…or, The Joys of Having a Pen Pal

I had to laugh when I read the story in my local paper about how Stephanie Ragusa sent a letter to Nick Bollea, son of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan. They are both in prison locally. Bollea is in for charges stemming from his August 2007 car crash in Clearwater, Florida that left John Graziano brain damaged. Ragusa, a Hillsborough County teacher, is charged with having sex with multiple underage students.

Ragusa has actually been arrested multiple times. New victims kept popping up and she was apparently unable to refrain from sexing up the boys between her arrests. I happen to find her way more than just creepy.

In the letter, Ragusa draws parallels between her situation and Nick’s. She blames an abnormal society for being more interested in their cases than in the election of the earthquake in China. She praises his character and inner growth. She says she is praying for him.

I happen to believe that she is really preying on him, rather than praying for him. Look at the facts. Bollea is a minor, at 17. Ragusa is a 29-year-old with a repeated history of sex with young boys. The first thing I thought was that she is trying to open the door to communication, interaction and a relationship. By trying to put herself and Nick on level ground, she is working to show him that she is obtainable.

The black and white of the situation is that Ragusa did not actually break any laws. As Hillsborough County sheriff’s spokesman J.D. Callaway said, the correspondence “was legal and lawful,” as Bollea is not one of Ragusa’s alleged victims. I have to wonder, though, if once she is convicted, merely contacted an under aged boy or girl will indeed be seen as criminal. In this case, it is unfortunate that our laws say she is innocent until proven guilty. A leopard does not change its spots. If she is a danger to children, that will be true before and after her conviction.

Don’t overlook Grandpa on this upcoming Father’s Day. He deserves just as much honor and respect as Dad, especially if he has finally succeeded in getting all of the kids out of the house with their limbs intact.

I have a t-shirt that is perfect for the occasion. My Grumpy Grandpa t-shirt is perfect for all grandfathers, not just the grumpy ones. Plus, it comes in versions that help you honor Abuelo, Metzhayr, Opa, and Papou.

If you see any of the specialty items you want personalized with an alternate form of “grandpa”, just let me know. I have a contact page here on my blog and it’s just a matter of making a special graphic for you. I’m a personal believer in the message behind this t-shirt. My own father certainly loves to adhere to the concept of sending my daughter back filled to the brim with sugar. I think he sees it as sport.

I think this might be a new series. It is inspired by my friend, Xtine, and something she said on her blog about men who go to dance clubs and do that dance where they rub their crotches up against you. That is creepy. Women do not like it, and if they actually DO happen to look like they are enjoying it — they are probably drunk or not legally permitted to be in public alone.

 So, my first in this particular series will be about older men who use MySpace in libraries.

Creepy. Very creepy.

1. Most of them are either wearing wedding rings or have a tan line on their ring finger. If you happen to look over at the profiles they are cruising, or their friends list, they are looking to communicate with women (mostly purportedly single) who use desperate looking profile pictures.  I have had the bad fortune to sit down to use a computer at my library and on three separate occasions this 50-ish man with a wedding ring and a business suit has sat next to me, logged onto MySpace, and gone on to send and receive pornographic messages. These computers are close, I am occasionally nosy, my peripheral vision is awesome. I have seen him make at least 6 dates to meet women in hotels.

Creepy.

2. All too often they bring their kids with them while they troll for trysts. Ew. Whether or not they are single, the fact that they would use the library to provide quasi babysitting while they look for someone desperate enough to sleep with them is creepy. As a mother, this is something that points out the man’s lack of respect for his kids.

Creepy.

3. Public libraries give you a way to see things you would not normally see. If a hideous man puts up a MySpace profile using someone else’s photo in the privacy of his own home, you might never know. When they log on in public, people can look right over their shoulder and see the truth. Do you even have any idea how many very fat, very smelly, very disgusting men I have seen sitting at a compute picking their noses while they use a picture of a hot man to communicate with overly-bleached-blonde bimbo types on MySpace? Let’s just say, enough to give me nightmares.

Creepy.

4. How about the man sitting next to me right now. He is a mouth-breather. He is easily 15 years older than his profile states. He is receiving long, thoughtful messages from pretty women. his replies are all one sentence long, pecked out using one finger, and sexual in nature. He looks like he is in here while on a break from the office. I am going to go out on a limb and say he looks like he has a good job, plenty of money. I would assume he has computer access at home and at work. So, why use the library to do social networking? Probably, because he is cheating or attempting to cheat.

(OK, you may ask why I am using the library to blog when I have access at home? Good point. I am sitting here waiting for story-time to be over for my daughter and thought I might jump online for a minute.)

