Last Sunday in Advent

I am sitting in my living room listening to the church bells play a series of Advent hymns.  During the next week they will start to play Christmas carols on the bells and I can barely wait.  I need a little Christmas - right this very minute!!

Just get it done for Pete's sake!

Yes, I do believe we need a health plan in this country and I am pretty anxious that Congress finally makes a decision.  I think that anyone who is not farsighted enough to think that they might loose their employment and consequentially their heath care is foolish.  There is no safety net and COBRA costs a freaking fortune.  Say you have had a one of the many "pre-existing" health care issues and you change jobs.  No health insurance.  God forbid you have ever had cancer and try to change jobs and insurance coverage!  This why it makes me crazy when anyone balks against the idea.

Who's gonna pay for it?  Hell, who do they think pays for every indigent that does not pay for their hospitalization now?  My brother has no health care, had an emergency and went to the hospital.  They had to admit him.  He was there overnight and had a battery of tests run.  Guess who is paying for his trip to the hospital.  EVERYONE else!  He surely isn't!  This happens in hospitals every day all over the country and help created the health care crisis in this country.  A plan just makes so much more sense.  Working citizens are paying for the health care of the poor, unemployed and uninsured right now.  Let's just get real about it.

Sarah's badmouthing Katie Couric

I read that Sarah Palin badmouthed Katie Couric in her new book.  Damn that Katie Couric for using big words and asking what periodicals Sarah reads! 

Strangely, nothing bad about that boy that got her little girl pregnant.  Could it be that he really DOES have some dirt he could throw around?  (I'm just asking the question...)

WWJD?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/11/AR2009111126806.html?g=0

Go to this link and note the sign that the protester from Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas is holding.   I thought the underlying premise of Christianity is to follow Christ.  Could you even imagine Christ telling someone that "God Hates You"?

It's an ugly, ugly world and it hurts my heart.

Need a motivational speaker?

President George W. Bush is hitting the motivational speaking tour.  You can hear him speak for $19.  That isn't for each person - that is $19 for your entire office. 

I think that is still too much to spend to listen to GW...but that's just me.  If George and Laura are looking for some additional income, maybe they can just borrow some from Dick Cheney.  The whole war in Iraq (protecting oil fields) has worked out pretty well for him.

Roman Catholic Church to accept Anglicans

Boy, do I have a lot of questions about this new development!  Does this mean Anglicans will have to stop birth control?  Can Anglicans still get divorced and remain in communion with the Church?  Does anyone else think that Roman Catholic priests will be annoyed that their brother Anglican priests are allowed to marry and have children?  Are there no gay Roman Catholics or Anglicans?  Where will Anglican's money go...Anglican or Roman Catholic Church?  Will young men who are considering the priesthood jump ship from Roman Catholic to Anglican so that they can avoid the celibacy issue?  Who will church property belong to...Roman Catholic or Anglican Church?

My head is spinning.  I can't wait to ask my Roman Catholic friends about this change!

The Bible

Hey!  Don't like what the Bible says?  Well, go ahead and write yourself a new translation!  I can only shake my head in disbelief.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2010079847_pitts18.html

“Balloon Boy”

Apparently there is a special announcement coming from the parents of the child now called “balloon boy” after he supposedly drifted off in the family’s hot air balloon.  What I would like to hear is a special announcement from the federal government regarding this entire flaky mess, one with a price tag attached.  Helicopters were scrambled, police and rescue personnel were chasing the balloon and the media was eating it up.  The family got lots of concern and subsequent publicity. 

Just how much did this bit of foolishness cost?

Wacky Weather

This is our forecast for Friday

Forecast Details:

Rain and snow. Highs in the low 40s and lows in the mid 30s.

We still have lots of green leaves on the trees here.  Snow this week?  What kind of craziness is that?!  We had a very cool, wet summer.  It’s like we are skipping a couple of seasons this year – from spring right to winter. 

