The Jennifer Blogs

Just as people ask now, “Where were you when you learned Kennedy had been shot?” and “Where were you when you heard the news about the Twin Towers coming down?” one day people will ask, “Where were you when you got the news that Michael Jackson died?”

I was on the toilet.

I realize it happened at like 3 in the afternoon, but living in Singapore, that’s the middle of the night for me. So I got up Friday morning (It was still Thursday night for you people in America) and did my usual routine. I had my iPhone with me in the bathroom because I had just woken up and wanted to read email or do something - you know, multitask. My friend Alicia interrupted my game of Spider Solitaire with the breaking news that Michael Jackson died.

At age 50, Michael Jackson suffered sudden cardiac arrest. I wrote a story about this for the Ross Brittain Report:

The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association says the untimely death of pop star MICHAEL JACKSON underscores the tragedy of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and the importance of knowing CPR.
What is it sudden cardiac arrest? SCA is the result of an electrical disruption of the heart. It’s not the same thing as a heart attack. It comes on without warning and can strike people who seem to be healthy and have no history of heart disease. Every two minutes someone in America dies from sudden cardiac arrest.
Reports suggest Jackson wasn’t alone and lived just two minutes from the hospital. Even that wasn’t sufficient to keep him alive. Health officials say someone who suffers SCA needs CPR and the shock of an automated external defibrillator (AED) immediately if they are going to have any chance of survival. Doctors say this only drives home the reminder that CPR is a basic life-saving skill everyone should know.

It’s a shame, really. I used to love Michael Jackson. I don’t know if anyone will ever know what caused him to go from fabulous to freaky. It’ll be interesting to watch his kids grow up and see how the media treats them. Actually, it’s not the media I’m worried about. It’s the playground. Two brothers both named Prince Michael (the only difference in their names is that one is Prince Michael 1 and the other is Prince Michael 2) is definitely cause for teasing on most playgrounds.

Ya know, what we do on this earth while we are here has everything to do with how we will be remembered when we’re gone. I love the Nicole Nordeman song “Legacy” because it tells this very story. I want to leave a legacy. How will they remember me?

Do you ever think about that? How will you be remembered when you’re gone? Michael Jackson could have been remembered for selling gazillions of records, for being an amazing pop star, for his philanthropy. But something in this man wasn’t quite right and what could have been an amazing legacy will probably be more about child molestation charges, tons of plastic surgery and dangling his baby over a balcony.

You don’t have to be a pop star known globally to make a difference in the world. You have it in you to do excellent things right where you are, and it’s really never too late to start.

They say celebrity deaths come in threes. I’m starting to believe them (whoever “they” are).

Ed McMahon died June 23rd, just two days before Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett.

I used to love watching the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Ed McMahon was the best sidekick ever. I remember watching that and thinking that one day I wanted to have a sidekick of my own. (Why be Ed McMahon when you can be Johnny Carson and have your very own Ed McMahon?)

Having worked in the media I can say I agree wholeheartedly with David Brenner (who often filled in as a guest host for Johnny Carson). Brenner said, “Ed McMahon was the best sidekick TV has ever known.” It’s not easy being a sidekick and letting someone else get all the glory when you are the one ‘setting up the funny.’ I’ve been in that seat many times. It’s much easier to be the funny guy than the sidekick. He played that role as if he were born for it.

Ed McMahon lived a long life and his family should be proud of all he did in his 86 years on Earth. He will be greatly missed.

The news of Farrah Fawcett’s death will be greatly overshadowed by the news of Michael Jackson’s, but two entertainment icons dead in one day. That’s pretty tragic.

I remember wanting to be Farrah Fawcett when I was a little girl. She could kick some serious butt! Charlie’s Angles was one of my favorite TV shows. One of the things I liked about it so much was that it was a show that my dad and I both liked to watch. There wasn’t a whole lot of stuff on TV like that when I was a kid -- stuff that would entertain both me and my dad.

She was beautiful and had the perfect hair in the late 70s, early 80s. I remember standing in front of the mirror trying to get the perfect feathered look -- just like Farrah Fawcett -- then grabbing the can of Aqua Net to keep it all in place.

Farrah learned three years ago that she had anal cancer. She went through chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and was declared cancer-free in 2007. That didn’t last long, though. She found out a few months later the cancer was back. She sought out alternative cancer therapies at the end of 2007. Farrah Fawcett died on June 25, 2009 at the age of 62.

Do I have to post a quote every day in order to have a “quote of the day?” I hope not.

Regardless, I read this today and it touched me so I thought I’d share it with you:

“The growth of one blesses all. I am committed to grow in love. All that I touch, I leave in love. I move through this world consciously and creatively.” ~ Julia Cameron

I have no idea who Julia Cameron is, but I like what she had to say. Yes, I realize I could google her, but who’s got time for that?

One of the great things about traveling is trying new foods. I’m a big lover of fruit, so I was anxious to try some of the interesting fruits available in Singapore. Nothing unusual about the pineapple, blueberries and raspberries pictured above, but those little things that look like stars are called starfruit. (Clever name, don’t ya think?)

I cut one open this afternoon for the first time so the kids could taste it. The fruit comes from Thailand and is quite unusual in appearance. Without the help of the Internet, I would never have had any idea how to even cut or eat this thing. (TGFG - Thank God For Google!)

After cleaning the fruit and cutting off the edges, I sliced the fruit as I would a banana and removed the seeds. It’s very easy to prepare.

Then came the best part -- tasting it. I was less than impressed. I don’t hate it, but it tastes very much like raw peas. Not very sweet at all. I prefer my fruit to be sweet. I won’t write starfruit off -- after all, it makes a beautiful decoration!

This sign was hanging up at a flea market in Ocala, FL, USA. I had to snap a picture of it so I had proof. There are so many things wrong with this sign. Where, or where to begin?

Okay, how about with the obvious. Loose Barbies? Does Ken know this?

And what’s with the apostrophe? Obviously Flea Market Barbie Salesman didn’t pay attention during 6th grade Grammar class (or quite possibly never made it that far). Here’s your free lesson:

Barbies
Barbie’s

What’s the difference? One of the two shows ownership. The other of the two is plural, meaning there is more than one Barbie. The one with the apostrophe shows ownership. In other words, something that belongs to Barbie. So either Flea Market Barbie Salesman is selling something that belongs to Loose Barbie or he is selling a bunch of Loose Barbies. (My word! There are more than one of them?!)

But we’re not done. He tells us on his sign these Loose Barbies are $3.00, boxed as marked. They were all in boxes and they were all marked $3.00. Why go to the trouble of writing on each box if you’re going to have a sign telling me they are $3.00 each? Then on top of that, he somehow felt the need to tell me that they were $3.00 each AND that they were all boxed and marked. You know, in case I missed that part.

No wonder Barbie’s loose. She’s probably drunk too.