Here we go again

If you are a news nut like me, undoubtedly you have been following the senseless tragedy unfolding in Canton, Ohio over the last 10 days. Another beautiful, young pregnant mother struck down just weeks before she is due to deliver her child. In cases such as these, you don't want to immediately look at the boyfriend/husband but you inevitably do because they are such a credible target.

This case brings back the story of Lacy Peterson. What a saga that was when it happened. It played through every available media outlet 24 hours a day. Agonizing moments with the family desperately trying to find their daughter and thousands of people searching neighborhoods looking for her. Similar to the Jessie Davis case, Scott Peterson also joined in the search to look for his wife. His half-hearted attempts to look concerned were quickly overshadowed by his outward motions to get on with his life. In two weeks, he was arrested for her murder and the murder of his unborn child.

So here we are again. It is still early so we don't have all of the details on how the murder actually happened. Depending on your choices of news outlets, the answers are mixed. Some say that he has explained to his family that he "found" her laying on the floor when he arrived at her house and panicked. In his panic, he decided the best option was to bury her body 16 miles from her home. Yeah......ok. I don't mean to pull a "Nancy Grace" but I am not buying that one. The autopsy should be very revealing and details on that should be released next week at some point. The case will escalate fairly quickly after those results and as in the Lacy Peterson trial, I would expect the death penalty to be levied in this case.

You would think that such high publicity cases would prevent men from killing their pregnant girlfriends/wives. It seems that the saying is true that men do think with only one body part and it is not located in the skull area. This particular case smacks of that from beginning to end.

This is exactly the kind of tragedy that makes Nancy Grace salivate and I know she will have this case completely resolved by next Friday at the very latest.

Celine Dion!!?

You may have missed word that Hillary has selected her campaign theme song -- 'You and I' by Celine Dion.

I should probably begin by 'fessing up that I didn't make the time to vote on this election-critical issue. Though among the choices, I probably would have given a nod to U2's 'Beautiful Day', despite Kerry's campaign using it years back. (At least that's what my NPR sources reported. I was rather uninspired during that particular election.)

I am not a Celine Dion fan. At all. Ever. Sorry.

Should Hillary be hitching her wagon to Celine? Or am I among the minority here?

Bill's choice lo those many years back, "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow" resonated with the tail-end boomers who were just realizing there was something to be sentimental about AND the aspirations of generations both older and younger. I'll still crank the radio for that song.

But Celine Dion? And a song most recognizeable as used by the Canadian tourism folks to promote air travel?

I'm not Canada-bashing. I'm just not feeling election night celebrating to the sounds of Celine.

Hmmm. I bet Al and Bono are even friends...

Where do we go from here?

Is anyone supporting anything anymore? The polls don't show it.


According to the recent NBC/WSJ poll, only 19% of all Americans believe that the country is heading in the right direction. Even worse........the approval rating of the Democratic led House and Senate is only 23%. And much worse than that...........neither of the Presidential fields are really all that exciting.


Dubya's rating is at 29% and that is the same percentage as Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani. Hillary fairs a little better with her 39% ranking. At this point......if we had to vote today.....Hillary would probably get a fair share of the votes but would she win......I don't think so. She has steady support in the polls but will that turn into credible votes?


The problems in the world are getting larger and larger yet we lack that one person or body who will actually stand up and do battle with them. It's almost as though all the world leaders will not committ to anything rational until they see who we have voted in as President. (585 more days) The crisis times are here and simply getting worse. Pick your cause - global warming, the PLO/Israeli conflict, immigration, oil prices, nuclear war, etc etc etc. Americans are not just unhappy with it - they are fed up.

So where do we go from here?

Sopranos Finale

Wow....what can one say about that ending last night? Don't know if anyone else is a fan of The Sopranos but I have been a fan from day one. I just love the mob movies and this series has just been phenomenal.

How about that ending? The whole diner scene left me sitting there on the edge of my seat waiting for that diner to blow up in front of a dismayed Meadow. The whole scene was well thought out and left you not knowing what would happen. How many of you thought that the guy who was sitting at the counter.....who slowly sauntered back to the Men's room......was going to pull a gun and shoot Tony right there? Yep....I did. But when they concentrated on Meadow's three or four attempts to parallel park her car I thought for sure that the last scene would be her opening her car door just at the moment to see her entire family be blown up.

