The L Word

Ok.....we now know that this pitiful season was not a dream and that next season is indeed the last season of The L Word.

Last night's episode was a good one. While I was happy to see Helena come in and save the day with "The Planet" I was struck by the sense of pity I had for Jenny when she walked in on Shane and Nikki. Yes yes I know.....I am the one (along with countless others) who thought Jenny should be killed off in some freakish movie set accident because I was simply fed up of all of her "big headed" antics. I did feel empathetic when she walked in on those two "in action". It was Shane at her finest but I never thought she would do it to Jenny. I think in those types of situations there really isn't much thinking going on period.

So now what could in store with Season Six? I surely hope that the last season is filled with some creative writing moments with storylines that don't teeter on the edge of lunacy. Let's get back to the basics. I hope they can end the season with a few surprises but with closed chapters so that we are not all sitting there wondering what more could have been.

Sunday evening ramblings

I was reminded today that I haven't posted in awhile. Not that I needed that reminder because I was fully aware that I just didn't have anything intriguing to blog about this week.

But alas......last night was the Springsteen concert. I was very impressed. He is quite the act on stage for a 58 year old man. The crowd at the concert was much as I expected - 40 to 55 year old people. There were a few under 30 who attended with their parents. It was quite nice to see dads and sons or nuclear families all enjoying the music of a legendary songwriter. I would suspect that most of the 80's bands (Styx, REO Speedwagon, The Police, etc) have similar age group attendance when they perform special shows from time to time.

Overall it was a great show. He played most of the songs from his new album, Magic. I highly recommend that you take a listen to this compilation. The whole "E-Street Band" sound is unmistakable. It's like a walk down memory lane. Anywhoooo.....he had a four song encore (which was a tad bit disappointing since his other shows had five or six) which really rocked the house. He started with Glory Days then moved to Born to Run, Dancing in the Dark and ended with American Land. While he had audience participation throughout the show, the arena was more alive during the first three songs of the encore. All in all a job well done.

Today I enjoyed a Easter brunch at my mothers and then spent the afternoon working on some small projects around the house. What is it about a sunshiny day.....despite the temperature....that makes you just want to get out and start those Spring projects. It was a bit chilly here and I have been begging Mother Nature to begin the "warming up" process. Hasn't the first day of Spring passed or was it today? (sigh) I am not asking for much here....just a little warm up so I can really get started with my plantings, landscaping, and garage reorganization.

Those who were suggesting that I post something may be disappointed in this rather mundane post today. Ahhh well.....this week will surely prove to be a lively and busy week for me and I know that I will not have to look far for more entertaining fodder.

TA TA!

Six Word Memoir

Thanks to Martini Cartwheels for tagging us with this interesting task on a Saturday night!



The Six Word Memoir
The rules are:
1. Write your own six word memoir.
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like.
3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post.
4. Tag five more blogs with links.
5. And don’t forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!



Who needs carb free foods anyway?

Misadventures of Oscar

This gives new meaning to the term "cathouse" methinks. The cat tent was a present from Lyn to the cats for which she is highly allergic.


I really didn't know which one would settle into it - if either one of them would at all! Oscar is attracted to boxes and bags so it was kinda expected that he would claim this as his own.

Campaign mutterings of the week

This has been an interesting week in the Presidential campaign - for the Democrats that is. The Republicans are snoozing on the back porch while Hillary and Barack duke it out.

A couple of observations that everyone surely is seeing and hearing on the news. It appears that the vetting of Barack Obama in this campaign is starting to kick into gear. After hearing nothing but good words about him for the last year, we have begun to hear some smatterings of typical campaign jabbing that all candidates running for office are expected to endure. Geraldine Ferraro had a few things to say about the potential biases and then of course the pastor of Barack's church was outed for his controversial sermons at the pulpit.

Now what I don't like to see is the race card being played every time something is uncovered in Barack's past (or present) or when he is criticized. I think we have seen Hillary criticized as much as she can possible be criticized - and God knows there is probably more out there that someone can dredge up - but to avoid discussing or criticizing Barack's shortcomings or past political decisions just because he is an African-American is wrong. He is to be judged by all of his outstanding achievements as well as his mistakes - fair and balanced.

This is what running for office means folks. Your clean laundry and your dirty laundry are hung out for the world to see. It is showcased in the political ads and debated among every political talk show host on every political program. No one is safe when you are running for office. We have to get a grip here. If we do not know about his failures or shortcomings then we cannot make a valid decision at the polls.

Which brings me to my next topic. There is such a close race going on between Hillary and Barack why do we think that the Hillary supporters will rally behind Barack - or vice versa - when it comes to the general election? I am growing fearful that these two "history defining" candidates are SOOO big that it may just land a Republican back in office. Those conservative independents that may have voted for Hillary in the primaries may not vote for Barack in the main election.

Whomever lands the Democratic nomination is going to have a tough road against John McCain anyway. We don't need the divisiveness occurring in our party right now. Speculation abounds about who Hillary or Barack will choose for their running mate. I am not sure that Hillary can win without Barack nor could Barack win without Hillary.

Now McCain is an old man. He cannot win a foot race with Barack or Hillary. However, he has several months to prepare himself for a race against either of the Democratic candidates. He will strike hard. I am not so sure that the Democratic run for office has not gotten so out of hand that we have forgotten why we are doing all of this. I am not so sure that Barack Obama has the intestinal fortitude to win in a general election based on the last year of campaigning. The snowballs that he has been thrown are not the same balls that he will be thrown if he is the nominee.

The fact that he has had a pretty easy time of it thus far could end up hurting all of us if a Republican is elected into office again.

The Sum Total.

... of Lynt's IKEA excursion =

1 pr. salad tongs
1 utensil container
1 lazy susan
1 cat container...

Well, it's really a cat hiding place/tent. It just sounded more in keeping with the decidedly kitchen theme of my purchases to have you visualizing a cat in, well, a container.

But I digress.

That's sort of how my IKEA grand opening trip left me feeling. Distracted. Random. Like a cat pawing at a shiny toy one second, then, hey, there's another one.

But there was one thing missing.

No Abba.

IKEA

Well....tomorrow it happens. IKEA has its Grand Opening in Cincinnati. There is certainly a lot of hype surrounding these stores and I just don't know what the fascination is exactly. I have heard stories about people who have traveled across the U.S. just to shop in one. These stores are the Swedish answer to what? WalMart? KMart? Costco? I hear they sell everything from beds to Swedish meatballs........yeah....it figures right?

I am a bit bemused by it all.

On the other hand........Lyn cannot wait to enter those blue and yellow doors. She yearns to stride slowly up and down the aisles without her pesty girlfriend saying...."Can we go now?"
Ahhh yes.....I can see her now........eyes glazed over, drooling slightly and tightly clinging to her 10% off coupon. Hopefully in this condition she will not be run over by some small child whose mother decided that it was a good idea that her youngster skip school on this day.

