Sex Sells

With “Sex and the City” the movie coming out, I am reminded of the never-ending game of chase between men and women.  Well, I’m on the woman’s side and there are a couple of good books out there that might help women get the upper hand.

Please don’t take offense at the titles:  they are really innocuous once you read the books.

The two books are “Why Men Love Bitches” and “Why Men Marry Bitches”.  A few good tips on how to be the winner in the relationship.  They’re both written by Sherry Argov and are available at most bookstores.

Happy reading.

Naked News

Here’s a story we didn’t run on our news tonight.

Ft. Worth police say a 73 year old woman was arguing with her son because she was walking around the house naked.  Police say she got into an argument with her 53 year old son, and went into the bedroom to load a gun when she shot her finger.

The woman’s daughter says the shooting was an accident, her mother was not in the nude, and there was no argument at all.

I’ll leave it to you to decide what you think really happened.  Have a nice holiday.l

Twilight Tragedy

I can’t imagine the agony of a Garland family tonight.

Many a summer night, I used to take my son outside, lay on the driveway that was still warm from the daytime sun, and gaze at the stars.  We would think of imaginary animals that the stars looked like, and try to find the big dipper.

That’s all a Garland father and his son were doing when the mother pulled into the driveway and ran over her own child.  Tonight the little boy is dead and lives are forever changed.

My prayers are with them.

Denise’s Death

A friend of mine was buried today.  She was a young woman.  We read a story about her on our news.

Denise was a secretary in a doctor’s office.  She scheduled appointments, did all the billing, always greeted everyone with a smile.  No one would have ever known about her living hell.

Denise had tried to escape her ex-husband.  She told friends he slashed her tires and wrote nasty text messages.  But no one ever dreamed about the excruciating death she would suffer.  Then again, maybe she did dream about it — maybe she feared it more than anyone ever knew.

Eight days ago, Denise arrived at work to open up the office.  Police say her ex-husband was lurking, waiting with a baseball bat.  Police say he used it to beat her to death in the hallway right outside the doctor’s office door.  I can’t even stand to think about what those final minutes must have been like. 

But if there’s anything worse than those last minutes of Denise’s life, it’s the tragedy she left behind.  Denise had three little girls, ages 2, 5, and 9.  Now Denise’s mother is left to care for them and try to put their lives back together.  The grandmother is going to need all the help she can get, in so many ways.

The Denise Stephens Memorial Fund has been set up at North Dallas Bank, 12900 Preston Rd., Dallas, 75230.  Or if you can’t or would prefer not to send a donation, just say a little prayer for the family she left behind.  As I said, they’re going to need all the help they can get.

 

Secrets of the Make-Up Room

PEOPLE OFTEN ASK ME WHO DOES MY MAKE-UP.  THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION WOULD BE “ME” ( WHICH I THINK WOULD BE OBVIOUS SOME NIGHTS!).  BUT ALONG THE WAY, ALL ANCHORS HAVE WORKED WITH CONSULTANTS AND I’LL SHARE WITH YOU SOME OF THE BEST MAKE-UP  SECRETS THEY’VE GIVEN ME.

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD IT SAID THAT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOLLYWOOD STARS AND ALL THE REST OF US IS FALSE EYELASHES?  WELL, IT MAY BE THE TRUTH.  TRUST ME, WHEN A CONSULTANT FIRST SUGGESTED FALSE EYELASHES I SAID “NO WAY”.  BUT AFTER I TRIED THEM, I’M HOOKED.  THEY’RE NOT SOMETHING I WOULD WEAR EVERYDAY, BUT FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS, THEY REALLY MAKE YOUR EYES POP.  YOU CAN SPEND A LOT OF MONEY BUT I JUST PICK MINE UP AT SALLY’S BEAUTY SUPPLY.

NOW HERE’S AN EYELASH SECRET FOR EVERYDAY.  IT’S A LITTLE PRODUCT CALLED “REVITALASH” AND I GUARANTEE IT’LL MAKE YOUR EYELASHES LONG AND LUSH.  IN FACT, IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE, BUT BE CAREFUL OR YOUR EYELASHES WILL END UP LONGER THAN  YOU WANT.

A PLUMP LIP SECRET?  USE A NEUTRAL LIP PENCIL FIRST, FILL IN ALL THE AREA WITH THE PENCIL, AND THEN USE A PRETTY COLOR GLOSS OVER THE ENTIRE LIP.  THE GLOSS MAKES YOUR LIPS VERY KISSABLE LOOKING!

HAVE FUN!

Politics in The Make-Up Room

 Norma Garcia, the Telemundo anchor, and I were in the make-up room watching MSNBC when Hillary Clinton came on.  Norma was saying that Hillary would definitely do better among Hispanics than Barak Obama, but we agreed that the pure numbers are tough for Hillary.

