So I think we all know by now that I've been watching far too much daytime television, right? If nothing else it's given me a glimpse into the life of a stay-at-home mom and that glimpse has told me I would never make it as stay-at-home mom. (I think there is a more politically correct term for that now, but I can't recall it, and I've never been all that concerned with being politically correct)

Anyway, the other day I was watching my favourite talkshow, The Ellen DeGeneres Show. I have said it before and I'll say it again. That girl can dance, and it makes me jealous. At the start of every show she gives her little opening monologue and then her DJ man kicks out the jams for a minute or two and Ellen gets her groove on and dances around the set and through the audience and eventually to her chair to start the show. And I only wish I could dance like Ellen. And I'll take her wardrobe while we're at it, coz I like her clothes. I love Ellen, and if you don't watch her show you should, she's hilarious.
But I digress.

Last week she had Robin Williams on. And let me tell you how I feel about him....I think he's a talented actor, and I enjoy his films. I think he's a pretty diverse actor and has done a great job of turning out consistently fantastic performances. That being said, I simply canNOT stand to watch the man in an interview of any sort. Why? Because the man *always* needs to be "on". He seems to be wholly incapable of carrying on an actual conversation like any other reasonable person. He can't talk like a normal human being, he has to constantly be making jokes. It never stops. And it is tiring and grates on me within 5 minutes of watching him. (btw, this all holds true for Jim Carrey too. Love the guy, I'm proud that he's Canadian, I think his films are hilarious, but he can't shut it off long enough to have a normal conversation either). I enjoyed that Ellen is the first person I have seen interview Robin that managed to get a few zingers back at him too, and held her own quite well against him. But Robin Williams behaviour reeks of someone who is desperate for attention and/or the spotlight, and I can't stand that in people. It screams "watch me! WATCH ME!!", with a level of neediness usually reserved for 3 year olds.

Then something else caught my attention....Robin Williams hairy hands. If you have ever seen the guy in a short sleeved shirt you know he's as hairy as an ape, it's no secret. His furry arms and chest make it look like he's wearing a hair shirt. But I had never noticed just how hairy the back of his hands were. I mean, just LOOK at this picture....and even that doesn't do them justice. I think his hair has become thicker since that shot was taken; and look..see how the hair on the back of his hands covers the *entire* back of his hand??? That just ain't right!! (omigod, it's on his knuckles too!!) We all know that men get hairier as they get older, and often in places they weren't sprouting hair earlier in life (thus the use of ear and nose hair trimmers after the age of 50, sometimes earlier). I think Robin Williams could be a full-on ape by the time he hits 65. I swear it.

Anyway, enough about Robin Williams, I did eventually managed to break away from staring at his hands, though it wasn't easy. But next time you see him being interviewed...go ahead..have a gander at his hands. I promise that your eyes will lock onto them too, unable to look away. Staring just can't be helped.

So anyway, on Friday I went to work for the first time in nearly 3 weeks. It went about like this... I drove to work (about a 20-30 min drive)...walked around the office and said hi to everyone and got all kinds of "we missed you" hugs.... did some work in the showroom, by setting up a display and taking pictures of it for the marketing department.....laid down on the showroom floor because I was exhausted...and then was sent home by the boss. My total time at work: about 1.5 hours. Driving: about 50 mins. This resulted in utter exhaustion so that when I got home I crawled right back to bed and slept for 3 hours straight. What the hell is that about?? How can one little surgery two weeks ago (and I swear it wasn't THAT major) take such a long term toll on my energy level and vitality??? It's really quite ridiculous, and extremely frustrating to say the least.

I had similar luck today. I went to my parents for breakfast after the nurse came in the morning to change my dressings, and after eating with them and hanging out a bit.....I came home for a three hour nap. 3 seems to be the magic number. After the nap I got up and went back for dinner. I'm all about mooching meals from the parents whenever possible. I don't much feel like cooking. Now I'm home and ready for bed again.

