Wherein, I expose myself...

Congratulations to the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers and Coach Schiano on their victory in the Texas Bowl last night! Well done, gentlemen. Well done. You've made this alumna squeeeeeeeeeal like a fangirl.

It's been a while since I've stopped by. I've found this year that excessive blogging can be an addiction like any other, and I try to avoid getting caught up in it. Cold turkey is the key to quitting. (TM Buffy)

Of course the downside is that there are also my friends online in RL who I've missed.

Anyway, I've been chugging along dealing with life in all its fullness and got smacked in the face by a whopping dose of seasonal melancholy and the inertia that it causes. In part, it's always this time of year that I miss my mother the most but I find myself wallowing in pessimism about the world around us and cynicism about our officials and the media that report on them. It's supposed to be the season of Glad Tidings, Peace and Goodwill, isn't it?

That said, once in a great while I read a story that reminds me that people have a lot more in common than the divisive and acrimonious picture painted in the media. Here's one.

A Muslim Sings Christmas Carols.

The families will be converging on our house this weekend. I'm behind schedule - as usual. I'm going off today to do the mad Christmas dash, picking up the last few presents and wrapping.

Best wishes this holiday season and a happy and healthy New Year to all.

What a week! First, Tuesday's elections gave me a sense of hope as a life-long lefty who has felt the rightward march in policies and dialog, and the wholesale consumption of Republican talking points by politicians and the talking heads in the Media alike. Thank goodness for the blogosphere to keep me sane. My fellow Americans are now waking up, tired of being lied to about the war, and tired of the rhetoric of fear. Good. There's more we need to do as a nation, but at least for now let us all revel in the restoration of "checks and balances" and hope for some honest give and take between Congress and the White House.

But if that wasn't cool enough, for the first time in well, EVER, my College football team and my favorite Pro team are both having winning seasons. Go big Blue! Go SCARLET KNIGHTS! I just... je ne sais quoi. I can't describe how good this feels. It's amazing to see those young men on the Rutgers football team reap the fruits of their determination and hard work. Props to all of them for the dream come true and especially Coach Shiano for having the dream.

Okay, realistically speaking, as a Rutgers Alum, I haven't always been happy with the Dollars spent of the football program at Rutgers in lieu of budgets cuts elsewhere. But I can't help feeling exhilarated right now! I just can't. I'm told the winning team has been good for business in New Brunswick and that's a positive. So, for now I put my crankiness aside and celebrate the come-back kids!

Whee!

Have a great weekend y'all.

Howard Dean just kicked the shit out of Karl Rove. Democracy ain't pretty but it sure is beautiful.

Which Dead Rock Star Are You?
Jeff Buckley You are Jeff Buckley! You're influential to many young and old, and very talented. You have charisma and grace that sets you a part from many. You are beautiful! Oh, he died in 1997 from a drug-induced drowning in the Mississippi River.
Take The Quiz Now!	Quizzes by myYearbook.com

Cheery, huh?

Happy Birthday Inaravar! I hope you have a wonderful day.

The more I read about what's going on around us and our actions around the world, I am reminded of this quote, attributed to Sinclair Lewis: "When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross."

After WW2 ended, the United States characterized Japanese wartime use of "water boarding" as torture. But apparently it's only torture when our enemies do it. When we do it, it's called an "alternative interrogation method".

How do we EVER justify torture? I just don't understand it. According to experts, it doesn't work a means of gathering useful intelligence, we lose our moral authority and it leaves our our soldiers and civilians subject to the same in retaliation.

One would think at least the Democrats in or running for Congress would stand up for what is right, and not cave in and go along with legitimizing torture, but it's an election year and as usual, the Democrats are letting the fear-mongering Republicans frame the debate as if anyone who is morally (and rightly, in my opinion) opposed to torture is somehow "soft on terror".

Aren't we as a Nation supposed to be more "civilized"? Aren't we supposed to be just? Aren't we supposed to govern and conduct our affairs by reason rather than inflamed passions?

I'm astounded when I hear a neighbor of mine, a Church-going man who professes to be a Christian, say things like "we ought to kill 'em all [Iraqis]" along with other vitriol that sounds like it came straight out of a FoxNews script. I'm wondering where in the New Testament Jesus called for the genocide of entire countries, because I sure don't remember that scripture in the Gospels. Of course, it didn't matter to the Nazis, who cynically used Christianity to justify their criminal reign.

