Nutwood Junction

The worst kind of desecration

2012-01-29T18:36:00.002-05:00

You may have seen the story about what happened with Mitt Romney’s father-in-law about a year after he died. The Romney family decided to posthumously baptize him into the Mormon faith.

No big deal, you say? What’s the harm, you ask? Well, Edward Davies was an avowed atheist for his entire adult life, and had no use for religion. But Ann Romney allowed her husband and his family to disregard her own father’s lack of beliefs and perform some bullshit ceremony claiming him for their church a year after he was in his grave.

I find this absolutely disgusting on several levels. First, there is the absurdity that after someone dies, you can actually place them into any particular faith. Screw that whole free will thing and making your own decisions about what you do and don’t believe. Then there is the unbelievable arrogance of Romney’s family deciding that they know best about how to handle Davies’ afterlife.

But what really, really burns my bacon about this is that they would so disrespect this man’s intellect, individuality, and his ability to make his own informed decision. It was a big “screw you” to the guy after he couldn’t fight back—which also strikes me as quite cowardly. I don’t doubt that they tried to preach to him while he was alive, and when he refused to buy into their silly religion, they waited until after he died and THEN they pounced on him and claimed his ‘soul’ for their own.

It would be like when my Dad died, if I went to the family and said, “Okay, I know Dad was a man of Christian faith, but I think we should say that he was a pagan and have that kind of ceremony.” No, it’s even worse than that...it’s like if KEN had gone to my family and said that’s what he thought we should do. Either scenario is inexcusable and my family would have been right to tell us both to shut up and never dare to mention it again.

I find myself almost as appalled at the Davies family for going along with this. If anyone dared to suggest such a thing concerning my Dad, I think I would have lost it. And when I lose my temper, you’d best be afraid. Be very afraid. How the Davies family could have sat by and let this happen is beyond me. What a horrible disregard for how the man felt and how he lived his life.

Ken knows my wishes for when it’s my turn to bite the dust. If anyone tried to subjugate those wishes and force some sort of ceremony on me that I wouldn’t want, I know he’d stand up for me and make sure it doesn’t happen. If that happened to me, I’d come back and haunt whoever was responsible, and I’d do it in a really scary way. (I suppose I should point out that that is a joke. I have seen no evidence of ghosts.)

I wasn’t going to vote for Mittens, anyway...obviously. Before it was because I completely disagree with his current stances* (the universal health care and support for same sex marriage in Massachusetts was pretty cool...but he doesn’t like that stuff anymore) and find him an insincere panderer who will do and say just about anything to get elected; he’s someone who has no concept whatsoever of how average Americans are struggling to put food on the table, keep a roof over their heads, and manage to avoid bankruptcy because they didn’t have health insurance—or good enough health insurance—and couldn’t pay their medical bills after they had to deal with breast cancer or their child’s leukemia. (Just an example, of course. Nothing specific in mind, other than people I know who have had to deal with similar situations.)

No, he’s given me another reason to despise him. He didn’t care about his father-in-law’s wishes, and didn’t give a fuck about the guy’s thought processes and right to make his own decisions. All he cared about was adding another name to the roster of bogus conversions to his bogus religion. Shame on you, Mittens. You deserve a squirt with a water bottle! A really big, high-pressure water bottle.

*Current stances subject to change without notice. Candidate not responsible for any dissatisfaction experienced upon abrupt change of direction in policy. Side effects may include dizziness, heart palpitations, loss of libido, nausea, and projectile vomiting. Do not combine with teabagging. Massive quantities of alcohol can ease side effects. Please see your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms, or if you remain conservative longer than four years. Prolonged exposure can cause abrupt head explosion.

Science education an endangered species in Indiana schools

2012-01-27T21:32:00.003-05:00

I make no bones about loving my state, despite its right-leaning ways; I live in a very Democratic county, and I’ve often defended my state based on what I experience here in my little nest of liberals. I was pretty happy when we recently voted in the youngest Mayor for a city of our size, Pete Buttigieg. Super smart guy, seems very decent, and I look forward to seeing what he does with our city. (Sadly, we are out of the city limits, so couldn’t actually vote for him. We supported him in other ways, though!)

However, I am deeply ashamed to see what my state legislature recently did. They sent a bill out of committee to be voted on in Congress. SB 89 would allow for the teaching of creationism in public schools, and it got an 8-2 vote out of the Education Committee to be passed on to the Congress. The Education Committee! 8-2! I’m surprised they didn’t just burst into flames right then and there.

As someone who has tried to show to friends from all over the country (as well as a few other countries) that not everyone in Indiana is a stupid rube, I can’t begin to tell you how humiliating this is. The bill doesn’t specify in which classes creationism can be taught, so it means that any school district in the state could allow it to be taught in science class. This makes me want to cry.

Creationism is not science. I honestly don’t know how I can state that any stronger or convince people who think that “Hey, what’s the harm? Teach both.” No. NO. You cannot teach creationism in science class because it is not science. It is based on a religious belief and on a religious book. Numerous court cases have upheld decisions that creationism and intelligent design are religious concepts, not scientific ones.

I have no problem with creation myths being taught in comparative religion classes, as long as they are elective classes. I have no problem with creation myths being taught in literature classes as part of a study of religious books of various cultures. But teaching it in science class? I have a serious problem with that. America is lagging behind in science education compared to the rest of the world, and this will only make the problem worse.

This is nothing more than religious indoctrination being taught in our public schools. This so-called “education committee” (exaggerated, sarcastic finger quotes) does not seem to comprehend the implications of this. First and foremost, if by some stupid chance the Indiana state legislature actually passes this bill (and I wouldn’t put anything past them), it will most assuredly be challenged and after long legal battles, declared unconstitutional. This will cost the Indiana taxpayers millions in legal fees. Second, it is obvious that the ‘creationism’ they want to teach is that of the Judeo-Christian faith. That is a direct violation of the First Amendment, which states that no religion shall be promoted above any other, so are they prepared to dictate the teaching of ALL creation myths? There are quite a few.

Finally, let me reiterate. I can’t state this strongly enough. Creationism is not science. It cannot be proven, it cannot be duplicated, it is in no way, shape, or form anything even resembling science. It can’t even be studied in order to see if it’s credible. It is not a scientific theory. Some claim that it is, but that shows a lack of knowledge when it comes to the scientific method. It is a religious concept, and as such, has no business in the science classroom. There is no “teaching the controversy,” because there IS no controversy. Evolution is scientific; creationism and intelligent design is religious.

We’re getting close to the Super Bowl, and we’re going to have people from all over the country coming to Indiana. I find it embarrassing that this comes at a time when my state legislature has actually moved this idiocy out of committee. Governor Daniels wants us to be seen as a great place to do business. It would be nice if our legislature would not pass this stupid bill that makes us look like a great place to have a hoedown while we all dance around in our overalls and eat corn and thump our Bibles. Gahhh!

If my day keeps goin’ this way

2012-01-24T19:52:00.002-05:00

...I just might break somethin’ tonight. I’ve been channeling Limp Bizkit for the past few days, and I have spent quite a bit of time swinging on my very last nerve.

You know how it is when something happens, and it’s not good, but you know you can shake it off and forge ahead? Then another thing happens. And another thing. When you snap, you try to do it in a controlled way that doesn’t hurt anyone too badly, and you pretty much succeed with that...then one more thing happens that leaves you a hot mess of anger, befuddlement, sadness, and just plain pissiness. You’re left vacillating between whether to go fling yourself onto the bed and sob into your pillow or rip the head off of the next person who dares to cross you.

I’m happy to report that I did neither, and I am in a much better frame of mind now. I spent some time feeling low, and I was angry and upset, but no one was permanently maimed. I’m kind of learning to walk away from some things, because I’ve realized that there are times that it does no good; you can provide the most eloquent argument in the history of mankind, provide facts, provide personal anecdotes that add to the emotional appeal of your entreaty, and it all runs face first into a wall of stubbornness and intransigence. I’m learning that this ultimately hurts only me. I was shaking in my anger and losing sleep, and just generally feeling crummy, and I came to the realization that I don’t have to engage.

Don’t worry...the fight hasn’t been knocked out of me yet. I’ve just decided to be a little more selective with my battles. I’ve got better things to do than argue just for the sake of arguing, especially when someone doesn’t really want to have an actual discussion. They just want to smack you on the head repeatedly with the sledgehammer of their own opinion, with no possibility of giving an inch. I like to discuss things, and I do my best to stay polite and civil. I think that I am willing to admit when I’m wrong, but I don’t back down from facts. (For the record, “because the Bible says so” is not a fact.) When someone refuses to accept a fact as a fact, you know it’s pointless to continue.

To paraphrase Dr. Evil, the details of my distress are inconsequential. It doesn’t matter who it was or what happened, and I wouldn’t detail that here, anyway. I am not speaking to anyone specifically, because there were multiple incidents. What matters is that I am not going to be drawn into anyone else’s melodrama, and if your intention is to pick a fight, you won’t find one with me. I had a few moments when I was ready to go all American Psycho on some people, but I didn’t. There is too much fun to be had in the world and plenty of good things to read and see and listen to...and dealing with your drama doesn’t fall into any of those categories for me. Sorry, but I have better ways to spend my time.

I do not think that word means what you think it means

2012-01-22T17:22:00.003-05:00

We’re having a fairly lazy sports-filled Sunday (Illinois basketball and then football playoffs) after a busy Saturday. We went out to eat with Shane and Matt, then headed over for a show at the Morris Center (a Vegas show, The Rat Pack, made its way to South Bend, and it was fantastic), and had a nightcap with them at South Bend Chocolate Cafe. Good times!

While all this was going on, Notre Dame’s men’s basketball team was in the process of defeating the #1 team (20-0 Syracuse), a game that we had tickets to but sold so we could go see The Rat Pack show. Argh! I never wished so much that I had a clone! We were both a little bummed that we weren’t there for the big game, but we enjoyed our evening out and have no regrets.

Newt Gingrich was also busy beating the pants off his opponents (try not to dwell on that image too long) in South Carolina. I’m rather delighted by this outcome, because it means that the Republicans are in complete disarray, and currently many in the base are breaking for Gingrich. Newt Gingrich. It just boggles my mind. Apparently his debate performance Thursday night garnered him a whole bunch of last-minute support from the evangelical base in SC, which also boggles my mind. In discussions with some of my like-minded friends, we speculated that they are digging his belligerence because they think he can really put President Obama “in his place” (which I happens to think is in the White House) in a debate. I guess that whole electability thing doesn’t worry them too much, or Newt’s extremely negative favorability rating, or that he was forced out as Speaker of the House, or that he paid a $300,000 ethics fine, or...well, you get the idea. The guy’s got baggage the size of a small country. No, they just want to see a smackdown in a debate between Gingrich and the President. My mind is still boggled.

[Sidenote: Newt, shut up about your stupid “Lincoln-Douglas style debates” already. If, by some bizarre chance, you end up being the nominee, you’ll get your chance to debate the President, but you don’t get to dictate the terms. The thought of listening to this bloviating garbanzo bean (as columnist Frank Bruni famously called him) ramble on for hours makes my head hurt and my stomach churn. He’s like the hangover of the Republican party...without the previous night’s fun.]

Newt fired them up at the debate with his attack-dog response to moderator John King’s question about his marital woes, and his second wife’s assertion that he asked her for an open marriage. (I won’t go into details, but you can watch the clip here if you haven’t heard about it.) How DARE anyone ask him such a question?! (It reminded me of Will Ferrell yelling “You don’t talk to me like that!” to his family in a skit. I wonder if Newt drives a Dodge Stratus?) You know why John King dared to ask it, Newt? Because you pretended to be some sort of highly moral person when you were leading the impeachment effort against President Clinton, all the while in the midst of a long term affair with a congressional staffer. It’s your hypocrisy that we hate most. Because of that, it was a legitimate question. The way he turned the outrage around and made himself a victim was a sight to behold. The arrogance and self-righteous indignation just oozed out of him.

Anyway, in Newt’s blistering attack on King, he scolded the entire “elite media” for engaging in such tactics, and accused them of protecting President Obama by attacking conservatives. I think that is absurd, but what I want to focus on here is the constant use lately of the word “elite.”

Elite media, liberal elite, east coast elites, Hollywood elites...you name it, they’re tossing around the word left and right (so to speak!). I think it goes without saying that this is a insulting term for them. It seems to be a code word for “not like us.” In other words, all those elites look down on you and think you’re stupid, but hey, I’m not an elite, I’m just like you! (Kindly ignore that part about Newt’s PhD in history, and his million dollar line of credit at Tiffany’s, okay? Thanks.)

I am bothered that this has become a bad word to a certain portion of the population. The Free Dictionary defines ‘elite’ as:

1. a. A group or class of persons or a member of such a group or class, enjoying superior intellectual, social, or economic status: "In addition to notions of social equality there was much emphasis on the role of elites and of heroes within them" (Times Literary Supplement).
b. The best or most skilled members of a group: the football team's elite.

This is not a derogatory term, folks. I would hope that anyone who has a job would strive to be among the elites of their profession; this seems a desirable thing to me, rather than a scornful epithet. In my daily dealings, I would love to be able to encounter the elite of those providing service to me, whether it’s a grocery store clerk, a mechanic, or the radiologist reading my mammogram. Elites are good, by their very definition: they are good at what they do. The right wing seems to be portraying them as some sort of foppish dandies who look down their noses at the common people. A clever bit of spin, but highly inaccurate.

Personally, I would like my politicians to be more than a little elite. Not in a monetary sense, but I definitely want the best and brightest leading our country and drafting our laws and deciding our court cases. The next time someone calls you an “elite,” I suggest thanking them for the compliment and for their high regard of you. Maybe it will make them go home and look the word up so they understand exactly what it means and why you didn’t take it as an insult.

Chumtossing in the Palmetto state

2012-01-17T16:55:00.004-05:00

I watched the Republican debate last night, and I think I’ve finally recovered. That was traumatic (and I’m really not exaggerating...more in a moment).

I find myself bizarrely fascinated by the spectacle of these debates. I watch with a strange combination of horror and hilarity. I find that I need to concentrate on the latter in order to not blow a vein, and I’m usually live tweeting with friends and a handful of journalists I follow. (You can find me on Twitter @Luvrte66.) Sometimes Dan and George make appearances; sometimes Tom; last night it was Ryan. We make some serious points, but throw a few jokes and sarcastic remarks in there, too. The journalists that I usually see on there are David Corn of Mother Jones, Chuck Todd of NBC, and last night Democrat strategist Paul Begala and Time correspondent Michael Scherer were on there. They have some very astute comments and pertinent points. I’d say that they’re generally quite fair, although they’re pretty much on the left side of the aisle, so they express horror at some of the same things that I do.

Last night was especially awful for me because of the South Carolina audience. They were out for blood. They came across as angry and combative. They booed Juan Williams for asking Newt if his remarks about poor kids working as janitors or about food stamps (He offered to go to the NAACP and discuss why jobs are better than food stamps. Yes, he really did.) were racially insensitive. Williams was one of the moderators, people. He was doing his job in asking tough but reasonable questions. They booed Ron Paul when he said that we should really be “doing unto others” when it comes to attacking people...that we carpet bomb these countries and then wonder why people hate us. That’s right. They booed the Golden Rule. They cheered when Perry said that “South Carolina is at war with this federal government and this administration” concerning the Voting Rights Act. This in the state that first seceded from the Union, starting the Civil War, and to add a little double shock powah, on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! Impressive. They also cheered Perry when he made the incredible statement that because members of the Obama administration condemned the behavior of the Marines who urinated on Taliban corpses, they show “disdain for the military” and are engaging in “over-the-top rhetoric.” Never mind the fact that desecration of corpses not only undermines what we are trying to accomplish there, it is illegal according to military law. But that’s a discussion for another day. When Perry said that the Marines in question should not be charged with a criminal act (again, ignoring that the military considers it exactly that), the crowd cheered.

What really got to me, though, was when one of the moderators asked a question of Romney about immigration, and began his question with the statement that Romney’s father was born in Mexico after many Mormons fled to Mexico to avoid prosecution for polygamy. As soon as the moderator stated that George Romney was born in Mexico, the crowd booed. They BOOED! At the mere mention of the country, which happens to be one of our allies! I still cannot believe that happened. I had a moment of despair and depression, but today I’m channeling it into contempt and anger. Paul Begala tweeted this:

I completely agree with him. I’ve seen the behavior of these crowds—this was definitely the worst yet—and I have just been appalled. Obviously, I’m pretty far to the left, but there are plenty of people who are more in the middle, moderates and independents who are still making up their minds, and I don’t see how any moderate person could see this behavior and think it’s anything short of dangerous and mean-spirited lunacy. It is of some consolation to me that the more the crowds egg them on, the more the candidates attempt to play to them and toss out more and more red meat. It may play well with audiences like that in South Carolina last night, but when it comes to the general election, I’m guessing it won’t be so warmly received. And there is plenty of video to be mined for use this summer and fall.

As for being traumatized? I had a bad dream last night in which the President was shot, and later died. I don’t recall any details about it, probably because it was so disturbing to me. It’s one thing to disagree with this President, but the behavior of the crowd last night was deplorable and downright bloodthirsty in its intolerance. I haven’t been quite so disgusted during this process as I was last night. It also solidified my resolve to do what I can to make sure President Obama has four more years and to keep these pandering cretins out of the White House. (Ron Paul excepted. I don’t want him in the White House, but it’s for other reasons, not because he panders.)

