GIRL TRUTHS

When my mother was diagnosed with
breast cancer, my sister, Andi, set out on a project
with her for her daughter (my beloved niece).
Andi started collecting and compiling
bits of wisdom from my mom and myself and
her own life lessons. Just little things that
you would want to tell a young girl, stuff you
learned on your own journey, etc.
Mom worked on the book with Andi until
she became an angel in 2002.

The project is now a book called "Girl Truths".
It has a picture of my mom on the front doing
a hand stand when she was just a girl.
We have the same skinny legs
and it makes me laugh.

the book is available on Amazon:
GIRL TRUTHS
and it profits breast cancer research.

Michael Pena

So, I got the DVD for "Crash" the other night
(the 2004, Paul Haggis written one).
I had a feeling I would like the movie,
it's my kinda subject matter
and I'm a big Don Cheadle fan,
and I did.
But my oh my...
When the guy who played the
Latino locksmith did the scene
about the fairy,
I literally stood up, in the middle of it
(I even moved my dogs for a second)
and clapped for him.
I gave him his own little awards ceremony.
I can not remember when I have seen
and actor DELIVER like that in recent
history, with such grace and subtlety
and just plain excellence.
My oh my.
So the next days I couldn't stop thinking about it
and I was too busy to look it up.
I even saw a guy at a bus stop that looked like
him, and was like, wow, what a talent
(I might have even waved).
I went with one of my beloved co-workers
to a thing a few nights later.
She knows alot of movie people who know alot
things, so I made this conversation
happened over and over:

P:Hi, I am Pauley.
X: Hi, I'm ________.
P: Hey, so, _______, have you seen the movie Crash?
The one from 2004?
X: Yes/No. Why?
P: Because the Latino Locksmith in that
film delivered one of the best scenes I've
witnessed in a long time and I don't know
who he is.

I told this to agents, managers, film makers,
directors, producers, everybody.
One of the agent X people told me that Oliver Stone had
felt the same way and had hired him just after seeing
the movie for his new project,
but no one could give me a name.
Finally, this cool movie chick pulled out her
wireless web thing.............
"Michael Pena".
Ahhhhh...
A name.
Michael Pena.
So, Michael Pena...
(in case you google yourself)
Cheers, man,
You are just fantastic,
kudos to you.
I'll see everything you do.
I'm like that with my short list
of favorite actors
(you're in REALLY good company on that list).

-From a BIG new fan.

(BTW, "Pena" might have one of those things that
makes an "N" an "en-yay" in Spanish,
but I spent like 10 minutes trying to
figure out how to make one,
and failed)

Beasties

Since they first put out Beastie Boys videos
on VHS years ago,
I would have a tradition of watching them
when I was happy
when I was sad
before I went out...
lots of occasions,
any occasion,
over and over and over again
and it never failed to make me extremely happy.

Now all of them and more are on
Criterion Collection on DVD.
Oh My!
Hours and hours and hours
of Beastie Boy everything.
I have watched that thing a million
times and still haven't seen
all of the special features.

I've said before,
I wish I was a Beastie Boy,
but I'm not a boy,
not very Beastie,
and of course when they got together
years ago in New York
I was an awkward child in Georgia.
Nothing beastie about that.

But thank God for the meeting of
Ad-Rock, Mike D. and MCA.
Years and years
of happiness for me.
And thank God for the DVD collection,
pure joy on two discs.

Just writing about it makes me want to go watch it
AGAIN, for hours.
Delicious.

cuteness supreme

This is Buddy
(the artist formerly known
as "The Dude")
And his new sister Abby
spooning.

Some things are beautiful.

Omni Elusive Answer (O.E.A.)

Some people are really bored.
Some people are really bad.
I unfortunately have both
Overly interested in myself
And my life
And my blog
and my stuff
and the internet.

So,
My overly elusive answer is this...
THIS is my only Official Website.
(trust the links I put up,
and I haven't finished putting up the
legit ones,
BUT NOTE: one claiming to be my
"official site" on engines like
GOOGLE is NOT there)
This other website has my semi-real writings
copied and posted
but it is for other intentions
than my own expression.

It is a bad intention.
Do not write to me there or to them,
because they are posing as me,
and any weird crap posted about me
on message boards and stuff anywhere
that seems weird,
IS weird, because this person
poses as normal posters falsely
male and female
under several aliases
but it is all a part of a psychopath's
unchecked obsession with me.

LEAVE ME ALONE.
YOU ARE A LIAR.
I DESPISE LIARS.
YOU MAY FOOL SOME OF THE FOOLS
SOME OF THE TIME,
BUT...
You KNOW how THAT setencence ends.

It's bad,
It's sad,
But it's happeneing.

I have to be on guard,
when I have so many more
important things to do
and write
other than writing this.

Sorry, good people,
people suck, all the time.

And unfortunately
I have had that proven to me.

Sorry about the "no comments"
and lack of response,
but whoever you good people are,
this person will pretend to be you
Hack your address,
Your post name,
Everything...
and e-mail me as you,
and post stuff as you,
and will continue to
never leave me (and others) alone.
I am in a position, unfortunately,
to not trust anyone.

