I didn't watch the awards, not because I was boycotting, I just got busy. I don't actually GO to the movies all that much, it seems to be an ordeal for me to go. Once I am there, I am usually ok, but the mechanics of going out to the movies just has NO appeal to me. Ok I don't watch them in my jammies in the living room much either, as much as Chris wishes I would. He LOVES movies. I just don't sit still for that long anymore. I think I need to work on stillness.
I saw that a lot of ultra conservatives were boycotting the ceremony from the comfort of their own living room. Too political. Get real LIFE is political, and these days it IS too political. If you buy gas, you complain about the taxes- politics. If you have a dangerous street corner that needs a light or a stop sign, politics. Food prices? GMOs? Yeah get real. Small Government is wishful thinking. They TELL you they like small government, until it impacts their bottom line or enables them to have control over YOU because of what they believe.
I am having a hard time with two schools of thought that I came up against recently ( fasten your seat-belts, I'm about to hit turbulence) Flat- Earthers . Seriously. People who SO deny science that they believe the earth is flat. Think about that. They deny the pictures from space as "fake news" and have all kinds of cockamamie arguments about how they can PROVE the earth is flat. Chris has got into it with one of them, whose spelling is so atrocious it takes five minutes to decipher the point, which is so convoluted even after the translation ( and the guy is an native English speaker) Science deniers blow my mind. I know why the 1% advance the theory; so they can continue to devastate the Earth's resources for their own gain, but they have convinces a good number of people who did NOT pay attention in 8th grade- or even 6th grade- to the teachers who talked about ecology and natural resources.
Sigh.
The other group I shake my head at at the Ultra Religious Right. I have NO problem with people who practice a religion, that guides them to interact with their fellow planet dwellers in a compassionate and thoughtful manner. I HAVE A PROBLEM with the "God said it I believe it that settles it, you Godless Heathen" sort of person. People who believe, for instance that Trump was sent here by God. People who believe prayer- but only THEIR style of prayer-should be compulsory in schools. I shake my head at all the hand wringing that "if we only let God into school, we wouldn't have the shootings" Tell THAT to the congregation in Texas or the prayer group in South Carolina. Now, I follow a faith. I don't wave it in anyone's face, but I do pray and I do try to follow what I believe on a day to day basis. It's personal and will remain so unless we sit down to talk about ideas. So many on the far sides have minds like a steel trap. Rusted shut.
Things seem to be moving, as the pendulum shifts as it will. I am hopeful we can get our country moving forward, together. These past few years, there has been such a divide and conquer mentality, we forget we are two halves of the same coin.
Tuesday, March 6, 2018
Friday, March 2, 2018
You've gotta Hope...
white lie
ˈˌ(h)wīt ˈlī/
noun
plural noun: white lies
- a harmless or trivial lie, especially one told to avoid hurting someone's feelings
So, Ms Hicks only told "white lies" for Donald Trump? Did that include telling a journalist their hair looked nice when it looked like they styled it with a weed-whacker? Telling Melania that her souffle was superb? In the words of Emma Gonzales, I CALL BS.
I wonder what will become of Ms. Hicks, now that she's shot herself in the PR foot. I don't feel sorry for her, there's an old saying "If you lie down with dogs, you wake up with fleas"
It's hard not to be a bit gleeful as you watch the wheels come off the Trump bus, but at the same time, I am afraid of the other shoe dropping. Apparently, we can't just toss the lot of them out on their ear, there is some sort of rule of law. Mike Pence is crazy. There, I've said it. He scares me. I don't see humanity in his eyes. His stated feelings toward women will put us all back in the Dark Ages.
I don't know what the world is coming to. Seriously. I actually viewed a conversation where someone I work with, someone I heretofore considered sane but deluded ACTUALLY SAY that "You don't understand Trumpspeak. He didn't mean what he said" in response to the statement that Trump made about taking away weapons from people they THINK are dangerous and giving them due process of the law AFTER. Can you IMAGINE if Barrack Obama had said this? There would be a mad rush on the sale of rope and pitchforks, but NO.. There are actually people in this world who support the Dorito Despot to the point where he can say something so ANTI our laws and everyone applauds. I am horrified. When I see this coworker, I probably will just wave and keep going. If that is his belief system, I am not engaging, not even to talk about the weather.
I find it ironic. After EIGHT YEARS of "Obama is coming for your guns", it appears that TRUMP actually IS.
