Yes, my featured bitter roaming of Blogspot blogs because I don't have an iPod like the cool kids will not be seen here today, primarily because I am going to be busy this afternoon.
But also because I have a concert tonight that I'm slightly worried about. I mentioned in an earlier post that I was preparing the song "Erbarme dich, mein Gott" by J.S. Bach, and tonight I will be singing that. But I will also be singing with the worst choir I've ever sung with - and it's not because they aren't good singers. There are plenty of good voices in the choir. They just have the crappiest attitudes of any singers I've ever met. Mostly due to the bitchiest soprano section evah! But in a few hours, it will all be over, and next semester I will be complaining about Remedial Algebra.
5/13/2005
I5BOTD 5/13/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
(Southern Cross) Words
authored by Gregory in Australia, yet another place I would like to visit.
(Southern Cross) Words
authored by Gregory in Australia, yet another place I would like to visit.
Death Penalty
In slightly less than an hour, convicted serial killer Michael Ross will receive a lethal injection, and become the first person executed in New England in 45 years.
As I was flipping through channels tonight (avoiding cleaning my house for the party on Saturday), I witnessed a local news anchor promoting his program - "I'm going to witness Michael Ross's death - nbc30 brings you the top news, first!" - which is just gruesome, regardless of how one feels about the death penalty.
I have avoided reading about this story, because I'm conflicted. I really am. Because I can see that the families of the victim really want this, they feel it will bring them closure. And I can read that Michael Ross wants to die.
At the same time, I don't think the state should be killing people. Even reprehensible people. I can't imagine witnessing someone's death as bringing me any kind of satisfaction. If Dick Cheney was strapped down to a table and filled with chemicals that would kill him, I don't think I could watch. I don't think it would make me feel whole again.
Death begets death. Capital punishment just doesn't seem like a real solution, it seems like a way to avoid a solution.
As I was flipping through channels tonight (avoiding cleaning my house for the party on Saturday), I witnessed a local news anchor promoting his program - "I'm going to witness Michael Ross's death - nbc30 brings you the top news, first!" - which is just gruesome, regardless of how one feels about the death penalty.
I have avoided reading about this story, because I'm conflicted. I really am. Because I can see that the families of the victim really want this, they feel it will bring them closure. And I can read that Michael Ross wants to die.
At the same time, I don't think the state should be killing people. Even reprehensible people. I can't imagine witnessing someone's death as bringing me any kind of satisfaction. If Dick Cheney was strapped down to a table and filled with chemicals that would kill him, I don't think I could watch. I don't think it would make me feel whole again.
Death begets death. Capital punishment just doesn't seem like a real solution, it seems like a way to avoid a solution.
5/12/2005
I5BOTD 5/12/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
WIL WHEATON.NET
Because I'm kind of lazy today, and I know I don't have to read this one to recommend it.
WIL WHEATON.NET
Because I'm kind of lazy today, and I know I don't have to read this one to recommend it.
5/11/2005
5/09/2005
I5BOTD 5/9/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
Liberal, Anti-War Avenger
He's got an interesting post up about blogger ethics. Read and enjoy.
Liberal, Anti-War Avenger
He's got an interesting post up about blogger ethics. Read and enjoy.
5/08/2005
Freedom of Speech
Recently, the Gay-Straight Alliance at South Windsor High School participated in the National Day of Silence. In response, four young bigots came to school wearing anti-gay t-shirts (on one conservative message board, one schmuck indicated that there was left-wing media bias because in the article, they didn't label the shirts as "pro-marriage").
I tend towards absolutism on Freedom of Speech. I don't agree with the sentiments on the t-shirts these boys wore, but if a school is going to allow children to express their pro-gay opinions, students who disagree should be allowed to express their bigoted opinions, as well. From my perspective, it's always good to know who the bigots are. This might just be my rationalizing that is saying this, though - several months ago I posted about the outrage I felt when driving behind a car with a pro-Bush sticker on it, but then I realized it was helpful to be able to identify the idiots and radicals amongst us.
But still...still, there is something about this whole thing that really bugs me. It's not just that the boys expressed an opinion that I happen to disagree with, either. I guess its that on one side, you have people who are gay standing up to claim their equal rights, and people who aren't gay but who believe that all people should have equal rights standing up to support them. And on the other, you have a few rabble-rousers who are never going to experience a shortage of more than equal rights, because they're white males*. (And for the record - when someone else is equal, that doesn't take away any amount of equality from anyone else - there is not a finite amount of equality, that once we've divvied it up between the white men and the white women and the black men and black women, that we will run out, and we'll have to take some equality away from the white males to make it up to the Hispanics or the gays or the Asians. I'm not a math whiz or anything, but that's correct, isn't it?)
And I guess that's what bugs me about this. People on the right are not only proudly expressing their bigotry, they are defensive about it, pretending at victimization. It's pathetic. It's unnecessary, because no one is trying to stop people from being heterosexual. No one is trying to stop anyone from being (or claiming to be) Christian.
Let the bigots speak, but I don't think there is any need for people to listen to them.
*This is completely an assumption on my part.
eta: The response to this incident has been almost entirely supportive of the 4 bigots (which I feel free to call then since they have identified themselves as such). I tried to add my opinion to the story, but it hasn't shown up yet. However, I encourage anyone who reads the article to share their opinion on the subject.
I tend towards absolutism on Freedom of Speech. I don't agree with the sentiments on the t-shirts these boys wore, but if a school is going to allow children to express their pro-gay opinions, students who disagree should be allowed to express their bigoted opinions, as well. From my perspective, it's always good to know who the bigots are. This might just be my rationalizing that is saying this, though - several months ago I posted about the outrage I felt when driving behind a car with a pro-Bush sticker on it, but then I realized it was helpful to be able to identify the idiots and radicals amongst us.
But still...still, there is something about this whole thing that really bugs me. It's not just that the boys expressed an opinion that I happen to disagree with, either. I guess its that on one side, you have people who are gay standing up to claim their equal rights, and people who aren't gay but who believe that all people should have equal rights standing up to support them. And on the other, you have a few rabble-rousers who are never going to experience a shortage of more than equal rights, because they're white males*. (And for the record - when someone else is equal, that doesn't take away any amount of equality from anyone else - there is not a finite amount of equality, that once we've divvied it up between the white men and the white women and the black men and black women, that we will run out, and we'll have to take some equality away from the white males to make it up to the Hispanics or the gays or the Asians. I'm not a math whiz or anything, but that's correct, isn't it?)
And I guess that's what bugs me about this. People on the right are not only proudly expressing their bigotry, they are defensive about it, pretending at victimization. It's pathetic. It's unnecessary, because no one is trying to stop people from being heterosexual. No one is trying to stop anyone from being (or claiming to be) Christian.
Let the bigots speak, but I don't think there is any need for people to listen to them.
*This is completely an assumption on my part.
eta: The response to this incident has been almost entirely supportive of the 4 bigots (which I feel free to call then since they have identified themselves as such). I tried to add my opinion to the story, but it hasn't shown up yet. However, I encourage anyone who reads the article to share their opinion on the subject.
Mother's Day part deux
Mother's Day forces me to contemplate motherhood, and my own complicated feelings about that particular state of being.
My own mother, who I love dearly, is kind of a nut, and I learned more how *not* to do things from her than I can ever fully articulate. When my older sister and I were little, we constantly worked to gain attention from mommy, who was generally neglectful - she would send us outside on summer mornings at 7am, remind us that we couldn't knock on anyone else's door until 9am, and we wouldn't see her again until it was time to come in at 6pm, to eat dinner, take a bath, and go to bed (our bedtime was a firm 8pm, no matter the time of year - I have sorrowful memories of listening to all the kids in the neighborhood playing our invented game "kisserbug" (freeze tag, with the twist that in order to move again, you had to get kissed by someone who wasn't It - what can I say, we were a curious bunch).
In addition to generally ignoring us, letting us beg off of neighbor's for lunches and drinks and use of their bathroom, she was also the person who taught us the meaning of the word "betrayal". She would wait until my father was in a bad mood (always a short wait), and then start letting him know the many ways we misbehaved, pressing harder and harder on him, asking him what he was going to do about it, and then we would find ourselves on the wrong side of his fists. Those were nights (and it wasn't every day, but it was frequent enough), where I went to bed sobbing so hard it took me hours to catch my breath, but I stifled the noise lest I rile him up again.
She also taught us how to lie, and oh, she was a masterful liar. She taught us to make sure our story had elements of truth, to not overelaborate, to change the subject if questions about our story arose. We particularly had to lie to protect her from my father - she would go out and buy something we couldn't afford, and then make up a story about how someone in her family sent her the new chair or lamp, and we kids had to back her up. My older sister mentioned to me recently how she still feels like embellishing things that actually happened with fantastic lies, because its the way we were raised - if we could come up with a lie that entertained, that was enough to get us out of the hotseat sometimes.
Then again, my mother would sometimes pack all the kids in the neighborhood into her van and take us all to the drive-in. She taught us how to jump double-dutch, how to use a pogo stick, how to make a whistle out of a blade of grass. She taught us all kinds of "Miss Suzy" hand-slapping games. She was famous amongst my friends for giving out socks at birthday parties - everyone called her the "Sock Lady". She taught us a million songs. She never blinked an eye no matter what kind of animal we brought home - although she was a city slicker, she didn't balk from snakes, lizards, frogs, turtles - even a bat. Somehow, those good things she gave us seem to outweigh the bad. When I look at my mother now, I look at her with empathy, understanding how she really didn't know what the hell she was doing most of the time. When you have bad parents yourself (and she did have lousy parents - an abusive drunk (she married a man just like dear old dad) and a mother who treated her like a black sheep), you never get to see how to be a good parent.
There are times when I think I'm the greatest mom in the world, and there are times when I'm sure I'm ruining my children's lives. I often feel like the motherhood manual that other moms seem to have read (the one that says when they're supposed to have their physicals and dentist appointments and how to discipline and how to get your kids to make their beds and set the table and whether or not 7 is too young to have a sleepover party) somehow missed getting sent to me, that I'm the only mother stumbling through, not really knowing what the hell I'm doing.
To combat my many weaknesses as a mother, I tell them, every day, that I love them. They know that they can talk to me about anything. They know if they tell me that it's a secret, that I won't tell anyone, not even daddy*. I admit when I'm wrong. I apologise when I overreact. I build them up, because to me, these two young woman are the coolest, most amazing, beautiful, hilarious, intelligent people I know. Without them, I wouldn't be a mother, and so on Mother's Day, I have to thank my Sio and my Monkey for being my kids. They make me look like I know what I'm doing.
*unless of course it's something very very serious, which thank all the forces of the universe, has never happened.
My own mother, who I love dearly, is kind of a nut, and I learned more how *not* to do things from her than I can ever fully articulate. When my older sister and I were little, we constantly worked to gain attention from mommy, who was generally neglectful - she would send us outside on summer mornings at 7am, remind us that we couldn't knock on anyone else's door until 9am, and we wouldn't see her again until it was time to come in at 6pm, to eat dinner, take a bath, and go to bed (our bedtime was a firm 8pm, no matter the time of year - I have sorrowful memories of listening to all the kids in the neighborhood playing our invented game "kisserbug" (freeze tag, with the twist that in order to move again, you had to get kissed by someone who wasn't It - what can I say, we were a curious bunch).
In addition to generally ignoring us, letting us beg off of neighbor's for lunches and drinks and use of their bathroom, she was also the person who taught us the meaning of the word "betrayal". She would wait until my father was in a bad mood (always a short wait), and then start letting him know the many ways we misbehaved, pressing harder and harder on him, asking him what he was going to do about it, and then we would find ourselves on the wrong side of his fists. Those were nights (and it wasn't every day, but it was frequent enough), where I went to bed sobbing so hard it took me hours to catch my breath, but I stifled the noise lest I rile him up again.
She also taught us how to lie, and oh, she was a masterful liar. She taught us to make sure our story had elements of truth, to not overelaborate, to change the subject if questions about our story arose. We particularly had to lie to protect her from my father - she would go out and buy something we couldn't afford, and then make up a story about how someone in her family sent her the new chair or lamp, and we kids had to back her up. My older sister mentioned to me recently how she still feels like embellishing things that actually happened with fantastic lies, because its the way we were raised - if we could come up with a lie that entertained, that was enough to get us out of the hotseat sometimes.
Then again, my mother would sometimes pack all the kids in the neighborhood into her van and take us all to the drive-in. She taught us how to jump double-dutch, how to use a pogo stick, how to make a whistle out of a blade of grass. She taught us all kinds of "Miss Suzy" hand-slapping games. She was famous amongst my friends for giving out socks at birthday parties - everyone called her the "Sock Lady". She taught us a million songs. She never blinked an eye no matter what kind of animal we brought home - although she was a city slicker, she didn't balk from snakes, lizards, frogs, turtles - even a bat. Somehow, those good things she gave us seem to outweigh the bad. When I look at my mother now, I look at her with empathy, understanding how she really didn't know what the hell she was doing most of the time. When you have bad parents yourself (and she did have lousy parents - an abusive drunk (she married a man just like dear old dad) and a mother who treated her like a black sheep), you never get to see how to be a good parent.
There are times when I think I'm the greatest mom in the world, and there are times when I'm sure I'm ruining my children's lives. I often feel like the motherhood manual that other moms seem to have read (the one that says when they're supposed to have their physicals and dentist appointments and how to discipline and how to get your kids to make their beds and set the table and whether or not 7 is too young to have a sleepover party) somehow missed getting sent to me, that I'm the only mother stumbling through, not really knowing what the hell I'm doing.
To combat my many weaknesses as a mother, I tell them, every day, that I love them. They know that they can talk to me about anything. They know if they tell me that it's a secret, that I won't tell anyone, not even daddy*. I admit when I'm wrong. I apologise when I overreact. I build them up, because to me, these two young woman are the coolest, most amazing, beautiful, hilarious, intelligent people I know. Without them, I wouldn't be a mother, and so on Mother's Day, I have to thank my Sio and my Monkey for being my kids. They make me look like I know what I'm doing.
*unless of course it's something very very serious, which thank all the forces of the universe, has never happened.
5/06/2005
Mother's Day
Bitch, PhD has a great post up about Mother's Day.
I honestly did not know about the political history of Mother's Day. I always thought it was just another Hallmark holiday.
I honestly did not know about the political history of Mother's Day. I always thought it was just another Hallmark holiday.
confession
Over at Shakespeare's Sister, inspired by a post from one of her regular commenters, Paul, is looking for a theme song for her blog.
This challenge has forced me to face something about myself. I'm not really a music lover. Well, that's too harsh - I do love music. But I mostly love music that I can sing along with. I don't always listen carefully to lyrics, and I'm totally out of the loop on what is cool. I don't care how great a songwriter, say, Kate Bush is, I can't listen to her because I can't sing along with her (or I don't enjoy singing along with her, anyway). I like the odd Tom Waits songs I have in my collection, but I rarely put those CDs on because I can't sing along with old Tom without hurting myself. On the other hand (bless me father for I have sinned), if a Journey song comes on the radio, I cannot help but sing along with it. I know all the words to a great many Eagles songs, because Don Henley and I have a similar range. How many Hail Marys does that earn me?
Anyway, I've decided that this blogs theme song is going to be The Cure's Caterpillar Girl, only because it makes me feel kind of happy inside.
This challenge has forced me to face something about myself. I'm not really a music lover. Well, that's too harsh - I do love music. But I mostly love music that I can sing along with. I don't always listen carefully to lyrics, and I'm totally out of the loop on what is cool. I don't care how great a songwriter, say, Kate Bush is, I can't listen to her because I can't sing along with her (or I don't enjoy singing along with her, anyway). I like the odd Tom Waits songs I have in my collection, but I rarely put those CDs on because I can't sing along with old Tom without hurting myself. On the other hand (bless me father for I have sinned), if a Journey song comes on the radio, I cannot help but sing along with it. I know all the words to a great many Eagles songs, because Don Henley and I have a similar range. How many Hail Marys does that earn me?