This does not bode well for my electric bill.  Think I will order a “Snuggie”!

So here's what I think...

I think President Obama should  acknowledge the Nobel prize for peace and then graciously ask that the award be presented to someone else.  I admire the man and the job that he is trying to do (though I do think he keeps biting off bigger chunks than he should attempt at one time).    Awarding the prize to him at this point is premature.


Perhaps it is a call to leadership in the world and the promise of a better future for all.  I believe he will prove himself a great leader but an award of this nature needs to be earned.  The President has not earned it...yet.

Thankful

I am having a very good day today.  I am thankful for a dear friend, happy memories and very, very long telephone conversation.  Hope you are having a great day wherever you are!!

Fox "News"?

They play the Fox "news" channel at work every day.  Most days it is all I can do to keep from screaming and running out of the room.  Not necessarily because of what is actually being said on the television but the follow up comments coming out of the mouths of the mental giants eating in the lunchroom...but I digress.

I read the Seattle newspaper on line every morning.  Call it a link to the past if you will.  At any rate, I read Leonard Pitt's piece this morning and wanted to share in case you had not seen it in your newspaper.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2009990542_pitts04.html

Fair is fair.

Apparently I have been in a coma

Did  you know about Hulu.com?  I didn't until I read about it on someone's blog and I am officially hooked.  No more missing something on tv that I didn't see because I fell asleep on the couch or went to bed too early.  No more feeling sad because I don't have the cable upgrade to watch HGTV and the Food channel.  This morning at 3:30am I watched last Thursday's episode of "Grey's Anatomy" and then "Private Practice" because I crashed at 7:45 Thursday night and missed them both.  Later today when I am sewing in the studio I am going to watch "The Office" and "The Mentalist". I think I will watch a little Vern Yip tonight...like all of the episodes they have!

Check it out and save a bundle on your cable bill!

Eeeewww!

David Letterman just admitted that he had affairs with women on his staff.  Affairs with women means there was more than one...with David Letterman.  Can you wrap your head around that?  I can't.  I mean he is funny and he makes me laugh but do the horizontal mambo with him?  Eeeewww! 

Just one of those days

This morning  my cell phone was charging in the dining room.  I left for work and stopped in at McDonald's for a sugar-free, non-fat, vanilla latte.  I suddenly remembered that I didn't have my cell.  I pulled out of MickyD's and zipped back up to the house.  I parked and reached for my keys.  Crap!  I grabbed the wrong ones this morning - the ones WITHOUT a house key.  So my cell phone is still on the dining room table and the cat is probably freaking out.

Thankfully, my parents have a key to the house so they are going over to unlock for me.  If I would have had to call a locksmith I think I might have cried.  It's just going to be one of those days, all day!

Something a little different

I have worn acrylic nails off and on for years.  I have soft nails that tear and growing them out to a decent length just doesn’t work.  I also have a problem with nail biting (I know – disgusting habit!!) that goes back to my childhood. 

With my crazy schedule lately, I have not had time to do the upkeep on my acrylics so I pulled them off.  My hands looked terrible until last night.

About a month a go, my daughter in law told me about Kiss glue on fingernails.  For $5 a pair I thought I would give them a try.  I got the short length since really long nails make me crazy.

Here is the link to their website.  (They have prettier pictures on their site.  I think the box shown here is old packaging.)

If my camera wasn’t 2 floors below I would take a picture of them on my hands.  They look fabulous!  The package says they last for 7 days but my DIL says usually 10 days.   They also have them for your toes so you can have a pretty French manicure on your little piggies, too!

They go on really easily because they have little tabs to hold them  in place while you glue them (no glue stuck to the ends of your fingers!)   It took me about 10 minutes to glue them on since I had to try the different sizes to see which ones fit which fingers the best.  So much nicer than sitting in a chair with nail dust flying around you for 60 minutes.  For convenience alone, I think these guys are totally worth giving a try!

