Cool With Rob Thomas

I thought the first face-to-face meeting post feud would be awkward, but the vibe was cool. Matt did ask Rob Thomas to wrestle right after this photo. Thankfully Rob ignored the request.

Cheesy Dog Owners

I won't insult you by comparing my little poodle to your kid.  I just want you to know I won't be making fun of Jessica Simpson's alleged depression over losing her dog in a coyote attack.
 p://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20305379,00.html.  Losing a pet has got to suck ALOT.  Martha Stewart publicly scolded Jessica for not keeping an eye on her dog.  She later said she was VERY, VERY sorry about the scolding.  (http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20308089,00.html).  The apology came a little too late for me, Martha.  I purchased your products in Kmart while you were locked up just to prove a point.  Now, your decorating tips are dead to me. 

I've become one of those pet people.  I swear it sneaked up on me.  One day I was buying a puppy in Rock Hill.  The next day I was referring to him as a new addition to the family (http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/personal/08/07/smart.dogs/index.html).  It happened overnight!  My mom is even worse than  me. She calls him "Grandma's Boy" and greets him with a belly rub and leg massage every morning.  I sneaked him into the hospital when she was ill (after all they allowed therapy dogs) and I swear her breathing improved that day.  I've never told this to anyone, but I came this-close to buying an "I heart my Grand-dog" sticker for my mom's car.  She receives presents from him (though he never pays me back for doing his shopping).  When he's getting groomed (http://www.dog-gone-beautiful.com/) or he's at the kennel (http://www.continentalboarding.com/) the house feels eerily empty without him. 

I've worked with cheesy pet owners before (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Martin).  I didn't contribute  when co-workers in Columbus were taking up a collection to buy flowers for a sales rep whose dog had died.  I rolled my eyes when co-workers in Virginia Beach were taking up a collection to buy insulin when we found out that the station cat, Shadow,  had diabetes (hey, nobody was offering to buy insulin for my diabetic mom AND Shadow was not a pleasant acting or smelling animal). 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETQfuzNGT58

Thanks to Henri, I'm a changed woman.  I'm a cheesy dog owner. So, listen up, Marth Stewart.  If something happens to my dog Henri don't tell me to just get another dog, don't dismiss my tears (I guarantee there will be tears) and PLEASE spare me the she "should've been more careful" line.  A little sensitivity goes a long way with us cheesy pet people. 

BTW, pet people beware, cats and small dogs look like dinner to hungry coyotes http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/a_closer_look_at_wildlife/coyote.html.

Letter to the Big O

Dear Mr. President,
Not sure if you realize this but hating you (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfxVkLhlu5s) and loving you have become big business. I even spotted an Obama kiosk at the mall (http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/klepto/2009/07/28/free-market-warrior-vs-uniquely-obama/).  Meanwhile  criticizing you or defending you can get more complicated than a  Facebook break-up.

To some you represent hope for a nation struggling with economic woes in the midst of a war. For them, Obama bashing is America bashing.  If the Big O loses, we all wind up in worse shape.

To some you are just another deceitful politician making a power grab for hard earned tax dollars. You are the equivalent of Lucy snatching the ball away from Charlie Brown yet again

Your history-making status as the first Black president presents its own set of issues.  Some fear having a guy who looks like you in the office because you are the great unknown.  But for many others you embody the impossible dream. Your success is a blaring trumpet, loud enough to drown the relentless messages of hopelessness.

Over the next several years it's going to be interesting to watch how folks who may never see past your DNA and folks who may never see past your affiliation with the DNC interact (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/27120.html).   I think we can all grow from the dicussions and from presenting all points of view.  Before those conversations take place we all have to remember to be prepared to criticize or defend respectfully.  I'm excited about it, Mr. President.  I've taken heat for Bush bashing.   Its only fair that I take heat for Obama defending.  I got some heat yesterday after I spoke up during a listener's complaint during our Tirade Tuesday segment. 

My Facebook friend, Kara, said, "Regardless of whether ay of us agrees or disagrees with "Tirade Lady," Ramona I was really disappointed in you for arguing with her. I've heard you and matt both keep your mouths shut during a father's tirade about paying child support because it was HIS tirade. I thought she deserved the same consideration. Tirade Tuesday is for venting, not debating... right?"

Hmmmm. Good question, Kara.  What do you think Mr. President? Please add us to your list of interviews.  We'd love to talk to you on The Matt and Ramona Show.  Give us a call at 877.567.7469. 
Thank you and please post more pictures of your dog, Bo.

Respectfully,

Ramona Holloway
www.mattandramona.com

The Stupid One

"Nobody WANTS a bad marriage."  A simple statement of good old-fashioned truth from author Charla Muller (http://www.charlamuller.com/), one of the speakers at a breakfast hosted by  "Today's Charlotte Woman" magazine.  But while no one goes out looking for heartbreak, some folks wind up in bad relationships.  I divorced my way out of the bad marriage club five years ago.

Yesterday on the Matt and Ramona Show (http://mattandramona.1079thelink.com/index.cfm) we talked about the relationship red flags that people had ignored.  I had a few... like the fact that my ex had zero friends (his insurance agent was our best man).  You are probably thinking, "what were you thinking, Ramona?"  Frankly, I was thinking with my uterus at the time.  My biological clock was telling me that if I wanted to have babies I'd better get the show on the road.  My ex was telling me that he was an honest, faithful, man who was financially secure.  How embarrassing to tell my friends and family that I was wrong.  I had ignored some pretty ridiculous warning signs.  `Til death do us part just wasn't gonna stick.  Frankly, my marriage would ended MUCH sooner if I hadn't been so determined not to admit I'd been wrong. 

