I JUST DON'T KNOW!

Marion Pellicano Ambrose

What's going on in the world today? I was browsing through events of the past 24 hours and these three articles just disgusted me. What were these guys thinking?

Minnesota, USA                                                                                                               A Minnesota man tried to kill a fetus by stomping on his pregnant girlfriend's stomach, police said. Kenneth L. Turner, 28, of Fridley, kicked, punched and choked his on-again, off-again girlfriend at her apartment during a three-hour attack early Friday, at one point ordering her to lie on her back before stomping on her stomach with both feet. The victim is two months pregnant. During the attack, Turner told her she didn't "deserve the baby" and said he was going to kill it, the newspaper said. He was arrested after the woman managed to call police at around 8 a.m. The woman, who was not identified, suffered vaginal bleeding and pain in her stomach, but police say the fetus survived.

Edinburgh, Scotland                                                                                                    One of three women who claim a man tried to murder them in Edinburgh and Fife has told a court she was raped, bitten and repeatedly strangled by him.The 20-year-old also claimed James Paterson, 23, from Lochgelly, Fife, kicked her in the stomach when she was expecting a baby. She told the High Court in Aberdeen she still has Mr Paterson's teeth marks in her arm from more than two years ago. Mr Paterson denies the allegations against him. He is also accused of raping two of the three women and attacking two newborn babies.

Pennsylvania, USA                                                                                                          A Bristol Township man is accused of stabbing his pregnant girlfriend several times with a large knife early Thursday.  Glenn Witherspoon, 24, told Jessica Field "I'm sorry I have to do this," before attacking her as they sat in a car.Field, 22, told police Witherspoon called her several times early Thursday morning and asked her to come to his home on Airacobra Street. Investigators say When Field arrived, Witherspoon got into her car and wanted to go to the Lennox Parking Lot to watch the sunrise. When they arrived at the lot, Witherspoon pulled a knife and stabbed Field in the chest, just above her heart. Field and Witherspoon struggled and Field was stabbed several more times according to officers who say Field suffered a three inch laceration on the side of her neck. Field was able to lock the car doors when Witherspoon got out to get something from the trunk, as Field drove away, Witherspoon jumped on the hood of the car to try to stop her, said police.She made it to her home on Jackson Street and relatives called 911. At about the same time police received a call about a man walking along Monroe Street who appeared to be bleeding from the head. When officers arrived on Jackson Street, investigators say they approached the man, later identified as Witherspoon, and he told them, "I didn't want to do it, is she alright?" Witherspoon is facing charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person and possession of a weapon.He was arraigned Thursday before Bristol District Judge Frank Peranteau and sent to Bucks County Prison in lieu of $1 million cash bail. Field is being treated at Aria Health's Torresdale campus and is expected to survive. Police said that Fields is about eight weeks pregnanat and it's believed that Witherspoon is the father.

JONATHAN FRID DIES AND PASSES THE TORCH TO JOHNNY DEPP

Marion Pellicano Ambrose

“Jonathan Frid was the reason I used to run home from school to watch ‘Dark Shadows, When I had the honor to finally meet him, as he so generously passed the torch of Barnabas to me, he was as elegant and magical as I had always imagined. My deepest condolences to his family and friends. The world has lost a true original.”

 These were the words used by Johnny Depp to describe actor, Jonathan Frid, who died at the age of 87, (oddly enough on Friday April 13^th). Depp will be playing the part of Barnabus Collins in the new Dark Shadows Film by Warner Brothers. Check out the movie trailer: http://darkshadowsmovie.warnerbros.com/index.html ) Frid plays a cameo role in the new film.

 Like Johnny Depp, I too used to race home from school to watch the original Dark Shadows with my older sister. We were so scared sometimes, we held hands.  We were latchkey kids and so were alone each day for the latest episode. There were lots of great characters, Angelique, Dr. Julia, and others, but the real star of the soap opera was Barnabus Collins, vampire and dashing, romantic figure!

Years later, reruns of Dark Shadow came on TV. I couldn’t wait to watch and be scared and excited like I was so many years ago. When it finally aired, I couldn’t believe it. What was so exciting then was now SLOOOWW! The budget was so low that they could only afford have 2 or 3 characters on each day. The story dragged out and the effects were so lame it was funny to look at them in this age of awesome special effects. Nevertheless, that doesn’t take away for the phenomenon that was Dark Shadows back in the day! For its time, this soap opera was cutting edge, serious entertainment for a generation of vampire loving school kids!

DICK CLARK DEAD AT 82

Marion Pellicano Ambrose

Dick Clark, America’s odest teenager, died Wednesday at the age of 82.

