Kate Moss: Role Model?

This is the new cover of Bazaar magazine that arrived on my doorstep yesterday.  See the model?  That's Kate Moss.  Is she pretty?  I suppose so.  Is she a role model?

That's what I'm about to debate.

I would say no, absolutely not.  There are plenty of media that tout her as the darling of the fashion world and every little girl should want to grow and be just like her.  After all she's got millions of dollars, a fashion line (with Topshop in the UK), she's a runway model, who wouldn't want to be just like her?

If you want to be just like her you'd better start doing some coke.  And no, I don't mean the Coca Cola variety.  It's well publicized that she's been in and out of rehab.  You can Yahoo search it yourself or click this link to see the results.

Kate Moss Rehab

Kate Moss Leaves Rehab (UK story)

Kate Moss Out of Rehab (CBS news)

The day she left rehab in 05 her agency issued this statement:

The Storm agency said Moss would be working on modeling assignments in Los Angeles, Paris and New York in the next month.

Okay.  So that proves you can get caught snorting cocaine (pictures were published in a British tabloid which is the reason she went to rehab) and do a quick stay at a luxurious rehab joint in Arizona and be back to a three city tour modeling within a month and on a phot shoot in less than 12 days (modeling for Robert Cavalli in Italy).  Yeah, I'm weeping for you Kate.

The fact that she continues to be this sought after model astounds me.  The public doesn't seem to care, the media doesn't seem to care and neither do the companies she's working for.  At the time of her stint some companies did at least care enough to stand up and say "Hey, you don't represent our values."  I applaud H&M, Burberry and Chanel (who ditched her when she went to rehab in 05).

It seems the SuperModel's addiction isn't new either.

Moss spent time in rehab in 1998 for an undisclosed addiction. (Source here: SOFTPEDIA. Caution, upper body nudity pic of Ms. Moss)

And it seems her friends are a super bad influence.  At the time of her 05 stint she was with rocker Pete Doherty.  This little ditty is from 07 where, you guessed it, she and Pete checked into rehab together.

"They arrived together and they will be supporting each other." Doherty has attempted rehab on numerous occasions in a bid to tackle his heroin and crack cocaine habits. Moss was herself treated in 2005 after being caught on camera snorting cocaine.  (Source here: Contactmusic.)

Can someone please explain why this woman is allowed to be such an 'icon'?  Is this what we want our children to grow up idolizing?  She even has a daughter herself (3 years old at the time of rehab in 05).  One would think she'd want to get clean and rid herself of people who are obviously bad influences for her daughters sake.

Guess not.

I found one article that at least tackled the question as to why companies continue to tout drug addicts (like Moss).

The supermodel's fall from grace has forced a re-think on the types of role models the fashion world endorses.

It also raises questions about possible hypocrisy in an industry notorious for its drug-fuelled party life: Haute couture lovingly cultivated Moss' bad girl image, and she now finds her career threatened with the first evidence that the image may match reality. (Source: From Fashion Model to Pariah CTV.Ca)

If she's truly reformed then bravo for her.  In this post I've picked her out as an example (one that's been bugging me for some time) but it could really apply to any celebrity addict.

So what's your take on Ms. Moss and those drug addicts who are idolized in the press?  Should we continue to keep them in the spotlight as role models when their behavior is anything but model worthy?

RTT: The Tale of Snow, Food and Menage a Trois

It's Fugly Button time, otherwise known as Random Tuesday Thoughts day.  Many kind thanks to our fearless inventor Keely over at The UnMom.

I have some serious obsessions when it comes to food. Certain foods anyway.  I love baked potatoes.  But what I love even more is the sour cream that you put on a baked potato*.  Sometimes I make a baked potato just to eat the sour cream.  When I found a recipe for mac n'cheese (Paula Dean's found here) and found out it had sour cream...well, let's just say I added extra sour cream.  I've been known to just eat a spoonful.  And I'm not talking the lowfat crap, I'm in it to really eat.  I go full-on, whole milk sour cream.  Mmm,mmmm.

I'm fairly certain CP isn't really moving us to Kentucky.  He's privately enrolled me in a half way house for sour cream addicts.

My other food obsession?  Olives.  Black, green, Greek.  With pimento's, creamy cheese stuffed, brined, oiled.  You name the olive, I'll eat it.

In fact I put both olives and sour cream in tomato soup and chili.

I bought CP this wine for his birthday.  I swear to God his eyes lit up thinking I was giving him something more than just a bottle of wine.

The local wine store, while being the normal PIA PA Commonwealth State Controled Store, it does have a rather good selection.  Some of my favorites, should I be buying on title alone, were: Red Rooster which proudly features a picture of a rooster on the label (they're Canadian obviously), and The Smoking Loon from California (where loons are expected).  Seriously, who wouldn't buy wine with a name like that?

