Saturday, December 20, 2008

Candy Cane Lane

There is a particular aisle in our local Target that my sister and I can't seem to resist. It is the candy aisle. For the most part of the year, we can walk down it and discuss the contents, perhaps buy some good for you dark chocolate and continue on our merry way.

During this holiday season. our resistance is much lower. I have purchased more candy than I have ever had for Christmas. I have not only M&Ms but mint M&Ms, and peppermint M&Ms. I have the second bag of Hershey mint mix mini bars. We already ate the first one and it isn't even Christmas week.

This year I got hooked on Lindt truffles. They are so yummy. I love the milk chocolate filled with vanilla cream and the dark chocolate peppermint ones. I bought peanut butter ones too.
And not to forget the , Girardelli minis. I think I have peppermint bark ones.

I also bought little chocolate angels, gum, three Hershey kiss flavors, maple candy, and Pez.
I even bought Holiday boxes of Good and Plenty.

So on January 2nd, the day I get back on the scale, I may be a little fatter than I was but my whole family will be there with me!! We will start the New Year off right--on a diet!!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Unwrapped

I love buying gifts but not so much wrapping them. I would love to wrap each gift like a little jewel but I just get tired at the immense mound of them and end up throwing most of them in bags with tissue paper.
I did wrap some of them in paper and tied them with ribbon but not very many of them. I know the bags are good for recycling and we even reuse the tissue paper if we can. Remember back in the day when our moms used to keep the wrapping paper and use it for drawer liners?? I can still see my mom carefully folding paper because it "was too pretty to throw away." She really wanted to line drawers!
I haven't lined my drawers since the 70's. I remember I bought special blue paper to match my bedroom for the drawers in there. Can you imagine?? How funny is that?
Ribbon used to be a lot different too. My aunt always used that curling ribbon and she could make it do all kinds of fancy stuff. I never did figure out how she did it. My mother always used the stick on bows once they became available. I guess she never got the hang of it either.
Because of recycling bags, I have enough Christmas wrap to last about 15 years or so. No little odds and ends either. Whole rolls--some never even opened.
I hope the parents of little kids still wrap. You know there is nothing like ripping into those gifts whether you are the kid or the parent. It is equally thrilling and fun. I can still see my kids when they were little pulling the paper off and sometimes the paper would be so big you could wrap them in it!! You know how some of those toddler presents come in enormous boxes.
I didn't even wrap the gifts for the kids I donated to at church. I just put everything wrapped in tissue into a huge bag. For the 13 year old girl I put all the cute clothes on top. For the five year old boy, I put all the cute clothes on the bottom. Smart, right?? What five year old wants clothes?? Well, beside my daughter. I figure by the time he gets to the clothes he will be so busy with the toys his mom will have to take the clothes out of the bag and hopefully she will be as excited as he is!
We still do stockings in our family even thought there aren't any little kids at the present time. My two adult children come and sit on our bed with us and we take turns opening and oohing and aahing about the contents.
I still have a ton of gifts to wrap so I better get going. I love to pile them all under the tree until the big day. Nobody snoops any more....at least, I don't think so!

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Let the Race Begin!

The days to Christmas will go by alarmingly fast now. It is already the 9th and I am not quite sure where the first 8 days of December went. I am making a plan so I don't get too goofed up and have to hurry hurry hurry just before the holiday.
This week, must must finish Christmas cards. So far I have sent three. Yes, you heard me. Three. I know I have to get going on them and I do have all the time in the world but where does it go?? I also have to drop off donations of food and the gifts for the Giving Tree at church.
Next week, I must bake. I have four kinds of cookies, cupcakes, candy and cinnamon bread to make. That will take up most of the week leaving a little time for work and fun with my sister. I must thoroughly clean the house so next week a lick and a promise is all the house will need.
Christmas week, I must wrap gifts and organize them by family under the tree. I use the term "wrap" loosely as mostly I just throw the gifts in those pretty bags and stuff in the tissue. But it still takes time. I have to remember to go to the airport and pick up my daughter on the right day. I have to get the food for the Christmas Eve Smorgasbord and the Christmas day dinner. I have to refill the candy dishes and make sure I have plenty of plastic wrap and foil for leftovers.
I have to do a last minute scan of the gifts under the tree and make sure there are enough.
In the evenings, we have to go and work out. We decided on a Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday schedule for now but it is subject to a little tweaking.
We still have to hang out our outdoor lights. We still need to pick out one gift together. It's a secret gift so I can't say what it is. Then we have to shovel the walks if needed and make sure all the lights outside work.
I have to pay bills, and all the other stuff that doesn't go away during the holidays like laundry and dishes and more laundry!! I will try to be merry through it all. It's the least I can do. After all, look at the gift we've been given!

Monday, December 8, 2008

A Soapy Christmas

Every time I think my soaps can get no wackier, they go and do it again. Today, the crazy lady on All My Children was singing Silent Night while the camera panned over her sad, sad husband and his sad, sad, former girlfriend. Then for the cherry on top, she(the crazy one) imagined the former girlfriend in a casket. Well, hohoho.
There have been Christmas songs playing in the background of the soaps all this week. I thought it was a little disconcerting since on one soap they are all discussing a dead baby and on another soap, an Iraq vet is struggling with severe burns and his former fiancee. Oh, and on the other one, there was a kidnapped baby and his biological father shot up a bunch of bad guys to rescue him. Joy to the World!
By Christmas Eve, the soap world will turn from the usual shenanigans and try to show the families happy and celebrating. I don't know how they can celebrate. One family's daughter has given up her children to go into a sanitarium. One family's dad is in jail for kidnapping his daughter's boyfriend's mother. One family has a comatose mother of two little babies and a Lesbian couple with one of them having a giant secret. Hark! The herald angels sing!!
Santa has his work cut out for him in Pine Valley, Llanview and Port Charles.
Oh but all is not lost. One couple told some Christmas jokes to "lighten the mood". Here they are:
How many reindeer does it take to change a lightbulb? 1 to screw it in and 7 to hold down Rudolph.
Why did Santa's helper go to the Psychiatrist??( no... not to fit in with the rest of the residents of Pine Valley et al.) He had low ELF esteem. Oh, Holy Night!! What will they think of next?

A Sunny Disposition

Poor Sunny VonBulow was in a coma for 28 years and she finally died this weekend. That is my son's entire lifetime. That poor poor woman. Don't you wonder what was going on in her mind if anything at all was going on?? And how could her family keep her fed and going all this time?? Did they really think she would recover one day?
Did she resent it? Or was her soul out and free the whole time without a care in the world? I suppose there are two(at least) schools of thought for that issue. I hope she wasn't in there the whole time dying to get out and be free. That would be a fate worse than death.
And what about old Klaus Von Bulow?? Do you think he suffered for very much of those 28 years?? Once he was acquitted, I wonder if he ever gave poor Sunny a thought. I hope she haunted his dreams. I don't know if he killed her or not but I think he deserves to suffer if he had anything to do with keeping her alive this long.
Is this what Terry Shivo's family wanted for her????? I hope this revelation eased their minds over their daughter's death.
I hope to heaven that nobody keeps me alive like that. Even if my soul is soaring, I wouldn't want the expense and the heartache for my family. How do you keep visiting a shell of a person?? I just don't know.
I hope Sunny is at peace.

Friday, December 5, 2008

The Goose is Getting Fat...

I heard on the news that every American gains one pound during the holidays. I hope that is me. One pound is nothing!! Just think how easy it is to get rid of one pound as compared to five or ten. You could just pee and lose a half a pound!!
So, in light of that information, I have given myself permission not to get back on the scale until January 2, 2009. That way I won't be beating myself up every time I eat a cookie or have an adult beverage. I won't think about the calories in just one little Lindt truffle( try the ones filled with vanilla cream--divine!!) or one little taste of Bailey's Irish Cream. I won't worry about eating mostly vegetables and hardly any dip.
In other words, I am going to give myself permission to have fun and enjoy life. I think the Christ child would be all for that as long as I don't overdo it. I'm sure my family will be glad not to hear me lecture about eating healthy foods. I still will make good food but I am not going to worry about low fat everything!
You know, I don't mean to obsess over food and calories but I have been watching my weight for so long, it is just a habit now. So this holiday season, I am taking a well deserved break. I will think about healthy eating on January 2nd and not one minute sooner!!
Pass the cookies and give me a glass of milk!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Christmas is coming...

And I can't stop it so I have dealt with the problem in my new pass through! We decided to have the electric fixed after the holidays and then paint in January so I sanded it all down and on the kitchen side I painted a holly and evergreen design to camouflage the messy wall.
It looks great!!!!! I am so proud of myself for thinking of a clever way to deal with the whole big fat mess!! When it is time to paint a coat of KILZ will get rid of it and not let it bleed through to the new color we choose!!
Well, that got me going and I did all my decorating except for the tree which I would have done if I could have wrangled the box in from the garage. Some things are just beyond me.
The house looks cozy and warm and Christmasy. It smells good and it is all glowy from the (fake) candlelight.
You should have seen me I was a Christmas whirling dervish. I slapped that paint up there with abandon. I think that is why it looks pretty good--I just went for it. Then I started bringing things down a few at a time from my storage upstairs and before you knew it, I had Christmas!!!
I LOVE Christmas. It is the best time of the year--presents and loved ones and cookies and carols at church....all the makings of great times. My whole family will be together for five whole days. We'll eat too much and drink too much coffee on Christmas day while we open presents.
I'll make a big Christmas dinner and we will have a wine toast with Santa Claus wine.
Christmas Eve, we will eat too much and have too many presents but it will be a blast. The smorgasbord will be groaning and we all will say we are only going to eat a little but we will be lying(not on purpose--smorgasbords kinda sneak up on you)!
All the in laws will be over on the Saturday after Christmas and again we will eat too much, have a lot of presents, and the house will be full of people. We will even have a little baby with us this year!!! We haven't had one of those for a long time!! I will spend too much time in the kitchen, but I don't really mind that much. All the sisters-in-law and the aunts are pitching in so it won't be too bad.
I can't wait for people to open the gifts I got them. I hope everyone will love them! I have so much fun picking out just the right things. It is really heartwarming when the recipient thinks it is just the right thing too.
Oh, and Santa will be here..in our hearts. Even though my kids are grown we all still Santa believers. Our stockings will be hung by the chimney--oh, wait, we don't have a chimney--oh well, they'll be hung somewhere and we will all open them first thing!! I CAN'T WAIT!!