Anyway, I've decided that this blogs theme song is going to be The Cure's Caterpillar Girl, only because it makes me feel kind of happy inside.
Friday Random Next Blogging
In honor of Monkey's 8th birthday, which is tomorrow, I'm randomly visiting 8 blogs today, because I can never get on the computer at home.
Erin's Fitness and Diet Log
Erin has a goal to goal to lose weight and fat, and she seems to be doing pretty well. But her goal weight seems too low to me - I'm only 5'2", and 135 is my goal weight. Erin is 5'8".
Myblog,
written by Guiseppe in Milan, Italy - in English! You can tell it's not his first language, but he gets the point across, and I like what he has to say about the evolution/creation "debate" in Kentucky (can you have a debate when only one side comes to the table?)
mykos,
authored by a different kos, en espanol (or possibly Portuguese?)
Etcetera, Whatever
I recommend reading his post called "Soldiers of Christ", it's a very interesting read.
Whatever
Nice pics, and I like her URL name.
Political Asylum
"a Refuge for Progressives, Liberals, and other Thought Criminals"
Newsbreakers
a non-partisan, non-violent media watchdog group. It's a pretty good read.
Fine Whine
This one is written by a woman in her 60's who is raising at least one of her grandkids (maybe more than one). It's kind of heartbreaking. I want to give this woman a hug (and I'm not a huggy person). But she's wrong about Michael Crichton and global warming.
Well, there you have it - no adverblogs this week, which is good.
Erin's Fitness and Diet Log
Erin has a goal to goal to lose weight and fat, and she seems to be doing pretty well. But her goal weight seems too low to me - I'm only 5'2", and 135 is my goal weight. Erin is 5'8".
Myblog,
written by Guiseppe in Milan, Italy - in English! You can tell it's not his first language, but he gets the point across, and I like what he has to say about the evolution/creation "debate" in Kentucky (can you have a debate when only one side comes to the table?)
mykos,
authored by a different kos, en espanol (or possibly Portuguese?)
Etcetera, Whatever
I recommend reading his post called "Soldiers of Christ", it's a very interesting read.
Whatever
Nice pics, and I like her URL name.
Political Asylum
"a Refuge for Progressives, Liberals, and other Thought Criminals"
Newsbreakers
a non-partisan, non-violent media watchdog group. It's a pretty good read.
Fine Whine
This one is written by a woman in her 60's who is raising at least one of her grandkids (maybe more than one). It's kind of heartbreaking. I want to give this woman a hug (and I'm not a huggy person). But she's wrong about Michael Crichton and global warming.
Well, there you have it - no adverblogs this week, which is good.
I5BOTD 5/6/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
Stone Court
a two person blog that I can offer belated wishes to (yesterday was their 1 year blogiversary).
Stone Court
a two person blog that I can offer belated wishes to (yesterday was their 1 year blogiversary).
5/05/2005
Well, everyone has a certain amount of shit
2% Republican. | "You're a complete liberal, utterly without a trace of Republicanism. Your strength is as the strength of ten because your heart is pure. (You hope.)" |
I5BOTD 5/5/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
RaptorMagic
chosen because we're currently dinosaur obsessed at our house. Monkey and I are building a dinosaur out of recycled materials (oj cartons, wire hangers, paper towel and toilet paper tubes, empty tissue boxes, etc.). I tend to get a little carried away with these kinds of projects.
In 1st grade, Monkey had to make an imaginary animal, and she was really struggling, so I just sat down and made my own, figuring she would find some inspiration in my haphazard attempt. Except that my imaginary animal turned out to be really cool - I used a lunch size brown paper bag as the body, stuffed with newspaper, and I cut scales out of bits of wrapping paper. I made the tail fins from construction paper, made eyes out of buttons, and in the top of the fish, I put a pipe cleaner that was shaped into a loop, which I could use to blow bubbles.
This imaginary animal project was great, btw - the kids had to not only make an imaginary animal, but explain why the animal had the features it had - a little evolutionary biology in action! Monkey's project was a gazelle that had a snake like body, and she said it developed that way because not only did it run in open plains, but it also spent a lot of time in crowded forests, so it could use its flexibility to maneuver through the dense undergrowth.
Anyhoo, back to the I5BOTD - this blogger is in Concord, California, which happens to be the birthplace of both Tom Hanks and Loki, both of whom share 2001: A Space Odyssey, as their favorite movie.
RaptorMagic
chosen because we're currently dinosaur obsessed at our house. Monkey and I are building a dinosaur out of recycled materials (oj cartons, wire hangers, paper towel and toilet paper tubes, empty tissue boxes, etc.). I tend to get a little carried away with these kinds of projects.
In 1st grade, Monkey had to make an imaginary animal, and she was really struggling, so I just sat down and made my own, figuring she would find some inspiration in my haphazard attempt. Except that my imaginary animal turned out to be really cool - I used a lunch size brown paper bag as the body, stuffed with newspaper, and I cut scales out of bits of wrapping paper. I made the tail fins from construction paper, made eyes out of buttons, and in the top of the fish, I put a pipe cleaner that was shaped into a loop, which I could use to blow bubbles.
This imaginary animal project was great, btw - the kids had to not only make an imaginary animal, but explain why the animal had the features it had - a little evolutionary biology in action! Monkey's project was a gazelle that had a snake like body, and she said it developed that way because not only did it run in open plains, but it also spent a lot of time in crowded forests, so it could use its flexibility to maneuver through the dense undergrowth.
Anyhoo, back to the I5BOTD - this blogger is in Concord, California, which happens to be the birthplace of both Tom Hanks and Loki, both of whom share 2001: A Space Odyssey, as their favorite movie.
5/04/2005
5/03/2005
Overwhelmed
I've been feeling so overwhelmed for the past few days. These are the things that I'm currently working on:
Massive clean-up project at work, scanning all purchasing and meeting documents and getting them up on the website
Cleaning my house - an ongoing nightmare
Painting the kitchen - I think it's time to finally decide on a paint color, since I've had color swatches up on the walls & cabinets for nearly 2 years
Sight-reading medieval hymns for a friend who needed a last minute substitute
Preparing for my big solo at a concert next week
Preparing my string quintet to accompany my solo - I still haven't heard the violin soloist yet!
Preparing for the concert generally - difficult to do when the teacher has no idea what time we're supposed to be there.
Helping Sio study for her AP test
Helping Sio learn her lines for the one-acts she doing at school
Dropping subtle hints for what I want for Mother's Day (You know what would be nice, Loki? Not handwashing the dishes anymore would sure be nice. I wish there was some sort of automated machine that would wash dishes, because then none of us would have to handwash dishes again!)
Balancing the checkbook, examining the savings account and realizing we can't afford to give Sio the 16th birthday she deserves
Those are just a few things, off the top of my head. Plus, reading the news everyday has my Outrageometer constantly set at: WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK!, which I don't think is necessarily a healthy level to keep.
Okay, I feel better now that it's in black and white. It's not as overwhelming as it feels. The family will help clean and paint, the concert will be brief and I know I'll get an A in the class, the kids are good musicians and they'll show up and be prepared, Sio will do great on her AP World History test, and I know she doesn't want my help studying for the AP Chemistry test. I might not get a dishwasher, but at least I'm not the only one who does dishes. Sio isn't getting a big 16th birthday, but she does get to go to London and Greece this summer, so I know she won't take it to heart.
Now, all we need is to get the Fundies and the Bush administration out of the picture, and everything will be better.
Massive clean-up project at work, scanning all purchasing and meeting documents and getting them up on the website
Cleaning my house - an ongoing nightmare
Painting the kitchen - I think it's time to finally decide on a paint color, since I've had color swatches up on the walls & cabinets for nearly 2 years
Sight-reading medieval hymns for a friend who needed a last minute substitute
Preparing for my big solo at a concert next week
Preparing my string quintet to accompany my solo - I still haven't heard the violin soloist yet!
Preparing for the concert generally - difficult to do when the teacher has no idea what time we're supposed to be there.
Helping Sio study for her AP test
Helping Sio learn her lines for the one-acts she doing at school
Dropping subtle hints for what I want for Mother's Day (You know what would be nice, Loki? Not handwashing the dishes anymore would sure be nice. I wish there was some sort of automated machine that would wash dishes, because then none of us would have to handwash dishes again!)
Balancing the checkbook, examining the savings account and realizing we can't afford to give Sio the 16th birthday she deserves
Those are just a few things, off the top of my head. Plus, reading the news everyday has my Outrageometer constantly set at: WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK!, which I don't think is necessarily a healthy level to keep.
Okay, I feel better now that it's in black and white. It's not as overwhelming as it feels. The family will help clean and paint, the concert will be brief and I know I'll get an A in the class, the kids are good musicians and they'll show up and be prepared, Sio will do great on her AP World History test, and I know she doesn't want my help studying for the AP Chemistry test. I might not get a dishwasher, but at least I'm not the only one who does dishes. Sio isn't getting a big 16th birthday, but she does get to go to London and Greece this summer, so I know she won't take it to heart.
Now, all we need is to get the Fundies and the Bush administration out of the picture, and everything will be better.
Gimme a 5
Today, Sio is taking her World History AP exam. So if anyone is reading this, and would like to send some good thoughts her way, please do so. (Her top college choice is University College London, and if she has 5 AP classes with a 4 or a 5 on the test, she can be admitted as a freshman - if not, she has to finish a year of college here, and then enter as a freshman. Of course, all this is moot if we don't get the proper financial aid, because without it, she'll be attending community college with me.)
I5BOTD 5/3/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
CoolAqua
He/she (sorry, I didn't check) has an interesting post up about the latest in the court battle over the Washington State governor's office.
CoolAqua
He/she (sorry, I didn't check) has an interesting post up about the latest in the court battle over the Washington State governor's office.
5/02/2005
I5BOTD 5/2/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
American Bodhisattva
Forgoing nirvana to save others.
Good blog, but now I'm going to have that Steely Dan song stuck in my head all day.
American Bodhisattva
Forgoing nirvana to save others.
Good blog, but now I'm going to have that Steely Dan song stuck in my head all day.
4/29/2005
Friday Random Next Blogging
Comment devenir taree en 1000 lecons Which, as I learned from Babelfish, is authored by a teenager in Mozambique, writing about teenage life in Mozambique. I believe she also writes "Angel" fan-fiction.
Surfstream, also authored by a teenager, this one a 13 year old in Swansea, Wales. He seems to like the wrestling.
TBOGG! - I think this is the first time I've every randomly landed on a blog that I already read every day.
Possible Elitists High On Coffee and Cloves - a satirical blog, featuring a review of Ann Coulter's latest book.
Theoretical V - occasional fiction and odd ramblings. I like that he wants to read the latest in globollocks from Thomas Friedman only because he heard how bad it is.
Well, that's all you're getting for today, because I had too many carbs this morning and therefore I'm feeling stuffed and sluggish.
Surfstream, also authored by a teenager, this one a 13 year old in Swansea, Wales. He seems to like the wrestling.
TBOGG! - I think this is the first time I've every randomly landed on a blog that I already read every day.
Possible Elitists High On Coffee and Cloves - a satirical blog, featuring a review of Ann Coulter's latest book.
Theoretical V - occasional fiction and odd ramblings. I like that he wants to read the latest in globollocks from Thomas Friedman only because he heard how bad it is.
Well, that's all you're getting for today, because I had too many carbs this morning and therefore I'm feeling stuffed and sluggish.
I5BOTD 4/29/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
firedoglake
authored by Jane Hamsher, and the amusingly named Funky PhD. There is a great post up about the Bible as literature.
firedoglake
authored by Jane Hamsher, and the amusingly named Funky PhD. There is a great post up about the Bible as literature.
4/27/2005
I am such a hottie!
I was feeling good yesterday. I lost a few pounds, was wearing my favorite outfit, had my hair and make-up done - I was just generally feeling confident, and strutting down the sidewalk in Hartford towards my bus-stop (as much as someone who walks with a cane can strut, anyway). And I got wolf-whistled! (As someone who has spent much of her life either as a tomboy or a chubby invisible person, I don't have the luxury to be offended by someone whistling at me to let me know they find me attractive.)*
"I'm so hot!" I thought to myself, and then I turned to see who noticed my hotness. It was not, as I imagined, a buff construction worker. No, it was a toothless man who apparently just came from the methadone clinic, and he proceeded to make some comments that I will not repeat here.
That's me, though - with the exception of Loki, I tend to only get attention from elderly horndogs**, illegal immigrants***, and now I find that I am appealing to the toothless heroin addict population as well.
That's how my life works - when I'm feeling good, my reminder that humility is a virtue is never far behind.
*Does this mean I have to turn my feminist membership card in?
**I was shopping in the produce section once, and a guy who had to be around 90 came really close to me, put his arm around me, and said "nice melons"****
***I once worked for a Pakistani who had a brother who was trying to immigrate, and the brother would not take no for an answer...even though I was already married at that point. He asked me to go to the movies, and I told him "I'm married", and he said "that's okay, we don't have to tell your husband." What an ass he was.
****They're real, and they are kind of spectacular
"I'm so hot!" I thought to myself, and then I turned to see who noticed my hotness. It was not, as I imagined, a buff construction worker. No, it was a toothless man who apparently just came from the methadone clinic, and he proceeded to make some comments that I will not repeat here.
That's me, though - with the exception of Loki, I tend to only get attention from elderly horndogs**, illegal immigrants***, and now I find that I am appealing to the toothless heroin addict population as well.
That's how my life works - when I'm feeling good, my reminder that humility is a virtue is never far behind.
*Does this mean I have to turn my feminist membership card in?
**I was shopping in the produce section once, and a guy who had to be around 90 came really close to me, put his arm around me, and said "nice melons"****
***I once worked for a Pakistani who had a brother who was trying to immigrate, and the brother would not take no for an answer...even though I was already married at that point. He asked me to go to the movies, and I told him "I'm married", and he said "that's okay, we don't have to tell your husband." What an ass he was.
****They're real, and they are kind of spectacular
I5BOTD 4/27/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
The Shameless Antagonist
They have an interesting (in an unpleasant way) post up about a Federal Reserve bank sponsoring a contest to promote economic inequality. Really.
The Shameless Antagonist
They have an interesting (in an unpleasant way) post up about a Federal Reserve bank sponsoring a contest to promote economic inequality. Really.
4/26/2005
Monkey's Big News
Monkey just called from her best friend's house (where she goes after school) - she has been picked to sing the National Anthem at the 2nd grade talent show. She delivered the news in a pitch that was barely audible to my non-canine ears, so I assume she is very excited about this.
I5BOTD 4/26/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
She Flies With Her Own Wings
lots of good stuff on ID vs. Evolution, which is a really irritating subject for me. One is mythology masquerading as science, one is science. I have no problem with the Creation myth of Christianity being taught in, say, a comparative religion course. Does it belong in a science classroom? No way.
She Flies With Her Own Wings
lots of good stuff on ID vs. Evolution, which is a really irritating subject for me. One is mythology masquerading as science, one is science. I have no problem with the Creation myth of Christianity being taught in, say, a comparative religion course. Does it belong in a science classroom? No way.
4/25/2005
I'm curious
Loki is a big fan of conspiracy theories - for example, he won't apply for a store discount card because he doesn't want "them" to know what he's buying at the grocery store.
So tonight, I was out shopping for birthday prezzies (oh help me, I have 3 birthdays in April and 3 in May, and about $165 of discretionary income....and one of those birthdays is my beloved Sio's 16th. I would like to shower her with gifts - a car, a cell phone, a laptop. So far, I got her a cheapo DVD of a movie starring Ewan MacGregor -Sio loves him- and some Velveeta macaroni & cheese -it's her favorite, and normally I won't buy it on principle. That principle being orange cheese cannot be good for you, so you can't eat it), and I ended up at Borders, where I had a gift card. I used it to buy the sequel to Jack Vance's Port of Call (I think it's called Lurulu) for Loki, The Best Erotic Fiction of 2004 edited by Susie Bright, Cooking Light Magazine, and #9 of the Astonishing X-Men (the latter three were all for me).