Then! Oh yeah...it gets better! Just as she opens the diner door and enters.......it goes black! OMG......at that very moment I said......"I just lost my freakin cable!!!!!!!!!" LOL
I thought for sure Comcast had sent me down the river again! But alas...........after 10 of the longest seconds on television..........the credits started to roll.........then I knew it was over. It appears that the only people who were going to be killed off last night was the audience and they did it by the quick black screen.

Truly great programming from HBO on this one. My two favorite programs are now in the HBO history books.........Sex in the City and The Sopranos. I hear that a movie is in the works for SITC and that's fine, but I really don't care if a movie comes out for The Sopranos or not. It was a great six seasons!

Now they will run it for eternity on the A&E Channel..............

Pride Patrol

Sun
Dogs
Babies
Beads

That's the short list of what I saw most of at today's Cincinnati Pride Alive fest. We made the trek from our suburban homes to the heart of Cincinnati's Northside neighborhood for the parade and fest. A few impressions as I take advantage of Rita's generous addition of me as a 'contributor' to Working the Room.

• 72 units in the parade. About five early-campaigning politicians. GLBT groups from three of the region's largest employers -- gotta love that in this conservative town, so they were appropriately applauded.
• Jack Russell terriers. Can someone please tell me why so many gay men own these dogs? On second thought, maybe I don't want to know.
• Lesbians still seem to prefer retriever/border collie mixes... though I'd have to say most lesbian couples seem to have added two-legged children to their families and left the pups at home. Wow. Aside from the contingent of lesbian mom's walking in the parade, they, and their baby paraphernalia, added a terrific family tableau to the park today.
• I heard the protest contingent was out in force for last night's fest activities -- I guess they had to spend today at the Creation Museum. Today's parade included proud and supportive walking groups from local Episcopal, Unitarian, and Presbyterian churches to name a few I spotted.
• Beads. When did they become the 'not just for Mardi Gras' accessory?

Campaign contributions

Ok....so by now we have all had an opportunity to watch one or two debates for the Democrat and Republican parties. Perhaps you have already formed an opinion on who you would like to support?

Here is a campaign donation "draw" for which you may not be aware. Several of the candidates are having raffle-type fund drives to gather as much money as possible.

• For a $100 donation to Mitt Romney's campaign, you will be entered into a drawing for a night at a Major League Baseball game - including box seats and travel expenses paid - with Mitt's son Tagg. Contest ends on 6/12.
• For a $10 or more donation to Barack Obama's campaign, you could be one of five people selected to join Barack in a private dinner - all travel expenses paid - to share your story and ideas with him one-on-one. Contest ends on 6/13.
• Last but not least..........if you donate at least $6.10 to the John Edwards campaign before his birthday on 6/10, you will receive a copy of the Edward's family recipe for their "famous" pecan pie.

So....ok.....just how far will you go to support your candidate? I must say the Obama contest is quite ingenious and should gain him more funds in his war chest. He actually needs it because Hillary doesn't have a gimmick and she is about $12 million dollars ahead of him. To date, Hillary is not having a donation contest.

As the race continues to heat up and becomes more expensive, I am sure we will see more desperate attempts to collect more funds by each candidate or ultimately they will simply retreat quietly and in six months we won't even remembered that they were a candidate.

Great artist - Katie Reider

Ok.......I didn't think I would get another blog post off until after I returned from vacation but I didn't want this to slip by.

I wanted to pass along some info on a great local artist - Katie Reider. Katie is local to Cincinnati but is now living with her partner in New Jersey. If you have never heard of Katie I encourage you to take a listen to a few of her songs out on her Myspace page.

http://www.myspace.com/katiereiderband

She was in town yesterday performing for a local event called "Taste of Cincinnati". She has a huge following down here because of her years in Cincy and Columbus. Her next show is at the Turning Point in Piermont NY and I would expect she will be scheduling more venues as she becomes acquainted with the area.

Check her out!

The week that was........

As we head into the Memorial Day holiday.....let's review all the fun that happened last week.