Saturday, November 29, 2008

I Hear Those Sleigh Bells

I want to decorate my house for the holidays so badly but there is just one little problem. We had a new pass thru installed in our wall between the front room and the kitchen and the electric won't work now!! It also needs to be sanded, replastered and painted. And I will probably have to do most of it all by myself.
I have the Little Red Hen Syndrome. Nobody else will do it so I have to do it myself. For some things, like making cookies or decorating for Christmas or dusting I don't mind. Big things like this just get me mad.
It isn't like they don't want to help. My son already volunteered to paint but that was before I found out the electric didn't work and now I'm not sure when it will be fixed and who knows if he will be available? Same with my husband...he wants to help too but will he be here or will he be stuck with long hours at work and be on call when I need him most? At least I'm home all the time and can do it if I have to.
The pressure is on because Christmas waits for no repair. I would like to put my tree up in the front room for a change but that might not work out under the present circumstances. Besides, it is pretty messy in every room because I thought I would be painting and cleaning could wait until I was finished.
I'm getting a fresh stomach ache just thinking about the whole mess.
At least my shopping is done( unless I reexamine the piles and decide it isn't enough which I do almost every year) and I don't have too many engagements so far but that could change at any time. As much as I love Christmas, this year I hope it takes its time getting here so I can have some heavenly peace.
Oh, I know, I will just think of the plaster dust as a little snowfall and just leave it...no,no, that won't work. Maybe I could be like Santa and just wiggle my nose and it will get done...no wait, that's Samantha from Bewitched. Maybe I'll just stop worrying about it and remember the reason for the season! Yep, that sounds like a plan!

Friday, November 28, 2008

OHMYGOSH!!!!!

Why is it I always eat too much on Thanksgiving day?? It is not like I don't have plenty to eat on other days of the year. I don't do it on Christmas Eve at our Smorgasbord or on Christmas day or New Year's Eve or my birthday. I don't even like turkey that much.
I do, however, love stuffing--not just any stuffing but my sister's stuffing. It is so good I could eat the entire bowl with a little gravy and nothing else on the table....except for sweet potatoes. She makes the best sweet potatoes I ever had. Now she would say that is because my mom always burned the sweet potatoes ( I know, she what??)..but that's not it. They are just yummy with enough sweetness and butteriness(that is probably not a word but you catch my drift)!
My sister is also a jello queen. She always makes a good jello mold but this year she outdid herself. It was really really good.
Now don't get me wrong, turkey itself is okay too it just pales in comparison to the sides I have come to love.
I also love my broccoli casserole. I have had the recipe for so long I forget where I got it although it may have been from my college roommate. It is creamy and cheesy and delicious. Hmmm, I am starting to figure out why I feel so stuffed!!
We enjoy our meal so much we don't even make any appetizers any more. We used to but then we all felt a little sick after dinner not just me so we stopped.
We still have dessert. That always pushes me over the brink into stuffed from just full. We even wait for a while so nobody explodes. This year I was so full I could hardly keep my eyes open to watch Dallas trample the Seahawks. Any way, we have our choice of apple or pumpkin pie or both and I always make cut out cookies. The cookies are going south next year. I had two of them and a piece of pie and that did me in!!!
Needless to say, no walk or sports after dinner for me. We sat and chatted a little and then went home. I was in my pj's by 8:30pm and could hardly stay awake until 10. I'm pretty sure I did but my husband is not here to confirm it as he had to work today.
Black Friday is not exactly calling my name either. I have a few things left to do but I don't want to fight a big crowd for a few gift cards, you know?? I will go to the bank and then to the grocery store. Kind of boring, but that's ok. My stomach will need the rest for at least 24 hours and errands will keep my mind off any kind of food.
Thanksgiving has come and gone once again and I felt appropriately thankful for all my family has and the love we share. Near or far, we all have a special bond and for that I am deeply thankful.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Thankfully

I am really a lucky woman. I have so much to be thankful for on this holiday I felt I needed to make a list here to remind myself.

My family and I are all in good health.
My sister--my best friend.
My house is warm and snug.
I can afford to go out to eat when I want.
I'm a pretty good cook.
I have a good sense of humor.
My marriage is healthy.
My grown children still love me.
My children are thriving adults.
My husband and I still enjoy the same things.
Travelling.
We have an extended family that loves us.
I have good friends.
I'm only a little bit fat.
I know God loves me even though I probably don't deserve it.
My job.
My Christmas shopping is almost done.
I will bake cookies and eat them.
I have laminate floors(so easy to take care of).
Music--all kinds.
Peppermint Ice Cream.
Fewer telemarketers.
Caller ID.
Christmas is around the corner.
My kitty.
Being able to give to my favorite charities.
My fluff pj's.
Peppermint Body wash and lotion.
My neices and nephews.
Tea and scones with clotted cream and lemon curd
Pizza
Fall leaves.
Wine.
Cheesecake.
My candidate getting elected.
My soaps.
Feeling needed.
My doll collection.
Angels.
Old photos.
Tears.
Laughter.
I could go on and on but my heart is full and so I am done for today.
Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Monday, November 24, 2008

24 Skidoo

Jack Bauer is back. If you never saw 24, you may not be acquainted with Jack. Let's just say he is an American Hero. He is fair and just and fights everyone in sight and out guesses all the bad guys all the time. He gets in a lot of trouble just one day every so often. In the tv movie, it was just a two hour period....but tons of trouble was packed in to those two hours. Most of the time I watch Jack with my eyes wide shut because you never know when the violence is going to break out--you just know it is going to happen. The show isn't too bad-=it is spread out over 22 weeks or so but the movie was just one violent occasion after another.
Believe it or not, I don't intend to write about violence today. I am going to tell you about Jack and my old soap friend, John McBain. Apparently these two were separated at birth. How do I know that you may ask? Well, they are both whisperers. They never raise their voice above a soft whisper until the situation is so dire they have no choice and they speak in a normal voice!!!!
Last night, Jack was all whisper all the time. It really makes it hard to choose a volume level for the television as everyone else speaks in normal voices and then the explosions(of course, they have those. I didn't think I even had to mention them) are twice as loud!! Maybe that's the plan. I always find myself straining toward the tv as John McBain or Jack Bauer start to talk. I wish that meant I was engrossed by the character but it only means I CANT HEAR YOU!!!!!!!
I wonder if in hero school they teach that skill. Maybe if you talk real quiet like the bad guys come closer and make it easier to kill them!! Oh, that must be it.
If anyone ever talks real quiet like to you and he is handsome and dressed all in black(with or without a flack jacket) be very careful. He may have mistaken you for a bad guy or if you are a woman he may need a new girlfriend as all their girlfriends always wind up well.....dead.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

"Hollywood Sue"

I've got a real knack for predicting the outcome of television shows and movies. I can spot the bad guy from 100 yards... so to speak. My family long ago nicknamed me "Hollywood Sue." It must be from all those years of watching the soaps and all the actors I've been exposed to through them. Let me explain.
All the television shows on in the evening are getting to be more and more "soapy." Some are easy--like back when J.R. Ewing got shot. I knew it had to be Sue Ellen's sister. It was just logical, soapwise. She was not a main character and completely disposable. So it had to be her--and it was!!!
The twists and turns of soaps show up more and more on the nightly shows so it is getting to be fun. It is really a simple formula for most of them. The person who they want you to think did it--didn't-- and someone on the periphery is the culprit. See??
I also have another unfair advantage as a lot of the time the killer(or any other general bad guy) has appeared on one of my soaps in the past. As soon as I say,"Hey, that guy(or woman) used to be on my soaps", sure as shootin' he/she is the one!
I also read a lot of novels and that helps too. I usually can figure out the end of my book before the middle. I keep changing genres so I don't get too good at it. I can't read a mystery or a romance novel anymore because I know the end usually by the end of the first chapter.
But this past month, I have done the prediction of the year and called an outcome that everyone thought was pretty out there. I said Hillary Clinton backed down in the primary because she was offered some big cabinet post to smooth her feathers and I WAS RIGHT!!!! She is going to be appointed Sec. of State....I had thought Attorney General(shades of Bobby Kennedy) but that was just the one I thought of as powerful. Now Secretary of State is a pretty powerful job too(shades of Henry Kissinger).
So last night, my husband called me "Washington Sue." It doesn't have quite the ring to it as Hollywood Sue so I am thinking of other options. "Politico Sue" is my current front runner. If I(or anyone else) come up with something better I'll let you know.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Oh, Those Commercials III