However there is hope. Since all of the furniture must be assembled, I am hoping that her shopping will be constrained to meatballs and perhaps a decorative lamp. You simply cannot haul very much in a four door Honda coupe. But alas.....I am sure that she will take down ample product numbers so that we can both make the pilgrimage back to the store over the weekend. (sigh) There may be no winning for me with this one.

Ahhh well....it is her birthday tomorrow and because it is "her day" she is entitled to make the best of it........especially on a Wednesday. (I hate birthdays in the middle of the week)

So if you have ever shopped at an IKEA and you can fill me in on all its wonder, please do. I really am amazed at what is occurring with this store. They are currently camping out in the store parking lot and standing in line as we speak.

Who does that?

Girls just wanna have fun

Ohhhhhh....and how much fun it will be with the True Colors Tour happening this year in a city near you. The HRC and Cyndi Lauper team up to produce this musical event to raise awareness of GLBT issues during this election year.

It seems like a very good show. Rosie will be headlining along with the likes of the B-52's, Indigo Girls, Joan Jett and countless others. I have a feeling as this show makes its way around the U.S. we will see other entertainers making surprise appearances as well.

It is a 24 city tour and the closest it gets to Cincinnati is Chicago or Atlanta. All of the major cities are well represented in this tour so there should be ample opportunity to plan ahead for a little road trip. Check it out!

Snow related ramblings

Blizzard. This is one word that you don't hear very often in Ohio, Kentucky or Indiana but we have been hearing it for the last 15 hours on the news. To my friends in the Northeast.......it is well on its way to your door. If they are calling it a blizzard here I can't imagine what this system will be like when it is full blown in Massachusetts and Maine.

I think I have at least 6 inches in my driveway that must be shoveled at some point. We are supposed to get another 3 or 4 inches by 4pm this afternoon. I am not so sure of this based on the current radar picture. Its really not the snow that is the big issue - its the winds. Brrrrrrrr They cut right through ya.

It ain't all bad though. I am in the process of making a big pot of chili and that will cook for few hours while I shovel and continue some "marthafication" updates around the house. Speaking of chili, I bought into a quarter of a steer with my family and now I have enough meat to make 30 pots of chili this year alone. So not having enough food through this is not an issue. Mooooooo!

At some point I will go over to Lyn's house today and shovel her drive and walk because she is holding out for the HOA to do this chore for her. "This is what I am paying them for", she says. It doesn't happen. One day I am going to end up flat on my back in her drive, unconscious and she won't realize it until the time she takes the dog out for a walk - which could be hours after I whacked my cranium against the concrete.

I had thought that this wasn't all bad..........now I am thinking that there is indeed a serious health risk if I leave my house. I think I will just stay home and eat chili..........

What's wrong with this picture?

Nothing. It is a picture of "business as usual", a routine "changing of the guard" and "the status quo".

Bush and "Bush the Sequel" shaking hands in the Rose Garden today after Dubya endorses his Republican twin for our next president.

Nothing good can come from John McCain becoming the next President of the United States. The quick sand that we have been stranded in for the last eight years will get thicker and deeper and will consume every last drop of air left in the lungs of our American society.

Take note of this picture and remember long and hard of where we were and what we have become as a nation since Dubya took office. His endorsement of McCain means more of the same until 2012.

The Boss

Bruce Springsteen

Surely the name conjures up one or two songs almost immediately even if you aren't a fan. I mean the man has had umpteen albums across a 30 year span so there has to be one song that comes to mind when you hear his name.

I was in college when his most popular album (yeah....albums. Go Google it.) Born In The U.S.A. hit the airways. I hadn't listened to it in a long time when it came on Sirius last week. Sooo many hits on that album. It was also our first introduction to Courtney Cox. As you recall she was the babe that Bruce pulled up on stage during his video "Dancin In The Dark". Yeah...now how many of you thought.....hmmm...she's a cutie. And the whole swinging of the arms back and forth to the song.....good gawd....bad dancing at its best.

He comes to Cincinnati on March 22nd with the E Street Band. Lyn and I have tickets. This is my first Springsteen show but I know that I will not be disappointed. Love him or hate him you have to admit he is a legend in the music industry. We could make comparisons all night against some of the greats but I think most greats have a place all to their own. Music genres are different and the times for which the music was hot based on society makes a difference.

He is one of my top five songwriters of all time. So this month I am dedicating my normal blog video selection to some of his new stuff - his Magic cd is great - and some of his classic old stuff.

What is it about some songs that take us right back to a certain place in time? He certainly has a wide variety of music that everyone is bound to remember just one..............

Security for Dummies? @$@#%&^!

...or weekend rant.

Ri thinks I'm using Working The Room for ranting and humor, and leaving my serious posts for Late Night Latte. Not true. I just happened to mention my recent online security challenge to Ri this morning and her reponse gave me pause. Rewind...

So I get up early, go the gym, settle in to pay some bills. Maybe, joy of joys, even pay off a credit card. Thus begins the quest for online account balance information with one of THE largest banking giants out there, which happens to own my mortgage and, oh yeah, the credit card with the good interest rate.

I've been a customer for at least the four-plus years I've had the mortgage, but never really felt the need for online access since it's not my everyday bank. And yes, I do realize I could have simply picked up the phone and accessed my balance that way. But no, online CONVENIENCE.

So the process goes something like this:

1) Find web address on back of card. Go to site.
2) Determine which of the many account access options I need to pursue. Click.
3) Read the login screen, determine that no, I didn't forget or lose my username and/or password -- I never had one. Click.
4) Create user name -- but first, read instructions regarding online security. Create username that is so complex I will never actually understand how I created it.
5) Link it to account number and enter access code. Access code? What the heck? Click link for detail.
6) Choose how I want to receive my access code: phone call, text message, or e-mail. Phone call/text being the only option guaranteed to grant me immediate access. Okay, choose phone.
7) Which number? Home phone? Work phone? Or one of the three choices I don't recognize, but which may, in fact, have belonged to me at some previous point. How do they know this? Hmm. Choose home. Click.
8) Promised access code to be delivered by phone in less than 2 minutes. Rinnnnnng. Access code retrieved. Could that be right? Hit 1 to repeat this message. Ah.
9) Input access code and choose proceed to password creation, step 3 of 6.
10) Warning -- this program is not compatible with Windows Vista... go back, go back.
11) Crap. Your access code is now expired. Four screens later... choose how you wish to receive your access code. Oh. My. God.
12) We're sorry, that access code is already affiliated with another user name. Yes! Me, dammit.
13) Click on Need Help? Yes, or have some wine. But it's only about 7:45 a.m. so that may not be a good idea.
14) Wait... what's that? I can create a password. But remember, it must be blah, blah, blah. It's more than 15 characters -- does that work for you?
15) Password accepted. A full 40 minutes AFTER I started this process. By this time, I no longer care what my balance is...