And the Gulf coast communities devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are still in ruins in many places, while we spend $2 Billion each week in Iraq. The Iraq war is formenting more terrorism and a majority of Iraqis don't want us there. So why don't we start the redeployment now? Yes, there is a civil war going on in Iraq because we have not been able to keep the peace, but there would be a civil war in Iraq whether we stay for a year or 10 years. For how long do we "stay the course" when doing so only seems to make matters worse by drawing foreign jehadists into Iraq to add to the terror already faced during the civil war between Iraqis? The United States troops are a focal point of resentment and anger and with all the money spent and wasted on big government contractors who shelter themselves within the fortified Green Zone, we can't seem to provide the basic necessities for our troops in the line of fire.

Meanwhile, back in Afghanistan, the Taliban are rebuilding, the Opium trade is florishing and keeping terror networks flush with cash. Al Qaeda is there, on the fringes on the border while the Government of Pakistan, our supposed ally in the "war on terror", turns a blind eye to their presence and may actively be harboring them. And yet, our President and his Administration and his lackeys in Congress are fixated on Iraq - with sights on Iran. And some of our troops are stop-lossed and serving their second, third or forth tours of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, after they were told they were done there.

What happened to our priorities?

Hola!

Hubby, L. and I are here in sunny Miami having a last getaway before the Fall Everything-season gets underway in earnest. And I haven't posted anything really silly for a least a couple weeks, so I figured I'd post some observations.

What a pleasant experience to walk along the streets of South Beach, watching the beautiful people and noticing that so many of the women have healthy, luscious CURVES! I always imagined I'd feel out of place in these places - with my Bootay that will not yield to exercise (well, it helps to actually *do* exercise. Ahem) and judging by what I see from the TeeVee or magazine spreads, but I guess they must hire fitness models or maybe they really film "Miami" in LA, where the norm for actresses seems to be something closer to anorexic than luscious.

Or maybe it's a Latina thing, but these beautiful women wear their curves with pride, and can I just say how nice it is to be a part of this? Miami Beach - where the bootay is queen!

By the way, according to the Urban dictionary, "Bootay" is defined accordingly: "Not just a butt, but a big, juicy one" - capitalize it for emphasis... Bootay!, Bootay!, Bootay! My new favorite word. Hee!

Now, I have the opportunity to take a nap. Naps are kind of like rare and precious things in my current life so I intend to savor every blessed supine moment of it. TTFN.

The important: Happy Birthday Gia!

The silly:

Your Quirk Factor: 60%

You're a pretty quirky person, but you're just normal enough to hide it. Congratulations - you've fooled other people into thinking you're just like them!

Only 60%? I guess I've gotten less quirky in my old age.

I direct your attention once again to Operation Eden, Photographer Clayton James Cubitt's stunning photojournal about survivors of Hurricane Katrina, especially his Mother and little Brother. The link is in my profile as well.

I suggest starting with the August 2005 page - right from the start - and scroll from bottom to top to get the full affect. I think it's well worth it.

Oh, and Hi to my flist!

Poor, poor Pluto. She don't get no respect. Or is it a he? Pluto was afterall, a he-God not a Goddess. But Planets are generally referred to as "she", are they not? Hmm. 'Tis puzzling. Although I suppose it doesn't matter that now poor Pluto is demoted to Dwarf-Planet, and the Astrol... Astronmonom... Astronomological(?) clique have all fallen for that new sexy Drawf-Planet, Chiron. The Hussy!

There is a huge hole in my back yard. A giant pool-sized hole! Eeeeeee!!!11!!!!!!!!! It all happened so fast too. Last week we were still waiting for the damn permits, and Monday there were approved, the pool contractor called, and voila! The big question I have - having never built an in-grown pool before - is about the foot of water in the low point of said hole. I figured it came from the rain we had this morning, but Hubby says it's the water table. I hope that won't pose a problem to completing the job. Anyway, we may actually see this pool finished in time to take a dip or two before we have to close it up for the season. Yay!

I like Spike Lee's work and this sounds interesting. Does anyone know anything more about it? When the Levees Broke.

I posted here last in May. Wow. So much has happened here, and undoubtedly in your lives since I last checked in. I know I missed a great time with the B/A Basher gals in Arizona, and I’m still sorry I couldn’t make it. I miss you.

First, I want to say Happy belated Birthdays to lynner_k, maquisleader, lucindacapone, stephanierb, duskybelle, angelbuffy0 and raintree85. Happy Birthday to ralkana coming up on the 23rd, just in case I miss it.

