Seriously... Let Mercedes Sing!

And now, for something that is incredibly important: Glee.

I am really loving this season of Glee. It's really gotten back to stories - shocker - about the characters. But, see, I have this issue. Lea Michele, the Barbra Streisand lookalike, who plays Rachel on the show is seen as the lead character on the show, despite the ensemble nature of the cast and the fact that most everyone on the show gets a chance for some serious storyline work and character development.

I bought a kid some toys... I'm sorry. (A note about charities.)

This past week I went to Target and spent $20 on a set of 4 cars that are, according to the box, appropriate for 1-3 year olds. I took this set of cars to my grocery store’s customer service counter and handed it to the clerk. I also handed over the tag that indicated this was a gift for a 12-month-old boy who wanted cars for Christmas. The clerk thanked me, commented on how cute the cars were, and said “Happy Holidays!” I got warm fuzzies, knowing that - despite not really having a ton of extra cash this year - I was able to help make someone’s holiday a little brighter who might not otherwise have had it.

To the chagrin of many, the present was purchased as a part of the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program. This program is designed to assist needy families in the local area anonymously by providing food, clothing, and presents for the children where the parents might not otherwise have been able to purchase such extravagancies. The problem, as I’ve come to learn, is that the Salvation Army is a Christian charity. As such, they actually have several ideologies and philosophical tenets to which they ascribe listed on their website. One in particular that seems to have a lot of people upset is this:

Grandfather Fire Lyte

Every now and then on the blog, you'll hear me talk about how far away I live from my family. Sometimes when lamenting the distance between myself and said family I'll get folks leaving comments or sending emails telling me to either move back home or get over it. Neither option is something that is going to happen. There are a number of reasons I left home. Needed to leave home. Needed to leave my small town where I was drowning and becoming more and more lost.

And then something happens that makes all the reasons I left home seem insignificant as to have been silly.

My Grandfather was rushed to the hospital this morning. Last night (Thanksgiving night) he was having trouble breathing. Apparently, he has been having trouble breathing. (Guess the grandchild that lives 1500 miles away gets that bit of information late.) This morning, he was still having a lot of trouble breathing and, despite his determination that he was fine, my family took him to the hospital.

The day has been fraught with waiting and hearing too little information from people that don't seem to know what they're talking about and me texting "Hey! Any updates?" and waiting anxiously to hear back from my mother and when he was finally seen by the right doctors they didn't seem to have many answers and...

It's just really been delightful.

All the ridiculous junk of the day summed up, my grandfather had a heart attack last night. It was caused by a serious lack of oxygen because of said inability to breathe. He first saw a cardiologist that didn't even look at his lungs nor prescribe anything for the breathing. It wasn't until this evening that he finally saw his regular doctor, who prescribed medication for his lungs and is going to make sure he is able to take oxygen at home. (Didn't realize that was a 'get approved for' kind of thing. So noted.) He's stable for now, but is staying overnight and will take a stress test tomorrow morning.

I'm stressing a bit, because he's 80-years-old, and a person that has a heart attack is more likely to have a second one. And, because your heart has been damaged, the second one can be much worse. But, all this is because I'm far too analytical (haven't figured that out by now, have you?) and when something like this happens my mind fills with statistics and Discovery channel and episodes of Grey's Anatomy, none of which are very healthy to be thinking about. Ever.

What a way to celebrate Thanksgiving, huh?

I tweeted this out earlier, and there have been dozens of well-wishes sent in. I appreciate every single one. Thank you! Many have asked if they can do healing magic, send energy, etc. All positive energy is, of course, very welcome. He lives in East Texas, for those of you that like to know that kind of thing.

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Hot Coffee and Bad Food

Howdy, Rioters!

First off: THANK YOU for sticking with me the past few days! Blogging and podcasting are always a little tough at this time of year - can I get a What! What! from those in retail? - and I have so much I've been meaning to blog. (Which probably means you can expect some word vomit in the next few days.)