So I'm gonna take another crack at working again tomorrow. Gotta keep trying, right? One day I may even be able to work a full day again. Ooo, dare to dream!
Hope everyone had a great weekend and are well rested and ready for a new week. A new week a new adventure! :-P

Oh and hey....I can't say this enough times: thank you everyone for your very kind words with regard to my well being and recovery. You have all been very sweet and supportive. It's much appreciated. xoxo

 
I just noticed the other day that I missed my own 1 year anniversary for this blog. I guess it's because I was busy in the hospital, writhing in pain. Or maybe it's because I don't see the big deal...I know a lot of people are excited to acknowledge their blogiversaries, but not me. Kinda like I never really keep track of exactly how many people have visited my site, mostly coz I know it's just not that accurate so why get excited? For instance, I just checked my counter and it says I've had 20,000 visitors, but does that count the people who visit several times a day? *shrug* I don't know and don't particularly care. I mostly use my counter to see how people find my site, I think it's always interesting.

When I first started my blog I obsessed for days setting it up because I wanted it absolutely perfect, but didn't know the first thing about html. I leaned heavily on fellow blogger Lorien to help me out, as I pestered her with all kinds of questions. And I also remember thinking I had just SO many things to say and so many opinions to share, but when it came time for me to write I found it took me a few days (maybe even weeks) to really get into a comfortable groove. As well, I was concerned with my focus on talking about Israel and it's issues; as anyone who reads my blog knows, I am very passionate about Israel, but I was afraid, initially, of coming off as too political and that maybe I would scare of any non-Jewish readers. I quickly got over that as I struck a balance between rants about Israel and personal ramblings about my life. I think I have found my groove now and I thank everyone who has stuck around (especially si who has been with me since the very beginning. thanks for your support!). If you are interested you can read my first post from October 2, 2003 .....I think you'll find it amusing. Clearly I was excited, yet terrified, all at the same time. Good thing I kept the first entry short and sweet.

And now I am getting ready to go to work for the first time in nearly 3 weeks. My nurse has come and gone, and I am preparing for my commute into work. I won't be putting in a full day by any means, I just want to make an appearance and deal with any problems that require immediate attention. And I want to show that I'm making an effort. I have been trying to do a few outings throughout the week to sort of build up my endurance, and yesterday I went with a girlfriend to a makeup sale (nothing like a girl outing!) and then last night I went to Princess Blondie's house for our usual viewing of Survivor. I was *exhausted* going to bed last night. Two outings in one day proved to be a bit much for me. I think a few hours at work today will be sufficient. It's Friday, afterall! :-)
Shabat Shalom.

 
I'm not sure what's worse....yet another presidential debate destroying a potentially good night of tv viewing, or getting all teary eyed with every tv show that talks about and remembers Christopher Reeve. I can't take either of these anymore!! I can't listen to Bush and Kerry say they don't think gays should be married and I can't be sad anymore that the world has lost such a wonderful and inspiring man as Christopher Reeve.
*sigh*

Truth be told I'm just in a grumpy mood today and these things therefore irritate me that much more. The last two days have had me filled with frustration at being stuck at home, forced to allow my body the time it needs to heal. I am sick and tired of having a nurse come everyday to change my dressings (though I adore my nurse, she's wonderful), I'm sick and tired of having my friends and family take care of me by bringing me everything I need (I mean it's nice to a point, but I miss and crave my independence) and I'm sick and tired of just plain feeling unwell. My bedroom looks like a hospital room (check out all the medical supplies I have) and I feel like my home has become a ward. The novelty of spending the day in your pajamas wears off eventually and in time you want to look and feel good again, ya know?

Today my friend Princess Blondie took me out for a "supervised outing" (as she amusingly put it). It was a big trip to Costco. Frankly, I didn't care where we went, I was just happy to get out. This was only the second time in 9 days that I have done so. I was worried because I had gone for a brief outing with my mom on Monday, and despite a 3.5 hour nap just prior, a short car ride exhausted me and I had to have a nap before dinner with my parents. My energy and overall vitality is at an all time low (as it my appetite and weight). But I digress.

