Sea Gulls and Stimulus

I read a story once about great flocks of sea gulls that were starving in the midst of plenty. Fishing was good in the town, but the gulls didn't know how to fish. For years, they had depended on the shrimp fleet to toss them scraps from their nets. Then the fishermen moved on.

The fishermen had created a welfare state for the sea gulls. The big birds never bothered to learn how to fish, or to teach their young to fish. Instead, they took the young gulls to the shrimp nets.

Sadly, the sea gulls, once fine free birds, were starving to death becasue they gave in to the lure of "something for nothing". They sacrificed their independence for a handout.

Sound familiar? If you think about it, a lot of people these days are like the sea gulls. They don't want to work, or pay their own way. Instead, they want Uncle Sam to toss them a bail-out here, a stimulus there, wihtout realizing they are giving up their freedom and their independence, never stopping to wonder what they're going to do when Uncle Sam runs out of money.


Mandy

A Night to Remember

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a BIG fan of Phamtom of the Opera. So, when I saw it was playing at the Pantages, I had to go, and so, after spending 30 minutes on the phone with Ticketmaster, I secured good seats for February 10th.

Since this was a special occasion - after all, we hadn't seen the play since 1998 - we decided to rent a limo for the 8 of us. Oh my gosh, it was so much fun. I think I've only ridden in a limo once before, when my publisher hired one to take me to the Book Expo in L.A. It wasn't near as big or as nice as this one. My kids loved it and we had a great time.

As for the play - it was wonderful. I'd forgotten how powerful it is. The actor playing the Phantom was terrific. IMO, if the Phantom is a dud, the whole play is ruined, but John Cudia was awesome. On a scale of 1 to 10, with Davis Gaines being a 10, John was a 9 1/2. I'd love to see him again.

Sadly, it was over all too soon. Happily, it was as wonderful the 27th time as it was the first. No wonder it's Broadway's longest running play.

Mandy

New Contest

Sidhe Vicious Reviews is having a contest. The winner will receive a signed copy of NIGHT'S PLEASURE, which, I'm happy to say, made the USA Today bestseller list. I'm also happy to say she enjoyed the book!

Mandy