I want to live in this nursing home when I get old and need extra care. Seriously, I have never in my life seen a program for the elderly that is going to do as much for their minds and souls as the Young@Heart program.

I’m a consummate Ramones fan. I know I will be sitting in MY wheelchair one day singing Ramones songs, so this video I am embedding made me laugh, made me cry, made me rock out in a way I never could have imagined before.

Young@Heart is not a parody. This is a real senior citizens chorus from New England. Brave, inspiring, and absolutely guaranteed to chase away the brain fogs – this is where I want to be when I get old.

It’s getting hot outside here in Florida. In fact, now that it is June, it is getting hot in most of the United States. So, mind wandered over to some of my favorite recipes that are great for hot weather. Today, I started mentally planning some summer lunches for me and my daughter. The first thing that came to mind was the recipe my former mother-in-law gave me for Cracked Wheat Salad / Tabbouleh.

Tabbouleh

2 Cups cracked wheat (bulgur)
1 Onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 Large tomatoes, chopped
2 Bunched scallions, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 Small cucumbers, peeled and chopped
1/4 Cup olive oil
2 Juice of lemons (about 6 tablespoons)
1 Teaspoon salt
1/4 Teaspoon pepper
6 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 Table spoons chopped fresh mint or 1 tablespoon dried mint
6 Leaves romaine lettuce

1. Place cracked wheat in a colander and rinse under cold running water. Squeeze with your hands to remove excess water and drain for 1 hour.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine cracked wheat with all remaining ingredients except lettuce.

Hints: Line a salad bowl with lettuce leaves and add cracked wheat mixture. Chill before serving.

When I think about the idea of the Witness Protection program, I get uneasy. Who of us know that this won’t happen to us? It’s not just criminals who are in the program, but often witnesses to crimes.

The idea of having to absolutely leave my family behind, my friends, everything I know, and just basically drop off the face of the earth forever is a hard thing to stomach. I cannot even imagine the type of inner strength that would take.

On the other hand, the idea of being moved to a new city with a new name and a new life is vaguely appealing. Would I get trained for a new career? I might just be open to that. If I were able to choose anywhere at all to just pick up and move for a new life, I might look into somewhere like Nashville or Knoxville. It seems like all of the sudden people here in Florida are heading for Tennessee in droves. The cost of living is still lower there and the weather is more like I am used to in Washington, DC. (I’d say DC, but I would be likely to run into someone I know there.)

The USA Network’s new original series In Plain Sight is what has me thinking about all of this. It is a new crime drama and it centers on a woman who works along with the Witness Protection Program. You get a look at some of the scenarios that bring people into the program. To my knowledge, this is the only show out there right now that deals with this topic.

It’s on Sunday nights at 9. I knew last night there was something I meant to set on my DVR, but I forgot. Lucky for me, I was able to watch the premiere online at USA’s website. People, this show is GOOD! This is another one of those times I love the internet. If you miss a TV show, you can more than likely just watch it online.

Anyway, from now on, In Plain Sight is a regular recording on my DVR.

When I lived in the DC suburbs, deer hunting season was a pretty popular time of year. Once I went to college out in West Virginia, I became aware of the various hunting seasons: deer, turkey, quail, squirrel, rabbit, and so on.

But, it was not until I moved to Florida that I became aware of Alligator Hunting Season, which runs from August 15 through November 1.

Yes, beginning tomorrow, June 3, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will start selling alligator hunting permits. Hurry though, there are only about 4,500, they will be sold on a first come, first served basis – and sales end on June 9.

Each permit allows you two kills and only one permit will be issued per person. The permits can be pricey, especially if you live out of state – Florida residents pay $271.50 per permit and nonresidents pay $1,021.50.

I’m not in a position where I can actually imagine a good reason to purchase a permit. I know that if you have a pesky alligator on your property, there are trappers who can come take it away for you, and state officials can destroy them if they are a threat. Since you can only kill two gators per license, it is not like you can use your license to hunt enough alligators to stock a restaurant.

Perhaps it is a trophy issue.

Of course, die hard trophy hunters will find a way around the law. I just found a website that says they will guide you on an alligator trophy hunt where you’ll take home the hide and 10 pounds of meet – all for up to $6,000.00 in fees to their company. They ask their customers, “Why hunt in over hunted private lands?” Instead, they are selling the excitement of hunting year-round in open waterways. Apparently, they can do so, because the guy is a licensed Nuisance Alligator trapper with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.

I had no idea.

I’m not a bleeding heart liberal, animal activist type. Nonetheless, I am uncomfortable with the concept of trophy hunting. When I think about the people who live in rural areas and hunt for food, I feel OK with it, though.