Based just on those purchases, I am a nerdy perv who likes to eat healthy.
More accurate than I would have predicted, actually.
So tonight, I was out shopping for birthday prezzies (oh help me, I have 3 birthdays in April and 3 in May, and about $165 of discretionary income....and one of those birthdays is my beloved Sio's 16th. I would like to shower her with gifts - a car, a cell phone, a laptop. So far, I got her a cheapo DVD of a movie starring Ewan MacGregor -Sio loves him- and some Velveeta macaroni & cheese -it's her favorite, and normally I won't buy it on principle. That principle being orange cheese cannot be good for you, so you can't eat it), and I ended up at Borders, where I had a gift card. I used it to buy the sequel to Jack Vance's Port of Call (I think it's called Lurulu) for Loki, The Best Erotic Fiction of 2004 edited by Susie Bright, Cooking Light Magazine, and #9 of the Astonishing X-Men (the latter three were all for me).
Based just on those purchases, I am a nerdy perv who likes to eat healthy.
More accurate than I would have predicted, actually.
Jeanne for Pope
As someone who was raised Catholic, I must confess to the sin of Envy when I read anything that Jeanne writes. She offers an eloquent response to those who defend the new Pope's past over at Body and Soul
Reverend Heretic
As my regular reader(s) know(s), although I don't believe in God or the Bible (I believe in the Bible in that I know it exists, I don't believe that it is literally true), I do go to church every Sunday. That is because I am a singer, and I get paid to lead the alto section of a church choir.
The church is one of those urban churches that is in danger of becoming obsolete - at one time, the neighborhood was upscale, and the wealthy white Protestants who lived nearby attended either this Congregational church or the older Congregational church down the block. But as the city changed, the white protestants moved out to the suburbs, and the number of people sitting in the pews on Sunday began to decrease.
Most of the big churches in Hartford have paid section leaders, and church members make up the rest of the choir. My church is different, primarily because of the choir conducter. She is a great conducter, and she picks great music, but her challenging and perfectionist personality has driven all but the musically trained members from the choir. So our entire soprano section (except for 1) is paid. I'm the only paid alto, our entire tenor section is paid, and we only have 1 paid bass. We are a choir of mostly non-believers, just there to earn a buck.
On Sunday mornings, we get there early, warm up, practice the hymns, and any anthems/offertorys we have for the day. When the service starts, some of the ringers pull out books or knitting (we sit in the back of the church in the loft, so we're not visible to anyone when we're sitting down). I occasionally write - Sio (who sings with us in the alto section) often does her homework. Until it's time to sing, we keep ourselves occupied.
But yesterday, I found myself listening to the words of the sermon. The current minister is officially retired, but he is acting as the Interim Minister until a permanent one can be found. (There were controversies surrounding the previous 3 ministers, but I keep my nose out of church business, so I can't fill you in on what the controversies were). He's a lovely man, very funny with the children (Monkey adores him), with a truly inspiring past (he worked with Martin Luther King, Jr., and was very involved with the Civil Rights movement).
I don't know if the Rev. knew about Huckster Sunday or not, but his sermon suggested he was well aware. He talked about how, since he retired, he's attended services at hundreds of churches, temples, and mosques. And he talked about the mega-churches - he said he was so impressed by the numbers of people in the seats, the multi-media presentations, the powerfully delivered sermons. But he started to notice the empty messages that were presented therein. He met preachers who bragged about preaching the Whole Bible as the literal word of God, but most of the sermons pulled one or two specific verses out and talked about nothing else, while ignoring the verses that the people in the pews (and indeed, the preachers themselves) were violating (including one about how women should not wear gold or pearls). He bemoaned the way these churches served fear as a main dish, while ignoring the message of love that Christ delivered.
After the service, I had to tell him how much I enjoyed his sermon. I told him how I felt Christianity has been hijacked by people who are using it for political gains. He told me that he writes a column in addition to his sermons, and he often dances around this issue, but he is wary of pressing it too hard, of using bold language, because he thinks it would make his flock a little defensive. And then he leaned close, and made a confession: "I'm a heretic, and I'm glad to know, after talking to you, that I'm not the only one."
The church is one of those urban churches that is in danger of becoming obsolete - at one time, the neighborhood was upscale, and the wealthy white Protestants who lived nearby attended either this Congregational church or the older Congregational church down the block. But as the city changed, the white protestants moved out to the suburbs, and the number of people sitting in the pews on Sunday began to decrease.
Most of the big churches in Hartford have paid section leaders, and church members make up the rest of the choir. My church is different, primarily because of the choir conducter. She is a great conducter, and she picks great music, but her challenging and perfectionist personality has driven all but the musically trained members from the choir. So our entire soprano section (except for 1) is paid. I'm the only paid alto, our entire tenor section is paid, and we only have 1 paid bass. We are a choir of mostly non-believers, just there to earn a buck.
On Sunday mornings, we get there early, warm up, practice the hymns, and any anthems/offertorys we have for the day. When the service starts, some of the ringers pull out books or knitting (we sit in the back of the church in the loft, so we're not visible to anyone when we're sitting down). I occasionally write - Sio (who sings with us in the alto section) often does her homework. Until it's time to sing, we keep ourselves occupied.
But yesterday, I found myself listening to the words of the sermon. The current minister is officially retired, but he is acting as the Interim Minister until a permanent one can be found. (There were controversies surrounding the previous 3 ministers, but I keep my nose out of church business, so I can't fill you in on what the controversies were). He's a lovely man, very funny with the children (Monkey adores him), with a truly inspiring past (he worked with Martin Luther King, Jr., and was very involved with the Civil Rights movement).
I don't know if the Rev. knew about Huckster Sunday or not, but his sermon suggested he was well aware. He talked about how, since he retired, he's attended services at hundreds of churches, temples, and mosques. And he talked about the mega-churches - he said he was so impressed by the numbers of people in the seats, the multi-media presentations, the powerfully delivered sermons. But he started to notice the empty messages that were presented therein. He met preachers who bragged about preaching the Whole Bible as the literal word of God, but most of the sermons pulled one or two specific verses out and talked about nothing else, while ignoring the verses that the people in the pews (and indeed, the preachers themselves) were violating (including one about how women should not wear gold or pearls). He bemoaned the way these churches served fear as a main dish, while ignoring the message of love that Christ delivered.
After the service, I had to tell him how much I enjoyed his sermon. I told him how I felt Christianity has been hijacked by people who are using it for political gains. He told me that he writes a column in addition to his sermons, and he often dances around this issue, but he is wary of pressing it too hard, of using bold language, because he thinks it would make his flock a little defensive. And then he leaned close, and made a confession: "I'm a heretic, and I'm glad to know, after talking to you, that I'm not the only one."
I5BOTD 4/25/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
Politick
I have to admit I was being totally lazy, and I just randomly clicked on this blog, but it's pretty good. I particularly like his post updating us on how Bill O'Reilly's accuser is spending her settlement.
Politick
I have to admit I was being totally lazy, and I just randomly clicked on this blog, but it's pretty good. I particularly like his post updating us on how Bill O'Reilly's accuser is spending her settlement.
4/23/2005
You can't take the sky from me
My heart started beating a little faster when I had a message in my inbox addressed to "Browncoats"
The Big Damn Movie isn't coming out until September, and I just can't wait. Although the long wait does mean my summer will last longer.
Check out exciting news from Joss Whedon now on the Browncoats message boards!
http://browncoats.serenitymovie.com/serenity/index.html?fuseaction=forum.viewtopic&t=10230
Hey guys.
I'm here on the official site, so that can only mean one thing: somebody finally told me my password! (Again.) It probably also means that I have some big-ass announcement or other. Well tops on the announcement list is this: after months of intensive yoga, i can finally touch my toes! (They feel round and bunion-y.)
But there's more! I'm talkin' movie news, peeps, so no more drumroll: Trailer. Serenity. Tuesday.
Yeah, kids, the haps is hap'nin', and it runs thus: EXCLUSIVELY on Apple movie trailers (and linked through this site as well of course) will be a small, medium, large or FULLSCREEN trailer for Serenity the major motion movie. Yeah, THE trailer. And the following Friday said trailer hits theaters. Which theaters? Until I get confirmation you'll have to guess, but I'm betting you can.
Now, here's a word of warning: this trailer ain't shy. If you're looking to live totally spoiler-free, know that there's plenty of key dialogue and images running through this bad boy. It's pretty tasty, though, and it doesn't give everything away. But close scrutiny will definitely learn you much of what's to come. (Anakin TOTALLY goes evil.) It's a nice piece to while away the time till September, and hopefully should intrigue th' peeps that don't have coats of brown.
The only thing more exciting than y'all finally seeing this was showing it to Nathan. Like a schoolboy giggled he.
Bye-ee!
Joss "You can't take my toes from me" Whedon.
The Big Damn Movie isn't coming out until September, and I just can't wait. Although the long wait does mean my summer will last longer.
4/22/2005
Friday Random Next Blogging
Today's edition goes around the normal world and gives us a brief glimpse of crazy world, too.
KBadviceworld, a blog written by two Texas third-graders. Be nice, because their dads check the site every day!
This untitled blog exists to keep the group informed. It looks like a social calendar for a bunch of guys who are young enough to call a person celebrating his 28th birthday "old guy". They seem like a fun bunch.
Next we have Orangejack's Blog, written by someone who appears to be both born again in Christ and in NFL football. He's got cute kids, both of whom are redheads, which makes me automatically like them and find them adorable.
Gunter Likes French Fries is an audioblog written in French, which makes me doubly sad, because 1. I have no speakers and B. I took Spanish.
Oooh, I think Nu Skal Bloggad Ott Og Titt is the first Icelandic blog I've ever visited randomly...or deliberately, for that matter. And suddenly I am reminded of the opening credits of Monty Python's Holy Grail (although that was, of course, Sweden and not Iceland...okay, then this blog makes me think of Bjork, who is, in fact, Icelandic, and in my circles, people are divided about her musical ability. I come down on the "genius" side).
D'oh, another annoying, adverblog Communists Snapper. I'm guessing that he sucks in people searching for terms like "veteran" or "academic", only to shill info about poker. Or maybe he's just deranged and every conversation turns to poker.
Not the Country Club, our next randomly generated blog, is a liberal blog, and I'm surprised he isn't on the Indie 500. Maybe he is and I've missed the name.
The Twilight of My Youth is written by Luke, who protests a bit too much about his roommate who used to be his best friend until he started wearing cologne and having sex with people who are not Luke. As a joke, this blog is funny. If it not a joke, then Luke might need to get some counseling.
Remember earlier in this post, when I was sad that I couldn't read the French blog because I took Spanish? It's kind of sad, but after 5 years of Spanish, I can't really read La venganza de las guayaberas atomicas, either. Well, I was able to make out that his) little Enterprise that adorned his monitor is dead, and he's kind of sad about it. And I think he really likes The Gorillaz.
Serena Says is written by Serena, who goes to Ponderosa Junior High and loves the book Gossip Girl, and she apparently likes to gossip, too.
The World According to Bob. Wow. Bob really has a problem with women. I don't think he sees them as human beings.
Well, after that, I can't go on. I hope you enjoyed the enjoyable ones, translated the non-English ones, and gave thanks that the World According to Bob is not the world we live in.
KBadviceworld, a blog written by two Texas third-graders. Be nice, because their dads check the site every day!
This untitled blog exists to keep the group informed. It looks like a social calendar for a bunch of guys who are young enough to call a person celebrating his 28th birthday "old guy". They seem like a fun bunch.
Next we have Orangejack's Blog, written by someone who appears to be both born again in Christ and in NFL football. He's got cute kids, both of whom are redheads, which makes me automatically like them and find them adorable.
Gunter Likes French Fries is an audioblog written in French, which makes me doubly sad, because 1. I have no speakers and B. I took Spanish.
Oooh, I think Nu Skal Bloggad Ott Og Titt is the first Icelandic blog I've ever visited randomly...or deliberately, for that matter. And suddenly I am reminded of the opening credits of Monty Python's Holy Grail (although that was, of course, Sweden and not Iceland...okay, then this blog makes me think of Bjork, who is, in fact, Icelandic, and in my circles, people are divided about her musical ability. I come down on the "genius" side).
D'oh, another annoying, adverblog Communists Snapper. I'm guessing that he sucks in people searching for terms like "veteran" or "academic", only to shill info about poker. Or maybe he's just deranged and every conversation turns to poker.
Not the Country Club, our next randomly generated blog, is a liberal blog, and I'm surprised he isn't on the Indie 500. Maybe he is and I've missed the name.
The Twilight of My Youth is written by Luke, who protests a bit too much about his roommate who used to be his best friend until he started wearing cologne and having sex with people who are not Luke. As a joke, this blog is funny. If it not a joke, then Luke might need to get some counseling.
Remember earlier in this post, when I was sad that I couldn't read the French blog because I took Spanish? It's kind of sad, but after 5 years of Spanish, I can't really read La venganza de las guayaberas atomicas, either. Well, I was able to make out that his) little Enterprise that adorned his monitor is dead, and he's kind of sad about it. And I think he really likes The Gorillaz.
Serena Says is written by Serena, who goes to Ponderosa Junior High and loves the book Gossip Girl, and she apparently likes to gossip, too.
The World According to Bob. Wow. Bob really has a problem with women. I don't think he sees them as human beings.
Well, after that, I can't go on. I hope you enjoyed the enjoyable ones, translated the non-English ones, and gave thanks that the World According to Bob is not the world we live in.
I5BOTD 4/22/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
Rubber Hose
which makes me think of Welcome Back, Kotter, a show I really enjoyed when I was a kid. I had a little crush on Epstein, but I related to Horshack, who I shared some qualities with. Mainly that when I was in school, when the teacher asked a question and I knew the answer, I would work so hard to get the teacher's attention that on one occasion, I actually knocked myself off my seat.
Rubber Hose
which makes me think of Welcome Back, Kotter, a show I really enjoyed when I was a kid. I had a little crush on Epstein, but I related to Horshack, who I shared some qualities with. Mainly that when I was in school, when the teacher asked a question and I knew the answer, I would work so hard to get the teacher's attention that on one occasion, I actually knocked myself off my seat.
4/21/2005
Trackback question
When I want to track back to a post I've read, and comment on it here, I go to the "Trackback" option, which is usually right next to the comments, and find the Track back URL. I thought that this would link me to the post - a permalink, I guess. But all it does is give me the page that lists the trackbacks. Is that what is supposed to happen?
If anyone can explain to me the proper way to do this, I would be most appreciative.
If anyone can explain to me the proper way to do this, I would be most appreciative.
I5BOTD 4/21/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
Hot Flash Report
Opinionated liberal news and views from Ann Rose and Susan Hill. It's a linkapalooza.
Hot Flash Report
Opinionated liberal news and views from Ann Rose and Susan Hill. It's a linkapalooza.
4/20/2005
I5BOTD 4/20/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
book of days
and the author, Chris Lombardi, is not happy with the choice of Ratzinger for Pope.
book of days
and the author, Chris Lombardi, is not happy with the choice of Ratzinger for Pope.
4/19/2005
New Pope
So there's a new pope
Not to be disrespectful or anything, and I know that the higher-ups in the Catholic church are highly educated, but the pope selection process doesn't seem any more thoughtful and reasoned than, say, selecting your leader via a farcical aquatic ceremony.
And the reverence with which the Catholic church is treated really bugs me. This is the church that paid hush money to victims of sexual abuse, and instead of punishing the abusers, gave them a new flock to fleece. This is the church that lies about the effectiveness of condoms, preferring their sensitive moral beliefs over the truth of how human beings live and relate to each other, thereby leading to the deaths of thousands of people.