I usually use this space to complain about the commercials I detest and there are many of them to be sure. I am not sure if anything offends me as much as those women carrying their heads or the couple who own two outdoor bathtubs but today I want to talk about the commercials I love.
I love that little Geico Gecko! I think the ads with the old guy following him around at the golf course, the library and the subway are little gems. I love how the gecko gets all irritated with the old guy and a little paranoid about him too. I love how it always explains the Geico policy so clearly and I LOVE HIS ACCENT. His character sure has grown since he was employee of the month back in the day and got his own parking place(remember that one??)
The little guy beats out that AFLAC duck by a country mile. The duck has a limited vocabulary and the gecko is glib. The duck gets its feathers ruffled but the gecko is smooth. The duck has visions of grandeur but the gecko has a grand plan. Even that old man who follows him around admires his style.
The CG of the Gekko is really superior and he gets more and more agile with every ad. I wonder which Mad Man thought him up and who keeps coming up with ideas for him. Whoever it is , I hope he keeps it up. He's getting so real that I am expecting him to show up at my house for dinner after he reads this glowing report!
The holiday ads will be coming along soon and I always love those too. They are schmaltzy and sentimental and they push my buttons. I will get all teary eyed and sloppy during them...especially ones with kids in them. Remember the coffee ad where the big brother comes home from college when everyone is sleeping and the little sister finds him and they make coffee and the mom comes downstairs and she is so thrilled to see him?? Got me every time.
Now there is the card ad where the little toddler is learning to say Merry Christmas. OHMYGOSH...it is so sweet. He never really spits it out even though Mom coaches him but when she gets the card Grandma knows what he is saying and is so touched and the grandpa has a look on his face that is priceless--it is all gibberish to him!!
I usually fast forward all the commercials but I may stop for some of the holiday ones...I can always use a good cry!!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Eenie Meenie Minie Thumb

Have you seen the ad where the thumbs have the owners faces imposed on them? YUK!! How gross. It is almost as bad as those women carrying around their heads. I don't even know what the ad is for and I don't care. I refuse to watch it.
I also hate the ad Rachel Ray has for her new dog food. Oh, yes, now she makes dog food for her dog who is barely in control through the whole ad. It is a little creepy to see that thing get kissed by its owner too. I never was in to kissing dogs...such bad breath. Okus she callls the food Nutrish--she has a new slang word for everything doesn't she?? Sammies and delish and evoo-I mean really, nobody is in that big of a hurry.
The holiday commercials are starting and I really hate the Lowe's ad where the kid sees the store miraculously changing into a christmas wonderland and he tells the mom they make sparkles and magic here and then the Lowe's worker says, What kind of wreath do you want?? Is she not in the same ad??? Is she the only employee who isn't in on the whole sparkly magic thing??
Welll, my thumbs are telling me it is time to stop. Wait Is that a little hair I see peeking out of the top of my thumb and is that a ...mouth.. Oh, dear!!

Friday, November 14, 2008

Off to See the Wizard

the Wizard of the food network that is....Paula Deen!! She is going to be at the Cleveland Food Show and my best friend and I are going to see her. She will sign cookbooks so I am taking the one my husband bought me a long time ago as a surprise. I marked all the recipes I want to try while I was sitting in bed yesterday after the worst vertigo attack I've ever had.
Paula Deen is an admirable woman. Her marriage ended, she had agoraphobia, and she started a little carry out business from her home called The Bag Lady. Her two sons were her helpers and they went on to open the Lady and Sons restaurant in Savannah, GA. She pulled herself up by her bootstraps and she is full of piss and vinegar!! I always liked her but to go see her cooking demonstration was 50bucks and sorry, but nobody is that good!! So we will see her son, Bobby, demonstrate instead. Her sons adore her and put up with her antics(at least on camera) so I am excited to see him too.
There is so much food to taste at this Expo that last year we were stuffed to the gills just from all the little tastes we tried. There isn't any big meal or anything but it was eating all day--it really fills you up!! I have Tylenol and Tums with me just in case we overdo it!!
My best friend is a real foodie. She is always trying new things and so she really loves this show. Since she is my friend, I go too.
Well, it was all worth it! Paula was really nice and signed my old cookbook and her son had his show but she was his guest and so was her husband so we got to see all of them. She was out in the audience so you got a real good look at her. She is a lovely woman and the TV doesn't do her justice!!! She is just as feisty though!!
I have never seen so many salsas in my life. I ate a ton of junk on a pretzel from mustard to some kind of apple cinnamon stuff. We sat down and had some water about halfway through things and it was a good and needed break. All that free food and water was 3.50!!! Isn't that funny??
I bought a few gifts and got a lot of cards and websites. I'm sure I won't remember what most of them are. At the time you think you won't forget but by the time you get home.............well, you know, I forgot!!
Anyway, it didn't inspire me to cook tonight my husband is out getting food now!! As long as it's not on a pretzel, it's all good!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

When in Doubt, Go to France

You know how much I love my soaps. Lately I've been getting a big kick out of them since as soon as a character seems to have their share of troubles and there is no way to get out of the mess, they hightail it off to France. (this is mostly because they don't know what else to put the poor character through). Usually, Paris, but not necessarily. So if you go to France there will be an overly large population of people from Llanview,PA or Pine Valley, Wherever!
I went to France a long time ago and barely met anyone who spoke English let alone were from the States and had big problems. It must have been before this trend started.
So, my question is, once you get to France are all your troubles over?? They seem to have many business opportunities and many mental health facilities so maybe that 's the draw. Unemployed?? Vive LaFrance!! Having a breakdown?? Parlez-Vous Francais!! I really had no idea.
There is a division of Cambias Corporation and the European division of the lingerie company that Dorian's daughter started with her friend. There is also a luxurious facility for mental health problems that has a courtyard and everything! Sounds delightful, doesn't it? One of the girls today lost her baby she was supposed to adopt and when her husband asked her where she was going now(they are estranged) she said she didn't know--bet I do!!
Apparently it is really cheap to get over there too. Must be a special airline so these people(those who don't own their own planes that is) can jet over there on a whim. And of course everyone on the soaps has a valid passport in their pocket just in case the need or the urge to go to France descends upon them.
I'm sure France is thrilled with all the free publicity they get from these soap characters and they must have a booming economy to entice so many businesses over there! I would love to go back to France someday but I am waiting until the soap characters have taken over so I can speak only English while I am there!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Santa's Little Helper

I just waded through all the gifts I've bought during this year for Christmas presents. I organized and sorted and got rid of plastic bags that were messing up my craft room. I feel pretty good about what I've bought so far. Boy, "bought" looks so funny to me right now. Like I didn't spell it right or something. Anyway, all those trips out and about sure paid off!
I love picking out gifts. I love spending time finding little things I know a person will like. All the kids in our family are getting older and don't need toys or anything like that anymore so I even have fun picking out the gift cards. I always try to find a little something to put with the gift card that reflects the person. It keeps me on my toes and I visit a lot of different stores to find them.
I always tell my own kids that there won't be many presents under the tree since they are adults now but it always ends up being a huge pile anyway. I'm not sure what happens-I guess Santa spurs me on and I just keep finding things they would like. I know what I want. I already left a huge hint at my husband's chair at the dining room table but he might not see it. Kinda like the tie dyed sheets. I don't really need anything anymore but there are a few things I would like.
As much as I love to shop for gifts I am not really much of a wrapper. Those gift bags we have now are a godsend to me. I love picking them out and making sure I have a lot of tissue so they look pretty. All the taping and corners we had to make back in the day were beyond me. I always managed to mess up a corner so it looked like a diaper or else I had shorted myself on paper and I would have to start all over again.
I still have some shopping to do and I will do it gladly. I will hohoho my way through the mall and Target and Kmart and Walmart and Marshalls and TJMAXX and............................ jingle all the way!!

Monday, November 10, 2008

It's Raining, It's Snowing

Geez, could the weather get any weirder around here?? Only last Thursday, I was in short sleeves and flipflops(it was great by the way) and now today I needed a heavy coat and almost boots. Luckily, I have shoes that can serve as both. We have about and inch and a half on our driveway. Not quite enough for our snowplow service but by the end of the day, who knows?? It is wet and sloppy and the kind of snow you hate to change lanes in cause it looks so slippery and it will blob up all over your car.
Fluffy snow on a day you can stay home...that I like. Sloppy damp and wet snow I can't stand!
It is only November 10th, surely we could have had some days that were in the 40s and 50s --Oh wait, they are probably around the corner!!

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Whose Life to LIve?

It's not easy to be a soap actor or actress. One actress who is only 16 years old had to act out being pregnant for the last six months.(before that she wasn't showing) She couldn't stop touching her stomach(in wonder or horror, I'm not sure). It must be hard to pretend to be pregnant when you never were but compared to some of her colleagues she got off easy.
Our old friend, John McBain(not to be confused with the other John of a similar last name) had to fake hang himself in a jail cell so he could bust out and save the woman he loves who he thought was dead for the last year. He even had to twitch so the jailer would come in and try to save him. What do you think that poor actor thought when he read that script? Say, whaaaaaaaaaat? I wonder if he had a little,uh, discussion with the powers that be? If he did he caved!!
Another actress had to sit in a bed for about three months and act from there. She is supposed to have been crippled in an accident a year ago(guess who she is...see above paragraph) and was stuck in bed. She is finally up and around. She must be so relieved.
One girl who was pregnant with her dead husband's baby delivered it with the help of a figment of her imagination(that is such a long story, I won't even try) and now is off to the hospital to trade it in for a live one(no, I am not kidding).
However, the height of humiliation had to be for the poor actress on ALL MY CHILDREN who died and at her funeral there was a closed casket as her very young child was there(very discreet that poor little actor is only around 4 or 5 years old) and after all leave but the husband, he opens the top of the casket and there's that poor young girl laying in there!!!!!!! Not only has she lost her job but they make her climb into a casket to boot!!! How would you like to have been her when she read that script?? DO you think she just said okay and went off to perform?? I'm betting not. Talk about adding insult to injury!
So, see, you probably thought that being a soap actor was glamorous and exciting. Well, I hope I've shown you the other side of the coin. All your children may have only one life to live but it can end abruptly and you may have to make some BIG concessions along the way!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Curb Your Cravings

