I'm MADD and I'm not going to take it anymore...

When will people realize the destructiveness of drunk driving? Will it take the death of a young child?- Nope, already happened and people still drink and drive. Will it take the death of a law enforcement officer who is sworn to protect the community? Nope, already happened, and people still drink and drive. Will it take the death of a grandmother on her way to see her grandkids? Nope, already happened and people will still drink and drive. And now, a famous athlete, who just pitched the best major league baseball game of his life, is dead because someone made the CHOICE to get behind the wheel and drive while impaired,not just to the slightest degree, but to the degree of going 30+ MPH over the speed limit, running a red light and hitting a silver Mitsubishi so hard the car flew into a power pole at the intersection, killing 3 people, including that up and coming athlete.

Whenever I see the articles in the newspaper regarding famous people (nationally or just in our town) being arrested for DUI, it makes my blood boil. It's always, "I made a stupid decision. I'm so sorry to everyone that I've embarassed. I'm so ashamed of myself." And then a couple of weeks later they are back out partying and drinking and running the risk of offending again. And now, with the advent of on-line comments in the newspaper, I cannot help myself from reading them- ranging from "Lock him/her up!" to "Those breathalizers must be faulty if the company won't give up the source code!" to "The penalties are way too stiff- especially if you didn't hurt anyone!"

Here's my take on all of the people who comment about DUIs:

1- Just because YOU don't physically hurt someone, you still committed a CRIME. And you have now justified yourself committing a CRIME because "I didn't hurt anyone!" Your justification of your actions fuel other people who continue to drink and drive (and some of those drivers DO physically hurt someone) because you are perpetuating a lack of accountability. Think about this- what if your brother was killed because of a drunk driver? How would it make your mother feel if a year later, you got a DUI? You may have not PHYSICALLY hurt someone with your car, but you sure as hell just hurt your mother by doing the exact action that took away her other son.

2- The breathalizer is accurate, and frankly, when I went to a wet workshop and got liquored up by the cops who were training rookies on how to perform field sobriety tests and HGN, I was incredibly suprised at the fact that I was UNDER a .08 on the Intox 8000. I am not a heavy drinker, but I can hold my own, and there is NO WAY I would have gotten behind the wheel of a car after that. Could I stand up? Yes. Could I successfully complete the Walk & Turn and One-Legged Stand tests? Yes. Did I feel that my mental processes were slightly slower and my reaction time was definitely slower? YES. And that final question is what every person should ask themselves after having a drink- and a yes answer to that question means call a cab or find a designated driver. And for those people that don't like police officers taking blood from DUI arrestees on the side of the road, hear this- as a person who has had her blood drawn over one hundred times, I would rather have a law enforcement officer who has been trained as a phlebotomist take my blood at a DUI scene than going to a hospital with a bunch of germs and nurse techs who SUCK at drawing blood (seriously UMC- 8 different venipunctures sites in one hospital visit?)

3- The monetary penalties and jail time penalties for DUIs are different from state to state. I think Arizona is probably one of the harsher states out there with fines, mandatory ignition interlock devices, paying the jail for the time you stay there, but no penalty is harsh enough when you lose a child. Ask Jose Rincon's family.

4- Many people who get DUIs never acknowledge that they have a problem with alcohol. Some people may say that just because you get a DUI doesn't mean that you're an alcoholic. I seem to remember from my health class that the definition of alcoholic included the phrase :"when the consumption of alcohol interferes with your life." Well, I would say that being involved in the justice system, paying thousands of dollars in fines and going to jail pretty much sums up the "alcohol interfering with your life." If you get a DUI, you are an alcoholic. You are not just someone who drinks. You have let alcohol interfere with your life and you have to take steps to never let that happen again.

5- For those of you who have kids, think about the impact you are having on them. Whether it is driving back from a baseball game you took your kids to after drinking 5 large beers, coming home from dinner after 4 glasses of wine, or stumbling into your house after hitting happy hour after work, YOUR choices are affecting YOUR children. Think about what they see- mommy or daddy stumbling through the door, the sloppy hugs, the passing out in the recliner, missing dinner with the family, the stench of beer emanating from your body. YOU are telling your kids that this behavior is normal. YOU are setting your kids up to be one of two ways: Just like you or the exact opposite of you. You know what happens to your kids when you get a DUI? They go see YOU in court at your sentencing, when your lawyer points out your family sitting in the court room as support- when if you asked any of those kids then what they think should happen to their mommy or daddy- some of those kids would say- "Mommy/Daddy has a problem. I don't like it when they come home smelling like beer. It's gross. I don't want them to drink ever again. When I do bad things, I get grounded- I think they need to be grounded too." Too bad the judge never asks the kids in court if they want to say anything, because I bet you they would prove the defense attorney wrong a significant amount of the time about that "family support."

Now is the time to make a CHOICE- choose to drink and drive and you CHOOSE to reap the consequences. Maybe you'll pay a lot of money for some defense attorney who will "Fight for you like he fought for his country" or maybe you will get the public defender who owes three times in law school loans what she makes per year as a PD. Maybe the jury will find you not guilty because they think "There but for the grace of God go I." Maybe you'll get home safe to your family, or maybe you will take out 3 innocent lives at a California intersection. But maybe it shouldn't take all of these tragedies to make the smart choice- Yellow Cab: Always Cheaper than a DUI.

