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!!

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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!!

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.

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?

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!

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!!

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!

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!!

HUH???

I had a busy day at work today. The Chamber of Commerce had a luncheon meeting and I registered guests. It was fun to put some names with faces and I got a few questions answered about a project I am working on.
I had spoken to some of them on the phone so it was fun to introduce myself to them and I even got to apologize in person to someone I accidentally hung up on.
Most everyone was in a jolly mood as they were off work for awhile and getting to do some networking.
The meeting was in the new building of the Bryant & Stratton College and it was their first day of school. I was set up right outside the bank of elevators(well, there were two) and young people just kept flowing out of those things non-stop. Of course, they all assumed I worked for the college and wanted to know where certain room numbers were(which I eventually figured out after about an hour), where certain classes were(Math and some Presentation class which I never figured out) and where the bathroom was(That was easy--they were in a hallway right by the elevators).
Everyone was really friendly and asked me why I was there and what was our meeting about and isn't it funny they had it on the first day of school? Everybody was a little nervous and a little lost so I guess it felt good to have a little conversation.
Anyway, one of our members told me I was cute today. I don't really know how I felt about that. After all, I am 58(almost 59) years old and although I was a cute baby and a cute college chick, I thought I had outgrown cute at least ten or more years ago. And it wasn't a man, so it wasn't a line. This woman really meant it. She said it twice. She loved my hair--Who did it?- I had to admit the color is by God and the cut is at Great Clips. She didn't believe me at first about the hair color. Like anyone would choose gray...I mean, silver. She loved my earrings and my cute outfit too.
At that point I really wished I knew I was going to be attending this meeting because I would have worn something different. I looked nice(remember she said I looked cute) but I was wearing capris and a white gauze top. I had a jacket too but it was too warm inside. I had pretty dangly earrings that looked a little southwest. I wouldn't have chosen them either if I had known I was going.
SO, next time I have to go to one of these things it will be slacks and a blazer and small earrings. I want to look professional, not cute. Oh, and by the way, this lady's husband is running for office--maybe that's why she thought I was so cute--a potential voter?? I know for a fact that potential voters are REALLY cute!

WHAZZUP??

So I don't really get these John McCain supporters. I met another one, a man this time, and we discussed the candidates. He asked me what I thought of Sarah Palin and proceeded to tell me he thought she was WAY TOO RIGHT for the VP choice.
Silly me, I thought that meant we could have a serious discussion about the woman and her politics but no, when I said I was pro choice, he agreed but then defended her speaking "style."
When he brought up her lack of experience, I said I didn't care for her comparing her mayorship with Obama's community organizer experience in such a condescending tone, he defended the fact that she made a good appearance.
Lucky for me, our conversation was interrupted because I was just about to point out what if McC(and I surely hope not) died in office?? Then we have President Palin, self professed anti-abortionist, Creationist, and hunter for his replacement. No choice, it has to be her.
OHMYGOSH!!!!! She does not seem like the reasonable, rational kind of person I want as my President.
I don't know how many changes a President can really make and I am not sure how fast changes can be made but what if she overturns Roe v. Wade? What if there are no abortions under any circumstances? What if your daughter is raped?? Is she supposed to marry the rapist??????
What if your daughter or sister would die if she carries the pregnancy to term?? Is that just supposed to be okay by us?
And what if gun owning becomes even easier than it is now? Don't we have enough drive by shootings as it is? Haven't enough husbands killed their wives and young kids killed one another accidentally because they found their father or mother's gun in an unlocked drawer or cabinet?
What if we all have to turn our backs on scientific evidence and say that the world was created in seven days? Now I believe in God and creation but I think seven days for God might not be seven 24 hour periods. I think God had a miraculous sense of creation and tried many combinations and used the forces he had at hand to create this amazing universe and all other universes. I just don't have a problem justifying God's creation of the world and scientific facts.
If someone believes that seven days were seven days then that is their right. We can all get along.
I don't want a president who is rigid. I want a leader who understands that with many people come many different ideas and that (s)he respects those ideas while having his own personal code. His code doesn't have to match mine but it has to be acceptable to me.
I want a president who can make decisions for all of us without his personal code being the only factor (s)he considers. I don't want his or her religion, personal rights stand or his hobby to influence his or her decisions.
I don't think that is so much to ask. Even ol' Rodney King said it, "Why can't we just all get along?"