There’s another debate this Thursday, in Charleston. What will happen in that one? Will the audience burn an effigy of the President as the candidates look on with indulgent grins?

Sunday Morning Gloatmeal

2012-01-15T11:30:00.002-05:00

I saw this picture of Tim Tebow on the Interwebz, and looked up the verse.

...But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Note that it doesn’t say anything in there about “verily, they will not get their asses whupped by the New England Patriots.”

And that is exactly what happened last night when Tebow’s Broncos went to Foxboro. Tom Brady and the Patriots didn’t just beat them; they methodically tore apart their offense, their defense, and pretty much every shred of their dignity. I’ve never been a Patriots fan (although I respect Tom Brady and think he’s an incredible player...they’ve just knocked my Colts out of the playoffs too often), but last night I was cheering for them as they demolished the Broncos 45-10.

Here’s why I am going to gloat about this, and why I don’t feel sorry for Tim Tebow. As I wrote about the other day, he wears his faith on his sleeve and although he can’t get away with painting Bible verses in his eyeblack anymore (that’s not allowed in the NFL), he still thanks his lord after every win, and literally takes a knee after every touchdown. I’ll give the guy credit: he really does seem to be a decent guy, doesn’t seem to be just giving lip service to his faith, and doesn’t seem to be a hypocrite about it. But to paraphrase an old saying, you live by the faith, you die by the faith.

Because he IS so vocal about his beliefs, he’s drawn much attention to himself. After a string of unlikely wins, some people were saying that maybe God really was intervening on Tebow’s behalf. As I said in my previous entry, the absurdity of thinking that any deity is interested in a football game just boggles my mind, and I find it offensive in a broader sense. First that anyone would actually pray for their team to win, and second that anyone would find worthy of worship a deity who thinks it’s more important that Tebow gets his win than alleviating starvation and suffering around the world. I mean, really...if you have that kind of power, and you spend your time influencing games instead of helping people who are suffering, you’re kind of a douche.

Anyway, so Tebow’s got everyone talking about his lord and about his faith and all this stuff. But this time, it seems that his lord was out of town, or maybe his DirecTV went out or something, because it looks like he wasn’t paying attention to the game. The Broncos didn’t just lose; they lost in a spectacular fashion. Will Tebow think about this? Will he think, “You know, maybe I should just play the game and work on getting better and not draw this kind of attention to my faith,” or even “You know, maybe God was trying to tell me to shut up and work on my game”? I doubt it. There will be no lessons learned here. Instead of thinking that maybe his god doesn’t care about the game, he’ll think something like “Okay, God didn’t help me this time, but he will next time.” Whatever.

In the meantime, you’ve got some people thinking that this was a game of good vs evil. Yes, an acquaintance of a friend really thought that evil (Tom Brady, who they think made some bad choices when it came to his dating life) triumphed over good (the saintly Tim Tebow) in this game. It’s laughable, it really is...but it’s also horrible that someone would judge Tom Brady as evil—not just having poor judgment, not just being kind of a playah, but actual spawn-of-Satan EVIL—because he was trying to beat Tim Tebow in a divisional playoff game. A football game, people. FOOTBALL. GAME.

So I don’t feel sorry for Tebow. He brought this upon himself. You know who I do feel sorry for? The other Broncos players who have to put up with all this attention paid to Tebow and his religion. There were plenty of people last night who were cheering for the Broncos to lose. I’ve never hated the Broncos. They’re not my team, and the Colts rarely play them, so I have nothing against them. But I was rooting for them to lose, and I laughed when they lost badly. Not because of any of the other players but because of Tebow’s self-centered assumption that his god gives a rat’s ass about whether he wins or loses. I enjoyed the righteous smackdown. If Tebow takes anything away from this, I hope it’s that he should just shut the hell up and play football.

On your feet or on your knees

2012-01-13T17:05:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I read an article that reported the results of a poll about Denver quarterback and current leader of the God Squad, Tim Tebow. The article stated that 43% of those surveyed think that divine intervention is at least partly responsible for Tebow’s success.

That’s right. 43% think that their god cares about football, and even answers prayers about it.

I suppose I can be grateful that 42% don’t think that’s the case, and 14% have no opinion on the matter. Maybe that 14% leans towards the no-intervention option. I can hope.

This is just astounding to me, and I have to say that it makes me more than a little angry. It led to an interesting Facebook discussion in which one person wrote that us liberals need to practice more religious tolerance. (My response was that I’d bet money that Christians wouldn’t be talking about religious tolerance if a Muslim player wrote verses from the Koran on his uniform and knelt to Mecca after he scored a touchdown. I’d love to be proven wrong, but I don’t think I would be.) Another person said that they pray for the health and safety of their daughter. Hey, that’s cool. I have no problem with what anyone does in their own life. If it helps people to feel better to pray, I say go for it.

I think it’s important to say why I find this offensive. It is not because I don’t like religious people, or because I don’t think they have the right to practice their religion in whichever way they choose--as long as they keep it out of my government. It’s not even because I’m not all that impressed by Tebow as a player (with apologies to my U of Florida cousins and my friends who are Bronco fans). It offends me because I just find it so damn shallow. If you’re going to pray about something, how about that the suffering of people will be alleviated? Or that one less kid will starve to death tonight? Hey, go big and pray that one less kid will starve to death in Africa, and one less will starve to death right here in America! Go for a twofer! How about praying that scientists will find a cure for cancer, or AIDS, or Parkinson’s disease? How about praying for an end to conflict and war?

Better yet, how about deciding to do something about those things yourself? Donate to groups that provide food and medical care to kids all over the world. Donate to something like the Gates Foundation that is working hard to eradicate killer diseases like malaria. Donate to or work for candidates that aren’t so eager to get us into another war. I’m sorry if I offend anyone with this statement, but prayer doesn’t solve any of these things. Money, research, and hard work is what solves things.

The realization that there are people who really truly think that Tebow’s prayers have been answered and that God (I will use the capitalized, specific Christian deity here, because that is the deity Tebow prays to) is guiding his arm and helping him win is just...well, it appalls me more than a little bit. I recall someone telling me that a woman at their church prayed to win the lottery, and she won a few hundred dollars! Am I the only one who sees something wrong with this picture?

I also find it interesting that all good things are attributed to a kind and loving god. But what about when prayers don’t get answered, and bad things happen? For every missing kid that is found, often attributed to a miracle, how many are never found? How many bodies are found in a ditch? I’ve heard a couple of answers to that. “You didn’t pray hard enough” or “God works in mysterious ways.” (A friend wrote that a coworker told her that her dog died because she didn’t pray hard enough. Nice, huh?) For me, personally, those answers simply aren’t good enough. The logic just isn’t there, and I don’t see how anyone can reconcile such disparate ideas.

Ah well. I’m not really out to convince anyone. It’s just something that I hear and I have to shake my head in bewilderment. A video is making the rounds today, and when I watched it on Jimmy Fallon’s show last night, I really did laugh out loud. I think I might have even applauded. The Broncos are facing the Patriots this Saturday. Tebow might have Jesus, but the Patriots have Tom Brady. It should be interesting, and Tebowie thinks so, too.

Perception vs Reality

2012-01-11T19:25:00.002-05:00

Over the past year or so, I’ve experienced a few things that have me thinking a lot lately about perception. Specifically, how our perception of others and their perception of us can be skewed by expectations and biases.

I’m as guilty of this as anyone; I have my own biases and preconceived notions. However, I do my best to fight it. I don’t write here about stories I’ve read that I feel are unfair or false, and I don’t spread unsubstantiated rumors. If one squeaks by me and I find out later that it is false, I retract it and apologize if necessary. I’m also not very pleased when I find out that such things are being said about me, especially because I rarely get the added retraction and apology.

I’m a little perplexed when I hear that things have been said about me that I feel have no foundation. Sometimes I chalk it up to manipulative game-players who have nothing better to do than try to move people around like pawns. Other times, I think it’s out of genuine, but misplaced, concern. What bothers me, though, is when it is voiced to others and I only hear about it indirectly. This is unfair, and I feel that it is the result of people having unrealistic expectations of me. Those expectations are their own, and not the result of any promises from me.

I’ve had this problem before. In fact, I’ve had to deal with it since I can remember. I am often very outspoken, I tend to make it clear how I feel about things, and I have a very low tolerance for bullshit. I’m sure that I’m not pleasant for a lot of people to be around. When I hear outright idiocy, I can’t just sit there and smile and nod. I had a few memorable moments in departmental meetings where I managed to tone it down and NOT say “What the fuck?!” but still managed to convey my contempt for what I was hearing. It’s actually a wonder that I have the friends that I do...but I’d say that my closest friends are the ones who have the same attitude. We get along well in that regard, and I’d say we understand each other.

Some might say that I’m “not a team player.” I’ve heard that before. In the context in which it was conveyed, I took it to heart, and I made some changes in my own attitude. It worked out well for all involved, and I have no regrets. However, I have my limits, and I have never been one to “go along to get along.” If something bothers me, I make it known. This is why you’ll never see me in politics: I don’t pander. (Also, I don’t have enough money to get into politics, but that’s beside the point.)

Maybe it’s foolish of me to expect the same from others. If someone were to ask me about a situation or an incident, I’d do my best to be honest, but kind. I’m not an unkind person, certainly never intentionally. But if your perception tells you that there is something wrong with the way I’m behaving, or with the expression on my face, or with what I’m saying or doing, I expect specific examples. If you have a beef with me, you’d better have clear and concise reasons for it, something other than “I just have a feeling.” If you expect me to behave a certain way, your disappointment when I don’t is not on me...that is on you for having unrealistic expectations about what you think I should be or do or say.

I’ve always felt that it’s dangerous to try to mold people into what our own expectations of them might be. It assumes a power on our own part, one in which we can shape someone into our idea of perfection; it also closes our minds to unique personalities and ideas different from our own. It also is highly disrespectful to the person or group we are trying to shape, because it negates their right to their individuality and their own sense of self. No one is a winner in this sort of situation. You lose because you’re setting yourself up for disappointment and you miss out on the good and unique qualities of this person or group; they lose because they feel that it’s not enough for them to be who they are...they have to be what you want them to be in order to feel accepted.

I tend to think that conformity is way overrated. I’ve always loved this Cass Elliot song. “Make your own kinda music, sing your own special song. Make your own kinda music, even if nobody else sings along.” (Bonus video appearance: hipster Sammy Davis, Jr.!) I encourage everyone to make their own kind of music. I’d appreciate the same chance, without judgment or condemnation.

Cult of Personality Disorders

2012-01-09T19:38:00.003-05:00

Dealing with the holidays has left me a little behind on my reading, but today I finished Inside Scientology by Janet Reitman. Wow.

Reitman does a fantastic job of detailing the history of the “religion” (please make exaggerated finger quotes there) and of L. Ron Hubbard, as well as delving into policies and practices. I found the personal stories of those who had been abused by Scientology the most poignant; I got choked up over the tale of one couple who, after years of separation, were able to escape together, and the abuse and death of Lisa McPherson was heartbreaking to read.

I’m not entirely sure where to start here, because my mind is so boggled that anyone would fall for this bullshit, but I’ll try. L. Ron Hubbard was a pretty damn good snake oil salesman, and quite capable of reading the social atmosphere of the times and giving the people what they wanted. I have to give him credit for that: he knew how to market. But the guy was a science fiction writer, for pete’s sake! (I actually read one of his scifi books years ago, and thought it wasn’t too bad.) I found myself shaking my head at the stories about the evil Xenu, body thetans, the Galactic Confederation, and other such assorted gobbledygood. And people actually believe this stuff?! It it weren’t so pathetic, it would be funny.

Then there is the bizarre military branch of Scientology, the Sea Org, in which people sign a billion year contract--yes, that’s billion with a B--because their thetans will eventually inhabit many other physical bodies. The people in the Sea Org have to undergo intense training, and can’t marry any non-Sea Org member, but I guess it’s worth it because they get special perks like wearing super cool uniforms.

I was also struck by the constant use of Capitalized Organizations which could be abbreviated as convenient acronyms (Potential Trouble Source, Operating Thetans, Golden Age of Tech, Introspection Rundown, False Purpose Rundown, Religious Technology Center, Rehabilitation Project Force, Estates Project Force, Pacific Area Command Base, Planetary Dissemination Meter...make your own acronyms, kids!), always a sure sign of an entity seeking to make itself sound more official and serious. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that both the government and the military use acronyms a lot. (Speaking of military acronyms, It seems to me that Scientology is both SNAFU and FUBAR.)

After Hubbard died, Scientology was taken over by David Miscavige, who comes across as dictator-like in his need for power and influence. He’s the one who really embraced Hubbard’s idea of going after celebrities, so that they could be used as emissaries for the “religion.” He also followed in Hubbard’s footsteps by really raking in the dough from all these poor, lost saps who buy into this idiocy and fork over money in order to cross the Bridge to Total Freedom. ::eye roll::

Did I take away any positive messages that Scientology might offer? Not really, although I think being self-confident is a good thing; it’s no secret that those who possess and project confidence are more persuasive and likely to get others to go along with them. But do people really need to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to an organization like Scientology in order to figure that out? If so, pay me. I’ll tell you all about it.

While reading this book, I was reminded of my ex-husband, who, at a later age, became enamored with the pentecostal religion (some might say that he “found Jesus”). I’m someone who was raised in a church, but as I got older and read more and experienced more things and people with different backgrounds, I moved away from organized religion. I often wondered what was missing in my ex’s life that he felt the need for something like that. In some of the followers I read about in this book, I recognized his level of fanaticism; some might make the argument that all religions prey upon people, but I’m not here to do that. I’m writing only about this book and this particular “religion.” But I really couldn’t help but be reminded of what I experienced years ago.

Many people say that Scientology is a cult. I would have to agree with that assessment. You don’t place people into isolation, punish them, and isolate them from their friends and family unless you’re a cult (click picture at left to embiggen, to see some of the punishments). You don’t force women to have abortions unless you’re a cult, and you don’t withhold medical treatment from mentally ill individuals unless you’re a cult. Unfortunately, the government has recognized them as a religion, so they get all kinds of tax breaks and deductions. Yet another reason why I think that tax exemptions for all churches should be eliminated, but that’s an entry for another day.

You know, I honestly feel sorry (well, mingled with a little bit of exasperation and incredulity) for the people who fall for this. There is obviously something missing in their lives, and I would hope that they could find it through other means. If it were just harmless ideas, I don’t know that it would be cause for concern. But people sink thousands of dollars into this crap, and some are severely psychologically damaged. It does harm to people, and anyone who falls prey to this is obviously weak-minded and in need of the initial sense of community that Scientology gives them. It’s a shame that they’re so blind as to what they’re really all about (hint: $$$). What a great gig for the higher-ups in the organization, but not so great for the drones working 20-hour days and getting paid $50 a week.

A very good read, but also very disturbing.

Chillin’ in the Retro Lounge

2012-01-08T17:39:00.003-05:00

Last night, we had the inaugural soirée in what I have christened Nutwood Retro Lounge. You might recall a recent post where I posted pictures of what I did with the basement...we got some great ‘60s-era furniture from Cousin Doug, and we set up a little conversation area.

My niece Jennifer is in town, visiting from San Diego, so we had her and Shane and Matt over. Even though we have the extra seating in the basement now, our house is still pretty small, and I think the most people we’ve had over here at once is six. It was a fun group, and we had lots to talk about and lots of laughs. Loads and loads, right guys? (Private joke!) I made munchie food, so we all chowed on that (there is plenty more to eat tonight!), then retired to the Retro Lounge. I played some lounge music on the hi-fi (haha), and we played some pool and some ping pong.

At one point, we returned upstairs to watch a few minutes of the Republican debate, and damned if we didn’t end up watching the whole thing! We’re all like-minded individuals when it comes to politics, so we had fun yelling at the TV. Only in the Riches house do we make a political debate a part of the party! We did take my niece Heather’s (Jen’s sister) advice, though, and made a drinking game out of it. Every time Mittens smirked, we had to drink. I was feeling no pain by the end of the debate, I can tell you that!

Then we headed back down to the basement for more ping pong, although I think our games were more than a little affected by Mittens’ smarmy smirk. We switched over to some funk music and had fun dancing around to that, we did some FaceTime with Heather and her family in San Diego--wish they could have joined us!--and before we knew it, it was well after 2 a.m. Shane and Matt headed home after hugs all around, and Jen stayed the night.

All in all, I was pleased with the shindig. I think everyone had fun, and I wish Heather and Jen lived closer! I’m glad we get to do so many things with Shane and Matt, though. We found out that they also have tickets to the upcoming Rat Pack show (that was one of my Christmas presents from Ken!), and we are planning on having dinner together before the show. I want to try a new place, and it’s fun checking on new restaurants downtown and trying to decide where to go. There’s a new one in a former bank, a wine bar, a tequila bar, an oyster bar...decisions, decisions!

I hope your Saturday evening was as pleasant, pallies, and that you got to be cool cats and kitties in your own little retro lounge.

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Another year over…

2012-01-01T19:42:00.002-05:00

...and a new one just begun.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year! We started off by trying a new place to eat here in South Bend (Brothers Bar & Grill at Eddy Street Commons by Notre Dame...decent food, reasonable prices, and a fun sports bar atmosphere), where we watched Illinois win their bowl game. Then it was off to watch Notre Dame beat Boston University 5-2 in hockey. Yay! After that, we headed over to my sister’s house, where her and her husband were having a small family party. A few of them had already broken into the champagne, and it was kind of funny! There was some dancing going on in the kitchen, and some Rock Band going on in the basement.

