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Thursday, December 30
Less Guns More Aid
now that the death toll coming from the nations along the Indian ocean has crept over 100,000... and still rising, the numbers are just too staggering to even try to comprehend..
i could not comprehend that level of loss when it was at 24,000
i watched some of the amateur footage on TV last night
and it was so chilling to watch these people who even at the brink of being enveloped had no idea what was coming..
but perhaps the worst horror is the one that is happening now
as loved ones search for bodies
a mother holds her dead baby
rows and rows of body bags line up
and now the fear of disease, starvation..creeps in while so many are lost, broken and homeless
no this will not be a happy new year for so many
for so many
has there been a natural disaster this terrible in anyone's memory?
i can not think of a single one
i will tell you
that i felt ashamed when America offered only 35 million in aid
that number being matched by one single company Phizer
and doubled by Spain which by no means is even remotely in the same league with the wealth and power of this nation
maybe if we weren't so busy spending billions and billions of dollars in Iraq
would might have had the cash to help these nations in their worst hour
personally i would have liked to see George Bush make a public announcement a whole lot sooner then Wednesday
and I would certainly like to see America pledge a whole lot more moolah too
what do you think?
Monday, December 27
the terrible wave
When I was a little girl I had a re-occurring nightmare..
Maybe it was because I grew up in beach towns on the jersey shore
Maybe it was from driving by the sea wall one too many times and seeing the water crash over the man-made barrier ..maybe it was from the undertow that perpetually pulled at me as I grabbed onto my fathers hand..
In my nightmare I was on the beach watching a distant wave
as it approached the shore, I realized that its size had not dwindled..
It kept creeping towards me as I backed up, then ran up the beach, then climbed the stairs to the board walk then ran in-land, the wave kept coming.. 5 stories high
it reached towards me like a giant pulsating blue wall ready to devour me whole..
I don’t think the wave every caught me in those nightmares…at least not that I recall, I always woke up..in a panic…blinking, reaching out making sure the blackness of my bedroom was not the inside of the giant wave..
It was this nightmare I thought of while sitting in the passenger seat enroute, oddly enough to the jersey shore early this morning..
I thought of all those people out in fishing boats, in hotels, in their beds, walking down the street, doing whatever folks do in coastal areas along the Indian ocean only to look up in horror and disbelief as a giant wave devoured them, destroyed their family, their home, their lives…swept them away forever
24,000 dead was the last report I heard when we finally flipped off the radio un-able to hear anymore.
Only hours later I stared at the huge crashing waves in Long Branch…and thought of them, 24,000 people living the horrible nightmare of my childhood, dieing in this horrible nightmare from which they could not awaken.
The tragedy is too terrible to fathom.
I can only offer my prayers and sadness to so many lost and destroyed lives.
How small my petty little day-to-day problems seem now.
How small they really are.
Sunday, December 26
Happy Holidays to ALL, and I mean ALL
while in LA
i took advantage of the fact that my hotel left the LA paper at my door for free every AM to actually GASP read the paper every single day?!
what came shining through
by sifting through the big stories and the smaller ones
is this terribly frightenting waft of right wing activity sweeping the nation
in the name of Christmas
i read about the pastor who spurred on by the election urged his congregation to boycott all stores that say happy holidays instead of merry xmas
i read about how our own major in nyc took a pile of crap for wanting to say happy holidays instead of merry xmas
i read about the right wing leaders who said "if they want to put up Christmas decorations and get our Christmas money, then they need to acknowledge the birth of Christ!"
and on
and on
and on
so what about the nationwide boycotts of stores that dare to put up holiday decor during the 8 days of Chanukah and do not acknowlege
the Hebrew Maccabees for defending the temple of Jerusalem against the Syrians...?
These stores are not operating in a Christian only society!
Christmas is not the only holiday celebrated in this country in December.