...but I do decide to share my annoyance at this system, and what seems to be a bit more complicated security effort than would seem necessary, with Rita.

Her reponse, creator of IT/data process/management something or other that she is, is basically that it's our own fault, we, the bank users of this world, demanded security. IT folks responded. So live with it.

URRRGGGHHH.

My life as an M and M

It is frightening what we can do these days. Try it for yourself at the M & M page.

Spring?

For those of us who have to endure six more weeks of Winter as proclaimed by "The Groundhog", I offer this pictorial interlude that reminds us that even though we are digging out of 12 inches of snow, there is still a piece of the world that looks just like this.....

Local Hillary sighting

Yes.....Hillary made a stop in my hometown of Cincinnati this past weekend to rally the troops. Special thanks to Alicia who was a mere five rows from the Senator when she snapped this picture! "Hill" looks quite jovial don't ya think?

Tonight we are going to endure one more debate between Hillary and Barack in Cleveland. Cleveland? The "mistake by the lake" Cleveland? Um ok. I am trying not to let my Southern Ohio roots show in the form of some piddly state rivalry but it is what it is. It is Cleveland folks.

I have heard that this is the twentieth debate for the Democrats. Does that even seem possible?? 20 debates? (sigh) I guess it is true.

I am still straddling the fence between Barack and Hillary. I would love to see a woman run the White House but I am in some kind of campaign angst with the recent poll numbers that say Barack has a better chance of winning against McPain. Something tugs at my heart and says.....that is probably true.

One more debate.....one more chance for Hillary to shine.....and shine big. This IS it.

Idiocy=Nader

Webster defines Idiocy as:

1. utterly senseless or foolish behavior; a stupid or foolish act, statement, etc.
2. Psychology. the state of being an idiot.

All terms for which I would describe Ralph Nadar on this day.

If you haven't heard, Ralph Nadar has decided today (not months or weeks ago) to run for President. I would like to remind everyone who was a legal voter in the 2000 election just what happened when Nadar through his hat into the ring. Dubya beat Gore by a handful of votes. It wasn't all Florida's fault! Thousands of votes were wasted on Nadar's empty campaign that was bound for nowhere. These were votes that were Gore's....plain and simple.

This is a low-down, rotten political move. I have to wonder if Ralph Nadar is simply just in the pocket of the Republican Party......a wolf in sheep's clothing so to speak. I can't honestly believe that it could be anything else! The man has no chance in winning and we know that the votes spent on him could be going to a viable candidate. I really don't care if those votes would go to a Republican instead of a Democrat. As long as they are not wasted on him and his useless cause!

Now....I fully understand that this is the society in which we live that allows this to happen. God Bless America. Our justice system is also supposed to be fair and we have seen from time to time that its well-intentioned system can backfire on us as well. So I really am avoiding the whole "Free democratic society" discussions here.

So to those who choose to support him, it is a free country. But remember, you will be wasting your vote on an individual who stands no chance in reaching the White House. Your vote for Nadar throws votes to a Republican candidate who will continue to reinforce the current value system that already resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Comfort food

Just mention the words "comfort food" within a small group of women and you will be inundated with a variety of non-heart healthy, cholesterol laden tasty treats. What is it about comfort food that just catapults us somewhere else? Whether it takes us back to our childhood or to a restaurant down some back alley, those special food items can cure us of "whatever" on any given day.

For some it may be meatloaf and real mashed potatoes, homemade chicken soup, deep-dish lasagna or maybe even a tuna casserole. In any case it brings us to a peaceful place where indulgence is OK!

What is your favorite comfort food?

New toys.

No, not those kinds of toys.

Rita's been on a home improvement buying spree. New microwave. New washer and dryer to go in her newly re-modeled (with a folding shelf!) laundry room. Sorting shelves and baskets for the pantry. And like any good lesbian, some sort of gadget sorting/storage device for the garage wall.

As you may have caught on from her marthafication post last week, she's really into this home stuff all of a sudden. She's got the online room looking pretty spiffy too.

It's an obsession. Tonight she was planning a laundry-room-warming sort of party -- something about dump in the fabric softener, do a shot.

She thinks I wasn't listening closely because I was busy working/weather watching/debate watching. But I was. And now I'm scared.

Luckily, my weekend will be spent speed reading the rest, er, okay, all of Eat Pray Love (LOVE EAT PRAY?) for a Sunday book group.

But I'll drop some laundry by.

Cheese, coffee and the Hula

Quite the combination, wouldn't ya say?

But this is what its all about tonight - 150 delegates available in Wisconsin, Washington and Hawaii. Doesn't just saying "Hawaii" make you feel warm? I digress.....

I really should have taken a poll early on to see where everyone's head is with the whole presidential election thing. In recent weeks, in talking to many lesbians about the upcoming elections, I have heard mixed reviews. I have heard from a lot of Democrats and I have heard from some Republicans. It has been interesting to hear the viewpoints of other women. Sometimes the conversation is just like pouring gas on a fire.....the discussion is lively and the views at the table are strikingly similar. In other cases, I stoke the fires slowly so that the ladies don't spontaneously combust in five seconds. Yeah....they are that passionate.

My chance to vote in this circus comes in May. I predict that the race won't be as close on the Democrat side by that time so it should assist in my decision making. As for the Republicans, it is all about McCain at this point. It is really pointless for Huckleberry and Paul to even speak about becoming President. Go home fellas.......know when to say "when".

Anyway....I thought I would celebrate the primaries this evening by having a cup of Decaf, chew on a piece of Sharp Cheddar and....well....since Lyn says that I really can't dance.....I will skip the hula this evening.

Aloha!

Check me out.

Rita's a great blogging mentor. She's a darn good girlfriend too.

I tiptoed into the room here a few months back as a contributor, offering up the occasional post. Working my corner of the room so to speak. And I enjoy it.

A lot.

But I feel guilty, like some days I'm taking more than my share of the space. Or posing random thoughts that just don't... fit.

I've been toying with staking out my own piece of the blogosphere for a bit now. And I finally did it this weekend. It's not much to look at, or read, yet. In fact, this whole building a blog process is hard for a tech-challenged non-geek such as me.

But, in true only child fashion, I'm proud to proclaim it's mine all mine.

You can take a look, if you want, at Late Night Latte.

Shameless self-pimping on my sweetie's blog. I'm horrid. I admit it.

She's letting me stick around though. For now.