• Mary Cheney's baby - While you would think this would score one for us, it really doesn't because Mary and her partner do about as much for the gay and lesbian community as her father has in his last six years in office. They will be acutely aware of their "rights" as they continue their life in Virginia. This is one state in the Union that fails to recognize anything about gays and lesbians.........including adoptions.
• Dubya - He is now openly admitting that July/August will be a bloody month for American soliders in Iraq. This is probably the closest thing to an admission that things are just not going well period. Thanks for not continuing to sugar coat this war any longer. 604 days and counting.........
• Democrats - Yes.........they handed the money right over to him because we didn't have the votes in the House nor the Senate to vote this thing down. September is coming folks and more money will be requested. Sounds like a good time for an old fashion filabuster.
• Rosie - Her early departure from the view was probably a good idea. However, I don't think either Elizabeth or Rosie won any points in their televised battle. I thought Elizabeth looked like the second coming of Jerry Falwell.
• Jerry - buried last week.
• Al Gore - why doesn't he just run for office? He has a lot of positive vibrations going on right now and does not have to fend questions on what he did or did not vote for. Sadly...I don't think it will happen.
• And finally......what would the week be without a Paris Hilton or Lindsey Lohan story? Yep.........Lindsey was pulled over for a DUI yesterday on Sunset Blvd. Cocaine was found on the scene as well. Her life is truly a tragic reality TV moment. Perhaps the next Survivor series should be 'Celebrity Survivor'. Stick them all on an island for 30 days and see what happens. YIKES!

I am off for vacation tomorrow! Yes......just in time to enter a new week with new adventures!

Ciao!

All Aboard Now...

... sayeth Noah to the animals. This coming Monday, y'all can see it in all its not-quite-real-glory at the opening of Petersburg, Kentucky's newest tourist attraction -- the Creationism Museum. Luckily I'll be on my way out of town as the faithful flock to the multi-million $ production of the Answers in Genesis cult.

(sidebar -- in case you're wondering, this is TC, not Rita. she's letting me vent:)

This 'museum' sits about mid-way between our respective houses. So I've watched its evolution (ha ha). Once a non-descript metal storage type building plopped beside a busy highway loop around Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, it's now downright snazzy. I can only imagine how proud the donors who paid for all that gorgeous river rock covering the sheet metal must be.

Whoever those donors are, I'm pretty sure they have some connection to the publishers of our local Gannet paper -- The Cincinnati Enquirer. There have been in-depth front page stories covering the museum's opening the past few Sundays (how appropriate) and it's one of the most-talked about op ed topics on the paper's Web site.

In case it's not clear; I'm not a fan of this effort.

Raised Southern Baptist, creationism isn't a completely foreign concept. They tried. I just couldn't believe. Years later, I actually find myself remembering some of the elementary science that led me to question it all. I vividly recall sitting in Sunday school classes each week, unable to contain the questions/challenges that came pouring out of me. By age 12 I'd escaped.

Then I moved to Cincinnati.

As you read in Rita's description of our local Pride efforts, this isn't the most, um, progressive community. But we're trying. Most of us.

Petersburg is about 20 miles from Cincinnati's riverfront. That means, if a family plans its time well, it could fit in a visit to the local museum that's telling the real story we should be learning from --The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. www.freedomcenter.org

"The View" catfight

More catfights on the View.....unfortunately..........the media made it look like it all started with Rosie attacking Elizabeth.

Check out the YouTube video on the right for how it all started. You go Joy!

Pride Festivals

So where will you celebrate Pride this year? There are a many noteworthy Pride events across the nation so if your hometown is as conservative as Cincinnati is.........you can always go to another city close by to celebrate.

For all of its conservative viewpoints, Cincinnati does put on a little Pride Festival. It is not as big as Columbus and Columbus is no where as big as Boston or San Francisco so you get an idea where Cincinnati fits in. At least we have something. We at least have a parade and a festival area where you can listen to some fairly good musicians perform.

I keep telling myself that I have to get back to San Francisco again. If you have never been, I can describe it in one word.......electric. The whole sense of camaraderie and the sense of belonging is overwhelming. I can remember the last time I was there (2001) standing in the middle of a very crowded Castro Street after the march from Delores Park. It was really something I had never felt before. I mean......San Francisco for Pride.......this is Mecca. This IS the mountain. If just for one week and weekend.......you feel like you are in the perfect world. Where everyone is accepting and no has time to judge or second guess you. It is one of the most vivid memories in my lifetime.

So...ok...Cincinnati is no San Francisco by any means but the camaraderie is there. This city may not be as liberal as most but it has its moments...........good and bad. TC and I will try to make a few of the festivals/parades in the summer and make the best of the moment.

For a list of the Pride events happening around your area, I recommend the following website: http://www.interpride.org/

Ta Ta!

