This post inspired by Polar Bear's post where she writes,...

"I know Neil Armstrong and his son. I lived near his house in the early 80’s. Yes this is the same man that was the first to walk on the moon!"

What are YOUR brushes with celebrity?

Here's my short list:

1-3.) Robert Joffrey, Melissa Hayden and David Howard (dancing big wigs, took classes from them at conventions in the 70s)

4.) Alan Fawcett, snobby host of the 80s show, "Lips Inc" (a lip synching contest show. I tried out, didn't make it. He was at a models convention where my dance troupe and I were performing.) My boss shoved me at him and said,..."get his autograph, you were almost on his show, tell him that!" I hated doing it and he was so aloof, didn't even look at me. I wanted to say..."You've got a corny show and it isn't going to last." It didn't. Maybe sour grapes on my part, since I didn't make the show. I still have his autograph-dunno' why, it ain't worth nuffin'!

5.) Alan Hunter (MTV VJ) he was in town at a night club (1983) and he was "hosting" this MTV trivia contest and I won edging out several other kids...I deserved it, I used to watch it like 24/7!! I won with an Adam Ant question and I was absolutely his biggest fan so of course I knew his real name was/is Stuart Goddard! I won an album. Alan was nice, cordial. He said,..."What's your name?" and "Congratulations, Michele!"

6.) Elizabeth Parkinson (Star of Broadway's "Fosse" and "Movin' Out") but she's actually in the catagory of..."I KNEW HER WHEN." We took dance together as kids for many years. I knew her when she played a Gingerbread cookie in "Hansel and Gretel."

7.) Back in '83, I danced on stage with Lou Christie (he sang, "Lightening Striking Again." -circa '64) and unfortunately, I did it with my fly open the whole time. Geesh.



8.) And finally (told you it was a short list.)....Fiance and I were flying to NYC out of National (DC) back in '06 and Alan Alda walked in front of us, sat down and started reading the paper. I took my cell phone out and took a photo of the back of his head. Fiance cringed (but then he would, he's met like 50 celebs due to what he's done in his life for occupations; his dad worked for the FSU Alumni Assoc. [can you spell BURT REYNOLDS]and fiance has worked on various movie sets.) BTW: Alan Alda now looks like your grandfather...silver hair, bald spot...very tall, gangly....and extremely unapproachable!!!

Oh and did I mention, fiance and Fay Dunaway are related...they share a great grandmother...

Try and top that Michele...

I can't do it!

And now it's YOUR turn friends...tell me what celebs you've met!

****Addendum: 4/21 4:35pm....was in a group blessing fest with Pope Paul in Rome in '72...o.k., that's it...really! ****

The following post was inspired by Secret's post of the other day. [MY SOAP OPERA LIFE BLOG] She was talking about how spoiled these "under-30s" are in regards to the things they have...

Of course now, it's all relative because my mom didn't have what I had growing up....my grandmother didn't have what mom had etc...

I can't speak to that (I could but I don't feel like it damn it!)

What I can address is: (and in no particular order, just how they come to me.)

1.) We got our first microwave in '77. For the first few years I was afraid of it! Thought it would give me cancer! By the time I was 31 and I had 3 kids all under 7 I said THANK YOU GOD FOR CAN OPENERS AND MICROWAVES cause this bitch don't cook!


2.) Until I was 10, the biggest screen I watched in the house was a tiny bit smaller than my mac book monitor and it was black and white. And that's what I saw Neil Armstrong walk on the moon on....and boy was he tiny!

3.) My friend Linda-her dad worked for IBM and so they were the rich family on the block and she was the first to get all kinds of new "technology" It was at her house I had my first microwave warmed pizza...I saw my first HBO flick and had my PONG cherry popped!

4.) We got our first color tv in '78, just in time to watch "Makin' It" and "Angie" before they ran their short, one season courses!

