He's On Fire!

Sad Rolls In

Made literally thirty plus phone calls attempting to complete doctor homework.

 Yes, I'd be happy to see you, sir, in another month if I could ever get through to your office to make another appointment.  That's a joke, right?  The earliest opening is the week before Christmas?

Hello?  Please.  To whom do I speak to request referral to specialists?  No, I don't have the name because the insurance has not located anyone nearer than 100 miles.  Well, she told me to get the referral first?  But, you say I should get the names first?  Tell you what, why don't you just sign the damn thing and send me a bunch of copies?

Morning and how sick am I of medical topics?!  Jillions!  There must be other subjects.  And fighting with the post office does not count.  And realizing all the sexy locations I am never going to be able to see don't count either.  I'd love to discuss the neighbor lady who abscond with one of my best lines to flirt with the UPS guy.  Damn her.  A conversation with someone interested in ephemera (Isn't that the coolest word?) projects and the crazy houseplants would be sweet.  First in line would be also.

And DO not tell me to stop whining and just get going.  This IS me not whining.  You ain't just NEVER seen the whining me.  As far as getting going is concerned?  Bite me.

The Day Silas Was Born

                                Astronomy Picture of the Day, NASA

Some Time Really Does Slow Down

Just took a peek at the next blog following mine and was presently surprised.  I haven't looked in many months because they were usually light Thai porn or political rants I did not comprehend.  But this one I rather liked.

Some of the post was in Japanese which, of course I couldn't read.  But it was so pretty.  Like calligraphy incomprehensible on another level.  And the photos were all miniatures the writer received as gifts.  Baskets, glass bottles, teeny little desks.  Quite lovely.  Check it out following mine.

Anyway last night I had dreams about Landon whose parents just married.  At the wedding he wore an adorable little boy tux and a gently pastel boutonniere.*  In most of the photos he looks very serious.  He also looked serious in my dreams.

This morning I thought, maybe Landon knows something I don't.  If you've ever attempted to make a baby smile for a picture you know it takes many efforts and much patience.  And time.  Serious (and adorable, don't get me wrong...) Landon clearly in charge of his picture taking; he obviously made the time spread quite awhile.

Smarty pants.  I bet he was enjoying himself and he made it last as long as he wanted.  I'd like to have that skill during the daytime too.  But having it in the dream time is pretty nice.

*This word looks incorrect to me.   According to Spell Check it is OK however.

Goody Goody Happy Day!



One year ago...

The beautiful bride...

A beautiful bridesmaid...

Beautiful baby boy.

Each are all better today!

Have a great wedding, Juice, Juice's boys, and the other Juice!

Happiness and contentment forever!

xoxo, db

August Step One

http://feministsforobama.org/

Time to put my money where my mouth is.  Guess what?  No money involved.  But now I am and you should be, too.

Whatever Happened To...

It helps that I know almost nothing about soccer.  And so I come to this video with the eyes of the beginner.  I have no idea what it means and I do not care to learn.  I see no google fest in my future. (OK I did watch the "She Wolf" video a time or two. How can anyone bend that way?)  But I got to thinking, whatever happened to Shakira?

If she's not young and gorgeous anymore I hope that she is fat and still sexy as hell and having a marvelous time.  She can always look back on videos like this one.  Hopefully she knows what all the words mean.  To me, 'waka waka' will always belong to Fozzie bear and my father.  Two of the world's funniest creatures.

Love the bracelets.  Love all the cute sweaty soccer boys.  Love that she's got pom poms in her hair.  And the clothes on the dancers are sensational, too.

Get Out Of My Way

This week I have been sleeping scandalously late.  And for me, that means 8:30 to about 9ish in the morning.  I've been an early starter since my children were teensy.  Never minded it and never needed or used an alarm clock.  And I realize that 9:00 am isn't that late; but here at Elder House there are folks who are up and around at four!  No, no, no.  That can't be good for a person.

This week I've been stretching and snicking the eye gunk out of my eyes and reading book after book.  My load this week from Library Guy has been especially good.  Nora's last, The Language of Flowers, and the second Stieg Larsson.  Yummy.

So why the snark?

Beats me.  I , like Snoopy, "feel every now and then that I wanta' bite someone."

Let's see.  The property manager still hasn't responded to an email question I sent on Saturday.  But I didn't really expect her to and it's not a big issue anyway.  That's not the reason.  Neither is the third day in a row of 100+ temperatures.  Nor is it the fact that I heard on the news that grasshoppers are going to reproduce THREE times due to the weird weather this year and they will eat all the grass and grain and humans will starve to death and die of bread withdrawal.  Nope not it.  A loaf of good bread, expensive at $2.78 a loaf now, will cost over $5.00 by fall.  Close, but not.