Some people are bad
Some people are badly sad,
like pathetically sad,
and some people are TRAGICALLY bored
and need to GET A JOB
like the rest of us.
It's is pathetic,
But they are out there.
I am a victim of this.
And so are you.

Soul To Sole

I spent the weekend in Washington D.C.
and I can not remember when my feet
have ever hurt so much.

I went to D.C. to present awards at the
annual Top Cops ceremony for outstanding
acts of heroism by police officers around the country.
The host was John Walsh, and anyone who
knows me or has ever read the stuff I write knows
what it meant to me to meet him, wow.

I also spent one day with the awesome
agents and all others at the NCIS headquarters
in DC, did like 5 radio/tv interviews about Top Cops,
saw an amazing drag show
and attended a benefit for the Human Rights Campaign,
an organization I highly support.
(more on them in a later post, truly inspiring
evening, Julian Bond just rocks.
So does Wanda Alston, as does Cyndi Lauper
and the B-52s, and my fave new lil' guy Leslie Jordan)
All of this in less than three days
and most of it in high heels,
which I am SO not accustomed to.
Me and my best friend Darren
(who accompanied me)
figured out that we got about 6 hours
sleep in 3 days. At least he didn't have to
wear a dress.

I presented the awards at Top Cops for officers in New Orleans.
In August of 2004, two female officers were called
to a home where a 38 year old man was out of control
and needed to be committed.
They were told he had no weapons.
When they arrived at the house, Officer LaToya Johnson
entered first and was immediately shot by the man
who not only had a weapon, but an entire arsenal in
his bedroom. When she fell, he emptied the rest
of his ammo on her. Her partner called for back up
and it took a team of officers to end the shooting rampage
in which he also killed one of his own family members.
LaToya was 27 years old and left behind a 10 year old
adorable daughter and was beloved to her friends
and family. I can't stop thinking about her.


I also can not stop thinking about all of the awesome
cops I had the honor of meeting at this event.
In particular, Lt. David Benelli and his wife, Sgt. Becky
Benelli (they met on a crime scene).
I was super excited when I found out they were
going to be there, as I had seen a news report on them
earlier in the month and have often thought of them.
They are the couple in New Orleans that have had over
30 officers staying in their home since Katrina hit
(70% of the officers lost their homes, lost everything).
They have been running their home (coined "Camp Benelli")
like this, working day and night with the other good cops
that are doing their job and beyond.

I had the incredible opportunity to stay up too late with
the Benelli's the other night talking (along with other
awesome cops from around the country). I asked David,
because they would know, what is the one thing that
people could do to help them
that would help the most.
He knew.
I'm sure he's been thinking about it alot.
They have lost a majority of their officers,
some split, some were doing bad things,
some committed suicide.
But some have bravely stayed and served and helped.
These officers are homeless, lost everything and
their family members, and have continued on the job
day and night, saving lives.
They desperately need help.

Just so you know,
I have always been a cop fan.
Big Time.
Because of the recent controversy
and controversy that has happened in
the past and will come up in the future,
let me restate:
There is nothing better than a good cop,
and nothing worse than a bad one.
The people who know this the best are
GOOD COPS.
I am a fan of Good Cops.
I hate that the actions of others
(bad cops)
interfere with the work of and
taint the reputation of
those who are out there doing exactly
what they said what they would do:
Serve and Protect.

So, anyways, I'm ready.
I am in the process of starting an
organization to get funding directly to
the Good Cops who have lost everything.
I have no idea what I am doing,
but I am going to do it, with and in honor
of The Officers Benelli and all the outstanding
officers who are not being talked about,
who stayed and saved.
I will post soon with an address and info
to donate.
Please do not forget about the cops who have
done nothing but help, heart and soul,
and continue to do so
even though they've lost everything.

I came home last night and collapsed.
Then I couldn't sleep because my feet hurt so bad.
The soles of my feet felt like someone had
knocked them with a 2x4 until they were bruised and
bleeding because of those damn heels.
And I had to go to work today.
I'm not a pill guy, but at like 4 in the morning,
I found a bottle of Advil someone left at my
apartment. It actually was extremely helpful,
stopped the throbbing.

But again, whatever.
The people in the wake of the disasters all
over the country don't have shoes or Advil
or sleep or beds or anything else.
There is need everywhere.
I'm trying to find specific ways to help.
And one of them is helping the helpful.

I rewrote part of my speech for Top Cops.
It said "I went to college for criminal science,
I wanted to be a cop, but I never thought
I was brave enough. Thankfully there are those
are." And I was surrounded by them.
The really, really good ones.

Who knows, maybe one day I will find myself
as brave as I want to be, and will can all this and
become a cop, a good cop.
Maybe me and Shaq (who also wants to be a cop)
will one day be able to pull
someone to safety, save a life, serve, protect.
Shaq probably will do it.
I can only dream about it.


p.s.
there is a great article about the Benelli's,
I don't think I know how to make it a link but, here:
Home Of The Brave