Clark was the creator of “American Bandstand”,  one of network TV's longest-running series as part of ABC's daytime lineup from 1957 to 1987. It later aired for a year in syndication and briefly on the USA Network. Over the years, it introduced stars ranging from Buddy Holly to Madonna. The show's status as an American cultural institution was solidified when Clark donated Bandstand's original podium and backdrop to the Smithsonian Institution.

Clark joined "Bandstand" in 1956 after Bob Horn, who'd been the host since its 1952 debut, was fired. Under Clark's guidance, it went from a local Philadelphia show to a national phenomenon.

 Clark also was known for hosting the $25,000 Pyramid,  TV’s Bloopers and Practical Jokes, the American Music Awards, and of course, Rockin New Years Eve each year from Times Square. He missed only one year, 2004 when he suffered a stroke. He returned the following year in a limited capacity, slurring his speech, but cheerful and youthful looking as ever!

 I remember watching a program on TV about 2 Autistic Savant women who just adored Dick Clark. Their whole life centered around watching American Bandstand, then the $25,000 Pyramid. They wrote to Dick Clark and had pictures of him all over their apartment. When the Pyramid finally went off the air, the girls were devistated. They went into a deep depression. Family members were so worried, they contacted Clark and arranged for a visit. The girls were thrilled and Clark was just wonderful. He called them regularly after that.

When Clark had his stroke, again the girls were devistated. When he returned home, he allowed them to visit again. No cameras or other people were allowed in his room but the girls and his wife. They came out crying, but happy. I feel so sorry about how they will react to Clark’s death!

Dick Clark was a huge part of America’s history. He should be remembered as the pioneer for music, racial equality, and positive thinking that he truly was.

FIFTY SHADES AND FIFTY LOADS OF LAUNDRY....

Dawn Boyle
I have been absent lately. I have let my laundry pile up. I have completely ignored the phone ringing and I am pretty sure my husband is convinced I am having an affair...

A few months ago, one of my "besties" called me on a Friday night. It was late. I picked up the phone and she stated "Read Fifty Shades and have Greg thank me when you're done." I questioned what she was talking about she repeated herself and hung up.

I raced up stairs to confines of my bedroom, opened up the laptop and googled the title. I read a few reviews and shut down the computer. I am not really a big reader, I am certainly not into some of the things they were saying in the review, and I really could careless about getting all involved with this book.

About a week or two after that phone call I was out for a Girls Night Out hosted by a friend. The book came up again, I told them about the call I received from our friend (who blew us off that night) and how she was so sure about me reading this book. There were a few chuckles about it being racy, there was a comment about not needing a book and that all was fine in their bedroom, and then there was the one comment that kept on coming back to me. It was the original comment about it making my husband thank my pal.....I went home and ordered the first book.

I am not going to go into details and will certainly not be a spoiler, but, I finished the first book, then I finished all three. I have fallen in love with Grey. I want to be Steele. I am still not into all the kink, but would do just about anything Grey wanted if he was going to give me that life...money never being a worry, someone who's sole concern was my welfare, endless gifts and a staff to take care of everything?!?!?! - SIGN ME UP!

So the laundry will now get back on track...my house will once again be tidy, all because my affair with Christian Grey is sadly over. Bittersweetly I bite my lip while holding back the tears that swell in my hazel eyes.....as I eagerly await the movie...we plan on renting a theater out and sipping champagne while we submerge ourselves in the perfect fantasy of FIFTY SHADES OF GREY.....til then - Laters, baby. 

Our own Jillian keeps time very well dancing with this type of genre.  Check out some of her Kinks, oops - I mean links below!

After The Kiss
http://delayedreactionlounge.blogspot.com/2011/03/after-kiss.html

Hart's Desire On Fire
http://delayedreactionlounge.blogspot.com/2011/05/harts-desire-on-fire.html

Business Trip
http://delayedreactionlounge.blogspot.com/2011/03/business-trip-part-i.html

Business Trip Part VII
http://delayedreactionlounge.blogspot.com/2011/06/business-trip-part-vii-harts-desire.html
Other links to this story included at the bottom of the post. 

HE SAID.... No Excuses

Tony Walker
This week's He Said is one of those where I make no excuses for the men & ask my fellow man "WTF"?

Two weeks ago we had a guest speaker at our SEPTA meeting.
Special
Ed
Parent
Teacher
Assoc

I am the Co-President of Wantagh SEPTA. When I was introduced to the speaker she said, "Wow! A male SEPTA President. That's wonderful!"
In my head I'm wondering what the hell was that all about.
The speaker's topic was about being a parent without losing sense of being a couple with your spouse. I bet most of us here can say we've become parents & lost being a couple.
Then I saw all the couples that came to see the presentation. That's when it hit me that this was the most amount of men we've ever had in my time around SEPTA.