The L Word mayhem

Ok.....after watching tonight's episode of "The L Word", I have pretty much decided that I am well over the "Lez Girls" storyline. It really doesn't do much for me. I don't know why they decided that this season was going to be dedicated to Jenny and this movie but they have to move on.

If this season is somebody's warped dream, it is time to WAKE THEM UP! My dream theory is that this is Shane's dream the night before she is supposed to wed Carmen. In this season's last episode, she is going to wake up and discuss this whole crazy thing with Alice over a low-fat latte in the hotel restaurant.

Tonight's episode was pretty lame and even the lustful glances between Bette and Tina couldn't save it. With five episodes to go, I am holding out hope that something turns around here. I don't need to see Bette and Tina ride off into the sunset to make this a good season but there has to be some better storylines between these characters.

I'm not sure who is writing the episodes, but if Season Five is not a dream......it's time to call in some new writers or call it quits.

Martha not.

I did it.

I bought her the book.

And created the monster. Or at least encouraged its emergence.

Now if she'd just do that Martha thing to my kitchen.

Or at least tell me which font is supposed to be used with this new 'blog decor'.

Martha Stewart

I know you must be thinking.....now where is she going with this post?

I am a big fan of Martha Stewart. I think this happened when I purchased my Sirius satellite radio two years ago. I was aware of Martha from her appearances on the Today Show and her homemaking segments on cable, but never would I have guessed how much more I would appreciate her after listening to the Martha Stewart Channel for the last 24 months. If you have ever wanted to do anything in your home or garden, this channel has the answers.

This past weekend I received Martha's latest book - Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook. Now before you break out into fits of uncontrollable laughter or seizures.....take a breath and ask yourself.........have you ever had a question about something in your home that you didn't have an answer for? This 800 page book helps you out with everything in your house. It is Martha's brain. This is the type of book that is well overdue in the marketplace. She covers every room of the house and gives you all the tips and tricks on how to organize your home.

I have only read the first chapter and a half but I have already begun "martha-fying" my home. In fact, here is the definition of my new word with its derivitives:

mar-tha-fi-ca-tion - n. the action of organizing your home in line with the Martha Stewart standard. derivatives - mar-tha-fy-ing, mar-tha-fied

Yes yes....laugh if you must, but there isn't a lesbian out there who could not use a little organization and some homemaking tips. Some of us more than others! I tell you.....this book has it all. It is well worth the $45 price tag and I have not seen anything else in bookstores that rivals it.

I am not normally the one who will brag about a book so you must understand that this book really offers something to everyone. No matter how much you think you know......you don't know. I am happy to say that every old dog can learn a new trick and this book is a prize.

TA TA!

Me. Myself. I. Yeah, Her.

My Name's Hidden Meaning. Yeah, a meme. Topics are scarce this week in work-induced haze. Comments on the truth of anything suggested below... welcome.

LYN

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow.
You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily.
Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in.
You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising.
You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care.

You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people.
You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts.
You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.


What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

It's a woman's prerogative............

.......to change her mind and I am currently battling, struggling and wrestling over the template I am using for this blog! I am searching for alternatives and as you can see I am trying something new just about every two days.

I am too young to be going through a mid-life crisis but one would think I was going through one with the way I am "moving the living room furniture" around in here.

(sigh)

Stay tuned

Another L Word Post

Does the lesbian blogosphere really need another L Word blog? Probably not.

But my first and preferred topic for tonight just didn't click. And now it's L Word time.

So I thought I'd share my 45-year-old-Kentucky-lesbian perspective during the actual show.

I'll start with these She Bar women. Eeek. We don't have women like that in Kentucky. Or Ohio. Or Indiana. I'm pretty sure.

Ooh. TiBette in the kitchen. Shear terror on Bette's face. Pure lust on Tina's.

Yippeeee!

I've gone in circles around which of these two is really at fault for their breakup. But now they're such miserable individuals I'm starting to not like either one of them.

Uh oh. This. Can't. End. Well. For... Someone.

Who is Adele??? I'm starting to think.... Jenny's long lost evil sister?

Hmm. Bette is conflicted. Tina is acting all casual. And... here we go again.

This really isn't going to end well. Now they're just going to take the time to figure out what's right for each of them.

So, a poll. Ever hooked up with an ex, like, years after the breakup? And how'd that work out for ya?

We'll see how many comments that gets us!

How Do I Get One of Those?

I need an Adele. Y'know, the mousy young thing working for whack-job Jenny on the L-Word.

Yes, I realize any day now she'll be revealed as a stalker, or worse. So I'll rescind my request at that time. But today, this week, this month, I need a personal assistant.

To do all those things I can't seem to get to, that I wouldn't dream of asking my gf to do :), or, admittedly, some I just don't want to do.

This week's list:

1) drycleaning drop off

2) schedule carpet cleaning appointment

3) re-schedule dentist appointment (for the third time)

4) airline reservations (we ARE going on vacation, dammit!)

5) reschedule tax appointment

6) plan a romantic valentine, inclusive of hand-made card, dinner, etc.

7) call my cousin and catch up

8) iron

9) get painter estimate

10) figure out exactly what the dog has been eating to cause such... flatulence

11) buy the next book for the book group i'm trying out... Eat Pray Love (hello, Amazon???)

12) turn in my expense report and recoup cost of last week's Florida trip before bill arrives

13) give Rita aesthetic input on a new blog template. (uhm, I'm a bit picky and she did ask

These join some three digital pages worth of work tasks I could probably pawn off as well.

C'mon, Adele was hanging lights for a party and attending a table read for the movie her boss is directing... I'm not directing any movies, yet, but I'm pretty sure I could keep her equally busy.

And without an assistant, how can I possibly continue to make time for primary watching, blog reading and analysis of the Super Bowl ads. (The dalmation and clydesdale spoke to our collective desire to root for the underdog... and it worked!)

I don't know how one person, with NO CHILDREN of the two-legged variety, can get so bogged down and overwhelmed. There are no excuses.

'Course, my little problem with procrastination may have something to do with it. I'm blogging. Not working.

*Sigh*

Are we better off than eight years ago?

Here's the answer to Anderson Cooper's question.........according to front runner John McCain.

MCCAIN: I think you could argue that Americans overall are better off, because we have had a pretty good prosperous time, with low unemployment and low inflation and a lot of good things have happened. A lot of jobs have been created.But let's have some straight talk. Things are tough right now. Americans are uncertain about this housing crisis. Americans are uncertain about the economy, as we see the stock market bounce up and down, but more importantly, the economy particularly in some parts of the country, state of Michigan, Governor Romney and I campaigned, not to my success, I might add, and other parts of the country are probably better off.

I think we are better off overall if you look at the entire eight-year period, when you look at the millions of jobs that have been created, the improvement in the economy, et cetera.