It is simply not American to force private and public businesses to make a decision to aknowledge one religion over all others..
growing up Jewish in a Christian majority town in a Christian majority country
i always felt a bit sad and left out on Christmas
but i remember feeling a small pang of comfort
a little sign that I, too, mattered in December, when i would go to a store that also had a menorah in its window
or recieve a free gift that said happy holidays instead of merry xmas
yesterday was Christmas
but i celebrated it too
i went to the homes of loved ones on xmas eve
i went out to brunch and to the movies with another loved on xmas day
i, like millions of americans, found my own way to celebrate this holiday that does not reflect my religious belief but does reflect my need to share love with my many good friends and to be, somehow a part of this special time of year
so i say to the right wingers who in the name of their faith
want to shut down businesses that do not add religion to their store windows
what message are you really sending here?
are you telling this country that you only want to see your own religion honored
and no other?
are you letting us all know that you would rather see good people
go out of business
would rather see good non christians feel insulted
then to simply acknowlege the open-ness
and decency of a mom and pop store trying to make everyone included in christmas time
with their blinking sign "happy holidays"
talk about A SCROOGE!!!
Thursday, December 23
UG TOWN
tis I rossi of the north east having returned from the
um
south west
from la la land or LA for short
sadly i have no major celeb stories for you
although i did get a huge pile of who is and who is not gay stories which i can not share because all the ones who are gay are so paranoid that either they would sue me or they would have the church of scientology sue me..
but i digress
here are my thoughts about LA
beverly hills- filled with anerexic (spell?) asian women wearing mini-skirts and those UG boots is that what they're called?.. UGs..cause honey they are UGLY and silly too
who wears sheepskin alaskan boots with mini-skirts in 70 degree weather?
west hollywood- anerexic (why doesnt this show up on spell check?) asian women wearing jeans that fall down their ass to show their g-stringed crack and yes, more
UG boots?!
hollywood- anerexic asian women wearing skin tight ski ware even though its 70 degrees and yes you got it UGS..
i also went to the heavily jewish area of PICO/ROBERTSON
there thank the lord i saw many women who looked like they had actually eaten
and not an UG in sight
now as to the basmitzvah that dragged my NY tuchas out there
honey my bro cranked out an OBSCENE amount of food
i think he covered just about every aspect of Jew Food
he served NY deli platters, Persion rice, Israeli salad, hummus and kabobs
and yes, Kosher chinese food
all on one huge buffet
how do you say PIG OUT in hebrew?
hang on pigs aren't kosher
okay how do you say COW OUT in hebrew?
anyway
the thing i really hate about LA is that you have to drive everywhere
you have to
you cant even find a bottle of water without driving
so i had to rent a car
and drive the dang thing
and honey
tis a scary thing to see a Manhattenite like moi behind the wheel
trust me
but i managed, even parked a few times without hitting anything, well almost
so im back
and its cold as hell
but im glad to be safe and somewhat sound
with not a UG in sight
merry xmas folks
and to all
a good night
now can someone please leave me a comment with the proper spelling of anerexic
thankeee
Wednesday, December 15
adios
well its 7:16 in the %^$#%^&* morning and im getting ready for my flight
hardly slept last night
due to
catching a cold, pms, fear of flying, fear of having to wake up to early
some latent heart-ache pangs, the usual crapola
but im up
about to make green tea while dreaming of coffee the beloved liquid my doctor made me give up DAMN IT!
anyway
its freezing outside
so im glad to be going somewhere warmer
i don't know if i will be able to post again while in LA
or not
but if not
i shall say
adios till dec 23
and if i can post?
well then
ill give you an update NATCH
ill be mostly in the beverly hills,west hollywood area
so im sure to have some celeb tales for you
toodles
Tuesday, December 14
Women have the right to love the lord too
well tomorrow Am i leave for LA
land of plastic jeans, plastic hair, plastic people
and all
but hell its also the land of a few good pals of mine
and half my family
and
its a lot hotter there then it is in NYC
and
i also get my hair done by my ol pal WOLF
while im there
and damn it
im staying somewhere that has a pool
so sue me
anyway
its a family reunion thing
with my neice having her bas mitzvah
even though her parents have decided to become super religious and will not let their DAUGHTER
read from the torah
unlike all the other women in my family
who did
myself included
i gently reminded my now ultra orthodox bro
that if he wants to know what happens to girls who are not allowed to study
torah, talmud all that stuff
he should rent "Yentyl" immediately
as for moi
thats the part of judaism that always made my blood run cold
conservative
reformed
even less religious orthodox
were all cool about the equal rights thing
but the second my people get just a little above the "FRUM" line
and step into ultra orthodox
its men at the pulpit
women in the kitchen
i just hate it
hate it in my religion
hate it in the moslem religion
hate in the Catholics
hate it in the Jehovahs witnesses
hate it anywhere i see it
that anyone
in this day in age can truly believe
that g-d only wants men to stand before a congregation
that g-d only wants men to study the many books supposedly inspired by g-d
is just beyond me
but then
these days
with a waft of ultra conservatism washing over this country
not seen since the 1950's
nothing would surprise me
maybe the next Bush endorsed law
will more clearly label the jobs of men and women in the home
who knows
but hey
people in glass houses and all
cause here in my own little family
im watching something that makes every feminist bone in my body ache
but im going to suppport my niece
cause its not her fault shes being raised this way
and if she ever wants to talk to a jew
who does believe she should have an equal position
in the synagogue
she'll always have me to talk to
i go to a Shul that has a female rabbi
and openly endorses all the rights of the gay community
anyway
i digress
im off to LA
to right some wrongs
and get my hair done
and maybe shop
and maybe tan
and maybe
just sit in the pool and make little bubbles
see ya
Sunday, December 12
Smel Me
i went out to din din with my fabulous pal mel
and although mel did find a rather tackful way to ask me
"have you gained a little weight?"