Tim and I

I love Project Runway. I have loved fashion since I was a young girl and started making my own paper dolls because the ones you bought didn't have enough clothes. I used to make tiny ones and kept their clothes in a heart shaped box I got from Valentine's day. It was just a little box--about 6". I loved thinking of ideas and mixing colors and inventing prints. In junior high and highschool I took some art classes and once in a while I would draw a fashion figure and dress it. Fashion figures are fun to draw--they are long and lean and completely unrealistic. You still see one once in awhile in the Plain Dealer in the fashion section. Check one out some time and you will see what I mean.
Loving fashion as I do gives me critic rights when it comes to public figures. You know what I thought of Hillary and her pantsuits(Needs help) and how I thought Cindy Lou looked like a paper doll. I drew this conclusion from many years experience with paper dolls, I'll have you know. And now, Tim Gunn, my favorite gay fashion critic and guru, said Cindy Lou looked like she was dressed in duct tape. I love it--Cindy Lou is stylin' but it is stiff and unapproachable. She needs to loosen more than the hairdo. Actually she looks better with the stiff French twist because her hair is so thin.
Now that Tim and I are of one mind, maybe I could get a job with him on Project Runway. I could be his assistant. I can come up with some other phrases for him besides.."make it work" or "you've still got a way to go." I could just whisper ideas into his ear. If you don't speak on television I don't think they have to pay you as much. Something to do with unions.
I could wear all black(maybe it would make me look a little less fat) or even better, the contestants could dress me. Now that would be a real challenge.
Think I'll start my letter to Tim today. He needs to know I'm here for him.

All's Quiet

No more conventions. I am not planning on paying any attention to the presidential campaign until the first debate in three weeks. I could use the break, couldn't you? I will miss a few things though.
I will miss Cindy Lou and her paper doll wardrobe the most. Did I ever tell you I thought all her clothes were so stiff it reminded me of paper dolls? I am not saying she doesn't look nice. She does. After all she is a size 0 and has blond hair. She is our ideal Barbie, I mean woman, Right??
I did see her on the news last night and guess what?? Her cast is back on. Apparently she just had it off for her personal appearances at the convention. It looked bigger than ever and it was that lovely shade of pink that is so popular in casts these days( if you are in the fourth grade!!).
I will miss all the kooky hats that the conventioneers felt obliged to wear. I saw straw boaters, elephant hats, Uncle Sam hats, USA hats, headbands with elephant ears, and a host of others. Why do people wear hats at these things anyway? Maybe they just get caught up in it and buy them there and get home and go Why did I buy this?? I used to do that on vacation sometimes. You buy something that seems so cool in Hawaii or California or Sandusky, OH. and then get it home and kick yourself and it is in your next garage sale for a quarter.
I will miss the Daily Show coverage of the conventions. For the most part, it was hilarious. I get a little tired of them at times and sometimes I think they go too far and then it isn't funny. But the comparison of Fred Thompson to Foghorn Leghorn and Joe Lieberman to Droopy Dog was brilliant. I laughed my a** off! You know how much I love Foghorn anyway and how much I detest Joe Lieberman so it was really dear to my heart.
Now there is someone I won't miss. Good Ol' Joe. We sure dodged a bullet on that one. But don't kid yourself that he's out of the picture. I told you before that if John McC wins, Joe will be skulking somewhere just off camera if he doesn't get some post on the cabinet. Be afraid, America, be very afraid.
Anyway, I will have a little breather now and I can concentrate on other important things..like my soaps and I have the giant biography of Gandhi to read that his grandson wrote. SO maybe my path to enlightenment will pick up with the reading of that tome and maybe my brain won't turn to mush if I watch my soaps. It will be good to get back to basics!

Another Day in the Life of the Convention

I'm not saying I have changed my mind but I thought that John McCain's speech was very interesting. I never heard anything much about his time in Viet Nam and it was moving to hear him tell the story. He was good natured although the crowd seemed to get a little rowdy and there was the one woman who seemed to be a little riled up but he waited for her to be escorted out and just kept on going.
I still don't like how he embraces military answers to world problems and I still wouldn't vote for him on a bet but I feel more like I used to about him before I heard his Oklahoma speech. He sure seems happy that he chose Sarah Palin for a running mate but I think that is more about the enthusiastic response for her from the floor than about her as a person.
I have been wanting to make a crack about Cindy McCain tied to Cindy Lou Who but I never came up with anything good enough to write but now it is a moot point as Cindy McCain is CindyLOU McCain. That's her real name. Oh, well, that is funny enough for me. She made a pretty good speech--she coulda been an actress and she had the whole thing memorized(or it seemed so to me). She had on another one of those stiff outfits but I've decided she is wearing them to protect her little skinny body so nothing else gets broken. One arm per campaign has to be anyone's limit.
Speaking of clothes, I think she picked out Sarah's suit too. It was stiff and pewter gray and a little shiny. Business like but a little dressed up to....a little royal too but then that's just me. John McCain was wearing a wonderful suit that was tailored impeccably and made him look.... well, rich.(I'm just saying).
No Bushes or Cheneys in the house so McCain was able to freely say a few things. Like how the party needed to get back to their real values and focus on what is important. I hope he really really means that just in case he wins the election.
I met a McCain lover at the dentist yesterday and we kinda got into it over Sarah Palin and Cindy Lou(yes, I'm always going to call her that now). I told this schmuck that I didn't agree with Palin's philosophy of raising kids i.e. letting her 17 year old marry an 18 year old and letting her 19year old be sent off to war... my opponent totally agreed with me but she still liked her. OH no, McCain's campaign is right....some women will vote for him now just because Sarah is a girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could barely hide my disgust for this woman so it is a good thing it was time for the dentist to stick his hand in my mouth!!

