Boo!

Ok....before I begin to talk about something really scary (the Bengals and Patriots game on Monday night) I must comment on the whole ghost thing!

Now I know it might be a bit freaky to think about the whole ghosthunting thing but this is something that I am really fascinated by. Personally....I have never seen a ghost.....ever. I have had friends who look so bad they are ghost-like.....perhaps even ghoulish........but I have never actually seen something from the great beyond. The ghost shows on TV intrigue me and the stories that people recall about being terrorized by spirits can be very unnerving. So I can't help but be fascinated by the whole paranormal phenomena. I am an Aquarius after all and we have eccentric interests so I am par for the course here.

There used to be a television show on called Haunted.....Haunting...something like that....from the UK that I really enjoyed. These folks would bring psychics with them to feel out the spirits even more and provide background information. They had all sorts of fun on that program.

Anyway.....I am slowly building the necessary equipment to catch some paranormal activity. Oh yes......no shoes.....but some nice electronic equipment that might provide some concrete results that these things are amongst us. So anyway.....more on that if something exciting happens.

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Ok......the Bengals play the Patriots on Monday Night Football. While in years past I would be excited about the prospects of kicking some Patriot-ass, I am not thrilled about this meeting. The Bengals (somehow) have managed to start the year with disastrous results. We are now 1-2 thanks to losses to Cleveland and Seattle. Just fabulous! Now we have the Patriots at home in front of a nationwide television audience and stand a good chance of being even more embarrassed.

It is my hope......that somewhere......from someones pocket....playbook....diary......we managed to pull together some plays, tricks, slight of hand........that allows us to beat the Patsies. Could it be that the Patsies will take us for granted after our last two losses and not bring their game? This would be my fondest wish because I would really like to be the one sending a voicemail to my Boston friends after a win against them.

This is probably the only game that I will watch with my eyes closed. GO BENGALS!

Who Ya Gonna Call?

Let me start by acknowledging I'm a skeptic about many things in life -- the 'paranormal' is just one more. See previous posts on religious upbringing for proof.

Let me also say I fully support individuals' freedom to choose and pursue any and all hobbies they like. Have fun. Really. That said...

Rita and another friend have a new hobby. They are going to chase ghosts. In graveyards. In peoples' homes. Really. Give them a call. They'll soon be appropriately outfitted and will be glad to check it out. Equipment is being purchased as I type.

*hum theme from ghostbusters here*

The root of all this was an opportunity for local folks to participate in a ghosthunting at a local courthouse that's 100+ years old and, being in Kentucky, was likely the site of all sorts of mischief. When they tried to register to attend, they found the event was at capacity and they were on a waiting list of some 85 people (!?).

The madness has ensued from there. Best as I can tell (since I chose not to join in last night's preview of the new Ghost Hunters TV series) they've actually purchased some sort of recording device, are looking into some other piece of ghost-spotting paraphernalia, and possibly even shoes. Spooktacular! It's not even October.

If you've had a ghostly visitor in your dwelling, share my skepticism or want to hang out with a non-ghosthunting kind of gal while her friends are in pursuit of.... whatever, let us know!

Dog Days

The cutie at the right is Bailey. Or Boodle. Or Schnoodle. She'll acknowledge any of them; acknowledge, but not actually come running. Unless there's turkey or a veggie chunk offered as a treat.

Obedience isn't a strong point, but unconditional puppy hugs and kisses are abundant. She's 11 now--past mid-life, but as a small mixed breed, ideally has a few or more good years left according to her friends the Drs. McBride.

That's a good thing, since I can't quite imagine my home without her. She's been scaring me this summer though. Not quite as fleet, though still a flight risk off lead, she occasionally seems lost in her own little world. And the seizure disorder she's had since age 4, if not longer, seems to be causing more frequent seizures. That scares her mama.

I'm trying to stay calm, track the seizures as directed by the vet, etc. But the documented occurence of three in the past couple of months has me concerned. I'll be calling the vet first thing tomorrow to report last night's seizure and discuss starting medication, scheduling a follow up appointment to last month's complete work up.

I hate to resort to drugs, but it's getting hard to watch her little eyes grow glazed and limbs seize up; I wonder if it hurts? Does she know? Is she scared? Fighting back the tears, resisting the anger that builds in me when I see her like that -- as if I or any other person in or now out of her life could change it.

All I can do is cherish the sight of her at the top of the stairs when I come in the door from work. Make room to cuddle her close at night. Play a good game of squirrel toss or rabbit retrieval when she asks. And keep looking the other way when her aunts, friends and grandparents doctor her kibble with yummy bits of people food.

Unconditional love goes both ways.