I went out and bought a bottle of Smoking Loon Old Vine Zinfadel (red).  It intriguied me so much I had to.  Mmmm, hmm.  Very nice.

I had to put my 3.5 yr old back in her highchair because she wouldn't stop kicking the table (and consequently giving me a heart attack as her chair started to tip over).  She invents reasons for me to send her to baby prison I swear.

We had our inspection for the new house last week.  Since I couldn't been there myself I asked CP to take pictures.  Of the appliances.  You know he's an awesome husband.  He doesn't even question why anymore.

Last week on RTT I told you about Thor getting the 2004 piece K'nex set.  Well.  Auntie Valerie sent him another 400 piece bucket o'k'nex a few days later.  Stay tuned.  K'nex city will be coming our way next week.

Name the song/artist based on these lyrics:

Don't drink don't smoke - what do you do?
Don't drink don't smoke - what do you do?
Subtle innuendos follow
There must be something inside

Stuck in your head yet?  You're welcome.

It snowed last Wednesday, bad enough to cause Thor to have school delay and for Chick not to have school at all.  So I bundled up, stuffed Chick in her snow suit and shoveled the driveway.  It wouldn't be so bad if I had boots.  Hey Ms. J, can I please buy those winter boots back that I sold you last year?

Snow.  Ah yes those who didn't get snow are probably sick of hearing about it.  But you know what?  This snow is going to be parked in front of my house till April (you know, after I no longer live here?)  I woke up at 7 on Saturday morning to I'd say about 16 inches.  The snow continued all day.  All day.  My neighbors little Lexus couldn't even be found in the drifting stuff.  Some teenager could charge me $150 a pop to snowblow/shovel my driveway.  I'd even throw in my beloved Girl Scout cookies and some cocoa for free.  Hey Gina, any chance the Bonehead Brothers wanna make some money??

The forecast for tomorrow? 18-24 inches of snow.  Mother nature is just screwing with me right? Right??
The latest in the Toyota muck-up mess: Toyota probe expands with questions about Prius  Maybe that's why the Camry was such a good deal when we bought it last month...needless to say we're having the company transport the car to KY for us rather than driving it.  Just in case.

Some of you think my new state's abbreviations are very funny (SciFi Dad and Dadshouse).  Both men.  Go Figure.  Honestly, I didn't get it until I read the comment about five times.

You may have noticed by now, I ditched the disqus comments.  They just ticked me off so much I kicked them to the curb.  I had no idea if when responding to comments people were actually getting them.  There was that loss of back and forth sparing I'm so fond of.  So out they went which made some of you very happy. 

I keep thinking about the iPod Touch.  After Captain Dumbass mentioned he can use his to write on, I thought dang nabbit.  That might be kinda cool.  Plus then I could get all the apps stuff without buying the iPhone (which I don't want.)  It would be an even mix of extras and neccesities. 

After all, I've dropped my small classic nearly a million times.  It's got a little dent on the end and everything and another on the back.  I feel sorta blessed that it still works actually. (I liked the bigger, older, chunkier version that I used to have {that I gave to Thor} better).

So I started looking at them.  The prices suck of course (starting at $199) but I love the Nike version running gizmo.  You see, I plan to start running again.  And yes, this time I am going to keep at it.  Since both kids are already signed up for school in Kentucky I will be able to pop them on the bus (which stops in front of our house, yea!) and then head off for a nice run to start the day.  I found this awesome music mix (which works with the Nike running gizmo, which comes with the iTouch).  Anyone want to run with me?

Alright-a-roo that's all the Random not fit for any other day.  I'm going to go watch Shaun the Sheep now.



Please be so kind as to scoot over to The UnMom and see who else is doing the Random Limbo.  Your mind will thank you for it later.

*This post was inspired while eating sour cream.  There may or may not have been a baked potato under there too.

Call it what you want

It's all the same no matter what the name.  We got snow'd.  28.6 inches at Philadelphia airport.  About 24.5 here in my burb.



Stay warm.  Tuesday evening is bringing in another Nor'easter.  I'm so excited...

Inside a Snow Globe

Oh drifting wonder of snow
gently you fall
and fly and flutter
against the panes of glass.

The wind comes in
and blows you hither and to
but you fall in grace
undisturbed by the push
of natures making.

As I sit and watch
protected from the storm
clutched in my hand
is warmth and comfort
outside is cold and beauty.

Snow you fall in grace
and blanket the ground
I wonder if I stood
outside in your breeze
would your beauty still astound me?

