on the dogs that were abused by your deeds? Also, I want to know why I haven’t heard of you contributing some of those million dollar paychecks you get to animal shelters for abused animals or to the SPCA or even doing public service announcements? If you really cared and were sorry for what you did you would want to do anything you could to help out animals.
If I had my way we would have the capabilities of having a network with all kennels, shelters, breeders and any other places that offer pets to check and see if you are a convicted animal abuser. I’m sorry but I truly love animals and I can’t stand to see them hurt.
Well that’s it for now, and as always your comments are welcome. And remember to stop, take a look around and enjoy the view. Coming soon A View on the new Republican Congress.

Like many people, I am disturbed by all the teen suicides that have been occurring due to bullying. And these kids are being bullied because they are gay or perceived to be gay. Every time I think that the next generation is color-blind and open to gays it seems we take a giant step back.

In my opinion this kind of bullying is a hate crime and I feel that hate is taught at home or by so called grown-ups. Children are born innocent and I remember in my youth hearing adults(not necessarily from my family) throwing racial epitaphs and making fun of gay people. I didn’t let it affect me but I could see how it did in other kids from the way they talked or treated people.

I was also a victim of bullying when I was in school because I was short and thin, not good at sports, in the band and had a passion for acting. So, I can understand where these kids thoughts are coming from having been there myself. You are afraid to go to school, because you know you have to deal with the humiliation in the hallways, that in gym class you were going to be the last one to be picked next to the heavy kid. It was hard to ask girls out for dates because of what and how others perceived me. My grades also suffered because I didn’t want to draw attention to myself, even though in 7th grade I was in the higher track with the other smart kids. My salvations were the band and drama, they were my family and a safe place to go.

I never told my parents about what was going on because it would have been to embarrassing for me, and I think it’s true with so many teens, you want your parents to think you are “cool”.

After high school I remained very shy and introverted and very uncomfortable around new people for fear of how they would judge me and I wondered if the hurt and emotional pain would continue into adulthood. But when I turned twenty, two things happened, my mother passed away, whom I loved dearly and I was rehearsing a play. I was sitting in my car before a rehearsal, thinking of my mom and how introverted she was, the pain of her loss very fresh, and I thought I can’t do this anymore. I can no longer go on being alone and decided to let people see the real me and I discovered something wonderful, that I wasn’t a freak and that there were people who genuinely loved me and life wasn’t that bad.

I have attached a video of a very brave and courageous councilmen for Texas talking about his experiences being a gay kid and as he says “Life Gets Better”.

To parents and adults, I would like to quote a Stephen Sondhiem song “Children Will Listen”. These words are very true:

Careful the things you say
Children will listen
Careful the things you do
Children will see and learn
Children may not obey, but children will listen
Children will look to you for which way to turn
To learn what to be
Careful before you say "Listen to me"
Children will listen

Please watch this entire video and share it with your friends and relatives.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax96cghOnY4&feature=player_embedded

And as always, remember to stop, take a look around and enjoy your view!

Today while I was driving I was following a car that had a bumper sticker that said “I’m a Member of the Tea Party and I Vote!” I thought to myself “who cares“? It’s the same way I feel about the "I’m the NRA and I Vote!" and bumper stickers and anything that says I’m a … and I Vote! I would also feel the same way if it was a liberal cause as well.

As Joy Behar would say "So what, who cares!"

It means as much to me as if I had a bumper sticker on my car that says “I Play Video Games and I Vote!” or “I’m a Big Dork and I Vote!” I understand it’s just like the Obama Biden or McCain Palin bumper stickers, but those show support where these I think are supposed to scare me??? Seriously, because you are a Tea Party member and vote I’m supposed to think the world is going to come to an end?

I would like a bumper sticker that just says “Don't forget to Vote!!!”

That’s just my view. As always comments are welcome. And remember to stop, take a look around and enjoy your view!

Ok I’m back. I know I have been remiss in my blog of late but, I guess I needed something to fire me back up and that would be the “Ground Zero Mosque”.

This past weekend I happen to get into a heated debate about the mosque with 2 conservative friends of mine. The discussion didn’t start with the mosque but boy did it end with me being a big old “Liberal”. A title which I proudly wear.

I understand “con” side of the debate, yes it was Muslims that flew the planes into the towers, but are we to blame all Muslims for the acts of a few, I hope not. And I would hope the people of New York understand that as well. I also wonder how our forefathers would feel about this issue.

This country was founded on freedom of religion and the thing that gets me about “conservatives” is they seem to always want to take away something that they deem “bad” or don‘t understand. Again they are playing the “fear” card which they have become so good at. What they don’t understand is if we don’t allow the Mosque to be built then what’s to stop someone from not allowing another religions house of worship from being built out of fear or something they don‘t understand?

Once we allow the government or a particular organization (not saying conservatives) to block or take away one of our choices or rights as Americans then we have started the domino effect and the next time it will get easier and easier for them to succeed.

But, that’s just my opinion.

As always your comments are always welcome and remember to stop, take a look around and enjoy your view!

The other day I was driving past Lansdale Catholic High School and saw something that is one of my biggest pet peeves. On their school marquee was “Down the Shore” School Reunion. I may be paraphrasing the second part but the “Down the Shore” is what irks me.

I understand that in Philadelphia and the surrounding area it is a local colloquialism to say I’m going “down the shore” or when I was “down the shore”, but that is and always will be improper grammar. I am no grammar expert and have been known to drop a preposition here and there but; I do know that there is supposed to be a 2 letter preposition in there. For example, “down TO the shore” or “when I was down AT the shore”. Is it too much to ask? Well, maybe it is too much for the local population since you have grown up with it, but Lansdale Catholic is a SCHOOL where they are supposed to TEACH proper English and grammar.

And it’s not just the schools that are guilty, what about newscasters and weather people they too drop the proverbial preposition in favor of the colloquialism. I ‘m sorry, but I hold these people to a higher standard. Even the editor of this paper (sorry Nona) and I have had a debate on the issue because she would also PRINT the colloquialism.

I just don’t know why we all can’t start using a 2 letter preposition instead of treating it like a 4 letter word!

As always comments are welcome and remember to stop, take a look around and enjoy your view!