Saturday, September 13, 2008

How did we get here?

I fear that, in these last 52 days til the US election, this blog may drift more toward the political, or the angry, or the railing against this crazy nation we have here, or all three. As proof, here is a little piece on Cindy McCain's struggle with addiction to prescription painkillers. This has been out for years, but the article highlights how "glossed over" the story has become, how "spun" it has become over the years by the McCains, and how the elite (yes, I said it, the McCains are the elite...what??? Not just the scrappy biracial community organizer whose family once lived on food stamps candidate???), well, the soulless elite anyway, can move around in the world without a care for whose lives they destroy.

And this next, from the well-anticipated Sarah Palin interview. What an idiot. Pay close attention to the "Bush Doctrine" section...jeez, even if she is an idiot, do you think McCain's people might have given her a little briefing on this so she wouldn't look so stupid talking about it? Watch her eyes when she says "In what respect, Charlie?" You can tell without a doubt that she is panicking because she has no idea what he is talking about and she's stalling for time. Or God, or something. Too bad the big guy couldn't help her out with that one.



Tuesday, September 9, 2008

The times, they are a changin'

Well, Obama and McCain may be deadlocked in the polls (how this can happen, in this race, is beyond me, except if the worst is true and white Americans are, at bottom, racists), but you gotta know that something good is happening if an out lesbian gets her own prime-time political talk show. And it's even better that it's my lesbian, Rachel Maddow! OK, she's not really my lesbian, I already have one, as does she...but, well, anyway, here she is, in her very solid, even impressive, debut last night. I'm so proud!



As I've said before, I've been a fan of Rachel's since I first heard her in the early days of Air America Radio. I knew she was a rising star then, as did many other listeners. I'm so pleased that MSNBC took a look and obviously saw the smart and savvy political wonk that we saw! Congratulations, Rachel! You have so many of us out here who are so proud of you and can't wait to see where you go from here.

As for Palin, I won't attempt to replicate the bang-up job that my friend Yankee Lagniappe did in her latest blog entry. Spectacular. I can't believe the American people are so gullible as to be taken up on this wave. Then again, considering they elected Reagan, Bush and then his son twice, I guess I really can believe it :(. Hmmm, interesting question...are Americans largely racist, dumb, or both? It's unsettling to be brought up face-to-face with the likelihood that we are the minority here. Change moves slowly...too slowly for this 44 year old.

Briefly switching to the knitting vein, I have no progress to report on my latest project for Schaefer Yarns...still looking for the perfect sized needles to get gauge! I will be starting this week and will post pics.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Finish the Sentence Meme

Saw this on Nutmeg Knitter's and Wife, Mom, Knitter's blogs, and it looked like fun, so I had to do it, too!





1. My uncle once…lived in California.

2. Never in my life…have I eaten octopus. Or eel.

3. When I was five…I loved kindergarten and had a best friend named Michael.

4. High school was…where I first learned to go after what I wanted and to work my hardest to get it. And to believe that good things would come my way.

5. I will never forget... the day that the twins were born. We knew our lives had been changed forever by those twelve pounds of miracle.

6. Once I met
Lyle Waggoner. Oh, I know, you are so jealous. Go ahead, click on the link, I know you have to...I'm so dating myself. But really, I was a little girl and I was so stoked to meet him. Oh, and I once was within about five feet of John Updike...very exciting, maybe even more so than meeting Lyle!

7. There’s this boy I know…who used to be the cutest kid, and just this year he got married and asked my kid to be his ring bearer. So adorable, my nephew.

8. Once, at a bar, well, probably more than once, I drank something called...a brain? A bloody brain? It was Bailey's poured into something, red, I think, so it curdled up to look like a brain would look, like, exactly like a brain would look... and it tasted great!

9. By noon…we knew we wouldn't make it to the beach to meet our friends on time, though I'd promised to get there by 12:15. We made it there by 12:35. Oops. I really can't stand to break promises, but I have equal difficulty with getting to places on time!

10. Last night…Our power went out for all of three seconds, which apparently was plenty of time to wipe out 100 hours of recorded shows on our satellite system :/. We lost several series, the closing ceremonies to the Olympics that we hadn't yet had the time to watch, and the finale to So You Think You Can Dance, which only I, out of all the family, had missed. It was so anticlimactic to find out from the kids today who won. I won't whine too much about it. Just a little.