So after the presentation I asked the speaker if the lack of men is a wide problem. She said it is. but doesn't know why.  Well if she doesn't know I sure as shit don't know!!!

So what's up fellas?  Are you too macho? Are you afraid to admit your kid is special needs? Do you not believe in special needs & think that a knock in the head is what your kid needs?  Ladies-do you struggle with your man when it comes to dealing with the kids?  Do you have a special needs child that your man doesn't fully acknowledge?

We need to have some father support groups. I know there are some out there. I'll start checking some out.

Maybe I shouldn't talk about this & give away the secrets..... so many hot moms show up at these meetings & I'm the only guy there!!! WOO HOO!!!!

By the way, the speaker's name is Fran Prezant. She has a few books out on a variety of topics. I highly recommend checking her out!!!

STICKY SWEET

CHOCOLATE THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY

Patty B

"When you go to the movies, its perfectly acceptable to eat the chocolate you smuggled in your purse. The theater concession guys will sell you more."

"If you're attending a major sporting event, you can eat all the chocolate you want, as long as you're not on the big screen television ... think Jumbo Tron."

"Wouldn't melted chocolate be a much better sunscreen? Other than the flies, of course."

   

WANNA LAUGH?!?!

Tony Walker

As an airplane is about to crash, a female passenger jumps up frantically and announces, "If I'm going to die, I want to die feeling like a woman."

She removes all her clothing and asks, "Is there someone on this plane who is man enough to make me feel like a woman?"

A man stands up, removes his shirt and says, "Here, iron this!

PARANORMAL PUB: THE GHOSTS OF WILLIAM AND MARY

Not many colleges can say they've canceled classes because 'the British invaded.' The College of William & Mary is the second-oldest college in America. The original plans for the College date back to 1618—decades before Harvard—but were derailed by an “Indian uprising.”

On February 8, 1693, King William III and Queen Mary II of England signed the charter for a “perpetual College of Divinity, Philosophy, Languages, and other good Arts and Sciences” to be founded in the Virginia Colony. And William & Mary was born.

Workers began construction on the Sir Christopher Wren Building, then known simply as the College Building in 1695, before the town of Williamsburg even existed. Over the next two centuries, the Wren Building would burn on three separate occasions, each time being re-built inside the original walls. That makes the Wren the oldest college building in America, and possibly the most flammable.

The College has been called “the Alma Mater of a Nation” because of its close ties to America’s founding fathers. A 17-year-old George Washington received his surveyor's license through the College and would return as its first American chancellor. Thomas Jefferson received his undergraduate education here, as did presidents John Tyler and James Monroe.

William & Mary is famous for its firsts: the first U.S. institution with a Royal Charter, the first Greek-letter society (Phi Beta Kappa, founded in 1776), the first student honor code and the first law school in America.

The College became a state-supported school in 1906 and went coed in 1918. In 1928, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. chose the Wren as the first building to be returned to its 18th-century appearance as part of the iconic Colonial Williamsburg restoration.

The College of William and Mary appears to house several spirits who are enjoying everything but rest in the afterlife. A soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War met his death in a small room that is to the back of the college due to a gunshot injury he received while fighting. This occurred on the third floor of the college. Several students and individuals who work at the school have claimed that they have seen a soldier in spirit form walking in a mist-like state around the area where he reportedly passed.

There are several areas around this college that appear to have hauntings. One such place is the building that is named “Brafferton”. It was in this building, which several tribes of Indian boys  were sent to learn behaviors and beliefs that surround the Christian faith. When the boys arrived for rehabilitation, several of them were lacking in nutrition and fell ill. They were not at all happy with being separated from their tribes, and attempted to escape several times. Unfortunately, for many it was too late and they ended up dying. The spirits of students who were forced to attend the Indian school that was housed in the Brafferton are said to run across campus at night. The best time to sneak a peek is on misty night in the Sunken Garden. The ghosts run a few feet above the ground down the length of the Garden.

 It is believed that these spirits still roam the building, trying to escape.
Arguably the most famous campus ghost, this haunt visits students who choose to pull all-nighters in the classroom on the third floor of St. George Tucker Hall. The ghost’s identity is yet unknown, as it has been rumored to be anyone ranging from a resident of Colonial Williamsburg during the Revolution to a disgruntled or suicidal student at the College.