Be afraid my friends....be very afraid. This dawdling old fool cannot be elected into office under any circumstances. This is a Republican who still is not willing to stand up and speak against the failings of the current administration. The economy stinks and we are trillions of dollars in debt compared to when Bill Clinton left office and he thinks we are better off now........

I am happy to see that the Republicans are all living in the same dreamworld together.

CBS News Report - Military Malpractice

As I was at the gym this evening I was watching the CBS Evening News and a chilling story came on about Sgt. Carmelo Rodriguez and the pain and suffering he went through after being misdiagnosed by U.S. military doctors. The story entitled "A Question of Care: Military Malpractice" outlined the man he was and the man he became once cancer had ravaged his body.....unnecessarily.

The story....with the accompanying video.....was quite disturbing and left me feeling angry that our service men and women receive such sub-par diagnosis and treatment when they are putting their lives on the line for us. I had already known about the poor conditions at our military hospitals thanks to the media awareness last year but this story gave me a new sense of awareness.

In my opinion, if you enlist in the military and serve this country, you should be paid well and receive the best medical attention our society has to offer. I would gladly step aside and let someone cut in line if they had served in time of war and put their life on the line. I will never have to fear for my life fighting a war that I may or may not fully support. No one will ever say......"Rita!...On your feet....here's your gun......get out there. The enemy is over the next hill."
I will never be obligated to take that command from anyone.

The very least (and I do mean very because we should be doing more!) we can do for these solidiers is to provide the best medical care in the best hospitals available. Don't they at least deserve that much??

I can wait my turn. If it were possible, it would be the very least that I could do for them.

Women Out Front

Here in the Cincinnati tri-state area we are lucky enough to have a lesbian organization with some real promise. Now I don't mean for it to sound like we are without hope here, but Cincinnati is one of the most conservative cities in the U.S. It is not one of the top spots that come to mind when you think about the GLBT community. However, thanks to Women Out Front, we do have a very nice social network in place for the lesbian community.

The Women Out Front organization was developed by one woman with a vision and the resources behind the vision to make it work. As their mission statement aptly puts it:

"Women OUT Front (WOF) seeks to enrich the lives of women by providing opportunities for social interaction at a variety of both professional and social events."

While I don't think we have every lesbian attending all of the WOF events, I do think it has opened some closed lesbian minds to what is available in this area. I mean let's face it.....some women won't come out and attend any GLBT events no matter what you do and then there are some that are regulars. But the fact is......we have now been given options. Options that this area hasn't seen in some time and it is quite refreshing.

Sure, WOF is no where as big as some of the other well endowed GLBT cities in the U.S., but it is something for Cincinnati. The most important part of it being that this org tries to reach out to all ages in our community and as some of you may know that is not an easy thing to do. You have to try and fill the void the best way you can and try to reach a happy medium with most of those who are interested in participating.

I know some of you live near the "gay meccas" of the U.S., but I would be interested in hearing what options you all have in regards to really participating in your lesbian community.

Weeds.

A very quick post just to prove I can top Rita's review and excitement over the pending release of the next generation I phone thingy. Yes. I said thingy. That's about how excited I get about all things techie. But, it should be noted, I successfully docked my I-pod this morning in the hotel room clock/music thingy.

At any rate, I'm in lovely Jacksonville Fl for a conference -- no, not the primary. Not a sign of Mitt or Huckleberry.

But the big conference in town (I'm attending the one no one can find the registration table for) is some Southeastern Weed Science Institute.

I kid you not. They are everywhere. Kind of like... weeds.

So of course I googled weed science. Who knew? I mean, I went for a minute to a large state university (UK), and actually majored in animal science for about a week. So I knew people get degrees in agronomy and the like, but didn't have a clue you could specialize in weeds... I may have to sneak into one of their sessions just to see what it's all about.

New iPhone - June 2008?

If anyone is following the iPhone craze, it should be noted that the first release of the iPhone was reliant on the old 2G (2nd generation) internet technology. 3G has been on the market for some time with various carriers besides AT&T, but not available on the first version of the iPhone.

What does this mean to you? Faster internet connections with the new 3G technology will make the iPhone more of a pleasure to use. However, you can gain more speed if you are using WIFI so there are some advantages right now by using it wherever WIFI is available (Starbucks, Panera, etc) but the real advantage will be when the new iPhone is available.

By the way......the iPhone you are using now will not utilize the 3G technology. Just another reason to always buy the 2nd or 3rd generation of new technology so you are not obsolete shortly after making your expensive purchase.

I have been holding out on upgrading my Treo because of the release of a better iPhone so hopefully I will not have to wait much longer.

Below is the CNBC snippet about the possible release of iPhone 3G in June 2008.

iPhone - CNBC

Cinci-yawwwn-nnati

This week I've been lucky enough to escape my 'home' town twice -- Monday in Louisville, and last night a quick trip to Indianapolis.

Both trips reminded me again how easy it is to find the Cincinnati area just a bit... off.

Yes, we're getting an IKEA. Yes we're centrally located within easy range of other cities -- Columbus, Lexington, even Chicago and Cleveland, in addition to Louisville and Indy. Yes, there's actually a pretty significant and active lesbian community.

But I go to these other cities and no matter what neighborhood I visit, it just seems more vibrant than my own. People were everywhere in downtown Indy last night and again this cold, grey Saturday morning. And Louisville's quirky Highlands area was bustling at 3 on a cold holiday afternoon.

It's hard to find vibrant here. Or bustling, unless it's a Wal-Mart parking lot. And of the cute, quirky, walkable neighborhoods that do exist, well, sometimes I expect to be asked for a passport to enter.

Is it because I'm not a native? Because I lived first on the all-but-ignored West side of Cincinnati, then moved to Northern Kentucky, both acts of self-imposed exile?

I see first-hand in my work the compassion and the generousity of the people of this community. But they're not easy to get to know. To mingle with. Heck, some times they don't even smile.

So thanks Louisville. And Indy. For the respite.

Monday, it's off to Florida. We'll see how Jacksonville stacks up. 60 degrees sounds pretty good right now...

Middle-aged?

Ok.....this blog is just a quick spin-off to something I read in another lesbian blog this afternoon. The author referred to 30ish year old women as middle-aged. I gasped at first and then I chuckled a bit.

I don't consider "30 anything" to be middle-aged. I am just now beginning to accept that 42 is probably middle-aged. Lordy....I don't want to inflict that label on those who are only 30!

So I am curious and I am going to throw it out to all of you. What age to you consider to be "middle-aged"?

Birthday

Tomorrow is my birthday. Again. It seems like my last birthday was just last week.....last month...or something like that. The years are flying by now and as much as I try to throw logs, boulders or banana peels in its path.....it keeps chugging forward.