I know that a lot of Catholics do a lot of good in the world. Where is the accountability for those who aren't?
Not to be disrespectful or anything, and I know that the higher-ups in the Catholic church are highly educated, but the pope selection process doesn't seem any more thoughtful and reasoned than, say, selecting your leader via a farcical aquatic ceremony.
And the reverence with which the Catholic church is treated really bugs me. This is the church that paid hush money to victims of sexual abuse, and instead of punishing the abusers, gave them a new flock to fleece. This is the church that lies about the effectiveness of condoms, preferring their sensitive moral beliefs over the truth of how human beings live and relate to each other, thereby leading to the deaths of thousands of people.
I know that a lot of Catholics do a lot of good in the world. Where is the accountability for those who aren't?
Ten Years Ago Today
The Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was attacked by homegrown terrorist Timothy McVeigh.
My thoughts are with the people of Oklahoma City, the victims, the survivors, and the family members of those who perished in the bombing.
My thoughts are with the people of Oklahoma City, the victims, the survivors, and the family members of those who perished in the bombing.
I5BOTD 4/19/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
WindyCityLefty
On the subject of the Windy City, I really would love to visit Chicago.
WindyCityLefty
On the subject of the Windy City, I really would love to visit Chicago.
4/18/2005
Family Fare
Over at Atrios, they are discussing family fare on TV (an offshoot of a discussion of the new Dr. Who).
We don't really watch much TV as a family - the bulk of our TV watching is actually *my* TV watching that occurs after Monkey is in bed. TV has a soporific effect on Loki, so I end up watching by myself.
But we do have some shows that we watch together. We all like my beloved Firefly, Invader Zim, Futurama (on DVD), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (although we vet those for content - Monkey basically can't watch anything past the season 6 episode "Tabula Rasa" - not just because there is some rather graphic sexual content in "Smashed", and not just because there is some horrifying violence - flaying - in "Two to Go", but because after that Buffy went way downhill, quality-wise), and Kim Possible.
And Monkey and I have a tradition of watching TLC's "What Not To Wear" together on Friday nights. I prefer the BBC version, but Monkey likes Clinton & Stacy.
We don't really watch much TV as a family - the bulk of our TV watching is actually *my* TV watching that occurs after Monkey is in bed. TV has a soporific effect on Loki, so I end up watching by myself.
But we do have some shows that we watch together. We all like my beloved Firefly, Invader Zim, Futurama (on DVD), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (although we vet those for content - Monkey basically can't watch anything past the season 6 episode "Tabula Rasa" - not just because there is some rather graphic sexual content in "Smashed", and not just because there is some horrifying violence - flaying - in "Two to Go", but because after that Buffy went way downhill, quality-wise), and Kim Possible.
And Monkey and I have a tradition of watching TLC's "What Not To Wear" together on Friday nights. I prefer the BBC version, but Monkey likes Clinton & Stacy.
4/15/2005
Poetry Month
I was trying out some new blogs today and I came across Pre-emptive Karma, which is participating in National Poetry Month by listing song lyrics.
I love reading poems, but I can't remember any (with a few exceptions - I can recite a couple of Shel Silverstein poems by heart, and certain lines stay with me for a while*) unless they are in the form of lyrics.
So I'd like to share the lyrics of a song by Nellie McKay, Manhattan Avenue
Here's another taste of Ms. McKay
*the lines that stay with me tend to be famous ones: What rough beast slouches towards Bethlehem to be born, for example. I did once have the whole "yes" speech from Ulysses memorized (for an acting class). My brain doesn't hold onto info the way it used to, though.
I love reading poems, but I can't remember any (with a few exceptions - I can recite a couple of Shel Silverstein poems by heart, and certain lines stay with me for a while*) unless they are in the form of lyrics.
So I'd like to share the lyrics of a song by Nellie McKay, Manhattan Avenue
Send a breeze
a pitbull's yelp
A tender squeeze
a cry for help.
Make it now
and make it fast
Such memories can never last
I long for the day
music is playing
mama's a smiling friend
in the scuzzy hue of the sunlight
Manhattan Avenue
Lionel please
watch o'er our door
The children tease
I beg for more
Chipping paint
the ceiling's spent
aww, ain't it great
can't make the rent
I long for the day
kittens are meowling
junkies are prowling
deep in the jazzy hue of the streetlamps
Manhattan Avenue
How wild it is
what strange advice
that a mugger and a child should share the same paradise
Oh, but dreams come true on Manhattan Avenue
Here's another taste of Ms. McKay
If you would sit oh so close to me
that would be nice, like it's supposed to be
If you don't I'll slit your throat
so won't U please B nice!
If you would hug your arms right round me
that would be snug, like it's supposed to be
If we part, I'll eat your heart
so won't U please B nice!
Ohhhh, don't you love this romancing?
Know that it's your life you're chancing, la de da
Isn't it nice, now you've married me
Sugar and spice, like it's supposed to be
If you go, I'll get your dough
So won't U please B nice!
Stop with your jazz oratory
I only listen to Top 40 - N'Sync rules!
Isn't it nice, together we'll always live
no sin or vice, we'll vote conservative
If you run I'll pull a gun
Give me head or you'll be dead
Salute the flag or I'll call you a fag
so won't U please B nice!
*the lines that stay with me tend to be famous ones: What rough beast slouches towards Bethlehem to be born, for example. I did once have the whole "yes" speech from Ulysses memorized (for an acting class). My brain doesn't hold onto info the way it used to, though.
If Dobson has a Christian bone in his body, I'm St. Agnes
Someone's got a serious persecution complex.
It's very simple, you people of so-called faith*: We (reality-based people) have no problem with people of faith, we have a problem when people use their faith to subvert our laws. We have a problem when people are trying to make their religious beliefs the law of the land in a country that was founded on the principle of religous freedom. We have a fucking problem with people who use faith to advance political agendas that are diametrically opposed to the faith they supposedly espouse.
What can we do about this? Can we get in on the conference call? Can we remind these Pharisees that this is America, and the law that governs this land is the Constitution?
*************************************************************************
St. Agnes was known for her virginal innocence.
It's very simple, you people of so-called faith*: We (reality-based people) have no problem with people of faith, we have a problem when people use their faith to subvert our laws. We have a problem when people are trying to make their religious beliefs the law of the land in a country that was founded on the principle of religous freedom. We have a fucking problem with people who use faith to advance political agendas that are diametrically opposed to the faith they supposedly espouse.
What can we do about this? Can we get in on the conference call? Can we remind these Pharisees that this is America, and the law that governs this land is the Constitution?
*************************************************************************
St. Agnes was known for her virginal innocence.
I always thought of myself as more of a splashy MGM musical
Wow, that picture looks great on the blog, doesn't it? Damn, if my home computer weren't so crappy, I'd be inundating you people with pictures of my kids and pets. I could join TBOGG in Basset blogging on Thursdays.
Oh well. In our 10 year financial plan, we will buy another computer...somewhere around year 7 or so.
In the meantime, I am simply grateful that I am not Eraserhead.
I don't have an IPOD, so this is the best I can do
All the cool, technologically hip people do a Random Friday IPOD list, but as an IPODLESS outcast, the best I can offer you, my dear reader(s?) is a list of Random Blogs, generated by the "Next Blog" button on Blogger.
Please make sure all tray tables are secured and seats are in the upright position before we take off:
Oh, drat! Mortgage Information, one of those strange blogs that just seems to contain randomly generated words associated with a boring topic, like, for example, mortgages.
Try, Try, Try, again! (Headfirst this time, dive right in!)*
Huge improvement! This time we're landing at Herd of Cats, authored by Diane, who is a law student in New Orleans. Not only are there cool pics on her blog, she is also on the side of angels (politically speaking). I will make it a point to stop in again.
Next stop: A Minha 5a Ciber-Dimensao authored by Velvetsatine in Lisbon, Portugal. Nice pictures, and a very short story about sex with strangers written in English.
We leave Portugal to visit Three Knockdown Rule, a conservative blog authored by a 23 year old male who really likes boxing. There is a little knee-jerky anti-liberal talk, but other than that he seems more thoughtful and less angry than the average conservative blogger.
Our next Next Blog is A Life Like Dust, written by one Sgt. Bukkake, and now that I know what that is, I'm not sure I want to learn more about him. The top post on the page is about his gay brother who, after years of gayness has decided that maybe he was just having a long gay phase.
Golf, anyone? InstaMarv seems to enjoy golf, but specifically, he seems a tad obsessed with Tiger Woods. Golf is a game that I will never play, and not just because my hip won't swing that way.
I'm not sure how many that is, but I'm done for now. I hope you enjoyed your brief and random tour of Next Blogs
*Titannica RULES!
Please make sure all tray tables are secured and seats are in the upright position before we take off:
Oh, drat! Mortgage Information, one of those strange blogs that just seems to contain randomly generated words associated with a boring topic, like, for example, mortgages.
Try, Try, Try, again! (Headfirst this time, dive right in!)*
Huge improvement! This time we're landing at Herd of Cats, authored by Diane, who is a law student in New Orleans. Not only are there cool pics on her blog, she is also on the side of angels (politically speaking). I will make it a point to stop in again.
Next stop: A Minha 5a Ciber-Dimensao authored by Velvetsatine in Lisbon, Portugal. Nice pictures, and a very short story about sex with strangers written in English.
We leave Portugal to visit Three Knockdown Rule, a conservative blog authored by a 23 year old male who really likes boxing. There is a little knee-jerky anti-liberal talk, but other than that he seems more thoughtful and less angry than the average conservative blogger.
Our next Next Blog is A Life Like Dust, written by one Sgt. Bukkake, and now that I know what that is, I'm not sure I want to learn more about him. The top post on the page is about his gay brother who, after years of gayness has decided that maybe he was just having a long gay phase.
Golf, anyone? InstaMarv seems to enjoy golf, but specifically, he seems a tad obsessed with Tiger Woods. Golf is a game that I will never play, and not just because my hip won't swing that way.
I'm not sure how many that is, but I'm done for now. I hope you enjoyed your brief and random tour of Next Blogs
*Titannica RULES!
4/14/2005
BTW
I'm still enraged and infuriated, as well as fucking pissed off, about the post and comments over at DailyKos.
Getting the hot color of the year is hard!
MSN has an article chock full of info to help you get the best red haircoloring out of your colorist. Pictures are important, so everyone is understanding the same copper or strawberry blonde. And of course it is crucial to change your lipstick to reflect your newly red tresses.
It all sounds like a lot of work. I got my red hair by winning the genetic toss of the dice. I did game the game, as it were, by being born to two Irish people, who are way more likely to carry the recessive gene necessary for natural red hair than the general population (3% of the general population has red hair, except for Irish people, where 30% of the population has red hair).
But I paid in other ways. I never had strawberry blonde hair, a color that sounded so tasty I couldn't help but use it to describe my hair color when I was little (despite the fact that my hair was closer in hue toYosemite Sam's). And one unfortunate year, my mother went nuts on St. Patrick's Day and sent me to school dressed entirely in green, including a small green bow in my hair. I was called "Tomato Head" until June.
My color has changed a bit, it's much more coppery now, and I'm starting to lose the color alltogether up at the front (which makes it look like a got blonde highlights). I don't have any gray hair, but I do have hair that is becoming almost translucent. I'm crossing my fingers that it will just turn white.
It all sounds like a lot of work. I got my red hair by winning the genetic toss of the dice. I did game the game, as it were, by being born to two Irish people, who are way more likely to carry the recessive gene necessary for natural red hair than the general population (3% of the general population has red hair, except for Irish people, where 30% of the population has red hair).
But I paid in other ways. I never had strawberry blonde hair, a color that sounded so tasty I couldn't help but use it to describe my hair color when I was little (despite the fact that my hair was closer in hue toYosemite Sam's). And one unfortunate year, my mother went nuts on St. Patrick's Day and sent me to school dressed entirely in green, including a small green bow in my hair. I was called "Tomato Head" until June.
My color has changed a bit, it's much more coppery now, and I'm starting to lose the color alltogether up at the front (which makes it look like a got blonde highlights). I don't have any gray hair, but I do have hair that is becoming almost translucent. I'm crossing my fingers that it will just turn white.
Nothing like a little rage to get you going in the morning
This post over at Kos got my day off to an infuriating start. I have to thank those Democrats over at Kos who are so cavalier about a woman's right to choose for getting my blood moving, because I was feeling a little groggy, and now I've got enough anger to keep me alert and high through the rest of the morning.
Kos may be pissed at the pro-choice movement for giving his guy a hard time, forcing him to drop out of the race, but just IMAGINE the righteous fury of millions of women who suddenly find they no longer have autonomy over their own body because bit by bit, the Democratic party has bargained away their rights in favor of "winning elections" (at which, let's face it, the party has been sucking like a chest wound - maybe because they seem so willing to play games with the issues that matter to the people who fucking vote for them in election after election!!!!!!)
Yes, I'm fucking pissed off.
Kos may be pissed at the pro-choice movement for giving his guy a hard time, forcing him to drop out of the race, but just IMAGINE the righteous fury of millions of women who suddenly find they no longer have autonomy over their own body because bit by bit, the Democratic party has bargained away their rights in favor of "winning elections" (at which, let's face it, the party has been sucking like a chest wound - maybe because they seem so willing to play games with the issues that matter to the people who fucking vote for them in election after election!!!!!!)
Yes, I'm fucking pissed off.
4/13/2005
"Hey! A fucking jihad on you!"
That's right. Bump into me, and it's a jihad on you, because
I think that name means that after I gut you like a trout, I will call 911 and hold your hand until they get there.
(Title quote from the brilliant Eddie Izzard performance Dressed to Kill)
My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Sister Boot Knife of Enlightened Compassion.
I think that name means that after I gut you like a trout, I will call 911 and hold your hand until they get there.
(Title quote from the brilliant Eddie Izzard performance Dressed to Kill)
Movin' on up!
I updated the blogroll to include one of my favorite blogs, The Disgruntled Chemist. I started reading this blog regularly after I made them the I5BOTD, and you should start reading it regularly, too.
I5BOTD 4/13/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
Craig's Booknotes
Craig likes books, but he doesn't really like the Bush administration. We have much in common.
Craig's Booknotes
Craig likes books, but he doesn't really like the Bush administration. We have much in common.
4/12/2005
Monkey the Cat
Monkey has decided she is becoming a cat.
No need to wonder why - our two kitties are spoiled rotten. They always have fresh food and water, several members of our household won't move if the cats decide to perch on them, they can just layabout all day long and don't have to go to school. They can basically do whatever they want. *I* wouldn't mind the life of a cat (minus the whole litter box experience, anyway.)
But Monkey is quite serious. Listen to the discussion we had this weekend:
"Mom, now that I'm turning into a cat, can I eat cat food?"
I thought before I answered. Before we got our dog, I did a lot of research into animal foods, because Basset Hounds can have allergic reactions to corn, and can bloat easily. I remember reading that animal food is usually comprised of meat products that have been identified as "unfit for human consumption".
"Well, Monkey, I think that until we start seeing outer manifestations of your inner cat-ness, you should probably stick to human food."
"What?"
Loki interjected.
"Monkey, what mommy is saying is that until all your body parts are actually feline, it's probably not safe to only eat cat food, since cats need different nutrition than humans do."
"Okay," Monkey grumbled.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
She also came home from school yesterday with a flip book of drawings showing herself turning into a cat.
She makes a better monkey, though, truth be told. She can't sit still long enough to be a cat.
No need to wonder why - our two kitties are spoiled rotten. They always have fresh food and water, several members of our household won't move if the cats decide to perch on them, they can just layabout all day long and don't have to go to school. They can basically do whatever they want. *I* wouldn't mind the life of a cat (minus the whole litter box experience, anyway.)
But Monkey is quite serious. Listen to the discussion we had this weekend:
"Mom, now that I'm turning into a cat, can I eat cat food?"