2 Tenors and a Baritone

At the last minute, Matt's parents invited us to go with them to see the Tucson Symphony on Valentine's Day. We both love the symphony, so of course we said yes. The show: The Broadway Tenors- Brent Barrett, Brian Lane Green & Kevin Spirtas. They were going to be singing lots of different songs from Broadway shows, including two of my favorite's: "Lily's Eyes" from The Secret Garden & "Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera.

All 3 "tenors" are not only veterans of Broadway, but also veterans of Daytime Soap Operas as well. I will now call the three "tenors" by the color of the shirt they each came out wearing: Brent= pink;















Brian= yellow;

and Kevin =blue.

Blue was by far my favorite, although he did look a little like a short younger version of Tim Curry.
He had the best voice, the best presence, and did an awesome Billy Flynn. But I was kinda upset when he wasn't out there for Lily's Eyes or Music of the Night...

Instead, we were stuck with Yellow, who I think may be Nick Lachey's real dad.
During Lily's Eyes I was ready to hear a different type of voice for Archibald's portion (which was originally sung by Mandy Patinkin aka Inigo Montoya). Mandy Patinkin has such a unique voice and such a unique delivery, that I do not expect someone to try and imitate it while singing this song-- I expect someone to do their own version but stay true to the music- however, yellow tried really hard to be Mandy- but I think I would have pointed him out to Inigo as the 6 fingered man and let him do away with him. It was just painful. If I would have had a tomato in my hand, I would have thrown it at yellow during Music of the Night- I was that upset at how he was singing it--- he was straining to reach the high notes and there was no depth to his voice when singing the high notes--although I guess I am in the minority because everyone else (including my mother-in-law and the couple we were sitting next to) thought that performance was the best one of the night. Seriously, I was ready to shout, "Really? Seriously? If you're going to try and imitate Michael Crawford, you should at least come close to his range and put a mask over your face, cuz your facial antics are KILLING ME!"

Pink was not really a good or bad for me- he was average- I think his rendition of Neville's portion of Lily's Eyes was fine, but I was having a hard time getting past his structured cheekbones- I couldn't tell if he had recently botoxed, had cheekbone implants, or was just in the early stages of meth use.
Oh, and did I mention that he received accolades for being a great BARITONE??? Hello! I thought this was the Broadway Tenors, not 2 Tenors and a Baritone (and you should now be singing "two turntables and a microphone" in your head).

Overall, it was a nice night- good music by the orchestra- they were fab- especially in the West Side Story Medley- but I ended up leaving slightly disappointed. Maybe next time they'll make sure they get all tenors and maybe have one of them sing "Close Every Door," From Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Tagged by Kristi

THE RULES: Step 1: respond and rework—answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own. Step 2: tag— tag eight other un-tagged people. So, here we go!


Make a list of things you can see without getting up: TV, Ipod, list of spring training games for 2009, HemDogg

What were you like when you were five? precocious...and getting kicked out of kindergarten.

What are you wearing now? A black long sleeve shirt from high school and fuzzy blue adidas pants.

What’s the last thing you read/are currently reading? Michael Connelly, The Last Coyote.

Do you nap a lot? Not as much as I want to.

Who was the last person you hugged? Matt

What’s your current fandom/obsession/addiction? Sparkly jewelry.

What was the last thing you ate today? triscuits.

What is the best purchase you've ever made? Hemingway Dog.

What websites do you always visit when you go online? gmail, facebook, espn, cnn, azstarnet, cincinnati.com

What was the last thing you bought? new windshield wipers in Casa Grande

What are you listening to right now? commercials on TV

If you could have any super power, what would it be? Being able to make it in time to help people in need.

What is your favorite weather, and why? Sunny with some shade but it has to be warm in the shade- sunny because I love the sun and shade so I don't get sunburnt.

What time do you usually get up? after 6am.

What is your most challenging goal right now? lose weight.

Say something to the person who tagged you: Louise, who is that guy?

If you could have a house–totally paid for, fully furnished–anywhere in the world, where would you want it to be? San Diego

Favorite vacation spot? Boston & upstate NY

What is your favorite children’s book? The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

Name one thing you just can’t resist no matter how bad it is for you: Tostitos Lime Tortilla Chips

If you could meet anyone famous - dead or alive - who would it be? Mother Theresa

Favorite song: Ms. Jackson by Outkast

Name one thing you would most like to change about yourself: My weight.

Name a bad habit: biting my nails

What are you looking forward to this year? European Vacation!

Tagging people: Matt (he now has a blog!)

Dreams

Weird Dream of 2009:

Hungarians invade Tucson and try and take Deputy County Attorneys Hostage. A large contingent of Hungarians arrived in downtown Tucson, determined to take hostage as many DCAs as possible. DCAs exited the Legal Services Building in droves, except for Bunkye and Nicol, who magically had a female child who was staying at the building- she was a teenager and there was magically a private school on the grounds, along with lots of grass and gardens (so while everyone was running out they were running in). A number of us fled to a high rise office building (which we all know doesn't exist in downtown Tucson) and proceeded to hide in an office, where we put on Arizona Diamondback jerseys and began ironing on new numbers to the front. Schmidty was there and was actively involved in ironing on a new number 3 onto the front of his jersey. We were hiding next to another office that people would not turn lights out in, so we fled that office for the stairwell. While in the stairwell, JC stopped us and told us that his dentist was Hungarian, and if one of us would step outside and give ourself up, the dentist would proclaim us a hero.

Seriously, how the hell is anyone supposed to interpret that?