5.) I saw my first cell phone in '83 or '84...my bosses husband carried it with him all the time, the thing was the size of a small child! LOL He'd show off with it too...looking back, I laugh visualizing him carting it around, over his shoulder. Bet he felt like "the man" with it...but he looked absolutely ridiculous.

6.) Saw my first MTV video in '81...Pretenders, Brass In Pocket..(remember when MTV showed VIDEOS-remember Martha Quinn,...JJ Jackson, Nina...Mark...Alan (am I missing anyone.)

7.) Got my first 'cellular' phone in '97 (Nokia with the trac phone cards)

8.) Got HBO in our own home in '78...one of my first movies was "The Hills Have Eyes"....the original....OMG I couldn't sleep without a nitelight for a week!!!

9.) Sent my first email out Jan. 1996.

10.) Dropped in on my first chatroom Jan. '96 and I remember I was like scared! Nervous, excited...my heart was racing! I remember sitting there reading for 10 minutes...it was like trying to time your moves so you don't mess up the ropes in double dutch! My fingers poised at the keyboard, waiting for my big break, my opening! Finally with my courage up I...I....typed...."HI!"
One small step for me, one giant leap for ...me, into the 21st century.

11.) My first blog entry was Oct. 1, 2006

m.

PS) blogstream is running so slow these days...I almost didn't post

PPS) Be sure to check out Secrets post-it was spot on!

PPPS) When we were young, real young, there were only like 3 tv stations and two of 'em went off the air with the National Anthem at 11pm! And yeh, like Secret said, what remote control?

This is strange/funny (but then I also don't believe in coincidences..."There's no such thing as a coincidence, it's simply God's/the Universe's way of remaining anonymous!"
But last night I was talking on the phone with my youngest, age 17 and I was telling her I had an assignment for her...she was to make a vision board. She asked me what that was...I explained and then today a young fellow blogger, Pisces Dreamer asked me what one was! So I said, if I could, I'd post a photo of mine. (I have two)

A vision board is simply a posterboard (or whatever you want to use) full of pics and cut outs and art depicting things you want to focus on and bring into your world.

I don't know how well you'll be able to see what I have on mine but some of the things include:

1.) A picture of me with a professional microphone (to represent my voice over career I'd like to try one day.)
2.) A weight machine (which some of you know we finally got!)
3.) A money tree with pictures of family and friends on it.
4.) An ad for dna testing (since I'm adopted and am looking for any and all info on ME!)
5.) Pictures of new clothes and shoes!
6.) A big happy smile to represent the dental work I'd like to get done to make my smile even bigger and better!

etc.. you get the idea!

What kinds of things would be on YOUR vision board? I told both daughter and Pisces Dreamer to put it up somewhere where you can always see it, think about it and focus on it because what you think about most...you draw into your world!!

But be careful...sometimes God has a sense of humor and can play fun tricks on you! Like one time as a preschool teacher, I detested the idea of getting this one little kid because she was sooo bratty! So secretly I used to envision me building a brick wall at my classroom door so she couldn't get in....but God was cute, he bricked me and her in the same class together for 1-1/2 years! It later turned out to be a good experience for the both of us and something we laugh about now (she's 13 now!! And a terrific kid!) Be careful what you wish for and how and also remember...

..."AFFIRMATION WITHOUT ACTION is DELUSION!" Sometimes, you have to work for what you want! You don't always get it handed to you! And know that what you get in your life, your higher consciousness is telling you you need for your own personal life journey. Sometimes it won't always be what you want or when you want it. But know it is necessary! After all, remember back in school when you HAD to take math but you hated it but later you realized how important it was! (wait, that was me. I still HATE math!!!)

Michele aka Rubble

This post is a continuation of the preceding post. It is the end of the week and I'm done with my trip down memory lane. I've packed things away and scanned all the photos I want to right now (it's time consuming and my scanner is slow.) I must have scanned 50 photos and I shared many with friends from my old school and dance days. Fiance comes home tomorrow and it's his birthday, number #46, just like me in May.