At midnight, we all did the countdown, hugged and kissed and wished each other a wonderful 2012, then Diana (my sister) herded us all outside where she set off a firework that had the neighbors cheering. A couple of minutes of multiple starbursts that covered the sky over their back yard. I don’t know where she got it, and probably don’t want to know, but my pyromaniac sister really outdid herself with that one! Wow!

It was a low-key celebration, but lots of fun. Well, low-key other than the pyrotechnics going on in the back yard!

We didn’t need to go anywhere today, so we just slept late and were semi-lazy. We’ve got a winter storm on the way, so it’s good to know that we can just hunker down for a couple of days and not worry about going anywhere or getting anything.

A new year usually prompts people to think about resolutions, or what they’re planning for the year, or what they wish for themselves or for humanity. I don’t really do resolutions, at least not merely because it’s a new year. If I need to, I’ll do them throughout the year, and I’ve pretty much been doing that. We’re working on some plans for the coming year, and have a reasonable hope that they will work out. As for myself and my loved ones and my friends, I wish us all good health (Isn’t it odd how you start to think about that more and more as you get older, and start to understand the frailty of human life?) and happiness. For the world, I hope we can continue to work towards peace, safety, and health for all. I hope for an end to fear-mongering and hatred, no matter what it is based upon. (I reserve the right to despise someone for the hateful philosophies they espouse, or for the mean-spirited actions they exhibit. Condemnation is not the same as hatred.) I hope for a renewed purpose in our own country that is based upon building up the country and its citizens rather than destroying an opponent. I won’t ‘resolve’ these things, because most of it is beyond my control; I won’t pray for these things because it is within OUR control.

I raise my Mimosa to you all, and wish you peace and success in your endeavors in the coming year.

Holidazed and Confused

2011-12-28T23:38:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone had a great Christmas!

We spent a very nice evening with my family on Christmas Eve, then opened our presents for each other Christmas morning, then spent that evening with Ken’s mom. It’s been festive, but kind of tiring, too! We’re still getting plenty of R&R, though, watching lots of football, “Dexter,” and getting some things done around the place.

I got lots of books, so that should keep me busy and out of trouble in 2012! Also some good movies to watch, and some super cute I Love Lucy car mats. One of my favorite things of all was from Ken, and is an original work of art by a guy named Chris Piascik. You send him a picture of your pet, and he does a drawing of him or her as a superhero! How cute is that? I can hardly wait to get a frame for SuperSheeba. If you’re interested, go to Pets Are Superheroes to find out more. It really is a cute gift for anyone who loves their pet as much as we love Sheeba!

I’ve been keeping busy with my reading. I finished Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All by Dr. Paul Offit. Another excellent book about the utter and complete folly of the anti-vaccine movement. I seriously want to punch Jenny McCarthy in the face. “My son is my science.” No. No, he is not. A PERSON is not science. Science is science. The gloves are off when it comes to these idiots. Just a word of warning.

Anyway, then I moved on to The Incredible Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson, and I’m about a quarter of the way through it. That will make book #55 for the year...I decided to go for the double nickel, good buddy. I’m familiar, of course, with the scifi movie from the ‘50s, but the book is a whole different ball of wax. It delves into the psychological impact of what is happening to Scott Carey, and it’s really quite sad. Fighting a black widow spider is one thing...trying to make love to your wife when you’re the size of a grade school boy is entirely another. It’s much more complex than I remember from the movie, and I’m liking it very much.

I’ve also been doing really well with my workouts, doing six days a week, for at least an hour, sometimes more. My endurance is already up and I’m feeling really good about what I’m doing. I hate that sluggish winter feeling, and this is helping to counteract it. I’ll take a little bit of soreness over sluggishness any day!

The Notre Dame-Florida State bowl game is tomorrow night, we’re planning on seeing “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” on Friday, we’ve got tickets for a Notre Dame hockey game coming up on Saturday, followed by a New Year’s celebration at my sister’s (so happy that our niece Jen is in town from San Diego!) and some further festivities the following weekend. A busy time, but lots of fun. Oh, and I’m still paying attention to politics and the upcoming Iowa caucuses, but I find that I don’t want to write about it a whole lot because it has just become laughable to me. These people are pandering to the religious right at the moment, and people like Donald Trump and Sarah Palin are hinting that they still might jump into the race. This liberal is having quite a laugh at the whole thing, but I will not take anything for granted. I’m looking forward to seeing who will be going up against the President when the Republicans finally finish sifting through this bizarre lineup of the certifiable and the ridiculous. Call me when you get it straightened out, okay?

In the meantime, I’ll keep on having happy holidays, and I hope you’ll do the same!

Purging the hate

2011-12-23T19:10:00.002-05:00

I wish I could write a very sweet entry about the holidays and about the goodness and kindness of humanity. But I’m very bothered by something right now, and if I don’t get it out, I’ll regret it. I’ll enjoy my time with family tomorrow and Sunday, but tonight, I’m feeling an anger that I need to write about. (I suspect that some of you will understand about writing as a form of therapy.) I promise not to get too angry in what I write here—I’m more disheartened and disgusted than angry, to tell the truth—but if you don’t want to be sullied by any negative emotions at this time of year, feel free to skip this entry. I would totally understand.

This goes back to my recent entry about ‘haters,’ specifically my mention of the death of Christopher Hitchens, and how there were quite a few people who claim to be Christians who seemed to find some sort of perverse joy in his death. Last night a name popped up on Facebook; it was a person who dated back to my early days of blogging. Although I had stopped reading their blog some time ago, and had hidden their Facebook posts (I can only handle so many kid pictures), I hadn’t defriended them, and I thought I’d click through to see what they were up to.

As I scrolled down, my decision to hide their posts was confirmed. Then I came across this status update: “Christopher Hitchens is dead. Enjoy the heat.”

I wrote in that previous entry that no matter what you think of Hitchens, he was also a son, a brother, a husband, a father, and a friend. To see this sort of post from someone who claims to be a devout Catholic made me beyond disgusted. It sort of made me hate people for a very brief and disturbing moment. Obviously, not all people and not all religious people are like that, so I refuse to fall prey to such generalization, and I will not judge an entire group of people based on the remark of one big creepy jerk.

But I’ll say this: I find it appalling that anyone could find such malicious glee in the death of another human being. The gloating attitude and smug assurance that Hitchens was burning in a hell that many of us feel is nothing more than a manipulative ploy on the part of religion to foster fear, dread, and guilt in humanity is quite unattractive, and it’s one of the main reasons that so many of us are leaving religion behind. Why would I want to be around someone—or a group of people—who find a sick vindication at the thought of someone suffering eternal torment, or who think it’s perfectly fine to judge others and condemn them to the Fiery Pits™? Although I don’t want to generalize, I’ve seen far too much of this to think it is an isolated incident or the irrational hatred of just one snarky person.

Instead of offering condolences to the man’s family and friends, they just had to post about Hitchens burning in hell. Why not just say nothing? It’s actually kind of laughable, because it only serves to solidify the feelings and opinions of myself and my friends who happen to think that Hitchens was onto something. If he were still lingering about and able to see this sort of thing, I’m sure he’d laugh and say, “Typical! I’m quite unsurprised.”

The person who wrote the remark? Defriended. I don’t feel one bit sad about it, either.

Now, on to Christmas! I hope that you and your loved ones are safe and happy this holiday season. No matter what you do or don’t believe, I hope that you enjoy yourself, and feel a love and compassion for others. That’s what I try to focus on. I wish you all happy holidays!

Achievement: Unlocked!

2011-12-21T17:58:00.003-05:00

I did it!

I track my book-reading on Shelfari, and probably around this summer, I noticed that with the number of books I’d read, I was “ahead of my pace” for last year. I did a quick calculation, and wondered if I could not only double my reading output, but try for a book per week.

As I was working out today, I met my goal, and even started to go beyond it when I started one of Bill Maher’s books.

Were all of my books this year works of literary art? Not hardly. But the important thing to me is that I made the time to read actual books, not just online articles and content. Don’t misunderstand me...there is plenty of good content out there, but reading an actual book is different, and I made a conscious choice to focus a little more on my reading and cut down on my online time. That means that my ability to keep up with blogs suffered, but it was the right choice for me.

This past year, I read a wide variety of things, including political books, biographies, science books, and thrillers. For sheer pleasure, my favorite was probably Stephen King’s latest, 11/22/63. When it comes to science, my favorite was definitely The Panic Virus, about the anti-vaccine boondoggle. Then there was Keith Richards’ Life and Patti Smith’s Just Kids. I loved Matt Taibbi’s books, and Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter. Some were memorable, and some I’d like to forget. But all in all, it was a very good year, and I don’t think it’s wrong to take a little pride in this particular accomplishment.

Of course, next year, I could very well get an admonition from Shelfari saying “You are behind your pace of last year.” Get off my back, Shelfari! Just back off, man! Although I would like to keep to the book-a-week goal, it might need some modification, because I want to get back into the Modern Library’s Top 100 list. Unfortunately, the next book in line is a James Joyce book, Finnegans Wake, and I’m kind of dreading the James Joyce stuff. So some of those on the list could take longer than a week to read. But our friend Kim in San Francisco has made a deal with me that we’ll both read Finnegans Wake this year. I appreciate the challenge and that will help me get it done.

Do I have other goals for the coming year? Definitely! But for the moment, I’m going to let myself be proud about accomplishing this one. It might not be the loftiest of goals, but it’s something that was important to me, and I feel very good about it. Onward and upward, and many more books to read!

Happy birthday, Keef!

2011-12-18T17:42:00.002-05:00

Long may you rock.

Haters gonna hate

2011-12-17T19:56:00.003-05:00

You might think that this time of year, when people usually think about peace and family and Coke-drinking polar bears and all things squee and squishy, we’d get a little break from the hate. You might think that, but you’d be wrong.

Oh, the majority are definitely not hatin’, but it seems like it’s the exceptions that always stand out. I really started noticing it the other day when one of our local TV stations posted the Obama family’s Christmas picture on their Facebook page. It’s really a nice picture, with everyone smiling and holding hands, and the girls look so sweet and they’re getting so big. However, knowing my community and having seen some of the comments that have been posted on the station’s page on other topics, I had a feeling that it was going to get nasty. I tried a preemptive strike with this comment: “It's a great picture of a lovely family. It would be nice if people could focus on that during this holiday season.” Of course, it did no good, with attitudes ranging from apathy to rage; a couple of people took the opportunity to disparage the President for his upcoming family vacation in Hawaii; one person called him ‘evil.’ There were a handful of comments similar to mine there, and I took some heart from that.

Then Christopher Hitchens died. The atheist community is in mourning; whether or not you liked the man, he had an incredible intellect, and his writings will be greatly missed. He was also a son, a brother, a husband, and a father, as well as a good friend to many. The response from some on the Christian right was not unexpected, but I was still taken aback by the sheer ferocity of the hatred. The horrid Bryan Fischer predictably said that Hitchens is in Hell, then went on to say that it was because “God loves him.” Whatever. Apparently irony is beyond the guy’s limited grasp. One of Hitchens’ books is titled God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, so some folks on Twitter started the hashtag GodIsNotGreat. That didn’t go over well with some, and whoever started the hashtag was told to commit suicide and threatened with death. That seems to be a bit of an overreaction to me, especially when you’re proclaiming God’s awesomeness while simultaneously writing that you’re going to beat the shit out of the person who dares to disagree, or shoot them in the face.

Today, I read an article on a Catholic website stating that the atheists who had the audacity to file a lawsuit over a government-declared Day of Prayer in Arizona were whining, pathetic cowards. It included this memorable quote from author Mary Kochan: “Yes, you are outsiders. Go start your own damn country. This one was started by Christians, you puerile dimwits.” Gosh, I’m just overwhelmed by the sheer outpouring of Christian love! The broader issue here, that of the constitutionality of any government promoting religion, is beside the point. I was rather stunned at the rage emanating from this woman because someone dared to challenge the easy assumption of the Arizona government that everyone embraces Christianity and is perfectly fine with the government promoting prayer. Her level of anger seems a little out of proportion for a matter of people simply exercising their right to challenge such a declaration. I don’t know about you, but it doesn’t exactly make me think, “Wow, I’m going to get out of bed tomorrow morning and get to church bright and early, so I can meet people just like Mary Kochan!”

I’m pretty mellow this time of year. I can still get fired up about things, and often do. (Ol’ Mary might still get a comment from me on her article...I’ll be respectful, though. Kind of. In my own special way. Heh.) But I tend to let things slide a little more, I do my best to not take offense at statements that would normally start my chainsaw roaring, and I try to spread a little good cheer and good will. Sometimes it’s a matter of getting someone a gift that I think they’ll really like, and other times it’s as simple as smiling at someone who seems to be having a hard day. (At the grocery store the other day, I exchanged a smile and a few kind words with a woman whose little kid was screaming his fool head off. Wasn’t that better than making her feel bad by giving her a dirty look? I think so.) Tolerance is maybe one of the best gifts we can give, not just this time of year, but year round.

So I guess if you want to go after me for something I’ve written or done, now would be the time to do it. Just remember that I may be a little more mellow and tolerant at the moment...but in a couple of weeks, it will be a brand new year. And then all bets are off. [big grin]

Motivation: I haz none

2011-12-13T21:39:00.003-05:00

Where the heck did the day go?

As I think back on it, I realize that I got quite a bit done. I got some final Christmas gifts, did the grocery shopping, did my workout like a good girl, got some dishes washed, did a load of laundry, and no, I didn’t sit on the couch and flip channels while drinking beer...but it seems like there’s still so much I need to do. I’m a little bit lost in Electronica, because I’m almost halfway through Book #51, and we also got ourselves some smartphones, so I’ve been messing around with that.

I think what is weighing on me is that now that we have the tree up (Yes, it’s artificial, yes, it’s a CHRISTmas tree but we don’t go to church...so sue me! Ha!) I know it’s time to start wrapping. I had intended to start that today, but despite the other things I got done, I procrastinated about that particular task. I’ve written before about how I don’t enjoy wrapping. I’ve tried fun Christmas music (I’m partial to the Rat Pack, and the Brian Setzer Orchestra), I’ve tried beer, but nothing makes it especially enjoyable for me. Part of it is because once I start, I don’t really want to stop until I’m done with it. So I spend an entire afternoon doing nothing but wrapping.

It’s enough to drive anyone stark raving mad.

So maybe I’ll change it up a little bit this year. I’ve got a couple of weeks before Christmas, so no one but me is dictating how much time per day I spend on it. Why not do a couple of hours, and then be done for the day? That will make my psyche AND my back happy. And maybe I’ll sip on Greyhounds as I wrap, so that I get some Vitamin C while I ease the pain. And instead of listening to Christmas music, maybe I’ll pop in a movie that I really enjoy or a guilty pleasure movie, like “Psycho” or “Road House.” (Although I just watched both of those recently, so I should find something else. “Footloose” is a definitely possibility.)

As far as I know, there isn’t some sort of Christmas Rule Book that dictates what constitutes a proper Christmas. My family hasn’t done the traditional little cottage Christmas in the little village for some time now; for several years, we did Christmas Bingo, where we all contributed fun little prizes and Mom and Dad contributed envelopes of money (anywhere from $1 to the rare $50 prize), but we all finally agreed that we just had too much “stuff” (miss you, George Carlin!) and stopped doing that. Last year, we all gave to the charities of our choice. Our family Christmas dinner is usually lasagna, but this year there is talk of a taco party. Ken and I have mimosas while opening presents. I think we’ll stick with that particular tradition, because it’s a delicious one.

I’m all for whatever works for you and your family. If you’re into the whole traditional Christmas thingy, knock yourself out. I think I’ll just make my own kinda music, sing my own special song, which might be something by the Stones rather than Bing Crosby...and I think that we’ll manage to have a good time no matter what. Life is funny—and fun!—that way.

Infection Connection: Double Shot!

2011-12-08T19:50:00.003-05:00

This isn’t about any particular bacteria, virus, or other wee beastie. This is a review of two books concerning infectious disease, one fiction and one non-fiction. (By the way, I’m up to 50 books read this year. My goal is within sight!)

First is one I’ve been wanting to read for some time, The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear, by Seth Mnookin. Of all the articles and a few books I’ve read about the anti-vaccine movement, this reigns supreme. Mnookin does an incredible job of discussing the devastation of infectious disease, the development of inoculation/vaccination, and how the anti-vaccine movement began and took hold.

He also masterfully skewers the arguments put forth by the anti-vax crowd, although I would agree with him that they aren’t just anti-vax; they are anti-science. It is inexcusable for anyone to simply ignore the facts of the high rate of efficacy and low rate of complications of vaccines, not when children’s health and public health are at stake. One of the rationales for some is that there is so little exposure to these infections that they aren’t worried about their child getting it. Do you know why there is so little exposure? Because vaccines have been so successful! It is simply not acceptable to say, “I know, because I have mommy-instincts.” Science simply does not work that way. My great-uncle Sid died in his early twenties of diphtheria. People have forgotten that these infections can and do kill people.

