FNL and Battlestar

i am going to watch the TV machine tonight.  i normally watch Public Television on Friday nights (lots of politics - big surprise), but tonight i will sit down and watch Friday Night Lights and Battlestar Galactica.  Yes, i am a gooner.

FNL is not a show for teenagers.  It is a totally adult program.  Real people, real Texans (it's a different world in Texas), and (cover your eyes, Mom) hunky boy-men.  OK, ok the coach is hunky and he is a grown-up man, but that Riggins reminds me of my younger, sexual self... back in the day, when i cared to have dirty thoughts.

Snap out of it cynthia!!!

Yeah, OK, yeah, it's a good program.  Trust me.  There is a lot more to it than hunky men.  The women are real and strong, proud and capable.  Texas is so NOT politically correct though.  

The main characters are great and even honorable but then there is the underbelly of their community.  For instance, each football player gets a 'girl' for the year.  She performs tasks for her player.  Doing his homework is one thing, providing sex is another.  These girls are slaves to their players.  It's disturbing but real.  Sad.  Then there is the drinking.  Lots of alcohol for the players, pretty much on demand.

Battlestar Galactica is so amazing. The story lines are thought provoking and layered.  Religion and politics are prominent but so is racism.  Women have equality, it's not even questioned.  i don't remember a plot point that deals with women being held back in anyway.  They deal with war and torture, the military and it's rules vs the government and it's necessities.  

They worship gods.  They say, "Thank gods" or "Gods bless".  They say "frack" instead of f**k.  And they say it a lot. They have good reason.

Hey, FNL is starting.  Time to skeedaddle, mi amigos.  Tomorrow...

How i feel today

Yesterday was joyful and exhausting.  i'm having a hard time describing my feelings.  

I mostly watched CNN and i guess they won the rating wars.  i like MSNBC as well but the CNN coverage was the one i settled on.  i feel bad for MSNBC because i watch Keith and Rachel all the time.  It was them among others that got me through the last years. So, sorry K and R.

No one is talking much about it but i am really curious about the LACK of pardons by GW. Doesn't that leave his advisers vulnerable to prosecution?  It would be one thing to investigate the Bush Administration but i really thought that GW would insure they did not see the inside of a jail.  There are a few ways you could look at this.  GW is very sure of his innocence out of arrogance or a stacked Supreme Court.  Or, GW doesn't think Obama will actually pursue any prosecutions.  Maybe GW feels that his advisers and others are responsible for his failures and this is his way of stickin it to them.

The last one is my favorite but probably not the reality.  If it was true, i could actually kinda, sorta appreciate him... for that one thing... that one single thing.  They are locking up the records for 50 years and i am livid about that.  They can justify this but i think it provides a way to cover crimes.  That law needs to be modified.  You can't cloak people in power so they are not accountable.  Power must be checked and regulated.  Our founders tried to set up our government so there would be checks and balances.  

Our government is out of balance.  Congress cowered for 8 years and did not fulfill their constitutional obligations.  The presidency has been given too much power and the Supremes are there to defend their ideology.  

Alas, from here we must move forward.  Yes, and i do pledge, Mr. President, to work harder, sacrifice more, to help in more ways and to set a good example.  i liked that he asked us to grow up.  i think it would be nice, if being an adult could be considered cool again.

That word 'cool' worked to convey my meaning in the last sentence but i use it sparingly.  i think the whole 'being cool' thing is problematic.  i don't really want to get into this too much today but 'being cool' or pursuing 'the cool' is responsible for a lot of dysfunction.  For example; one might not follow a path that is right for them, and will instead, follow the 'cool' path.  This is how teenagers operate.  Another example is the way we buy and wear clothes.  Name brands are a must and then there is the wearing of clothes inappropriately.  Over-dressing, under-dressing, pants that don't cover your ass or heals on a winter day.  You're not cool, your a lemming.

Enough of that.  That is a topic for another day.  

This post today is not very uplifting considering the hopefulness we are suppose to be feeling but i am feeling serious.  That said, i also feel a weight lifted.  i am in the habit of censoring myself, fearing the Bushies, but i can drop that now.  

Lastly, for today, i am truly surprised that the Bushies are gone.  i fully expected a coup.  i did not think they would give up power.  Yes, they are gone but they left behind a mess.  A huge steaming pile of a mess.  And, they stole our treasure.  And, our planet, is it too late?

Sorry for the downer post mi amigos.  This is how i feel today.