I thought before I answered. Before we got our dog, I did a lot of research into animal foods, because Basset Hounds can have allergic reactions to corn, and can bloat easily. I remember reading that animal food is usually comprised of meat products that have been identified as "unfit for human consumption".
"Well, Monkey, I think that until we start seeing outer manifestations of your inner cat-ness, you should probably stick to human food."
"What?"
Loki interjected.
"Monkey, what mommy is saying is that until all your body parts are actually feline, it's probably not safe to only eat cat food, since cats need different nutrition than humans do."
"Okay," Monkey grumbled.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
She also came home from school yesterday with a flip book of drawings showing herself turning into a cat.
She makes a better monkey, though, truth be told. She can't sit still long enough to be a cat.
I5BOTD 4/12/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
Pam's House Blend
which is a great blog that I should already have as part of my daily swing around the blogworld. Lots of discussion of GLBT issues, which are of great interest to me as a fellow human being.
Pam's House Blend
which is a great blog that I should already have as part of my daily swing around the blogworld. Lots of discussion of GLBT issues, which are of great interest to me as a fellow human being.
4/11/2005
I5BOTD 4/11/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
Liberals Against Terrorism
authored (at least in part) by frequent commenter on many of the blogs I visit daily, praktike.
Liberals Against Terrorism
authored (at least in part) by frequent commenter on many of the blogs I visit daily, praktike.
4/08/2005
They's tricksey, those double agents
Magorn at Daily Kos has a diary about Richard Perle that contains a quote so scrotum-tighteningly stupid that I don't even *have* a scrotum and it's tightening up:
"There is reason to believe that we were sucked into an ill-conceived initial attack aimed at Saddam himself by double agents planted by the regime. And as we now know the estimate of Saddam's stockpile of weapons of mass destruction was substantially wrong."
What a fucking asshole! I'm just...I can't form words this is so infuriating! I've changed my mind about the death penalty because of this. I'm going to insist that the architects of the fucking Iraq Attack be lined up and shot. There is no other level of accountability that will justify what they've done to our military, the Iraqi civilians, and the reputation of the United States.
"There is reason to believe that we were sucked into an ill-conceived initial attack aimed at Saddam himself by double agents planted by the regime. And as we now know the estimate of Saddam's stockpile of weapons of mass destruction was substantially wrong."
What a fucking asshole! I'm just...I can't form words this is so infuriating! I've changed my mind about the death penalty because of this. I'm going to insist that the architects of the fucking Iraq Attack be lined up and shot. There is no other level of accountability that will justify what they've done to our military, the Iraqi civilians, and the reputation of the United States.
Randomania
Since I have nothing to do at work this afternoon (everyone's either got spring fever or actual fever, so the office is empty), I decided to hit the "next blog" button on the top right corner of my blog. Here are first ten random blogs:
Inner Workings of Jenn
She's a cheerleader! She was on the Homecoming Court in 2003! She and I have nothing in common*, but random chance has linked us together.
Up next, we have:
Patrick Li's blog
Patrick is an engineer, and he's adorable and has a good sense of humor. I like him.
Our next random blog is:
Pettitt Cattle & Coffee
They promise: "No other source can offer the same intelligent, opinionated, constructive criticism on just about anything." I must humbly disagree. I gathered from reading through several of the blogposts that at least one of the authors at this blog is a Bush supporter, but he is most certainly not opinionated, because I had to dig to find that out. However, I like the space links, and I appreciate a Bush supporter who isn't rabid - they are so few. I don't agree with them, but at least they aren't foaming at the mouth idiots.
No whammies, no whammies:
The M.I.L.F. Diaries
Written by a "self-proclaimed MILF" (which...how would that work? wouldn't "MILM" be more appropriate? Maybe she just masturbates with extreme enthusiasm and calls it fucking?) Anywhoo, she has a very cute baby, and she seems like a fun-loving gal.
I am next randomly drawn to:
Painter Lady
Quite a bit of poetry, some sex talk, she strikes me as one of those very New Age-y types, very much under the thrall of her feelings and seeing miracles in coincidences, that kind of thing.
Round and round she goes:
RideSB.com
which is a forum for cycling enthusiasts in Santa Barbara. I can't really ride a bike anymore because of my hip, but I am pro-cycling, so thumbs up!
The cosmos next direct me to:
The Sketch Book Diaries
Doug is a freelance artist, which strikes me as a really difficult way to make a living. I don't know many people who buy art...although I suppose newspapers and magazines and publishers must need lots of illustrators, so maybe I'm entirely wrong and I should have continued drawing and painting watercolors (which I did quite well in high school, especially the watercolors - I was not a wishy-washy watercolorist, my paintings were bold and dramatic and defied watercolor conventions...I even won 3rd prize and an honorable mention in an art show). He has a very realistic style, lots of detail, some of his illustrations almost look like photographs. I wish him luck, both with his new blog (first post dated today!) and his career.
Next we go to:
Rundown to 3.59 - Midpackers Train for the Chicag05 Marathon
Which is a diary of Kurt & Steve Vogel's training for the Chicago Marathon. Pretty straightforward. I am completely unable to run, but I admire people who have the tenacity to compete in marathons. My friend Bill ran the NY Marathon once (his stated goal: Beat Oprah's time). He was an unregistered participant, so he had to climb a wall and sneak up to the starting line. My friend Mean Jeanne and I were watching the racers get ready for the start on the Verrazano Bridge, and I found myself touched by the line of racers standing along the edge with their heads down. "Look, Jeanne, they're praying!" I said. I looked for a moment longer as the cement side of the bridge darkened, and I amended my statment: "Oh, never mind, they're peeing."
I don't know if the universe is trying to tell me something, but our next random link is to:
Rpaper
The author, Sarah1742, is writing a research paper about whether antidepressants are addictive. I feel like I'm incapable of getting addicted to any drug - when I finally took a drug that I loved (oh, beautiful Vicodin), I became like Gollum holding his preciousssss. If I took another Vicodin, yes, I would feel better, but then I would have *less* Vicodin, and that wouldn't do. I still have a half tab of Vicodin sitting in my medicine closet from the last time I got a prescription, and I will probably never take it, because then I will have lost my precious forever.
Our final random blog is:
Vajra Team
which is one of my favorite kinds of blogs to randomly come upon, because it's in another language. I estimate that over 60% of the time when I hit the "go to the next blog" button, the first blog that comes up is in a foreign language. Judging by the few words of English on this blog, I'm guessing the author is sort of a technology geek. I see IPOD, Firefox, MAC OS and Linux.
Well, there you have it, you silent people out there who may or may not ever read my blog (that might be a veiled hint to encourage you to leave comments ; ; ; ). A random trip through the World O'Blogger blogs.
*Confession time: I was a cheerleader for three years of my life. I liked doing backflips and yelling, what can I say? I still don't understand football, though.
Inner Workings of Jenn
She's a cheerleader! She was on the Homecoming Court in 2003! She and I have nothing in common*, but random chance has linked us together.
Up next, we have:
Patrick Li's blog
Patrick is an engineer, and he's adorable and has a good sense of humor. I like him.
Our next random blog is:
Pettitt Cattle & Coffee
They promise: "No other source can offer the same intelligent, opinionated, constructive criticism on just about anything." I must humbly disagree. I gathered from reading through several of the blogposts that at least one of the authors at this blog is a Bush supporter, but he is most certainly not opinionated, because I had to dig to find that out. However, I like the space links, and I appreciate a Bush supporter who isn't rabid - they are so few. I don't agree with them, but at least they aren't foaming at the mouth idiots.
No whammies, no whammies:
The M.I.L.F. Diaries
Written by a "self-proclaimed MILF" (which...how would that work? wouldn't "MILM" be more appropriate? Maybe she just masturbates with extreme enthusiasm and calls it fucking?) Anywhoo, she has a very cute baby, and she seems like a fun-loving gal.
I am next randomly drawn to:
Painter Lady
Quite a bit of poetry, some sex talk, she strikes me as one of those very New Age-y types, very much under the thrall of her feelings and seeing miracles in coincidences, that kind of thing.
Round and round she goes:
RideSB.com
which is a forum for cycling enthusiasts in Santa Barbara. I can't really ride a bike anymore because of my hip, but I am pro-cycling, so thumbs up!
The cosmos next direct me to:
The Sketch Book Diaries
Doug is a freelance artist, which strikes me as a really difficult way to make a living. I don't know many people who buy art...although I suppose newspapers and magazines and publishers must need lots of illustrators, so maybe I'm entirely wrong and I should have continued drawing and painting watercolors (which I did quite well in high school, especially the watercolors - I was not a wishy-washy watercolorist, my paintings were bold and dramatic and defied watercolor conventions...I even won 3rd prize and an honorable mention in an art show). He has a very realistic style, lots of detail, some of his illustrations almost look like photographs. I wish him luck, both with his new blog (first post dated today!) and his career.
Next we go to:
Rundown to 3.59 - Midpackers Train for the Chicag05 Marathon
Which is a diary of Kurt & Steve Vogel's training for the Chicago Marathon. Pretty straightforward. I am completely unable to run, but I admire people who have the tenacity to compete in marathons. My friend Bill ran the NY Marathon once (his stated goal: Beat Oprah's time). He was an unregistered participant, so he had to climb a wall and sneak up to the starting line. My friend Mean Jeanne and I were watching the racers get ready for the start on the Verrazano Bridge, and I found myself touched by the line of racers standing along the edge with their heads down. "Look, Jeanne, they're praying!" I said. I looked for a moment longer as the cement side of the bridge darkened, and I amended my statment: "Oh, never mind, they're peeing."
I don't know if the universe is trying to tell me something, but our next random link is to:
Rpaper
The author, Sarah1742, is writing a research paper about whether antidepressants are addictive. I feel like I'm incapable of getting addicted to any drug - when I finally took a drug that I loved (oh, beautiful Vicodin), I became like Gollum holding his preciousssss. If I took another Vicodin, yes, I would feel better, but then I would have *less* Vicodin, and that wouldn't do. I still have a half tab of Vicodin sitting in my medicine closet from the last time I got a prescription, and I will probably never take it, because then I will have lost my precious forever.
Our final random blog is:
Vajra Team
which is one of my favorite kinds of blogs to randomly come upon, because it's in another language. I estimate that over 60% of the time when I hit the "go to the next blog" button, the first blog that comes up is in a foreign language. Judging by the few words of English on this blog, I'm guessing the author is sort of a technology geek. I see IPOD, Firefox, MAC OS and Linux.
Well, there you have it, you silent people out there who may or may not ever read my blog (that might be a veiled hint to encourage you to leave comments ; ; ; ). A random trip through the World O'Blogger blogs.
*Confession time: I was a cheerleader for three years of my life. I liked doing backflips and yelling, what can I say? I still don't understand football, though.
I5BOTD 4/8/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
Not Worth Archiving...Really
I'm not sure I agree - I haven't read through his archives, but I like what I've read so far. And pix, too!
Not Worth Archiving...Really
I'm not sure I agree - I haven't read through his archives, but I like what I've read so far. And pix, too!
4/07/2005
Connecticut: it doesn't quite rock, but it's got a good beat
Hey, my state did something good today!
Senate passes Civil Unions bill.
Quite frankly, I would prefer if we went whole hog and gave gay people the right to marry and therefore reap the benefits of marriage (although after 16 years, it feels tongue and cheek to say marriage has benefits. Kidding, Loki - I love you, sweets). Connecticut has lost way too much of its talented and educated people to other states. Why not create a gay mecca in the East? Why not make Hartford as attractive to homosexuals as cities like San Francisco? Lord knows Hartford could use an infusion of well-educated, high-earning middle- and upper-middle class taxpayers to move in. Let's make Connecticut a great place for all families to live!
Senate passes Civil Unions bill.
Quite frankly, I would prefer if we went whole hog and gave gay people the right to marry and therefore reap the benefits of marriage (although after 16 years, it feels tongue and cheek to say marriage has benefits. Kidding, Loki - I love you, sweets). Connecticut has lost way too much of its talented and educated people to other states. Why not create a gay mecca in the East? Why not make Hartford as attractive to homosexuals as cities like San Francisco? Lord knows Hartford could use an infusion of well-educated, high-earning middle- and upper-middle class taxpayers to move in. Let's make Connecticut a great place for all families to live!
Scott Ritter: Iraq - how we got there, and how to get out
Last night, Loki and I went to Manchester Community College to see Scott Ritter, author of Endgame: Solving the Iraq Crisis, War on Iraq: What Team Bush Doesn't Want You To Know, and Frontier Justice: Weapons of Mass Destruction and the Bushwhacking of America, as well as numerous op-eds and essays.
Mr. Ritter started by telling us about himself. A former Marine who served in the Persian Gulf, a registered Republican, and a self-confessed conservative, he proudly served in Operation Desert Storm, a mission he believed in. Mr. Ritter's profound respect for the military of this country and the men and women who serve therein permeated the entire speech. In addition, he talked about the importance of citizenship, and how we are all responsible for the actions of our nation.
He went on to talk about how we got into the situation we are in today. Back in the late 70's (when yours truly was still in the single digits), Iraq was a strategic ally of the U.S. during the Iran-Iraq War. But in 1990, when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, the U.S. moved to liberate Kuwait. In order to sell the war to the American people, Saddam Hussein (who only a few months before was hailed as a friend of the American people by a Senatorial delegation led by Bob Dole) was painted as the Hitler of the Middle East.
After Operation Desert Storm, Hussein retained his position in Iraq, and we implemented sanctions. In addition, Hussein was asked to declare all his weapons and weapons programs (which we knew we had - we helped him acquire them, after all). The first declaration was false - the weapons inspectors knew it was false. Mr. Ritter recounted an episode where a satellite picture determined there were trucks carrying materials for a nuclear program, and the inspectors went to inspect the site and were denied entry. When they returned, UN resolution in hand, they found that the trucks were gone, although there was ample evidence that trucks had been there. They did determine the new site, and the inspectors went to the new site, this time armed with cameras. They took lots of photos that proved the first declaration, which declared no nuclear weapons program, was false. The UN came back with a second resolution for Iraq to declare its weapons stores.
After this, Mr. Ritter believes that the Iraqis did destroy most if not all of their biological, chemical, nuclear weapons & long-range missles. He compared it to a drug dealer, who has 10 bags of drugs and the police knocking at his door. The dealer flushes the drugs and lets the police in, and says he doesn't have any drugs when asked. But the police go to the water purification plant, find plastic bags with drug residue. They track it back through the water system to the drug dealers residence. But they can only track down 8 of the 10 bags...can they assume the dealer flushed everything, or is he still holding some?
In the case of Iraq's weapons programs, time was on our side. Buried nuclear components will not work - transporting lenses used for implosion will render them useless. Chemical weapons have a lifespan of less than 7 years. Biological weapons have a lifespan of 3 years. Even if there *were* these sorts of weapons in Iraq, by the late '90's they were useless.
Mr. Ritter believes that September 11 lit a spark under the neo-conservatives, who were firm proponents of regime change in Iraq (they urged us to continue the war after Operation Desert Storm successfully liberated Kuwait). They saw it as an opportunity to gain power. Further, Mr. Ritter expressed that after Operation Desert Storm, Saddam Hussein (who was put forth as the Hitler of the Middle East by the first Bush administration) was a domestic policy problem for Bush. The neo-cons took the opportunity and their influence in the second Bush administration, and pushed for the Iraqi invasion.
Mr. Ritter expressed his shock that at no point in the run-up to the war was the case for the war questioned by the people who should have been questioning - the media (he declared that he did not consider anyone who didn't question the Bush administration does not deserve to be called a journalist), the Congress, the UN. He said he heard Colin Powell's case, which he personally knew to be untrue, and not a single person questioned it. He said he could not believe it when one night, as he was watching Tom Brokaw deliver a report about the possible war in Iraq, he heard Tom Brokaw not say a single word about the evidence against the existence of WMD's, and Mr. Ritter was especialy shocked because he was the one who told Tom Brokaw about it.