I hope Mueller gets all his legal ducks in a row soon. He's gunning for the kids now. In what world would Jared Kushner and Ivanka the handbag saleswoman ( she does not, as far as I can tell DO the actual design work, but approves the work of others) be advisers to a President. Oh yeah DADDY LAND. Kushner ,at the very least, is going to jail. Maybe he can share a cell with his own father who went to jail already (wonder if he's still in the pokey)
Still I have to hope- and not Hope Hicks- that balance will be restored. Lately life in this country had been like being on one of those playground merry-go rounds. People outside are spinning it as fast as they can. We just have to hold on to the bars and wait for it to stop.
I don't know what the world is coming to. Seriously. I actually viewed a conversation where someone I work with, someone I heretofore considered sane but deluded ACTUALLY SAY that "You don't understand Trumpspeak. He didn't mean what he said" in response to the statement that Trump made about taking away weapons from people they THINK are dangerous and giving them due process of the law AFTER. Can you IMAGINE if Barrack Obama had said this? There would be a mad rush on the sale of rope and pitchforks, but NO.. There are actually people in this world who support the Dorito Despot to the point where he can say something so ANTI our laws and everyone applauds. I am horrified. When I see this coworker, I probably will just wave and keep going. If that is his belief system, I am not engaging, not even to talk about the weather.
I find it ironic. After EIGHT YEARS of "Obama is coming for your guns", it appears that TRUMP actually IS.
I hope Mueller gets all his legal ducks in a row soon. He's gunning for the kids now. In what world would Jared Kushner and Ivanka the handbag saleswoman ( she does not, as far as I can tell DO the actual design work, but approves the work of others) be advisers to a President. Oh yeah DADDY LAND. Kushner ,at the very least, is going to jail. Maybe he can share a cell with his own father who went to jail already (wonder if he's still in the pokey)
Still I have to hope- and not Hope Hicks- that balance will be restored. Lately life in this country had been like being on one of those playground merry-go rounds. People outside are spinning it as fast as they can. We just have to hold on to the bars and wait for it to stop.
Monday, February 26, 2018
Dreams and nightmares
I was on Prednisone It give me weird dreams. I have some pleasant ones but mostly wracking nightmares. Does this drug do this to anyone else? I wake up , screaming and shaking and I can't remember the dream, just a vague notion of monsters, usually and LOST of blood. UGH.
I hate it, but it seems to have helped. I am not waking up gasping for air, but I AM using the breathing treatment more regularly. On the advice of my doctor, I am dragging the "Little Puppy" ( what I call the nebulizer) to work in my kit bag. I think it will only be a day or two more that I will need the multiple treatments. Here's HOPING
I have the strangest dreams sometimes, a few are like films. In these films I am NOT me and it's kind o funny. In the last one, I was invited by a friend to join her on a cruise. She worked as the Cruise Director, but she never showed up, so they told me I had to do her job. I was woefully unprepared. I had not brought the proper clothing. The Captain yelled at me for only having a sundress and flip-flops. WHERE were my work clothes? Every day at 3, all the people on the ship would sing "Sweet Caroline" to me. It turns out my name was Caroline.I tried desperately to come up with fun activities for the people on the ship, but they just weren't interested- and frankly the activities were a bit lame, something like craft games for kids. I felt helpless but the people were cheerful and assuring me that I was doing just fine.
hmmm. I have days like that at work, now that I think about it. I can't fix something and get frustrated but people tell me it's going to be ok. Sometimes when I have these dreams, I wonder if I can remember enough to flesh out a short story. Maybe. Then just maybe they are meant to comfort or amuse me. In any case, these days I wake up TIRED! I can't wait for the asthma to settle down.
I hate it, but it seems to have helped. I am not waking up gasping for air, but I AM using the breathing treatment more regularly. On the advice of my doctor, I am dragging the "Little Puppy" ( what I call the nebulizer) to work in my kit bag. I think it will only be a day or two more that I will need the multiple treatments. Here's HOPING
I have the strangest dreams sometimes, a few are like films. In these films I am NOT me and it's kind o funny. In the last one, I was invited by a friend to join her on a cruise. She worked as the Cruise Director, but she never showed up, so they told me I had to do her job. I was woefully unprepared. I had not brought the proper clothing. The Captain yelled at me for only having a sundress and flip-flops. WHERE were my work clothes? Every day at 3, all the people on the ship would sing "Sweet Caroline" to me. It turns out my name was Caroline.I tried desperately to come up with fun activities for the people on the ship, but they just weren't interested- and frankly the activities were a bit lame, something like craft games for kids. I felt helpless but the people were cheerful and assuring me that I was doing just fine.
hmmm. I have days like that at work, now that I think about it. I can't fix something and get frustrated but people tell me it's going to be ok. Sometimes when I have these dreams, I wonder if I can remember enough to flesh out a short story. Maybe. Then just maybe they are meant to comfort or amuse me. In any case, these days I wake up TIRED! I can't wait for the asthma to settle down.
