Living Proof

Hearing of Greg Giraldo’s passing brought up a lot of emotions for me. Many people seem to think all comedians in whatever medium they work in are all happy & giggly idiots, even in their personal lives. Again, as I’ve said in my previous post , they seem “put together” and more equip to handle the hard stuff in life. ...They’re not. In fact, it’s the total opposite. Most comedians are very sad. They’re aspirations are more than just standing up on stage trying to make people laugh; they want more. Most aspire to be in movies or have their own talk show, perhaps star in a sitcom. My friend Adam Kontras had put a status message about his sadness regarding Greg Giraldo’s death. In a Youtube video, Adam shared his heart with the world, trying to hold back tears and said, “I was in a really difficult place earlier this month and I kinda didn’t let on how bad it was...and how isolated I was...and umm, how I stared at this blue bottle of sleeping pills for way too long...and how I calle...

If being an alcoholic and drug addict is a “disease” as some people refer it to, then why is Lindsay Lohan checking herself into a substance abuse rehab program on her own accord? How many times does this girl need to be sent to prison and rehab in order for someone to “listen” to her? She’s screaming for help, yet nobody takes her seriously because this beautiful girl is a talented starlet; “she should know better”, or “she’s a smart girl.” While all that may be true, she may be the loneliest woman on earth. Her “disease” is a chosen one. She doesn’t want to feel the pain anymore. Nobody talks about her emotional pain, they all seem to focus on her substance abuse. She doesn’t want to hear people talking negatively about her anymore, but she’s a star, it goes with the territory. What star doesn’t get a bad rap once in a while? Wanting to be a “star” or wanting being in the public eye has some serious consequences. Most celebrities at times feel the desire to be “a nobody”, while iro...

There’s no doubt about it --women are very competitive creatures, especially among themselves, however when it comes to show business, or perhaps just cooking in general, we seem to get thee ol’ bitter bug inside us saying things such as: “We’re the best cooks", “Oh she doesn’t know how to make that right", or “Mediocre cooks don’t know how to bake.” While most comments are based on mere opinions, sadly some of these statements are factual, (of course in my very own opinion). It's been reported that Rachael Ray, Martha Stewart and Paula Deen are in a bitter battle to see who can dominate the ratings for their cooking shows. Although I admire each one of these marvelous cooks, I honestly have to ask one question to myself: whose dinner invite would I accept? Let’s take Rachael Ray for one. Not only is she in a rush to prepare a 30 minute cook off with herself, but her meals are simple, easy, quick and most of the time, loaded with sodium due to her “quick ingredients...

Seems as though Katy Perry’s performance wasn’t appreciated by parents who took a peek at the “revealing” dress she had on while dancing with the handsome red-headed Elmo. The production company pulled it off after receiving numerous complaints by outraged parents. Are you kidding? Her dress wasn’t anymore revealing than what children are wearing today. In fact, if you head over to the public pools or the beaches, you’ll find worst case scenarios. Will these parents hide their children’s eyes forever? Will they place two eye patches on them in public, in fear of what’s to be seen out there in this big scary world? Get over it. In fact, earlier cartoons and kids’ shows displayed even more revealing outfits by some of their characters, yet no complaints have been reported. Characters such as, Belle from Beauty & the Beast, Snow White, Smurfette and oh, the ever so sexy Jessica Rabbit. If we’re going to get super conservative, then stop bringing your children to beaches and have...

There are times when I absolutely lose it and go off the wall due to whatever and say things I don’t necessarily mean. I’ve had my 17th nervous breakdown about 100 times and understand those who are at their wits' end. Even in my book I published back in 2005 explains that I am a work in progress; that I’m not perfect and that I’m still trying to grasp life’s lessons as much as I can. With that being said, I am also very opinionated and hold strong to my beliefs on certain issues or topics. There are things I highly disagree with, but it certainly does not mean I am not forgiving nor “mean-spirited” due to the way I express myself. I say it like it is without any apologies, and at times, maybe a few apologies pop out if the person is hurt over my jagged edged words. My sisters sometimes describe it as "Deb's poison pen". I do sometimes go overboard, but never leaning back thinking otherwise. I will lessen the blow, but hold on to what I believe in, unless of course...

In the late 70’s, I remember my family gathering around inside the den to watch their favorite TV programs. From Laverne & Shirley, Happy Days to Carol Burnett and All In the Family. I’d get up to use the bathroom and my mother would instinctively ask, “Where ya going?” I couldn’t have been more than four years old back then, but somehow, I never understood why she had to know my whereabouts. I could have told her the bathroom, but yet for various reasons, I could have made a right hand turn into the kitchen and started twirling all the pretty little knobs that were connected to the gas stove. The possibilities were endless. I’d respond to her with a resentful tone, “To the bathroom mom!” To me, she was invading my privacy, but realistically, a four year old does not get the privilege of privacy. I would head back into the den and my mom would tuck me under a blanket, more snug than before so I wouldn’t leave again. Dad reluctantly bought me a three wheeler motorcycle when I was ...

A close friend of mine had written a status message on her facebook account. Whether it was one of those ‘encrypted’ type of messages directed at a particular person, or just frustration in general, it got me thinking a lot about life. She wrote, “Apparently, an income of $75,000 a year can buy you happiness.” Oddly enough, her status message came at the right time, as I’m sitting at my counter in the kitchen sipping coffee, getting ready for the day and sifting through what other people are up to over on facebook. I left a comment. “I know a few people who exceed that & some of them are miserable souls. There’s a quote, ‘Happiness is not having what you want; it’s wanting what you have...’ author unknown.” As I’m typing away, I said to myself, “What a hypocrite I am. How can I ever give advice about this when I need it myself?” It’s good advice, but nonetheless, a hypocritical one as I thought about the previous day. Madelene and I occasionally drive around aimlessly hunting ...