Mnookin gives plenty of space to Andrew Wakefield, the unethical, sorry excuse for both a doctor and human being who started this whole ridiculous mess with his flawed and unscientific paper published in the British medical journal Lancet. The paper has since been withdrawn, and Wakefield lost his license to practice medicine in England. His studies were horrible, including contamination from control strains of the measles virus, and not including positive and negative controls in each experiment. Anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of laboratory tests knows that in order to confirm your results, you must have known positives and negatives included to show that your assay is working properly.

Mnookin also provides much criticism to the media, who gave this story legs despite all evidence to the contrary. It’s a good thing for journalism to be fair and balanced, but sometimes, the other side of the argument does not bear up under proper examination; such false and harmful misinformation should not deserve equal treatment. There are two sides to every story, and sometimes one side is simply wrong.

A fantastic book, and one of my new favorites. Anyone who is sitting on the fence or has doubts about immunizations should read this. Anyone (like me) who believes that vaccines save lives should also read it, in order to bolster your arguments if you’re ever in the situation where you want to debate the subject with someone who really doesn’t get it.

Next is Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks. Although a fictional book, it is based on the real village of Eyam in Derbyshire, which voluntarily quarantined itself during the Black Plague of 1665-66. Brooks puts a human face on sterile statistics; it’s one thing to know that Europe possibly lost one-half to two-thirds of its population, or that bubonic plague has a 40-90% mortality rate if untreated. It’s quite another to read about Anna Frith, a housemaid who must face the death of loved ones and see her rural village felled by the Plague.

Anna is a likable character, compelled to learn, and she is strengthened by her trials. The same can’t be said for many of her fellow villagers, who at times descend into irrational fear and murderous ways. The sadness that Anna had to deal with brought tears to my eyes several times throughout the book. The horrors of the deaths and losses, her triumphs and the failures of others, shows how devastating such a pandemic would be upon even our modern-day world. Although our medical knowledge and support is substantially greater now, the stress placed upon our infrastructure and society would still be devastating. People haven’t changed so much in four hundred years or so to think that there wouldn’t be blame to be laid upon others, certain ethnic groups or religious sects forced to be the scapegoat.

This book reminded me very much of Katherine Anne Porter’s Pale Horse, Pale Rider. Although Porter’s novella dealt with the 1918 influenza pandemic, the psychological and social strain of such a devastating and lethal pandemic is the same. The horrors of such widespread disease and panic is brought to life in both books.

Those who would condemn vaccinations would be wise to read both of these books and learn more about just how bad infectious disease can be.

Operation Retro Furniture: Complete!

2011-12-05T18:04:00.002-05:00

I’ve posted a few pictures on Bookface of the furniture we’ve been putting in the basement. A little background....

My Uncle Burt passed away some months ago. His son, my Cousin Doug, and Doug’s wife Suzanne had been living at Uncle Burt’s house in order to care for him. Now it’s a matter of doing some remodeling on their own house prior to moving back there, and starting to go through things at Uncle Burt’s house in order to sell it. Anyone who has been through this knows how difficult it is, and they really have their work cut out for them!

I remembered some of the furniture that Uncle Burt had in the basement, and asked if they would be okay with me having it. They had no problem with that at all, and after a couple of trips, it is all in place. This is original ‘60s furniture and it is in incredible shape. Doug doesn’t remember exactly what year it is from, but he’s sure it is at least 50 years old, making it a genuine antique. I remember it from when I was a kid, and I’m pushing 50...so I guess that makes me almost an antique! He remembers it being in the office of the body shop that his Dad started in the ‘50s, I believe, and that Doug runs now.

The fabric is intact on the sectional sofa—who knew they made sectional sofas in the ‘60s?—and the pieces are very solid. Even the cushions are heavy, and I believe they actually put springs in such furniture cushions, rather than today’s flimsy foam. I am delighted to have it, and I think it pleased Doug to know that someone in the family has it and loves it.

I think most of you know that I love all things retro, and the chance to have such beautiful, original, and funky furniture for our basement “rec room” is just wonderful for me. It will also be a great reminder of all the good times our families had together, just getting together here in Indiana, or vacationing together in Minnesota.

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There were a few things I wanted to add to it, and I got the zebra print rug, the zebra throw for the circle chair (that was the only piece that had some damage...some of the upholstery had come off), the pillows, and the lamps. We still need to hang some curtains at the sliding glass door, and please pardon some of the mess—I still need to work on some things. The triangular end tables are unique in that they can be combined into a square, or used separately, as I have done. I had to get a little lava lamp to set on the larger end table! I will look for a few other retro items to put on the tables, but I don’t want to clutter them too much. In the meantime, I put a few of my Route 66 things on the one table, my fabulous Las Vegas sign (it lights up!), and one of my all-time favorite fun things, my Cowboy Cactus.

I’m pleased with how it has come together, and it makes me want to don a ‘50s-style dress and sip a martini. Don Draper, come on over! I think it makes for a fun basement rec room, and our first test will be when our niece Jen and Shane and Matt come over after the New Year. Jen has already called dibs on the circle chair! We’ll have Rock Band upstairs, and pool and ping pong downstairs. As Devo says, “Something for everybody!”

What do you think? Would you hang out in a basement like this? We’ll show you a good time!

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Literary Ipecac

2011-12-02T13:28:00.002-05:00

I believe I’ve mentioned that my goal is to read 52 books this year. I’m up to 48, after finishing this one, Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin: A Memoir of our Tumultuous Years, by Frank Bailey. Bailey jumped on the Palin train early on, working as her go-to guy for scheduling and other daily duties. Some of those duties included pressuring various people to fire Mike Wooten (infamously known as Troopergate), taking the fall for it, and covering up what Palin knew about it. Of course, he’s deeply regretful for the part he played in such underhandedness. He is now, anyway. But hey, I’m sure his god forgave him for it.

Bailey invokes his godliness early and often, and he was one of those who believed that God had chosen Palin to run. He writes plenty about the unethical practices and questionable statements that occurred often in Palin’s Alaska governorship, and how he knew it was wrong at the time, but went along with it all because he believed in Palin and thought she was exactly what Alaska needed.

He also writes often about how beautiful Palin is (I believe he even once used the word ‘sexy’), including this when he first started working for her campaign:

“A radiant smile, framed by chocolate colored eyes that would later charm hardened members of the media like Bill Kristol and Sean Hannity, lit up the room.”

[gag] He mentions the fawning adoration of Hannity, as well as the team that interviewed Palin when McCain was considering her for his running mate, not realizing that he comes across every bit as pussywhipped. It’s a wonder his marriage survived his working for Palin, because it seemed obvious to me that he had a major boner for her. (As a man devoted to his family and God, I’m sure he’d deny that. Comes across loud and clear in his writing, though, in my opinion.) Bailey was also Todd Palin’s sycophantic sidekick, doing his bidding concerning the Wooten matter to curry favor with the Palins. He was immediately convinced that Wooten was a “loose cannon” and should be fired, just because the Palins said so. He reminded me of the fat kid who lets the popular kids pick on him and pretends to be in on the joke, and loses every shred of self-respect in the process.

In fact, by the time I finished this book, I wasn’t sure who I disliked more—Palin or Bailey. I already knew that Palin is a moody, conniving, vindictive, bullying, power-hungry, unstable grifter, so Bailey didn’t tell me anything new there. However, he did tell me that he’s a pathetic, easily manipulated loser whose adulation of such a woman deluded him into believing that she was capable of being Governor, and that it was okay to bend the ethics rules if it helped her. I wanted to grab him by his pudgy shoulders and shake the stuffing out of him and say, “Wake up, you idiot!” (A smack across the face would probably have been in order, too.) He did start figuring things out—finally!—and wrote this about her vindictiveness and ability to hold a grudge, as he was watching the election returns:

“Experiencing emotional difficulty managing a state with fewer than a million people, what would President Palin do if a rogue nation like North Korea went nuclear? Would she be preoccupied with typing messages on the Anchorage Daily News blog? Would she use the FBI to monitor Dan Fagan’s radio show or dig up dirt on Katie Couric? The IRS, would it suddenly run audits of former political opponents, bloggers, or editorial critics? Would she fire dissenting voices and find out too late they were right and she was wrong—as she’d done with the entire Board of Agriculture and Conservation over the Matanuska Maid Dairy debacle in 2007? Did we want Sarah and her thin skin anywhere near that red button after that 3:00 a.m. phone call, as Hillary Clinton had warned of Barack Obama during their hotly contested primary races?”

No shit, Sherlock! I guess I can give him a little credit for finally wising up, but it should never have taken that long. I was left with a thorough feeling of disgust at the end of this book. To borrow a couple of Palinisms, what a “flippin crap cluster.”

Infection Connection: We Are Living in a Bacterial World

2011-11-25T17:53:00.003-05:00

And I am a bacterial girl. (Go ahead...sing it! You know you want to!)

This week, I finished the book Good Germs, Bad Germs: Health and Survival in a Bacterial World by Jessica Snyder Sachs. Whether you’re on the job or just have a passing interest, this is a truly fascinating book.

Sachs writes about our long, strange trip with bacteria and other microorganisms. Some might think that it’s a simple matter to realize that bacteria are bad, and the proliferation of antibacterial soaps and hand sanitizers makes it obvious that such a message has caught on. It’s much more complicated than that. Sachs mentions what Nobel prize-winning molecular biologist Joshua Lederberg calls the “microbiome.” Lederberg says, “It would broaden our horizons if we started thinking of a human as more than a single organism. It is a superorganism that includes much more than our human cells.”

Essentially, each of us is a walking, talking ecosystem, carting around millions of bacteria that most often protect us, but sometimes harm us. From the moment we are born, we begin developing our occupying microflora, including Staph epidermidis and coryneform bacteria on our skin, Strep salivarius on our teeth, E coli in our gut, and Lactobacillus in our vagina (if you happen to have one, that is). These organisms create protective biofilms that aid in digestion, keep harmful bacteria from getting a toehold, secrete acids that keep the “bad” bacteria at bay, and even send out chemical signals that help regulate our immune system. I find it an incredibly elegant and fascinating system, and I both adore and fear it.

I adore it because it’s obvious that we have co-evolved over millions of years; our microflora coexist peacefully with us in a mutually beneficial relationship. I fear it because it seems to be such a delicate balance, and changing one small part of it can trigger an unpleasant infection, or even a life-threatening one. (Any woman who has taken antibiotics for an infection knows how easily that balance can be upset; it’s a common occurrence to have the antibiotics wipe out our usual genital flora like Lactobacillus and have yeast set up camp. Usually not life-threatening, but definitely not pleasant.)

I find the connection between our microbiome and our immune system especially fascinating. (If I hadn’t concentrated on Microbiology, I would have gone into Immunology. I find both very interesting, and they are closely connected.) You’ve probably read about the recent explosion in asthma and food allergies in kids; many researchers are looking into whether or not kids’ immune systems are not being challenged the way they used to. I don’t think anyone (not any rational, thinking person, anyway) would dispute that vaccines for life-threatening infectious diseases are a must; but our world has definitely become a little more sanitized these days, and it is not necessarily for our protection.

It might seem to be a paradox, but an unchallenged immune system can go into hyperdrive all too easily. When we’ve been exposed to minimal allergens, the presence of an unexpected one can wreak havoc as the immune system summons the troops and engages in a campaign of shock and awe against all invaders. A veritable monsoon of cytokines, interleukins, and other immune-boosting or immune-suppressing chemicals are loosed upon unsuspecting cells; if the immune system mistakenly attacks our own healthy cells or tissues, auto-immune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, and Sjögren’s syndrome can result.

My relationship with microorganisms has always been a love/hate one. I loved my job, and I loved the “detective work” aspect of it, but I hated the devastation and mortality I saw. I am fascinated by their mechanisms of resistance (one of them is called an efflux pump, in which the bacteria take in an antibiotic within its cell walls and immediately pump it right back out...I picture a sailor frantically bailing out a leaky boat), but worry about how that resistance is resulting in literally untreatable infections. Sachs quotes Rockefeller University researcher Vincent Fischetti concerning bacterial antibiotic resistance: “Don’t ever underestimate bacteria.” I recognize the relationship for what it is, but each of you also has a love-hate relationship with your own microflora, whether you realize it or not.

When it comes to the “war on bacteria,” it seems that we would benefit the most from an uneasy détente. When it comes to preventing what can be devastating infectious diseases like measles, bacterial meningitis, diphtheria, and so many others, vaccines are good things. But it is pointless—and perhaps even dangerous—to believe that a sterile world is beneficial or even possible. The vast majority of bacteria that we encounter in our daily lives is not going to go after us (except for those who are immunocompromised...that is a very dangerous state to be in), as long as we keep ourselves fairly healthy, with our microbiome in general balance. Maybe it’s wise to not mobilize weapons of mass destruction against the critters we encounter every day; a little soap and water is usually going to be enough to keep our own private ecosystem in balance.

Good luck, and hey...let’s be careful out there.

♪ ♫ Bugs may come and bugs may go, and that’s all right, you see. Experience has made me rich, and now they’re after me...’cause we are living in a bacterial world....♪ ♫

A reminder of idealism

2011-11-24T20:14:00.004-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We spent the afternoon at my sister Sue’s house, and it was a very pleasant time, with enough food for probably twice as many people. There were some loved ones who were missing, and we all feel sad about that, but we also recognize that we are very fortunate and we were happy to be able to spend time together.

Sometimes my Mom likes to read stuff. She makes us all quiet down, and then she reads what she wants to read. She read something today about being grateful...like being grateful for paying taxes, because it means you have a job, or being grateful for your heating bills because it means you have a home. It was kind of nice, because that cuts through any party-line argument that anyone might have and just makes you think about how fortunate you are. (There was also little to no political talk today. It really is better that way.)

Then Mom read this:

Youth Disagrees With Column

In reply to Anthony Harrigan's column "On Moral Issues," which ran on Aug. 5, 1982:

Mr. Harrigan, I am less than a month away from my 20th birthday. As a member of the generation which will assume responsibilities for our country in a few years, I must say that I wholeheartedly agree with Rev. Jenkins' remarks concerning Communism and nuclear war.

My generation is one of peace. Your generation is one of fear and distrust. I do not want to see my relatives and friends destroyed in a nuclear holocaust brought about by your generation's mistakes. I resent the fact that such people are making decisions that will in all likelihood adversely affect my future.

If we are to see results in arms reduction talks, we must first trust the Russians to honor a limitation or freeze agreement. The Russian government was generous enough to take the first step, however small, in halting this ridiculous, out-of-control arms race. Unfortunately, our government was not quite so generous.

When I am ready to assume responsibilities in the adult world (and I think I will have something to offer), I want something left. Perhaps if there are more people willing to speak out like Reverend Jenkins, a world of peace will remain for myself and my peers.

Beth Anne Feece
Clarkesville, GA

That was an almost 20-year-old me writing a letter to the editor of our paper in small-town Georgia. I don’t recall the opinion that prompted me to write this, but it was interesting to see how passionate I was about this. At that time, we were still in the midst of the Cold War, and Reagan was President. The threat of nuclear war was still hanging over our heads and was a very real threat. (I also find it touching that my Mom and Dad saved that clipping from the newspaper all these years. They even put tape on it to preserve it.)

Almost thirty years later, I find that I still feel pretty much the same way. I went through my own personal Dark Ages in which I put financial interests above humanitarian interests, but I seem to have regained my idealistic nature. I like to think that I have added a good dose of realism, but in general, I find that what I clumsily expressed in 1982 still holds true for me today: I want a world of peace.

I really don’t think that’s idealistic. I think it’s the only sane way to live in this world.

Don’t touch me I’m a real live wire

2011-11-17T19:01:00.002-05:00

Man, I don’t know what is going on with my state of mind the past couple of days, but I’m feeling like a loaded gun with a hair trigger.

NO, I am not PMSing, mmmkay?

After a wonderful vacation with wonderful friends, I’ve been trying to get caught up on various things, getting back into my workouts, working towards my goal of reading 52 books this year (I’m at 44!), and gearing up for the holidays. I’ve also gotten back into my routine of keeping up with politics, and I think that’s the culprit here. In fact, I’m sure of it.

As I watch the shuffling parade of incompetence that is the Republican primary field, I find myself getting more and more stabby. As I observe people actually thinking that someone like Herb Cain or Newt Gingrich would make a good president, I want to take them by the shoulders and shake some sense into them. As I follow the super-committee’s latest proposals (quickly followed by the other side saying “That’s laughable!” and an immediate refusal) and continued unsuccessful negotiations, I just want to throttle the whole lot of them. There’s a reason Congress is less popular than not only Paris Hilton, but also the United States of America turning Communist, and it’s because they’re all behaving like petulant children with more than a little touch of brain damage.

And as I see the Occupy Wall Street protesters and those of us who support them categorized as lazy bums who want a handout and spend our days smoking weed and shitting on cop cars, I get very, very angry. Are there bad apples involved with the movement? Undoubtedly. You encounter douches in every walk of life. But the majority are people who see the vast and ever-increasing gap between the haves and have-nots and would like to see that change. Do we want to see the highest wage earners give away all their money? Do we want them to NOT make money? Of course not! However, it strikes me as fundamentally wrong to see CEOs making millions in salaries and bonuses, not creating any jobs, and slowly squeezing the life out of the American middle class.