Poem and picture by Blogging Mama

Something I haven't done in a long time: Candid Carrie's Friday Photo Fiesta

Of course just because I haven't done it in a long time doesn't mean I got the title right either.  I haven't played along with Candid Carrie in like, forever.  So I thought, seeing as I'm going blog-lite of late, I'd do an easy photo Friday.  Here is the Chick.  She is a snow obssesed little darling.  I call her my Made in Taiwan Snow Bunny.  Funny how a girl who spent the first 15 months of her life in a tropical paradise could be so fascinated by snow.

If you have something good to share this Friday post and link up over at Candid Carrie's.  Or if you just like to click around, head over and see who else is sharing pictures today.

The Naked Truth: Half Truths and Polite Lies

All comments are suddenly missing and disqus.com returns an error.  I apologize!  Makes me long for blogger comments now...

It's time again for the Naked Truth where I wax un-poetic about truthful things that are clogging up my brain.  Do you have your own truth to tell?  Feel free to let me hear it.




"We'll exchange addresses and the kids can be pen pals."

How many times have any of us said words to that effect?  How many times did we actually mean it?  Are we all just saying the words other people want to hear because it's proper or polite?

I've been thinking back to last June as we let a few people from school know the next day, the last day of school, was also our last day in Bonn.  There were lots of questions about where we were going and why and plenty of "it seems so sudden."  In ways it was sudden and in others it was not.  But at the end of every conversation was the promise of keeping in touch, letting the kids write and remembering the people we once were aquainted with.

None of those things came true. 

It's not that I fault people for it, after all I didn't write either, I didn't even have the addresses to write.  But how many times do we say things like this without another thought?  Everyone does it.  I'll say these words once again at the end of the month, and I wonder if I will make them true.  It's more for the kids sake than mine.  Knowing we wouldn't be staying here from the day we moved, I didn't go out of my way to make more than casual aquiantances.  The only person who I consistently have talked through over the years is M, my best friend from middle/high school.  We chat via Facebook, an occasional email or card, and we used to have lunch when I'd go home to visit my parents. (She has since moved out of state)

So throwing out the "we'll write" phrase of politeness won't faze me.  But I do wonder if it's right to say it.  My kids hear that.  Am I sending the wrong message to them by telling a half truth or a polite lie?  What have you done or said in this situation?  Is being polite more important than being honest?  How do we let kids know the difference between polite lies and bad ones?


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Random Tuesday Thoughts: 2004 Pieces

It's Random Tuesday time!  Yea!  Link up and read up over with Keely at The UnMom.

Thor took his bday money this weekend and went to tru and because he was in the birthday club he got royal treatment. He got a coupon in the mail. He got a crown and a balloon at the store and they announced his bday over the loudspeakers as we shopped. Next thing he's going to be handing out autographs.

From 9-12 is not as much time as you think. Throw in a shower, breakfast, a few errands and there's barely enough time left to read blogs. I have got to find the all day preschool option next time.

Our current house sits in shadow most of the day. So ours is the only driveway still with snow on it. Its like taking my life in my own hands every morning walking chick to her bus. I would much rather not have to make my morning footwear my mosy important daily decision.

I want to go on a cruise. This time last year we were about to do this.

 That sounds nice about now.

Some people labor under the impression that Kentucky is warmer than here. Well its not alright? I thought so too but no, its not.

Itunes and Starbucks have had some decent freebie music of late, which has been nice. Sometimes the best thing about my week is getting a free song.

Thor is eight. And suddenly has a teenagers chip on his shoulder. Can we back up to Sunday night and be seven again please?

At tru he bought some Kinexs (sp?) With his birthday money. It literally took CP and Thor 8 hours to put it together. Its 2004 pieces. Really.

I recently read Henry's List of Wrongs by John Scott Shepherd.  Good book.  Interesting premise.  You should check it out.

I've written this entire post while waiting for Thor to get his skinny butt downstairs to finish his homework before school.  Seeing as we have to leave in 7 minutes, I think he'll be staying in for recess to do his work today.

I'm walking for Autism Speaks again this year.  May 22 in Cincinnati.  Anyone who wants to sponser can click my button in the sidebar.  If you're in the area maybe you want to join in?  Drop me an email if you do.  It's a great time and a great cause.  This year I'm walking for Thor.

Did you leave a comment on Friday?  And I didn't respond?  Well...I did.  At least I thought I did.  I'm still working out the kinks of this new comment system but somewhere out in no-comment reply blogerspace are a bunch of messages I wrote.  I'm sure someone is laughing. 

Have anything Random you want to get off your chest?  Then see Keely and let it all go.  That girls much more than Random.  She's Super Random.

Maturing at the ripe old age of 8

Yep, today is Thor's birthday.  The Big 08 . There are presents to wrap and cakes to bake.  But first a very brief look at a few pictures.