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Guns, gunshots and thoughts and prayers
On Valentine's Day, of all days, a nineteen year old, armed with an automatic weapon went to his former high school and shot 32 people, killing 17 of them.
Let that sink in.
We keep hearing the number 17, but that number is wrong. There are still people who lived through the shooting, in the hospital,fighting for their lives.
Last year, kowtowing to his masters the NRA, Donald John Trump overrode Obama era legislation to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, but the FIRST words out of their mouths when a white male shoots up a room is "Oh, he had a mental illness" HELLO???? so, we use the excuse that DJT made possible.
I can't help thinking of all the "Thoughts and prayers" the lawmakers of this country are sending out. Nice, but can you follow it up with "Change and action"?
I am heartened by the uprising of young people who are standing up and saying WE NEED CHANGE. We do.
How is it you can't buy a freaking BEER in most states until you are 21, but can go out and buy a semi-automatic weapon at 18?
I see that CHILDREN are being taught to sacrifice themselves for their classmates as part of "active shooter" training. WHAT? Distract the shooter so he shoots at YOU so other people can get out? What is THAT to tell someone? The active shooter training I received at work- I work in a public library- did NOT include that piece of advice.
Hearing the kids from Douglas High School reminded me of when there was a shooting at MY high school. Two gang members got into it ,over a girl or an insult, I can't remember. One brought a shotgun to school. This was in the early 70's when it was illegal to own an automatic weapon. I remember them carrying the wounded boy to the office. I turned and fled down a hall of the nearest building. I grabbed my very tall, very white friend and told him we had to hide. The school we went to had a lot of racial tension in addition to a gang problem. We went to class which was in the library, which in retrospect was NOT my best idea, but I was around 16, I guess. The library was all plate glass windows and in the ensuing riot, we were all herded into a very small utility closet where we were kept for several hours. I was claustrophobic before that but the incident made it worse.
I cannot imagine the carnage if that gang member had had an automatic weapon.
We need to change the availability of such weapons to just anyone. I am sick of the posts about cars killing people. Listen, in order to drive a car, you need to take a test and prove that you can handle it. We don't just flip 15 year-olds car keys and say "there ya go Bubba, Have at it"
I'm also getting tired of the memes saying all of this is caused because we "don't allow God in school" and "God would have prevented this" If that is true, why didn't he stop the shooting at the Church in Texas last year, or the prayer group shooting in Charleston the year before? I read some stupid comment that this shooting was "God's will" Well, if this is His will,do you accept everything that happens as God's will? If you get cancer, do you go to the doctor or just accept that He will heal you? No. We have the brains to heal and we have the brains to fix this problem. Some people are wringing their hands and say it's a "Society problem" Let's look at the root causes then, but we need to get weapons of this caliber OUT of the hands of people who are unfit to wield them.
Let that sink in.
We keep hearing the number 17, but that number is wrong. There are still people who lived through the shooting, in the hospital,fighting for their lives.
Last year, kowtowing to his masters the NRA, Donald John Trump overrode Obama era legislation to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, but the FIRST words out of their mouths when a white male shoots up a room is "Oh, he had a mental illness" HELLO???? so, we use the excuse that DJT made possible.
I can't help thinking of all the "Thoughts and prayers" the lawmakers of this country are sending out. Nice, but can you follow it up with "Change and action"?
I am heartened by the uprising of young people who are standing up and saying WE NEED CHANGE. We do.
How is it you can't buy a freaking BEER in most states until you are 21, but can go out and buy a semi-automatic weapon at 18?
I see that CHILDREN are being taught to sacrifice themselves for their classmates as part of "active shooter" training. WHAT? Distract the shooter so he shoots at YOU so other people can get out? What is THAT to tell someone? The active shooter training I received at work- I work in a public library- did NOT include that piece of advice.
Hearing the kids from Douglas High School reminded me of when there was a shooting at MY high school. Two gang members got into it ,over a girl or an insult, I can't remember. One brought a shotgun to school. This was in the early 70's when it was illegal to own an automatic weapon. I remember them carrying the wounded boy to the office. I turned and fled down a hall of the nearest building. I grabbed my very tall, very white friend and told him we had to hide. The school we went to had a lot of racial tension in addition to a gang problem. We went to class which was in the library, which in retrospect was NOT my best idea, but I was around 16, I guess. The library was all plate glass windows and in the ensuing riot, we were all herded into a very small utility closet where we were kept for several hours. I was claustrophobic before that but the incident made it worse.