President Barack Hussein Obama

Too tired to post today except to say that joy in the morning and yard work in the afternoon make a crone weary.

The wind oh the wind

It is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  i love this day.  i always have.  There is something special in it for me.  This year with the Inauguration following on it's heals, it feels even more special.

When i read moonroot's blog this morning i intrigued by her comments about the change she feels in the air.  i felt it too around the Solstice.  In the middle of a snow storm, so rare for us, i felt this strong feeling of having turned a page.  You know, i don't know what the new page says but i want to find out.  

Not only do i love MLK's day but i love Inauguration Day this year.  There was a time when i would not have ruled out a coop by Bush Co.  A complete and utter take-over...  So, i am feeling much relief that again, in our nation, we will have a peaceful transfer of power.  It happens so often now, all over the world, that it is commonplace.  Just two hundred years ago humanity had only a few, failed examples of this phenomenon.  Our founding fathers really were going on faith... hope.  Hope that they could construct a method to produce this crazy idea of 'transfer of power'.  

The winds of change continue to blow.  Literally, or is it figuratively, anyway, the wind here does not want to stop.  It was suppose to end yesterday but continues today.  Everything is getting torn up by it.  So, clean up is rescheduled for tomorrow.  Busy day tomorrow.  

i love the smell of Inauguration in the morning.

February 2nd on-line poetry slam

Check out this on-line poetry slam.  

Feel free to copy the following to your blog and spread the word.  Let poetry bless the blogosphere once again!

WHAT: A Bloggers (Silent) Poetry Reading

WHERE: Your blog

WHY: To celebrate the Feast of Brigid, aka Groundhog Day

HOW: Select a poem you like - by a favorite poet or one of your own - to post February 2nd.

RSVP: If you plan to publish, feel free to leave a comment and link on this post.  Last year when the call went out there was more poetry in cyberspace than I could keep track of.  So, link to whoever you hear about this from and a mighty web of poetry will be spun.

Feel free to pass this invitation on to any and all bloggers.  Thank you, Reya, for beginning what is now an annual event.

OK, Chickies, let's get writing.  You know how much i like a nice haiku.  Or, post an old favorite.

i got this idea from moonroot.  She has a great blog.  i feel like i know her somehow.    

Hot Mash and Inauguration warm a windblown day

The Columbia Gorge winds have been howling for a couple days now.  My yard is tore up and will be getting my attention tomorrow.  i've got fences to tack back up first.  Wow, i'm telling ya, the wind can blow here.  That said, there are 'wind events' that get names around here.  Now, i don't know if this one is getting a name or not because i haven't had the news on for a couple days.

Being the gooner i am, i am glued to CNN and MSNBC.  All Inauguration, all the time.  

(think John Stewert here) ..."LOVE IT!"

i predict joy headaches by Tuesday noon.  

I gave the girls Hot Mash this morning.  i think they like it.  Carmen preferred it to the coveted cottage cheese.  Budda took to it as well.  Hurray!  Makes me happy.  But dear Precious maintained her devotion to the usual morning fair.  i brought home a pot of wheat grass and thought they might like it.  i thought it would continue to grow but they cleaned it out. 

Lesson learned?  A two dollar pot of wheat grass is a once-in-awhile treat, not a steady diet.

Later chickies.

  

Curmudgeon Queen blows off steam

i've got to get back to my work, here in this cube among a hundred other cubes, in an office with no windows, in the middle of a Portland winter when the sun can barely pass through the clouds.

i copied the sentence above from my last post.  i kind of like it.  One might be right to think i could have at least edited it first.  But no, i thought it, i wrote it, i felt it.

Things are out of sync. me for sure; i'm out of sorts but things are not right at work.  i need to compartmentalize like some can do.  Bill Clinton could do it, i've heard.  i need a work compartment; a place to go and put on my "professional" uniform, so to speak.  That is how he governed while defending himself against impeachment, how he ran for president while being exposed for having an affair.  Compartmentalize.  Be a good soldier. Focus.

 

Many people would be glad for my job; i really am more grateful than i sound.  They would be all about doing what was necessary to secure and keep the job. Stick your tongues back in your mouths, mi amigos.  i know how much you want my job!  Quit drooling!  

Job loss anxiety.  That is one element of what's going on with me.  Couple that with weirdness at work.  Rob, my buddy, got fired a few weeks ago... more jitters.  i can overreact on occasion.  Ok, Wynd, i hear you.  Queen of Curmudgeon... yeah, i know.  Drama Queen, that's me, right?