Those who criticize the Occupy movement and see them as nothing more than unwashed hippies apparently missed the fact that the “American Dream” is on life support, and with the way we’re going, I’m not sure it can be revived. It is no longer enough to work hard and pull yourself up and get an education. I know plenty of college graduates who have been down-sized and downtrodden; when there are four people vying for every job available, there are no guarantees that you’ll find a job anytime soon. Our manufacturing jobs are being sent overseas, and I doubt they’re coming back. Our populace is under-educated and unqualified for many of the jobs that are out there. Yet the Republicans talk about cutting funds for Pell grants, and job training programs, and we just keep going deeper into the rabbit hole.

So yes. I’m angry, and I’m on edge. Washington would be wise to get it through their heads that I’m not alone in my anger.

A brief programming note

2011-11-14T15:50:00.002-05:00

I still have tons (one might even say ‘loads and loads,’ right Shane?) of pictures to edit, and much to write about our recent vacation, but this past week, I got the second part of my birthday present in the mail, thanks to my sister Diana and her husband Tom. It’s the new Stephen King novel, and although I can’t pinpoint the exact time that it happened (I think it was sometime around noon today), I have reached that wonderful tipping point in a book when I am completely (and happily) ensnared. I’m having a hard time getting anything else done because I don’t want to stop reading this book. As King himself wrote in a line that I marked as one of my favorites, “That’s the curse of the reading class. We can be seduced by a good story at the least opportune moments.”

The story has seduced me, and I plan on spending lots of quality time with this book as I work my way through it. Once I’ve had my way with it and I’m spent, I’ll be back here to get some pictures posted and relive our Philadelphia and New York experiences.

Until then, carry on, citizens.

One is silver, the other gold

2011-11-08T21:21:00.003-05:00

Sorry for my lack of updates! Sometimes when on vacation, I’ll manage to get one or two in, but this time I just enjoyed the moment(s) and didn’t worry about updating. I’ll have lots more to write about various cool things we did (Eastern State Penitentiary was just incredible, and there was an abandoned places bonus in Greenwich Village: St. Vincent’s Hospital. We couldn’t get in, but I got some neat photos.), but today’s entry will be the people entry.

Our first meet-up was with our long-time blogger friend Dana. He was sitting on his porch soaking up the sunshine, and we were happy to join him and have a beer or two as we talked. We laughed about how our friendship started with a bizarre news story I posted concerning a man arrested for mowing the lawn wearing nothing but sandals and a dog collar. Dana and I had a long and hilarious email exchange naming various footwear and headgear, like cowboy boots and a fez, or saddle shoes and a fedora. He took us up to his apartment on the third floor and showed us his balcony where he feeds the birds, and then he showed us his paintings. I’m a big fan of abstract art, so I absolutely loved them, and we talked about the things we saw in the paintings, the feelings they engendered, and his techniques. He has begun showing some of his art with a group in his community, and I hope others enjoy them as much as I did!

After that, we headed out for a stroll in the park by the Delaware River. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and as we walked, we worked up an appetite. We went to a place I’d found online, and Dana said it was the best restaurant in town, so that sounded good to us! We got there at four o’clock, an hour before they served dinner, so we had drinks and appetizers and more conversation. We eventually ordered dinner, and there was more conversation (I keep thinking of the Lewis Carroll poem “The Walrus and the Carpenter” and this stanza: “The time has come,” the Walrus said, “To talk of many things: Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--Of cabbages--and kings--And why the sea is boiling hot--And whether pigs have wings.”), well into the evening. I swear, I think we sat there for probably five hours! We agreed to meet for breakfast Friday morning, when we were heading out for New York.

I found another place online, said to be the best breakfast in town, so we were batting a thousand when it came to good places to eat! I was delighted to see Scrapple, that regional Pennsylvania-Dutch delicacy, on the menu, but I assure you I did not order it. I remember my Mom making “fried mush” when I was a kid, and no sir, I did not like it. Fried mush is just made of cornmeal, but Scrapple is fried mush on steroids. It’s the non-PETA approved version of fried mush, with bits and pieces of pork parts in it. Yeah, I stuck with an omelet. But I did get to have some grits, which I love every once in a while. You generally can’t get them in restaurants around here, and I was surprised (but happy) to see them on the menu there! Mmm, grits with butter and salt. Oh yeah! [snapping out of my food flashback]

Anyway, there was more talk and agreement that it was a wonderful meeting and that we are now and forever fast friends. Dana expressed sadness that he might never see us again, but we travel quite a bit, and when we again make our way to the east coast (another trip to D.C. might be in the works eventually), he will always be on our list to see. He is truly a fascinating man, with many wonderful tales of his days in the theater. I am very grateful to have met him, and honored to be his friend.

I actually skipped a day in there, because in between our dinner with Dana and our breakfast on Friday, we met with another long-time blogger friend, Lisa. Her and her husband came into town to do a little shopping, and were kind enough to meet us halfway between their farm and Philadelphia. They were incredibly sweet and so easy to talk to, and it really seemed like we’d known each other for ages, rather than meeting for the first time! We laughed about how we’re usually kind of introverted and can be somewhat shy, but it honestly just felt so relaxed and comfortable. I rarely feel that at ease with someone I’m just meeting, but I remember exchanging some heartfelt emails with Lisa about several things, including her efforts to quit smoking. She is still smoke-free, and I am so proud of her! Yay, Lisa! Both her and Doug were wonderful people, and we hope that they might be able to stop by our place in a couple of weeks on their way to Chicago to see some friends. We would love to have them visit!

Then it was off to New York City. We met Friday night with another long-time friend, Raquel. I’ve known Raquel since PRE-blogging days, when we both had web pages rather than blogs! We met for the first time in 2005, so it had been far too long since we got together. We walked around the financial district a bit (that’s where we were staying) and then had dinner at an Italian place near Fulton Market. (I had always heard about Fulton Fish Market...apparently it no longer operates as a fish market, but there are lots of shops and restaurants in the area.) More great conversation with a friend I love dearly, and it was wonderful to see her. The food was SO good, and we had to have some tiramisu for dessert, along with a chocolate gelato with espresso sauce. Dammit, I’m going into food flashbacks again! We found a cool brewery in the area and had a couple of drinks and more conversation and lots of laughs.

On Saturday, her long-time friend (I keep using that phrase, and I keep thinking “Me love you long-time!” Gahhh!) and one of my newer Facebook friends, Stephen, came up from his home in Connecticut to meet up with us. Or as he corrected me, he came DOWN from Connecticut. Whatever! They came down to our hotel (I got the direction right that time), we walked over to Zuccotti Park to check out Occupy Wall Street (more soon), tried to see the Sept. 11 Memorial but were unsuccessful (more soon), and then just did some strolling around Manhattan. Doesn’t that sound cool? Yeah, we just strolled around Manhattan. (Yes, Manhattan is a big place. We just strolled around a very small portion of Manhattan.) I enjoyed meeting Stephen, and don’t tell him this, but I found him charming and funny and very fun to be around!

Then we headed UPtown to Raquel’s place, hung out and talked for a bit before heading out to dinner. Got to pet the puppies and say hi to Pidge (the pigeon), as well as looking at Raquel’s mom’s incredible paintings, which are replicas of old-school masters. Just amazing work. Dinner was at a Spanish place that Raquel chose in Greenwich Village. Oh, the food, the FOOD! In a wonderful turn of events, Raquel’s mom joined us for dinner, and Gloria is fascinating and so much fun! They are of Spanish heritage, so they pretty much did all the ordering of the tapas...I wasn’t even going to TRY to pronounce it! Ken and I split a paella, and oh my...I had never had paella before, and it was every bit as good as Raquel said it would be. The crusty bits on the edges...oh mama. I’m actually salivating as I write this. Then it was back to Raquel’s for a bit, but we were pretty much in a food coma by that point, so after more conversation and an invite over to Gloria’s apartment next to Raquel’s, we made our way back to the hotel. A very good day.

We had hoped to meet with another friend, David, on Sunday for brunch, but he had a friend emergency to deal with and couldn’t make it. We were just happy to hear that all was well with him, and it’s good to know that he was being a friend to someone in crisis. Next time, for sure!

There are others we would have loved to have met on this vacation, but there are only so many hours in a day. However, the people we did meet were charming, fascinating, and just generally super cool people. I have no doubt that the friends we meet the next time around will be every bit as wonderful.

Thanks to Dana, Lisa and Doug, Raquel, Stephen, and Gloria for meeting with us, and thank you for being my friends. You are beyond precious metals…you are gems.

Herman Centipede

2011-10-28T20:02:00.004-04:00

No matter what you think of him, you have to give Herman Cain credit for maintaining a presence in the current conversation. I’ve been posting several news stories and getting into a few discussions about him on Facebook. Why, Beth (you might ask)? Do you really think he has a chance of getting the Republican nomination?

Not really...but after the popularity of Sarah Palin, I don’t take the gullibility of the American people for granted. Anything can happen in this strange state of the union in which we find ourselves.

A couple of my more conservative friends (yes, I really do have some, believe it or not) wrote that they like Cain. When pressed to explain why, they didn’t have much to say about that...just that they “like” him. When asked about whether they support Cain’s stance on abortion and gay rights, they seemed to be against Cain on those “issues.” But they never did articulate WHY they like him. One said that Cain would “mop the floor” with President Obama in a debate. (Whatever you’re smokin’, honey, feel free to send some of it my way!)

I was having an email discussion with Cousin Greg today (after wishing him a happy birthday!) and wrote something about the “inexplicable” popularity of Cain. I thought Greg had a pretty good take on it:

I think his popularity is easily explainable....People who like him or Ron Paul have the same mindset as many of those who voted for Obama in 2008. They believe that the key to turning the nation around is a strong, somewhat outsider personality rather than adherence to a handful of distinct policies.

That's why your friends can't talk in depth about the merits of his policies...Because they've attached themselves to Cain's problem solving methodology and personality rather than a specific policy or two.

I wrote that I mostly agree with what he was saying, but that while some people may have voted for Obama because of his charismatic personality, I cast my vote for him because I had read his books and liked his vision for our country, and because he had a lengthy and detailed plan of what he was going to do if he became President (I still have my copy of it). I do not see that with Cain, not one bit.

When he did put forth a policy, his 9-9-9 tax policy, it was roundly condemned by numerous, non-partisan analysts as being horribly regressive, placing increasing burden on the lowest income earners and giving the highest earners a huge tax break. When this was pointed out to him, his answer was, “Those analysts are wrong.” This week, he altered his policy to make one of the nines a zero for lower income people. I have to wonder why he didn’t think that out thoroughly before he took it public. One might think that he was just trying to come up with a catchy policy phrase instead of something that would really work.

He really wants to go head-to-head with President Obama on foreign policy? Cain constantly ducks questions about such issues by saying that he’s not privy to classified information, so he can’t offer his thoughts on it. Bish, if someone like me can read about these things and offer at least a casual opinion, so can you! You’re running for President! You need to know about these things! I would also recommend that you don’t ridicule the names of other countries because you think they sound funny. It’s Uzbekistan, not “Uz-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan.” When you’ve got the president of Afghanistan noticing and laughing about your comments, you can bet that he wasn’t really laughing. He was ridiculing your lack of knowledge about other countries, and dismissing you as a serious contender and as a world leader.

Then there are the bizarre ads his campaign put out this week. The strange “He Carried Yellow Flowers” ad, in which some actor I had to look up on IMDb says to a couple of whiskey-swilling, tobacky-chewing ne’er-do-wells who dare to question his yellow flowers, “Why has it always gotta be about color? What are you guys, liberals?” and then punches them both in the face. Then there is the über-strange “Now is the Time for Action” ad, in which his campaign manager, Mark Block, talks about how America has never seen a candidate like Herman Cain (all the while shaking his head...what?), and then takes a drag off a cigarette and blows the smoke towards the camera. What. The. Hell? It’s almost surreal in its bizarreness. (But apparently Herman is just giving a shout-out to his former buddies. As a lobbyist with a restaurant association, Cain worked hard to help Big Tobacco in their lobbying efforts, including fighting against smoking bans in restaurants.) Everyone from David Letterman to Stephen Colbert to Jon Huntsman’s three oldest daughters have made parody ads. (My personal favorite was the Colbert ad featuring a huffer, followed by his Slow Smile Contest challenge to Cain.)

As I clarified with Greg, Cain’s popularity is inexplicable to ME. If you spend any amount of time looking at this guy, his policies, his outlook (Don’t have a job? Blame yourself! Want to cross the border illegally? Fry on our electric fence!), and his lack of knowledge, I don’t know how anyone can support him for the highest office in the land. We are just starting to get our respect in the world back; do you really want our leader to be known as That Pizza Guy who can’t make heads nor tails of all the Stan countries? If he showed at least a glimmer of knowledge about such matters, I wouldn’t be as dismissive, but COME ON.

I don’t doubt that the Cain bubble will burst soon, just like the Bachmann and Perry bubbles burst. He just can’t sustain this kind of bizarre behavior and continue to get a pass. But sometimes I can be a little too optimistic about the ability of the American people to see what seems perfectly obvious, so I’ll keep posting things about Cain until he tanks just like the others. If by some strange chance he doesn’t tank and actually wins the nomination, there will be plenty of fodder for his run against President Obama.

Who’s next? Santorum? That should be fun, too!

It’s my birthday!

2011-10-26T19:14:00.002-04:00

Well, not mine. It’s Nutwood Junction’s birthday!

Well, it’s not the actual day; I’m two days late.

But we’ll just go with celebrating (or lamenting, as the case may be for some) today, okay?

It’s hard to believe it’s been five years. I’ve made a lot of friends along the way, and I’m happy to say that I think the enemies have been few. I remember a few memorable occasions when the friends clashed with the enemies, in a battle of epic proportions. I’ll never forget Dan’s line “I’ll cut him so bad he’ll wish I didn’t cut him so bad.” Classic!

Just like Led Zeppelin, good times, bad times, you know I’ve had my share. I’ll never forget the incredible support you all gave me when my Dad passed away. It helped more than you could ever know. I’ve made lasting friends here, and on the occasions that I’ve gotten to meet some of you in real life, it’s been a fun and positive experience (more to come...stay tuned!).

Readers have come and readers have gone; I don’t update as often as I used to; but I’m still standin’, and I plan on being around for many more years of rants, missives, and general mayhem...as long as some of you keep reading. Thank you for liking what I have to say enough to stick around.

I’ll keep writing if you keep reading. Deal? Deal!

Some things never change

2011-10-25T19:46:00.003-04:00

After no interaction for quite some time with a certain “actor” in our little play of life, it was decided to raise a concern via email. While the tone on our end wasn’t friendly (there’s really no point in it now), the response was laughably typical.

“I am responding in an overwrought way to YOUR email and would like to remind you that YOU are the one who sent it. I am telling a couple of lies here without realizing that YOU have documentation that they are lies. I am rewriting my OWN version of how things happened and it doesn’t matter what YOU think. I am placing upon you sole responsibility in a situation that I brought about through my OWN actions, anger, words, and inability to let go of a grudge or accept that there are some people that really don’t want to be friends with me because of the way I behaved towards them, but I will NEVER take any responsibility for that. I am going to blame you for being friends with someone who I think is a bad person because of what I say they did, even though you were never given any clue by anyone involved that it was happening, and because I’ve lied about so many things in the past, you don’t believe me now. That is on YOU, not me, and I take no responsibility in the matter. I don’t care if you think I should have mentioned something at the time because you say that you would have done whatever you could to make sure everyone was safe. It’s all YOUR fault. Now I am going to deliberately misinterpret something you wrote about having a party and I’m going to make sure that everyone involved thinks that you hate them and want nothing to do with them. And THAT is on you. NOT ME.”

I think that sums it up pretty well. I’ll eventually write more about this, but that will do for now. It’s a matter of basically all contact being cut off, being told explicitly that no contact is wanted, and then being bitched at because…there is no contact. If someone tells you, with no equivocation whatsoever, that no contact is wanted, and previous attempts have been unsuccessful or thwarted, I’m not sure what a person is supposed to do. I’m really not. But the “actor” in question seems quite happy with the situation, and that tells me plenty about their fucked-up state of mind.

Yes, I will definitely celebrate when all dealings are done, but it’s not because I am unhappy or pissed about meeting obligations. No problem there. The duty will be met. What I will be celebrating is finally being shut of this person and their chumbucket of nastiness, negativity, and Machiavellian scheming. THAT will be a cause for dancing in the streets of Nutwood, believe me!

In the meantime, in this world full of uncertainty and change, there is something oddly and pathetically humorous to me in seeing that there are people in this world who will never alter their approach to others and to life in general. They just keep on keepin’ on, and it doesn’t matter how much they fail in hanging onto relationships or in making lasting connections with others; no, they just continue their same modus operandi of trying to catch flies with vinegar. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a complete lack of self-awareness. You’d think that the trail of devastation left in their wake would make them take a long hard look at how they treat people. Apparently not. They forge ahead and continue to fuck people up—even those closest to them—with their actions.

What a legacy. Jesus jumped-up Christ on a sidecar.

Fightin’ Irish forced to shut their pie holes

2011-10-24T16:51:00.002-04:00

It was shaping up to be a pretty great International Pie Hole Day on Saturday (along with being Ken’s birthday weekend). Several ~~silly~~ like-minded friends participated, and it was a beautiful fall day: sunny and in the low 60s! A perfect day for a football game! It was the first night game at Notre Dame stadium in about twenty years, so it had a bit of a different feel to it.