Since my fortieth birthday, I have tried to do something unique near or on my birthday......a step out of the proverbial box. This year I decided to take snowboarding lessons. I was off all week so I thought....what the heck. Did any of my friends want to accompany me on this little excursion when they found out about my plan? No. No one leaped up and screamed, "Oh can I go with you pleeeeease!". And that was ok. After all, this was something I wanted to try and I wasn't quite sure if I wanted an audience while I was glued to a board careening down a hill. The fewer witnesses to that type of spectacle the better, I thought to myself.

I spent about 2 hours out on the slope giving it my best shot. I did skateboard as a child so I thought this would lend itself to trying to balance on the board. I think it would have if I didn't have to wear "Herman Munster" snowboots. They were heavy and clunky and clung to my calves. It was like I had Hulk Hogan clenching on to my calves as I dragged him through the snow. Yeah.....they felt a bit awkward and the more I tried to steer myself on the board the more my calves began speaking to me.

I must say though.....I did have several brief 15 seconds of brilliance on the hill after I my training. I don't think it was because I was mastering the trainers techniques. I think I was just adapting so that I wouldn't look completely "over the hill" to the other trainees in my group.....two twentysomething Orange County wannabees. I did fall several times in a variety of positions but I did get back up, snapped myself back on to that board and continued down the hill. Needlesstosay, I was soaked, sore and hungry by the time I headed back home.

I wanted to try it and so I did. I think everyone should take a step out of the box around their birthday and celebrate who they are and keep living life. I can't say that I will rush back to snowboarding.......in fact, those boots pretty well cancelled any thought I had of learning how to ski.......but I am satisfied that I made the attempt. Regardless of my grace and presence.........

Competitive? Not so much.

I will never admit to having a competitive bone in my body. Not a one.

But boy, do I tend to surround myself with friends who do.

Scrabble where it's just not a game until somebody's ego isn't just bruised, but bleeding.

Cornhole by flashlight.

Bitching, endlessly, about the Patriots and how they can't be beaten.

Actually caring that you lost the softball game when everyone else just shows up for the beer.

Whipping out the Palm pilot to wiki-prove a point during dinner table discussion.

And on. And on.

I'm looking for the common denominator among them and have just a few theories...

1) Religion. By far my most upfront competitive friends are/were Catholic. There may be one or two Episcopalians in the bunch, but that's Catholic-lite, so close enough. Do the nuns have something to do with it? Or the cute little plaid skirts y'all wore to school? (Excuse me while I grin at that picture in my head for a second.)

2) Intelligence. Save for a completely inexplicable 12-year detour, the geekier you are, the more likely I'm going to be to invite you to join me at the Scrabble board. The first woman I loved studied Latin in high school. I was so stupidly in love I played Scrabble with her. Morris Hall, Miami U. Rolling Rock beer. Long, long winter that was. And I was perfectly fine with that:)

3) Butch vs. femme tendencies. Hmmm. Maybe. But I have noticed that the more femme tend to be cut throat competitive in other ways -- their career, for example, or I don't know, shopping.

4) Birth order. This one actually makes sense. Fighting for the last fish stick or running to claim the front seat of the car is good training. An only child, I didn't have to do either.

Maybe I should just leave well-enough alone...

And continue to root for the underdog.

No NFL surprises here!

As I said a month or so ago, there is no joy in whoville now that we have an "Evil Empire" in the National Football League. No surprise to anyone.....the Patriots are going to the Superbowl.

And wow....they get to play Peyton's little brother! The poor Giants think they have a shot at winning the Superbowl. Little do they know that the only way that will happen is if Tom Brady's arm falls off.

I will make a small prediction that ratings will be high at the start of the game but will drop drastically after half time. You see....unless you live in the great state of Massachusetts there really will be no reason to remain glued to the set. Besides.....with The L Word coming on at 9pm now....it's even more reason to abandon ship and watch something more entertaining.

We can only hope that this will end the Patriots domination of the Super Bowl titles for this decade. They will have to make big money decisions next year in regards to some of their players - namely Randy Moss - who will request a higher salary for his part in the conquest. Aging players such as Bruschi and Seau will likely be thinking of retirement soon. They simply don't have that many games left in them. Besides this......they will not have as many draft choices because of their wins and their mid-year cheating scandal. Yeah.....I feel really sorry for them. Was my sympathy convincing there? I reeeally tried to be heartfelt.

With that said....this ends my football ramblings for yet another season.


Rah Rah Sis Boom Bah!

More political stuff - as I see it

As the primaries and caucuses speed past us, it is important for all of us to watch, listen and learn. It has to be a point of discussion. The one thing that never fails to amaze me are the folks who say...."Oh...I am sick of hearing about the campaigns so I change the channel" or "I haven't really been following it". There is so much talk about the black and Hispanic vote that they are forgetting about the gay and lesbian vote. It DOES count and it can speak in volumes for the best candidate.

Here is how I see some of the top performers thus far in both parties.

McCain

• Following the Conservative party line - no tax breaks and no troop withdrawals
• Huge Evangelical following
• Comprehensive Planner
• He will do well in Florida.
• Dubya Part Deux

Romney

• Will use his CEO experience to run this country - great.... more profits for big business and more money for the elite while the grunt workers get nothing.
• Evangelical Christians are afraid of him
• I predict a Bronze medal for him in Florida

Giuliani

• Mayor 911 is concentrating on Florida and has basically forgot about the other states in the nation.
• Jumping from Mayor to President without the necessary experience is a long shot
• I predict he will come in 2nd to McCain in Florida. Without an overall win, I think we will see him withdrawal shortly after.

Huckleby

• Fading fast. Losses in New Hampshire and South Carolina did not help his cause.
• His Baptist minister viewpoints were on display this past week in SC and they were frightening.
• Short on funds. I expect him to withdrawal after Florida.

Clinton

• Experience is not an issue here - personality is.
• Comprehensive Planner - she has a clue.
• A win in South Carolina will be huge and telling.
• She is in it for the long haul. I expect her to do well on Super Tuesday.
• She won't accept anything but the Presidential role.

Obama

• Likeable and is speaking the language of "change" in his stump speeches
• Language of change is not equating to any comprehensive plans. We hear what he is wants to do not how he plans to do it.
• He is projected to win in South Carolina but then he was predicted to win in NH. It will be a close race with Hillary but I think he will pull it out by at least 7 percentage points.
• He is also "in it to win it" but if he fails to take Florida he will struggle with the other states.

Edwards

• Failing to meet Obama and Clinton head on in any of the primaries. This is really a two-person race now.
• Best relates to American's struggles and displays the most compassion about helping the downtrodden.
• Good ideas and comprehensive plans.
• He needs the overall win in South Carolina to survive.
• I don't see him accepting a VP position with Barack or Hillary. I think this will be his last stand.

A dog. A dining room table...

And maybe a few pairs of shoes.