Still, i trust my instinct/intuition.  Something is not right and i know i am an odd duck.  Really.  i get it and i don't mind.  i don't mind because I LIKE ME.  But odd ducks make some people nervous.  And in weird times... oh, i don't know.  

So, that is why compartmentalization would be a great skill.  Just be a soldier.  Take your orders. Carry them out. Do your job.  Put your smile mask on, wash your hands, you're done.

I have done this many times in the past.  Why is it different now?  The company knows i'm odd, why now do they want me to pretend to be 'professional'.  Real professionals got to finish college.  Real professionals have careers.  i have a job.  i like my job, but it is just a job.  

My job is the tool i use to pay for the rest of my life.  That's what i've always said.  I like the bargain i have struck.  Perhaps my company no longer sees me as an asset.  

Am i making any sense at all?  i'm rambling. What's my point?   

Weirdness at work + financial meltdown + SAD + Curmudgeon thing = Job Loss Anxiety.

So...

Curmudgeon's lament

i am in one crappy mood today. i called Wynd last night and begged her to talk me down. i can feel my mood trying to spiral downward. This time of year i need to make sure i get enough sunlight or i will get seasonal affected disorder (SAD). Actually, that may be contributing to my mood.

i am writing from work on my lunch so this will be short. It is stupid things that are getting to me. Today we were informed that all emails must use a specific font and color with no background. It is more professional.

i have been at this job for 10 years and mostly like it but more and more i feel i am being Wal-Marted. The whole email thing is just a straw on the camel's back, i understand that. The days are getting longer and my winter malaise will pass, i get that too.

Wynd reminded me last night that i am the Queen of Curmudgeon. True, i like being a curmudgeon. i hate 'happy talk'. This is the noise of people who want to live with their head in the sand. "Don't make me look at reality. I want to pretend all of the world is a Thomas Kindaid painting."

On the otherhand, my inability to be that person may be blinding me to a more 'positive' attitude.

i don't know. i'll have to pick this up later. I've got to get back to my work, here in this cube among a hundred other cubes, in an office with no windows, in the middle of a Portland winter when the sun can barely pass through the clouds.

Oy!

So much cute-atude!!

OMG!  i love this child!  Click the title to read the story and watch the video.

Go Damon!!  i'll be looking for him on Inauguration Day.

As promised

i said i would blog again today but i've lost heart for it.  i'm tired (got my chores done) and J and P had a big fight.  And, of course, my grandson pays the price.  Makes me sad.

As promised:

Moving Day Survival Kit

TP

paper towels

Handi-wipes

vinegar (for cleaning windows and mirrors)

large jug of earth-friendly cleaning concentrate

spray bottle (to use with cleaner above)

scrub brush

rubber gloves

coffee and/or tea

mugs (also filters for the coffee and filter holders)

teapot

bread, cheese and fruit

i have enough vacation days to take Inauguration Day off.  So picture me watching all the pomp and circumstance, flipping TV channels, crying and happy.  Our new president will be sworn in about 9am my time so that is how my day will begin.  

Oh, and i wanted to just mention that i have been listening to a podcast everyday called, The Archers.  It's a BBC daily radio play.  It lasts about 15 minutes and is set in a fictional rural English village.  i like it, for a soap opera.  With the soap opera going on around here, you would be right to wonder why i would listen to another one.  Anyway,  just a little recommend for ya.

Keep in touch, chickies.

So much to say and do, moving day survival kit and Inaugural Day plans

i did something yesterday that may cost me more than i'm comfortable with.  

i want to talk about it without sounding boastful.  i want to share the feelings i am experiencing about the spell i cast.  i also have a lot of work to do today and feel the itch to get going... oh, laundry, clean the coop.  Oy... my list. 

i want to say a million things about a million things.  i'm on a coffee buzz and want to visit. Scone, anyone?  

Meet the Press is really enjoyable this morning.  If you can catch it, you should. Bill Cosby is a hero to me.  When i was 12 or 13 years old, i babysat for a teacher.  He and his wife had a collection of Bill Cosby records.  i loved babysitting for them.  They always left something nice for me to eat and i was allowed to play the records.  Sweet memory... nice.

i went to Freddys yesterday and purchased a Moving Day Survival Kit/Housewarming Gift.  Jesse and Kali (each eighteen years old) just got their first apartment.  i too, got my first apartment at 18... Ummm, the nut doesn't fall far. Hey, they saved their money for first, last, assorted deposits and fees and pet deposits.  As i understand it, they have money to spare.