aaaak
IT"S PMS SO SUE ME
we did have a great time
Mel has been in life for sheeesh I guess its about 17 or 18 years now..
and I must say she's the poster child for not judging a book by its cover
when we met i sized her up immediately as the pretty, little good girl from Connecticut most likely to leave NYC screaming
and yet all these years later
while so many of the supposed toughies ran away in defeat
mel is still here
and still kicking ass
but somehow didn't turn into a jaded new yorker but rather
a kind, open, spiritual woman
who told me to immediately run home and burn sage
so it was just perfect to hang with mel
as i have been knee deep in my
"it's the holidays and i have no girlfriend, no kids, no house with white picket fence, i'm not a world famous writer or painter and i live in a country that actually GASP re-elected George BUSH!?"
well five minutes with mel who gently reminded me that i was a business owner
a home owner
attractive (she said that not me, im not conceited)
great catch (she said that too)
should be proud as hell
and happy etc
and i realized
shit
ive done what kazillions of women do
and i always attribute this to a straight woman thing
hang our self esteem on who's loving us and how much
oh what a pile of hooey
honeys if i never fall in love again
if i never find ms right
a co-parent to the 3 dogs i shall one day adopt
and one or two children
i still know
im smart
funny
hot honey..yes i am
and i look good from in front and behind
so fuck you all if you don't think so
cause i do
and so does mel
so there
Thursday, December 9
1952
you know
i admit i love being right
mostly because
well i AM always right
but sometimes
i hate being right
and you know i kinda hate being SO right about GWBush
cause me being right
means that he is ruining this friggen country
so heres what the baby bush is up to now
with like ZILCH attention from the news folks
hey where were you guys?
the baby bush signed into law
the Weldon Amendment
aka
the
"Abortion Non-Discrimination Act" (ANDA).
what this is ..is basically a huge ass assault on women's rights
It actually allows institutions to refuse to comply with
existing or future laws that protect women's access to abortion
services. It also allows health care institutions to refuse to
give women full information about all of their reproductive
health options.
Am I on drugs here?
Am I dreaming?
How did this bastard do this?
and why don't i see people taking to the streets screaming their hearts out!?
somebody fill me in here
cause im starting to think its 1952 all over again..
and im scared shitless
Wednesday, December 8
Chanukah and long lost faces
having a blog
is a truly amazing thing
i have now had another alumni from my high school days
find me thru the magical world of web
way cool
so far
andie and stacey have both found me thru some writings ive done on this site
about Rumson Fairhaven High School
there now i made it even easier for the search engines
anyway
the really amazing thing is
that
i really didn't hang or even
know very well
either of these babes
they walked in very different circles then moi
i was the punk/hard rock freak artist poet
they were more of the hmm socially acceptable types
and honeys
having pink hair
in Rumson New Jersey
in 1981 did not exactly land you in socially acceptable circles
but it did land you in some very wild ones..woo hooo
eat my ass world!
