Laura Bailey

I thought I was “thinking outside the box” when I decided to travel on Christmas Day this year to avoid the crowds at the airport……but I guess there were about a million others flying out of Los Angeles International Airport who were also “thinking outside the box!”  No worries though. It’s Christmas, I’m going to see my family, and I’m feeling very festive this year. Although I arrived at the airport an hour and a half early, and had no problems waiting in the long baggage check lines, I would have missed my flight if not for the nice Delta agent who was advancing passengers on the flight to Detroit Metro to the front of the line. I was then greeted by a very unpleasant ticketing agent who yelled at me for not having the proper boarding pass and not getting my ID out fast enough. I kindly told her that not every person is meant to work customer service and with an attitude as pleasant as hers maybe she is one of those people. She then proceeded to tell me to pay $90 for overweight luggage and when I indicated that I would just remove an item from my bag she barked, “You don’t have time!” I made no eye contact with her, as it was evident she was not the most jovial person given the season. I removed an item from my bag, got my boarding pass, and wished her a “Happy holiday” as I walked away while she kindly told me my luggage might not make the flight.

Life is still good though! I’m still feeling festive as I rush to security screening. RUSH is the operative word because clearly TSA security was not rushing at all! Fortunately there were several other passengers traveling to Detroit that were stuck there as well. After about 30 minutes, I finally get my moment to walk through the metal detector…..with my 4-legged furry feline whom I always travel with. As we proceed to walk through the detector there is an ear piercing voice that shouts, “Stop!!!!” A hush falls over the entire security section and you can hear a pin drop. Passengers look confused and dazed. I whispered to the guard, “What happened? I’m going to miss my flight.” And he calmly says, “Something is posing a threat. No one is going anywhere!” I’m thinking, “Awww, man! I’m about to spend Christmas Day at LAX airport.” After about 10 minutes, I suppose the threat was neutralized, as we were allowed to pass through and I made it on the plane.

As I’m boarding the plane, I’m thinking “Homeward bound Laura! You’re almost there!” Ummmm, not so fast. There is a family of 12…..yes TWELVE (including 4 children) who have conveniently rearranged their seats at their own discretion so they can all sit together…..and they have graciously taken my seat. All things considered it really wasn’t a big issue so I just opted to take another seat. Unfortunately, there were others who were not so gracious. One man got upset and threw his luggage (literally) behind him almost hitting 2 other passengers. It landed at my feet, so I just put it in an overhead bin as the man received an earful from a flight attendant. Then more luggage was being passed back so I just put those in the overhead as well. I figured, “Look we are already delayed, people are irritated, and just want to get to their destinations on Christmas day. Lets make this happen so we can go!”

Once we finally took off and were in flight, the attendants thanked me for helping them, and jokingly asked if I wanted to put on one of their uniforms and help with service throughout the cabin. On their next two trips down the aisle offering food and beverages, they offered to give me free cocktails for helping them. I thanked them and humorously declined. I told one of the attendants I don’t know why people get so bent out of shape during holiday travel. It’s pretty much understood that something will go wrong, so just deal with it. And I also told her I’d never met so many scrooges on Christmas Day ever in my life!

Needless to say the flight made it to Detroit and arrived 30 minutes early, which was impeccable timing as I just missed the whole Detroit Airport Terrorist fiasco by about 2 hours!!!!! All things considered I had an amazing Christmas after making it home and I HOPE YOU ALL HAD A BLESSED ONE AS WELL! 

Faithful Sistas!

I attended the Excalibur bodybuilding, figure, and bikini show on December 5 in Culver City, California to support one of my friends who was competing. At the show, I ran into my buddy, the beautiful Alicia Harris. The last time we saw each other was at the Olympia in September, so it was great catching up again. From past conversations she and I had it was obvious we had something in common…a strong faith in God. As we chatted about life, the conversation turned toward church, faith, etc and we both shared how fortunate we were to have a strong sense of faith while in this industry. In a sport where all your self worth is placed on external appearance, it is so easy to get “caught up” and lose focus and direction if you have no foundation. Alicia told me about Pastor Mike, whom I met at the show. He was a lively well-spoken, and pleasant guy. He and his wife attend many of the shows and pray with competitors back stage. We also talked about several other ladies whom we knew shared the same passion for God. As she and I excitedly tried to recall some of the churches we had visited in the Los Angeles area, it was so nice to know that there were others who have the same faith and foundational support in an industry that often causes many to lose focus and become jaded. Thanks Alicia and Pastor Mike. And FYI: Thanks Tanji Johnson who is another strong believer as well. I don’t know who or what you all believe in…or if you believe in anything at all. Whatever floats your boat is your business, but this girl’s faith (Jumper11) can  move mountains….and it certainly is!      

The students in my Philosophy course were required to bring current events articles to class that dealt with ethical issues. As they shared them, I was excited about the selected articles, but saddened by the actions of people in our society today. It left me asking one question: What has happened to the values and morals of people? See for yourself. Here are a few brief synopses of some of the articles.

Headline 1: Death Penalty for Gays? Uganda Debates Proposal

Proposed legislation would impose the death penalty for some gay Ugandans. Family and friends could face up to 7 years in jail if they fail to report them to authorities. Landlords could be imprisoned for renting to homosexuals. Anyone aiding, abetting, counseling, or engaging in acts of homosexuality could face conviction. Many activists believe the legislation will pass, but are unsure to what extent. (source: Katharine Houreld, Associated Press, Nairobi, Kenya).