For those of you that like a good documentary, I HIGHLY recommend the movie Hot Coffee. It is one of the smartest, most well-thought-out documentaries I have seen in a number of years. It tells its side of the story with such poise, I honestly believe it could be a contender for this year's Academy Awards. Hot Coffee is about blowing the lid off of the idea of frivolous lawsuits. This country has had it ground into our collective conscious that our courts are overrun with frivolous, "jackpot" lawsuits. The banal terms "tort reform" and the ideas of businesses going out of business because they were victims of lawsuit abuse have become talked about so much, we have sort of assumed they were true.

Here's an easy question... (Magic's Definition)

Games are fun. One of my favorites is the split-second 'Would you rather' game. You can really find a lot out about a person when they have to answer a question immediately, without the burden or blessing of time and reflection. If you were in a fire and had to save one thing... If you were Spider-Man and you could only save Mary Jane or that bus of people... Team Jacob or Team Edward... You know, the really difficult questions.

So, I have a question for you.

Episode 63: Inciting A Zimmelblob Riot

Episode 59 of Inciting A Riot: the Podcast finds us Inciting A Zimmelblob Riot! Find out what a Zimmelblob is, and why I proudly claim to be one, in today’s Spirituality Segment! But the fun doesn’t stop there!!!

The Penn State Riots

A lot of people are having a hard time understanding the current Penn State Riots. If you don't know what I'm talking about, here's an article you might want to read. In short, this is what happened:

According to his grand jury testimony, [Mike] McQueary, then a 28-year-old graduate assistant, witnessed [Jerry] Sandusky [assistant coach] raping a boy estimated to be 10 years old in the locker room showers.

McQueary went to the head coach, Joe Paterno, who has now been fired for covering it up.

Safe School Law My Ass

Matt Kipling died at the age of 14 in 2002, because he was bullied until he committed suicide. Remember his name.

Michigan, in case you haven't heard, attempted to squeak by earlier this month with a bill they'd hoped to turn into law called Matt's Safe School Law. The law, as written by that state's Senate, would require schools to adopt an anti-bullying policy and put other safeguards in place. This original version of the bill, however, has caused an exorbitant amount of controversy. Why?

The staunch opposition stems from the fact that the law allows harassment by teachers and students as long as they can claim their actions are rooted in a "sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction."

I can't make it much clearer than that.

In the interim...

Rioters!!!

I'm so sorry! I have not neglected or forgotten about you, but I haven't blogged in a few days. I've been all caught up with NaNoWriMo the past week or so. Yes, I'm writing a novel, and I'm really excited about it! So, that means my head has been buried in my laptop at every spare moment. In fact, I had to pry my eyes and fingers away from Word for a few minutes, because my brain said, "Hey! You need to blog!"

Does this count for my daily word count?

See! That's how focused I've been.

BUT!!! Never fear! I actually have outlined the entire show for Episode 63, which I am planning to record this weekend! I cannot wait for you to meet the Zimmelblobs!

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Velma's 13th Halloween

In case you haven't heard Episode 62: Inciting A Hallowed Riot - the official Samhain Special for the podcast - I have included the short story I wrote for the end of the show. It's from the tales of Cauldron City, some short stories I've written. If you listen closely, you'll notice some names of your favorite podkin included

Enjoy!

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

It's Ghost Sex, of course.

Clearly, this is an example of Ghost Sex. Shield your eyes now.

Huffington Post recently published the best headline ever. Seriously. This is THE GREATEST headline ever published. On any media. Ever.

Ghost Sex At Ohio Haunted House Arouses Interest Of Paranormal Researchers

Euclid, Ohio apparently had some folks living there that were so randy for each other, not even death could contain the heated, animalistic lust lurking beneath their skin. That is, until they died, and their skin could no longer protect the world - and innocent children holding cell phone cameras - from their exhibitionist displays of rabid intercourse.

Episode 62: Inciting A Hallowed Riot

Yep! I carved that Witchy Pumpkin! Jealous, much?

Episode 62: Inciting A Hallowed Riot is a very special Samhain episode of Inciting A Riot. It features a number of delightful - and mildly terrifying - stories. Some you might have heard, some you may not have, and one was written specifically for this show. (If you listen carefully, you'll notice many of your favorite podkin are featured!)