Mr. Ritter has a solution to the current situation in Iraq: he wants our soldiers home now. He said the mission in Iraq does not fulfill the requirements of the oath that our military takes, and that the mission was not worth the deaths of our young men and women. He feels that the whole misadventure is detrimental to our national security, and was more of a response to a domestic political problem than to a national security problem.
After the talk, there was a question and answer session, where several people questioned why Mr. Ritter did not mention the issue of oil. Ritter said it was far too simplistic to say the war was all about oil - he said the oil businessmen he's talked to prefer a dictatorship (predictable) to a democracy (messy & unpredictable). Several speakers were veterans, including a former history teacher who talked about Vietnam - he said when that war was in progress, the school he taught at arranged for a debate between 3 doves and 3 hawks (he was one of the doves). He said it seemed like that kind of discussion was not possible now, a point that Mr. Ritter made at the start of the speech. The gentleman also wanted to point out that there is no such thing as "the Iraqi people" - there are Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis. One young woman asked if Ritter would think the war was worthwhile if the Iraqis developed a democracy. Ritter said it doesn't matter what the outcome is - Iraq was not a threat to our constitution or to the safety of the United States, and if we are to remain a nation of laws, we cannot undertake actions that are against our own laws.
A couple of people asked questions about the media, and Ritter was highly critical. He said he appreciates what people like Amy Goodman do, but that he feels alternative media needs to find a way to talk about issues without being activist. A young man who is a combat veteran of the current Iraq invasion said he may be at odds with the rest of the audience, but he supported the mission, and he felt that Mr. Ritter did not give proper due to the Iraqi people who recently participated in the elections. Mr. Ritter thanked him for his service, but he said a lot of the people who voted didn't know what they were voting for. The different groups of Iraqis also voted for different things - for example, the Kurds votes on a resolution for their Independence, but that wasn't part of the Shiite ballot.
At least one person asked "what can we do?" Mr. Ritter offered some criticism of the peace movement, which he felt failed in the runup to the war, but he also cautioned that due to the Patriot Act, there is a need to be careful in protest - it is possible that those who protest against this administration could be labeled terrorists. However, he said that he is also not concerned that jack-booted thugs are waiting to arrest him and his family, because we still have free speech in this country, and he's going to continue to speak out.
Loki and I waited around afterwards to speak to Mr. Ritter, but we didn't do more than shake his hand, and I thanked him for speaking out against the war before anyone else. Afterwards, I was thinking that I should have asked him how I, as a progressive liberal, can talk about the war to a conservative Republican. I'm short on ideas, as most of the Republicans I talk to are already on my side, or are firm and devout Bush worshippers, and believe that criticism of Bush is tantamount to treason.
I didn't agree with everything Mr. Ritter said, but he was an excellent speaker and I encourage anyone who gets the chance to see him to do so.
Mr. Ritter started by telling us about himself. A former Marine who served in the Persian Gulf, a registered Republican, and a self-confessed conservative, he proudly served in Operation Desert Storm, a mission he believed in. Mr. Ritter's profound respect for the military of this country and the men and women who serve therein permeated the entire speech. In addition, he talked about the importance of citizenship, and how we are all responsible for the actions of our nation.
He went on to talk about how we got into the situation we are in today. Back in the late 70's (when yours truly was still in the single digits), Iraq was a strategic ally of the U.S. during the Iran-Iraq War. But in 1990, when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, the U.S. moved to liberate Kuwait. In order to sell the war to the American people, Saddam Hussein (who only a few months before was hailed as a friend of the American people by a Senatorial delegation led by Bob Dole) was painted as the Hitler of the Middle East.
After Operation Desert Storm, Hussein retained his position in Iraq, and we implemented sanctions. In addition, Hussein was asked to declare all his weapons and weapons programs (which we knew we had - we helped him acquire them, after all). The first declaration was false - the weapons inspectors knew it was false. Mr. Ritter recounted an episode where a satellite picture determined there were trucks carrying materials for a nuclear program, and the inspectors went to inspect the site and were denied entry. When they returned, UN resolution in hand, they found that the trucks were gone, although there was ample evidence that trucks had been there. They did determine the new site, and the inspectors went to the new site, this time armed with cameras. They took lots of photos that proved the first declaration, which declared no nuclear weapons program, was false. The UN came back with a second resolution for Iraq to declare its weapons stores.
After this, Mr. Ritter believes that the Iraqis did destroy most if not all of their biological, chemical, nuclear weapons & long-range missles. He compared it to a drug dealer, who has 10 bags of drugs and the police knocking at his door. The dealer flushes the drugs and lets the police in, and says he doesn't have any drugs when asked. But the police go to the water purification plant, find plastic bags with drug residue. They track it back through the water system to the drug dealers residence. But they can only track down 8 of the 10 bags...can they assume the dealer flushed everything, or is he still holding some?
In the case of Iraq's weapons programs, time was on our side. Buried nuclear components will not work - transporting lenses used for implosion will render them useless. Chemical weapons have a lifespan of less than 7 years. Biological weapons have a lifespan of 3 years. Even if there *were* these sorts of weapons in Iraq, by the late '90's they were useless.
Mr. Ritter believes that September 11 lit a spark under the neo-conservatives, who were firm proponents of regime change in Iraq (they urged us to continue the war after Operation Desert Storm successfully liberated Kuwait). They saw it as an opportunity to gain power. Further, Mr. Ritter expressed that after Operation Desert Storm, Saddam Hussein (who was put forth as the Hitler of the Middle East by the first Bush administration) was a domestic policy problem for Bush. The neo-cons took the opportunity and their influence in the second Bush administration, and pushed for the Iraqi invasion.
Mr. Ritter expressed his shock that at no point in the run-up to the war was the case for the war questioned by the people who should have been questioning - the media (he declared that he did not consider anyone who didn't question the Bush administration does not deserve to be called a journalist), the Congress, the UN. He said he heard Colin Powell's case, which he personally knew to be untrue, and not a single person questioned it. He said he could not believe it when one night, as he was watching Tom Brokaw deliver a report about the possible war in Iraq, he heard Tom Brokaw not say a single word about the evidence against the existence of WMD's, and Mr. Ritter was especialy shocked because he was the one who told Tom Brokaw about it.
Mr. Ritter has a solution to the current situation in Iraq: he wants our soldiers home now. He said the mission in Iraq does not fulfill the requirements of the oath that our military takes, and that the mission was not worth the deaths of our young men and women. He feels that the whole misadventure is detrimental to our national security, and was more of a response to a domestic political problem than to a national security problem.
After the talk, there was a question and answer session, where several people questioned why Mr. Ritter did not mention the issue of oil. Ritter said it was far too simplistic to say the war was all about oil - he said the oil businessmen he's talked to prefer a dictatorship (predictable) to a democracy (messy & unpredictable). Several speakers were veterans, including a former history teacher who talked about Vietnam - he said when that war was in progress, the school he taught at arranged for a debate between 3 doves and 3 hawks (he was one of the doves). He said it seemed like that kind of discussion was not possible now, a point that Mr. Ritter made at the start of the speech. The gentleman also wanted to point out that there is no such thing as "the Iraqi people" - there are Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis. One young woman asked if Ritter would think the war was worthwhile if the Iraqis developed a democracy. Ritter said it doesn't matter what the outcome is - Iraq was not a threat to our constitution or to the safety of the United States, and if we are to remain a nation of laws, we cannot undertake actions that are against our own laws.
A couple of people asked questions about the media, and Ritter was highly critical. He said he appreciates what people like Amy Goodman do, but that he feels alternative media needs to find a way to talk about issues without being activist. A young man who is a combat veteran of the current Iraq invasion said he may be at odds with the rest of the audience, but he supported the mission, and he felt that Mr. Ritter did not give proper due to the Iraqi people who recently participated in the elections. Mr. Ritter thanked him for his service, but he said a lot of the people who voted didn't know what they were voting for. The different groups of Iraqis also voted for different things - for example, the Kurds votes on a resolution for their Independence, but that wasn't part of the Shiite ballot.
At least one person asked "what can we do?" Mr. Ritter offered some criticism of the peace movement, which he felt failed in the runup to the war, but he also cautioned that due to the Patriot Act, there is a need to be careful in protest - it is possible that those who protest against this administration could be labeled terrorists. However, he said that he is also not concerned that jack-booted thugs are waiting to arrest him and his family, because we still have free speech in this country, and he's going to continue to speak out.
Loki and I waited around afterwards to speak to Mr. Ritter, but we didn't do more than shake his hand, and I thanked him for speaking out against the war before anyone else. Afterwards, I was thinking that I should have asked him how I, as a progressive liberal, can talk about the war to a conservative Republican. I'm short on ideas, as most of the Republicans I talk to are already on my side, or are firm and devout Bush worshippers, and believe that criticism of Bush is tantamount to treason.
I didn't agree with everything Mr. Ritter said, but he was an excellent speaker and I encourage anyone who gets the chance to see him to do so.
I5BOTD 4/7/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
Damn the Man
which is housed in one of my favorite cities in the world, Boston.
Plus, it gives me the opportunity to confess that I've seen Empire Records at least 5 times. I don't love the movie, or anything, but if it comes on TV and the weather is crappy and I've got nothing to do but fold some laundry, I will very likely watch it.
Damn the Man
which is housed in one of my favorite cities in the world, Boston.
Plus, it gives me the opportunity to confess that I've seen Empire Records at least 5 times. I don't love the movie, or anything, but if it comes on TV and the weather is crappy and I've got nothing to do but fold some laundry, I will very likely watch it.
4/06/2005
I5BOTD 4/6/06
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
Geeks Against Bush
because they combine 2 of my favorite qualities in other humans: geekiness and being against Bush.
Geeks Against Bush
because they combine 2 of my favorite qualities in other humans: geekiness and being against Bush.
4/05/2005
4/04/2005
I5BOTD 4/4/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
Green Dog Democrat
interesting snippets from the author's friend, who travels for work, on what's happening in China.
Green Dog Democrat
interesting snippets from the author's friend, who travels for work, on what's happening in China.
4/03/2005
It's a good thing I don't believe in hell
because if there were such a place, I'd probably be headed there.
I was raised in a very Catholic family. I have three aunts who are nuns and an uncle who is a priest. My parents forced me dress up and go to Mass every Sunday morning from the day of my birth until the day I moved out of the house. I am a Catholic School survivor.
But I find I can't mourn the death of a man who spent more time fretting over gay people than he did over the widespread sexual abuse of children at the hands of his regional representatives. I don't feel sad about the death of a man who spread lies about the effectiveness of condoms at protecting oneself from HIV, when talking to a continent that is devastated by AIDS.
I'm not saying he was all bad. He was flawed like the rest of us, but I don't believe he was evil. I'm sure he was well intentioned. I believe that he sincerely wished for peace for this world.
Pope John Paul II had a good run on this earth. He survived WWII and getting shot, and I remember how moved I felt when he forgave the man who shot him. I was pleased that he spoke out against the Iraq invasion. But he also used his power to hurt some of the least of us, even if he didn't mean to.
A lot of people believe that JP is now in heaven with God, and that's fine. I suppose there are people who believe he's in hell, too (Bob Jones University comes to mind). But as a non-believer, I think he's just gone, and that's that. I feel sympathy for the people who feel they've lost their spiritual leader (people like my mother and sister and aunts and uncles). I hope the Catholic church can find a leader who will focus on the evil within as well as the evil without.
I was raised in a very Catholic family. I have three aunts who are nuns and an uncle who is a priest. My parents forced me dress up and go to Mass every Sunday morning from the day of my birth until the day I moved out of the house. I am a Catholic School survivor.
But I find I can't mourn the death of a man who spent more time fretting over gay people than he did over the widespread sexual abuse of children at the hands of his regional representatives. I don't feel sad about the death of a man who spread lies about the effectiveness of condoms at protecting oneself from HIV, when talking to a continent that is devastated by AIDS.
I'm not saying he was all bad. He was flawed like the rest of us, but I don't believe he was evil. I'm sure he was well intentioned. I believe that he sincerely wished for peace for this world.
Pope John Paul II had a good run on this earth. He survived WWII and getting shot, and I remember how moved I felt when he forgave the man who shot him. I was pleased that he spoke out against the Iraq invasion. But he also used his power to hurt some of the least of us, even if he didn't mean to.
A lot of people believe that JP is now in heaven with God, and that's fine. I suppose there are people who believe he's in hell, too (Bob Jones University comes to mind). But as a non-believer, I think he's just gone, and that's that. I feel sympathy for the people who feel they've lost their spiritual leader (people like my mother and sister and aunts and uncles). I hope the Catholic church can find a leader who will focus on the evil within as well as the evil without.
4/01/2005
Exciting New Blog
I am thrilled to introduce this new blogger to the blogroll. I truly believe the future of blogging lies in the kind of insightful, well considered and thoughtful analysis provided by Instapanda.
3/31/2005
I5BOTD 3/31/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
Dr. Laniac's Laboratory
Lots of good links, and some amusing pix.
Dr. Laniac's Laboratory
Lots of good links, and some amusing pix.
3/30/2005
I5BOTD 3/30/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
Christastophe
because he's a musician! And even more because he's untrained, just like me.
Christastophe
because he's a musician! And even more because he's untrained, just like me.
3/29/2005
Guilty pleasure
I was initially a vehement opponent of reality television. "I prefer to be entertained by trained professionals" was my line.
But I was flipping through the channels one night and I saw some people in a maze, and I found myself glued to The Amazing Race 5. It was the final episode of that series, and I was hooked. I watched Season 6 even though it sucked, according to long-time fans of the show.
Tonight was a 2 hour long episode, and it was mostly edge-of-my-seat exciting. In the first half, we had Gretchen falling down in a cave and cracking her head open. In the second half, Brian & Greg had a car accident that moved them from 2nd to last place. But they got another car, and they managed to catch up to the team right ahead of them, Ray & Deana. Ray is an ass, so I was rooting for Brian & Greg (who, while maybe not the brightest guys out there, seem like genuinely good guys), and they did it - they outraced Ray & Deana to the mat, and avoided elimination.
In some beautiful poetic justice, Ray & Deana, who spent the past two episodes insulting and berating Gretchen & Meredith (although not to their faces) were eliminated before Gretchen & Meredith - that was nice.
I'm posting this here even though I feel a little guilty about my addiction to this show because TWOP forums are down, so I have no one to share my excitement with. I'm totally rooting for Brian & Greg or Uchenna & Joyce, the two teams who seem like the nicest people (that's me - I don't care if someone has great skills as a racer, if they are a jerk, I'm not interested in rooting for them). I like Alex, but Lynn is kind of annoying. I thought it was great that Lynn & Alex, who were right behind Brian & Greg, stopped and tried to help when B&G had the accident, but then Lynn was acting all superior about it, and that's just annoying. Rob - ugh - every time he starts to win me over, he gets smug and ugly and I'm back to hoping he gets eliminated soon.
Okay, I feel better now that I got this off my chest.
But I was flipping through the channels one night and I saw some people in a maze, and I found myself glued to The Amazing Race 5. It was the final episode of that series, and I was hooked. I watched Season 6 even though it sucked, according to long-time fans of the show.
Tonight was a 2 hour long episode, and it was mostly edge-of-my-seat exciting. In the first half, we had Gretchen falling down in a cave and cracking her head open. In the second half, Brian & Greg had a car accident that moved them from 2nd to last place. But they got another car, and they managed to catch up to the team right ahead of them, Ray & Deana. Ray is an ass, so I was rooting for Brian & Greg (who, while maybe not the brightest guys out there, seem like genuinely good guys), and they did it - they outraced Ray & Deana to the mat, and avoided elimination.
In some beautiful poetic justice, Ray & Deana, who spent the past two episodes insulting and berating Gretchen & Meredith (although not to their faces) were eliminated before Gretchen & Meredith - that was nice.