Curb Your Cravings was the happy birthday greeting I got from Sparkpeople today. Yes, I thought, curb your cravings--EAT CAKE!!! And that is what I am going to do. However my other cravings I will list here and when I am done maybe they will have gone away! That works for me when I go work out. I promise myself a big treat afterwards and Voila!! when I am done the crave is gone. Hope it works this way too!
I want a mountain of greasy french fries slathered in vinegar and salt. You know the kind you get at the county fair or an amusement park. They used to come in a paper cone..I don't know if they still do but they did when I was a kid.
I want a whole cheesecake to myself. Just plain. I wouldn't eat it all at once--just slowly through the day until I had polished it off!! I love cheesecake and there is just not one low fat version that has ever turned out the way I hoped so I hardly ever eat it now.
I want to jump on a plane and fly to Vegas to visit my daughter and to eat at the Paris Hotel. Not some big fancy meal I just one to go to LeNotre and have all the pastries my little heart desires. I love the presentation of those little cakes and tarts. They are all works of art and we have nothing like that here. I want to go shopping with my daughter and buy whatever we want.
I want a fur coat. It is so politically incorrect I just hate myself for it but there it is. There is nothing like the feel of real fur on your body. I remember my Great Aunts all had some kind of mink or fur coat or stole when we were growing up. They always smelled slightly of the Aunt's perfume and a little musky from the fur. I remember my mom really wanted a mink stole for awhile.
I want to wear stilettos and be able to walk more than 3 feet. Maybe I just want to try some on and see how they look. No, I'm not sure if I can even stand in them.
I want to go on a long vacation--like six weeks or even longer. I would go back to New Mexico and California and Vegas again on my way home. I wouldn't wash clothes or clean the house or cook for the whole time.
I want a huge diamond ring-like three carats. I know that is so material of me but I can't help it. I have loved diamonds my whole life and couldn't wait to get one. I made a lot of mistakes because of that desire but now I would get it for all the right reasons. I think I would want that princess cut and no other embellishments and one of those eternity rings to go with it.
Mmmmm those all sound yummy, don't they??

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Random Thoughts on November 5th

Where was that John McCain who made the concession speech last night during the election race???? If he had shown the gracious demeanor he did during that speech during his campaign the result of this election may have been very different. He will continue to serve our country I am sure and I was happy to see a glimpse of the John McCain I remember from before the Oklahoma U speech.
Isn't Obama an inspiring speaker? He has brought hope to a nation that has lived in fear for the last eight years and has brought hope. Of course, he cannot change everything over night and anyone who thinks he can is hopelessly naive, but just a positive attitude toward change and our country's ability to be great without being a bully makes my heart sing.
Now it is time for reflection and attitude adjustments. People who were so dead set against Obama have to take a page from McCain and accept and support him as President. Those ardent admirers who think Obama is just about the second coming need to take off the rose color glasses and let this man and his team do what they can.
Hopefully, we will all contribute to a new attitude of possibility and positive change no longer living in fear that our whole system is about to collapse and that the other countries of the world loathe us because of our foreign policies.
I won't miss Governor Palin and just think for less than three months work she sure got a great wardrobe. Maybe now she will go home and concentrate on her state and her family. I hope she will use her experience as a mother of a special needs child to become the advocate she wants to be. She will no longer be the subject of jokes and cut and pastes on line of her in a bikini. That has to wear on a woman, don't you think??
I won't miss Cindy Lou McCain either. The poor thing looked like she was down to about 85 lbs. I hope she goes home and eats and gets to wear something besides those suits that look to be made of the most stiff and uncomfortable fabric known to man. She won't have to get her hair done into that helmet thing she does on a daily basis. I would think she would breathe a sigh of relief. Just think she would have had to keep that up for four years--she would have been Nancy Reagan junior!!
The one little snake I really won't miss is Joe Leiberman. Yes, I did call him a snake. He won't be skulking in the bushes or whispering in the president's ear. Thank goodness!! Goodbye Joe! I hope you will flourish in obscurity.
I really really won't miss the women on The View screaming at one another over the table. That was getting old fast. Elizabeth Hasselbach was the most stubborn, unyielding young woman I have ever had to endure. Having the courage of your convictions is a wonderful thing but it should be tempered by reason. She is very subdued today and I am glad to see that.
I really really really won't miss all the phone calls. OHMYGOSH! I am so sick of them. Even Joe Biden called me after I had already voted. Of course, the most irritating part of all is that they are all prerecorded and that just ticked me off. I think in the last week, my phone rang every 5 to 10 minutes. SO YAY that is over for a nice, long time.
I do wonder what in the world all the political satirists are going to do now. They still have George Bush to kick around for a while but I don't think Obama will give them as much to play with... but time will tell.

Friday, October 31, 2008

BOO!

I always hated Halloween. First, I was a big scaredy cat. I was scared of ghosts and skeletons and bad boys. When we were young, one house down the street always had a sheet ghost up in their tree and the dad would drop it down when kids came to their house. I NEVER trick or treated there!! There were a couple of mean old ladies on our block too. One just scooped up a big spoonful of candy corn and then shook it back and forth until about three were left and then dumped that in your bag! Talk about a letdown. The other mean lady who on every other day would bite your head off if you even got a toe on her grass made the best cookies on earth! She generously passed those out and was real nice but on November 1st she was back to her mean old self.
One year, my mom made me a princess outfit. It was really pretty but scratchy because the sleeves were made out of nylon net with silver glitter on it. My arms itched so bad I can still remember it! In sixth grade, for some reason, all the girls were going to be cigarette girls. I know, isn't that funny? Some of you may not even know what that is. It was the woman who sold cigarettes and cigars from a little tray she carried around her neck. She worked in clubs and restaurants. My mother said absolutely not and she made me be the knave of hearts instead. I had to carry this date and nut tart that she made(and I hated) so I pulled it off in little pieces during the Halloween parade and threw it in the grass around the parking lot! I know she thought I ate it.
As a teacher, Halloween was a dreaded day. Kids were so overexcited and of course the party didn't start until the end of the day. Except in Kindergarten....lucky me, I got two parties. One year I dressed as a giraffe as I had found a really cool mask on vacation at the San Diego Zoo. The kids were pretty freaked out. I even put black socks over my hands to be hooves..I think that's what got to them the most. For a little while, I think they thought I might be real!
My own kids had some cool costumes and last night we had some good laughs reminiscing about them. My daughter always wanted to be a pretty pretty princess or ballerina or something pretty. My son was a myriad of things including a spy and Where's Waldo. I never thought I made very good costumes but they loved them. That made me feel good.
We used to stay home and pass out the best candy we could find but after three years of only 2 or 3 trick or treaters came to our house, we now just go out to dinner. So, it's Italian night for us--a real treat!!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Heart Throbs

I watch The Bonnie Hunt Show. It is a new talk show and I enjoy it. She always talks about growing up in her old neighborhood and she always talks about a guy she and her sisters had a giant crush on. His name was Dukie Marcucci. Well, she talked about him so much that the show decided to call him up. She talked with him and fluttered like a school girl. I know just how she felt. Doesn't every neighborhood have a golden boy like that??
Our neighbor hood had Randy J. Oh, he was very cool and handsome and I had a crush on him a mile wide which I am sure was as obvious as the day is long. I was kind of dorky so the feelings were never mutual which in the long run was just as well but that is another story.
He was the source of my one afternoon of overwhelming popularity in the eighth grade though. He was involved in sports and one time at one of his wrestling meets I saw his dad and we had a nice little talk and hung out together for a little while.
A popular girl saw me and asked me if I was Randy's sister. Looking back on it I should have said sure I am but being and honest girl I told her I was his neighbor and she told me how lucky I was!! Then she must have told her friends because suddenly she came back and asked me to sit with her and her friends. So I did. We talked and laughed and they asked me all about Randy. I told as much as I could(I didn't really know very much) and they soaked it up like little sponges. I was sure my social success had finally begun even if it was on the coattails of my handsome neighbor.
The next day when I saw my new friends they (of course) totally ignored me and laughed at me as I walked away. They had gotten everything out of me that they wanted and they were done with me. I can remember feeling hurt and dejected but also not so surprised. It was a typical junior high move.
Well, I secretly crushed on my old neighbor as he dated all through highschool, his marriage at 17, and on his return trip home with wife number two while I was in college. I quivered with excitement even then and almost fainted when he deemed to say hello to me at the store where I worked on summer break.
If he came any where near me now, I probably would still be that silly little eighth grade girl and I would probably giggle just like Bonnie Hunt did over Dukie Marcucci. As far as I know, he is tucked safely away in Las Vegas and I'll never see him again.....but wait, that's where my daughter lives, maybe it could still happen. OHMYGOSH, that would be so cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

To Sew or Not to Sew

About three years ago I broke my sewing machine. I hadn't used it in a really long time and I wanted to make some doll clothes for my niece. I got it all ready(or so I thought) and by the third stitch the entire workings were jammed with thread and the needle was broken into the feeddog. If you don't know from sewing machines, trust me it is a big fat mess!!!!! I could have taken it to the local repair shop but instead I disgustedly put it in the closet and said to myself, I am never sewing again! And I haven't.
SO last night I got a call from my son asking me to help with his costume for a Halloween party. He is going to be Little John from Robin Hood. So guess what? Am I brushing off the old sewing machine and running to the repair shop?? Not on your life!! Can you say felt and glue gun?? I think we can come up with something pretty easily. I will let you know how it turns out.
I used to make vests by the dozens and sell them at craft fairs. I used to participate in craft fairs and had the joy of sitting there and watching people admire your work and say how cute it is and then walk away. I never made very much at any of those sales. Oh, a little bit. I always covered the expense of my table but that was about it. I thought I would strike it rich with my good ideas but nope.
So now I just go to craft sales and look at the stuff and say how cute and walk away. It is kind of fun. I haven't been in a while because I would look at the stuff and think that I could do that(even better). So this year my best friend and I decided to try again. We are going next Saturday to a couple. I wonder if I'll buy anything??
I was going to participate in a craft sale this year but after I bought the stuff to make my angels(they are really beautiful) I kept looking at the bag in the back seat of my car and I didn't feel excited or happy about them, just like it looked like a load of work. So I dropped out and took the darn things back to Pat Catan's. It was like the weight of the world dropped off my shoulders. So I guess my craft show days are officially over and done with.
This winter I will go back to my newest craft project--scrapbooking and finish a couple of projects I let slide when the weather got nice. I am not letting myself buy any more scrapbook stuff as I have a giant load of it and have to use it up. I even gave a ton to my niece. I could almost open my own store!! So I will embellish to the hilt even though I know less is more.
But for now I have to concentrate on Little John..I mean, Brian's costume. I've come a long way since I turned him into C3PO when he was 3...didn't have a sewing machine then either!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