Well, what the hell is pissing me off then?

Yup, that's it.  I want my 20 year old body wrapped around my this year's brain.  I'd be freaking unstoppable.  And I bet Mick wishes the same thing sometime.

Yippee!!

To Welcome

Silas Cooper Smith

Google Me This

Woke up with this song playing in my head.  Okey Dokey.  Since I am always on the lookout for inexpensive (read free) ways to entertain myself I decided to take this as a tuneful omen.

Something that makes me very sad is the current situation with my family. I'm working hard at coming to terms with it,but in the meantime .....

WHY NOT GOOGLE SOME NEW FAMILY MEMBERS???!!!   What a brainstorm!

I'd definitely keep two of my sisters, all my daughters and grandchildren, at least one brother (jury's still out on the other three.  no malice, I just haven't heard from them in years so have no points of reference), and probably all my cousins, nieces,and nephews.  And sons-in-law.  That's the easy part.

As to the new members....Stick to the living?  Or include admirable deceased?  Imaginary folk, movie or literary characters for instance?  Quite a lot to ponder here.

One thing I know for sure:
         
Tom Hanks is my first choice for big brother.  I don't have one and I think Tom would be perfect.  Imagine him bringing all his cool friends over when he was in high school.  Imagine him helping me learn to tie shoes, ride a bike, drive a car.  Imagine him sticking up for me when I got teased.  Imagine him teasing me.  Imagine him telephoning just to talk simply because he needed to hear me as much as I needed to hear him.

Isn't that what big brothers do?

Let The Boys Have The Dance Floor

But Damn!

Those Girls can SANG!!!

"Many Bothans Died"

I love that line.

And I love the face and voice of the female character who presents it.  She looks all dreamy eyed and sorrowful.  I imagine she knows what a great sacrifice is.

So I couldn't help but wonder (to blatantly steal a Carrie Bradshaw line and hopelessly mix my television and film metaphors) what was the name of this person whoever so briefly appears in Return of the Jedi?  And who, pray tell, came up with the names for all the Star Wars "stuff"?  Planets, people, vehicles, weapons, all the other characters.  I was betting George Lucas.  And I was pretty sure the answer would be easy to find.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered the following:

Yes, a giant wiki totally devoted to Star Wars info. I thought my questions were simple. NOPE!!!  I'm not an obsessed SW fan by any means.  Haven't thought about the films in years.  And so I was astonished to read about the ever continuing saga.  More battles!  More planets!  And SO many more characters!  Since I didn't know the name of the woman I was seeking I tried for Princess Leia.  I figured she was major and perhaps there would be a reference.

Leia

                                                              

Oh, Lordee Lordee!  So much information!  So many tangents!  She and Han got married, apparently.  I can picture them changing intergalactic diapers and arguing about weapons themed pre schools. The three Solo kids were all handsome. Yet, somehow different from their parents. Jacen and Jaina the twins.  Anakin the baby brother.

Jacen

Jaina

Anakin

                                                                  

See the difference?  Mommy Leia is an actual human.  The kiddies are sketches.  Comic book characters?  Computer generated images? Beats me, but I'd had enough.  I did not want to wade through hundreds of pages of information about more pretend stuff attempting to find my answer.  And I did NOT want to see anymore CG stuff either.  Clearly there was a reason why I had stopped watching SW films when the "first" three were theatrically released.

I never did find out the character's name.  (And I DO NOT want to be chided for giving up the search or pointed in another online direction!)  But I still figure Lucas did the official naming.  He always seemed to have his eye on the bottom line.  May the force be with you.

Cinco De What Oh?

I'm pretty sure that I read that Cinco de Mayo is another made up holiday.  That is, it is not a Mexican holiday celebrated by Mexicans in Mexico.  It's not even a holiday that Mexicans in the United States celebrate.  It's a holiday in the United States that commemorates a little battle that has a teeny connection to Mexican independence.  Right?

Anyway, it used to be a very big deal at the school where I used to sub.  Mexican flags on every bulletin board.  Tacos on the lunch menu. "Latino" music, or what the very white principal deemed appropriate, playing over the intercom during passing periods.  Ho hum.  This is very not politically correct, but the Mexican kids laughed their asses off.  Me too, but privately of course.