We headed out to grab a bite to eat and a couple of beers at our go-to place when it starts getting cooler, Between the Buns. (Decent parking across the street, 32 ounce beers we can take along with us, and a pleasant, not-overly-far walk to the stadium. And TVs at the tables, so we can watch whatever game we want!) When we finished up there, we started making our way to where my sister and her husband were tailgating with some friends. Most of them were women with whom I was in a service sorority for a while, so it was really great to get to see them! They’d been at it for a while, so everyone was exceedingly happy, and we joined right in. They’d managed to leave a little Goldschlager in the bottle for me. Yay!

As we were all talking, Diana pointed out that she was pretty sure one of the guys tailgating next to us was Cheech Marin. (You might remember his movies with Tommy Chong in the ‘70s...although if you were a big fan, you might not!) He was having a bite to eat, so I didn’t bother him then, but when he finished, I had a shot of courage from the Goldschlager bottle and went over and said, “Welcome to Notre Dame!” He asked my name, we chatted a bit, and I said, “I’m guessing you won’t be cheering for Notre Dame, though, right?” He laughed and said, “Well, you know...!” I asked if he minded if I got a picture with him, and he said sure, so Ken got a picture of me and Diana with Cheech! What fun! Honestly, he couldn’t have been a nicer guy. Just super nice, and everyone was kind of chatting him up and being cool and welcoming. He mentioned that he’s working on a new show, so I’ll have to watch for that.

Cheech

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Ken got a couple of pictures when I first went up to Cheech, and I saw later that I was rather glad-handed, putting my hand on his shoulder. I wrote on Facebook that I pulled a Mitt Romney on the guy, but at least he didn’t go all Rick Perry death stare on me! He actually smiled, so I guess it was okay.

Of all people to run into, tailgating right next to you. So funny, and super cool! My goal is still to get a picture with Regis Philbin, but I don’t think we run in the same circles. Ha!

Tailgating ND-USC game

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Then it was off to the stadium. We took a sort of roundabout way, so we could stand where the band comes by as they walk into the stadium. It’s one of the best college marching bands in the country, and it was fun to watch them go by. Then we parted ways with the gang and headed to our seats. Best seats we’ve had this season, about 15 or so rows up from the field, right by the student section. (We have even better ones for Boston College, the last home game of the season!) Guess who was sitting in front of us? The men’s basketball team. That’s right. There’s all five-foot-nothing of me, with this six-foot-plus guy in front of me. (Tim Abromaitis, the best player on the team this season, was a few seats down.) I don’t know who the kid was, but he was really sweet, and we all got a laugh out of the situation. He was often trying to duck down so I could see, and he didn’t seem to mind when I stood up on the seat to see over him, bracing myself with my hands on his back.

The crowd was loud, the place was rockin’, and the players were sporting their new helmets with the extra-sparkly gold paint. They looked really neat, and yes, they really do put gold flakes in the paint. (Kind of like the Goldschlager, now that I think about it!) The Southern Cal band came along, and they’re also one of the best college marching bands in the nation, so it was a pretty cool night...for a while. I’m sorry to say that the team made some stupid mistakes, and the game ended up being a nasty loss for ND. Coach Kelly is not a happy man right now, and I actually feel sorry for the players this week! But we stuck around for the entire game, including when the team came over to stand by the student section as they all sang the alma mater, and I still raised my fist at the end and sang along: “Love thee, Notre Dame!”

Now, do better next week, guys!

Nether Regions

2011-10-22T14:57:00.002-04:00

I’m having a relaxing day watching football on TV, because today’s Notre Dame game against Southern Cal isn’t until 7:30 pm. It’s the first night game here in something like twenty years, so the place should be rockin’! (I.e., people will have more time to party.) We’ll head out in a little bit to grab a bite to eat, and hopefully hook up with my sister her husband and some friends who will be tailgating. GO IRISH! It’s supposed to get down to the low 40s (F) tonight, so I’m dressing in layers, and I’ve got a scarf and gloves. (I shall fluff them before leaving. Private joke!)

I read a really interesting article today: “A Geography Lesson for the Tea Party” by Colin Woodard. It’s fairly lengthy, but I found it a fascinating read. It’s got several things I love, like politics, history, and regional differences. What Mr. Woodard posits is that our political terrain is much more complicated than north vs. south, or the coasts vs. the heartland. He divides the country into eleven distinct political regions, and relates the popularity of the tea party to various regions.

These regions have shifted and changed over our history, and although it’s a slow process, it does happen. Mr. Woodard believes that the unique psychological, historical, and nationality makeup of the regions forms their political leanings and whether they accept or reject tea party ideas. I think it’s obvious that he’s not enamored of the tea party, and he lays out his reasons for thinking that it will not be a lasting phenomenon, or at least not win over the majority of the country.

I found the entire article really fascinating, and I would tend to agree with most of it. I found that the map was accurate at least for my area. People often make remarks to me about Indiana being such a Republican-leaning state, and overall it is. They wonder how I can stand it. Well, the counties closest to Lake Michigan and the Chicago area are Lake, Porter, LaPorte, and my county, St. Joseph. We all tend to lean and vote Democrat, for the most part (in the rural areas of the counties, not as much). I think it has mostly to do with the strong manufacturing and union presence in these counties. The county immediately to my east, Elkhart, is strongly Republican, as are the counties to my immediate south. The larger cities and college towns also tend to lean Democratic. So I’m floating in a little blue sea amidst an ocean of red!

Indiana, according to the article, seems to have three different political attitudes or regions: Yankeedom (that’s me), the Midlands, and Greater Appalachia. Based on migration patterns and the history of settlers over the years, this makes a lot of sense to me. I can’t speak to the accuracy of what he writes about the other regions, really, because I’m not as familiar with those areas. If you live in those areas (and you have the time to read the article), do you agree with the assessment of the author?

I also found it fairly encouraging, because I don’t think the teabaggers are going to take over the country. They’ve driven the debate to an unwelcome extent, even to the point of harming the country’s recovery in order to damage President Obama. I think this small faction had some legitimate things to say about government spending (although I still wonder where they were when President Bush was driving up the deficit with two unfunded wars and an unfunded prescription drug program), but they’ve pretty much jumped the shark, and the majority of Americans recognize that and do not approve. The tea party has had their moment in the sun (I hope they made sun tea while they were at it), and the world has moved on.

YOU’RE out of order!

2011-10-20T19:20:00.004-04:00

I used to say to my mother, “You love Zeke more than you love me.” She said, “No, I hate you all equally.”
~~ Rahm Emanuel, when asked if there was a favorite child in his family

A few weeks ago, author Jeffrey Kluger was on “The Colbert Report” pitching his new book The Sibling Effect. As someone with two older sisters, I found it a very fun and interesting interview. I was happily surprised to see him get the cover of a recent Time issue. That article dealt more about favoritism, and I can’t speak to that. Did my Dad have a favorite daughter? Did my Mom? I never got the impression that any of us were the favorite. Although I’m sure that if they had to choose, it would be me.

I kid, I kid! I know for sure that Dad was proud of all of us, because he often said so, and Mom reiterates that now. My sisters and I are similar in a lot of ways, especially in being fairly easy-going and quick to laugh, but of course, we have our different traits, too. I’ve been fascinated by that for many years now, and have done a little reading on birth order. I recall getting a book about the subject, and as soon as it came in the mail, I opened it up and found the chapter about youngest children. This is what I read:

BLOCK First of all, I want all you babies of the family to know that I’m on to you. I know you have just skipped the first eight chapters and started right here. I understand. Like any last born, I would have done the same thing. I hope you’ll go back later to read some pretty important stuff you missed. (from The New Birth Order Book by Dr. Kevin Leman)

I laughed out loud. Busted! I did indeed go back and read the entire book, and enjoyed it. I found that I fit quite a few traits of last borns, but considering the large difference in ages between us (my sisters are 13 and 9 years older than me), I also have some characteristics of an only child. My oldest sister was out of the house by the time I went to elementary school, and the other was gone by the time I got to high school, so then it was just me and the parentals. As the baby of the family, I’m supposed to be charming, people-oriented, tenacious, affectionate and engaging, uncomplicated, and attention-seeking. The downside is that I’m also supposed to be self-centered, temperamental, spoiled, undisciplined, and absent-minded. According to Kluger, last-borns have a bright wit, a natural charisma, and perceptiveness. This ability to disarm and charm is developed as a survival skill in a setting where you’re the smallest. (I wonder if my lack of height also has something to do with that? Hm.)

I’ll cop to all those good things, but I don’t accept the not-so-good ones! Nah, I know that I can be guilty of the latter behaviors. I like to think that my baby-of-the-family status is balanced out by some of the only-child characteristics, including being confident, a perfectionist, organized, logical, and scholarly. It has been said about me, “Well, Beth’ll do what she wants to do,” which is true; I’m glad to say that most of the time I’m fairly responsible about my decisions, although I have definitely made some bad ones. I have a rebellious streak in me, but I’ve tried to temper that a bit over the years. I was also rather painfully shy when I was younger, so the comedian in me didn’t come out until later. One of my favorite things is to make someone laugh!

I don’t think birth order defines us any more than our astrological signs define us, but it does make considerably more sense that our personalities would be shaped by our interactions with our parents and siblings, rather than by the influence of the stars.

How about you? Do your personality traits jibe with what is said about your birth order? Who’s the baby of the family like me? Email me so we can start a club and talk about how awesome we are, okay? [wink]

Perfectly said

2011-10-19T00:34:00.003-04:00

No matter how hard I try, on here or on Bookface discussions, I will never be able to articulate how I feel about the Occupy protests as well as this guy does: Open Letter to that 53% Guy.

After dealing this evening with someone who said that part of the demands of the Occupiers included the right to shit on police cars and to have sex on the streets, I have to wonder about the mental soundness of anyone who would misinterpret the movement in such a ridiculous way.

I honestly can’t understand the willingness of some to just bend over and take it and think that because they were raised to believe in the “American dream” (whatever that means anymore) it’s perfectly okay to work two jobs or 60+ hours in order to make it happen. You might want to check the rulebook (that Constitution thingy) and realize that you are not indentured servants and that you should not have to work yourselves to death in order to make a decent life for yourself and your family.

It’s nothing I haven’t written before, but I give Mr. Udargo credit for saying it better than I’ve ever been able to say it.

Now a little music. Since someone said that our demands include the right to have sex on the streets, let’s all dance to Pizzaman!

The Way of All Flesh

2011-10-18T17:02:00.002-04:00

I was going to make a joke about brain-eating zombies and the Republicans, but I decided not to. Ha! No, I’m actually taking a break from politics in this entry (although I’ll probably watch the first hour of tonight’s debate...I’ve discovered that an hour is about all I can stomach) to write about my current favorite TV show, “The Walking Dead.” (AMC 8/9 pm Central/Eastern)

I’ve dug zombies (see what I did there?) for a long time. I remember seeing the original “Dawn of the Dead” in the theater with my sister Diana (also a fan of horror movies) and being totally creeped out. I’m sure I saw “Night of the Living Dead” as a kid, because I was always watching such movies, but I’ve watched it more times as an adult. I wouldn’t say that I’m a zombie aficionado, because I haven’t seen every zombie movie that’s been made, but it definitely is one of my favorite genres. There is so much you can do with the subject, you know? Slow zombies, fast zombies, infection, alien invasion, adult zombies, kid zombies, and so on. In “Zombieland,” we even got Bill Murray Zombie. (The same can be said of vampire movies, which I also love, but there are some differences, both physically and psychologically. A topic for another day.)

One of the most fascinating aspects of zombie movies to me is the one I just mentioned: the psychological. How do survivors deal with the post-apocalypse world? How do you deal with possibly having to face consumption by a dead loved one, and are you able to put your feelings for them aside in order to save your own life? Will you be strong enough to hang on in a world gone mad, or will you “opt out?” Much has been written about the political aspects of the zombie genre, and I think it’s a legitimate discussion. There is the mindless shuffling of the zombies, which is related to both Republicans and Democrats, as well as to our consumer-oriented society. (George Romero did this best in “Dawn of the Dead,” with the zombies inhabiting a shopping mall.) And of course, there’s the requisite gore. When you have to kill a zombie by nailing them in the brain, you’re bound to have some gore.

“The Walking Dead” incorporates all this to perfection. Obviously, it’s not for everyone, and I’m amazed at the amount of gore they get away with on AMC...and they’ve even stepped it up the second season. It’s a goo fest, make no mistake about it. Those scenes are satisfying for the squirm factor, but the best part of the show is how the survivors are dealing with this odd new world into which they’ve been thrown. The power structure is fascinating, with Sheriff Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his deputy Shane Walsh (Jon Bernthal) being the de facto leaders of the group. However, Rick has doubts about his ability to lead; he does the best he can, but there are inevitably those who criticize his decisions. Shane brings a different dynamic to the power structure, especially since everyone originally thought Rick was dead, so Shane took Rick’s wife Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) under his wing and into his bed; he also became a substitute father for Rick and Lori’s son, Carl. When Rick shows up, miraculously alive, the resentment of Shane and the anger of Lori (she thought Shane was lying about Rick being dead, but he really did think that he was) become part of the mix.

I won’t go into all the relationships in the show, but that should give you an idea of the complexity of the interaction, and the potential for both conflict and cooperation. I find that I’m as fascinated by the continuing character development as I am by the whole zombie apocalypse storyline. In the very first episode, I recall saying that I hoped Shane would get eaten by zombies soon, because of his rather misogynistic attitude; he has since become one of my favorite characters. He thought he was doing the right thing by taking Lori and Carl as his own family and trying to protect them, but with the return of Rick, he’s angry and hurt. He tries to shut down and plans on taking off on his own, but with the ending of the season premier, it looks as though he regains his compassion and will probably stay a part of the group. Can the conflict between him and Lori be resolved? Can Shane let it go and find someone else? What will happen if Rick finds out that Shane wasn’t just protecting his wife, he was screwing her, too? I’m telling you, I’m dying to find out. Well, not literally! I will not be reading the graphic novels to find out what happens, though. I want the show to surprise me.

I can’t begin to tell you how much I love this show. Usually if I’m watching something, I might be at the computer, or doing something in the kitchen, but not for this one. I plant my ass on that couch and am glued to what is happening. (Hint: do NOT call me while it’s on!) The tension is almost unbearable at times, and it would probably take a nuclear bomb to disturb my focus. It is incredibly well-done—I would say movie quality rather than TV quality—and well-directed. Frank Darabont is the director. That’s the guy who wrote the screenplays for and directed “The Shawshank Redemption” and “The Green Mile.” Yeah. He’s pretty good. With a wonderful cast and incredible makeup artists (the best zombies you’ll ever see), it’s a combination that can’t lose.

This was my ode to “The Walking Dead.” If you don’t like it, make like a zombie and bite me! [grin]

The Great Divide

2011-10-14T19:09:00.003-04:00

[Subtitled “Cognitive Dissonance Revisited]

I see that another Tumblr blog has cropped up in response to the We Are the 99 Percent site. Created by conservative blogger Erick Erickson, it’s about the 53% who claim to pay the taxes for the 47% who they claim don’t pay any taxes at all. I will not link to it. If you want to find it, have at it.

First of all, we need to put this ridiculous lie to rest. It is a vicious falsehood being promoted by the right in order to portray lower income people as lazy freeloaders. This is nothing new. Those of us of a certain age (ahem) will remember Reagan’s “Welfare Queen” story. Although there will always be people who try to game the system, this was an urban legend based on nothing resembling the truth. So the right is still at it, and some people are still falling for it. The people who pay little to no income tax are still paying taxes: payroll taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, gas taxes. To paint them as lazy bums contributing nothing to society or to our country is simply wrong. WRONG. If someone says this in my presence, they’re apt to get an earful, because I have had it up to here (motion towards my neck) with this nonsense.

If people don’t pay federal income tax, it’s because they have enough deductions under the federal tax structure to erase any further payments. These include deductions for the elderly and for children. If it’s not because of deductions, it’s because they simply don’t make enough to have to pay federal income tax once they take the standard deductions. Here is the best article I’ve read about the 47 percent.

So now that we’ve put that silliness to bed, what about the 53 percent and their website? Let’s look at a few. (This is where the cognitive dissonance part comes in.)

This person went to public school, then went on to get scholarships and loans for college. They served in the Army, taught college, and went on to law school and opened their own firm. That’s great! Good for you! And you DO realize, don’t you, that taxes paid to the government financed your public school, your loans, and the Army you served in? I’m sure the college where you taught also received money from the government for scholarships and research. I’m guessing at this, but I bet your law firm got plenty of deductions and tax breaks from the government. It sounds like you really made something of yourself and worked hard to get there...but you had plenty of assistance from the federal government.

This person had a mortgage and a “pile of student loans.” A federal tax code deduction and loans provided by the federal government. Again, it sounds like they worked hard to get to the point they’re at. With government help.

This is my favorite. This person goes to a public, in-state university. Federal funds. They got scholarships. Federal funds. They got a good education in high school, quite possibly (although not stated) at a public school. It sounds like they have the right idea about not living beyond their means, but much of the good fortune they’ve had has been because of the federal government.

There are other stories on that site about people’s parents being firefighters (government workers), nurses (working in a place that gets government funds via Medicare), or about people working their way out of welfare. That’s great, it really is. Here’s my question:

If it was okay for you to be on welfare or receive government aid when you needed help, why would you deny it to others?

