Sunday DT

Hello all!

Just a quiet sunday, long night last night though, cats running around.
Went out for breakfast this morning at Cracker Barrel, a good old fashioned southern breakfast. Which means I will need to do some exercising this afternoon!
I just finished with my 'me and Peedoodle time' so he doesnt feel left out what with two new cats in the house. He is now worn out from running back and forth from playing fetch and settling down in his bed (which he will not let any other cat touch!)
Laurie, I took your idea of a journal and bought myself one and will probably start today.
I received a letter yesterday from a young girl who heard I was from NZ and wanted to be in touch with me. She is currently serving a life time sentence in prison for first degree murder - I looked her up and its a sad tale of someone making a stupid mistake which cost her her life. She set fire to a couch as a prank at a college at Greensboro and a swift wind moved the fire to some dorms and killed 4 people. They had to charge her with felony murder and it is punishable by death but she plea bargained it down so she got life in prison. Its a shame as from what I read, she had a bright future ahead of her. It looks as if she has people fighting for her as they believe she should have gotten manslaughter.

I have to remember to email my grandparents today, I keep forgetting.

I hope you all have a good day and lots of hugs!

Kellye, that is a sad story...I do however have to say that boy, times change. I don't know but, wow....back in my old days, our view of a prank was setting a thumb tack on a teachers chair. Boy, did we ever get in trouble for that!!! It only worked once too. Teachers caught on pretty fast. Today....people do not seem to understand right from wrong and what the consequences could end up being. Life in jail is a high price to pay for a foolish mistake.

On another note: I am spending today sorting through clothes. Every year, there is a lady in town that gets rid of all her clothes (some of them even have the tags on them). She goes out and re-stocks her closet with all of this years fashion....Well, I for one, do not do that. I do occasionally shop for something new to wear but to get rid of everything? I get all giddy when my MIL calls to say that she received the bags of clothes. Personally, I have absolutely no qualms about wearing someone elses leftovers. She sends jeans, sweaters, blouses, tank tops, shorts, dresses (I pass on those, except for summer ones), skirts etc.... I am fully stocked again. I just don't have the room for it anymore because I have yet to do the same. I am going through everything and will be dropping some off at a shelter.

Anyways....have a nice day all!

Kellye - re: writing a journal. For me, I often pretend like I'm writing to someone. If what I'm writing about is an issue with one particular person, I often write like it's a letter to them - obviously safer, because it's written without the intent of them ever seeing it.

When I was with the ex, ex-hubby was often the "target" - LOL! "You're a jerk and I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! - sometimes that kind of stuff helps too!

Have fun with it! (And I hope it helps, too!)

Just hanging out today. Didn't get much sleep last night - the kids were really rowdy (now that Spooky is part of "the gang").

Will spend some time on that PowerPoint presentation that I absolutely MUST finish up!!!!!! (For Amarillo low-cost spay/neuter and TNR programs).

Gary and I have started taking a break every hour to do knee-bends, toe-touches, sit-ups - that kind of thing. Sets of 10s and 20s. I'm so pleased - we're both keeping up!



Ghys - how nice for you to have almost like a clothes fairy godmother like that! I'd love that!

And Kellye - completely forgot to mention your new pen-pal. What a sad, sad tale.

I have to agree with you on the pranks thing Ghyslaine - when I was in high school, every April Fools, I would always put chalk on the teachers chair so they would end up with a white bum.
A childhood friend and I used to play the classic wallet on a fishing line trick and videotape the unsuspecting victims. But setting fire to things is pretty extreme, I have to say.

I wish I had someone in town who would give me clothes like that!

I am still trying to get Jake to join me with exercises, he keeps complaining that he needs to lose weight but he still eats junk food!

I think I will take up knitting, I just need to find 'Knitting for Dummies' so I can learn! I need to pass my time!

Good afternoon everyone! Thought I would briefly stop by to see how The Kitty Invasion is going.



I went and got my hair cut and changed the colour again! I do this every 3 months or so since I really get bored fast. Changing my hair colour is easy and reversible and it's fun. My hairstylist loves me because when I sit in her chair I just tell her to do whatever she wants. She's great and I never have to worry...so far...

Talking about pranks I did a pretty bad one during my frosh week at University. The students had to do a search and find mission. They would give you a clue and you had to go around Toronto and find the item and use your imagination. In the process, my team 'borrowed' a mail box. But we replaced it within a couple of hours and I don't think anyone noticed. I'm sure I could have went to jail but that's when I was young, and was influenced by my other frosh university students.

:tounge2:

Have a great afternoon/evening everyone! I'm off to cook a new recipe: Citrus infused haddock with vegetable coucous & spinich salad.

Its quiet here, too. We have the doors open and the cats are watching the neighborhood.

Yesterday, we went to my parents'. My mom's car is making a funny noise and, since my dad's hearing isn't too good, he wanted Bill to check it out. Of course, Bill won't accept any money so, my dad insisted on taking us out to lunch. We had a good time. My mom actually LIKES Bill. Me - she smacked on the butt! 45 years old and my mom is still swatting me.

Bill cooked breakfast, this morning and, right now, he's baking brownies. I could get used to this.

Gosh Cindy, aren't you used to it already? You know we are all envious of how Bill treats you like the queen of the realm all the time. Of course your mother likes him - he's fabulous!

Kassandra, so what color is your hair now? I would love to be able to do that, but I haven't even been able to afford a haircut in about 3 years. That's what happens when you live with a bum. (oh, that wasn't very nice, was it?)