Now, admit you are surprised that I am not making any snide comments about Sarah today!

Sarah’s memoir

Sarah’s memoir is finished.  She had a co-author and then spent several days at Harper working round the clock with the editors.  Wonder how much of Sarah is really in this book? 

She has difficulty stringing together several words into an intelligible sentence.  How could she write a book?  (I’m just saying…)

Sarah's globetrotting...

I read that Sarah Palin is in Asia (getting some much needed stamps on her passport).  Wonder if they would like to keep her?

My Keds

When I moved to Seattle I discovered Costco.  I love Costco.  We don't have one near here.  Well, there is one in York but that is a heck of drive to pick up groceries and whatnot.

I moved to Seattle a little over 10 years ago. Not long after I moved there, I purchased a pair of leather Keds at Costco.  I love these shoes.  I love the way they fit my feet.  I love the classic look of them, sort of timeless.  I just discovered that the leather has pulled away from the rubber on one side.  I will keep my shoes but only for yard work.  I will miss them being part of my weekend wardrobe.  I think the thing that bothers me the most is that they are another piece of life in Seattle that I am losing.  That hurts my heart.

Maybe I should make a trip to York.

9/11 Remembered

I was living in Seattle. We were sleeping soundly when the phone rang. He jumped out of bed to answer the phone. He listened for a moment, had a very strange look on his face and then handed me the phone. "It's your mother." I said hello and my mother's first words were "It's bad out here. We are under attack. Turn on the television." I quickly hung up, grabbed a robe and headed downstairs. He had turned on the tv and was sitting in front of it with that same strange look he had when he talked to my mother. We watched, barely comprehending what we were seeing. It was surreal. It was confusing and frightening.


And then we saw the towers fall. The horror took my breath away.

We watched for hours and then he went to the Southcenter Mall as it was reported the Red Cross was there taking donations. Originally he was going to give blood but they said they didn't need that. They needed money. So we gave. And we prayed. It was all we could do.

I am remembering those today who lost their lives and those who lost their loved ones. I continue to pray for our nation and our leaders.

I love it when this happens...

Looks like Mr. Wilson (Republican, South Carolina) my have stepped on his own foot!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090910/pl_politico/26970

What's all the noise about?

President Bush (younger) addressed the school children in 1991. It was available to all the schools across the nation. What's the big hooey about President Obama addressing school children? All the noise is nothing but right wing politics and bigotry.

Once again, America looks foolish in the eyes of the world.

New Phone

I have a new cell phone. We changed carriers at work since the coverage we had with our other carrier wasn't adequate. Small problem - for the old phone I had two wall chargers and another one for the car. New phone came with one charger and guess where I left it? Yep, at the office. Now the phone is dead (the battery doesn't hold a charge worth a darn) and I am feeling pretty disconnected from the rest of the world. On the other hand, it is really quiet here!

Stupid is as stupid does

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090817/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_protesters_guns

Why do you think these folks are showing up at rallies where President Obama is present? Bet they would want to shoot me if I burned the US flag which is a right afforded me by the First Amendment.

Read...

Maureen Dowd's column on "Screechy, preachy" Sarah Palin today. All points well taken.

Weird happenings

My house was originally built in 1900. It was sort of "rebuilt" last year. I have noticed something really odd since I moved into the house. Things unscrew. For instance, I cannot tell you how many times I have had to tighten the screws on the door knobs. I have had to readjust the float thingy in the toilet nearly every month. The handles on the bi fold doors to my closet have been tightened every week since I moved in. The handles on my dresser have unscrewed. Light bulbs get more and more loose until they don't turn on. So far, if a light bulb doesn't work, I just screw it tight and it is fine.

Wonder if I am sitting on some kind of strange magnetic field... Maybe I am just living in the Twilight Zone!

Team Sarah?

