Move Over Betty Grable, There's a New Poster Girl in Town

Boy, the Dixie Chicks could sure learn a thing or two from this fine Australian girl. Thanks to Blackfive for turning me on to her. This song is exactly what I need to hear right now. It is singer Beccy Cole's response, upon returning home from entertaining the Australian troops in the Middle East last Christmas, to a letter from a fan who opposes her support of the war and the Aussie soldiers, the Diggers. I took the liberty of copying down the lyrics as best I could below just in case anyone wants to sing along. Thanks Beccy!


***UPDATE: Anonymous corrected me on some of the lyrics I had posted. Below are the corrections (and they happen to be what I actually thought the words were when I first heard the song. I guess I was second guessing myself. I'm mostly deaf so I question most of what I hear anyway). Enjoy!


Poster Girl


POSTER GIRL (WRONG SIDE OF THE WORLD)

By Beccy Cole


You don’t listen to my songs anymore.
You ripped my poster off the wall.
‘Cause I’m a singer that went to the war,
You see no good in me at all.

Pardon me if I believe
I haven’t got it wrong.
And before you turn your back on me
I’ll sing you one more song.

‘Cause I shook hands with a Digger
On the wrong side of the world
With a wife at home who holds her breath
And brand new baby girl.

And the Digger fights for freedom
In a job that must be done
And I let go of his hand
So proud to be Australian.

CHORUS
And if unlike me you feel no pride at all
Then go ahead and take me off your wall.
‘Cause I prefer to be a poster girl
On the wrong side of the world.

Now I’m just the girl who sings the crazy songs.
Not qualified to sit and judge.
I’ve been right and I know I’ve been wrong.
But I’m for peace and I’m for love.

And I admire the burning fire
That causes you to fight.
I only wish the wrong side of the world
Had the same right.

‘Cause I listened to the wisdom
Of an Aussie Brigadier.
He spoke of widows and of orphans
And the need to dry their tears.

And he needs to fight for freedom
In a job that must be done
And I’ve never been more proud
To say that I’m Australian.

CHORUS
And if unlike me you feel no pride at all
Then go ahead and take me off your wall.
‘Cause I prefer to be a poster girl
On the wrong side of the world.

Maybe I’m naïve to think
We all could get along.
But sir, I read your words
And all I ask is ‘hear my song’.

‘Cause I shook hands with a Digger
On the wrong side of the world
With a wife at home who holds her breath
And brand new baby girl.

And the Digger fights for freedom
In a job that must be done
And I’ve never been more proud
To say that I’m Australian.

CHORUS
And if unlike me you feel no pride at all
Then go ahead and take me off your wall.
‘Cause I prefer to be a poster girl
On the wrong side of the world.
I’m so proud to be a poster girl
On the wrong side of the world.

Pre Traumatic Stress Disorder?

I've heard that families of soldiers can suffer from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) as well as the soldier but is there such a thing as PRE-Traumatic Stress Disorder? A co-worker recently sent me this article of an email home from a Marine which I had already seen a while back, at Blackfive's blog I think, but I never finished reading the entire thing until now. Whoa! Now I'm traumatically stressed thinking about Sprout's likely upcoming deployment. This line especially hangs heavy on my heart:


"Most Memorable Scene — In the middle of the night, on a dusty airfield, watching the better part of a battalion of Marines packed up and ready to go home after over six months in al-Anbar, the relief etched in their young faces even in the moonlight. Then watching these same Marines exchange glances with a similar number of grunts loaded down with gear file past — their replacements. Nothing was said. Nothing needed to be said"

and then this one really made me sad:

"Most Common Thought — Home. Always thinking of home, of my great wife and the kids. Wondering how everyone else is getting along. Regretting that I don't write more. Yep, always thinking of home."


As a mother of a soldier about to deploy, that thought stays constantly on my mind. I have so many other things to think about right now...the holidays, the wedding...and yet thoughts of war keep creeping in and out of all my plans. Trying to prepare myself for the feelings, the fears, the tense months of waiting for it all to be over. Knowing that I must now take a backseat to his new wife and trying to keep my place but also wanting to know every word he says, how he sounds, what he is going through while he is there. Learning what time it is in yetanother time zone, waking up before dawn hoping to be IM'd. If it's already this hard for me, how hard must the thought of going to war be for him?