11. If only I had…more discipline to get to bed earlier. Working on it!

12. “Next time I go to church” is something you won't hear me say. I've been done with organized religion since mid-way through college. Which, believe me, was a long time ago ;).

13. What worries me most…is money and my kids' health and safety.

14. When I turn my head left... I see the beach bag, still unpacked, from today.

15. When I turn my head right... I see the mouse whose battery light has been blinking at me for days. Gotta get on that. If you don't hear from me in a while, we now can blame that :).

16. You know I’m lying when…I'm not telling, then you will know when I'm lying!

17. What I miss most about the Eighties…is college, and having a much more carefree lifestyle. Many less worries than now.

18. If I were a character in Shakespeare I’d be…Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing. She seems really smart and self-possessed. And of course, since the movie I always think of her as
Emma Thompson, and come now, what woman wouldn't want to be Emma Thompson?

19. By this time next year…I will be sending my youngest to preschool...more free time for me, yippee! Oh, right, and it will be so good for her, too ;).

20. A better name for me would be…I can't think of one. Not that there probably aren't a few out there...I just can't think of a better name right now.

21. I have a hard time understanding…why I can't get better at arriving places on time.

22. If I ever go back to school… shoot me, please.

23. You know I like you if…I laugh a lot with you.

24. If I ever won an award, the first person I would thank would be…my parents and my therapist. They all had a hand in parenting me. Thanks, guys!


26. My ideal breakfast is... corned beef hash and scrambled eggs...heart attack on a plate, so I try not to have that too often! Man, do I sound old or what???


25. Take my advice, never…let anyone walk all over you.

27. A song I love but do not have is…"96,000" from "In the Heights". Take a listen:





28. If you visit my hometown, I suggest that you visit… the Hasbro factory.

29. Why won’t people…treat each other better?

30. If you spend a night at my house…expect to wake up early, cause the kids all do!


31. I’d stop my wedding for…listen, if I even get the chance to marry my partner, there will be very little that I'd stop that wedding for!

32. The world could do without…people who value money or their own comfort more than others' feelings.


33. I’d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than… to have to experience miscarriage again. I am grateful every day that we don't have to face that spectre again.


34. My favorite blondie is… I don't get it.


35. Paper clips are more useful than…rubber bands?


36. If I do anything well it’s…managing this brood. It's hard sometimes, but I asked for it and so far, I'm pretty proud of the job I'm doing.


37. I can’t help but.... think about all the knitting I have to do while I'm sitting here writing!


38. I usually cry… at sad movies.


39. My advice to my nephew/niece is… treat all people well and don't judge people on first impressions.


40. And by the way, it's time for bed!

The Girl Effect

Borrowed from Sara Skates, this is excellent...a hopeful video for a Sunday morning. Makes you think about the possibilities for us all.


Log Cabin Completed

It's done! Well, it was done a month ago and thanks to Wife, Mom, Knitter I have a lovely pic, but August was much busier than I'd expected (why is summer vacation always busier than the school year???) and I've neglected to blog this ginormous project to which I devoted all my waking hours for three months. Three months! I'd never knit for that long on anything before, and I will likely never do it again...well, unless it involves a marriage or a baby or a kid going off to college or something. Never say never, I guess!

So, without further ado, courtesy of Wife, Mom, Knitter:

It measures 70" X 75", which is weird because it looks much more rectangle-y than that on the bed. It's lovely, but it's really a summer blanket...it has even felt a bit too light during some cooler August nights. Now I know why I've seen so many tank tops knit in Silky Wool...it would work great for a summer garment! I'm still debating on whether or not to knit/crochet a border. I'm still not sure if it needs one. I'll keep thinking.

These days I'm starting a mitered cardigan for Schaefer Yarns. It's fun, but the Elaine yarn I'm using is BIG...not only on the needles, but in the ball I've made from the skein...I almost have to hold it with two hands! Makes for a bit of an awkward time knitting. But the Elena Piscopia colorway (whose shot looks very much like it was taken in Elaine) is really winning me over. This is going to be a beautiful sweater. I'll take progess pics and post. Promise!

Next come socks for my friend's father and a silk scarf for my mom for Christmas. After that, I think my partner really deserves some socks after all the knitting I've done for everyone else! And me! Me! I deserve some too! I hear the Tofutsies in my stash calling me!