From the Boston Globe:

Her core supporters, however, remain behind her. Team Sarah, a political networking site, claims 70,000 members.
"Team Sarah members anxiously await Palin’s next decision on how she believes she can best serve our nation. Since the 2008 election, the continual presence of personal attacks on both Governor Palin and her family indicate that she remains a threat to the liberal feminist political establishment,” the group's co-founder, Jane Abraham, said in a statement. “Despite criticism, Governor Palin’s success will endure. Team Sarah’s thousands of members remain as engaged as ever on TeamSarah.org. The Governor has inspired millions, and her audience of enthusiastic support will only grow in the future.”

Perhaps this group is "semi" correct. Sarah Palin is a threat. She is a threat to those of us who want an articulate, insightful, educated and diplomatic leader. Sarah Palin and her ilk are the reason we suffered through 8 years of George W. Bush and his miserable presidency.

Got me wound up now!!

Stuck in the 50s

I know that I complain about where I live in Pennsylvania.  It is an area that seems to be trapped in the 1950s.   Conservative, misogynistic, racist, suspicious … all the worst parts of the 50s.  Yesterday, however, I was thinking about the best part of the 1950s.  Things like family, patriotism, faith and community spirit. 

My little town has a church on the corner just 2 blocks from where I live.  Every day, on the hour during the day, they ring the chimes for the number of hours and then play 2 or 3 hymns on the bells.  Yesterday, the first hymn I heard was the “Navy Hymn”.   Following was “God Bless America” and then “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”.  Later in the day I heard “America the Beautiful”, “Faith of our Fathers” and a variety of other hymns that bring thoughts of God and country to the forefront.  In the center of town is a very nice park.  At the front is a memorial to those who have served in the military.  Flags are always flown there but yesterday there were many, many small American flags and flowers in shades of red, white and blue.  As I drove out of town to visit a friend for dinner, the entrance area and median strip were covered in American flags blowing smartly in the breeze.  Last night when I returned home I saw children with sparklers and heard firecrackers late into the evening.

On days like yesterday, it really isn’t a bad place to live.  I hope you had a wonderful Independence Day.

Just when you think you have heard it all...

Rush Limbaugh has explained that Governor Mark Sanford went down to Argentina to meet with his mistress because President Obama drove him to it. Yes, the sleazy affair of the Governor of South Carolina is the fault of President Obama. It is ok to cheat on your wife, destroy your family because you don't like the administration.

Does anyone really take Limbaugh seriously? Apparently they did at C-PAC. Scary, very scary!

No, thank you!

Some confused soul has subscribed me to Fred Thompson's PAC newsletter. It comes via email. Thankfully, it was easy enough to unsubscribe. I am pretty sure I know who did it as she has plagued me in the past with subscriptions to magazines. I was able to get that stopped by writing to the USPS fraud division. She was contacted and the subscriptions stopped. It would appear that this is her new method of asserting her less than sane behavior.

The only excuse I can give for her efforts is that she is young, immature and has trust issues. Sad when someone has too much time on their hands and no creative outlet. Maybe she should take up quilting!

I don't think so!!!

I just saw the poster of a woman protesting outside studio where they tape the "David Letterman Show". Her sign: "We are all the Palins" just about sent me around the bend. Me, a Palin? Sorry, no! I read, I can string more than 2 sentences into an intelligent conversation, I am not a bigot or hate monger and I don't believe in hunting animals except for food. (I could go on and on but I won't!)

Memorial Day 2009

I am an Army brat. My father retired 42 years ago but I am still an Army brat. That is something that stays with you for your entire life.

I was raised on and off Army bases in the US and in Japan. I watched my dad jump out of airplanes. I played touch football on parade fields and swam in the officer's club pool. I went to 5 different schools when I was in the second grade. I played with other grubby kids and made forts in the woods near our quarters in Virginia. I discovered my first fossil when we were living in Kansas. I saw my dad in his dress blues and my mom in a beautiful formal going to the General's ball. I rode in a HU1D helicopter and was amazed that my dad knew how to fly that thing. I got out of bed very early one morning and watched my father leave for Viet Nam. I know first hand how scary it is when your father is half a world away, in danger every day and the only real communication you have is a letter in the mail.

