Last week was a great week for me. I stayed in a condo on the beach at North Myrtle Beach, SC with my family. It rained only once at the end of the week.  We enjoyed body surfing in the ocean and finding shells. We had a fun boat ride along the river with my husband’s cousins. The shopping was great. My finds included a Life Is Good hoodie I regretted not buying the first time I saw it in the Outer Banks, and Mickey Mouse items from the Disney store … all of which were on sale:)  (Is there even a Disney Store still open in Virginia???). And we topped it off with putt-putt golf… of course! It was definitely a better week for me than for Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson or even Mark Sanford (Governor of SC).

I wasn’t so surprised to hear about Ed or even Farrah. I had watched the show chronicling her bout with cancer and she didn’t look very good in the final scenes. But it was still sad. I grew up during the 70’s and 80’s and while I wouldn’t have called myself a fan, I was certainly aware of her work and had even watched some it. She was really scary in Small Sacrifices. It find it interesting that she’s most remembered for Charlies Angels when she was only on the show for one season. Its too bad that her death has been overshadowed by Michael’s as it could have been an opportunity for more awareness of cancer treatment and the need for further research.

I was very surprised to hear about Michael Jackson. I remember when I first heard Off The Wall and later Thriller and thinking how fantastic they were. Like many teens at that time, I learned the dance to Thriller and Beat It.  I enjoyed his later music, but like other people, I felt he’d become odd. Mostly I felt sorry for him; all that money, but he didn’t seem to use any of it to get counseling. I had no idea about his prescription drug use. I’m a little surprised considering the childhood he had with his father. I would have thought he’d be more conscientious about his fatherhood. But drugs have a pull that common sense often can’t overcome.

Mark Sanford is the same old story just a new politician. It boggles the mind. Do you suppose its the power that leads these men to think that the (family) values they espouse are for everyone but them? I hate these tearful apologies mostly because I don’t believe that they’re sorry for what they did. I think they’re sorry they got caught. I have to hand it to his wife for not automatically doing her “duty” as first lady of South Carolina by standing by her man.  I love her statement “His career is not my concern.”