So Princess Blondie came to pick me up after lunch, and when I went outside..... wow!... I couldn't believe how wonderful the weather was. It was warm and the air smelled fabulous. I almost didn't want to get in the car, I just wanted to stand there and feel the sun on my face and suck in the fresh autumn air. I was giddy just being outside, let alone getting to GO somewhere. I'm easily amused at this point, what can I tell ya?
At Costco I warned her that it doesn't take much to tire me out. By the time we had walked around, done our shopping, and stood in line....I was getting sleepy. As we waited in line I felt my eyes fluttering open and close... I was nodding off. lol (and once again, I had a nap just before the outing)

After Costco we had one last stop to make before she dropped me off at home. We had to go to the jeweler's to pick her new ring that had to be sized. Her engagement ring. YAY!!! That's right, Princess Blondie and her darling Bruno, my Survivor buddies and old neighbours from across the hall, are getting married. Not a real surprise since they just bought a home together, but I am thrilled. They are the most beautiful couple and deserve every happiness. Congrats to them.

Anyway! After she dropped me off at home, I did the sensible thing and..... had another nap, that's right. lol Are you noticing a theme to my routine? It's very exciting. I know, you wish you could be me. Everyone does. :-P And now I am wide awake and looking to watch something on tv. Which brings it all back to this friggin' debate. I guess I'll put another movie in the ole dvd player....

 
I am so very upset that I could cry. To wake up and hear that Christopher Reeve has died at the age of 52 has well and truly broken my heart. He had struggled to over come so many difficult odds, and had become a shining example of hope to so many people. He had even made a trip to Israel because of it's advanced research in the field of spinal injury treatment. Israel too feels the loss of a great man.

I remember when the Superman movies first came out. I was about 9 years old by the time the 3rd one came out, and there were Superman posters in the cereal boxes. I had collected them all and put them up on my bedroom walls thinking Superman was sooooooo handsome. He, along with Han Solo, was my first crush.

My heart goes out to Christopher's wife and children today.... we all mourn the loss with you.

 
You know you've been watching too much daytime television when..... you dream you are trying to kill Dr. Phil. Actually, according to what I said in my dream, I wasn't trying to kill him so much as just render him unconscious. I had my arm wrapped around his neck in a total headlock and I was telling him to stop struggling, that I wasn't going to kill him I was just going to knock him out. Only, the guy didn't especially want to be squeezed into unconsciousness and his neck was as thick as a damn tree trunk, so I finally gave up and let him go. *shrug* I think I need to get out of the house soon. Two weeks is too long and it's starting to show.

I think my dreams will begin showing me what's really driving me crazy while holed up in my apartment for weeks on end with my tv. The next in line to be strangled will be any of the four American Presidential candidates. Like many, I am quite sick and tired of this friggin' election, and as a Canadian I am that much more annoyed that my regular television programming has been interrupted by the damn debates. My tv shows ARE my life at the moment so I thought I was going to go into a homicidal rage when my favourite show, Third Watch, wasn't on this Friday because of the televised debate. Damn you Bush and Kerry!!!!!!!!!! I was looking forward to watching that ALL week. Grrrrrrrrrrr

So my nurse has already come and gone today. Nothing like Percocet, a shower and a dressing change to really start a girl's day. I'm trying to remain cheerful today despite the fact that I am missing Thanksgiving dinner with my whole family. *crycry* It's always held at my grandmother's place, which is a two hour drive north of here. I just decided it would be too uncomfortable to drive 2 hours there and 2 hours back in a day, even with someone else doing the driving (I can't really drive yet). On top of that I love going up for Thanksgiving because the trees are all in their full colour this weekend and it's the best time of year to take pictures. *pout* I could cry.

Anyway! As a parting gift for those who are still bothering to stop by (thanks for your patience everyone) I will include one of my favourite segments of this blog..... strange search engine results that brought people to MY blog. These are all actual search results.....I can't make this shit up.
Skipping over the frequent searches I get (often some combination of "Toronto" Israeli" "girls" and "webcams", or the ever imaginative "looking totally free naked pics") we move right into the gems......