I cannot imagine the carnage if that gang member had had an automatic weapon.
We need to change the availability of such weapons to just anyone. I am sick of the posts about cars killing people. Listen, in order to drive a car, you need to take a test and prove that you can handle it. We don't just flip 15 year-olds car keys and say "there ya go Bubba, Have at it"
I'm also getting tired of the memes saying all of this is caused because we "don't allow God in school" and "God would have prevented this" If that is true, why didn't he stop the shooting at the Church in Texas last year, or the prayer group shooting in Charleston the year before? I read some stupid comment that this shooting was "God's will" Well, if this is His will,do you accept everything that happens as God's will? If you get cancer, do you go to the doctor or just accept that He will heal you? No. We have the brains to heal and we have the brains to fix this problem. Some people are wringing their hands and say it's a "Society problem" Let's look at the root causes then, but we need to get weapons of this caliber OUT of the hands of people who are unfit to wield them.
Monday, February 5, 2018
Slacker thoughts
Well, I'd like to say I've been neglecting my housework for writing, but as you can probably tell if you look over this blog, I have been neglecting both for... breathing.
I have asthma. It had been getting better, under control, then Kaiser, in it's infinite wisdom, and I suspect the clinical version of payola, removed the medication from the approved list. That's right. It's not bad enough that last year Urgent Care gave me something I was CLEARLY allergic to, NOW they are taking away what keeps me alive. ARGH! Thankfully, my allergist and my pulmonologist double-teamed them and I have the medication I need BACK, BUT I backslid and it's going to take a while to get back to where I was. It's frustrating to say the least. I'm tired all the time. I reach for a deep breath and I can't seem to get it. Walking upstairs takes concentration. I don't mean to whine, but DAMNIT, just let me freaking recover!
Ok rant over.
I don't want to talk much about politics but am I the only one who suspects the release of the Nunes memo is a smokescreen? I also privately think that although there is a rumor that 45 edited it, that he probably didn't even READ it. C'mon! it's NINE pages of gobbledygook. He can't read more than a tweet or two before losing interest. I must confess I have not actually read the whole thing either. I intend to sit down with it and a very LARGE whiskey in the next few days. I tried to read it the other day, but I really didn't have the concentration skills at that moment to decipher it. I understand the whole thing rests on the FBI "spying" on Carter Page. Uh, isn't that kind of what they do? And they spied on him when he wasn't involved in the 45 campaign? At one point, before all of this, the Trump camp poo-pooed Page as a non-ranking nobody. NOW it's a TRAVESTY and PROOF POSITIVE of the skulduggery of the Obama Administration. uh, yeah, except it continued after he left office. So 45, WHICH is it? I guess someone will have to pare it down to a single page with TRUMP being in every paragraph to get him to read it.
It's already been a crummy year. The last two Saturday's I have gone to memorial services. That's enough for me for a while.On a brighter note, I got tickets to see my favorite band this weekend. I could use the diversion. They always manage to cheer me up.
I have asthma. It had been getting better, under control, then Kaiser, in it's infinite wisdom, and I suspect the clinical version of payola, removed the medication from the approved list. That's right. It's not bad enough that last year Urgent Care gave me something I was CLEARLY allergic to, NOW they are taking away what keeps me alive. ARGH! Thankfully, my allergist and my pulmonologist double-teamed them and I have the medication I need BACK, BUT I backslid and it's going to take a while to get back to where I was. It's frustrating to say the least. I'm tired all the time. I reach for a deep breath and I can't seem to get it. Walking upstairs takes concentration. I don't mean to whine, but DAMNIT, just let me freaking recover!
Ok rant over.
I don't want to talk much about politics but am I the only one who suspects the release of the Nunes memo is a smokescreen? I also privately think that although there is a rumor that 45 edited it, that he probably didn't even READ it. C'mon! it's NINE pages of gobbledygook. He can't read more than a tweet or two before losing interest. I must confess I have not actually read the whole thing either. I intend to sit down with it and a very LARGE whiskey in the next few days. I tried to read it the other day, but I really didn't have the concentration skills at that moment to decipher it. I understand the whole thing rests on the FBI "spying" on Carter Page. Uh, isn't that kind of what they do? And they spied on him when he wasn't involved in the 45 campaign? At one point, before all of this, the Trump camp poo-pooed Page as a non-ranking nobody. NOW it's a TRAVESTY and PROOF POSITIVE of the skulduggery of the Obama Administration. uh, yeah, except it continued after he left office. So 45, WHICH is it? I guess someone will have to pare it down to a single page with TRUMP being in every paragraph to get him to read it.
