The MDA Labor Day Telethon was a BIG success!

Jerry Lewis greets Celine Dion Sunday night after she opened the legendary comedian's 41st Labor Day Telethon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The Telethon, broadcast nationwide from the South Coast Hotel (soon to be the South Point Hotel) in Las Vegas, generated a record $61 million in pledges and contributions. The International Association of Fire Fighters, a longtime national sponsor of MDA, contributed a record $23.5 million, representing their year-round fund-raising efforts. MDA TELETHON RAISES RECORD $61 MILLION LAS VEGAS, Sept. 4, 2006 - Thanks to an all-star talent list headed by Celine Dion and a quarter of a million dedicated volunteers across the country, the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon set a record in contributions and pledges. As MDA's 41st Telethon ended at 6 p.m. EDT today, the tote board showed an all-time high of $61,013,855 for the voluntary health organization's programs of research and services to benefit people with neuromuscular diseases. "I'm deeply gratified by the generosity of the American public," MDA National Chairman Jerry Lewis said. "They never fail to come through for 'my kids' who have muscular dystrophy and other conditions that waste muscles and too often shorten lives." Lewis, 80, returned to star in the Telethon despite a heart attack in June. He has never missed a Telethon. This year's show was dedicated to longtime MDA President & CEO Robert Ross, who died in June. Returning to "the entertainment capital of the world" after 12 years in Hollywood. The 211/2-hour live Telethon originated from the South Coast Hotel in Las Vegas and was broadcast nationwide and in Canada on the 190 stations in MDA's "Love Network." Jerry Lewis wipes away tears Monday evening as the tote board indicates that the legendary comedian's 41st Labor Day Telethon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association achieved a record $61 million in pledges and contributions. Lewis announced Monday that the Telethon would return to the South Coast Hotel in 2007, soon to be renamed South Point Hotel. America's best "sidekick" Ed McMahon returned as the Telethon's anchor, while Jann Carl of "Entertainment Tonight"; Tom Bergeron, host of "America's Funniest Videos" and "Dancing With the Stars"; popular talk show host Larry King; "General Hospital" star Kelly Monaco; Billy Gilman, award-winning singer; and comedians Norm Crosby and Bob Zany assisted Lewis as co-hosts. This year's Telethon talent included appeals from the country's most popular actors, singers and TV personalities. Live and taped performances ranged from musical guests in country, pop, rock, gospel and variety acts. Some of Broadway's best casts were also showcased. In addition to the tote board figure, which reflects pledges and donations, a number of MDA sponsors presented checks representing their year-round fund-raising efforts for MDA. Leading this group was a record contribution of $23.5 million from the International Association of Fire Fighters, the highest yearly contribution ever from any MDA sponsor. Profiled and interviewed on the Telethon were several families living with neuromuscular diseases. The Telethon drew international viewers via its live Webcast at www.mda.org through streaming media provided by RealNetworks." This remarkably successful effort will mean the world to the tens of thousands of individuals and families who are fighting neuromuscular diseases," Lewis said. "I'd like to thank everyone involved in making this really terrific show the best Telethon ever."

Life Ain't Always Beautiful

Rumors are so dumb.

So there is this chick I know who is my fiance's sister. Nice kid, all around decent. Throws a temper tantrum maybe once in awhile but usually IMHO has a fairly decent reason for being upset. Hey, we all need to vent sometimes. She's young, 15 and in high school.

Well right there is the problem, she's in high school and for some reason is the subject of some random online bullying. Do I know who the bully is? Nope. Do I know why she's being picked on? Nope. I barely kept up with what was going on in high school when I was IN high school. When I graduated in 2003, Andrew's oldest sister was a freshman. So the sister that is currently getting picked on wasn't even at my school yet. But I digress.

Some random person at some point in the middle of the night, silently slipped into cyberspace and crept onto Xanga and left me a nasty little message about this girl, who is not only my sister-in-law to be, but also one of my bridesmaids, and someone I consider to be a friend. Childish? You betcha. Hurtful? Very much so. Worth taking to heart? Nah. I don't believe the rumor, and even if the rumor was true, it's none of my business nor anyone else's. It's between her, the other person, God, and whichever friends she confides in.

We live in a world that just needs to chill. No one is perfect, and the harder you try to be perfect, the more obvious it is that you aren't, and the more transparent and lame you become. I get it, so why doesn't everyone else? High school is tough. I always wondered why. It's only supposed to be a place to learn about things, broaden your mind, and make friends. Two years from now, no one will care that you had a Prada backpack, or that you wore make-up, or that you slept with your boyfriend or girlfriend, or that you drove a top of the line car for that year, because guess what, it'll only be top of the line for ONE YEAR! I never did and probably never will understand why our peers are so judgemental, and want so badly to hurt one another, and are obsessed with gossip, and have to be the best, the creme de la creme.

So anyway...back to the rumor. I went to some of her friend's profiles and some wrote defensives words to the internet perpetrator in defense of their friend, and so I think she'll be ok. She's a tough cookie. But I'm still sad someone, just one person, deemed her slightly less than their vision of perfect and decided to attack her just for the hell of it. But God and her friends and family I'm sure will see her through.

It just sucks we live in such a "perfect" oriented society. Isn't that ironic, that no one and nothing is perfect, yet we beat down and try to destroy anyone and everything that isn't perfect. Really we should just all shove our fingers into our mouths and start knawing on ourselves.

By the way, I think it was a random attack, because if this person knew anything, they'd know I don't even go to MHS anymore and that I'm almost done with college, so I wouldn't be bothered by any rumors at the high school anyway.

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Pissy birds and sick grandma's

So I haven't written anything in a long time. I think that's probably because I've got everything on my myspace. Lame? Well maybe, but hey I found so many old friends on myspace so I kinda stayed there. There isn't a whole lot to report right now... My nana is currently at OSU Hospital in Columbus. She had a stint put into her on Tuesday that she has to have now. Basically, she has to do an IV treatment everynight for the rest of her life I think. Her body has stopped absorbing any nutrients from her food. It's almost like she's anorexic, except she eats all the time. So this will pump the nutrients she needs directly into her veins while she sleeps at night. Other than that, her life won't really change much. She won't be bedridden or anything. She's pissed as a hornet that just been whacked through the air, but if she wants to live, she's just going to have to deal with it. We almost lost her twice at the hospital because they didn't bother to check her blood sugar. It dropped so low she really should have been in a diabetic coma. Then it skyrocketed to over 700 which also should have killed her. So, she will have to stay there for a few days while they work on helping her figure out how to regulate her eating, the nutrients, and how to keep her blood sugar levels normal. Is this what it is to get old? I'd rather die than have to be that sick. What worries me though is she told my mom "If I really believed I'd see Bob (my papa) again, I'd just go right now." I think deep down she really does believe in God and heaven but for some reason she's very doubtful about it all. I don't know... I'm not ready to say goodbye to her, But then who is ever ready to say goodbye to the people they love the most?

I thought I'd get another parakeet to be a companion for my remaining one, but I decided to see how he does by himself, and for whatever reason, my parakeet is a loner bird. He seems perfectly happy being by himself. So I'll give it some more time and see if he continues to do well by himself. He always bullied all the other birds (He's had 3 companions thus far) So I guess we'll see.

If anyone reads this, please say a prayer for my Nana that she'll feel better soon. Hopefully she'll be home next week.