Today is Saturday, so there won't be any of these school time shenanigans.  There is the first street carnival of the season.  It's just a few blocks from Elder House where I live.  The curmudgeons are already grousing about the added traffic, accordion music, and many wandering unsupervised children. One old buzzard went on a rant because a kid was sitting on HIS bench.  Keep in mind that it is not even eight in the morning as I write this post.  Ho hum.

So many things set me off these days, I am happy that Cinco de Mayo isn't one of them.  A holiday with music, food, and carnival rides that also tweaks the collective noses of grouchy old white guys is fine in my book.  Ole'! 

Social Actioning With All Kinds of Style

April 28, 2012

Building 7

College of Lake County

If you weren't there you missed a group of  extremely motivated community minded individuals setting (Dare I say it?) ridiculous world records for an excellent cause.

The Social Action Club raised  more than $1,600.00 (which amount in and of itself was yet another world record by an outside group) for the Zacharias Center in Gurnee.

The Z Center is one of Lake County's premier organizations for absolutely free treatment, counseling, and support for survivors of sexual abuse or domestic violence.

The club members and their families spent the day smacking tennis balls with hand sanitizer, filling their pockets with ice cubes, shooting baskets with stuffed animals, singing "Twinkle Twinkle" while munching jumbo marshmallows, and bouncing on a pogo stick while naming African countries after swallowing two (TWO!) jalapeno peppers to name just a few record shattering attempts.

All world records must be verified by the Recordsetter organization of course.

Kudos to all!

Especially the young Cullen brothers, Eli and Xavy, who raised almost $600.00 in pledges on their own.  And who behaved in such an exemplary manner for over five hours!  No whining or arguing and no video games.  Kids at their best!

There were also yummy baked goods, peanut butter free puppy chow, and a big assortment of the kind of candy forbidden by parents everywhere.  I highly recommend the almond bear claw.  My understanding is that another bake sale with freshly made treats, is to be held on campus this coming Thursday.  Definitely, check it out!

Oh!  The raffle will also continue, but that glitter lava lamp is going to be mine! (Seriously!  I never gamble,but I put my money down on a chance for that sparkly thang!)

So, my Persons of the Week Award goes to the members of the CLC Social Action Club, all their remarkable family members, and their fearless leader Professor Mick Cullen.

Mark your calendars for next year's event!

And consider smashing or setting some records of your own!

Heartless Bitch

Now that Mr. Zimmerman is in jail and the outrage surrounding the murder of Trayvon is simmering, what are the news stories filling the vacuum?  I am TV-less; so I view a filtered version, an abbreviated version of what is deemed newsworthy.  And, of course, I get to cherry pick.  What I've been noticing the past few days:

FIRST:

Secret Service men caught with prostitutes in Colombia.  I can't stop laughing!  How stupid can they be?!  One report speculated that the only reason the story was reported at all was because one of the prostitutes made a fuss about not getting paid. (Which causes me to wonder even more about the IQ levels of the agents involved.  Plus in every sex for money movie or book I've ever seen or read, the payment is made up front.)  Colombian law enforcement was summoned and, I guess, the working girl got her money.  A country that protects its women!  The notorious drug capital of the world will give aid to its hookers!  This seems strangely twisted to me.  Should I applaud or vomit?

AND:

Tornadoes in the Midwest.  Is this really a surprise to anyone?  Do the residents really believe that THIS year will be different?  Must be.  There they are standing knee deep in the debris that used to be their homes and they all look so baffled.  "Wwwwwhhhhhhaaaaaa?"  Certainly I hope they receive all the help they need and I rejoice when no deaths or injuries occur.  But, come on already.  Isn't it a bit like living in a dessert and complaining about the heat?  The one entertaining part about these tornado stories is the reporters themselves.  They are surrounded by smashed houses and torn up trees and they can barely contain their excitement as they say, "EF category 3." storm.  They are bouncing in their seats like kids on Christmas morning.

AND FINALLY:

Mitt courts women voters.  Political tail chasing.  He's cute.  I hope people aren't fooled.

Fun In A Very Strange Place

I've written about Subterranean radio on WRLR a time or two.  Great indie music presented by a truly passionate crew of dedicated volunteers.  All Hail Mick, Carl, and Rae.

Now there is another reason to brag about local radio.  Every Thursday night, from nine to ten, a new program called Schemes and Themes.  Songs are linked by....a common theme of course. 