• via the MSN/Sympatico search engine we have "iraq spiders leno". I think it's the addition of Leno that gives that one such an amusing twist.


• The same search engine also brought someone to my blog when s/he typed in "love letter to say that i am sorry". Hey I got an idea! If you want to come across as being genuinely sorry, how about you WRITE YOUR OWN love letter outlining why you're sorry. Dumbass.


• Again from the MSN/Sympatico search engine (Canadians are so weird, EH?): "dirty rotten mothers.com". You wanna see WHAT?? Your mama would be SO proud to know you look up stuff like that.


• This one is my personal favourite because I was the ONLY result for this search!!!!! This person was so specific in his/her search that the entire phrase was in quotes, and glory be, I used those exact words in my blog once. Yahoo results for "thanks for pretending like you care". Looking back on that I can see where I might have come across as maybe just a tad bitter. lol! Glad to see I wasn't alone.


• Google brought someone to my blog who looked up "stop being messy". Um. lol. There are so many questions I have about this one. Was the computer being messy? (coz it sounds like the person is commanding the computer to stop being messy) Were you hoping to find some answers on how to stop someone else from being messy? Were YOU the messy one?? wtf??


• Here's a dandy that just reeks of desperation, brought to you by Yahoo: "I am a man and I need a female friend who lives in Canada". Evidently I was not "friend" material because I never heard from this mysterious man and I was ranked number 10 for those results! Drat.


• Another individual asked this important question of Google: "Does robaxacet relax your heart muscle?". Now, I'm trying not to laugh here....but don't you think that would be a somewhat unsafe product to have on the market if it relaxed someone's HEART??


• Someone else Yahooed "percentage of israelis who are alcoholics". Now this one is interesting.. why Israelis? Was this person Israeli? I don't think so...so what was going on in this person's life to make them wonder this? Wish I knew.


• And with that in mind, Google pointed to me when somebody typed in "stephen baldwin alcholics anonymous", which made me ask.....is Stephen Baldwin an alcoholic?? I suppose that's what this person was wondering too. And the answer is.... well, unless the person has come right out and said it, these things can be hard to pin down. Thus the "anonymous" in the name Alcholics Anonymous. Anyway, I think this search result was because of a post I recently wrote about Stephen Baldwin and his love for Jesus.


• Back to MSN/Sympatico: "healthy juicer receipts". This one nearly had me falling out of my tree I laughed so hard. RECEIPTS??? I'm willing to bet you were looking for RECIPES.


• This one from Google is a bit disturbing..."revenge "empire of dirt" psychological". An odd mix of wording, to be sure. Seems one of the blogs in my blogroll (My Empire of Dirt) lead this person to me, though I'm hoping this person eventually found HELP instead. lol


• A search engine I have never heard of (rediff.com??) made me smile with this search engine result: "i wish i am the princess of the world". Who? ME?? I'd like to take credit and say it's my princessly ways that lead that result to me, but I think it's my frequent referral to my bestest friend Princess Blondie (though that should NEVER stop you from treating me like a princess anyway. :-)


• How about this? Are you looking "nice nurse girls"? Yahoo says I am number 11 for this search, obviously because of my recent surgery and talk of the lovely nurses I have had taking care of me. But somehow I am betting that's NOT what this person was looking for...


• The ever popular MSN/Sympatico search engine somehow thought my blog would be just the place for finding "last words in punjabi for dead person" . That's it, I'm never using that search engine, it's clearly run by monkeys on crack.


• Now, it's dumb of me to type out the words to this search because it will no doubt lead other idiots to my blog looking for the same thing, but it's too funny not to. Tell me...how much of a sexual misfit do you need to be to look up "Pictures showing various techniques for jerking off"??? You have to be SHOWN how to masturbate??? Oh lord, I should just shut up...I hate to think of the hits I'm going to get for this one.