609 days and counting

Yikes........it is truly unimaginable to think that we have 609 more days of this blabbering idiot. Did you see him with Tony Blair? What was that all about? "Hey Tony.....I need someone to say somethin' good about me. Why don't you come over for a sleepover and a couple press conferences?" Tony Blair is such the puppet. UK folks say that he is Dubya's poodle. I don't know which comparison is worse really - to be led around as if you are at the Westminister Dog Show or tossed around like the billy goat marionette in the Sound of Music. (laaaeee heee hooooo!)

Oh yeah.....and how about that surge in troops? Well....thank god we have them there. We need them all to search for the three soldiers who were recently kidnapped. I don't think we have seen real progress nor will we for the next 609 days. At this point, no one is interested in progress. We just want our troops home protecting our homeland.

The Republican party continues to struggle. They can't stand behind Dubya and they can't figure out anything creative to say on their own that will make people happy and interested in voting for them. Egads!

So what's poor Dubya to do with his last 609 days? Here are my suggestions:

• Spend more time at the gym
• Ask Condi if there is anything you can do to help
• Start working on the White House Christmas list
• Join the border patrol agents as a weekend volunteer
• More surprise trips to Iraq - I'm sure the troops just love that!
• Ask Laura if you can help her plan your library

Just a few suggestions Dubya to keep you busy since no one wants you to campaign for them and because you just can't seem to right any of the wrongs that have happened in the last six years.

Come on Down!

Last week Bob Barker began his slow fade into retirement by launching the first of a few prime time Price is Right specials. It seems like we have been hearing of his departure from television for some time now.

I think this is probably a prime example of someone hanging around longer than he really should have been on television. I watched part of his prime time special and the trips down "memory lane" with old photographs and video clips made me wonder if we were not currently watching a game show version of a "Weekend at Bernie's". I was looking for the hidden fish lines and wires manipulating Bob's arms and legs.

Another highlight last week was an interview with Bob where he was asked who should his replacement be? (Which is another question in itself - do we really need 3 or 30 more years of the TPIR?) His answer was - "I think it should be a man." Ok.....let's take a breath for a moment. I think this may be his opinion that it should not be the rumored Rosie O'Donnell. Lawsuits of the past indicate that Bob has had some issues with working with women and being an utmost professional so this insinuation does not surprise me. While I think a comedian should take over for Bob........Rosie isn't it.

I say.....let's allow TPIR to end its long career with Bob's departure. He did a great job with it for over 30 years and no one would ever be able to fill that role satisfactorily for the hundreds of aging Americans who have the time to watch the mid-day game show.

Last one out..............please turn off the blinking lights.

Well, well, well.....

Hasn't this been an interesting day?

The reigning king of the conservative right has passed away. Who would have thought that at such a key political time in our country that Jerry Falwell would no longer be here to mimic, refute, criticize and demean the rights of all Americans? As a lesbian, I must say that I was relieved to know that I would not have to hear any more of his religious rantings. We no longer have to listen and watch him intimidate our politicians in bending toward his agenda.

And let's talk about the religious agenda. It's huge and hell bent in sending only faith-inspired, right-wing evangelists to Washington. In fact, it is so prevalent in our culture that they should be considered a lobbying group. We have allowed them to have a tax exempt status AND influence our leaders. Wow.....aren't we a generous bunch?

We have allowed a unified group of individuals force feed their agenda to us for the last 20 years without paying a dime to do so. So powerful was Jerry that people actually believed it when he said that 9/11 was caused by our own immoral values - pertaining to abortion, feminists and gay rights. If his death recalls anything, let us not forget that he is the founding father of the anti-gay industry in America.

I have often heard that too much of anything can be a bad thing. Jerry Falwell's legacy is certainly proof of that.

Gay role models

Do we really need them? Celebrity or otherwise......what's the point? Obviously there are "figureheads" in society - gay or straight - who could be selected as good, solid, golden rule, lip smackin models of society but do we as a community feel we need gay role models to survive? I am not so sure.

Look at the choices these days........Rosie......Ellen.......ummmm ummmm.....Melissa.....ummmmmm.....I'm fading fast here. Should we look up to these folks because of their privilege lives or do they really provide a solid foundation that we can say......Yes....this person has really done great things I want to emulate him/her. I think they bring attention to important causes and I acknowledge their bravery in certain situations but really.....is it any more than us normal folks go through?

I find Rosie's obnoxious monologue and belligerence humorous from time to time. I find Ellen's suave and clever sidewiding ways fascinating. And Melissa's strength during her recovery from cancer......endearing. However, I find the same characteristics in my friends every day yet I wouldn't necessarily find them nor they would find me......to be a role model. Ha! They know me too well.