But that's it. The sum of everything left from my 'first' commitment/non-sanctioned civil union/marriage.

Yes, it ended 4+ years ago. But when you're working with one nonprofit income, it takes a while to replace 12 years of life's 'stuff' you've been slowly dumping in the Goodwill bin. Silverware. Bedding. Towels. All gone.

Today I got rid of what it now occurs to me maybe should have been the first piece to go.

Not the muttlet -- no way.

Not the table. As we know from last week's post, I become deeply attached to furniture once it's acquired, and sometimes even before. And in the last four years many good conversations, bottles of wine, meals and friendships have cleansed the table of its bad karma.

The ring.

The symbol of whatever the hell I thought I was doing for 12 years.

Is finally gone.

It was yellow gold. Did I ever actually wear yellow gold jewelry? Did I request yellow gold for the ring because I knew that way I'd never really wear it all the time? And a round cut diamond -- decent size, crappy quality. Kind of like that 12 year relationship it symbolized.

Now that the final shard of that relationship has been disposed of, I'm kind of wondering what tells us it's finally time to get rid of something? Does selling it do any more to devalue its relevance in my life than letting it roll around in a drawer for years?

It took me about two years into this cleansing ritual to realize what I was doing. But once the silverware was replaced during last month's great post-holiday-clean-out, it dawned on me how little was left.

And now, there's even less.
Forward motion.
A good thing.

No Autographs Please - Band Meme

Thanx to Hahn at Home for the tag...

Kind of freakish... but I'd listen to it for the title alone.




1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first article title on the page is the name of your band.

2. http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3

The last four words of the very last quote is the title of your album.

3. http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/

The third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4. Use your graphics program of choice to throw them together, and post the result as a comment in this post. Also, pass it along in your own journal because it’s more amusing that way.

If you want to play, please do… post your efforts in a comment back, or on your own site and link.

Thanks, Sweden...

...and Ingvar's family. I know you chose March 12 to mark the auspicious occasion of my birthday.

I've been watching the big blue walls and the shiny yellow signs go up along the highway in Westchester throughout my fall/winter trips north of town. Opening Spring 2008 sounded so far away.

If you're on a east/west/north coast of the U.S., IKEA is nothing new. But when one sprouts in the middle of southern Ohio farm-country-turned-suburb-on-steroids, well, it's a personal gift from the home decor design gods.

I inherited my mom's unfortunate inability to 'settle' for anything without first scouring the countryside to be sure I wasn't missing out on the perfect chair/table/duvet cover/desk/sofa. It took me two full years to replace the worn out sofa I took in the settlement with she-whose-name-is-not-to-be-mentioned-here.

And several folks are still recovering from this year's fruitless quest for the perfect black leather occasional chair. Not too mention the ongoing quest for a writing desk of no more than 41" in width -- oh, but not in the cherry finish.

Yes, I could order online and pay shipping. But not EVERYTHING is sold on line. What might I be missing?

Frankly, if the Steelers weren't also in Pittsburgh, we would have taken a road trip to the store there by now.

IKEA. Two months from today.

I'll be borrowing an SUV, fortifying with a stop at the SBUX drive thru and browsing to my little heart's content. Happy Birthday to ME!

Ahhhh.....a glass of wine

What I wouldn't give for a nice glass of vino right about now. You see....I am on Phase 1 of the South Beach diet and as I am constantly reminded by the Diet Police..........it is not allowed during Phase 1. I grumble and growl in agreement and slink away to drink my Diet Coke quietly.

I would say my infatuation with wine came in the early 90's. I am ashamed to say that I have put away my share of boxed wine or "boxo", as I like to call it, during those years. In fact, I can't look a White Zinfandel in the face anymore. I slowly graduated to Chardonnay (which remains a real weakness) and to good, meaty Cabernets. Thanks to several visits to my friend in Napa I learned to stretch to Pinots, Muscatos and Port. Much to the dismay and disbelief of my friend I could never bring myself to enjoy a good Merlot. It's one that I just can't seem to get my hands and taste buds around. I think it is the dreaded tannins. Yep....its the tannins.

Our Spring vacation is leading us out to Napa this year. This will be my 3rd (4th?) visit to wine country. I am never disappointed in my trips out there. I always find another unique wine that broadens my horizons and spirit. My friend will likely be able to pinpoint some unique points of interest or kindly remind me of places that I found to be interesting the last time I was out there. One spot that I especially like is a winery called Viansa - a little bit of Tuscany in Northern California. It really is a beautiful spot. Their wines are only available at the winery or through their website and they have a fabulous gourmet food selection - hmmmm......Smokey Mozzarella spread.

Lyn and I take in the occasional wine tastings here locally and we have found some pretty good and generous ones! Our last tasting was a Port tasting. Yeah......Port is not for the faint of heart by any means. It can be quite overwhelming after a while. Ports have a sweet chocolaty thing going on so it is definitely not a "4oz pour" experience. However, it is a very nice substitution for an overwhelming dessert in the presence of the diet police.

So if anyone else shares in my infatuation with wine. I'd like to hear from you! Do you have a favorite? An old standby that never lets you down when you reach for that glass? Or maybe it is a new vintage you have tried recently?

Check out the wine blogs on this site for some great information about what is new out there!

Random Wednesday Ramble

Things leading to an attempted raised eyebrow* midway through a wicked, wineless, work week.

• Photos of Paris Hilton at the L-Word premiere party. Check them out at Dorothy Surrenders. Troubling. Isn't it?
• News that two of my ghost chasing friends are stepping off in a new direction... storm chasing. And have been in personal contact with WE's Twister Sisters. (Why don't I do thinks like that? I wouldn't be writing lame blog posts if I had a more 'active' hobby. Or would I? Maybe I'd just have something more interesting to write about?)
• Polling. At least among New Hampshire voters.

* I've been trying to effect that raised eyebrow, quizzical look since 1981 -- October, 1981 to be exact. My face doesn't move that way, even without botox.

Lesbian sightings!

Last night was the HRC / Women Out Front sponsored L-Word premiere here in Cincinnati. Hundreds of women attended. That's not something I get to say often about local events outside of Pride, so let me bask in the moment.


Living in the mid-west/mid-atlantic/upper south -- we hibernate November - March. So the fun thing about such events is the opportunity for people watching and occasionally running into one or more women I haven't seen, in some cases, for years. Seeing who's there with someone new. Or who's there without the someone new you saw them with at the volleyball tourney last summer, U-Haul hitched to the back of their new jointly-purchased SUV.


This is a relatively small community and I've said more than once it would be so cool to take over a wall at a bar and do a local version of Alice's chart. I know you can link up on the Web at ourchart.com... but can you imagine the fun of someone just taking out a magic marker and starting to draw?