The -ist List

The one thing I hate about this election is the -ist list. The Republicans have slapped more labels on Obama than I can remember...but I'll try.
Fist, he was an elitist. That meant he thought he was better than you or me. I sure hope so as I know I wouldn't make a very good president. I'm not informed or equipped enough to handle day to day pressures and I know next to nothing about the law--stateside or international.
Next, I heard he was terrorist. First it was because his relatives in Africa were know Muslims with ties to AlKaida(pics and all). Well, then he had a relationship with Bill Ayers. Now that I'll believe when Ayers is hovering in the background like Leiberman does with McCain. And Obama had the nerve to deny it. Nobody ever said do you know him, they just started with the name calling. Of course,it turned out that Obama does know Ayers as they were on a committee together many years ago. No way do I have a relationship with every person I ever sat on a committee with, do you?
Next, he was called a socialist because he wants to spread the wealth. Those with wealth are panicked by this, the rest of us not so much. The ads act like he is going to tax the middle class so that the poor can have a better life, I'm thinking he's going to tax the rich and the big businesses to do so. Not Joe the plumber but Joe the Leiberman will pay more.
Then I heard someone call him a Marxist. I'm not exactly sure what that even means but a reporter actually asked Joe Biden that question. He did not deem to answer as far as I know because he couldn't believe she was even serious.
Obama is none of these things but he is one -ist. He is an idealist. He thinks we can do better. He thinks we can help one another. He thinks he can get healthcare for everyone. He thinks diplomacy is the answer. He thinks there is hope. This I can deal with. I agree with him. It is time for us to have hope and enthusiasm. Its time for an idealist.

Monday, October 27, 2008

BORRRRING!!

I haven't written in my blog for a while since I have been pretty boring lately. We did go for a ride in the country to see the fall leaves but that was about it. We are going to buy a new Christmas tree, how's that for thrilling. I know some people detest a fake tree but it is even prelit--we are sick of hanging lights.I am sick of the politics and cannot wait until November 5th--hopefully it will all be over. Remember last time?? Don't want a repeat performance of the not knowing thing. I wonder if the candidates ever think of that? I bet they do and it gives them a stomach ache!We have been faithfully(sorta) working out and you will be glad to hear that I have lost 2 lbs of the 15(really 19 but I round down!!) I gained and it has only taken two weeks. Hey, did I just hear you laugh??I've been busy at work and the time goes fast there. Local politics takes up some of our time and there is a Victorian Tea in December which will require us to keep busy. I'm still enjoying it.Oh, my husband finally talked about the tie dyed sheets(remember the ones I wrecked with bleach??) He read about them on my blog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Isn't that a hoot?My best friend and I did our annual trek up 306 to look in all the antique shops(one) and the nurseries(several) that have gift shops. We spent time at Aurora Farms too. Somebody should do something with that place. It has such potential and right now although it was fuller than it was last year, it's pretty disappointing.I've been thinking a lot about opening a business. I have no idea what kind of business I would want to run--not a restaurant or a bakery but I know I would call it ANTEEZ. Isn't that a good name?? I would want my sister to be in it too so see--we are both aunts! Now if I could just come up with an idea for the store I'd be all set. Oh well, I have plenty of time to think about those kinds of things.I have seen another terrible movie. It was called ADAPTATION. It had not one, but two Nicholas Cages in it. Yuck!! I cannot stand him. I never understood his appeal. Anyway, don't ever waste your time on it --it was just weird.None of the new television shows are too interesting either although we are giving some of them a chance. My husband has been watching this show called Sanctuary on the SciFi channel and I love to mock him about it. It has the girl from Stargate One and she wears a black wig and sports a fake English accent. I have more fun when he tries to watch it...I think he will probably start sneaking it behind my back (hehe).So you can see I am not lying--I am boring right now. And guess what??? I will probably continue to write here just the same!!

Friday, October 24, 2008

Spoiled Rotten

The spoiler business for Soap Operas and other television shows is a multimillion business. I have to admit I was hooked. I read all I could get my hands on and read some every day. I knew which actors and actresses were coming and going and I knew the basic story line for a month in advance. I knew all the surprises and twists and turns(well, at least all the major ones).
So two weeks ago I gave up the spoilers...cold turkey. For the first five days my fingers itched to get on line and read everything I always did. I wanted to know if Erica would kiss Adam(she did) and if Kendall would die(she didn't...at least, not yet). I wanted to know when Vicki would finally return so the Jess/Tess story line would get wrapped up. I wanted to know if Laura was really coming out of her illness or if her daughter was crazy. It was really hard not to look but I didn't.
And guess what??? I watched my shows and boy, they were great!! I enjoyed them more than I had in five years. One day, I even watched without fast forwarding any of them except for the commercials! I never do that. It took me a little longer than usual to watch but it was worth it. There were twisters(multiple) in Pine Valley, a public shooting in Llanview and I forget what happened at General Hospital but it was exciting too.
Old characters are coming back(the soaps are really tanking in the ratings) and the drama is more intense. More happened in the last two weeks on ALL MY CHILDREN than has happened in the last two years!!! Bring on the twisters, as they are bringing unexpected(thanks to my new un-habit) twists and turns to the story.
This might be a habit I can break since I have enjoyed my stories more than ever. I did quit smoking and haven't gone back but I think the spoilers were even more addictive!

Friday, October 17, 2008

Oh So Politico

Last night I had to work at a Candidates and Issues night. It was my job to greet the public and sign in the politicians. I had to direct them to coffee, the restroom and draw cards for speaking order. They each had three minutes to talk and two minutes for rebuttal. It was rather interesting. I learned something about people who are running for office. They can read your name tag from 500 yards!! This one guy almost had me convinced that I knew him. It was pretty easy to tell who the candidates were as they were dressed up and had on badges supporting themselves for the positions they were running for. Not all of them were that friendly but most were ultra polite. They brought their own literature and they were all pretty glib in front of the crowd.
They came from all over the state too. One man came up from Millersburg, one couple had come from a speaking engagement in Kent and two candidates drove up from Hudson after speaking there. The travelers looked pretty frazzled but stepped up to the plate after a restroom break. Some of them seemed to be looking for cookies..I don't blame them.
There were also people there handing out literature for the candidates who couldn't make it. A couple of them stood by the door with me while I handed out Voter's Guides from the League of Women Voters.
So guess what?? I snuck out before it was over. I only stayed through the State Rep. who wasn't even in my district and the first County Commissioner's speeches and then I split. I had enough debating the night before!!
I can hardly wait to vote....just so this is all over with. I am tired of the trashing and promises that they might not be able to keep even if they want to. I just want it to be over.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Excuuuse Me

Our old pal, Ringo Starr, the "fun" Beatle, has made an announcement. After October 20th, he flatly refuses to give out any autographs or sign any objects. Really. He is too busy, Peace and Love, Peace and Love. WHAAT?? How busy can he be?? His name isn't that long. If he was say, Englebert Humperdink, I could understand the time involved but come on, Ringo?????????? He is almost 70 years old so maybe it is getting hard for him to write(I say that with a wink) but then he should have said so. Peace and Love, Peace and Love.
Speaking of peace and love, I read an interview with the kid who is going to marry the Palin child. He is dropping out of highschool and will miss his senior year to take a job as an apprentice on an oil rig. WHAAAT? Now the poor girl is marrying a high school dropout?? If that is the standards that Gov. Palin holds for her own daughter I hate to think what her standards would be for the rest of the kids in our country. His coach is sad but is resigned to the fact that the kid needs a job. HE DOES????? IS not his future mother in law the governor of the state?? Are they not pretty well off??? Couldn't they help him out? They couldn't encourage him to finish school and get a job IN THE SUMMER after HE GRADUATES!!!!!!! And what about that coach?? some educator he is...the kid needs a job so he just drops out and that's not a time to say, "Stay in school"??
If this is a sample of the kind of thinking in Alaska, I would say they need some educational reform!
And how about Marcia Brady...I mean, Maureen McCormick. Apparently she is spilling her guts about being Marcia and her downward spiral after her career as Marcia ended. Marcia, Marcia, Marcia! She never told any of her "siblings" about the book so I bet they can't wait to read it! I heard that she claims to have had an affair with Eve Plumb(also known as Jan)...no wonder, Jan never showed up for any of those reunion shows!!

Monday, October 13, 2008

Falling in Love again

Okay, I am madly in love...and not with my husband. Don't worry, he knows all about it...and he doesn't blame me one bit. I am in love with the cutest, most appealing twelve year old you ever did see. His name is Freddie Highmore and I saw him in two movies this week--Arthur and the Invisibles and August Rush. He is the most enchanting little boy.
He has an engaging smile and a twinkle in his eye. You should see him! He's been in other movies too. I've seen most of them and I didn't really realize it was the same kid--he's been growing you see!
He was in Finding Neverland, a fine film that I enjoyed. Also in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory--he was Charlie, remember how cute he was?? He was in The Golden Compass which I saw and didn't really enjoy all that much since it ended with a kind of cliff hanger and no more will be made as it was kind of a bomb. He was also in The Spiderwick Chronicles, which I have yet to see but I will see it when it comes on cable.
He is just the kind of kid you want to come out on top. You pull for him through the whole movie. And you know how some kid actors as they get older kinda get funny looking? Not my Freddie! He is as cute and dimpled as he has always been.
Speaking of staying cute I saw Dakota Fanning on the Today Show and she is just lovelier than ever. I only saw her working the crowd, I didn't get to hear her speak, but she looked so cute and grown up already!! I am in her fan club too, by the way.
Anyway, back to Freddie. I guessed I am at least temporarily condemned to watch kid movies until the boy grows up. I hope he takes his time though, he is such a little cutie!

