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How to waste a day…
It’s 8:30 P.M., and god, I’ve been watching a stupid 90210 marathon ALL.DAY. They’re just now getting to Season 4. What a loss of a day. So, here’s what I have accomplished today: 1. Walked dog. 1.5 Watched the workers tear down one of our car ports (we live in a condo complex), which was hit by a drunk driver last night, smashing it up and causing stupid amounts of damage. 2. Made baigan choka with the eggplant Cherry left me. 3. Went to pick up curried lamb and rice to go with the baigan choka. 4. Watched episode after episode of 90210. Can I tell you what a waste…
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Who Put the Labor in Labor Day?*
We did, that’s who. When I think of labor day, my mind first thinks of the end of summer…the crisp fall weather on the horizon, the cool weather clothes, school starting up again, the return of the good TV shows… Then there are the Labor Day celebrations…one last bbq of summer, maybe a trip to the beach, the lake, or the shore… For some people it is a chance to get caught up with some chores around the house, to enjoy a 3-day weekend by sleeping in one extra day, maybe see some friends. I agree with all of these things. Not a thing wrong with any of them. But…
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A Tale of Two Burgers
Sunday morning found me at our local Farmers’ Market, shopping for nectarines and peaches and tomatoes…and who should I run into at the nectarine and grape stand, but my good friend Pat. Pat’s from working class Pennsylvania, but he’s got a certain savoir-faire sensibility about him, from time spent living in London and an apt. in Paris. Deep down, though, Pat comes from his Italian roots, and has a deep respect for all things pasta and really fresh produce. We meandered over to the stand with the basil, and he said he was going to make some pesto for dinner. Mmm. Pesto. We don’t have pesto much around here. It’s…
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One Cure for Racism…
My Grandmother, who is the granddaughter of slave-owners on the Southern side of the family…my Grandmother, who blames black folks in this country for the fact that her Grandfather on the Northern side of the family died for their freedom in the Civil War (conveniently ignoring the blame to be held by generations of our Southern side for the crimes against humanity that they committed)…My Grandmother, who, with half a glass of wine in her, will volunteer that no matter what anyone else says, there’s just ‘something different’ about black people, something that somehow makes them less than the white folks amongst us…. My Grandmother is voting for Obama. See…
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My Cynicism is Melting…
This may be the first time in my life that I’ve ever had the opportunity to vote for someone I can truly believe in for President. Every time before now, I’ve held my nose. Every time, I’ve been sure that the talk is just rhetoric, not much more. Watching Obama accept the Democratic nomination tonight, I found myself, finally, getting excited, at least a little bit. Feeling hopeful, at least a little bit. My skeptical side fears that big business is too deeply entrenched in our country, and no matter what his good intentions, and those of the folks in congress, nothing substantial will change. But my hopeful side says,…
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Kick Ass!
My good friend Dorothy over at Autumn’s Mom Saves the World has declared me a Kick Ass Blogger! Thanks, Honey! Now, of course, I’m supposed to designate 5 more Kick Ass Bloggers. Hmmm. I’m going to go all out and say that every blogger over on my blogroll deserves this title. They all kick ass, often daily. Sometimes more than that even. They make me think, make me laugh, sometimes make me cry. I am not up to the challenge of choosing from amongst them. Instead, I’m going to declare a few people kick ass bloggers that I haven’t gotten around to putting on my blogroll yet, for reasons that…
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Wordless Wednesday
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Political blurb…
Just finished watching Clinton give her speech. She rocked. We were watching on MSNBC, and when she finished, they started saying what a great job she did, and how she hit it out of the park, and how supportive of the Democratic cause she was. How she slammed McCain and supported Obama. Then we switched it over to Fox News, and they couldn’t shut up about how she never got around to saying that Obama would be a great president, how she didn’t put herself 100% behind him. How she didn’t really slam McCain, and you’d think to listen to her that we had been living in Belarus rather than…
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Zombie Meme
I found this meme over at Butterfly Cauldron, and I couldn’t resist. Then again, I didn’t try. You are in a mall when zombies attack. You have: 1. One weapon 2. One song blasting on the speakers 3. One famous person to fight along side you 1. One weapon – I liked Zan’s clever solution, which was a wand that turns the zombies around and sends them to eat Republicans. Of course, some of my best friends are Republicans, and I don’t want to steal her answer when there are only three options, so I have to come up with something of my own. I dashed over here to see…
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Time to Pay Attention
We’re getting to the point in the Presidential Campaign where it’s becoming more important, I think, to start paying attention. Which is too bad, because we’re also at the point where we’re all sick of this never-ending campaign that feels like it started back when Moses was a child, and we just want it to friggin’ END already. Well, we’ve got maybe 9 or 10 more weeks to go, so suck it up and pay attention, OK? This week is the Democratic Convention, where Barak Obama will receive the nomination for Democratic candidate to become President of the United States.  There will be a floor vote, as there has been…
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Memories
A few smart people commented on this post that the hard last days with my mom were not the sum of our relationship. The suggestion was made that I might find some comfort in stopping every day for a few minutes, and remembering the good times. You know what? You people are smart. I’ve been doing this, and it’s been helping. Not a cure all, of course, but when I start remembering that last visit, I shove my brain over to other visits, other times, and it cheers me right up. I’ve shared my pain and frustration with you, so now, I’ll share some of the good times as well,…
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Sightseeing
“…I held my breath because it seemed the only sound left in the world and all around me then was an extraordinary silence. It made me feel light, that silence, as if I might float to the ceiling, as if I might be able to open my arms, flap them, and fly with the sparrows. I don’t know how long I sat there holding my breath in the dark, but I thought then of how loud the world could be, so much clatter and noise, and of how lovely and rare was a moment like this when one need not listen to anything at all.” I read about Sightseeing on…
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Wordless Wednesday
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Haunted
It’s just over 2 months now, since I lost my mom. Sometimes when I’m having a hard day, it helps me to remember that it really hasn’t been that long, and it’s normal for me to still be so heartbroken about this whole thing. I’m tired of her being dead. Tired of it. One thing I’ve noticed in this whole process of grief, is that I’m ok with most of it, or getting there at least, but what makes me the most upset, what brings tears to my eyes any time I think of it, and makes me want to choke (I think only those who have gone through serious…
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In Defense of Food
In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto is Michael Pollan’s follow up to The Omnivore’s Dilemma. His goal this time out is to answer the question of how to eat in an increasingly hostile landscape, one in which food is becoming more and more processed, and thus less and less healthy, all while nutritionists and food scientists try to make it more healthful. You don’t need to read the entire book to figure out the answer of how to eat. Look at the cover. It says, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” The rest of the book goes on to describe why this is the best way to go,…