Random Thoughts

• Wow.....Barry Manilow speaking his mind and being kicked off "The View"! Seems he didn't want to sit with or next to Miss Elizabeth. According to Whoopie Goldberg, you don't want to sit with one of them then you don't want to sit with any of them. So he got the big axe. Never been a fan of Elizabeth Hasslebeck myself.........http://www.abc.go.com/daytime/theview/index
• I have resumed my South Beach diet routine in the last two weeks. Not that I deviated too much over the summer but I was not faithful by any means. I am back to the gym three days a week and trying to escape my cube at lunchtime to walk. This sounds impressive doesn't it? Just want to drop about thirty pounds and I will be content. The South Beach diet is a revised version of the Atkin's diet. This one concentrates on good carbs while eliminating the bad carbs. In other words......throw all of the cookies and bagels away and eat all the vegetables and meat you can hold. Yeeeehaaaa! :\
• I hear "If I Did It" is already in its second printing.
• The latest episode of "Survivor" begins tonight. www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor15 This season takes the show to China. I have to say I am losing my enthusiasm for Survivor. I think if they took a full year off and came back that would be just enough time away for me to want it to come back. I would like to see them survive in the frozen tundra.....just once. Now that would be a twist! All of the tropical locations are beginning to look the same......
• Looks like the Ladies World Cup Soccer team has a tough opponent on Saturday when they take on England. This will be very tough because those folks are given the ball at birth! Go get 'em ladies!
• And finally, this weekend we are going to do a little housekeeping on the blog. Its good to update things every now and again. Lyn has a few ideas that she would like to explore so you never know what might appear on Sunday!!!

REALity TV

Big Brother is finally over. I'm either aging out of my reality TV obsession or am just generally more easily troubled by some of these losers. So I'll ask a question -- why don't we ever see stereotypical middle-age or approaching that lesbians on these shows?

Wouldn't it be at least mildly amusing to throw a soft butch, ballcap-wearing dyke from the Midwest into the mix? Or even someone who makes us suspect they just might be that person. Not a femmed-out 20 something...

I don't know, the ad for the new Jodie Foster movie comes to mind. Sure, she plays a revenge-seeking bad grrl, but the image has certainly brightened up my Yahoo portal homepage the last couple of days. C'mon, be honest, I'm not the only one. (I may, however, have been the only one to spend a lunch hour reading the NYT in-depth analysis of why such roles work for Jodie). But I digress.

Adding an honest-to-goddess lesbian or two would vastly improve the competitions. And the potential for self-actualization, group process and drama of a whole new sort. And I think it has to be Big Brother. Not Survivor -- that's way too easy (and has been done. and done. and done.)

How about designing a season around a lesbian softball (volleyball, soccer, etc.) team? Even the average lesbian potluck gathering has been known to provide a season's worth of drama.

Hmmm. Nominees? Volunteers?

"The Killer"

I have resisted the urge many times to post a blog about "the killer" of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown-Simpson. Personally, I don't want to give the man any more media time than he deserves. Not that my little humble blog is going to matter but it is simply the principle of the thing. He does not deserve the publicity. So in order to blog about his recent stupidity, I will simply use the name that everyone knows him by......The Killer.

Apparently, "The Killer" decided to shake a few folks up in Vegas this past weekend by stealing "stuff" that rightfully belonged to him. Oh yeah....and he took a couple of thugs with him who brandished a weapon or two AND THEN he went on CNN and told his side of the story. Ooops!

Yeah.....well now he has been arrested for several counts of armed robbery and burglary all of which could account for him spending some time in jail...........if he is found guilty.

This just ends a tumultuous week for all of us who have had to walk down memory lane with the Goldmans and the Browns regarding the infamous book - If I Did It. If you have been living under a rock lately, the Goldmans won the publishing rights to the book so they can now do whatever they please with it. They have decided to publish the book with an "Afterward" about the trial. They seem to be perfectly fine with it. I think it is in poor taste and a disgrace to both victims. More publicity for "The Killer".

I don't disagree with the Goldmans effort in gaining the publishing rights, but I do disagree with publishing the book. It smells bad......really bad........and I think the Goldmans are looking at this a bit one-sided. Personally, I would have like to see them win the publishing rights and then have a televised manuscript burning......maybe on Larry King. If they want to get a last laugh on "The Killer", I don't think this is going to bring them a laugh or any peace. In fact, on Oprah last week, they acknowledged that it won't bring them any peace or money. (apparently they are only receiving 17 cents per book) Yeah....ok......so what is gained?

Look folks, there are children involved here and this book (according to the Oprah show) is not kind in its description of the killings or his description of his wife - Nicole Brown-Simpson. In fact, it is said that he paints a very derogatory picture of her. If there are lessons to be learned here, then why aren't efforts directed toward aiding the thousands of women who are battered every day by their lunatic spouses? I have yet to hear the Goldmans say that their 17 cents per book is going to go to a worthwhile cause. Let us not forget......"The Killer's" primary target that night was his ex-wife.

While I could go on and on about this, this will be my only blog on this topic because too much publicity, time and energy is given to this guy. We are 13 years removed from this tragedy and it continues to haunt everyone because we allow it to go on mercilessly. We all continue to tune in and watch the train wreck over and over again.

