Making the most of life

What a sad day. It was expected to lose Farrah, but the day ended with Michael gone as well. It just doesn't seem real. I was never a huge Farrah fan-I thought she gave blondes a bad name (Kate Jackson was my favorite Angel) and over acted, but I did have one of those posters in my room, and I'm not a guy! For me, Farrah lives on in her hair. I still have layered wings like Farrah popularized. I did like the two movies she did where she played battered women. I read a mean spirited article an hour or so after her death about how her death was a result of her own risky behavior-having unprotected anal sex, and contracting the Human Papilloma virus. I spent the next few minutes educating myself on HPV, especially HPV-16, which is the strain responsible for most anal cancers. I actually had not known that this type of cancer is almost always related to HPV-16. Farrah, the sex symbol, dies from complications of a sexually transmitted disease. Ironic. I give her huge props for her documentary, and especially for going public and making all these reporters overcome the snicker factor from saying the word anal. The guts of this guy's article may be factual, but we don't know for sure that Farrah even had HPV-16, let alone whether or not she had anal sex. For all we know, she may have been raped as a teenager and contracted the virus. I just thought it was crass to insinuate crap like that -just for sensationalism and to tear someone down. Even if it is true, I admire Farrah for going public and providing a chance for Americans, especially teenagers, to talk about HPV in a mature way and make a decision about Guardasil, the vaccine which protects against contraction of the virus. Perhaps, with a history or practice of anal sex, doctors should recommend an anal pap smear?

Michael. Wow. Like everyone my age, I grew up with Michael. As I entered my teenybop years, I was in love with Michael Jackson. Remember that it was a different world then, and it raised eyebrows when young white girls swooned over young black men. Yeah, I also had posters of Donny Osmond and later David Cassidy, but Michael was my favorite. I had Off The Wall in college, but it was stolen. I listened to Thriller and all of his other hits. Later, while I stayed home with the kids, I watched spellbound as he dealt with the molestation charges. I believed he was guilty. He lived a sad life. He was a sad person. His attorney, Oxman, drew a parallel between Michael and Anna Nichole Smith, and I have to say that I believe it is a good parallel. I can't remember the last time I saw an interview with him in which he appeared sober. I always thought "Man in the Mirror" was about addiction and pedophilia, but tonight, it is about any kind of change you make for the positive.

I'm Gonna Make A Change,
For Once In My Life
It's Gonna Feel Real Good,
Gonna Make A Difference
Gonna Make It Right . . .

And then there is "Heal the World":

Heal the world, Make it a better place
For you and for me
And the entire human race.
There are people dying, if you care enough
For the living,
Make a better place for you and for me.

So long Farrah, Sing on Michael....No more Pain