And maybe that is the point. We see "snapshots" of the gay/lesbian celebrities and yet they are catapulted in representing every single gay and lesbian in America. Yikes! I don't want Rosie representing all of gay America! She is funny but please.....she is not the be-all and end-all.

Yet this is what happens. Gay Americans are tainted by the obnoxious behavior of those on television. Wow.....where are the positive reinforcements that overshadow the obnoxious and crude? We simply do not see enough of those folks.

Here's a thought...........what if someone over the top......charismatic, charming, influential, powerful and educated came out tomorrow? How would that influence the image of gay America?

What if it was Oprah?

My escape.......

begins in approximately 18 days.

Of course, I am speaking of my vacation out of the midwest. At the end of the month, TC and I are traveling as far Northeast as we can possibly go.........Maine! New England has been a peaceful escape for me for over eight years. The moment I set foot on the plane I can feel the sense of calm rush over me. By the time I get to Logan......I am asleep. Ha! Not a chance!

This is our first major trip together.....TC and I. Of course, TC has some trepidations about the trip. She expects one of us to strangle the other at some point in our travels and she is a little scared about my defensive driving skills on the Boston highways. To that I say......pfffft.......sit back, adjust your blindfold and secure your seat belt. Boston drivers can be a little nutty and reckless from time to time so I will fit right in with the crowd.

Seriously though, we have a few items on our agenda that are already inked into our schedule - day trips to Boston/Newburyport/Rockport and a nice three day visit to Bar Harbor. Other than that.....the plan is to mindlessly travel the highways and state routes through Maine and breathe in as much sea air as our lungs can hold.

Just the thought of being hundreds of miles away from my job will be extremely rewarding and rejuvenating for me. It's nice to step back and smell the chowdah......ok....drown in the chowdah......every once in a while. It will send me back to work with a refreshed perspective......a little more energy and a lot more attitude.

If you need to relax just a bit.........here's a lovely little spot in Ogunquit. http://www.barnbilly.com/webcam.htm

Ciao!

School snacks

We have all heard about the latest craze sweeping the country......the removal of "unhealthy"snack foods from our nation's schools. I was watching Katie Couric this evening and the story was reported again......baked snacks in and fried snacks are out. Eeeek!

The biggest concern is the fact that there are a lot of obese school children roaming the byways and highways of America. So in order to correct this, they are removing Doritos and Pepsi from the vending machines because this seems to be the primary problem. I don't agree.

The children who have access to the vending machines at school are the same children who eat at McDonald's and Burger King regularly. You may be able to remove the snack items from their reach while they are at school for seven hours but you cannot correct their eating habits outside of school. This is where the problem really lies.

Until the FDA declares Marshall Law on all fast food chains, Lunchables and Dairy Queen, the problem is going to still exist. I guess it makes the school officials feel less guilty about the situation. They can say they are doing all they can to promote a healthy lifestyle.

I was chubby child. I am a chubby adult. We had vending machines at my school. You name it we had it. Do I think that was the source of my overindulgence? No. In fact, I rarely bought anything from the vending machines. It was the meals outside of school that assisted with my fascination with food. Good meals at home with "seconds" and feeding from the fast food frenzy with my aunt on the weekend fulfilled every food craving I had in my early teens. At that time, twenty five years ago, there was little concern about the obesity rate in children.

End result.........today's healthy eating habits must begin at home with the parents. Isn't that where everything should start? Do we have to rely again on schools to assist with the role of parenting? Let's try concentrating on keeping kids in school instead of giving them yet another reason to leave.

Baked Doritos? It's just not right.............

The Glass Closet

Speculation has occurred for years regarding celebrities who are gay. Most of us in GLBTland already have an idea of who is and who isn't. Of course, we are building our lists based on rumors we have heard in the media and putting 2 and 2 together. The person is single, attractive, has adopted children and/or is never repeatedly seen in public with the same person of the opposite sex.

Glass Closet: a contraption that allows public figures to avoid the career repercussions of any personal disclosure while living their lives with a certain degree of integrity.

So what of the "glass closet"? I guess I see it from two angles. The celeb has just as much right as I do to live my life and excel at my career without being judged about my sexuality. I can understand that thought process since I do not make any attempts to "out" myself at my workplace. Just not necessary in my opinion. It does not place any limitations on performing my normal daily routine.