but i digress
so here we are
more then 20 years later (but im still 29 amazing)
and these two chickettes are talking in a language that sounds
well very much like my own
amazing
sometimes the internet makes me feel like the world is so vast one can't even comprehend it
and sometimes it makes me feel like the world is so small
just about every other person in it might be an ex-lover of your ex-lover
oh
well thats just me
on other news
today is Chanukah
i thought it was the first night
but it turns out i forgot the way the jewish calendar works
and its the first day
last night was the first night
lit my menorah left for me from my mom last night
its not a fancy menorah
my mom got it for free
two of em actually
i think from opening up a Christmas club account ironically
but i love that they were hers
and that they were part of her hoard of cheapo items
that she got for free
her legacy of chinese watches, keychains with bank logos on them,
date books from dry cleaners oh the list is endless
tonight on the second night of chanukah that i have decided will be the first
i shall be serving of kosher pastrami and salmon pastrami for the non meat eaters, Latkes, apple sauce, knish galore and lots of wine to my jewish for the night pals
ill like the menorah and send you good thoughts if you like
Happy Chanukah
Monday, December 6
Russian Radio
my good pal Jo
called me this Am and after the biz chit chat
she launched into something she is truly horrified about
and it sure got me to thinking too
Jo had been checking out the damage some big time radio monopolizers have been doing to freedom of speech and namely Howard Stern
and Howard who neither Jo or myself had liked but sure do now, has really been standing up for his and our freedom of speech rights
maybe you checked him in David Letterman?
anyway
the long and the short is
that folks like Howard are pointing out that what HBO has meant to TV
sattelite radio is becoming to radio
used to be some folks thought it was nuts to pay for TV when you could get it for free but then they realized that the only way to really watch un-censored,
gutsy, in your face TV was to get cable
well now that radio is getting censored up the wazoo
now that...as my good buddy mike pointed out there really are no more D.J.s who choose their own songs anymore but its all done for them according to the moolah
the only way we're really going to be able to hear the radio we want
un-censored
D.J.s with their own playlists
etc
will probably be to buy satellite radio..
its a sad day for freedom of speech
i dont like Howard
but you know
i feel so horrified that in this day and age
he is being pushed off the air
because what he talks about its considered dis-tasteful
to conservatives, to big money corporations who court conservatives
to people who believe that this country is not a country of freedom of speech
but of freedom of speech as long as its not too outrageous, or too dirty.
That is not freedom of speech.
So...now...if the only way you can get un-censored T.V. is to pay for cable..
If the only way you will be able to get un-censored radio will be to buy satellite radio..
Does that mean that the poor and lower class in this country will never be able to hear and watch un-censored entertainment?
Why is this all sounding a little too Russia for my nerves?
Sunday, December 5
Iraq Vote
so who would like weigh in on the Iraq elections?
is it right to rush them as we are now and get a whole lotta people killed
and mostly likely scare off a lot of voters
and therefore get a vote that possibly doesn't reflect that of the people?
is it being rushed for political reasons in that this president needs to put an end to the occupation and try to re-gain some world-wide allies?
or is better to rush it
damn the consquences and put the vote to the people as quickly as possible
to let them know they have the power
sorta
kinda
whats your opinion here
id like to hear it
really
i would
im torn on this one
Thursday, December 2
things that make me go AAAAAAAK
howdy honeys
tis rockin rossi again
since the holidays are coming right up
i thought maybe
it was time for another
list of
things that make me go AAAAAAAKKKKKKKK
so here goes
first thing that makes me go AAAAAKKKK (just had to say it again)
well the obvious GWBUSH- no need to say more at this point
the realization that New York with all its witty, world savy, open-minded, modern, forward thinkers...is CLEARLY not an example of where main stream America is at these days..
almost everything i see, hear or read about Iraq at the moment
the fact that one can no longer have a discussion about politics without
extreme anger and bad behavior coming forth from some yahoo who is
all the way right or left
that this holiday season seems a bit more gray then red and green and blue
(blue for chanukah)
that for all the woo hooos about how the economy is supposedly picking up
i have never seen more homeless people on the streets then i do lately
that there are actually people out there who would like to see Arnold Swarzenegger (is that how you spell it) as our president... OY
that Collin Powell will not just call up the press and tell them the REAL story
of his departure
that there are people in this country who will fight to their last breath to see to it that the gay community never gets the same rights they have
that even if gay marriage became legal today in this entire country
i well, don't have someone to marry at this very moment
that bread is fattening
and there you have it
aaaaaaaaakkkkkk
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