Waitaminute.
How did that search come up with ME???
I don't even wanna know.

• And last but not least, Google felt I was a good candidate for the "blue alien insanity test". Dude. What were you looking for?? Are the blue aliens insane or are you insane for seeing blue aliens? yikes either way.

Anyway, I'm off to watch movie # 3, 268 for the week. have a good week everyone.

 
Well, even though I'm not at my computer much I am still getting the news (the old fashioned way...the tv). Yes, I know about the bombing attack in Egypt against Israelis. No, I am not impressed.

More on it here. So far reports say 30 dead, 114 wounded (though the numbers are constantly rising). The attack was intended to target Israelis vacationing in Egypt (a very common practice over the holidays). I guess if you can't get to the Israelis on their own soil you get them elsewhere. Makes me sick.

UPDATE: Colour me surprised...CNN actually acknowledges what the target was. "Triple blasts rock Israeli vacation spots". The count is up to 37 dead, 160 wounded.

 
Well I must say...the outpouring of kind words has been most generous. Thank everyone, you all made me feel better as I read your comments and felt your good wishes. :-) A special thanks to Harry, Rat, and Oren who e-mailed me personal wishes, it was very sweet. And thanks to Dave for going out of his way to put in a prayer for me (and to you, si) and to my good friend Melra for calling me everyday to keep tabs on me. Even my Hebrew teacher called to see why I hadn't been in class! How can I not feel better when surrounded by folks like these?? :-) And I am extra excited about the people who have come out of lurking to wish me well; didn't know it took me getting sick for you to finally say hi, but it almost makes it worth it! :-D

I am getting better, slowly slowly. My parents stop by everyday with anything I need, including a huge stack of movies to keep me entertained. My brother even made a surprise visit yesterday which is nice, I don't get to see him as much as I'd like.
Upon hearing what's going on with me my old neighbour and bestest friend Princess Blondie came by to visit me today. She came in with her arms full of groceries (and flowers!) and a list in her hand. "Now then.." she began "..did the doctor tell you what you should and shouldn't be eating in order to get better?" I kinda muttered 'no', so she read from her list, outlining what would be good and bad for me and went over the groceries she brought for me. Can you believe this girl?? Such an total sweetheart, everybody should have a friend like her. And good timing too coz I noticed this morning that I'm starting to lose weight, and I don't have that much to lose to begin with.

Other than that I guess there's not that much to say since I haven't left my house much over the last week and a half. And I'm not on my computer much either, so I haven't been able to keep up with everyone else's blogs. For shame! I am, however, far more acquainted with daytime television than I care to be. Such a sea of crappy talk shows and soaps, I think my brain may rot. I think I may have to switch to reading or stick with the movies.

I hope everyone else is well and that you're having a good week. And thanks again for your warm wishes.

 
Ok, I'm gonna make this short, it's uncomfortable to be at my computer (in fact, I stand while typing).

I got home from the hospital yesterday morning, I had surgery around midnight Sunday night. Looks like I have another week at home ahead of me, and I have a nurse who comes once a day to change my dressings. It's a *most* unpleasant experience, so I thank the blue heavens for Percocet. Otherwise the nurse might end up with a black eye. }:-)

I was somewhat amused that when I met my surgeon for the consultation on Sunday that he had in fact done surgery on me before (he repaired a hernia in my belly button). It's like we were old friends! Er... sort of. Anyway, he's the nice guy who carved the infection out of my intestines. Sounds like fun doesn't it?? Boy is it ever!

And I'm a lucky girl because I have someone to keep me company this week. My sister-in-law's sister has dropped her cat (Pumpkin) off for a week of catsitting. At first I thought the timing of it all couldn't be worse, but now it's kinda nice having a kitty to keep me company. :-)

Ok, gotta run, getting tired standing here. Take care folks, and I really appreciate all your kind comments. You make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. :-*

 
I went to the hospital yesterday. Three cheers for the Canadian healthcare system, I was actually in and out in 40 minutes (usually the wait alone is at least 2 - 3 hours. For my appendix I sat in the E.R. for 8 hours until they determined I needed surgery).

