1. I am eating cranberry-pecan bread for breakfast. I love it when things that are basically cake are called "bread". There is so much less guilt involved in eating bread for breakfast.
2. This is white sandwich week. I love white sandwiches! White bread, white mayo, white turkey meat. Perfection. And just to stay balanced Mr Swami prefers dark bread, dark meat and brown mustard.
3. Mr Swami planned to brave the Black Friday crowds this morning and stop on his way into work to pick up some self-ratcheting tie-down straps he craves.
4. My turkey carcass spent the night in the garage. This is the one advantage to living in the Great White North - I have a drive-in fridge for overflow food!
5. Today and this weekend I will get all my Christmas cards addressed. Then I have about a week to write messages or otherwise personalize them before the mass mailing. I am going to buy Christmas-themed Avery labels and just print my to & from addresses. That's not too tacky, is it? I'll print them in a nice hand-writing font like Lucinda.
6. I think I will downsize Christmas this year. I want a smaller tree, only 6 ft or so, so that I can handle it myself. I get tired of waiting for Mr swami to help me with our usual 9+ ft tree.
7. I want new boots.
8. I need new gloves. I never find gloves I want easily. Mostly I wear gloves for driving, otherwise I just stick my hands into my coat pockets.
9. Grandson was in the grandstand for Macy's big parade in NYC yesterday. I have never seen that parade - or the Rose Bowl parade. Maybe next year.
10. Who does Black Friday shopping? I may do mine online. No crowds!!!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
My Cordless Mouse Is Critical !
Oh no! This means I have only about 2 weeks to put in new batteries. I used to change batteries right away when I got that message but then one day I decided to see how long it took for the mouse to actually die. It was 2 weeks! Now I just wait until it dies.
I like things where procrastination pays off. It makes me feel all warm inside.
I like things where procrastination pays off. It makes me feel all warm inside.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Weekend Randoms
1. Family Health.
The MIL is much better and got to go home to the farm yesterday. She will get Meals on Wheels and be wired for Lifeline.
2. Movies.
I saw the best vampire movie yesterday!!! No, not that Twilight thing. I saw Let The Right One In. In Swedish, with English subtitles.
3. Art
Before the movie we ate at Stella's Fishhouse Cafe. The food was excellent - and also the art. I am always happy to be in a hotel or restaurant where someone pays attention to the art on their walls and uses it well. Stella's had a wonderful sense of humor.
Each booth and table area was decorated with a large, high resolution photograph of people who might be involved in the fishing industry down in the gulf. Think chubby rednecks in swimsuits. Hilarious! Our booth had a photo of a man and pubescent boy (his son, I would guess.) Both quite solid & chubby, in bathing suits, squinting at the camera in bold sunshine. The son had quite ginormous man boobs that he seemed unaware of. The booth next to our had a man's torso, from the back, sitting on a dock and fishing. Serious chubby butt cleavage hung from his swimsuit, lol.
Tom reporte that in the Men's Room there were two urinals on half of the wall opposite the stalls. On the other half of the wall was a life-sized photo of the same two urinals - one urinal filled with vomit, and the other draped with a fallen drunk whose pants were around his knees. I so wanted to see that room, but alas it was too occupied with men. :(
The Women's Room was disappointing. Instead of a photo there was just a bit of wall-mounted calligraphy" "Don't Pity the Lobster - It Lives to Kill."
4. I Should Fire The Bitch
My cleaning lady, who I formerly thought very highly of, has broken a 6" china horse I have had since I was 11 years old. I am so freaking angry!!! I kept this statue (one of a pair) safe for decades and now it is damaged! Grrrr!!!!! It looks like I can glue the leg on with almost no visible line - but still, I will know it is broken. I am surprised by how upset I am over this, lol. I may fire her ass, the bitch.
5. I have decided to make a cajun-rubbed turkey this year. There was a lovely recipe in the paper last week and I thought the spicey turkey would go very well with my favorite fruited stuffing and garlic & chive mashed red potatoes.
That's all for now!
The MIL is much better and got to go home to the farm yesterday. She will get Meals on Wheels and be wired for Lifeline.