Students reportedly began hearing mysterious footsteps in the Wren Building shortly after the Revolutionary War. They claimed that the ghosts were French soldiers who died in the building, although nowadays students maintain that it is Sir Christopher Wren himself, roaming the very building he designed.
Underground steam tunnels exist on both Old and Ancient Campus. The tunnels are said to connect to the Wren Chapel burial vault, located in the basement of the Wren Building. In 1977, access to the crypt from the tunnels was blocked with the addition of a padlocked steel door to prevent vandalism. During that time, supposedly, it was popular for fraternity brothers to sneak into the crypt and steal a bone from the tomb of James Blair. It is rumored that secret societies use these tunnels to move around campus.

There are at least nine secret societies on campus, including The 7s, The 13s, The Alphas, The Bishop James Madisons and The Flat Hats. Look for signs of them throughout the year, particularly around the time of Homecoming and graduation. If they deem you worthy, you may be contacted by them out of gratitude for your contribution to the College community or even invited to join their closeted rankings.

The legend behind the Crim Dell is that if you walk across it’s bridge with your significant other and kiss at the top, you are destined to marry that person and be in love forever. If you break up, however, you will remain cursed unless one member of the hopeless couple pushes the other into the Crim Dell. It’s never agreed upon as to who should be chucked over the edge — girls will say it’s the boy who should be pushed, and boys will say it’s the girl. Avoid walking across it alone, however, unless you want to be doomed to a life of loneliness.

Less grave, however, is the myth surrounding the statue of Lord Botetourt. Allegedly, if you touch the statue, you’ll get a good grade on your next test. Couldn’t hurt to try, right?

THE CAB RIDE

JILLIAN B. HART

AFTER THE KISS

Elegant fingers intertwined with his as she fell slightly ahead of him in the mob leading him hand in hand away from the bar.  It was impulsive.  Reckless.  But, after losing herself in his kiss she was willing to abandon reason. Rushing thoughts trying to fill her with doubt. There was a time her heart had been crippled from the pain of losing him. From the pain of doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. To please the wrong people. 

They had once been so close to everything. And, then there was naught. She walked on, weaving the crowd. Nothing was greater then the risk that came with embracing this moment. Nothing greater then the loneliness that pierces your soul, behind a bright smile and a full life.

Exhilarated by the strong rhythm reverberating in her chest. She wanted her heart to keep beating like this...  To be uncontrollably aware of being alive and not just moving through motions. This was the type of moment, that affirms that heaven does exist. Makes you believe, that right here, in this moment is where you are supposed to be. The moment you know and say to yourself, “all I need is this right now”.

She looked back over her shoulder as they neared the exit.  Meeting his glance, her pulse quickened and a void inside her seemed to diminish with each passing second.  Years melting away as a connection of heart, mind, and soul, seized to the forefront in an instant. The frenzy of looming passion teased at all of his senses.  His loins aching a he moved closer to her, both of them pausing in the flood of people waiting to exit and enter the bar.  A few more steps and the multitude of the holiday horde was left behind them.  The pub music fading while the sounds of the city at night overwhelmed them.

She felt her breath catch in her throat. No plan had been erected, yet it was evolving with every step that they took on the noisy avenue.  She knew there was no turning back.  Nor did she want to, she’d not turn away from this again. Slightly shivering as the voice in her head silently shouted, “No regrets”.  Just the stroke of his thumb on the back of her hand excited her libido as her nipples tingled and tightened under silk camisole beneath her dress.  

She released his hand and stepped off the curb. Stiletto boots clicking the pavement with each stride.  As her long garnet painted nails lead her hand into the air, her voice loud, throaty and untamed, “Taxi”.

EATERY IS OPEN....FRESH HAM

Baked Fresh Ham with Herbs

14-pound fresh ham, bone in (shank and leg portion of pork)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 teaspoons dry rubbed sage

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

11/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs (4 to 6 slices of bread)

1/3 cup (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted (3 ounces)

10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Trim the fat to an even 1/8-inch thickness. Prick the ham all over and cut 11/2-inch-deep gashes evenly over top of the ham (on the side with the fat).
   This will be the “top” of the ham, where you will “stuff” the stuffing.
3. Place the garlic, onion, parsley, celery, thyme, sage, and mustard in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process to a paste, then stir together in a bowl with the breadcrumbs, melted butter, and spinach to create the stuffing. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Press the stuffing deep into the gashes; fingers work best. Place the ham fat side up on a rack in the roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, then turn the oven down to 325 degrees.
   Begin checking the ham after 4 hours. Roast until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees (approximately 51/2 hours total cooking time).
5. Let sit at room temperature, covered loosely with foil, for at least 30 minutes. The internal temperature should rise to 155 degrees.
6. Make the gravy while the roast is resting.