Headline 2: Woman Plotted to Kill Rival’s Unborn Child

A New York woman tricked her husband’s pregnant mistress into taking a drug that would cause an abortion. The mistress fell for the trick, took the medicine, and delivered the baby 2 months early. The wife made a second attempt to kill the baby by posing as the infant’s mother and sending 2 bottles of tainted “breast milk” to the hospital with an unknown man instructing the nurse to feed it to the baby. Both attempts failed. The wife could face charges for attempted abortion, assault, reckless endangerment, forgery of medical prescription, possession of a forged instrument, and criminal impersonation. (source: Evan Buxbaum, Jamie Guzzardo, www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/12/08/attempted.abortion/index.html).

Headline 3: A Heedless Driver Kills a Woman, and Her Daughter Sues

A 35-year old woman’s mother was hit and killed by a 20-year old man who ran a red light at 45mph after being distracted by his Nextel/Sprint cell phone. The man pleaded guilty to negligent homicide. Although the he does not blame the cell phone company and said it was his choice to talk on the phone while driving, the daughter is suing Sprint/Nextel stating the cell phone industry’s success in marketing to drivers is the reason people do not change their behavior or pay attention to faint warning signs by the industry. She states, “They should have told people from the beginning there was a real risk, and this would’ve never happened.” (source:Matt Richtel) 

The issue is not whether one is for or against abortion, infidelity, or reckless cell phone use. Rather it is the questionable actions that come about as a result. All I could do after reading these articles was shake many head in dismay.

1) Who will you be kissing under the mistletoe this holiday?

2)Why is southern California the best place to be a Salvation Army bell ringer?

3)Do people really watch the Wendy Williams Show?

4)Instead of the Biggest Loser why don’t they make a show for fit people called the Biggest Lifter?

5)Why don’t they leave Tiger Woods and his wife alone and let them work out there personal issues?

6)Why didn’t they hound Leanne Rhimes like they are doing Tiger when she was married and had an affair with a married man……and then I think they ended up together?  

7)Was I the only person who watched Frosty the Snowman last night and felt like I was 12-years old all over again?

8And why is it so darn sad and traumatizing when he melts in the green house….even though you know he comes back to life?

9) Has anyone ever really counted to see how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?

10)How many of you actually eat the candy canes people hand out during the holidays? (Mine always end up on the tree or in the trash.)

 11)Can you name 1 new year’s resolution you actually followed through with?

12)Why did I see a 4-year old with her own cup of Starbuck’s coffee?

13)Please forgive my ignorance……but isn’t that a bit too young to be drinking coffee?

14)Does anyone know the origin of the tradition of bringing apples to class for teachers?

15)How about a new tradition???……. bring them supplements….or better yet….. a check!! (I’ll pm you with my mailing address…LOL!)

16)And why does Katie Holmes let her 4-year old daughter Suri wear high heels? (She’s a KID for cryin’ out loud!!)

17) How cool is that Crayola Magic Light Brush? (I might have to put that on MY Christmas list!)

 18) What’s up with the guy who got tired of the “commercializing” of Christmas and made a stuffed Jesus holding a double barreled shot gun over a stuffed Santa Claus lying shot on the ground?    

19)Do you think he could’ve gotten his point across in a more subtle way?

20)What do you think?

What happens when you are tired and worn out, over worked, and frustrated? You wake up every morning giving your all with a zest for life, but it seems that with each passing morning that zest fades. The pep in your step has turned into a slow shuffle and the excitement in your voice has diminished. All hope is far from lost and you continue to press forward, but you feel like you could collapse from mental and physical exhaustion at any moment. What do you do? STOP AND REBOOT YOUR LIFE!!! People say, “But it’s not that simple!” I say, “Yes it is!” Life is as simple or as difficult as we make it. No one forces us to be super human, we put that pressure on ourselves. When our computers get overworked, we shut them down and restart them or else they will lock up and shut themselves down. Computers are pretty smart…people should get a clue! I took my life and restarted that sucker for the past week. I took my routine life and hit the reset button. Thank GOD for life’s reset button.

My reboot took on the form of a college friend whom I had not seen in years. While in town for business, we were able to hang out and chat about life. We just listened, motivated, and encouraged each other. We talked about family, food, God, working out, kids, tabloid gossip, jobs, goals, dreams, and the future. We even walked Hollywood Blvd and took pictures with Sponge Bob and Elmo! (Always a true kid at heart!) At the end of the day it was not about WHAT we talked about, it was about being in the company of people you know genuinely care about you and have your best interest at heart. It’s never the amount of company you keep, it’s the quality.

After returning home, I hit the power button on my routine life and hesitantly pressed play again. The next morning, although tired from a few all nighters in a row, the zest for life was back, and my shuffle was replaced with its usual pep! The excitement was back in my voice, and the mental exhaustion was gone. Was life perfect once again….NOPE! It never was, nor will it ever be…..BUT the positive perspective in which I viewed it had fully returned. Thank you God, thank you friends, and thanks for the doggone reset button……

He REALLY DOES exist!

This was a real street sign I passed Wednesday on the 101 Freeway near the Montecito/Santa Barbara area. Thought it was quite festive given the time of year and wanted to share. See……I KNEW Santa Claus really did exist!