Speck of the Minds Eye

A camping we will go

Yes, I know what you are thinking.  That when you think of Mark and myself, you think poster children for camping.  And indeed we are.  We spent this past weekend in the great wilderness.  No McDonald's for a good 10 feet.  No seafood restaurants for blocks and lastly no comfy hotels to spend our first night in right around the corner.  Logan loved the camping we did eventually end up doing.  And to Mark's credit he did sleep two nights in a tent.  Logan got to see the great wide ocean and for once realized that the lake in Wisconsin is really not that big at all.  In fact, had we taken Logan to the ocean earlier, we would have saved a bundle.  She informed us it was more fun than Disney World.  Wouldn't Micky be appalled?  More camping photos in the Gallery.

Happy birthday!

Here's a Birthday toast from the happy campers!

Ah the ocean

I forget how much I love the ocean, from my balcony vs. A cold tent.

The World is coming to an end

Anyone get the feeling that despite some people crying over their ducks (see photo) that we have bigger issues at hand?  Okay I admit when I am really hungry if someone tried to take away my quarter pounder with cheese, I would probably bawl like a baby.  First there is the Avian Flu spreading across Asia, um... why Indonesia was against handing over H5N1 samples is quite frightening, does anyone realize that rapid response is the biggest defense against fighting a Pandemic?  I guess so, after a bunch of pressure from the world forum it does appear that Indonesia is playing nice again.  Speaking of which, what about Myanmar and not allowing aid workers in?  I understand there is military tension there but you have 100,000 dead.  That's a lot of disease and contamination to deal with.  At least the first plane full of aid arrived frm the U.S. there.  So it is trickling almost a week later.  I guess better late then never.  Think the U.S. is immune to the rage of nature?  Oh no wait, there is flooding.  Flooding all over the place - from the latest rains that have hit throughout the U.S. and the Tornados hitting everywhere to say the least.  And almost unnoticed, the severe outbreak of hand, foot, and mouth disease in China.  Can I just tell you, I have seen full blown hand, foot, and mouth disease and it ain't pretty.  Lastly, today, the 7.8 earthquake that took place overnight in China.  Deaths could reach in the thousands from that alone (7,000 currently reported). 

But yet do I really care that David Archuleta's dad has been banned from the Idol set?  Maybe there is more to this.  Basically I can't stand David Archuleta to begin with.  I don't personally know him, but already I hate the whole stage dad persona and basically the fact that Idol is fixed.  David is a choir boy of perfection but is he or idol?  Really?  I am more interested in seeing the Plague of Locusts that must be coming next our way.  I'm not saying that David Archuleta has anything to do with the recent amount of natural disasters that are occuring or for that matter, that he can be equated to a plague of locusts (thought don't bet your house on that one) - but you can jump to your own conclusion on that one.  Actually, what interests me more is the plague of locusts that could chase after Ryan Seacrest - now that is good t.v. and you had a bad day?

A few friends pay us a visit

Yep that's right.  Mark leaves town.  I figure, I so have this covered.  No sweat!  First I bribe the little one into submission.  Yes - Mommy is best!  Mommy is great.  So is going to be a cake walk.  I do teeball practice standing on my head.  Yes Coach Donna rocks.  I am heavin' the heavy stuff around on the field, dragging bases, drawing lines.  I got it going on.  I get home, collapse - I rock.  Friday, I pick the child up early from school.  I am getting major points on that one.  Daddy who?  I am feeling pretty tired, a bit run down but I can do it after all I am super mom.  Saturday okay, when is he getting back home?  Bad day.  Logan talks to me like she is 16.  Can't have that.  Fight ensues.  I win only to feel progessively worse as the day drags on.  I drag on.  It is then I notice, out of the corner of my eye from across the room (and at a neighbor's house to boot) a small little bug crawling down Logan's face.  Everything comes together.  Wednesday a note had come home about a lice outbreak, but of course, in typical Speckhard fashion, I disregard because my kid has super uber Gebhard genes in her.  Lice!  I wanted to cry.  I think I did.  A series of rather comedic events ensue.  There's the trip to the store with Logan in tow.  Me trying to explain what RID is to someone who cannot speak English.  There is the washing of the hair, the combing of the hair (world's smallest comb vs. head of wavy blond locks).  Aftwards I disinfect everything.  My head itches - I cry myself to sleep curled in a fetal position.  Lice watch day two, I am convinced I killed two off my own head.  I beg neighbor to RID my head.  No lice.  The saga continues as I am told for the next 2-3 weeks this is now my life.  Wash, comb, disinfect.  I sit in meetings the rest of the week convinced I have lice.  I feel the little feet scurry across my scalp only to find nothing later on. 