Congrats to theantijoss on the new book! I’m thrilled for you Sweetie!

Good luck to alleynyc on your tour! I hope to be able to see you at the Bitter End, if not sooner.

And I want to acknowledge lynner_k and canadiangirl_86 who both took the time to nudge me recently and to angelbuffy0 for keeping in touch by telephone. Please forgive me if I missed anyone. I know I’ve been badly out of touch.

I hope all of you are well, and I’ll try to catch up a bit if I can. I’m alive, well, busy, but I've been pretty much staying under the radar trying to keep 'net addiction at bay.

So what’s the news?

The kitchen is finally done! Woo hoo! Well, done except for cosmetic stuff like painting. It’s FABULOUS, if I do say so myself, and if I can figure out what’s wrong with my software and fix it, I’ll upload pictures.

The pool, however, is still not built although we finally got the Letter of Interpretation we needed from the State of NJ DEP regarding the “wetlands” on our property, and were able to submit it to the Township in order to get the building permits. We applied for the LoI in November. It came in July. Typical. At the rate we’re going, we’ll be able to build the pool in time to ice skate on it… grumble. We hired the pool contractor in February of 2005 before we hit the bureaucratic snag and it’s been a long, LONG time.

Nevertheless, it’s been a nice summer so far. Daughter L, at 11, is now officially taller than I am. She had her first experience at sleep away camp and had a ball, and spent the rest of the summer riding horses or playing tennis. She’s already started soccer practice, which is unusual for the recreational league. Bob is NOT Coaching this season (thank goodness) and Lucy has a great coach. “Back to School” (a.k.a. “Happy New Year”) is right around the corner. Yikes! Where has all the time gone?

The boys, who had been living with us, are all in the process of moving out. Stepson G. moved to be nearer his daughter. Stepson K. and his SO will be moving into an apartment near their University in September. And my Son will be starting grad school next week and is in transition, still moving his stuff back to Rochester.

It’s not quite an empty nest, but still takes some getting used to. I can’t even remember what it was like to just have the three of us living here.

I’ve read Gia’s recent awesome update to "In The Darkness" and that has whetted my appetite for more fanfic. I’ve started thinking about maybe trying to write… although I’ve said that before and the Muses are still on strike, alas.

Otherwise life chugs along. I’ll try to be less of a stranger from now on. Take care, y'all!

Has it really been more than a month since I've posted here? Huh. I'll try to read back and find out what's been going on with all y'all. I can't believe how far behind I am.

So, my life was full of ...lots of stuff but nothing terribly noteworthy. Well, except for our too-short vacation to Cancun, itt's just lots of mundane stuff and not worth boring my friends with.

So, let's see...

Cancun! We were there for two full, and two part days a few weeks ago and it was GLORIOUS! It would have been perfect if we'd had a whole week, but we'll take it! We returned right before Easter. A little sun and some time away from the hurley-burley is awesome this time of year. And we were there with friends who have a daughter L's age. We all had a blast! There's still a lot of damage on the island at some of the resorts from the hurricane that went through there last year and a bunch of the resorts were still a mess. The island was pretty quiet, apparently, although having never been there before, I don't know what to compare it to. I'd love to go back sometime and take a little longer.

We made it through basketball season and we're on to soccer. Yay! We're a soccer family and it's always fun when all the kids are practicing in the back yard together - L. and her three big brothers and sometimes the grand daughter. Awwww.

( Annoying soccer parents )

The kitchen is still NOT done. *Sigh* ( Kitchen woes )

Other than that, there's the usual assortment of work, family obligations and extra-curricular activities. I've neglected my online friends (I'm sorry - truly) but I haven't had the time to really catch up. My interest in fandom has ebbed quite a bit, I'm afraid, and I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing... Maybe both? Good because I'm doing off-line things. Bad because that's where some of my friends are, and I miss you.

I hope all is well and I'll try to catch up on your goings-on, fanfic and other news. TTFN.

to redeem147, my twin - separated at birth. I hope you're having a wonderful birthday, Sweetie! *HUG*.

For everyone else Happy Springtime!
****

ETA:
We've been dealing with the same old bullshit with the still-unfinished kitchen. Hubby and I have been both dealing with seasonal depression. I've had zero inspiration on the fanfic since January. I'm delinquent on my story submission to the Happy Endings ficathon, and feel ashamed... I keep staring at the page, hoping for inspiration and nothing comes.