I'm posting this here even though I feel a little guilty about my addiction to this show because TWOP forums are down, so I have no one to share my excitement with. I'm totally rooting for Brian & Greg or Uchenna & Joyce, the two teams who seem like the nicest people (that's me - I don't care if someone has great skills as a racer, if they are a jerk, I'm not interested in rooting for them). I like Alex, but Lynn is kind of annoying. I thought it was great that Lynn & Alex, who were right behind Brian & Greg, stopped and tried to help when B&G had the accident, but then Lynn was acting all superior about it, and that's just annoying. Rob - ugh - every time he starts to win me over, he gets smug and ugly and I'm back to hoping he gets eliminated soon.
Okay, I feel better now that I got this off my chest.
3/28/2005
3/25/2005
Insomnia
I sang at a Maundy Thursday service this evening, and I could barely keep my eyes open during the scriptural readings. Now it's after 2am, and I can't sleep, I feel completely wired. At least I don't have to work tomorrow.
3/24/2005
Sometimes you see yourself reflected in your kids, and you can only apologize
Next week, I see my orthopod to discuss hip replacement surgery. Depending on when he is able to do the surgery (he already said it's up to me, that my hip is ready to be replaced), I might be taking my remedial math class this summer.
On remedial math: one of my great regrets in life is not learning math. I found it so tedious that I just stopped paying attention. I can do arithmetic, and I can figure out percentages, but that's about it. So when I went back to school and took the math assessment test, I did so poorly that I don't even qualify for Remedial Algebra - I am in the lowest level class they offer. I have to take 2 remedial math classes before I can take a credit math class. I'm just deficient in the subject, despite the fact that I always tested well for math aptitude. Thank goodness I have Loki and Sio, both of whom lurve math - I expect they will offer me some support when I am groaning over my homework.
Monkey is following in my footsteps - she takes timed tests on math facts at school, and she has taken to just randomly filling in numbers. We had a conference with her teacher yesterday, and we are now intervening so she doesn't fall behind. Sio's ex-boyfriend has volunteered to tutor Monkey, he has lots of ideas for making math fun for her. We are also engaging in bribery, which has been very effective in the past at motivating Monkey - when we do flash cards, she gets a penny for every right answer, and a penny for every right answer on her timed tests.
On remedial math: one of my great regrets in life is not learning math. I found it so tedious that I just stopped paying attention. I can do arithmetic, and I can figure out percentages, but that's about it. So when I went back to school and took the math assessment test, I did so poorly that I don't even qualify for Remedial Algebra - I am in the lowest level class they offer. I have to take 2 remedial math classes before I can take a credit math class. I'm just deficient in the subject, despite the fact that I always tested well for math aptitude. Thank goodness I have Loki and Sio, both of whom lurve math - I expect they will offer me some support when I am groaning over my homework.
Monkey is following in my footsteps - she takes timed tests on math facts at school, and she has taken to just randomly filling in numbers. We had a conference with her teacher yesterday, and we are now intervening so she doesn't fall behind. Sio's ex-boyfriend has volunteered to tutor Monkey, he has lots of ideas for making math fun for her. We are also engaging in bribery, which has been very effective in the past at motivating Monkey - when we do flash cards, she gets a penny for every right answer, and a penny for every right answer on her timed tests.
3/23/2005
3/22/2005
Still?
I'm still sick, with a bug that is sweeping the capitol region of Connecticut. 5 days or so of horrible flu symptoms, and then about 2 weeks of coughing, swollen glands, sore throat, and general yuckiness. On the plus side, I've only got about 1 more week of coughing to go, if Loki's recovery is any indication.
3/17/2005
Nearly human
I am beginning to feel almost human again. I'm not quite there, but getting there.
I wanted to encourage everyone to join me in a Guinness to celebrate the day, but I don't think my stomach is ready for food yet.
I wanted to encourage everyone to join me in a Guinness to celebrate the day, but I don't think my stomach is ready for food yet.
3/14/2005
Damn
Loki has been sick for over a week now - coughing, sneezing, aching, fever, chills. I thought I escaped it, but no, today I wake up with the same symptoms. I feel like I could not get warm even if I was roasting over a spit.
But I came to work anyway, to minimize my time off (which I'm saving for my hip operation). Now I'm being sent home, because no one wants my germs. I consider this a victory because I look like a dedicated employee *and* I get to go home and go to bed.
But I came to work anyway, to minimize my time off (which I'm saving for my hip operation). Now I'm being sent home, because no one wants my germs. I consider this a victory because I look like a dedicated employee *and* I get to go home and go to bed.
I5BOTD 3/14/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
edwardpig
Another blogger who reads unpleasant things, like George Will's columns, so you don't have to.
edwardpig
Another blogger who reads unpleasant things, like George Will's columns, so you don't have to.
3/12/2005
Who needs sleep?
Tonight Monkey and I went to see Sio's high school production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which holds a special place in my heart because it's the last musical I did before I had Monkey. In fact, I was 5 months pregnant when I played Princess Puffer.
The show was great, as always - I am always amazed at the talent of these kids. There was an impressive dance scene in Act 1, when John Jasper, while high on laudanum, witnesses a pantomime of himself killing his nephew for the object of his rather perverse desire, Rosa Bud. And the music director won my heart by including the quartet reprise of the song "Moonfall", which is a number that is almost always cut.
If you aren't familiar with the show, it is based on Charles Dickens final novel, of the same name. The audience is given the opportunity to vote on several key events that Dickens never wrote about - who the murderer is, who the detective is, and who the lovers are. The conceit of the show is that the audience is watching the Music Hall Royale of Drury Lane in London present their performace of The Mystery of Edwin Drood. (Are you following? I have had about 3 hours sleep in the past 48 hours, so I may not be entirely coherent.)
At the performance tonight, Bazzard was chosen for the detective, Reverand Crisparkle was chosen as the murderer, and Princess Puffer and the Deputy were the lovers.
When I did this show, I was chosen as the murderer once, and I was the female lover at every other performance. At the final performance, due to heavy persusion from the cast, the gentleman playing Neville was chosen to be my lover. The guy who played Neville and I were old friends, and so in rehearsal, we always went way overboard in the love scene. So I primped and made sure my cleavage was extra visible, and he slicked his hair back and sprayed some binaca in his mouth, and we went to town. Oh, man, I used to love doing theater. I can't do it now because of my hip and work and school, but I WILL play Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd before I die. Oh yes, I will.
________________________________________________
On an entirely separate topic, I can't stop drinking Gatorade. I don't like the original flavor or the fruit punch, but the grape? I can't get enough. Is there something in there that is addictive? Is it salt? I drink almost nothing but water, (well, coffee in the morning & tea in the evening), but every so often, I like to have something soda-like (soda-ish? soda-y?), so Gatorade is it.
The show was great, as always - I am always amazed at the talent of these kids. There was an impressive dance scene in Act 1, when John Jasper, while high on laudanum, witnesses a pantomime of himself killing his nephew for the object of his rather perverse desire, Rosa Bud. And the music director won my heart by including the quartet reprise of the song "Moonfall", which is a number that is almost always cut.
If you aren't familiar with the show, it is based on Charles Dickens final novel, of the same name. The audience is given the opportunity to vote on several key events that Dickens never wrote about - who the murderer is, who the detective is, and who the lovers are. The conceit of the show is that the audience is watching the Music Hall Royale of Drury Lane in London present their performace of The Mystery of Edwin Drood. (Are you following? I have had about 3 hours sleep in the past 48 hours, so I may not be entirely coherent.)
At the performance tonight, Bazzard was chosen for the detective, Reverand Crisparkle was chosen as the murderer, and Princess Puffer and the Deputy were the lovers.
When I did this show, I was chosen as the murderer once, and I was the female lover at every other performance. At the final performance, due to heavy persusion from the cast, the gentleman playing Neville was chosen to be my lover. The guy who played Neville and I were old friends, and so in rehearsal, we always went way overboard in the love scene. So I primped and made sure my cleavage was extra visible, and he slicked his hair back and sprayed some binaca in his mouth, and we went to town. Oh, man, I used to love doing theater. I can't do it now because of my hip and work and school, but I WILL play Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd before I die. Oh yes, I will.
________________________________________________
On an entirely separate topic, I can't stop drinking Gatorade. I don't like the original flavor or the fruit punch, but the grape? I can't get enough. Is there something in there that is addictive? Is it salt? I drink almost nothing but water, (well, coffee in the morning & tea in the evening), but every so often, I like to have something soda-like (soda-ish? soda-y?), so Gatorade is it.
3/11/2005
Friday afternoon daydreaming
Where I am*
Where I'd like to be
*Oh, yeah, it looks pretty, but after 5 months of it, I'm ready to move on.
Where I'd like to be
*Oh, yeah, it looks pretty, but after 5 months of it, I'm ready to move on.
Dates
Dates, dates, dates. There are dates where you go out to dinner and a movie, dates that you look for on a calendar, and dates you eat. This story involves two kinds of dates. (Verrrry interesting link found via Shakespeare's Sister.
3/10/2005
x
Today is Laughing Wild's first anniversary, and as a special present, Blogger is fucking falling apart today. I had a post up earlier that I attempted to edit, but the whole thing just disappeared. Also, I had a funnier title, but every letter I typed into the title box brought up an error message, so I decided to keep it simple.
In the meantime, I would like to thank my regular visitors for occasionally dropping a note in the comments. I mostly write for myself, but I get a little thrill when I see a number greater than zero in the parentheses behind the word "Comment".
Upcoming events you can expect at Laughing Wild:
- more complaining about random people I meet on the bus
- more stories about Sio & Monkey
- a post about SEX
- blogroll updates
- more linky goodness (I really don't link enough)
- PICTURES! (well, maybe)
In the meantime, I would like to thank my regular visitors for occasionally dropping a note in the comments. I mostly write for myself, but I get a little thrill when I see a number greater than zero in the parentheses behind the word "Comment".
Upcoming events you can expect at Laughing Wild:
- more complaining about random people I meet on the bus
- more stories about Sio & Monkey
- a post about SEX
- blogroll updates
- more linky goodness (I really don't link enough)
- PICTURES! (well, maybe)
3/09/2005
I5BOTD 3/9/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
firedoglake
And I'm going to answer the question she poses in her current top post:
The teachers who changed my life were Mrs. Smallidge, Mr. Walsh, Mr. Quitadamo, Dr. Bartlett and Mr. Mirakian.
Mrs. Smallidge was my first grade teacher. I loved her so much that I gave her a hug every morning when I saw her and every afternoon when I got on the bus. She played the violin and read us great books. After my mother sent her a note telling her that I shouldn't bring home any library books, Mrs. Smallidge started buying me books that I could keep in the classroom. She made me feel loved and special.
Mr. Walsh was my 10th grade English teacher. He saw right away that I was a lazy student, getting effortless A's in English, so he started giving me extra projects. They weren't all brain challenging - one extra assignment he gave me was to document every simile and metaphor in The Great Gatsby - but he made me work hard enough that it became habitual for me to exert some effort. He also wouldn't let me sit quietly in the back of the class - he made me (and all my classmates) stand when we spoke, and challenged us to defend our views.
Mr. Quitadamo had to be in last couple of years of teaching when I had him for Public Speaking. He had polio as a child and walked with the aid of braces. But his enthusiasm for teaching hadn't dimmed one iota. He encouraged me to learn about topics that weren't immediately interesting to me - which is how I ended up giving my final exam speech, a 45 minute long speech, on etymology. And he made me feel valued at a time when I was feeling very poorly about myself.
I had Dr. Bartlett for Contemporary Issues, but she really taught critical thinking. She taught us how to read newspaper articles, how to determine the veracity of the news we saw on TV, how to look for the basic questions journalists are supposed to answer, how real events of history get muddled, how major events of the 20th century were ignored by history books (we were each given 6 different history textbooks, and when we studied a current event, we were also given similar events of the past to research in each of the history books. Of my six books, all published in the early 80's, only 4 of them mentioned Watergate, and only a cursory mention at that.)
And Mr. Mirakian was my high school chorus teacher. He changed my life because he showed me compassion, he showed me I deserved respect, and he made me feel like I wasn't such a bad singer after all.
firedoglake
And I'm going to answer the question she poses in her current top post:
The teachers who changed my life were Mrs. Smallidge, Mr. Walsh, Mr. Quitadamo, Dr. Bartlett and Mr. Mirakian.
Mrs. Smallidge was my first grade teacher. I loved her so much that I gave her a hug every morning when I saw her and every afternoon when I got on the bus. She played the violin and read us great books. After my mother sent her a note telling her that I shouldn't bring home any library books, Mrs. Smallidge started buying me books that I could keep in the classroom. She made me feel loved and special.
Mr. Walsh was my 10th grade English teacher. He saw right away that I was a lazy student, getting effortless A's in English, so he started giving me extra projects. They weren't all brain challenging - one extra assignment he gave me was to document every simile and metaphor in The Great Gatsby - but he made me work hard enough that it became habitual for me to exert some effort. He also wouldn't let me sit quietly in the back of the class - he made me (and all my classmates) stand when we spoke, and challenged us to defend our views.
Mr. Quitadamo had to be in last couple of years of teaching when I had him for Public Speaking. He had polio as a child and walked with the aid of braces. But his enthusiasm for teaching hadn't dimmed one iota. He encouraged me to learn about topics that weren't immediately interesting to me - which is how I ended up giving my final exam speech, a 45 minute long speech, on etymology. And he made me feel valued at a time when I was feeling very poorly about myself.
I had Dr. Bartlett for Contemporary Issues, but she really taught critical thinking. She taught us how to read newspaper articles, how to determine the veracity of the news we saw on TV, how to look for the basic questions journalists are supposed to answer, how real events of history get muddled, how major events of the 20th century were ignored by history books (we were each given 6 different history textbooks, and when we studied a current event, we were also given similar events of the past to research in each of the history books. Of my six books, all published in the early 80's, only 4 of them mentioned Watergate, and only a cursory mention at that.)
And Mr. Mirakian was my high school chorus teacher. He changed my life because he showed me compassion, he showed me I deserved respect, and he made me feel like I wasn't such a bad singer after all.
Yes, I would like some cheese with this whine
I've got some complaining to do:
- Yesterday, the temperature plummeted from the mid 40's to the low 0's with lots of wind chill, so our rain turned into horrible snow. I decided to ride the bus home rather than risk driving with Loki (love the guy, hate his driving). Due to the weather, the traffic was ridiculous - it took the bus an hour to drive the mile from my office to the Old State House bus stop. That's okay, I had music to listen to.
But then the batteries on my portable CD player died. And then we picked up a guy who spent the rest of the bus ride bitching and moaning about how slow we were moving, complete with lots of swear words*. In my imagination, I stood up and said "All right, Mr. Potty Mouth, is your attitude going to make the snow stop? Is your constant swearing going to make the cars move faster? No? Then please do us all a favor and shut up!" (in my imagination, the other bus riders would then applaud me.)
Instead, I maintained my New England distance and didn't say anything. A woman who was sitting across from him did tell him he was being a jerk, and I'm happy to say that he calmed down a bit after that, and his complaining was expletive free for the remainder of the ride.
- Last night, I managed to get to bed at a reasonable hour, but the wind kept waking me up. I kept visualizing chunks of my roof flying off into the wind, or my neighbors tree falling into my garage, or our little Saturn flipping over. That made for a rough night.
- This morning the kids had a delayed opening. Ordinarily, this would put a smile on my face as I went back to bed for an hour, but I couldn't risk getting to work late today because I had a bid opening. So I took the bus to work this morning. At the next stop after mine, the bus picked up a guy who WOULD NOT STOP TALKING! He started by asking to bum .25 because he was short. A woman gave him a quarter, so he sat down next to her. Then his monologue started (my comments in parenthesis):
He kept going, but I closed my eyes and drifted off until we got downtown. People like that guy are why I will continue to stand by my New England standoffishness. It saves me from engaging with people like Chatty Cathy.