Sunday, October 12, 2008

25 to 59

In 25 days I will be 59 years old. It is amazing how little I am changed inside especially compared to all the outer changes I've had over the years. I wish I could say I am wise and have learned all the lessons I need to be successful in life but that would be a lie and I gave those up a while back. I still feel as insecure and unsure as I did when I was in the seventh grade at times and I still feel as happy as a three year old at others.
The time has flown just as much as time has spread out endlessly before me. I wish I could remember all the times and things that made me say I'll never forget this. I was a kid, I had kids and someday my kids will have kids God willing. I have loved and lost and loved and won.
I have been selfish and generous. I've made good and bad choices. I've been healthy and I've been ill(though not for long thank goodness).
I've had friends and enemies. It seems funny to think that someone is your enemy but it happens. An enemy can pretend to be a friend but not the other way around. You can be your own worse enemy--believe me, I've been that. You can be your own best friend too but luckily I have someone else to fill that bill.
I have learned a lot of things. I used to think that sexual desire was as the same as love. I used to think that you had to have everything you wanted right then and there. I used to think that everything would go the way I always dreamed without me lifting a finger to get there. I used to think people all thought the way I do. I lived in my own little world and ignored what was real. Maybe all young people do that. Maybe I still do a little.
Hopefully, I have a long time left to learn those lessons that I haven't caught on to yet. Time will tell.

Friday, October 10, 2008

George and the Giant Unibrow

Well, I feel so much better now. The President just spent 5 minutes reassuring me that everything is going to be all right. If he just didn't have that unibrow of wrinkles across the bridge of his nose and the waves of worry lines across his forehead I might have believed him.
Where the heck has he been for the last few days?? It sure took him long enough to get out here and talk to us.
He obviously didn't take my advice about the (ahem) Botox. He looks like those furrows are growing by the month--that is about how long it's been since we've seen him, isn't it?? Five minutes of stilted reading from a script didn't do much to ease my worries.
Oh well, he won't be around much longer(I mean his Presidency is almost over). I hope the next guy gets out there and talks to us at least every week and more if needed. And I hope he doesn't choose a time to speak when most people are at work and couldn't hear his reassurances.
Not that we won't hear it a million times over on the news but you know what I mean?
George and his unibrow can't be out of there soon enough for me...but in the meantime, I plan on watching the progress of his wrinkles!

OHMYGOSH!!!

Have you seen the ad for women who get migraine headaches? A bunch of woman are carrying their heads in their hands! Not resting their heads in their hands--really carrying them. CG has gone too far. It is so gross I am happy I have always been able to fast forward through the ad. Who got that idea?? Probably one of those MadMen..did you ever see them on the show on AMC?? They are always drinking at the office--that might explain it.
Speaking of gross, how about that egg thing that razors off the thick skin on your feet?? I will bet my bottom dollar that no man buys that product. Only we women with the societal pressures to be pretty would fall for such an instrument of torture! If I got that thing I know I would have dire results. I never did well with a razor to shave my legs let alone my feet! I just saw them the other day in a store right next to that other gross product-those things you wear on the soles of your feet overnight. They are white but your feet turn them black overnight. Oh, yuck!! There's another product I would never want to use. I'm not sure if it would even really work but I don't want to find out either.
So I've spent part of this week getting grossed out by something other than politics!

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

You Gotta Have Friends

Well, my friends, what did you think of the debate? Don't worry, this little rant won't be filled with "my friends" as I (unlike John McC) can control my urges to use the same term over and over. Hence the "new" title of this article and Man Oh Man I, II III, and IV.
Seriously though, was anyone as distracted as I was by that red, red rug?? It gave me a serious headache. It was the only one who commanded my attention every time we saw it. The blue, blue walls held a close second!
The audience cracked me up too. They were so straight faced the whole time. Towards the end a lot of them looked bored stiff and anxious to get the heck out of there. I saw a lot of tapping feet and wringing hands but no yawns or anything like that to their credit.
McCain didn't look comfortable when he wasn't speaking. I don't think he knew what to do with himself. He didn't sit--that chair looked a little tall... He didn't stand still, and he roamed the stage. I just wanted to holler, "HOLD STILL ALREADY!!"
Obama could sit in that chair easily with his long legs and he looked at ease while McCain looked desperate. Obama was articulate but sometimes you could see him stumble in a search for some words that didn't sound too elitist.
And poor Tom Brokaw just held on to the two candidates by a thread. They were oblivious to time and his admonitions to contain themselves to the allotted time. You should have seen the poor thing this morning on the Today show!! He really looked beat and o-l-d. Poor guy.
So, my friends, the battle continues and we are one step closer to election day. Thank Goodness.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Blah blah blah

The next presidential debate is on tonight and I wish I could say that I am looking forward to it. I'm afraid that all we will hear is a bunch of rhetoric and no substance. The guy who steps up to the plate and says here is what I propose to do would be the winner in my book. Neither candidate will do that. They are too busy trying to make the other guy look bad. None of the television ads reveal any real plans and the vice presidential candidates didn't add anything new.
So will I watch it? You bet I will! I am an optimist and still hope that someone will speak out about the real changes they are able to make. I do realize that the President is just one man and he needs support in Congress to make changes but someone with a clear plan could get that support.
The American people spoke out about the bail out and some Congressmen listened. If we speak out maybe the candidates will listen and give us some viable changes outlined during one of these last two debates. Maybe it is too late for tonight, but there is another debate scheduled. SO tell your candidate what you want him to do. I'm going to. I want to hear how they will create jobs so people can pay their bills. I need to know that education is still a priority and that funds will be allocated for early education and that the NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND Act will be left behind and teachers can go back to creative teaching and students can learn instead of memorize. I need to know that the elderly and the poor are on the mind of the future president and that he will work to keep Social Security strong.
Hope is important but I don't want to just hope. I want a President of action who will change the things he can as soon as possible. I don't want people to have to go to a website. I want to hear him say it on national television in front of all of us. That is a promise, not these vague platitudes that they keep throwing at us.
Tomorrow I may be eating my words but I don't think so. If either candidate steps up to the plate, I will be pleasantly surprised.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Say It Ain't So, Joe Part 2

So the VP debate is over and nobody is happier than me, except maybe Joe Biden. He was confident and together but unfortunately so was his opponent. I don't really think anyone won...once again nobody said much I hadn't heard before.
I have to hand it to Palin. She is a quick study. She had been briefed in all matters and she had a ready answer for all. She was a little cocky but not like in her speeches when she was selected. I don't think she is qualified to be a VP but she did herself proud last night.
Joe (since she was allowed to call him that I guess I can) was also well prepared and he didn't run his mouth so much that he ended up saying something stupid(as he is famous for). He said all the right things and treated Palin with respect. Maybe too much respect... and not enough criticism. I would have loved him to ask what magazines she reads but Katie already's been there and done that. I'm just guessing she would have had an answer last night. I'm going with Time, Good Housekeeping, and Deer Hunter's Digest. (I made that last one up)
Anyway what really disgusted me was that after the debate the NBC News team felt compelled to have a "Truth Squad." They called both candidates on the carpet for not presenting all the facts on certain issues. I was shocked that they would do that(wink wink) and think it is a sad state of affairs that we need this Truth Squad. They probably had it after the Presidential debate too but we changed the channel before the debate was quite over.
As entertainment, the debate was below par. As information, it was below par. As a bore, it scored an A.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Miles to Go Still

I promise today is not about the presidential candidates. It's all about me. I have been going to the YMCA now for about 6 weeks and I am proud to report that to date I have gained 15 pounds!!!!! In only six weeks!! WHAAAAAT? I gained?? Oh, I know why--it is all the muscle I have developed. They do say that muscle weighs more than fat. That must be it-especially all the muscle that I gained AROUND MY WAIST!!!!!!!!!!
Here is my problem--when I didn't work out at all, I lost 30 lbs. and kept it off for almost a year. Ever since I started working out--oh well, you know. What happened to sweat equity. You should see the sweat I generate!! I walk on the treadmill at an incline of 7(I don't know what that means but it sure sounds impressive doesn't it?); I ride the bike at a resistance of 5(still don't know what that means either) and I am still fat--fatter than I've been in a while!
30 minutes, 4 days a week and yoga once a week... see why I am a little frustrated.
I don't wear any kind of fancy clothing and I hook up to the televisions so the time goes a little faster(except at Yoga) and still NOTHING!!!
It might have something to do with the food I've been eating but it couldn't possibly be that little bit of candy or apple pie I've let myself have, could it?? Are all the pleasures of life out of my grasp now? I don't eat a whole bag of candy or chips or soda with sugar. I only drink 2 glasses of wine and hardly ever more than that.
So do you think I'm giving up?? No, not me. I will continue to torture myself on that darn treadmill and the bike so at least I will be a bit healthy. I will try to give up the candy and the other treats but never permanently. I may be a little bit fat for the rest of my life but I won't be the only one, that's for sure!!