I'm sorry, southernbangel and stars91 for letting you down.

If you're having trouble sleeping, then you might want to read ( more... )

zzzzzzzzzzz......

Wow, it's been a while. Not much going on here to bore ya'll with.

I'm getting the sickness my daughter had that kept her home from school for three days. It's like a cold with a stomach bug. I left work early today because I didn't want to have an unhappy moment of losing my cookies right there, and... well, nuff said.

The kitchen is *still* under construction, still so ice-fucking-cold the pipes froze over last weekend and sprung a leak, the contractors are scarce and the whole thing depresses me so much I don't even want to talk about it anymore. Sigh.

I've been avoiding the basketball Moms by sitting at the table and keeping the score book and the time. Doing something constructive makes for a much more enjoyable experience and I don't have to hear the bitchin'.

I'm not going to INTA Annual Meeting in Toronto in May. My Boss is going, along with my coworker, who- in fairness- hasn't gone for the past couple years. It's my turn to stay home, but that means I miss seeing some really nice folks who I only get to see once a year. Oh well.

My Happy Endings fic has stalled. It's an angsty fic at the moment... I'll try to focus on it this weekend.

I'm still hopelessly and pathetically addicted to American Idol. It is crack, yo. I watched 5 fucking hours of it this week. No make that 3 hours of AI and 2 hours of commericals. I really need TiVo. I will watch until my man Taylor is no longer on it, and then extricate myself - cold turkey - from it's insidious influence. Ace is purty, Chris sings good as does Elliot, Katharine, Paris and Mandisa, but none of them are important to me - except my favorite soul man.

I hope all is well with you, my Friends?

The building permits will finally be ready for pick up tomorrow. Yay! After three weeks of cold kitchen and a heating oil bill almost $600 for the month, it's about damn time.
~*~*~

I think basketball parents are just as bad as little league parents - or the group of parents for our daughter's team are anyway. It's the Moms, not the Dads, by the way. Long story short, my Hubby volunteered to coach the team, having no prior experience with girl's basketball. He originally planned to be an assistant coach for that reason but because they didn't have enough volunteers to be head coaches, my Hubby stepped up. He even took time off from work to attend the safety/rules course that was a prerequisite.

So what does he get for his effort? A bunch of complaining mothers who (a) obviously know a lot about the game and who have plenty to say about what a lousy coach they think my husband is, and (b) even though they do know a lot about the game, not one of them offered to coach or assist at the beginning of the season. Nor have they volunteered to run the clock or keep the score book.

I had to sit next to a couple of them yesterday. I think they even knew who I am. I keep my mouth shut for the most part because I don't the rules of the game that well , but when the one mother said "He should just go back to practicing law", it was all I could take. I said "Maybe it would be best if I leave now", to which one of the other Moms said, "Maybe you should."

I can't even tell you how it hurts to hear this shit, and I know I need to get a thicker skin. My Husband takes it in stride. I wish I could. And I don't understand it. I don't know if it's a racial thing, or a woman/man thing or a just - or a "Our daughters are stars and you should let them shine thing". Whatever. I won't admit to them how it hurts to hear this but it's really soured me to this whole experience. And by the way, despite my Husband's inexperience as a coach, the girls have an undefeated record so far.
~*~*~

One last thing... I've become addicted to something more insidious than cocaine, heroine or meth. It's called American Idol.

While waiting for House MD (in vain) and Bones, I've gotten caught up in the trainwreck that is the American Idol audition episodes. I may actually watch the show this year beyond the trainwreck because of Taylor Hicks, prematurely silver-haired 29 year old Blues singer from Birmingham, Alabama. I've now listened to a few of his songs online, and think this guy is just great!

So, according to the persnickety Simon, he's not "commercial", but I think Simon's wrong. Taylor Hicks is rumored to have made it to the top 24, so that's good for him, even if he doesn't win the thing, this is a guy worth following, in my humble opinion.

There are a couple other good singers I've seen so far as well, but Taylor Hicks is one I like best so far.

Other than that, same old - same old. I'm still aggravated about the bitchy basketball Moms. I'm not sure I'm going to get over it.

If you're a B/A shipper, or want to understand what makes B/A shippers tick, you *must* GO read tkp's B/A love note which really covers all the ground, and says it all so much better than I ever could.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY LEEZILLAAAAAAAA...
HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, southernbangel
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOOOOOOOOOU!

Have a wonderful, splendiferous day, and many happy returns, darlin'!


*Smooch*