Commitment ceremonies

Otherwise known as marriage ceremonies, civil union ceremonies or life partnership ceremonies.......

For those of us who are gay and not living in a state where it is a legal and binding statute, it is a symbolic union of two souls. My question is...........if it doesn't carry any legal weight, why do it?

Many of you know couples who have been partners for over a dozen of years who have not taken the step of having a commitment ceremony in front of all of their friends and family members. I believe that one of the reasons that long term partners do not have commitment ceremonies is because their security with themselves and each other is well grounded. They have nothing to prove to anyone about their commitment to each other. The friends who surround couples such as these are well aware of their commitment and admire them for having the longevity and permanence that most gay and lesbian couples crave.

So then what is it about having a ceremony? Is it simply a "show and tell" event? Is it a way for one or both people in the relationship to overcome a insecurity? ("See I am lovable and we are together")

Now if you are going to say, a ceremony like this is a way for everyone to share in the joy of the couples new union together......I don't know if I buy that. As I said earlier, I know of a few long term couples and I have great admiration for their commitments to each other. It didn't take a ceremony for me to share their joy or clearly understand their commitment.

I think those who jump into commitment ceremonies in Year One or Two of their relationship are probably overcoming some kind of insecurity. Some kind of inner need to show everyone that they are committed instead of just letting things grow freely and naturally. Those that have commitment ceremonies early don't always have the relationship longevity that they hoped for in the beginning.

I have been in a relationship for two years and I am no less committed to her than I would be if we jumped in with a ceremony. I believe that the longevity of your relationship is a silent statement all to itself. What more is there to say?

So what say YOU? Have you been through a ceremony or contemplating a ceremony? What is your viewpoint on it? There are no right or wrong answers here...........only opinions.

Coach Beli-cheat

As some of you may know, it was reported this week that the Patriots used a video camera to tape the defensive plays of the Jets this past Sunday. Of course, the Patsies beat the Jets soundly 38-14.

NFL Commissioner Goodell is now investigating since it is a league rule that teams cannot use video equipment to tape the other team. Oddly enough.....as soon as Coach Belichick found out that his team was being investigated he issued an apology for the "commotion" that his team has caused surrounding the spying incident. Apparently, he has his own "interpretation" of league rules. Yeah.......whatever.

So my question is - is Belichick really a great coach because he is a mastermind of the game or is he simply great because he has to cheat to win? Talk about a no confidence vote on the abilities of your own team! YIKES!

One final word on this...........Come on down to Cincinnati boys and leave your video cameras behind. I would rather have you beat the Bengals honestly than to cheat to get the quick win!

TA TA!

^&*%$#@*&? Let's try...

... yet another course of physical therapy.

Thanks doc. But when will it stop hurting????

Like many of us 'of a certain age' I have a bad knee.

When I finally went back to the ortho a year and half or so after my last round of PT I thought for sure there'd be a magic pill/shot/outpatient surgery solution looming. Nada. Back to PT for another month to strengthen some muscle group I can't pronounce. Then we'll do another MRI and take it from there.

My slightly to considerably more athletic friends are laughing at my wincing and moaning, I'm sure. They wear their hard-earned knee/wrist scars with pride, sharing memories of the popping sound when they slid into second at every opportunity. This isn't an injury I've earned -- in fact, it's probably just wear and tear. Somewhat surprising since I didn't spend my youth and then some running up and down a court or sliding into bases. I did fall/jump/get tossed off of a good number of horses. And I've tripped and slipped on ice, sidewalk cracks and perfectly dry floors on and off for years. But that should add up a bad back, not chronic knee pain.

It's de-motivating. Why keep my self-imposed commitment to exercise more regularly when I know I'm going to spend the next day with an ice pack, popping OTC pain relievers and dreading the next trip down the stairs to take the dog outside.

What's really bugging me is the suspicion that the doc would be much more concerned about mending the 'slightly' torn meni-something and getting rid of the junk floating around in there if I was a serious athlete. Or even a not-so-serious MAN who spent his Saturdays on the golf course.

112 Days, 43 hours...........

..........until Christmas.

Yes yes I know. Summer is still hanging around and I am already bringing up that dreaded word.......Christmas!

Lyn and I had dinner last night with some friends and the topic of Christmas came up. You see...my friend has an enormous pine tree in the front of her new home and we all decided that it should be decorated in grand fashion for Christmas. My friend shares my enthusiasm for the holiday so I knew that the tree decorating idea would go over huge. Of course, what lesbian would not revel at the idea of climbing into a cherry picker to string lights?

Lyn calls me "Mother Christmas". She does not share my enthusiasm for all of the preparation leading up to the big day. Just to make this clear......I do not start decorating the day after Halloween like some folks. No no......that is a bit tooooo early. I am the "day after Thanksgiving" type of gal and that is still too early for some of my friends.

So as we all head back to work tomorrow......filled with joy that summer is practically over........there is light on the horizon. There will be joy in Whoville in less than 113 days..........

TA TA!