St. Patrick's Erotica

Hi Dear Sillies,

It's time I wish you the best of luck. We could all use some, right? May you find it when it's least expected and thus most appreciated. Happy Saint Patrick's Day - Month!

Love you.

Fun with Canadian Border Security, Some March Madness

Hi Dear Sillies,

Happy March! 

Life in the bigger picture is too much, so we need to have a bit of fun when possible.

I'd sent the lovely, hilarious Birgit her winning package, but it's been chillax-ing at the Canada-US border, likely mere miles from Birgit's reach. See, I'd received a call from Customs, stating that I must hire a broker (say what?) to have the goods released. Irritated and perplexed - you know me - I made this known.

Amid my fury I thought to ask: "Is this because of our new government?" The very polite, clearly Canadian Border Security officer replied: "good question, and others have asked this too." Aha. This feisty gal changed her tone, apologized for being contentious and for all the other bleep going on because of our bleepin bleep and bleepidy bleep bleep. I was careful to neither curse nor say "bleep," though.

Still, Birgit's winning package remains at the border. There are more steps. I was instructed to complete a form to allow the FedEx Trade Network to release said package. Done. I then needed to submit a statement with tracking number, total cost, and an explanation of said package. Done. They certainly didn't need this fleshed out explanation, yet I'm honest. They've been polite. Here's what I stated, after providing the basic information:

More specifically: Recipient, Birgit B. in Ontario, is the winner of a contest that I facilitated at my blog, Life by Chocolate see Rawknrobyn@blogspot.com. Due to my venom towards the US's commercial Valentine's Day-Hallmark-Hershey industry, and my typical status as an empowered yet sexually frustrated single woman, I facilitate an annual Valentine's Day Hatefest contest. The winner gets a sweet package. This year's winning entry was: "Roses are pink. Who cares? You're a soul sucking fink." She received the most votes for this, at 2 versus 1 for the other entries. 

  Thank you and warm regards,

  Robyn Alana Engel

Birgit, I hope they like your rhyme as much as I do!

I also hope this explanation will suffice. Fingers crossed.

Birgit's the WINNER!!

Dear Sillies,

Excuse the delay. My staff and crew decided to send your ballots to Florida, and I just got the final count. They said there were too many hanging chads and dangling particles, limp Larry's too. This confused them. But Janie Junebug (the smart person in that state) straightened things out. Thanks, JJ. 

Your submissions were perfectly hateful for this day of loving.

And the winner is:

 Birgit 

Roses are pink

Who cares! You're a soul sucking fink.

CONGRATULATIONS, Birgit!

Please message me at Rawknrobyn @ aol.com to claim your sweet treat package.

Happy Chocolate Day, everyone.

I love you, my Sillies.

VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! Election's on for the Valentine's Hatefest Slogan!

Dear Sillies,

Polling will be open until closed. How's that for a fair election? Felines are allowed to vote. Single cat ladies too! 

So, my friends, please vote for your favorite Valentine's Hatefest slogan from the following, one that's not your own submission. 

Candidates and their entries are listed in the order in which they were received. 

Thanks in advance for participating in your civic duty.  

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Alex J. Cavanaugh

You just suck!

Mike  You can't buy love... hey, wait!

 

Joanne You are not worth a cheap crappy melted Hershey Kiss.

 

Debbie D.  "One day in February isn't special, but YOU are!"

 

Birgit 

Roses are pink

Who cares! You're a soul sucking fink.

Debra She Who Seeks

"No more effen glass slippers!"

 

Her Royal Highness

I catfish U.

U catfish me.

True ♥︎ Romance!

February and My Annual Anti-Valentine's Day Contest

Dear Sillies,

February's here. My dear loyals know what this means. Yep, we love to hate the Valentine's Hallmark Hershey commercial and all-out nauseating complex for singles everywhere, because that's exactly what we need, an added complex. Yeesh!

This year's challenge is to keep it short. Submit an anti-Valentine's Day slogan in 10 or fewer words. You'll vote on the winner. I'll decide from there. (I might need to consult with HRH.) See in the past, you've been so generous as to forgo the prize because you felt undeserving or won previously...So I'll figure out an appropriate means to pay tribute to the most loving hateful submission/s.

And, go...

Courage and Dr. Martin Luther King

Dear Sillies,

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and that's all. Right? Nothing else's happening today. Nothing worthy of note. (But why, friends, why are people shocked that Snoop Dogg is performing? When did Snoop convey an Eagle Scout vibe?) 

Anyway, let's remember the heroism of this remarkable man whose actions and courage transcend space and time. It's imperative that we continue the fight for equal treatment for all humankind. 

Sometime in the 1990s, I sat in a big auditorium listening to a moving speech by Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King's then widow. I couldn't have felt more directly connected to the Reverend's teachings.

Coretta would pass in 2006, outliving King by 38 years.

As overwhelmingly distressful as things may seem now, there's always reason for hope. 

A hopeful, brave week to you!

Courage

Extending the dance 

When you’ve long lost your groove
Swimming to shore too frail to move.

Stepping towards light, when darkness abounds
Permitting a laugh amid no other sounds.

Confronting a beast no one should endure
It strikes with no warning, no reprieve and no cure.
 

Snuggling with hope, when the pain you can’t bare
Unveiling your heart in the face of despair.

Conveying a smile, when you’d much rather cry
Speaking the truth though it’s safer to lie.

Taking a stance, when integrity’s lost
Forcing what’s right in spite of the cost.  

Holding to faith in your value and worth
Maintaining a grace that softens the earth.  

Passing with ease
As you air your last breath
A hero whose soul
Transcends life

and death.

                           

                                     by me, Robyn Alana Engel

California Wildfires and Now

My Dear Silly, Caring Dears,

How are you? Please be be safe and able to smile. 

I'm fine, as are my loved ones in L.A. They're inhaling toxic air, of course. Some areas in which I used to work or play, and scores of homes, were completely charred. Lives lost. It's beyond imaginable. Right? I don't think I'll begin to absorb the devastation until I'm next in Los Angeles. 

What can we do but hunker down, appreciate our blessings, offer assistance when we're ready and able, share love and healing vibes? Afterall, the only thing we can count on is the present moment. 

That said, I'd written Now in 2012 for my first book, Just the Right Time. A dear friend, Dee Dee Vest, had long ago asked for some of my poetry to perhaps turn into song. As a surprise that brought me to tears, she sang this* publicly on the very same day that I'd learned about the Bidwell Mansion Fire. Thus, my words revisited me in magical form, when I sorely needed the message. 

*Sorry if you can't view this because you're not on Facebook. I wish I knew how to share it a different way. (Ugh, I dislike supporting Z-berg's empire.)

The very lovely, talented, and kind Robin Mead provided her stunning artwork for that book. Here's Now.