If we aren't going to feed the world, can we feed it Ryan Seacrest?

It is bad enough I had to listen to "Seacrest Out" like it was some cool new saying to be imprinted on a t-shirt with vintage looking writing.  But now he tries to be intelligent too?  Hasn't anyone clued him in to the fact the only difference between him and Idol's first season co-host Brian Dunkelman is some studio exec. decided they only needed one host?  It just occurred to me that Ryan would make an excellent bobblehead - if only I collected them.  Do we really care what you think Ryan?  No.  Because if we did care, that means we would care about Idol and if we cared about Idol, what would that say about ourselves?  Hold on let me check, yep, still hating Idol.  Seacrest still uncool!  Donna Out.

If good intentions were money, I would be filthy rich!

I have good intentions.  Good intentions to stay in touch with family that live within a 30 mile radius of where I live, good intentions to remember people's birthdays - ontime, good intentions to read a good book, not have dessert, go to the gym at least 3 times a week, work harder, sleep less, watch less tv.  Oh those intentions.  I have good intentions not to yell at the nearest idiot driver while I am on the road, or to not make anymore random purchases at the store.  But one thing I can honestly say is I never in my life intended to be a Disney character and thankfully I made good on that.  Seriously, who can possibly stomach a mask that goes over your head for several hours on a hot day, kids grabbing at your, and you have to be happy?  What does that mask smell like?  Yuck!

Better late then never

Happy Birthday however belated goes out to:

Christa Lange, Beth Speckhard, Garrit Speckhard, Jake Speckhard, Mark Speckhard, Diana O'Brien, and anyone else with a birthday this past month that I missed! 

WM3 - I hate it when I am right

Those that know me, well know that I am obsessed about the injustice of a case called The West Memphis Three.  I have taken every chance in school to use it as a topic for any of my Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice classes.  Basically everything that can go wrong did go wrong in this case.  So it is only natural that it fits any category I care to fit it into.  I have held lenghty discussions on why I think these 3 boys - well since it's been 15 years, men are innocent.  I gave a speech on it to test out of speech class.  I remember one of my bosses at the time asked me how I was so certain they did not commit the brutal murder of three little boys.  I said because there is not one shred of evidence that they did it.  Not only that, a leading (ever hear of Peter Turvey? John Douglas?) profiler developed a profile that did not match the convicted.  Peter Turvey, wrote one of the best profiles on this case, and I got a chance to study his book in a course for criminal profiling.  Also John Douglas, has his own opinion of a single killer whose traits and characteristics did not match those that were convicted.  Finally, DNA was collected and submitted for testing.  Guess what?  Not one piece was matched to Damion, Jessie, or Jason.  In fact, the DNA tells another story, one that was ignored back when the investigation took place.  Sick.  Some recent WM3 news:

• People Magazine (Jan. 2008)
• Larry King Live Interview (Dec. 2007)
• Eddie Vedder Auction (EV has been onboard from the beginning - 15 years ago) 

I give up on American Idol

After I recovered from the shock of Michael Johns elimination from Idol this past week, Mark put things in perspective for me.  Basically he said the show has been and will continue to be "rigged" and for once, he is right.  Several of the contestants have had records made!  But no surprise here, Michael Johns has talent and we all know if you have talent - you don't win American Idol.  Could I have seen Michael Johns win!  You bet - but that is in my dream imagination of what American Idol should be and not what the reality is.  How would Michael fare if he had won?  He would have sold out, and everything I have grown to like about him would be lost, in a regurgatated attempt to give me a new American Idol with pop star quality and let's face it, Michael Johns is not a pop star.  In fact, he is going to be much better off not being in the top two of this stupid show.  On that note, I hope David Cook is next to go - I say get the real talent off the stage and then we can be left with a bubbly gum sweet version of an idol that can be molded into some preconceived mega star to sell albums to the throngs of teenie boppers that actually vote for this crap.  There has got to be something else the networks can throw on tv those two hours a week that I am now calling the "black hole" of television.  It almost takes the joy out of my Karoke American Idol game, almost.