For a number of people, Memorial Day is nothing more really than the kickoff of the summer barbecue season and a good opportunity to gather with friends and family. My hope is that everyone takes at least a moment today to reflect upon the sacrifices made by the men and women who have served and are serving in defense of our country and our freedoms. Please also remember the families of those that serve.

God bless America.

Please go away

Know how former President GW quietly left office, moved back to the ranch and started bringing Laura coffee in bed? Why can't Dick Cheney just go away?

Please...

Got rain?

We sure do! I do love rain so it isn't much of a hardship for me but it does make driving more of a challenge. Have you noticed there are still some bozos driving around in the rain without their headlights turned on? It is one of those things that makes me crazy.

On another subject entirely, on my way this morning to one of our company's other branches I saw a female mallard that had been chased onto the road by 3 male mallards. Some fool hit her which was awful and then I saw the males swarming around her trying to help her. I was informed they were not trying to help - they were trying to mate with her. I had a really tough time holding back the sexist comment that came to mind...

I've been biting my tongue for a while

Am I happy that President Obama chooses to be in dialogue with foreign leaders as opposed to saber rattling and outright aggression? You betcha!

40th Anniversary

Today is the 40th anniversary of the release of "Give Peace a Chance", written by John Lennon. Isn't it about time?

St. Patrick's Day

I work in the beer industry. St. Patrick's Day seems to be the day for "pub crawls", green beer and Beamish/Guiness/O'Hara's. For me, it is the day for a glass of a nice white wine when I get home and that is just about it. (Actually, every day is a good day for a glass of wine when I get home!)

At any rate, I am not Irish so I do not wear green on St. Patrick's Day...and I dare anyone to pinch me!

My sweet baboo

Today is my youngest son's 36th birthday. How can he be so old when I am so young?!! He is my "not normal" son (conservative vs his mother, "the crazy liberal"). He challenges me, makes me think and makes me laugh.

Happy Birthday, sweet boy!

GM and bankruptcy

I posted this erroneously on my quilting blog. Sorry if any of you read me in both places. Suzan

Know what? Sometimes bankruptcy is the only option. The government gave them big money and that didn't work. How much more do we need to throw at them? Chapter 11 would force them to re-structure and new union contracts could be written. I can only hope the Obama administration hangs tough.

Constitution

I think it interesting that the Republican Party has now decided to support the Constitution...considering how it was trampled on during the Bush administration. I also think it interesting that conservatives have no problem supporting the portions of the Constitution that they like and blatantly ignore the ones they don't.

Wind

When I was a child, we lived for a time in Kansas. I have had a fear of high winds since that time. Certainly not comparing the winds we are experiencing here to tornado winds, I am more than a little freaked out this morning. It is dark outside and it is very windy. The house is moving with the wind and I don't like that.

I don't like it one bit.

And it begins...

This is on the front page of the Huffington Post this morning


Can you feel it? A new beginning for our country. I feel such a sense of patriotism and energy and excitement. I know the tasks ahead are daunting but the possibilities and dreams for the future color my world for the moment. And I am thankful!!

Anyone going to the Inaugural?

I would love to go but I think it is going to be totally crazy in DC and I will see much more by watching on TV. I am taking off on the 20th to spend the ENTIRE day in front of the television. My parent's will arrive about 10am for breakfast and mimosas. This will certainly be a party day for us!

(I was seriously thinking about putting bunting up on the front porch. Too much?)

Thanksgiving - January 1, 2009

I greet this very cold morning with thanksgivings. I am thankful for shelter, warm clothing and food in my kitchen. I am thankful for employment, friends and a family that supports and loves me. I am thankful that I discovered a creative outlet that both entertains me and feeds my soul.

I hope you have much to be thankful for as we begin this New Year.