It's already been a crummy year. The last two Saturday's I have gone to memorial services. That's enough for me for a while.On a brighter note, I got tickets to see my favorite band this weekend. I could use the diversion. They always manage to cheer me up.
Friday, February 2, 2018
Tom Hanks Book of Short storeis
I just finished "reading " Tom Hanks book "Uncommon type" I say "reading " in quotes because I was listening to it on CD in my car. It is read by none other than Tom Hanks, which is pretty cool. When the author is a GOOD reader you get the whole feel of the "voice " in the story. Hanks IS Tom Hanks, so it was a pleasure to hear the stories.
Some of the stories annoyed me. The first one, about the guy trying to be in a relationship with a girl who is obviously wrong for him, made me stop and start the CD. He was trying to be a square peg in a round hole. It was annoying as I thought the character was smarter than that. Eventually, they both came to the same conclusion and remained friends. These characters show up in several more stories, one of which- where they go to space and circle the moon, is just too fanciful for reality. Still it was a pleasant "beach read" only one or two had a real message.
I read a review where the reviewer was complaining that Hanks women were objectified. Well I hate to point out the obvious, but since the stories this woman complained about were inside the head of a character, third person limited in one case and first person in another, you are not going to get some full blown egalitarian weltanschaung. Your are going to get what the author thinks his character is thinking. There are two or three stories with a woman protagonist,two where the woman is trying to find her way in the world after a break-up. Those women are not objectified. I think this reviewer read to much into it and if you look hard enough you will find something to complain about anyway.
Most of the stories have a typewriter, or someone typing in them, I hear Hanks collects antique typewriters. hmm I have an old Mid-century Underwood manual typewriter upstairs. I wonder if he's be interested? ;)
Some of the stories annoyed me. The first one, about the guy trying to be in a relationship with a girl who is obviously wrong for him, made me stop and start the CD. He was trying to be a square peg in a round hole. It was annoying as I thought the character was smarter than that. Eventually, they both came to the same conclusion and remained friends. These characters show up in several more stories, one of which- where they go to space and circle the moon, is just too fanciful for reality. Still it was a pleasant "beach read" only one or two had a real message.
I read a review where the reviewer was complaining that Hanks women were objectified. Well I hate to point out the obvious, but since the stories this woman complained about were inside the head of a character, third person limited in one case and first person in another, you are not going to get some full blown egalitarian weltanschaung. Your are going to get what the author thinks his character is thinking. There are two or three stories with a woman protagonist,two where the woman is trying to find her way in the world after a break-up. Those women are not objectified. I think this reviewer read to much into it and if you look hard enough you will find something to complain about anyway.
Most of the stories have a typewriter, or someone typing in them, I hear Hanks collects antique typewriters. hmm I have an old Mid-century Underwood manual typewriter upstairs. I wonder if he's be interested? ;)
Monday, January 15, 2018
Nowhere to Hide
Overdue Review- Nowhere to Hide
Ok, I'll admit it.
I've been a fan of Cindy Alexander since she opened for my favorite
band, America, a LONG time ago. Her amazing pipes and songwriting ability captivated
me. When Cindy announced she was doing
an album of ( mostly) fan favorites that were single takes, I was pretty
jazzed. after all, it is in her live
performances that you catch her essence.
The cd has eleven songs, including two new songs by Cindy
and covers of three songs,: "Something to Look back on" by Janey
Street, "Book of Love " by Stephin Merrit and "Everything I own" by Bread.
"Fan Favorites" are given a new, live feel. I especially love the cool piano break in
"Heels over Head" which starts,
not with the driving bass drum beat of the studio version, but with a delicate
but forceful piano. I am glad for the
inclusion of "I See Stars" which showcases her lovely crystal voice
and "Idiot Child"- one of MY favorites (thanks Cindy!) The new song "The song will always find
you" has such a wistful , poignant
message to it; Classic Cindy at her best.
I have to tell you I REALLY LOVE the song "Something to Look Back On" I keep listening to it on repeat. It totally resonates with me. I hate to admit, but I can't listen to
"Everything I Own" right now.
I listened once and was sobbing so hard I had to pull over- the downside
of listening in the car. It reminds me
of my parents too much. It IS
lovely I just can't get through it.
Be sure to wait for the little bonus at the end of
"Wonderful" , you will get a warm feeling of who this incredible
singer/songwriter is. She has reached out to her fans with a
not-so-secret wish to have a CD on the Billboard charts. Buy the CD
If you like it, do what I did, buy one for someone you think will like
it too. I did. I sent it to my sister in Oregon. Jo- check your mailbox! I think you're gonna love it!
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