Thoughtprints

I have so many things running through my mind right now. This always happens late at night. Why can't it happen during the day, like normal people. Anyway, this will all probably tumble out in no particularly coherent manner, so just beware.

First and foremost on my mind right now is that my 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Dancer (isn't that a perfectly lovely name?), passed away a few days ago. I'll never forget her. She was so very sweet, and obviously a wonderful teacher or why would I remember her so well? Bless her heart.

Then I was wondering, as I let my dogs out for the umpteenth time tonight, if the rest of you dog owners out there talk to your dogs like they're people. By that I mean do you give them orders in a certain kind of do-what-I-say-right-now kind of voice? Or do you talk to them in a more conversational tone of voice? I'm the latter kind of person. But, I do it because they respond - because they ARE people ... in very hairy coats who don't speak English but understand it very well. Do your dogs understand you when you just talk to them normally, like a person? Everything I say they comprehend. Sometimes it amazes even me! Now if I could just teach them how to say more than just WOOF, it'd be totally cool.

Then I was wondering if any of you caught CBS 48 Hours Mystery last night. It was about this family whose son killed the mother because he's a paranoid schizophrenic but was never treated because everyone in the family are devout Scientologists. I'm sure you all know the basic info regarding Scientologists, right? (Probably lately from Tom Cruise [read that web site! seriously, some of the funniest stuff ever!] and his enormously weird behavior, right?) Yeah, Scientologists don't believe in mental disease and think psychiatry and the practitioners thereof are whack jobs. (They should be talking!)

Remember this?

Its religious opposition to psychiatry is well-known. In June of 2005, the issue was brought to national attention when actor Tom Cruise took a very public stance on NBC’s "Today" show. "I know that psychiatry is a pseudo-science," he told Matt Lauer. "You don’t know the history of psychiatry. I do."

Yeah, well, call me crazy, but I find it totally insane (oh wait, they don't believe in mental disease, do they *smirk*) believing in a "church" (can you say CULT?) and its doctrine which was started by a guy who wrote science fiction novels for a living! And let's not forget its original principles, so to speak, are rooted in some space alien named Xenu or something. No shit, people, I'm not making this up! It's pure craziness! (oops, there's that "mental" thing again!) But getting back to the 48 Hours show - if those parents would have just taken their son to see a psychiatrist, she'd still be alive today. The kicker is that the Mom had reached some "super level" within Scientology which supposedly makes them "superhuman". Yeah, when they reach that level, they get "special powers". Nope, not makin' that up, either! So anyway, she's at this level where she and all her family are supposed to be protected from ANYTHING bad happening to them. So of course when her son stabbed her 77 times they did the only thing they could - they covered it up! They still won't admit today that he had anything wrong with him that healthy living, vitamins, minerals and "busy" work wouldn't cure. I say again, INSANE!! What's scary is that there are 10 million members worldwide. How can that many people allow themselves to be brainwashed by crap like that?! If any of you 10 million are reading this, I bet you're really pissed, huh. Whatever.

I guess that's all for now. I'm gonna go watch a movie. Oh, and I hope ya'll remembered to turn your clocks back!