However, after a long feverish night I am going back to the hospital this morning. I suspect I will be admitted for surgery. What a joy. If that's the case I will be recovering at my parents. I'll write when I get back on my feet.
If I am not admitted, I'll drop an update here later to let y'all know I'm ok.
Thanks once again for all your kind and supportive words. You guys are good to me. :-)

 
Firstly, thank you to all those who have wished me well. You are all very sweet, and you remind me of why I write.

My absence started out because of a feeling of needing some space to sort out stuff that was going on with me in my life. I needed time to reflect on my past and decide on a few things.
However, that was quickly overshadowed by my not feeling well. And in fact, my feeling sick has only been getting worse, and after two separate trips to the doctor this week I may just head up to the hospital today. What can I say....I'm not feeling so good.
Anyway, please don't get all mushy on me, I'll be fine. I'm just letting you know coz it could be another few days before I write anything meaningful again.

In the meantime, why don't you pick a new blog to try from my blogroll?
Try something new. It's good for ya. :-)

 
I'm sorry for the lack of posting, I am going through something right now.
When words return to me I'll post something.
(don't worry, everything is fine. it's just a personal matter)
I hope those that were fasting had an easy one.

 
Ladies and gentlemen..... my vacation pictures of Israel are finally posted!

Dreaming of Israel is open and ready for viewing.

There is still some fine tuning to be done.... cleaning up spelling mistakes, adding links to more information about places, and other such things..... but it is certainly ready enough for people to start looking (there are over 200 pictures, so it will take time to look through them).

I hope you enjoy.

UPDATE: I have been reworking and refining the Israel photoblog ALL friggin' day...coz I'm obsessive, afterall. So if you just skimmed it before, you may wanna go back for such juicy updates as "the history of the Israeli payphone" Oh, yes!!

 
I will not let news of another suicide bomber in Israel ruin my day. Instead I will be happy. I am happy because the weather is warm and beautiful and I can smell autumn in the air. Soon the colours of the leaves will be a gorgeous palette of orange, yellow and red. I can't wait, I love the changing of the seasons.

And I'm in a good mood coz I'm mailing off something to a fellow blogger. First of all, I love mailing packages and letters to people. I love spoiling people I like, and who doesn't love getting mail?? It's such a rarity now, and that makes getting something that much more special. It's a simple gesture and yet it can mean so much. Second, I love mailing things to other bloggers! It's such an odd yet wonderful bond you create when you read each others blogs, and then to make actual friends... I dunno, I just think it's great. (yikes, I'm sounding like a total cornball, I know) I have sent packages to bloggers in Israel, Japan, California and now North Carolina. *grin*

I haven't had time at work to finish posting my vacation pics (I only posted about 75 out of 220), but now that I've started it I am really excited and anxious to finish it. I think if I knuckle down tonight I can finish it and unveil it. I have devoted a new photoblog to it instead of using my main one because there are SO many pictures; I thought I would just give it it's own space. I'll aim for tomorrow and let you know.
*fingers crossed*

 
The Palestinians have gone and done it again. A suicide bomber was stopped from getting on a bus (thank God) but still managed to detonate herself and take 2 Israelis with her.

I haven't the words for this anymore, and I will not give the terrorists the benefit of my rage. What they fail to understand is that with every attack they seal their fate. I hope they find new and true leadership. Soon.

 
Dear Yael,

I have been working for many hours on getting my pictures from my vacation in Israel organized so that I may post them for all to see. Sorting them and deciding which will go up and which will have to be cut took HOURS today, and only now, at 9:30pm after my day at work and evening at Hebrew class, am I finally able to start posting them. There are about 215 pictures (again, that was after I cut some out!) so you are just going to have to exercise a little more patience. I am working on it, and appreciate your enthusiasm. I will personally E-MAIL you when they are up, how's about that?
Keep your shorts on, I'm working on it. *wink*

much love,
celestial blue

 
There's a crazy big general strike going on in Israel right now. Makes me glad I'm not trying to fly to or from there now, coz flights are being diverted to Budapest and Vienna. Then again, that would be kinda cool..... hmmm...