I'm glad I got it all out of the way before he returned. I didn't want this trip to consume me physically. I know the things are packed away so tight it'd be an ordeal to dig them up again but of course I'm still THINKING about crap I've seen in photos and read in journals and old emails and heard on audio tapes. I now need to just let that stuff ebb away little by little over the coming days, weeks.

As I told Mr. Ornery, I'm feeling this strange wave come over me. It's like I can feel this subtle shift in my mind. It's like I'm walking down the street and I see the street corner coming up. I know it, I see it but I have no idea what's around it and I'm a bit anxious as to what's on the other side. I'm also looking behind me to see where I've been and I'm not altogether happy with where I've been or what I've done.

When I was younger, the analogy would have been,..."I see a corner coming up but I cross the street." or "I see a corner and I say, 'who cares'" Or even,..."I see a corner and RUN around it, blindingly!"

The other thing that I came away with during my week of "wine and remembrance." was that I came to the realization that I had not really grown as much spiritually as I thought or wished I had. My externals have changed; my circumstance (for the better!!) But I'd let myself go physically and just not as much growth and development on the inside.

Perhaps my friends would disagree but they wouldn't really know. One could argue that I'm being hard on myself; that I don't have the objectivity. I would argue that only I would know these answers. And since I know, I know that I've let myself down. My soul is more forgiving but the me that is the everyday me, my consciousness....greatly disappointed. My higher consciousness is more apt to say,...'You are in the right place, doing the right thing at the right time...carry on!"

But the me that is Michele....I give myself a C- in the school of life the past 7 years. I could have done so much more with my life, finances and my inner growth.

BUT I can hear it now from some of my fellow bloggers...

"CHILL...relax....row your boat merrily...you can't change yesterday!"

And I do realize that friends...but it doesn't stop me from feeling out of sorts, this strange wave, this subtle shift.

Is it the fact I'll be 46 soon or is it the fact 50 is around the corner? I don't know. All I know is "this too shall pass" and for that I'm grateful.

This is my season to do what I'm doing and feel what I'm feeling, and think what I'm thinking.

Perhaps the analogy can be made in that I replanted all my old journals, photos and whatnot back into the ground (in storage boxes) and soon another spiritual Spring will be right around..."the corner".

For whatever reason I did what I did this past week OR IN THE PAST 25 YEARS! I believe it HAD TO happen and now it's time to wait for the new growth of inner wisdom, life experiences and the coming of better physical vitality. It doesn't happen over night does it -not many things of any lasting quality do .

Michele

Fiance is out of town...been gone all week. I took this time to do some personal Spring Cleaning by digging up my old journals from my years when I was single ('02-'05) and I've been reorg'in all my personal memorabilia....and as I don't know, however macabre it seems,...I have been reboxing all my personal crap and leaving instructions as to what kid gets what.

I don't have a will. I don't have any money. I just have "things". Now when I finally do get married, then I will do a real will but for now the only things I have are photos, journals and some personal effects.

I read my journals and looked at old photos and whatnot and then I packed them away and on the boxes I wrote..."not to be opened until I turn 55!" (9 years away!) Of course if something DOES happen to me, they get opened up sooner and hopefully my kids won't argue too much over moms cards, letters, emails, (I printed up),...photos, memorabilia etc...

Why am I so, what's the word, fatalistic? Because I lost my mom at 20, grandmother two months later and my dad at 25 and that WAS my family. So I do appreciate the fact that you can't ASSUME you will be around forever. Mom died when she was only fifty-two.

It could be cancer...or I could get hit by a car crossing the street.

You never know...

All I know is that it made me feel better to do what I did this week.

Prepare for the worse....hope for the best.

I guess how I'm feeling is part and parcel of hitting 46?

Maybe someone who is older than me can speak to me on this subject!?



Michele, er...Rubble.