Sure, there'd be some degree of drama as possibly unknown connections were posted. But we're fairly non-violent in these parts. And yes, there may be a few folks who thought they were hubs whose... orbit isn't quite as complete as they might have thought.


Chart-planning aside, the season 5 premiere solidified at least two opinions shared by a majority of the Cincinnati crowd: We find Tasha and Alice hooking up worthy of at least a semi-outbreak of applause, the only one of the evening. And Jenny's an annoying bitch. Why couldn't she stay in the raft?

The great debates - who knew?

I watched several minutes of the debates last night and caught a few of the "prime clips" later in the news. Overall, I think Edwards, Obama, Richardson and Clinton are continuing to prove that the Democrats - no matter who is elected - will be hard to overcome in the presidential election.

I find myself watching the Republican debates just out of sheer amusement now. They are in such a state of confusion and angst that it is mostly a televised arguefest. McPain, Mitt the Twit, Huckleberry and 9ui11iani are providing instant gratification when I need a good laugh. Do you notice that they still cannot bring themselves to utter Dubya's name even in dissension? They talk about reforming things but they still can't quite bring themselves to point the finger because if they do they will find that the finger is really pointing at themselves and everything that their party represents.

Last night I heard that Bill O'Reilly (now there is a fine upstanding so-called journalist) actually attacked an Obama aide just so he could interrogate.....I mean....interview Obama himself. He actually had to be pulled away by the Secret Service. I am not a fan of Bill O'Reilly so seeing the clips of him being manhandled made for even better television!

The whole campaign leading up to the November election is really a marvelous thing to see thanks to today's technology. I often wonder what my grandparents would have thought if they had this type of technology available to them to broaden their views and analyze each candidates views and opinions. Twenty or more years ago, they had to rely on what was being reported from the local news, newspapers or even their churches to make sense of what was happening. Each one of those mediums provided their own biases for the direction they should take in making the decision. I find myself keeping my parents informed on what is happening since they do not have a computer or cable tv.

So no matter what side of the fence you happen to fall on, you can't say "I didn't know" or "I was confused". You now have the ability to research, analyze and discuss in multiple forums. Times have changed all of us in this respect.

Just the fact that I am blogging about this today would blow my grandmother's mind........

And Today's Pre-L-Word Entertainment...New Hampshire.

I'm back into the work/weekend groove and have already successfully slotted CNN's Ballot Bowl '08 coverage and the gym in. I even got the channel changed on one of the gym tvs from Fox to CNN!

Tomorrow, we'll join a few hundred other family members for an HRC/Women Out Front L-Word early premiere party. Tina. Shane. Alice. Girl drama. Not sure there's a need to say much more on that front.

Add in the black bean soup simmering on the stove and it's shaping up as a pretty good start to '08.

I've done a lot of candidate-related surfing since Thursday's caucus. Read many blogs, watched Youtube more than I probably ever have before. I gotta admit. I'm catching something. And it's kind of exciting. Check it out.

Oh, and just so you know, we're calling the scary guy from Arkansas 'Huckleberry' from now on...

Missing female hiker

I was just listening to CNN this morning about a missing female hike in Georgia. She has been missing since New Year's Day. She was hiking a mountain trail alone with her dog.

I have to weigh in on this one because I simply don't understand why as women we continue to put ourselves in situations that open us up for attack and murder. Hiking a mountain trail alone? Are we not acutely aware of news stories that replay similar situations over and over again? How many more incidents have to happen before we have the common sense to say to ourselves....gee.....I should take someone with me or go in a group?

I am not going to belabor this in a huge post today but I just stand in amazement every time I hear another "missing woman" story on the news. Are we really that stupid?

Iowa? Caucus? Has it always been...

... such a live coverage event? There are five, count 'em, five political analyst lined up on CNN as I blog at 8:33 Eastern time.

Lap tops open in front of them, they're giving Anderson Cooper analysis of everything from the turnout of blue-haired ladies for Hillary to what effect the Bhutto assassination and the 'Pakistan' situation might have. Did I miss this type of coverage the last three or four elections?

Jack Cafferty just suggested we let the people of Iowa decide it all -- forget the rest of the primary season.

What would I do until November!!??? I've been listening to or watching CNN for the last three hours.

Now I have to keep watching and waiting for someone to give us the official entrance polling thoughts from gay and lesbian caucus goers (caucus voters? caucusers? whatever?). I'm taking bets on whether we'll hear results from that demographic as often as I've heard the word evangelical in the last few hours.

Gotta go, results from the democratic caucus in Persia, Iowa are coming up!

Resolutions? No Thanks.

In my ongoing quest to live what some might call a more authentic life I've entered 2008 resolution free.

It's not about fear of failure. Or lack of energy to strive for some goal or the other.

It is about reality.

I know my faults. Some of them better than others. Procrastination and I are *like this*. If I make a resolution or two I'll find a reason to not begin pursuing it until, oh, maybe March. You did notice this New Year's post is a day late, right?

Resolution free. That's me.

New Year's ramblings

I am maintaining a low profile this New Year's Day mainly because I am trying to fight off a cold I acquired from "somewhere" over the past holiday week. So as I sit here drinking my hot toddy and finishing off some leftover raw veggies from last night's New Year's Eve non-party, I am filled with mindless ramblings about resolutions, bowl games and the disgusted thought about going back to work tomorrow after being off the last 9 days.

As for resolutions......there is only one and that is to get back to the South Beach diet plan and continue to move gaily forward with the weight loss. The holiday season.....since Thanksgiving....was too kind to me and the scale is showing it. La la la la la.....nuts and meats for me!

The bowl game menu today is quite extensive with the variety of bowl games. I'm not really cheering for one particular team over the over so as my hot toddy's increase deep into the afternoon, I will miss nothing. I am puzzled about one team's collapse into this bowl season. I will reach out to my friend Susan to assist me in understanding how the Seminoles could lose so many players for one bowl game. (30?) I saw Coach Bobby Bowden on television over the weekend and he really didn't appear to explain it well either. In fact, it looks like he found out when everyone else did. I will have to read up on it a bit more but I think it surrounds academic cheating. Methinks that FSU is not the only school who have athletes who cheat. I am just wondering if the NCAA needed to make an example of someone so FSU was the lucky winner.

And finally, like many of you, I have to go back to work tomorrow. What?? No cheers or exaltation's of joy??!! Yeah ok. I am hoping for a fresh 2008. New things to do....new challenges.....new direction! I need something new to pursue.......to devour......that will expand my growth potential. Energy is being wasted here and this is not productive for this competitive, highly organized woman.

Ok......my toddy cup is empty now. Time for more fluids. I am going to creep back to my favorite chair, cover myself with a blanket and provide a warm nesting spot for one of my two cats.

Happy New Year!

TA TA!