2. Movies.
I saw the best vampire movie yesterday!!! No, not that Twilight thing. I saw Let The Right One In. In Swedish, with English subtitles.
3. Art
Before the movie we ate at Stella's Fishhouse Cafe. The food was excellent - and also the art. I am always happy to be in a hotel or restaurant where someone pays attention to the art on their walls and uses it well. Stella's had a wonderful sense of humor.
Each booth and table area was decorated with a large, high resolution photograph of people who might be involved in the fishing industry down in the gulf. Think chubby rednecks in swimsuits. Hilarious! Our booth had a photo of a man and pubescent boy (his son, I would guess.) Both quite solid & chubby, in bathing suits, squinting at the camera in bold sunshine. The son had quite ginormous man boobs that he seemed unaware of. The booth next to our had a man's torso, from the back, sitting on a dock and fishing. Serious chubby butt cleavage hung from his swimsuit, lol.
Tom reporte that in the Men's Room there were two urinals on half of the wall opposite the stalls. On the other half of the wall was a life-sized photo of the same two urinals - one urinal filled with vomit, and the other draped with a fallen drunk whose pants were around his knees. I so wanted to see that room, but alas it was too occupied with men. :(
The Women's Room was disappointing. Instead of a photo there was just a bit of wall-mounted calligraphy" "Don't Pity the Lobster - It Lives to Kill."
4. I Should Fire The Bitch
My cleaning lady, who I formerly thought very highly of, has broken a 6" china horse I have had since I was 11 years old. I am so freaking angry!!! I kept this statue (one of a pair) safe for decades and now it is damaged! Grrrr!!!!! It looks like I can glue the leg on with almost no visible line - but still, I will know it is broken. I am surprised by how upset I am over this, lol. I may fire her ass, the bitch.
5. I have decided to make a cajun-rubbed turkey this year. There was a lovely recipe in the paper last week and I thought the spicey turkey would go very well with my favorite fruited stuffing and garlic & chive mashed red potatoes.
That's all for now!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Yes, Please Bring Them Back.
Just not in circuses and such. Maybe they can have Utah?
Woolly Mammoths What prehistoric creature would you bring back if you could?
I am off to Wisconsin again today.
Woolly Mammoths What prehistoric creature would you bring back if you could?
I am off to Wisconsin again today.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Hey Kim!
I was in Wisconsin this weekend and noticed that they spray paint all the deer carcasses on I-94 bright pink. What's up with that? Here in MN we just drag them off into the brush where they compost away.
I was in WhiskeyOnSin because Mr Swami's mom was hospitalized with congestive heart failure. His brother dropped by the farm one morning and found her very ill and dizzy, called 911. She looked remarkably improved after just a couple of days. She is in a nursing & rehap center now because the docs do not want to release her to live alone on the farm again.
Mr Swami has this week off. We plan to hang out, maybe see a movie and eat out just about every night. Well, the every night is my plan. He's thinking "a few times". He also has not yet seen my little mini-vacation Do List for him. It's not a big list but I do have some pent-up needs!
I was in WhiskeyOnSin because Mr Swami's mom was hospitalized with congestive heart failure. His brother dropped by the farm one morning and found her very ill and dizzy, called 911. She looked remarkably improved after just a couple of days. She is in a nursing & rehap center now because the docs do not want to release her to live alone on the farm again.
Mr Swami has this week off. We plan to hang out, maybe see a movie and eat out just about every night. Well, the every night is my plan. He's thinking "a few times". He also has not yet seen my little mini-vacation Do List for him. It's not a big list but I do have some pent-up needs!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Pita
That's my Secret Service code name, pronounced the phoney Frenchie way: pi-TAH.
Mr Swami's code name is Streaker. You figure out why, lol.
Mr Swami's code name is Streaker. You figure out why, lol.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Poppies and Prop 8
(These are my disorganized thoughts today. Sorry I don’t have time to polish this up.)