Good for them!  And i told them so.  i told them i was proud of them and that they had been patient in their search for an apartment and that they had chosen well.  They are only a couple of miles away, in a nice neighborhood, close to work and us.  Well done!

They didn't have a rental history so they were being asked to get co-signers for the lease.  A family friend refused and so did i.  Neither Travis nor i can afford to pay any arrears if the two of them default on a lease. They talked a lady into taking a chance on them.  Good for them, good for the lady taking a chance on them!

Our new president is on This Week.  i am so proud of him.  He sets such a good example.  You want to do and be better after listening to him.  Another scone anyone?

Our new president just said that to find the First Dog has been harder than finding a Commerce Secretary.  Heeheeheehee.... Goddess, i'm giddy.

Moving Day Survival Kit

Oh, my Goddess!  Hold the phone!  i'll get back to the kit in a minute.  This Week now has a panel for discussion that includes George Will, Peggy Noonan, Newt Gingrich and Thomas Friedman!  Can you believe it?  OMG!  These people supported, even applauded those who broke us, those who shamed us, those who are destroying our planet.  i believe these four stooges would do it again. They are resisting Obama, in hopes of capitalizing on any failure Obama may have.  Revisionist historians!  Machiavellian propagandists!

I agree with Pilosi that the tax cuts to the rich must be repealed and RAISED!  You people got us here so now you must begin to at least contribute to our recovery.  Simple, stupid.

i cannot buy enough stuff to save the world.  In fact, that would destroy it faster.  

First Law: Reduce (Second Law: Reuse, Third Law: Recycle).  We need to buy less and redifine our buying habits, not mindlessly buy stuff.  

Ok, mi amigos.  i need a chill pill.  i'm going to go clean the chicken coop and start the laundry.  

I WILL WRITE AGAIN LATER.  Still need to give out the Moving Day Survival Kit and talk about Inauguration Day plans.  And i still want to talk about how it feels to do the kit/gift for the kids big day.

Later Chickies.

Change is constant, chickies

Jessica's brother died, night before last...  it's hard to know what to say because i didn't know him well.  He was a musician, i understand. i'm certain there is a special place in heaven for musicians. i admire anyone who can play an instrument.

i just wanted to honor him with a small mention.  Jessica will need lots of love for awhile. i hope i can be of some help to her.  Peace, love and light to all.

i'm having a hard time writing.  My arm is really sore.  i don't know what i did to it but it hurts.  Ouch!

i have a lot of work to do this weekend here on my little 'farmlette'.  Mostly, the chicken coop and their yard.  i've got a lot of straw to move.  Some can go into the raspberries boxes but most of it needs to be composted.  I AM OVERRUN WITH STRAW AND CHICKEN POOP to compost.  Straw is working wonderful as an insulator around the coop and i put a lot inside when the weather was so cold.

My spring project is to build a really nice composting system.  i've started researching and i'm going to use my income tax return, meager as it will be.  

I feel a list coming on.  

i also need to get a few yards of gravel and perhaps build another garden box.  Oh, and there's some car maintenance and my flat roof need a coat of sealer.

i love writing my life here and i love you dear readers (all two of you).  But i need to rest this arm.  Seriously, it hurts.  i'm off to rest up for my busy weekend.

Later, Chickies.

Cameras, cocoons and the coming spring

i picked out my new camera today.  The company i work for is giving me a camera for my tenth anniversary.  The dear woman in charge of ordering the camera gave me printouts with specs for four different cameras.  i haven't owned a camera in years except for the one that is on my cell phone.

i can't tell you a thing about it because i'm so lame about the technology but i'm excited!  i should have it in a few weeks.  First shots will be of the girls and my totally trashed yard, garden and chicken coop.  Winter is taking it's toll this year.  There will be TONS of cleanup next spring.  You know, spring is not that far off really.  February should produce a couple nice warm days and then March will roar in.

  

Between now and then, Obama will be sworn in and our long national nightmare will be on it's way to memory.  These years have been hard on me.  The weight of the shame and destruction our government has caused has affected me physically.  The despair and hopelessness has made me more and more withdrawn.  i have wrapped myself in a powerful cocoon.   i'm not sure i want to come out but i suppose i must; just as the spring must return.

We shall see.  i am stubborn.  i am stubborn but grateful.  i have much when so many have so little.  

Hey, moonroot posted a recipe for her 'hot mash' that she gave her chickens in the bitter cold.  i can't wait to try it out on my girls.  i'll report back.

So long for now dear amigos.