Monday, September 29, 2008

Miles to Go

Is the presidential campaign over yet?? It isn't?? Have these guys been campaigning for 2 or 3 years or is it just me?? Even Brian Williams is counting down the days. I think he was on 38 on Friday. He's kinda the "advent" calendar--make that the event calendar for NBC. I'm not sure if he is sad or glad that the days are diminishing...he's so professional!
Both candidates are getting on my nerves because they never say anything new. They never tell me what they'll do for me and my loved ones and neighbors. All they do is cat fight about old age and inexperience. I don't know about you but I get it already!
Didn't you think John McCain was going to call Obama a whippersnapper ???? It is so obvious the disdain he has for that young man. He was so angry I bet he ground his teeth down to nothing during the debate.
Governor Palin has faded a bit into the background as all good VPs seem to do. Although there is that marathon interview with Katie Couric going on and some farmer sculpted her face into his corn field(but you have to be airborne to notice that).... oh, and Tina Fey can't stop doing the impression of her. Can't wait to see Joe Biden take a bite out of her at their debate!! Personally I think she'll go for the same tactic as her running mate and just smile and grind her teeth. I'm hoping he doesn't call her a whippersnapper either. I don't know much about him but he seems to have a more folksy approach than recent Democrats so maybe he's ok. The VP doesn't do that much(or so it seems) but I hope he is a good guy and has ideas that mesh with my needs.
He seems to have had a rough personal life but he has been in politics a long time and has a sterling reputation as a statesman. He may have even been to Russia.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Random Thoughts

The whole debate left me cold. Neither candidate made any new points and I thought they both seemed extremely uncomfortable. And for once, John McCain didn't tick me off. Jim Lehrer did!! What do you think he was trying to prove? Don't tell me tell him...please, what is he , in the seventh grade?? I am no closer to admiring either candidate nor any angrier than I was in the beginning. I just felt the whole thing was uncomfortable and nobody ever said how this economy would effect their presidency.
Then I got an email about a bailout I could live with. The author(don't know who it was) suggested that every American over 18 be given 400,000 dollars and pay 30% tax on it. That way people could pay for their homes and have money left over to spend. The government would get a portion of the funds, the banks would be back in business, people could invest and pay off their debts. And it would cost less than the bailout the government is proposing. Now why isn't this guy running for President?? We could probably just have an acclimation vote--no ballots necessary!!
I know they say that money is the root of all evil but I think it is the mismanagement of money that is the real sin.
In a completely different vein, a new bakery opened up by us and it only has cupcakes(oh, a few other items but not many). I know cupcakes are very popular right now but I think for $2.25 each that they should be at least a tad larger than the ones I can make at home for $2.40 for 36 of them!! We went in to look today and I was not impressed. I didn't buy anything as I am planning on making an apple pie for dinner tonight but I'm not sure I ever will...might just work on my frosting skills and try to find the perfect recipe.
I got my first 2009 calendar from a charity this week and I can't believe how this year has flown. Why do these charities and Realtors insist on sending calendars?? I always end up with more than I could ever use and throw some away. Another waste of paper!!
We went for a healthy walk this morning as soon as we got up and then went to the Farmer's market for our weekly supply of corn, tomatoes, and homemade bread. I am feeling smugly healthy and I am embracing that feeling as yesterday I put on a pair of pants and could hardly zip them up!! Time to get back to work on the CheapO diet. Maybe be the time I really need that 2009 calendar I could be a little thinner!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Man, Oh Man IV

The weather here has been perfect as one could wish for--every day. Men have been outside cutting the grass. It is about 72 degrees or so and What's this?? Cutting Grass Guy has no shirt on!!?!?!?!??! I am not talking about a buff and beautiful young man, nosiree. I am talking over 50, beer gut swaying, kinda hairy totally unattractive shirtless guy. As I told my sister, MY EYES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Which brings me to the new Verizon ad where the father in a jumpsuit and NO SHIRT AND BEER BELLY picks his kid up from school. Now is it just me...I don't remember anybody in any club I was ever in dressed like that--even skinny. What are these people thinking?? Now that mother is no better but at least her flab is mostly covered up.
Which brings me to President Bush(speaking of covering up Yuk-yuk). Did you see him on television last night? The poor thing has such a row of wrinkles between his eyes it looks like he grew a unibrow! I hardly heard what he said because I couldn't take my eyes off of it! I wanted to laugh but I felt sorry for him too( I know I know). Maybe he should see someone about a little Botox.
Which brings me to Bill Gates. He was interviewed on the NBC news last night and you will be relieved to know that he is not worried about the present economic crisis. Oh, really?? You are just one of the richest men in the world, your job is not in jeopardy and neither is your pension. You have plenty of money for gasoline and groceries and all the other things your family needs so why in the he** would you be worried?? I guess it was supposed to make us mere mortals feel better about the whole thing if Bill Gates wasn't worried but it did nothing for me. Oh yeah, and for a guy with so much money why does he look like a 85 year old man already??
Which brings me to the Brian and Joe telethon. If you aren't local, they are a disc jockey team that raises money for Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital. A wonderful cause and I am all for raising money any way they can. But something Joe said just cracked me up and gave me the laugh of the day. He said that when someone cuts him off on the freeway, he just thinks "Oh, maybe they're on their way to Rainbow." And then he doesn't get so mad. Now , come on, Joe, you expect us to believe that ?????????? Give me a break.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Going Nuts

No, not me..I mean all the squirrels and chipmunks. And I don't mean collecting nuts either. What is it with Fall and those little rodents anyway? I just saw a chipmunk in the middle of the street -looked like it was just waiting to get run over. It was just standing there like it had nothing better to do. I have seen more run over squirrels in the last few days than I have in the whole summer. I really think they go a little crazy and forget how to cross the street. It must be in the frenzy to collect enough nuts--but all the nuts in the world don't do you any good if you're dead. I just want to shake the poor little things(although if a squirrel or chipmunk ever got so close that I could touch it I would be totally freaked out).
Anyway, I am on the look out for them because I don't want to run over any more squirrels...one was enough. I really do slow down for them. I am so fanatical about it that one time I slowed down and came to an almost dead stop for a chipmunk that turned out to be some brown leaves!! Well, it was windy and it was kind of moving...could've happened to anyone.
Do you ever wonder what squirrels are thinking?? I bet it's all about the nuts. I bet they are obsessed like someone on one of those crazy fad diets where all you do is think about food.
And what do they think when they are in the middle of the road like that? When they freeze?
"Should I go back or shouldn't I ? Should I or shouldn't I? I really need more nuts! Should I or shouldn't I?" Now imagine that in your best Alvin the chipmunk voice and real fast and a lot of heavy breathing and you'll have an idea of how I think a squirrel thinks.
No wonder they never say it's a squirrel's life!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

My Darling Daughter

Today is my daughter's birthday. I won't tell you how old she is. I don't think she would like that very much. She feels she is getting old fast and I think she is younger than springtime. Suffice it to say she is in her twenties.
I remember the day she was born. I was having induced labor so I had an appointment for Monday morning, September 21st. We watched an old repeat of the Jefferson's where there son's wife was having a baby and waited and waited...they forgot all about us and our 8 am appointment so Meg didn't arrive until around noon! That was the last time anyone ever forgot my daughter!! The anesthesiologist told me she aw a boy but the doctor scoffed and said OH NO IT ISN'T and I welcomed my baby girl into this world.
She has been a joy and a pain. She has made me laugh and made me cry. She is an actress and a truth seeker. She is funny and sad. She is smart and naive. She can talk your leg off and she can be quiet and pensive. She has a gigantic, expansive love for her family members. She is a shopper and a spender and a saver. She can laugh heartily and cry until she breaks your heart. She has a ton of friends and sometimes feels lonely living far from home. She has been my best friend and my worst nightmare. (Oh honey, if you ever read this, you were only my worst nightmare a couple of times and not for long.) She could make me feel guilty and she could make me prouder than I have ever been. She has been a playmate and a nemesis to her brother and now a great friend. She thought her dad was Superman when she was growing up and now she knows he is just human but she loves him just the same. She doesn't stand for bul****it but she knows how to sling it. She understands kids and that adults are just big kids. She is responsible and silly.
In other words, she is a human being.
We are really good friends. We like to shop and we can talk on the phone for hours. We can discuss Hollywood and films and fashion. We can discuss family crises and dissect the world's problems and solve them. Mostly, we like a lot of the same things. We always seem to be dieting at the same time and working out at the same time at the gym. I send her silly emails to her workplace to share with her girlfriends there and she doesn't mind--they all like it!
Her birth solidified my place in life as a wife and mother. Her brother taught me how love could be all encompassing and she taught me that there is always room for more love to take and to give.
Happy birthday, dear one. Hope it is the best yet.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Movie Mania-Spoiler Alert

Okay. What is up with movies?? I think I told you I watched The Pursuit of Happyness(sic) and how I thought it was so depressing until right at the end. Then did I tell you I watched No Reservations? Well, it was the same darn way. The sister of the dead woman gets to raise her child, does a crappy job, is more interested in her job as a chef than anything else, a nice guy likes her but she rejects him, hooks up with him and then spoils it, the kid runs away and then there is a happy ending. HUH???? I liked the actors but not together. I was a little sorry I watched it.
Yesterday, I watched Waitress with Kerri Russell. I always liked her and I heard that it was a "cute" movie. Well, she had an unwanted pregnancy, a controlling jerk of a husband who was a borderline physical abuser, she had an affair with her married doctor and worked in an underpaid job at a diner. (although she did manage to save 1200 dollars) Then in the last few minutes there was a happy ending.
Now I don't mind when movies try to be more life-like. I think it is good that the love interest doesn't burst into song at the sight of his girl and the girl doesn't spend all her time worrying about her wardrobe. But don't make a hopeless movie suddenly turn out all sunshine and roses. It just doesn't compute. I can't justify sitting through those movies just to have a churned out happy ending.
I know that The Pursuit... was based on a real person's life but still. Would it have been so terrible if Kerri Russell just went on with her normal life feeling better about herself with her baby at her side. She had to have the "happy ending??" I don't want to spoil it anymore than I already have.
Didn't the kid whose mom died in No Reservations have every right to have some issues?? Did they have to disappear in a fleeting 5 minute wrap up?? Couldn't she have felt better not have the perfect life from then on??
Don't show me trailers that make the movie seem like a piece of fluff(nothing wrong with those kinds of movies) and then depress me until the last five minutes of the film. Is it just me? Am I getting too old and I don't appreciate this generation of films?? I sure hope not. I hope this isn't a trend either. Serious movies are fine. Silly movies are fine. Happy endings are fine. Just put them together in a palatable way...I have to admit the two last movies did make me hungry though. Just another unwanted side effect. I'm fat enough as it is!!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Dr. House in the House