I want a poppy for my lapel today. When I lived in Canada as a child, just about everyone wore a poppy on their lapel to honor vets on Veteran’s Day. Every school child had to memorize the poem “In Flanders Fields”. (Aside: Do kids still memorize a new poem every week? Probably not.) Anyway, I always found that to be very moving poem and I know that actual vets wore their Veteran’s Day poppy with pride, and knew that every person they saw on the street wearing a poppy pin was doing it to thank and honor them. It’s a beautiful tradition.
My grandfather was a lawyer, inventor and “lefty” politician who fought for freedom in his own way. He was a fire-breathing Prairie Populist, a former Lt Governor of Kansas and a Third Party VP candidate just before the turn of the 20th century. When his Populist Party faded away he devoted the rest of his life to promoting Good Causes. Actually, he spent more than 20 years campaigning for one of the great radical causes of his time. While on the lecture circuit he was often belittled as a socialist and laughed at for his wild ideas. What was this radical, left-wing cause that he fought for? Women’s Suffrage. Yes, Votes for Women was once considered a left-wing, radical cause!
So this is how I link the poppy to Prop 8 on this Veteran’s Day: When John McCrae wrote and died in Flanders fields he was fighting for a Cause. His country’s freedom, his personal freedom, and his freedom to live as he was-unconquered by foreign peoples and laws. (Well, the Great War was fought for a lot of reasons, but Freedom was one I’m sure McCrae might have articulated.) Anyway – he died and won. We all won, and freedom has since marched ever forward, growing stronger and more inclusive with each passing year. Our freedoms, our civil rights grow and expand and become more inclusive with time and focused effort. This is wonderful! A former radical cause like the one my grandfather fought for becomes a mainstream right that people cannot imagine living without.
The way I see it, Prop 8 is another step in this long process of defining and ensuring basic Human Rights. It’s is about me too, not just gay people. *I* will be enriched when Prop 8 type rights are universal in this country. You will be enriched. We will all be better off when people are not defined and limited by their color, or their gender, or their “abilities” or their sexual preference or by whatever the next Good Cause is.
It is my hope that this left-wing, radical cause embodied by California’s Prop 8 will one day pass, and Gay Rights will become just another human right like Women’s Suffrage. One we can’t imagine living without. What a great day that will be! . I just fear that it will be a long journey, that Prop 8 rights may not come quickly and easily. Emancipation and Women’s Suffrage were long and hard-fought battles. The 19th amendment (women’s right to vote) was passed in 1920, and women began to vote. But the Equal Rights Amendment for women was first introduced just a year or two later, and has not been ratified to this day.
See, when I throw my support behind issues of gay rights like Prop 8 I am doing it for me, for my grandfather, for John McCrae, and for every vet who has ever fought and/or died for my right to live in a world where We The People can define ourselves in all our infinite diversity!
Oh! I just talked to Mr Swami, and he said they sell poppy pins in the skyways in St Paul. He’s going to bring one home for me!
I want a poppy for my lapel today. When I lived in Canada as a child, just about everyone wore a poppy on their lapel to honor vets on Veteran’s Day. Every school child had to memorize the poem “In Flanders Fields”. (Aside: Do kids still memorize a new poem every week? Probably not.) Anyway, I always found that to be very moving poem and I know that actual vets wore their Veteran’s Day poppy with pride, and knew that every person they saw on the street wearing a poppy pin was doing it to thank and honor them. It’s a beautiful tradition.
My grandfather was a lawyer, inventor and “lefty” politician who fought for freedom in his own way. He was a fire-breathing Prairie Populist, a former Lt Governor of Kansas and a Third Party VP candidate just before the turn of the 20th century. When his Populist Party faded away he devoted the rest of his life to promoting Good Causes. Actually, he spent more than 20 years campaigning for one of the great radical causes of his time. While on the lecture circuit he was often belittled as a socialist and laughed at for his wild ideas. What was this radical, left-wing cause that he fought for? Women’s Suffrage. Yes, Votes for Women was once considered a left-wing, radical cause!