When we asked about the relationship red flags there were callers, e-mailers and Facebook friends who admitted they'd been stupid.  Here are a few..

Jessica - Drug issues, lack of ambition, lack of commitment, never shutting his mouth. Wow... I guess that was my fault. That's a whole lot of red flags! Lol!
Heather - I argued (to a gay man in a gay bar) that my boyfriend was straight. He left me for that same man a few months later. Oh well. Hindsight is 20/20.
Sarah - Didn't think too much about his drinking until we moved in together. Than I saw the true him!
Janet - Over a three week span of dating, he never invited me to his house but always wanted to come to mine and hang out. Oh, and he told me he was always traveling as a truck driver which was why he called me nightly. hmmm???? Reason for it all .... His best friend, who I met, called me and told me his friend was married. BIG DUH, eye opening moment for nieve, trusting me at 22. Lesson learned.
Wanda - His jealousy of other men wasn't just "cute" and a sign of adoration. It was a small sign of a VERY ugly trait that turned him into a monster and almost ruined me in a myriad of ways.

A boyfriend who likes to party can be a lot of fun until you realize he has a drinking problem.  The attentiveness of a jealous girlfriend can be flattering until she flips out.  Admitting you made a relationship mistake isn't stupid.  Its stupid to hurt someone who loves you by cheating.  Its not stupid to trust someone you love.  The way I see it is that if you learned something from your bad relationship... if you loved yourself enough to escape the influence of someone who was bringing you down.... then you are the smart one.

MTV VMAs 10 Questions

Please answer these questions for me about the 2009 MTV VMAs

1. Should awards shows just stop inviting Kanye West and just let him accept via video IF he wins?

2. Are Lady GaGa's attempts at being edgy just plain silly?

3. Is there anyone hungrier for fame than Jermaine Jackson?

4. Do they only let lame comedians write dialog for presenters at awards shows?

5. Does Beyonce's dad threaten to pull her from shows if they refuse to let her sister, Solange, do something?

6. Could J-Lo have made it any clearer that she really didn't care about the VMA's?

7. Did you feel like giving Taylor Swift a hug after Kanye stole her moment?

8. Was I the only person staring at Lady Gaga's crotch after Russell Brand brought up the hermaphrodite controversy again?

9. Was Pink singing live while doing her circus act?

10. Why was Russell Brand asked to return as host?

Giving my Panty Hose to the United Way

For years I've watched it happen in offices around the country.  E-mails go out and signs go up letting employees know that its time to give to the United Way.  Hurray!  Okay, well maybe EVERYBODY doesn't cheer.  Frankly, I understand why some may be reluctant to hoot and holler and its my job to turn those attitudes around.  I am one of this year's United Way campaign speakers.

Those who knew me when I was working in Columbus, Ohio are probably shocked that I'm doing this.  I had a boss who ran the annual campaign like Bobby Knight coached basketball.  It was so bad that one year during the Christmas party, my buddy Matt Harris, pasted the boss' head on a poster of a gunman.  The caption?  "Give to the United Way... or Else."   As the lowest employee on the pay totem pole and a faithful church tither I thought the staff should be taking up a collection for me.  I was still living with my parents, broke as H-E-double-hockey sticks.  When I told the boss, that I had no plans to give, he decided to put me down for $2 a pay.  When I told him that $2 would buy a pair of pantyhose he dismissed me with a promise to buy pantyhose for me if I came up short.  Damn, he was forceful, but I never needed to go to him for money to buy Queen Size hose in the shade of coffee. 

It wasn't until I started volunteering for United Way agencies, in Columbus and now in Charlotte, that I really began to understand how even $4 a month can make a difference.  These agencies don't just help other people.  They help our community.  I volunteer for A Child's Place, a local agency with a serious mission... to erase the impact of homelessness on children and their education.  Its a big job.  In Charlotte's public schools alone there are nearly 3,000 homeless kids.  The people who work for A Child's Place wear many hats.  They scrimp and scrape and save every scrap so that the money they receive helps the children. 
http://www.achildsplace.org/criticalneeds_backtoschool.html
The ACP board is awesome.  Its made up of doctors who volunteer medical care, social workers who provide program knowledge and legal, financial and marketing gurus who do their very best to help.  But the needs are growing. There are 20% more homeless than this time last year, 62% more than just three years ago.  The numbers are depressing.

The Charlotte United Way has had more than its fair share of controversy, but here's the deal.  What you read in the paper shows that folks are keeping an eye on our donations.  If anybody makes a wrong move, they are handled PUBLICLY.  The United Way is rightfully and vigilantly held accountable.  Heck, board meetings are open to the public. http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2009/08/17/story3.html

This is an important time to give.. to make a personal gift that is meaningful for you.  Your pizza money, your latte money... even your pantyhose money can help.  87% of A Child's Place families had at least one working adult living in the home when their housing crisis occurred.  So many friends and familiy members have been laid off, their hours have been cut, mandatory furloughs.  Who will will be next in line for shelter, job training or food? 

Thank you for reading this.  You can designate that your donation go to ACP or another of the 98 agencies the UW of Central Carolinas supports. 

Top Models Come Up Short