I will have to place my trust in God. I don't guess it will hurt to start praying in advance.

More Funnies in My Emailbox

NEW DRUGS FOR WOMEN

DAMNITOL
Take 2 and the rest of the world can go to hell for up to 8 full hours.

EMPTYNESTROGEN (I need this one, NOW)
Suppository that eliminates melancholy and loneliness by reminding you of how awful they were as teenagers and how you couldn't wait till they moved out.

ST. MOMMA'S WORT
Plant extract that treats mom's depression by rendering preschoolers unconscious for up to two days.

PEPTOBIMBO
Liquid silicone drink for single women. Two full cups swallowed before an evening out increases breast size, decreases intelligence, and prevents conception.

DUMBEROL
When taken with Peptobimbo, can cause dangerously low IQ, resulting in enjoyment of country music and pickup trucks.

FLIPITOR
Increases life expectancy of commuters by controlling road rage and the urge to flip off other drivers.

MENICILLIN
Potent anti-boy-otic for older women. Increases resistance to such lethal lines as, "You make me want to be a better person. "

BUYAGRA (This is my favorite)
Injectible stimulant taken prior to shopping Increases potency, duration, and credit limit of spending spree.

JACKASSPIRIN
Relieves headache caused by a man who can't remember your birthday, anniversary, phone number, or to lift the toilet seat.

ANTI-TALKSIDENT
A spray carried in a purse or wallet to be used on anyone too eager to share their life stories with total strangers in elevators.

NAGAMENT
When administered to a boyfriend or husband, provides the same irritation level as nagging him.

Volvo commercial

I just love this commercial. It reminds me of someone I know (see previous post below).

Another Quote From the Little General

I know I post a lot about my granddaughter but she is just so darn cute. The other night, Sprout's future Bride came by to visit and the Little General was here. The Little General was talking about her upcoming huge Christmas show at school and the Bride asked the Little General "can I come see your show?" The Little General's eyes lit up and she said "Yeah! You can wear your wedding dress." Well, it sounds logical to me. I mean, why only wear it once? I might even wear mine. NOT!!!

Here's the Little General, beautiful as always.

Shine On, Harvest Moon

The Stoics went to dinner tonight as is our Friday ritual now that we are empty nesters. On the way home, we were guided by this most beautiful harvest moon. Everytime I see one, I am in awe of our God and all his glory. Anyway, if this picture makes you feel like you just have to sing the song, here's ya a backup band.

Faces of Courage: Paul Ray Smith

Atta boy, MSNBC. They will be airing this and other tributes to the fine soldiers that make this country great. Who'da thunk we'd see this on MSNBC. Will wonders never cease?


*UPDATE: Well, this is weird. I tried to post this video from YouTube.com waaaaaay last week but it didn't seem to work so I gave up. Today I log on and BOOM! There it is. What gives? Oh well. Better late than never.

Dit Dit Dah Dit Dit...Duh

Don't ask me why but for some crazy reason, I have decided to learn Morse Code. Yes...dot dot dot dash dash dash dot dot dot, only in "Code" country we call it dit dit dit dah dah dah dit dit dit. I don't know why. Anyway, I downloaded a free program that lets you learn a couple of letters at a time and you have to listen to the code and type it as you hear it. My first five minute test looked a lot like "mkkm mm kmk kkk kmmmmkm kmmkkkmmm mk kk kkkm mkmkm"...I have learned M and K pretty good. Now, if anyone sends me a secret message with words that only use the letters M and K, I'm all set. Tonight I may add R. Rrrreow! It's fun learning this, but my brain can only stand about a minute and a half of the beeping until I have to stop the sound. After a while I was able to go the full five minutes, but it feels like my brain has little BB holes in it. I hope this don't make me crazy (but hey, who would know?). How I got this idea, I don't know. Sometimes I do that. I get possessed with some crazy idea and can't stop till I've mastered it. So, coming soon...a secret message...here's a hint: it will only contain words spelled with M's and K's.