There is a huge difference in philosophy here, and I really don’t know if it can ever be bridged. They completely misunderstand what the Occupy movement is about, and ignore their own interests in favor of those who are reaping huge profits and providing multi-million dollar bonuses to CEOs...but no matter how many tax breaks they get, they are not creating jobs. Wall Street deregulation, speculation, and unbridled greed led to our economy going into free fall, and they got away with it. They got away with it.

There are tales on the site of people working three jobs, 80+ hours, having to pay hundreds of dollars for health insurance, losing their homes, losing everything...do they not realize that it could and should be better for them, and for all Americans? Who has fostered this slave-like mentality that makes them think that they have to work themselves to death in order to fill the pockets of corporate CEOs? Is that their version of the American dream?

There is nothing wrong with hard work. I think most people (including the Occupiers) are willing to work hard. But when Wall Street screws the economy and people are laid off as a result, the jobs simply are not there. I know plenty of people who have tried their damnedest to find a job (including military personnel) and have sent out thousands of resumes, and the jobs simply are not there. Assailing the protestors as lazy, spoiled, whining, idiotic bums is just mind-boggling to me.

I don’t know if it’s Stockholm Syndrome or what, but they’ve sure fallen for it hook, party line, and sinker.

Occupied

2011-10-11T19:20:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was yet another gorgeous day here in northern Indiana, and it was a perfect day to head to downtown South Bend for a little political rally.

I went over to Shane and Matt’s, and we went to the meeting place, where we met up with our friend Doug. We went to a rally sponsored by MoveOn, and it was mainly about job growth and creation here in the U.S. There was a strong union presence there, including the head of the postal workers’ union. Everyone was in good spirits, we talked to a few nice people who were very concerned about what is happening in our country, held our signs, and waved at the cars going by. Most were fairly supportive, people waving and honking their horns, but we got a real kick out of the guy that drove by and flipped us off. Really? A group of people gathers to push for job creation in the country, and your response is “Fuck you?” I just don’t get that.

There was a simultaneous Occupy South Bend rally going on a block away, so we joined forces with them. Slightly different focus, but still on the same side of things. There is a growing inequity in how much the Haves have and how much the Have Nots don’t have. The rampant greed of Wall Street and the deregulations of their activities resulted in the average American getting screwed over royally. We--those same screwed-over taxpayers--bailed out the banks and investment companies, because to not do so would mean a complete collapse of the economy. I understand that, and I still support the bailouts. However, although some of that money has been paid back, not all of it has, and the profits of the companies and their CEOs are still through the roof...and they are still not investing in the American recovery. No one has been held accountable, and the greedy bastards are still doing what they were doing when they got us into that mess.

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Ken and I are fortunate to have weathered this fairly well (knock on wood). He has a good job, and if need be, I could go back to work in the health care sector. But I was proud to stand in support of all those who have been so severely affected by this, whether it’s people who can’t retire because they lost most of their retirement funds, or people who have been out of work for months or years because the jobs simply aren’t there.

Herman Cain (or as Palin likes to call him, “Herb”) commented on the growing Occupy rallies last week and said that if you don’t have a job, don’t blame the banks, don’t blame Wall Street...blame yourself. I wonder what planet Mr. Cain is living on? There are 14 million unemployed in the United States, and I can tell you that I know plenty of people who are hard-working individuals and want to find a job, but simply can’t because there are so few jobs available. Matt has sent out over 2,000 resumes and has been unable to get anything. These are not lazy people, these are not people trying to take advantage of government programs. They are people like you and me who have been downsized and outsourced and screwed by corporate greed.

I supposed it’s easy for ol’ Herb to tell people to blame themselves. He isn’t struggling to pay the rent or put food on the table for his family or trying to pay medical bills. When he had to deal with cancer, he had the best care that money could buy; he didn’t have to worry about how his medical bills might bankrupt his family or make them lose their home. There are millions of Americans who aren’t millionaires who worry about those things every single day.

I stand with them.

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Mocktober

2011-10-09T14:43:00.003-04:00

It’s technically autumn, but it sure hasn’t felt like it lately! I believe we had a frost last weekend, which means that we’re in Indian Summer, and it’s been just beautiful lately. Sunny and temperatures around 80° for most of the week!

We went to the Notre Dame-Air Force game yesterday, and it was so nice we were still able to tailgate before the game. (We probably still will as it gets cooler, but it’s not as much fun. Some people go to elaborate lengths for tailgating, with generators and heaters. We’re strictly small-time.) I stupidly didn’t wear a hat, because I thought I’d be comfortable enough without one. I ended up having to buy another ND hat, and I like this one even better than the one I had, so it worked out okay!

Since we were playing Air Force, we hoped they might have a flyover. I think it’s usually F-18s. We got a bit of a surprise this time. I saw movement up in the sky at the other end of the stadium and said, “Holy crap, that’s a Stealth! They’re doing a Stealth flyover!” Sure enough, as the National Anthem was winding up, here it came, right at us, and towards Touchdown Jesus. I had never seen one in flight before, and it was quite impressive. The crowd went wild!

The game ended up pretty well, too. The Irish dominated, with a final score of 59-33. It wasn’t even as close as that makes it look, because when we were up by 40 points, they cleared the bench and let the second string play. They gave up a couple of touchdowns at the end. Today is just doing some catching up around here, and it’s so nice Ken is going to fire up the grill and we’ll have our last two porterhouse steaks.

Tomorrow is going to be another nice day, and it looks like a good day for a protest march! Cousin Shane, Matt, Doug, and I will be heading downtown to take part in a MoveOn jobs march. This isn’t quite the same as the Occupy marches, but close to it. After that, we’ll stick around downtown and do our part to stimulate the economy by having a late lunch at the Thai restaurant. Recently, Herman Cain (or as Palin likes to call him, ‘Herb’) said that if you’re out of a job or if you’re not rich, don’t blame the banks, don’t blame Wall Street, blame yourself! Really? Really?! Talk about a case of blaming the victim. There are plenty of hard working people who lost their jobs because of the unbridled greed and deregulation of Wall Street operatives, and Cain has the nerve to say that it’s the unemployeds’ fault. Unbelievable. Ken and I have weathered this fairly well (rapping my knuckles on my head), but I will be proud to stand in support of my fellow Americans who have gotten royally screwed by banks and hedge fund managers, and have been told to shut up and take it up the ass, and to smile while it’s happening. And then that weasel Eric Cantor has the gall to say that the Occupy Wall Street protests are un-American, and just a bunch of mobs. Since when is it un-American to peacefully protest when you aren’t pleased with what is happening in the country? Last time I checked, that was in the Constitution. For a bunch of people who claim to love the Constitution so much, they sure don’t seem to like it when others exercise their Constitutionally-mandated rights.

But don’t get me started. [wink]

I have one more beef, and then that will be it for today. You may have heard about the brouhaha that took place this week in the Massachusetts Senate race. Scott Brown is the incumbent, and Elizabeth Warren is leading in the primary to be his Democratic challenger. Several years ago, Brown was the centerfold in Cosmopolitan; not the full monty, but nude except for something strategically placed in front of the ol’ groinage area. In a recent Democratic debate, when asked about how she paid for college, she made the joke, “I didn’t take my clothes off.” Brown was asked about the remark on a radio show, and in response to Warren’s crack, he said, “Thank God.” Then he and the DJ yukked it up a bit.

This bothered me, and yes, I’m going to tell you why. I found it to be a typical male response when they are intimidated or ridiculed by an intelligent woman: make fun of her looks. It strikes me as condescending and patronizing, and somewhat misogynistic. Do I think it’s a huge deal, one that Brown should be tarred and feathered for? No, not really...but as a woman, it bothered me as indicating a deep-seated tendency to marginalize women. Did Warren bring it upon herself with her own joke about it? Yeah, probably, and she chose not to dive any deeper into these murky waters of snarkiness.

Some of my guy friends dismissed it as a tempest in a teapot. The incident really isn’t a huge deal for me, but it did bother me. It reminded me of my first job in Grand Forks, North Dakota. I was up in the ICU and trying to find a place to draw blood on a patient. With all the lines and IVs, it wasn’t an easy task. One of the patient’s doctors, a cardiologist, happened to be in there at the time, and he put his hands around my waist (Bad touch! Bad touch!) and moved me to the side, then said to the (male) patient, “I bet it doesn’t hurt as much when they’re as pretty as this one, eh?”

It was condescending and creepy, dismissive of my education and duties, and incredibly sexist and unprofessional. (Yes, I complained to my manager.) I didn’t find it complimentary at all, and even 25 years later, I remember it quite well. Whether being “complimentary” or derogatory (I’ve had that happen, too...like being told my eyes are so far apart that I look like ET. Oooo, burn! What else ya got, crackuh?), it’s the same demeaning bullshit that women have had to put up with for centuries. When some men are confronted with an intelligent woman, they resort to any means necessary to demean them and put them in their place. You can also bet that any woman who had posed like Scott Brown did would not have a career in politics in this country, and would be portrayed as a whore. Elizabeth Warren is an incredibly smart and capable woman, so Brown demeans her first by ridiculing her Harvard professorship (how awful those Harvard elites are!) and then by implying that she’s a repulsive woman that no one would ever want to see naked. She can take care of herself, I have no doubts about that.

But I feel that I have every right to say, “This bothered me, and here is why.” If you want to dismiss my viewpoint, I suggest you do it without calling me ‘honey’ or asking me to make you a sandwich before we discuss it.

Apple butter my butt and call me a biscuit!

2011-10-02T17:57:00.002-04:00

If it’s autumn, it must be apple butter time!

Yesterday was my family’s fall get-together, when we make a big pot of apple butter. (That’s me in the football jersey, and Ken’s Mom is in the blue coat.) My cousin Tom and his wife Nici have everyone over at their place out in the country; they have several acres with paths out through the woods, with a really nice older farmhouse. It ended up being a beautiful fall day for it. Although it was chilly in the morning, the sun was shining and there wasn’t much of a breeze.

If you needed to warm up, you could stand by the fire where the apple butter was bubbling in a big iron pot. I don’t recall the exact recipe, but Tom (he was always Tommy when I was a kid, but I think the only person that calls him that now is my Mom!) takes 22 gallons of cider and boils it down to 11 gallons, which he freezes for the following year; there are cut up apples that go in (I think it’s about two and a half bushels), and ten pounds of sugar. Oh, and several pieces of sassafras root. I believe that is the only seasoning. It has to be stirred constantly, or it will burn, and a large wooden paddle is used to stir it. Ken had lots of stirring time this year! This is the way my Grandpa (my Dad’s Dad) made it for many years, and I’m glad that it continues to be a family tradition.

We have a big lunch with all kinds of food. Tom cooks a turkey in the ground, and I think it’s the most tender turkey I’ve ever had. This year I made that broccoli salad with sunflower seeds and dried cranberries, and people seemed to like it pretty well. There wasn’t much left.

After the apple butter cooks down for several hours, Tom checks the consistency and the color and the taste, as well as using a special tool to see how much it has boiled down. The special tool is a stick with markings on it. This is high tech stuff, man! When Tom decides it’s ready, we start the assembly line at an outside table. Nici has sterilized the jars and lids and brings those out to the table. We line up on both sides of the table and each do a part of the jarring. Tom would bring pots of the apple butter over to the table; my Mom and Cousin Suzanne dipped the apple butter into the jars; my sister Sue and someone I didn’t know (I think she must have been a friend of Tom and Nici’s...I didn’t recognize her as a family member. I have a big family, so it’s entirely possible that we were related. haha) wiped the lip and rims of the jars; Cousin Doris and I used tongs to put the heated lids onto the jars; Ken’s Mom and my sister-in-law by marriage put the rims onto the jars, and voilà! A few dozen pint jars of apple butter! It all moved really fast, and I’d say we were done within a half an hour. That was fun for me, because I had never been there late enough to help with the jarring.

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This was an especially fun get-together, because we had, as they say, some Very Special Guests™! My Aunt June and Aunt Marie have been visiting from Florida for the past week and a half, staying with my Mom. (That’s Aunt June in the white scarf and hat it the pictures up there. She was freezing!) They’ve had a crazy time, and neither of them had been to an apple butter-making before. Aunt June had also never had a S’more, so I was joking with her that she got to cross that off of her bucket list! They are two of the sweetest and most fun ladies I know (they and my Mom, Shane and Matt, and I met on Wednesday for lunch and a visit to the Studebaker Museum...Aunt June was one of the very last Studebaker employees, so she enjoyed it very much), and it was wonderful to have them there.

Also, Ken’s Mom came along with us, and she told us later how much she enjoyed it. It’s hard for her to be around a bunch of new people, but she had met a few in my family before, and for the ones she hadn’t...well, I know how my family is, and I knew that she would feel welcome. That is exactly what happened. She told me later that my sister Sue was sitting and chatting with her. Ken’s Mom was telling her that she really doesn’t have any family left other than her kids. Sue told her, “Well, you have a family now.” Ken’s Mom said she was really touched by that, and I told her that I can guarantee that Sue was 100% sincere.

I don’t agree with my family (both my Dad’s side and my Mom’s side) on everything, especially politics. My sister Diana and I are the rare liberals in a family of staunch conservatives. However, they are very good-hearted people who welcome new members of the family with open arms. (When I introduced Aunt June to Matt on Wednesday, I think Matt was startled—and maybe pleasantly surprised—when Aunt June gave him a big hug!) We were talking last night about how it’s a real shame that Ken’s kids have been discouraged and removed from being around my family just because someone (not to mention any names) has a beef with us. I can say with conviction that ANY kid would benefit from being around my family and knowing that they are completely accepted as full members of a truly decent bunch of people that they were “married” into. It is very much their loss, and it’s too bad that such anger and bitterness has deprived them from such positive influences and from knowing that an extended family can be close-knit and a source of acceptance and comfort that can be precious hard to come by these days.

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I’m sure some people might find this sort of countrified family get-together kind of lame and silly. [shrugs] That’s okay. It probably is. I recall someone writing several years ago that such techniques (iron pot, wooden paddle, open fire) were “crude,” and their way of cooking it in the crock pot was far superior. But I’m glad we carry on this tradition that has been going on for decades (with a few gaps along the way), and I’m glad that I have a large family that loves not only me, but anyone I bring into the fold. Not everyone has that, and I’m grateful for it.

As Whitesnake said, “I don’t know where I’m going, but I sure know where I’ve been.” I love my family roots...even the sassafras ones!

You Eedeeyote!

2011-09-29T19:04:00.003-04:00

I’ve really been on a reading tear lately, and finished a couple of books this week (as well as reading Stephen King’s short story “Mile 81” today—fun, quick read!). I thought I’d post a couple of quick reviews, because both of these books are significant.

First up is Idiot America: How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the Free by Charles P. Pierce. I’ve written before about this, and many have discussed the current atmosphere of anti-intellectualism in the country. Ignorance is seen as a desirable trait, because to be educated is seen by some to be elitist behavior. An expert opinion is “balanced out” by the opinions of utterly unqualified people. The fact that this makes no sense doesn’t seem to matter to a large portion of the populace.

Pierce talks about the importance of “American cranks.” You know, those people who have seemingly outrageous ideas, but can bring up legitimate questions and steer the discussion in a new direction. For example (this is my example, not the author’s), think of some of the more bizarre ideas of Ron Paul and his loony son, like allowing business owners to make their own policies when it comes to who the will allow into their place of business. The Civil Rights Act and the strides we’ve made in that area are kind of important. Not an expert opinion, by any means, but it seems self-evident to me. However, Paul has been adamantly opposed to both wars we’re in, and I believe that he has steered that discussion in the right direction.

Pierce says that the problem with cranks is when they become part of the mainstream, rather than anti-establishment. The inmates taking over the asylum, if you will. (See Baggers, Tea.) Pierce’s Great Premises of Idiot America are that anything can be seen as true if you say it loudly enough, you appear to believe it, and enough people believe it fervently enough. (See Panels, Death.) He writes about the Kitzmiller v. Dover case (I highly recommend the Nova documentary in that link) concerning the teaching of intelligent design in public schools, and spent a good amount of time with Federal Judge John E. Jones III, who ruled on the case. Judge Jones said:

If you poll the United States today, you find that over 40 percent, sometimes over fifty percent, of the people in the United States believe in creationism and not evolution. And they think that creationism should be taught alongside, or even supplant, evolution in the public schools. So they don’t understand why this federal judge in Pennsylvania, in my case, won’t get with the program and bend to the popular will. Well, that’s not the way the Framers designed the judiciary. We are supposed to be a bulwark against the popular will at a given time and responsible to the Constitution and to the law. But, boy, that’s lost. People should get that.

My hero! Pierce also tackles the current assertion by some that America was meant to be a Christian nation, and the Founding Fathers laid it out that way. He examines the thoughts and writings of James Madison, especially. In his “Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessment” of 1785, Madison writes:

It is proper to take alarm at the first experiment on our liberties...Who does not see that the same authority which can establish Christianity, in exclusion of all other Religions, may establish with the same ease any particular sect of Christians, in exclusion of all other Sects? that the same authority which can force a citizen to contribute three pence only of his property for the support of only one establishment, may force him to conform to any other establishment in all cases whatsoever?

In other words, if the government allows Christian prayer to be conducted at public functions, or the expression of Christian faith to the exclusion of other religions in the public square, you may be sittin’ pretty for now, Sunny Jim, because you like that old-time Christian religion, but if the government does that, they can just as easily establish a religion you might not dig so much. Now do you get why the separation of church and state is a good thing, and is exactly what the Founders intended? It wasn’t just to protect your religion from our government; it was also to protect our government from your—or any—religion. The Founders wrote extensively and often about how a nation with a self-government needs an educated and informed populace. I think they would be very disappointed in Idiot America.