I never watch House. That Hught Laurie just never appealled to me and the whole curmudgeony thing got on my nerves. Last night however I caught about five minutes of it and in that time Dr. House said something that really struck me. He said "Almost dying changes nothing. Dying changes everything."
I had to agree about that. After having nearly bled to death, I have had that experience. And nothing did change. I was still the same person, although a shadow of my former self for a while. You don't lose that much blood and not have it effect you in some way.
But the world was the same and what I know is the same except for one vital thing. I know there is more to us than just this life. As I lay in the OR after rushing through the ER in record time(less than 5 minutes) before they put me to sleep my dad was with me. Really. I didn't see him as he has been gone from us since I was 24 years old but he was there as sure as I was. Steadily watching to see that no harm came to me. Reminding me to keep my feet planted firmly on this Earth as it was not my time to join him. I didn't hear his voice and I didn't feel his touch but the peace and contentment I felt came from him.
What a gift to be given. I wish I could say that experience led me to be a better person and to do good works and make humanitarian efforts but it didn't. I don't even think I am any nicer to any degree. It just made me a little surer ever since(for the most part) and a little less scared of what I think I should do in this life. The whole experience only lasted for less than a minute but it gave me a lifetime of hope. Oh,I still get angry and disappointed and critical--let's face it I'm only human!!
I won't watch House any time soon. One profound statement doesn't mean I am hooked on the show now. But I won't forget what he said any time soon either.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Coco La Fontaine

When we were kids my mom had a friend whose dog was called Coco. It was a brown poodle and it had quite the personality. If its owner was around it was a bouncy, cute, cuddly little thing. When the owner was out of sight, the dog became "Killer". That little dog could bear its fangs and scare the you know what right out of you and then when its owner appeared, she would bounce around and look all cute and want you to pet her. My dad named her Coco LaFontaine in a moment of hilarity (sorry, the details escape me now). One of my favorite pictures is my dad sitting with CocLaF sitting on his lap and he has his hands handily out of the way just in case she turns on him!!!
Well, her namesake, Coco Chanel, had her own biopic on Lifetime this week and I taped it so I could watch it in less than 3 hours. She was quite the little personality herself. She was coy and mean, she was smart and savvy, naive and trusting of the wrong people. She carved a place for herself in a world that did not encourage women to do anything but be a wife and mother. She wore pants(!!) before WWI and got rid of corsets and constrictions. She had one great love of her life who died on his way to reconcile with her.
Doesn't that sound like the most interesting movie?? Not really, it was kind of a snooze. The clothes were fabulous. It was funny to see some critic turn up his nose at the classic fringed Chanel jacket. And I did find out where her penchant for pearls came from. But the girl who played her was boring and Shirley LaMcLaine played her when she reentered the world of fashion as an old woman. They plastered so much makeup on Ms. McL and then shot so many close ups, I thought I could see her make up peeling off! Not a good look on anyone...I'm sure Mademoiselle Chanel would have been appalled.
Mon Dieu!! Can moviemakers get nothing right?

Monday, September 15, 2008

An Out of Body Experience

Not really. It was just so other worldly at the new Cleveland Clinic Heart Center! We took the tour yesterday at the invitation of our son who is the computer support for the entire building!! It is a technological wonder and so clean and white it seemed unreal.
There are robotic units for surgeries, 6 television screens(or monitors) in the OR so the doctor and his team can see what they are doing even better than ever and all the rooms are private with flat screen televisions. The daily necessities of the hospital are in cupboards so the patient doesn't have to stare at them all day. Everything has been planned and designed to make the whole hospital experience the least traumatic possible.
We saw the guts of the building where the air is recirculated for maximum health benefits and the water is cooled and the cafeteria's water supply is recycled and I don't know what else was hooked up. We went up to the roof where there is a panorama of the city for patients and their families to enjoy and plenty of space to relax.
There is a massage room where a patient can schedule a massage just for comfort's sake. The television monitors will have soothing pictures and music. If you have to be sick, this is the way to go!
The patients move over in two weeks and the first surgery is scheduled for Wednesday of that week. My son is moving over there on Wednesday of this week. As we traveled the building he was on the lookout for any computers that weren't working properly so he could get right to work. His office is in another building but hopefully that will be remedied soon. He is really excited to be working there as the building is a modern marvel. It will be a lot of work but he is ready.
I have to admit it was all a little surreal. Once you left the building it was like remembering a dream. We sat at the deli across the street and wondered at the experience. I always said that patients at the hospital and their loved ones had a surreal experience(hence keeping McDonald's at the Clinic --for a touch of familiarity) and now it will be even more so!
If you get a chance to visit(and I hope not as a patient or visiting a loved one) you should. It is an amazing place!

Saturday, September 13, 2008

This-N-That

Well, did you think that Charlie Gibson was this close to slapping Sarah Palin?? He could hardly contain his disgust. He didn't ask very many probing questions and she had the answers in the can.....as in canned responses. I loved it when he said he was lost in a blizzard of words. She did talk ALOT but she didn't say much if you ask me. She is a quick study though..I thought I could see her pageant training rear its head and I loved how she kept saying his name like that would help her !!!
I saw Tyler Perry on The View and he said "lipstick." I guess he didn't know the rule about not saying words that Sarah Palin said. I didn't hear any backlash about it so I guess he got away with it.
Speaking of The View, when are those babes going to stop yelling at each other and let each other finish their...pardon the expression, view????????? I used to enjoy watching the debate between the women and learned somethings sometimes. Now it is like watching Smack Down wrestling. Elizabeth believes anything a Republican says( come on, girl, get your own ideas), Whoopi looks uncomfortable, Joy is constantly frustrated because she can never finish a thought, Sherri looks desperately uncomfortable and Barbara is imperious. I want to watch less and less.
Remember the lady who said I was cute? Well, she and I talked about Cindy Lou for a short time. The woman told me she had to get her hair done once a week as she was on the campaign trail and had to look nice. So I kidded her that she had to keep up with Mrs. McCain(wink, wink) and she laughed and said doesn't she look like Barbie??? I said yep, OLD Barbie(since being a big Barbie fan I know she never ages). We had a good laugh over her outfit at the convention(the one that reportedly cost 300,000 dollars). I think that price might have been a little inflated...Perhaps one or two extra zeroes added on 'cause wouldn't that be dumb to wear something that expensive and over the top and still look like you were wearing duct tape??
There's a new version of The Joy Of Sex out and it has been updated for the "noughties." Don't confuse this term with the word naughty. It has nothing to do with that. That is the term that Yahoo! news used to describe the 00's. I wondered who would come up with some word to call this decade but that one never entered my mind. I've heard Willard Scott refer to the year as ought 8 but never the aforementioned "naughties." It just cracked me up.
Also heard that the number one single of all times is Chubby Checker's The Twist. I remember it was banned in the student lounge of my junior high school because it could lead to hip and back injuries. They failed to mention that it would happen IN OUR FIFTIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh well, it was a kinder, gentler time then.
Don't you just love sales?? I got a Kohl's flyer in the mail and got an extra 30% off coupon and I used it well. They hardly ever give you 30%--usually it is only 15 so I was over the moon. My daughter is the one who will get the lion's share of the bargains but that's okay. My sister and I had a lot of fun except for the soakers we got in the parking lot!!!
Well, enough rambling for now. I wouldn't want you to get lost in a blizzard of words!!

Friday, September 12, 2008

John, We Hardly Know You

I loved this!! You all know what a McCain fan I am!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEtZlR3zp4c
Enjoy!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Here, Piggy, Piggy

I cannot believe the brouhaha over this lipstick on a pig comment. How could anyone be so stupid as to think that Obama would make a crack like that about Sarah Palin?? How can the Republicans prey on that stupidity?
Somebody(a McCain supporter in spite of disliking Palin intensely(???????) couldn't wait to tell me yesterday about how Obama had called Palin a pig. I hadn't heard the story as it was the first thing in the morning when I was confronted but I said I thought that didn't really sound like Obama to me.
It was really interesting because on The View the other day, Whoopi said she hoped that Obama wouldn't say anything about Palin at all lest he be misinterpreted or something. And old( I mean young) staunch Republican Elizabeth Hasselback defended Obama saying he was too much of a gentleman to stoop so low.The very next day, I am hearing this story.
Anyway, the truth is that Obama was talking about McCain's policies and his kind of "change." He said that McCain's policies are the same as Bush's and calling it change was like putting lipstick on a pig---it's still a pig. I heard on the news last night that the Republicans went ballistic because Palin also used the word lipstick. Does that mean we can't use any of the words that Palin spoke? She was pretty verbose and that will really cramp my style--she said hockey mom and eBay and jet and bridge to nowhere and a lot of other stuff. Now nobody can repeat those words in any other context? They now belong to her and if we use them we are mocking her and calling her a...a...a.....bridge to nowhere??? See how silly that is?
And if her opponent wishes to use the same strategy, he could be saying that McCain is mocking him when he says "change." This could get going so that no candidate could open his/her mouth.
HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM....maybe I'm on to something there!!