So this is how I link the poppy to Prop 8 on this Veteran’s Day: When John McCrae wrote and died in Flanders fields he was fighting for a Cause. His country’s freedom, his personal freedom, and his freedom to live as he was-unconquered by foreign peoples and laws. (Well, the Great War was fought for a lot of reasons, but Freedom was one I’m sure McCrae might have articulated.) Anyway – he died and won. We all won, and freedom has since marched ever forward, growing stronger and more inclusive with each passing year. Our freedoms, our civil rights grow and expand and become more inclusive with time and focused effort. This is wonderful! A former radical cause like the one my grandfather fought for becomes a mainstream right that people cannot imagine living without.
The way I see it, Prop 8 is another step in this long process of defining and ensuring basic Human Rights. It’s is about me too, not just gay people. *I* will be enriched when Prop 8 type rights are universal in this country. You will be enriched. We will all be better off when people are not defined and limited by their color, or their gender, or their “abilities” or their sexual preference or by whatever the next Good Cause is.
It is my hope that this left-wing, radical cause embodied by California’s Prop 8 will one day pass, and Gay Rights will become just another human right like Women’s Suffrage. One we can’t imagine living without. What a great day that will be! . I just fear that it will be a long journey, that Prop 8 rights may not come quickly and easily. Emancipation and Women’s Suffrage were long and hard-fought battles. The 19th amendment (women’s right to vote) was passed in 1920, and women began to vote. But the Equal Rights Amendment for women was first introduced just a year or two later, and has not been ratified to this day.
See, when I throw my support behind issues of gay rights like Prop 8 I am doing it for me, for my grandfather, for John McCrae, and for every vet who has ever fought and/or died for my right to live in a world where We The People can define ourselves in all our infinite diversity!
Oh! I just talked to Mr Swami, and he said they sell poppy pins in the skyways in St Paul. He’s going to bring one home for me!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Out Of Sorts
I must be out of sorts lately. I know I'm not undating this blog often enough. I think of topics but then they just float away. I have about 6 projects I really want to do, but...
Today, instead of making a 'Do List' I am thinking of starting a 'Things To Possibly Consider Doing Maybe If I Get Around To It' list. But so far I haven't got around to it.
I know this is a malaise because I am even wiffing on shopping for stuff. Stuff I want!!! Happy Monday, lol.
Today, instead of making a 'Do List' I am thinking of starting a 'Things To Possibly Consider Doing Maybe If I Get Around To It' list. But so far I haven't got around to it.
I know this is a malaise because I am even wiffing on shopping for stuff. Stuff I want!!! Happy Monday, lol.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Monday, November 03, 2008
La La La La-la
The problem with voting early is the they keep.on.calling!me. I swear, every single candidate for national, state and local office has decided to contact me daily. I no longer answer my phone for any but people who I know well.
So having already made my decision all that is left is to decide what's for dinner. Yes - just as I have themed suppers for Survivor night I have decided to watch the election evening coverage over a themed supper.
1. My first idea was to have a huge platter of bologna sandwiches, half on white bread and half on wheat bread. Vote with your mouth.
2. (Mr Swami's favorite) Over-the-top Surf and Turf, before the economy collapses, Great Depression pt.II sets in and bologna sandwiches are all we really can afford.
3. All You Can Eat Pork. Because no matter who wins the days of massive free pork are over.
Happy voting, everyone!
So having already made my decision all that is left is to decide what's for dinner. Yes - just as I have themed suppers for Survivor night I have decided to watch the election evening coverage over a themed supper.
1. My first idea was to have a huge platter of bologna sandwiches, half on white bread and half on wheat bread. Vote with your mouth.
2. (Mr Swami's favorite) Over-the-top Surf and Turf, before the economy collapses, Great Depression pt.II sets in and bologna sandwiches are all we really can afford.
3. All You Can Eat Pork. Because no matter who wins the days of massive free pork are over.
Happy voting, everyone!
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Smashing Pumpkins
Is what All Saints Day is for. Our kids smash ours onto a rock pile in the far sideyard. Wild critters must eat pumpkin over the winter because by spring, there is nothing left. Not a single bit of pumpkin flesh or skin.
We had 13 trick-or-treaters. What a perfect number for Halloween!
We had 13 trick-or-treaters. What a perfect number for Halloween!
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