Pierce veers off into snarky derision once in a while, which can be a little jarring, but it’s also usually warranted. A good read, and I recommend it.

Speaking of idiots in America, the second book is The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin by Joe McGinniss. You might remember the brouhaha generated last summer when McGinniss rented the house right next to the Palins’. He and his family received death threats for that little bit of effrontery, but he managed to survive the summer. Palin’s reaction was immediate and swift, accusing him on her Facebook page of spying on them and peeping into the girls’ bedrooms. Typical Palin, playing the victim. McGinniss was merely staying in Wasilla in order to talk to numerous townspeople about Palin past and present. Was there a little bit of poking the bear with a sharp stick involved? I don’t doubt it. I understand the easy allure and sheer pleasure of knowing how easy it is to get to someone you don’t much care for. But to accuse him of peering in her daughters’ windows is absurd.

Anyway, McGinniss bounces back and forth between Palin’s childhood, political rise, and current goings-on. These time shifts are easy to follow, though. Palin is threatening to sue both McGinniss and Random House for publishing the book, citing defamation for lies and rumors presented as fact and based on anonymous sources. (Random House is standing by the book and McGinniss.) I was paying close attention to that as I read the book. Much of the political incidents mentioned were things that I’d read before, and most of those mentioned the source. When it came to the personal items like drug use and Todd’s supposed promiscuity, sources usually weren’t mentioned as anything other than “a friend” or “a former coworker.” I took such stories with a large grain of salt. The one personal item that was getting all the press was Palin’s one night stand with NBA star Glen Rice. The source cited for that story? Glen Rice himself. I haven’t seen Rice coming out with any sort of statement about the story being a falsehood.

What was more important to me was to read about her political dealings and her religious fanaticism. Much of this was nothing new to me, but there were several whoppers that had me constantly thinking, “Man, what a bitch!” This book corroborated many things I’d read before, but the depth of her religiosity was very disturbing. She can believe whatever she wants to, but she sincerely wants to impose that religion on everyone else, and that I have a problem with. (Read up on dominionism, if you haven’t heard of it.)

I think McGinniss goes off the reservation at the end of the book with his speculation that Trig might not be Sarah’s kid. I’m not a fan of conspiracy theories in any form, and I don’t care much about this one. There’s enough about her “policies” and lack of intelligence to bother me; the personal nitpicking doesn’t do much for me. I bet it all bugged the hell out of Sarah, though!

I won’t recommend this one way or the other. McGinniss is a very good writer, and it flows well. If Palin is going to stay on the public stage (and no, I don’t think she’s running for President), it’s important to be armed with just how horrid she is. Those who need to find it out the most will, of course, never read this book. For most of my readers (who tend to be liberal, as far as I can tell), this is a quick read if you want to be reminded of why you can’t stand this woman and want her as far away from Washington, D.C. as possible. If she does, by some bizarre chance, decide to run, I’ll start posting excerpts from the book!

Hey, how about a little Green Day?! Don’t mind if I do!

Nailed the Trifecta!

2011-09-24T14:45:00.006-04:00

Before I write about anything else, I want to mention that somehow, one of my blog entries got added to StumbleUpon. I don’t know if one of my friends did it, or if it was merely random, but let me just say “Thank you!” On the day it happened (I believe it was for my entry about Bachmann and the HPV vaccine), I got almost 1,400 page views. Whoa! I’ve gotten a lot more hits after that (although nothing at that level), and I don’t know if it will continue, but I really appreciate the traffic. Thank you, friend, or anonymous stranger, who liked what I wrote!

Okay, here’s the deal. I’ve been watching the Republican debates when I’ve been able to, and we’ve seen some rather interesting [exaggerated finger quotes] moments. In one, the crowd cheered for Rick Perry’s stellar execution record in Texas. Over 200 executed on his watch! Yeehaw! In the next debate, the crowd cheered at the prospect of letting a 30-year-old without insurance (by his own choice) die rather than the state or federal government financing his poor decision at not obtaining health insurance. Yay, death!

At the most recent debate, we didn’t get cheers from the audience about a particular topic. In a video question, a gay soldier, Stephen Hill, who was finally able to serve openly only this week asked how any of the candidates would deal with the recently repealed Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy. In yet another What The Fuck moment, there were people in the crowd who booed. Yes, they booed this soldier who is currently serving in Iraq. See for yourself:

Paul Begala wrote, “I may start a betting pool on what the Republicans will boo in the next debate: puppies? Ronald Reagan? Ronald Reagan’s puppies?” Ha!

I watched someone trying to say that it was only a couple of people in the audience who booed the soldier, and the rest of the people in the audience were booing those people. It sure doesn’t sound like that to me, and knowing how many of these people feel about the repeal of DADT, it wouldn’t surprise me a bit if several booed the soldier. And if so many Republicans condemn these people disrespecting this soldier, as many have said (and good for them for speaking up), why didn’t one single person on that stage step up and say, “Whoa, wait a minute there. This guy is serving his country in Iraq right now, so show some goddamn respect! How dare you boo this soldier?!” Instead...crickets.

Rick Santorum answered the question, though.

Hill: “In 2010, when I was deployed to Iraq, I had to lie about who I was, because I'm a gay soldier, and I didn't want to lose my job. My question is, under one of your presidencies, do you intend to circumvent the progress that's been made for gay and lesbian soldiers in the military?”
(BOOING)
Santorum: “Yeah, I — I would say, any type of sexual activity has absolutely no place in the military. And the fact that they're making a point to include it as a provision within the military that we are going to recognize a group of people and give them a special privilege to — to — and removing 'don't ask/don't tell' I think tries to inject social policy into the military. And the military's job is to do one thing, and that is to defend our country.
“We need to give the military, which is all-volunteer, the ability to do so in a way that is most efficient at protecting our men and women in uniform.”
(APPLAUSE)
“And I believe this undermines that ability.”
(APPLAUSE)
Moderator Megyn Kelly: “So what — what — what would you do with soldiers like Stephen Hill? I mean, he's — now he's out. He's — you know, you saw his face on camera. When he first submitted this video to us, it was without his face on camera. Now he's out. So what would you do as president?”
Santorum: “I think it's — it's — it's — look, what we're doing is playing social experimentation with — with our military right now. And that's tragic.
“I would — I would just say that, going forward, we would — we would reinstitute that policy, if Rick Santorum was president, period.
“That policy would be reinstituted. And as far as people who are in — in — I would not throw them out, because that would be unfair to them because of the policy of this administration, but we would move forward in — in conformity with what was happening in the past, which was, sex is not an issue. It is — it should not be an issue. Leave it alone, keep it — keep it to yourself, whether you're a heterosexual or a homosexual.” (source)

That’s right. Santorum would tell this man, who not only has the courage to serve in the military and serve in a war zone but also has the sheer balls to come out in front of the entire country on national TV, that he is incapable of serving and is not wanted by the U.S. military. And he would tell every other homosexual that they are not acceptable to the U.S. military, simply because of their sexual orientation. He also seems to think that a person’s sexuality should not be mentioned at all, that you need to keep that to yourself, so I presume he would issue a rule stating that no one is to mention their husband or wife, boyfriend or girlfriend, and while we’re at it, no one should mention their kids, either, because that implies that they have had sex. (Believe me...as a former Air Force wife, and based on comments from other friends who have served or been military spouses, if you think there isn’t rampant fuckery going on in the military, you don’t know jack.)

“Special privilege?” Really? “Inject social policy” into the military? Really? Oh, you mean like Harry Truman issuing an executive order in 1948 that desegregated the U.S. military so that blacks could serve with full benefits and honors? Kind of like that?

For all those people who think those dirty homersexticals shouldn’t be allowed to serve, I wonder why you haven’t gotten riled up about the numerous charges of rape occurring among heterosexual men raping female soldiers? Rapes that either are reported and not prosecuted, or not reported because the women know that it will probably ruin their career if they do. Where is the outrage? I find it infuriating (and humorous in a disgusting sort of way) that some people--both military and non-military--don’t get all that upset about female soldiers being abused, but if there is the slightest possibility that an openly serving gay man will slip up behind them in the shower for a booty call, they scream bloody murder. Like being able to serve openly is a license for getting all rapey and junk. Women have been putting up with such abuse for decades, so pardon me if I don’t have much sympathy for you and your whiny heterosexual ass.

Santorum subsequently came out (so to speak) and said that he did not hear those boos, and if he had, he’d have told those people not to do that, that we should be thanking him for his service. You know what, Ricky? I don’t believe you. I think you heard those boos loud and clear, and you just stood there with all your other lame colleagues and chose not to say anything. Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson (it was his first debate in this race) said, “That’s not the Republican party I belong to.” Oh, yes it is, Governor.

And until people like you start stepping up and soundly renouncing such bigoted behavior, doing it at the time rather than after you find out that many Americans were appalled by it, you and your party will continue to own it. It’s really not hard to do. I’ve done it quite a few times. You just step up and say, “You know what? That is wrong of you to say, and I completely disagree with you.” Basically, you have to have courage and stand up for what you think is right.

Kind of like the courage that soldier that you booed displayed.

Another fruit fly moment

2011-09-19T23:40:00.003-04:00

Anderson Cooper recently discussed the endless parade of Michele Bachmann gaffes and errors, culminating in her assertion the day after the latest debate that the HPV vaccine has serious side effects, including “mental retardation.”

Setting aside the fact that she seems to be confusing “mental retardation” with brain damage, there is no case for either consequence from this vaccine. I was reminded of the infamous Sarah Palin fruit fly moment (and no, I will NEVER let it go!), in which she ridiculed “fruit fly research in Paris, France.”

It might sound like a strange thing to trigger that last straw, but that was it for me. After that, I stopped being nice about Palin, because I saw that she had no intelligence when it came to science, and even worse, she had no desire to learn. Anything that was beyond her scope of knowledge was deemed foolish and a waste of money. (Never mind that research using fruit flies has numerous applications, including upon autism research.)

I’ve never given Bachmann a break; I recognized from the very beginning that she was a homophobic moron who wants to institute a theocracy in my country. Her remarks about the HPV vaccine, however, put her on a whole other plane of ignorance and irresponsibility. Her initial point in the debate about Governor Perry possibly involved in pushing the vaccine in order to benefit the manufacturer, Merck, was a legitimate one. Her assertions that it was a “dangerous injection” were not legitimate, and the following day, she took it up a notch and mentioned a woman who came up to her and tearfully told her that her daughter became “mentally retarded” after being vaccinated for HPV.

Bachmann tried to portray the vaccine mandate as government overreach, and I have no doubt that she preyed on typical conservative Christian fears that a vaccine for a sexually transmitted infection will lead to promiscuity. Just like free condoms lead to sexual promiscuity. Never mind the fact that it can keep a young woman (and with the new guidelines for vaccinating young boys, it protects them as well) from getting not only genital warts, but it can keep her from getting cervical cancer down the road.

Think about that for a moment. I still remember how exciting it was when we first started checking for HPV in my lab, because of the numerous studies that showed a correlation between HPV infection and subsequent cervical cancer. Showing the presence of the virus (and certain strains, which are stronger predictors of cancer risk) allowed for earlier detection and more aggressive treatment, resulting in greater survival rates. When the vaccine came out, it was even more of a breakthrough, because we were essentially vaccinating against cancer. This is astounding to me, and I honestly cannot understand anyone who would place the nebulous possibility of their children having premarital sex earlier than usual (or who thinks that their kids wouldn’t have premarital sex if it weren’t for those pesky free condoms and protection against a sexually transmitted cancer-causing virus) above the childrens’ long-term health and protection against cancer.

There has been no proof that vaccines cause autism. I’ve written about this extensively. For Bachmann to suggest that the HPV vaccine causes “mental retardation” is not just ignorant, it could possibly cause many parents to forgo the vaccine for their children and leave them open to this very common sexually transmitted infection and later cervical cancer. As someone who lost a very dear relative, my Aunt Bert, to cervical cancer, I take it seriously. So should Bachmann, if she can manage to think of the greater good when it comes to public health rather than pandering to the anti-government teabagger loons.

Bachmann made her pronouncement after speaking to one tearful mother who was certain that a vaccine caused her daughter to suddenly develop “mental retardation.” There are very real, genetic causes for such impairment, and vaccines aren’t one of them. Bachmann’s bizarre insistence on giving full credence to one parent and ignoring numerous studies, extensive research, and thorough vaccine trials should rightfully doom her candidacy. She is obviously someone who just does not want to learn and who does not trust scientists...or even science.

And on Sunday, she rested

2011-09-18T20:34:00.002-04:00

Whew, what a whirlwind weekend! (And one filled with alliteration!)

My awesome niece Heather, her equally awesome husband Rey, and their awesome² son Liam are in town for a visit from San Diego, so they came over Friday evening to check out Nutwood. We took a walk out back, and Liam (4 years old) occupied himself by finding turkey feathers throughout the yard. The turkeys had been hanging out the previous day, and I’ve never seen them leave behind so many feathers! They even made an appearance on Friday, walking through the front yard. Thank you, turkeys...you made a little boy very happy! (You made ME happy, too, by cooperating so nicely!) We also took a little walk through the marsh and out to the woods. I love doing that with visitors. Seeing Nutwood through others’ eyes makes me appreciate it even more.

After our little nature outing, I think we were all feeling pretty famished, so we headed out for some dinner at Macri’s. We had some pasta and pizza (their pizza is pretty darn good), and Liam had a little nap, but woke up in time for food. We called it an early night, since we had a game to go to the next day!

I made some wrap sandwiches in the morning, we filled up the cooler, and headed out for some tailgating. It was truly one of the most perfect days for football I’ve ever experienced. About 68°, sunny, with a slight breeze. We had our sandwiches, drank some beer, and played some cornhole with our nifty new Notre Dame set. (I was soundly trounced...I’m sure the beer had something to do with that!) The Fightin’ Irish did their part for a perfect game day, beating Michigan State 31-13. The best part was their attitude. They seemed to have a confidence that they were previously lacking. They still need to work on cutting out the turnovers, but it was a good game and they played well.

After the game, we headed over to my sister’s house for a birthday party for her husband, Tom. (Thanks for the Thomas Jefferson book loans, Tom!) It had been going on for a while, but I think we caught up nicely! We had a great time visiting family, and stayed pretty late talking with Tom and Diana. We headed home and didn’t crash until 4 or 5 this morning. Slept late and took it easy today, and I’m still not fully recovered. My “bounce back time” has definitely gone up as I’ve gotten older!

It was a fun weekend. I hope yours was as pleasant!

Cool cats at the Peppermill Lounge

2011-09-13T23:30:00.002-04:00

I have more to write about Las Vegas (as well as lots more pictures), but I wanted to write about my new favorite place in Vegas: the Peppermill.

Located on the Strip, just south of the Riviera casino, the Peppermill was built in 1974. If not for the flat screen TVs they’ve put up in the lounge, you might think you had actually traveled back to that year. This place is old school Vegas, something you don’t see much of on the Strip these days. (In Vegas years, something built in 1974 is practically a dinosaur.) The place is actually separated into different (but attached) areas, the restaurant and the Fireside Lounge.

I had read about this place when researching for our last trip, but we didn’t manage to make it there last time. This time it was a must-see for me, and we took the opportunity to arrange to meet some online friends, Bill and Libby. Due to some family arrangements, Bill couldn’t make it, so we met Libby there. It turned out to be a good choice, because despite having lived there for several years, she had never been to the Peppermill! We had a great time talking with her and picking her brain about Vegas (whether old school or the new style).

How to describe this place? I walked in there and felt like I was a guest on the Dean Martin Show. The lounge itself is small, but a combination of low lighting, purple and pink neon, and a mirrored wall provides the illusion of a larger place. We were there at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, so pretty much had the place to ourselves; it’s open all night, and when going by there later, the parking lot looked packed. I bet they do pretty good business later on. (Libby told us that some of the entertainers hang out there after their shows; she knows that Penn Gillette has been spotted there. Cool!)

The seating is arranged in circles or semicircles, low to the ground (this short person rejoiced), and covered in a plush pink fabric. In the circular seating area, there is a firepit with a flame erupting from a pool of water. As I mentioned, it’s quite dark, but the lighting is skillfully arranged so that you don’t feel blinded. Of course, there’s all that neon bouncing off the brass rails and the mirrors!

Peppermill 1

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Our waitress was wonderfully friendly, and they wear long black dresses with a big slit up the leg...a little more glamorous than most places. Inspired by the glamour, I felt like having something a little more glamorous than a beer, so I had a grapefruit juice and vodka. I wish I could have remembered that it’s called a Greyhound, but I had to settle for ordering it by ingredient. We decided to have some appetizers, so we got a sampler platter (lots of fried food, pretty good except for the onion rings) and a fruit and cheese platter. We were able to lean back on that pink upholstery and completely relax, like we were at someone’s home...if their home happened to look like a swingin’ ‘70s pad, that is! Groovy.

I can’t begin to tell you how much I loved this place. It will be a stop during every single Vegas trip from now on. I hope it survives for many years, because they don’t make them like this in Vegas anymore. Peppermill Lounge, don’t go changin’. I love you just the way you are.

Peppermill 2

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