Laurie look on the bright side. You could have to break up fights at 4:00 in the morning.

Ghys, my grandmother used to do that and send us all her old clothes. It was a fight to the finish over some outfits between Mom, my sister and I. Finally Mom got smart and went through the box first before either of us got a shot. My sister has this horrible selfish streak so if Sam had first dibs we would get nothing. We knew it though, so we just worked around it. That's really cool that you get something like that. It's always so much fun to get new clothes.

Kellye that is a sad story and I'm not sure why exactly she would have been convicted of 1st degree murder for that. Murder, especially 1st degree, says that she planned to kill people and had malicious intent. Just sounds really strange to me. Perhaps the DA was trying to make an example of her to the other college brats who want to try the same thing.

Should be a quiet day today. Watching football, taking down the Christmas tree (I'm so bad about that, but I always get so sad when I have to take it down), laundry, and other fun stuff like that. I just got back from my workout. 30 minutes on cardio and then weight training. It's a good way to start Sundays.

Heidi - this explains why they charged her with felony murder....

Danahey case spurs effort to alter law
Greensboro News & Record, 22 October, 2002

By STAN SWOFFORD, Staff Writer

A grass-roots group from Guilford County, spurred on by what they believe was the unjustly harsh sentence meted out in the deadly Campus Walk fire case, is launching a statewide campaign to reform the state's felony murder rule. The group, which calls itself North Carolina Citizens for Felony Murder Rule Change, hopes to change the law in a way that would allow a court to re-examine Janet Danahey's sentence of life in prison without possibility of parole. Danahey, fearing a death sentence, pleaded guilty July 29 to starting the fire that roared through the Campus Walk apartment complex Feb. 15, killing four young adults.

Although prosecutors said they didn't think Danahey meant to hurt anyone, or even to burn down the building, she was charged with arson and four counts of first-degree murder under the felony murder rule. "Janet Danahey could have been my child or anyone's child who made a stupid mistake," said George Brown of Jamestown, who founded the group. Brown said the group aims to persuade the General Assembly to change the law to allow judges and juries shorter sentencing options for someone convicted under the felony murder rule. Now, there are only two: death or life without parole.

The N.C. Bar Association asked the General Assembly last year to remove the death penalty for felony murder. The measure died in committee. In addition to Brown, a marketing consultant, other members of the committee leading the drive include Dennis Kohut, a Greensboro physician; Earnest Miller of High Point, a chemist and business owner; and Howard and Mary Gold of Greensboro. Brown said the committee is recruiting and organizing people in other cities in the state to write and lobby legislators to change the rule.

The felony murder rule, a holdover of English common law that dates at least to the 16th century, allows the state to charge someone with murder even though that person had no intention of killing anyone. In 12 of the 38 states that have capital punishment, including North Carolina, a defendant can be sentenced to death for felony murder. All that is required is that a person dies during the commission of arson, rape, a sex offense, robbery, burglary or kidnapping, or during any other felony in which a deadly weapon is used. Prosecutors don't have to prove intent, an element that would otherwise be required for a first-degree murder conviction. Even if the victim died of a heart attack, the defendant could be convicted of first-degree murder.

Danahey, 23, admitted to dousing a sofa with charcoal lighter outside the apartment of her ex-boyfriend and setting it ablaze as a prank. The fire, fanned by a stiff breeze, quickly spread throughout the wooden complex at 904 Howard St., killing sisters Rachel Llewellyn, 21, and Donna Llewellyn, 24; Elizabeth Harris, 20; and Ryan Bek, 25. Brown emphasized that the group is "in no way trying to make light of lives lost, either in the Danahey incident, or in any other case involving the felony murder rule."

Brown said he has experienced the "unspeakable, enduring pain" of having an only son die as a young man. "But two wrongs don't make a right," he said. Prosecutors declined to say whether they intended to ask for the death penalty if Danahey had not agreed to plead guilty. However, Danahey's mother, Mary Belle Danahey, said her daughter was "ensnared" by the felony murder rule, and felt that her only options were to risk being sentenced to death or to life without parole.

Some defense lawyers said Danahey was guilty of manslaughter, not murder, and that the case should have gone to trial. Her lawyer, Jim Kimel, said her guilty plea eliminated the possibility of her receiving four death sentences. Brown said that if the felony murder rule had given her and the court more options, chances are good that "we would not be seeing a young woman of such promise ... shut away from ever reaching her potential or being able to make any contribution to her community or to society."

Kellye, I'm sorry about your friend but, people have to take responsibility, for their actions. People DIED, as a direct result of her "prank".

I know, and I agree with you Cindy. Not enough people take responsibility for their actions.

I dont dare to do things that may harm others, I couldnt deal with that kind of burden.


Oh a more lighter note, I bought 'Knitting for Dummies' and I started learning - I managed to do the cast off but it was a little tight. I will just keep on practicing until I get it and I plan on making blankets for the cats to sleep on. Just something for me to do while I figure out when I am ready to make something more complicated.

Kellye, Crocheting is easier! I know how to do a basic knit and purl, but even though I have enough dexterity to play Chopin and teach piano, I have never found knitting to become "automatic" the way it did for my mother.
If the young lady was in college, my guess is that she was drinking. An intelligent person doesn't start any kind of fire. What a tragedy!
I think the penalty should be severe, but life sentences, in my opinion, should be reserved for first degree murder convictions. How heartbreaking for all of those involved.