I think today I am going to try and get my vacation pics from Israel up on my photoblog. It's going to take me *hours*, so I better be smooth about doing it here at work or I'll get in trouble. There are so many I might have to do it over a few days.. I'll let you now as I put them up.

I start my Hebrew class again tonight. YAY!!!!!!! I'm so excited to get back into my classes again, as I'm starting to get a bit rusty. And I adore my Hebrew teacher, she's the bestest.

I got my first spam in my Gmail account yesterday. 4 in total, which at first really annoyed me since I haven't had the account that long, but then I decided it wasn't so bad because at least the filter caught all 4 of them and dumped them in the spam folder. Nice filter catch, Google! I was impressed.
I still have tons of invites if someone wants a Gmail account, just drop me a line.

 
I have a secret love.... Sunday morning tv. It used to be Saturday morning when I was a kid, but that was when there were cartoons on worth watching. I just can't get into "today's" cartoons. Makes me feel old, actually.
But now it's Sunday morning that I love, the exact day and time I used to find boring as all hell when I was kid. Only the reasons I love it now are the very reasons I hated it then; religious programming. I am absolutely fascinated watching all these big churches on tv, and I watch with glee as "The Word" is preached using various techniques for getting you to believe his or her particular brand of religion.

Remember when I talked about how I was glued to the tv when Kirk Cameron (of Growing Pains fame) was on a Christian program, discussing his website and video? Well, today it was a different celebrity. When I turned to the Christian channel I found a clip showing a whole bunch of kids on skateboards and BMX bikes doing stunts. The clip went on to show all their skills on ramps, sidewalks and rails. Then it showed a circle of kids holding hands and praying before they performed all these terrific skills. And then they cut back to scenes of all these kids doing all these crazy routines, and interlaced snippets of interviews with the kids talking about how they had their troubles lifted when they put their life and trust into God's hands. It was fascinating! But THEN it showed an actor hanging out with all these kids, partaking in the fun and hijinx, and pinching their cheeks, and just generally joking around. It was Stephen Baldwin.

Now, I enjoyed Stephen Baldwin in The Usual Suspects, but having seen him on the reality show, Celebrity Mole, I couldn't stand him "in real life". He was *obnoxious* in the biggest way, and it totally made me think he was a complete jerk. I believe he even talked opened about his religious convictions on the show, which in a way I kinda admired.

Anyway, after the clip showing these skateboarders and bike riders the show ("The Hour of Power") cut back to the giant church, with Stephen Baldwin and the minister Robert Schuller. Stephen said that these kids used their athletic talents to attract other kids to the word of God. He said that they were paid minimal amounts of money to travel the country, visiting churches nation-wide, and that after putting on a show for the kids they would then talk to them about their beliefs.

*shrug*

I don't quite know what to make of it. I mean, it was nice to see Stephen Baldwin not being obnoxious, something I wasn't sure was possible. But after that whole piece, it cut to a recording of the minister doing a little one-on-one kind of talk with the home viewers (away from the huge church look...it was in a room somewhere). Basically he was asking for money. He talked about how the ministry needed money in order to cover the costs of the show (we'll ignore that they have sponsors and therefore commercials to help offset the costs) and that he relied on donations by "friends" like me to pay for the show to be on the air. This is where I always get suspicious... when religious shows start asking for money. While I understand that indeed high costs are incurred, I think we have all heard stories of the wealth and corruption of some ministries. (This also brings me to notice that you never see any Jewish programming like this...hmm..)


But hey, that's all part of what fascinates me with this kind of programming.... watching the unbending faith of people and watching the 'ministry machine' hard at work. Who knows, maybe one day a good ministry, like si's, will be on tv. Now that would be something to tune into..... :-)