That led me to call former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk, a good friend and strong supporter of Obama for his take on the race at this point.   Here’s what he thinks:

1) How long have you known Senator Obama and what quality do you think most qualifies him to be President?

I have known Sen. Obama about 6 years. We first met when he attended a fundraiser for me in Chicago when I ran for the US Senate.

From the inception, I have been extraordinarily impressed with the Senators intellect, character, judgment and his calm/reasoned approach to politics. He is also very comfortable with himself. These are the traits that I think make a good leader, and will make Barack

Obama a great President.

 2) How often do you talk to the Senator and, if asked, would you take a position in an Obama Administration?

2) I speak with the Senator infrequently,  typically when I campaign for him.

 When I signed on to help Sen.Obama I did so with no expectations of anything in return. I will not seek a position in Obama’s administration, but, I am wholly committed to his success as President, and if I were asked to serve, I would give it very strong consideration. 

3) Obama Vs. McCain: give me a percentage.

 Obama 52%. McCain 45% Other candidates 3%.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Make-Up Room

Well, the response to my “Strictly Confidential” blog was not quite what I expected.  It set a record for number of hits on an NBC5 blog, but I never knew so many guys were interested in bikini waxes.

I’ll try to come up with some more topics from “The Make-Up Room”, including men, dating, food and such, with some politics and pocketbook issues thrown in.    Whatever it is, I guarantee it’ll be what we really talk about and hopefully, as interesting as bikinis.   

Strictly Confidential

 

 

 

“The Make-Up Room”

 

The Make-Up Room is where all anchors go before a newscast.  So there are usually at least 3 or us doing our hair and make-up at one time.  Usually it’s all girls.  And usually the talk isn’t about news.  It’s about men, dating, children, food….the stuff we’re all really interested in.   So starting today on my blog,  I’m going to share some of what we talk about behind the scenes. 

 

With summer around the corner, the subject of the bikini wax came up.  Do you get one or not?  I offered that I have before, but I can’t see the point because you have to let the hair get long enough to wax again, which means, you’ll need to shave!  So why wax to begin with?

 

Before long the bikini wax conversation had turned into a debate about shaving, vs. waxing, vs. laser hair removal….and then, how much hair to remove.  Well, that depends on your generation.

Our 5:00 anchor Meredith Land says these days, to younger women like her little sister, good grooming means…a complete wax, if you get what I mean.

 

Now here’s my question:  What if you get complete laser removal and the current trend turns out to be a fad?  Are you stuck forever with something akin to a tatoo?

We’re asking some of the younger women about that and I’ll let you know their answers – or feel free to comment and let me know what you think!

My Son

.     Every once in a while a Mom just has to brag.

This picture is of 14 year old Michael and me playing golf last summer.  That was before school started last fall.  As many a mother of a teen-ager will tell you, “it’s been a tough  year”.  Most 14 year old boys would rather do anything than homework.  And the zeros add up!

But for some reason (not inherited from me) math comes quickly to Michael.  So this morning, Michael got first place in the Continental League Math Competition for his entire grade.  There have been lots of disappointments this year, but the smile on his face today made up for a lot of tears. 

Celebrating Women

Mother’s Day is a time for many women to celebrate their families.  But some women spend this weekend celebrating freedom from an abusive home.

 

Every Mother’s Day weekend, I help the Genesis Women’s Shelter in Dallas with their annual Mother’s Day Luncheon, which raises money to help abused women and children.

One of the women was kind enough to answer my questions, in hopes of helping other women.

 1) How did your partner abuse you?  Was it physical, verbal, psychological, or all three?

All 3 – the physical was bad, but the emotional scars take the longest time to heal.

                                      2)  How long did you put up with it and why?

On and off for 8 years. I knew what he was doing wasn’t right, but I believed his excuses and wanted to believe his promises to change. After a while I was too embarrassed to admit that I was in an abusive relationship. I didn’t fit the profile many people have of abused women. I owned a home, I had a great job and I always had an excuse for the bruising and swelling.

 

 

3)  What made you get out of the situation?

After an especially violent assault with my children as witnesses, I knew I had to get them out of the situation before they were left with him as the only caregiver. I was afraid he would kill me.

4) What would you say to other women about the warning signs?

When you notice something that just doesn’t feel or sound right – check it out with safe people. I ignored his controlling behavior, character insults and false accusations, not wanting me to spend time with my family or friends, and just the general whirlwind nature of our relationship.

 

 

5)  How has Genesis helped you?

 

Genesis helped me see that the problem was not me, but his values and beliefs. First of all, I learned that abuse is not a normal part of healthy relationships. I learned that I can’t change him – only he can change himself. I learned I have rights in my relationships, I can choose to set boundaries, I do not have to keep his secret and most importantly there are people who can help and want to help me provide a physically and emotionally safe and stable life for me and my children.

For more information, go to www.genesisshelter.org