Seriously?

I haven't blogged for a week. This, I suppose, is indicative of my life right now. Schedules are crazy! I am workshopping a new musical this summer ( I eluded to this several posts back in the entry entitled "I Really Need to Practice What I Preach"), and it opens in a week. More details about that in a post to follow. Today I just wanted to blog about something that happened to me the other day that I found incredulous and a bit amusing.
I usually leave my workplace for lunch everyday. I work in a space with no windows, and I just find it better for my mental health if I get away every day. I get an hour for lunch, and I usually run by some fast food place and grab lunch, so I have more time to enjoy it. This particular day, funds were a little short, so I decided to go to a fast food place fairly near my office to take advantage of their $1.00 double cheeseburger. Can't beat that, right? $1.00 for a double cheeseburger. I usually try to avoid this particular establishment because their Drive-Thru is a nightmare. It's one of those drive-thrus that can be approached from two different traffic directions, but I digress. I took a chance that they might not be as busy, and I would be able to get in and out easily. I pull in the parking lot. Ahhh, the line's not too bad, only 1 person in front of me. My turn to order comes, and the conversation takes place as follows:
Drive-thru Attendant: May I take your order?
Me: I'll have a double cheeseburger and a medium Coke.
Drive-thru Attendant: We don't have any meat today only chicken products.
Me: Seriously?
Drive-thru Attendant: Seriously.
At this point, I backed out of the Drive-thru and regretted the fact that I had not said to the attendant, "You do realize the name of your restaurant is BURGER King, right?" I can't say this for a fact, but I'm pretty sure if you're the manager of  a BURGER King and you forget to order, oh, I don't know, BURGERS, you're probably looking for another job. Call me crazy, but that seems like a pretty big error in judgement to me. So, if it happens, remember you heard it here first when you read the headline: BURGER KING CHANGES ITS NAME TO CHICKEN KING!

HEADLINE: Bluebird Search No Longer in Vain for JASON MARKS

A couple of posts ago I told you about one of my amazing, talented friends Jason Marks and his quest to win the "Big Broadway Break" contest. Well, we got the official word today. HE WON!!!!!!! I am so happy right now I could just bust!! I won't do that because it would be quite messy, so I will settle for smiling from ear to ear. Considering how big my mouth is, that is a lot of smiling. The only thing that would make me happier is if it were me, but it's not me, so all my major joy is channeled toward Jason and his very deserved win! Jason, now that you've caught the illusive rainbow, you'll have to change your tune to Zippity Do Da paying special attention to the lyrics, "Mister Bluebird's on my shoulder!" I am so proud to know you and to have worked with you, and I will miss you greatly!!!!! I can't wait for the day when I'm sitting around and saying to my friends, " Hey, you know the guy that's on Broadway right now in [Insert name of show here]. I know him!" CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy!

Do All Dogs go to Heaven?

Lacy

A co-worker sent me an email today with photos detailing an argument between two churches located across the street from each other. A Catholic church started with these words on their marquee, "All Dogs Go To Heaven". The neighboring Presbyterian church provided rebuttal on their marquee of "Only Humans Go To Heaven. Read Your Bible." They went so far as to say, "Dogs Don't Have Souls. This is Not Up for Debate." Well, they threw the gauntlet down , and I am picking it up.  I am far from a Biblical scholar, but I simply cannot believe that the love and devotion our pets give to us everyday unconditionally goes without reward. I defy anyone who has ever had a pet that they truly loved and received that love in return, be it cat or dog, to question whether that animal has feelings or a soul. I have had cats and dogs as pets, and I can tell you that some of my happiest memories involve those animals. At present, I have a cat. Her name is Lacy. She's a gray tabby and she's 9 years old. She is the sweetest cat, and at times she is almost human. Anytime I am upset or sick, she will come to me. She will sleep by my side when I am sick, and if I am upset and crying about something, she will run to me and stand right at my feet or by my lap and look at me with those wide cat eyes and meow as if to say, "What's wrong, Mom?" I love her, and I know she loves me. I have had dogs as well, and all of them returned the love I gave them 100 fold. I'm not trying to debate what is BC (Biblically correct.) I just believe that God created these animals, and something has been created in them to love and protect us.

Case in point: I read an article about an amazing dog who has been trained to warn his owner, a young girl of 6 with Type 1 diabetes, when her sugar levels are dangerously low. Her name is Shirley, and she can detect by scent when her owner is hypoglycemic. When sugar levels are teetering on the edge of diabetic coma she will lick her owner's hand or sit on her lap. If she receives no response, she will then go and find the girl's mother. This absolutely amazes me!! Yes, I know that a human has trained the dog to behave in this manner, but Shirley performs life-saving acts everyday, and if she wasn't loving and devoted, I don't think the training would work.

Shirley

Do all pets go to Heaven? I don't know, but they sure provide a little heaven on earth for their owners.

I'm Proud to be an American........

It has been the 4th of July for the past hour and 15 minutes. Once again, I am up late and on the computer. This particular night, I am on Facebook. I've checked Facebook on and off today, and I have seen many of my friends post their status as Independence Day thoughts. A few moments ago, a friend of mine posted a video of several actors in a LIVE reading of the Declaration of Independence. I am ashamed to say I have never read the entire document. I know the lines that everyone knows, "When in the course of human events," and "We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal..." I clicked on the video and listened to Mel Gibson, Kevin Spacey, Kathy Bates, Michael Douglas and a host of other household names read the words that declared me FREE, that made me an American and thought how very brave these men were. I listened as the charges were read against Great Britain and realized, maybe for the first time, the absolute hell that the colonists were living in. Each one of those men signed that paper knowing that they were committing treason and could die, but they signed it and "mutually pledged to each other [their] lives, [their] fortunes, and [their] sacred honor." Because of that very courageous act in 1776, I AM FREE! I am free to live as I please, worship as I please, come and go as I please. They were the first in a very long line of men and women who risked their lives so that I am still able to enjoy those freedoms. I posted my own video on Facebook. It is a video of Ray Charles performing my all time favorite version of "America the Beautiful." The line I love in that song is "Oh beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife. Who more than self their country loved and mercy more than life." This country has been through a lot since it's birth on July 4, 1776, and it will endure much more. It has come under attack from foes and been criticized from within, and it is not without its problems, but, in my opinion, there is no place I would rather live. "From the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam, God bless America, my home sweet home."