One week it was Beatle songs sung NOT by the Beatles.  Last night it was the Seven Deadly Sins.  Too cool.  Another evening the theme I thought was pretty obvious; but I heard something completely new to me.  It was:

Not only had I never heard the words to this tune before,  I never knew it even HAD words!  And that little bit of info was added by a local radio program!  I am SO proud.

Nah!  I'm not telling the theme.  Tune in yourselves and find out.  Then stay tuned for Subterranean.  Totally worth it.

Fun In The Green

This afternoon I watched two of the Youthbuild guys mow the grass here at Elder House.  That was always a son's job when I was growing up.  My brothers, when deemed responsible and old enough, pushed power mowers around.  It did not look like fun.  I'm not a big fan of sweat; so not being allowed to cut the grass never felt like a loss.

But these guys...clearly they were having a blast.  They use riding mowers.  They stand on a tiny platform in the back of the machine and zoom around so fast the wheels actually squeal.  They drove over the same patch of front grass six (SIX!) times.  Not once did they crash into each other or the many hazard railings or the bricks surrounding the dogwood tree.

The weed whacker guy followed behind and trimmed all the tight, and I imagine, cranky places.  He also had to cross the street and trim near the curb stops in the parking lot.  The weed whacker has to be carried, does not make anywhere near the  "go fast"noise of the power mowers, and does not possess squealing wheels.

Still, when the job was completed and all the equipment parked; the three of them passed around a can of ice tea, admired the green, green lawn and said,  "Damn now!  That's flat!"

Recently

I successfully transformed an ordinary shoe box into something magical.  Really!  I use it for time travel AND paper storage.

I created something lovely at the request of one of my Darling Daughters.  I added ribbon and considered glitter.  Now I am totally out of blue.

I visited with two incredible little people and their Moms.  Altogether a sweet couple of days! 

National Women's Day

If it weren't for my trusty buddy Google I would not have been aware that today is the day!

One day for Women!  More than half the population on the planet and we get ONE Day!  And, a most emphatic NO!  Mothers' Day doesn't count.  Eliminates too many of us by definition and the Hallmark Smack is too apparent. (A parent...Good one.)  Is it irony that WD comes on the day when a huge solar storm threatens the state of absolutely everything?  Props to the universe!

Zana Bayne, who always attends the best parties, posted this photo of the West gay bash in lovely NY.  I can't say why it seems so appropriate, but it does.  My daughters had an entire collection of those He Man guys.  What happened to them?

Bad night.  Even more pain in new places.  Came as quite an unpleasant shock.  I am sleepier than usual and bitter.  It's supposed to be lovely outside and I'm probably going to miss it.  Late day means late start at meds.  Which means later start to agony semi-control.  And I've got shit to do!  Yeah!  Us gimps got shit to do just like the normies of the world.

One more thing.  Pollution.  There's a word you don't hear very often.  Maybe it's because all the crapulence has ratcheted up so far and so fast that polluted is the assumed starting point.  Too bad if that's true.  Lately the pollution in my life has been of an extremely poisonous and personal nature.  So far it has been confined to the inter webs; but I bet the spread has begun.  Doing what I can to control and contain.  Difficult job.

Big Box Adventures

I saw a woman in a slinky backed black sweater eating a bowl of cereal.  Not a teeny sample cup.  A regular sized bowl I think she must have brought from home (or maybe not).  She had an opened  carton of milk and one of those giant economy bags of multi-colored cereal (the kind kids are admonished not to eat) wedged in her cart.  She very happily munched and strolled the frozen food section.  When I checked out I spied her at the haircut counter.  No sign of cereal, milk, or bowl. Her purse wasn't that big.  I wonder what she did with the leftovers.

I saw raisin bread that had been marked up $.48 a loaf since the last time.  Seriously?  Is there some kind of shriveled fruit shortage?  Shriveled fruit boycott?  Do I have to switch brands?  But, no, the competitor's brand had the same jacked up price.  I must have discovered a raisin bread cartel!  This should be an election issue.

I saw the cashier with the horrible/pitiful facial disfigurement.  What courage it must have taken to simply apply for a job in the public eye.  I applaud her and defend her right to be there.  However, and this may get me drawn and quartered, she's not a very good cashier.  She is slow, easily distracted, makes mistakes, and is not very polite.

I saw the zebra striped washcloths and FINALLY bought them!

I saw the sweet cart guy, who I'm beginning to believe is deaf.  If he's there he always fetches a cart for me as I hobble into the store.  If he sees me coming out he hands me bags as I load the backseat.  He has a terrific smile and his face is almost always chapped red in the cold.  He wears a really big coat.