However, there is another side to me that says........that's all well and good but I am not in the business of being a figurehead in society. I have a cube in corporate America. Celebrities (and I am wrapping up all types of celebrity - not just show business) have a public persona. Some are considered role models and while in some cases I haven't quite figured out why, it is what it is.

So, as role models or public faces of society, do they not own the responsibility of being honest and forthright? Does it not benefit all in our community to have this type of support from those who live the life of celebrity?

It seems to me that celebrities have the unique ability to "turn on" their support for special causes or efforts as the mood strikes them. However, the same celebrities lending their faces/voices to other causes (anti-war, global warming, etc) fail to unlatch the door to the glass closet because that is just too much of a risk to their careers. It appears that it may be truly about the dollar and not truly about making the world a better place to live for all mankind.

It is better to continue to lend support for the "high road causes" than to take the risk of losing the next movie deal, political campaign or news anchor position. They fear being known only for their sexuality and not their body of work.

So the next time you watch one of the awards or nightly news programs, look closely and you will see that nicely secured latch on the glass box that surrounds these individuals. By their silence, they are telling us that with "privilege" comes security and the avoidance of the real life struggles that all openly gay and lesbians have to endure every day.

Isn't it obvious anymore?

This is the question I have to ask myself after spending the last three days watching the latest tragedy unfold at Virgina Tech. We have all witnessed the same thing. Seemingly intelligent people.......professors and health professionals......all missed this one again.

We are continuing to hear how troubled and disturbed this man was on campus. His professors gauged something wasn't quite right.....yet they went no further than to throw him out of a couple of classes. Nikki Giovanni was one of those professors. I had the opportunity to have Ms. Giovanni for one semester at college - for Creative Writing. Very similar to what she is teaching at VT. This lady is no fool. She is a solid read of character. However, this guy didn't freak her out enough for her to react.

It appears that we are constantly being taught lessons from each of these tragedies. Yet somehow, we always have to cut people a break and not assume the worst. People fear the repercussions of jumping to a conclusion without having clear factual evidence. Unfortunately, that evidence always comes too late and at the cost of other people's lives.

We can talk all day about hindsight, but the fact is there were a lot more warning signs this time around and everyone chose to ignore them by taking the less painful options. What we are left with now is everyone's psychological analysis and unadulterated opinions of what happened and how we could be so blind.

In the future, I think we need to worry less about hurting people's feelings and keep the interest of the "whole" in perspective. Thirty-two lives were lost this week because of one individual's feelings and well-being. In reality......more concern about this gentlemen's "well-being" might have made this week a very different week for everyone concerned.

My head is going to explode

Sounds like an allergy problem doesn't it? I would love for it simply to be an allergy issue. However, it is my job that is keeping my brain consumed five days a week.

Have you ever had such a long busy day at work that your brain seemed completely full? As if you could not compute or breakdown one more issue or tend to one more task. I think the word I am looking for is saturation. The brain is saturated.

I think I now fully realize why my aunt is as forgetful as she is these days. Granted.....she was losing her memory 12 years ago......at that time I thought it was peculiar but I was not particularly overwhelmed by it. I think I can now understand it. My memory these days has not been as sharp as I believe it should be for someone who is 41 years old. I have noticed a decrease in it in the last four years or so. Now....before there is complete utter concern........I am not forgetting my way home or missing meals. Clearly......missing meals is not happening!

I think in my own zealous drive to perform and continue to feed my sense of self accomplishment at work.....I have worked my brain to a state that demands a breather. Do I think that it has something to do with turning 40? Maybe......but I wouldn't hang my hat on it. I think it has to do with the level of competitiveness I have with my own spirit and the fact that I insist on completing tasks on time and worrying about what happens if I can't perform as expected.

I am a ESTJ in Myers/Briggs......"Life's Administrator" is the mantra for people of this personality type. I often wonder if I will have enough "administrator" left after life in Corporate America to make it through the rest of my life.

Maybe it is just part of the maturity process that causes us to pause and take a look around. I think I need more pauses.....more breathers. Less consumption about how I can continue to maintain my above average performance reviews and more time to concentrate on my well being.

Am I ready to quit? Heck no, but I certainly don't want to spend the last 2o years of my life having someone else cut up my food for me because I can't remember the difference between a knife and a fork. Eeeeeek!

Meanwhile.........I wait for my long overdue two week vacation at the end of May. A nice week in New England where I can concentrate on being a tourist and enjoy the company of good friends and TC.

Life does not get any better than that.............