Que Sera, Sarah

Well, I have heard enough about hats from the Republicans. They were all exchanging their Republican hats for their American hats(?) to support the victims of Gustav. Cindy McScarecrow and Laura Bush were their cheerleaders. I can't say I blame them. Did you see those Republican hats?? Elephant heads on your head is not the most serious look. Unfortunately, the American hat is a soft version of Uncle Sam's chapeau and looks pretty silly too. They keep falling over and look a little defeated. I think they need to stop thinking about hats and go bare headed.
Anyway, yesterday was Sarah Palin's speech. It was our first look at the "real" her. I only have one thing to say...........''MY EYES!!!!!!!!!!" This is a woman who is sending her 19 year old off to war(no t that I don't respect a young man who has decided to serve but he is so young), her 17 year old off to a marriage to a kid who doesn't want kids and whose husband had their 8 or 9 year old hold the new baby so he could bow....a lot. Then he left the baby with the kid!! The camera caught her smoothing her baby brother's hair down by spitting on her hand and smashing it down--the kid's a natural. She best be in training now as she'll be married before she knows it. The camera also caught her picking the baby's nose. Now that is above and beyond the call of duty.
I didn't care for the mocking tone of Ms. Palin's speech and her insinuations about her opponents. What are the issues and what are your plans?? Beside the war and wedding stuff.
And what was Cindy Mc wearing??? The clothes she had on last night looked like a tent tied with a big bow--that is a bright green tent. It looked stiff and uncomfortable--come to think of it , a lot like her
Mrs. Palin has a lovely family and they appear to be happy and "just like" the rest of us. But appearances can be deceiving.
My advice to Ms. Palin is don't try to wear too many hats--one might just slip off and reveal the truth.

An Inconvenient Convention

The Republicans are trying to have their convention and there have been a couple of problems. First, there was Hurricane Gustav. McCain said he didn't wan to be celebrating when people were suffering. Now, I never thought of a convention as a celebration. I thought it was about the business of agreeing on a platform and affirming your party's candidate. I know some of it is fun for them but really? cancel for a storm? I was a little surprised. Whatever. They did have a shortened version of the convention on the first day and Cindy McScarecrow and Mrs. Bush made an appearance together to ask the convention to support the victims of the hurricane. However it might have been more effective if Cindy didn't have on a dress that looked like a queen's gown(someone near and dear to me noticed the similarity) and Laura didn't look like the queen of England next to her but again I say whatever.
Second, President Bush wants to make an appearance and the party is hesitant so they finally gave him 8 minutes of a remote from the White House. Pretty funny that even his own party doesn't want him anymore. They prefer his wife....don't we all? However I did hear that 70% of Republicans still think Bush is doing a good job. THEY DO??????????????
Third, protesters are everywhere and they are so wild and crazy that the police have had to use tear gas and make arrests. These insane protesters are against, are you ready for this?...... POVERTY! How dare they?? Poverty is a necessary evil and if you are poor you should just pull yourself up by your bootstraps(as Obama says, even if you don't have any boots..he was being sarcastic).
Tonight Sarah Palin makes her speech. Yikes, she's got a lot of 'splainin' to do!!! I can hardly wait!!

Three Sheets to the Wind

Remember my satin sheets? Well, now I have tie-dyed sheets. Not on purpose though. I stripped the bed today and decided to wash and bleach the mattress pad and then I thought what the heck I'll put a little bleach in the water when I wash the sheets.
My once blue sheets are now pink, blue and lavender with a dash of white! Sure glad it wasn't my good clothing. SO now the fun is to see if my husband even notices the difference. I'm betting he doesn't notice unless he reads this blog entry.
Sometimes he reads me religiously and other times he gets to wrapped up at work and doesn't have time. Wonder what it will be this week?? It was a holiday today so maybe he will have a little spare time tomorrow at work. We shall see.
Anyway, I remember when we used to tie dye shirts for Bible School and some of the teachers at our school did it for field day too. What a mess, but what fun. I never tie dyed anything for myself though. I wasn't much of a crafty person back when tie dye first came into popularity.
Anyway, I quickly made the bed today, turning down my husband's offer of help just for the fun of seeing if he notices. Don't you sometimes think you could put on those plastic glasses,nose and mustache things and your loved ones wouldn't even notice?? I think that about my husband sometimes since he hardly ever notices any changes in my appearance. Not that I have changed that much recently but you know what I mean.
He and I did notice the change in Cindy McScarecrow though. The cast is off!!! Just in time for the convention. Nobody better touch her or try to shake her hand again. She can't afford to break it so soon. SO hands off, you Republicans. Just nod and say hello,Cindy and keep your hands to yourself!!!!!!!