- When I got off the bus, the sidewalk was basically a sheet of ice. This is problematic for all pedestrians, but it is worse when you walk with a cane. I can't imagine how wheelchairs navigate when the sidewalks are that bad.
- I was standing in line for a coffee (which I needed not just because of the caffeine but because it was about 30 below zero), and I was blowing on my hands to warm them up when I felt something on my face. I pinched my fingers together and pulled. It was a hair. A long white hair. Growing on my face.
- I get on my transfer bus and sit down for the quick ride down the street to my office. As the bus takes off, I hear a voice behind me:
- Yesterday, the temperature plummeted from the mid 40's to the low 0's with lots of wind chill, so our rain turned into horrible snow. I decided to ride the bus home rather than risk driving with Loki (love the guy, hate his driving). Due to the weather, the traffic was ridiculous - it took the bus an hour to drive the mile from my office to the Old State House bus stop. That's okay, I had music to listen to.
But then the batteries on my portable CD player died. And then we picked up a guy who spent the rest of the bus ride bitching and moaning about how slow we were moving, complete with lots of swear words*. In my imagination, I stood up and said "All right, Mr. Potty Mouth, is your attitude going to make the snow stop? Is your constant swearing going to make the cars move faster? No? Then please do us all a favor and shut up!" (in my imagination, the other bus riders would then applaud me.)
Instead, I maintained my New England distance and didn't say anything. A woman who was sitting across from him did tell him he was being a jerk, and I'm happy to say that he calmed down a bit after that, and his complaining was expletive free for the remainder of the ride.
- Last night, I managed to get to bed at a reasonable hour, but the wind kept waking me up. I kept visualizing chunks of my roof flying off into the wind, or my neighbors tree falling into my garage, or our little Saturn flipping over. That made for a rough night.
- This morning the kids had a delayed opening. Ordinarily, this would put a smile on my face as I went back to bed for an hour, but I couldn't risk getting to work late today because I had a bid opening. So I took the bus to work this morning. At the next stop after mine, the bus picked up a guy who WOULD NOT STOP TALKING! He started by asking to bum .25 because he was short. A woman gave him a quarter, so he sat down next to her. Then his monologue started (my comments in parenthesis):
"It's so nice to see a friendly face like yours first thing in the morning! Yesterday I said hello to a guy and he blew up at me. It's different down south. Talk to a guy in Virginia for 10 minutes and he'll invite you home for dinner. People in Connecticut are cold, man. Just like the weather. Hey, you know what I wish? I wish it were even colder this morning! Heh, heh! It's not quite cold enough, you know? Hey, you ever been to Boston? I gotta say, that is the cleanest city I've ever seen. Not like New York. I mean, in New York it might look good when you're on a main street, but you go down some of those side streets and you're knee deep in trash. But Boston, man, that place is clean. But I just got back 2 weeks ago, and hey, do you work at one of the insurance companies? Yeah, you must, everybody in Connecticut works for an insurance company. Which one you work for?" (He allowed her to answer this question) "Travelers, huh? That's the one that's right downtown, right? Hey, do you know what the building is behind that building, the one with the big glass foyer? You know, you go up these stairs and then there's this round thing with glass, an entryway? And right behind that is this brick building with the rich and shameless go all the time? I always see these guys in tuxedos and ladies in fancy dresses going in and out of there. You know, it has valet parking? (Once again, he allowed her to reply "The Hartford Club?" she suggested) "No, not the Hartford Club. You know where that castle building is, I think it's an Art School?" (again, she answers: "The Wadsworth Atheneum?") "Maybe. The building is right behind there." (Calmly, she says: That's The Hartford Club, like I already said" - I bet she was really regretting giving him a damn quarter) "Okay, maybe it is the Hartford Club. Hey, remember a few years ago, the help got murdered there? Some lady who cleaned there got killed - you remember that? (I fully expected him to take credit for the killing)....
He kept going, but I closed my eyes and drifted off until we got downtown. People like that guy are why I will continue to stand by my New England standoffishness. It saves me from engaging with people like Chatty Cathy.
- When I got off the bus, the sidewalk was basically a sheet of ice. This is problematic for all pedestrians, but it is worse when you walk with a cane. I can't imagine how wheelchairs navigate when the sidewalks are that bad.
- I was standing in line for a coffee (which I needed not just because of the caffeine but because it was about 30 below zero), and I was blowing on my hands to warm them up when I felt something on my face. I pinched my fingers together and pulled. It was a hair. A long white hair. Growing on my face.
- I get on my transfer bus and sit down for the quick ride down the street to my office. As the bus takes off, I hear a voice behind me:
Hey, you ever been to Boston? Man, that is one clean city. Not like New York...
3/07/2005
I5BOTD 3/8/05
I know, I'm jumping the gun, but I anticipate a busy workday tomorrow and I want to get to bed before midnight, because these last six minutes* will make all the difference.
Anyway, the Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
photopolitique
Because of the pretty, pretty pictures.
*actually, it will take me about 6 minutes to climb the stairs, because I am in so much fucking pain. Jeebus, I need some narcotics! I swear I would not get addicted like certain lying liars do, because instead of making me feel high, they will simply make me feel less horrible.
Oh, go look at the pretty, pretty pictures.
Anyway, the Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
photopolitique
Because of the pretty, pretty pictures.
*actually, it will take me about 6 minutes to climb the stairs, because I am in so much fucking pain. Jeebus, I need some narcotics! I swear I would not get addicted like certain lying liars do, because instead of making me feel high, they will simply make me feel less horrible.
Oh, go look at the pretty, pretty pictures.
Jailhouse Pop
I refuse to apologize for the poor quality of the title pun. I've been awake since 4:30 in the morning. It's the best I can do for now. Sorry. No, wait, I'm not sorry, I'm just fucking exhausted.
My father is currently in his second month of a 4 month jail sentence for drunk driving. This is the second time he's been incarcerated for driving drunk - the first time was for 6 weeks, and he was a changed man - for about 3 months. Then he went right back to his old ways. It's nearly miraculous that he's never hit anybody else while drunk driving - he's wrecked more than 15 cars, but the only person he's ever physically hurt is himself.
Psychologically, emotionally....it's hard to have a father who behaves like a child. I mean, he's a man in some ways - he set a great example of work ethic for us. No matter how much he drank, he was always up at 5am and never missed work. He worked for a construction company M-F, and on Saturday, he built decks or stairs or did roofing projects. He was tough in a way that made us feel kind of proud of him - no one picked fights with him.
He was also gentle in surprising ways - like when he found a nest of baby rabbits that had been abandoned - perhaps the mother was killed by a dog or cat or coyote. He scooped them out of the unprotected nest, tenderly holding the tiny rabbits in his massive hands, and took care of them until they were big enough to be on their own. He was vehemently opposed to hunting, an activity he associated with the English (and he hated the English on a general basis, but specifically, he is fond of a great many English people). If we had a splinter, he was the one who could calm us down and take the splinter out without hurting us.
I'm a naturally optimistic person - while I have many moments of self-doubt, I ultimately feel that eventually, I will achieve my goals and be the person I want to be. But looking at my father, I wonder if I'm not just deluding myself. He's a person who had a lot going for him - skill, intelligence, strength - and he just kept making (keeps making) terrible choices. I am like my father in so many ways, I wonder if I share his weaknesses - he doesn't like to deny himself what he enjoys, even when it's bad for him; he lashes outward when he makes a mistake; he loses his temper and says and does horrible things*, only to suffer from tremendous guilt afterwards - but never attempts to rein in his temper, so it's a neverending cycle - rage, abuse, guilt...rage, abuse, guilt...rage, abuse, guilt, ad infinitum.
What keeps me going, ultimately, is my fear at starting down that spiral. If I start to give in to all of my little desires - one more ice cream cone, I'll just surf around the TV dial for one more hour, I'll just buy one more pair of shoes (all of which are things I deserve because I work hard and I live with so much physical pain, so shouldn't I get to have these little things that give me fleeting moments of pleasure?) - I feel like I will just keep sliding downward. Fear can be a powerful motivator, even though it doesn't feel very strong to admit that I can't have one more ice cream cone because I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself.
My dad is going to turn 63 while he's in jail. I look at him and realize that wisdom doesn't come automatically with age - one has to make and acknowledge mistakes to gain wisdom, and he can't admit that his mistakes are his fault, something he did to himself. So what else can I do, but try to learn from his example, even if his example is of what *not* to do.
*I usally only say and do horrible things in my imagination, where it can't hurt the people I love.
My father is currently in his second month of a 4 month jail sentence for drunk driving. This is the second time he's been incarcerated for driving drunk - the first time was for 6 weeks, and he was a changed man - for about 3 months. Then he went right back to his old ways. It's nearly miraculous that he's never hit anybody else while drunk driving - he's wrecked more than 15 cars, but the only person he's ever physically hurt is himself.
Psychologically, emotionally....it's hard to have a father who behaves like a child. I mean, he's a man in some ways - he set a great example of work ethic for us. No matter how much he drank, he was always up at 5am and never missed work. He worked for a construction company M-F, and on Saturday, he built decks or stairs or did roofing projects. He was tough in a way that made us feel kind of proud of him - no one picked fights with him.
He was also gentle in surprising ways - like when he found a nest of baby rabbits that had been abandoned - perhaps the mother was killed by a dog or cat or coyote. He scooped them out of the unprotected nest, tenderly holding the tiny rabbits in his massive hands, and took care of them until they were big enough to be on their own. He was vehemently opposed to hunting, an activity he associated with the English (and he hated the English on a general basis, but specifically, he is fond of a great many English people). If we had a splinter, he was the one who could calm us down and take the splinter out without hurting us.
I'm a naturally optimistic person - while I have many moments of self-doubt, I ultimately feel that eventually, I will achieve my goals and be the person I want to be. But looking at my father, I wonder if I'm not just deluding myself. He's a person who had a lot going for him - skill, intelligence, strength - and he just kept making (keeps making) terrible choices. I am like my father in so many ways, I wonder if I share his weaknesses - he doesn't like to deny himself what he enjoys, even when it's bad for him; he lashes outward when he makes a mistake; he loses his temper and says and does horrible things*, only to suffer from tremendous guilt afterwards - but never attempts to rein in his temper, so it's a neverending cycle - rage, abuse, guilt...rage, abuse, guilt...rage, abuse, guilt, ad infinitum.
What keeps me going, ultimately, is my fear at starting down that spiral. If I start to give in to all of my little desires - one more ice cream cone, I'll just surf around the TV dial for one more hour, I'll just buy one more pair of shoes (all of which are things I deserve because I work hard and I live with so much physical pain, so shouldn't I get to have these little things that give me fleeting moments of pleasure?) - I feel like I will just keep sliding downward. Fear can be a powerful motivator, even though it doesn't feel very strong to admit that I can't have one more ice cream cone because I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself.
My dad is going to turn 63 while he's in jail. I look at him and realize that wisdom doesn't come automatically with age - one has to make and acknowledge mistakes to gain wisdom, and he can't admit that his mistakes are his fault, something he did to himself. So what else can I do, but try to learn from his example, even if his example is of what *not* to do.
*I usally only say and do horrible things in my imagination, where it can't hurt the people I love.
Other people's children
As I mentioned on Friday, two of my nieces slept over on Saturday night. L is 5 years old and no trouble at all, and M is 4 years old, is developmentally delayed, still in diapers, and is just an odd kid. Sweet, but odd.
They arrived around 4pm on Saturday. They had a great time. Loki walked with them down to Cumberland Farms to get some snacks and picked up a pizza at the neighborhood pizza place. They played hide & seek, lots of pretending and dress up.
At around 9pm, I started rounding them up for bed. This is when we started to have problems. M started crying "I want to go home! I want my mom!" Monkey actually did a great job of calming her down, which is good, because Loki went to work and I had no car, so M couldn't go home.
And then, the whole evening almost fell completely apart when we couldn't find her Pep. M, like many children, is obsessive compulsive. And one of her obsessions is Pep - she cannot go to sleep at night without Pep. Pep is a small plastic dog. Monkey and I tore the entire house apart looking for Pep before we found him in a plastic bag in the dining room. (Unfortunately, my house is messy enough that trying to find anything can be difficult.) By then, it was nearly 11. I laid out some sleeping bags, and tucked everyone in.
An hour later, I was awakened by M, because her diaper had leaked and her pajamas were soaked in urine. So I had to locate some new jammies for her - I gave her a pair of Monkey's, which were way too big, but they had the Power Puff Girls on them, so M was pleased.
Sunday morning, Loki got a chance to be alone with them while I was singing at church. They had breakfast and did a lot more playing, and SIL showed up to get them about 1:30pm.
Call me a horrible, mean person, but I was so glad to only have my own children in the house. I don't like handling other people's children.
They arrived around 4pm on Saturday. They had a great time. Loki walked with them down to Cumberland Farms to get some snacks and picked up a pizza at the neighborhood pizza place. They played hide & seek, lots of pretending and dress up.
At around 9pm, I started rounding them up for bed. This is when we started to have problems. M started crying "I want to go home! I want my mom!" Monkey actually did a great job of calming her down, which is good, because Loki went to work and I had no car, so M couldn't go home.
And then, the whole evening almost fell completely apart when we couldn't find her Pep. M, like many children, is obsessive compulsive. And one of her obsessions is Pep - she cannot go to sleep at night without Pep. Pep is a small plastic dog. Monkey and I tore the entire house apart looking for Pep before we found him in a plastic bag in the dining room. (Unfortunately, my house is messy enough that trying to find anything can be difficult.) By then, it was nearly 11. I laid out some sleeping bags, and tucked everyone in.
An hour later, I was awakened by M, because her diaper had leaked and her pajamas were soaked in urine. So I had to locate some new jammies for her - I gave her a pair of Monkey's, which were way too big, but they had the Power Puff Girls on them, so M was pleased.
Sunday morning, Loki got a chance to be alone with them while I was singing at church. They had breakfast and did a lot more playing, and SIL showed up to get them about 1:30pm.
Call me a horrible, mean person, but I was so glad to only have my own children in the house. I don't like handling other people's children.
I5BOTD 3/7/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
Consolidated Truth
a group blog written by students at several different universities.
Consolidated Truth
a group blog written by students at several different universities.
3/04/2005
I5BOTD 3/4/05
Today's Indie 500 Blog of the Day is:
Rayne Today
she's a great writer, with a really interesting perspective.
(This will probably be the only blog I highlight for the remainder of the weekend, because my two nieces will be sleeping over my house tomorrow night, and I can't imagine that I will have time to get on the computer.)
Rayne Today
she's a great writer, with a really interesting perspective.
(This will probably be the only blog I highlight for the remainder of the weekend, because my two nieces will be sleeping over my house tomorrow night, and I can't imagine that I will have time to get on the computer.)
3/03/2005
I love Jesse
but the current line-up on Pandagon is amazing. Lindsay Beyerstein from Majikthise, Amanda Marcotte from Mouse Words and S.Z. from World O'Crap are kicking ass, and even though I am very fond of Jesse Taylor, and have been reading his blog since he started it, I am loving the tenor and quality of the posts these women are publishing while he's gone.
I will be updating my blogroll soon!
I will be updating my blogroll soon!
3/02/2005
Appy polly loggies
I've been working like mad the past couple of days, so I haven't had time to surf through the I500's looking for a new blogger to highlight, and I haven't had time to think much about anything political, and I haven't really spent enough time with the family to have any stories about my wonderful children. There are a few posts brewing in the back of my skull, but I'm too sleep deprived to get to them today. Plus, we've had crappy weather and my bad hip hates crappy weather, so I've been asking my husband if he knows anyone who can get me some quality narcotics to dim the pounding, exquisite pain (but not seriously - I am not a law-breaker, I can't do it, I'm just too much of a good girl - plus, who wants to be like Rush Limbaugh? Not me!), and okay, that's enough excuses. Back to work - I think I can actually see some desk peeking out at me!
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