Culture Cat: Dracula

First, full disclosure: I love Dracula. 

It might be my favorite ballet ever. 

Last night (opening night) I saw it at the Capitol Theater in the Riffe Center for the third time (I saw it in 2006 and 2007). While each outing has been superb, last night's was truly sublime, a perfect marriage of cast, choreography, story and emotion. 

The three leads--Dracula (Jimmy Orrante, the original Dracula), Mina (Jaime Dee) and Lucy (Carrie West) I have seen perform their roles before. But last night they were beyond perfect. They truly embodied their roles to the point of brilliance. Dracula and Mina's aching beautiful pas de deux in the second act is the high point of the evening. The ballet, as a whole, is very athletic, but here Mina actually supports Dracula and leads him in several places, demonstrating the evolution of gender roles that Stoker plants in his novel. Last night I didn't want the number to end. 

Carrie West as Lucy transforms from coquettish society girl to uninhibited vampire brilliantly, especially in the engagement party scene, where she arrives with her hair loose and wild and in a bright scarlet dress. 

One of the other notable things about this ballet is the number of male leads. There's Dracula, of course, but also: Jonathan Harker (danced by Bryan Jenkins), Mina's fiance and later husband; Dr. Jack Seward (Adam Hundt), the sanatorium doctor and failed suitor of Lucy; Renfield (Jeff Wolfe), Seward's patient and Dracula victim/crony, and Dr. Van Helsing (Hisham Omardien), the "scientist of the new century" who leads the men in the fight against Dracula. 

All of them, particular Jenkins, who is new to BalletMet, were wonderful in their athletic dancing and emotional range.

My favorite male dancer, however, was Jackson Sarver, who danced Lord Arthur Holmswood, Lucy's finace. Sarver, who has been with the company for five years, did the best job of the night. When he first enters he  is a confident lover, who proposes to Lucy and is accepted with joy. The next time we see him, he is startled by his love's transformation at the hands of Dracula. At the end of Act I, he falls into despair as Lucy dies before him. He was brilliant to watch, both in his dancing and his acting abilities. In Act II, his love for Lucy is so strong that he rejoices to see her undead form in the crypt; yet he finds the strength to finally kill her.  I was entranced by his performance from beginning to end. 

West and Dee are my two favorite female dancers at BalletMet, and both of them do wonderful jobs with this material. I imagine that since they have danced these roles so often that they are comfortable with the choreography and can give themselves over to the emotion of the story. Last night was the best I had ever seen them. 

If you get a chance you simply must see this production. It runs through October 18 (next Saturday) and then BalletMet will be retiring it from their active repertoire (but not forever, I hope!). It is a wonderful experience for both veteran dance fans, and serves as a wonderful introduction to our fabulous company for novices. 

A picky CF person note :)

OK kats and kittens, CF education time!

One does not have an "attack" of CF like one has a "attack" of asthma. 

One has a "flare up."

CF is always, in a sense, "attacking." So when you are admitted or need a clean out, then it's "flaring up."

Capise? 

Guess what?

Tonight is Ballet Class Night!

Yes, after a long hiatus (J&H, weddings, etc.) I am back to the ballet studio. 

New leotard ready to go--but I do need new technique shoes, since they still have stuff from the HDHS stage all over them. :) 

Poetry Thursday II

"On His Blindness"--John Donne

When I consider how my light is spent

Ere half my days in this dark world and wife,

And that one talent which is death to hide

Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bend

To serve therewith my Maker, and present

My true account, lest he returning chide,

"Doth God exact day-labor, light denied?" 

I fondly ask, But Patience, to prevent

That murmur, soon replies, "God doth not need

Either man's work or his owngifts. Who best

Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state

is Kingly: thousands at his bidding speed,

And post o'er land and ocean without rest;

They also serve who stand and wait. 

Another CF-er to pray for

Dean Barnett   [Mark Steyn]

Keep Dean Barnett in your prayers tonight. Dean is one of our comrades over at The Weekly Standard, and the regular guest host of The Hugh Hewitt Show, and in both capacities is one of the sharpest commentators on this year's election. He's also one of the least deluded citizens in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Dean is in the ICU with a bad cystic fibrosis attack. We wish him well, and hope to see him back on the frontlines very soon.

(this was taken from the Corner)

Why does everyone get sick in October??? The worst bout I ever had--when I was in the ICU for 13 days--was in October. That's when the CF conference is, and when 99% of CF doctors are away from their hospitals (this year it's in Orlando). Why, why, WHY does this happen?  (The getting sick I mean--not the conference). 

Bookshelf: Render Unto Caesar

This is going to be an unusual bookshelf. 

I loved this book so much that, instead of reviewing it, I'm going to put some choice excerpts here. And yes, if these are "choice" excerpts, then you know the whole thing is really worth reading. 

These are widely diverse and cover a bunch of topics, so don't be surprised at the seeming "randomness". 

• " 'The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic book.'" (quoting J.R.R. Tolkien)
• " 'What is morally indefensible can never contribute to the good of the people.'"
• "We need to be more zealous in our faith, not more discreet; clearer in our convictions, not muddier; and more Catholic, not less." 
• "We will never build God's kingdom here on earth. When people have messianic expectations of the state, when they ask politics to deliver more than it can, the story ends badly." 
• From a section on Charles Carroll, the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence:

Unlike Adams and Jefferson, though, Carroll faces an added danger. Not only did he risk treason against the British Crown; he also broke Maryland law. By the laws of his own colony, it was illegal for him--because he was Catholic--to be political active at all. In fact, under Maryland law, Carroll could not earn a living as an attorney. He could not run for office. He could not even vote for others who could run for office--because his home colony, for whose freedom he was struggling, forbade it.

• "Freedom is 'not the power of doing what we like, but the right of being able to do what we ought.'"
  
• "As [George] Washington said in his Farewell Address: 'Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.'" 
• "..[a] key reason the First Amendment barred any official federal religion was that various states already had tax-supported established churches and wanted to keep them."
• "[de Touqueville] noted that 'these Catholicsa re very loyal to the practice of their worship and full of zeal and ardor for their beliefs. Nevertheless, they form the most republican and democratic of all classes in the United States.'"
• "In practice, American freedom meant freedom for belief. Continental freedom implied freedom from religion." 
• "Social progress was the real task for believers. Even the idea of limits seemed to fade. True, certain kinds of limits did gain ground: limits on growth, population, corporations, and government. But the idea that wisdom begins with mastering our own personal appetites seemed to lose power." 
• "We should remember that all Christian churches held that contraception was morally wrong untill the Anglican Church approved it in 1930 at the Lambeth Conference, though only for certain circumstances, and only within marriage...The Washington Post editorialized at the time: 'Carried to its logical conclusion, the [Lambeth] committee's report, if carried into effect, would sound the death knell of marriage as a holy institution by establishing degrading practices which would encourage indiscriminate immorality.'" (ME: Wow, what is the WaPo would say that NOW!)
• "Yet the Catholic faith does not hold, and Vatican II did not teach, that respect for conscience means that individuals have absolute sovereignty in determining their own truth, or that anyone's choice of beliefs is as good as any other. Even the secular order admits that some choices are good and others bad." 
• "Common sense and daily experience suggest that any society that accepts all moral views as having equal weight is headed for trouble." 
• "But when church leaders refrain from helping political leaders see their moral responsibilities, their lack of action implies that religion has nothing to say to the public square." 
• "In [Cardinal] Newman's words, 'We can believe what we choose. We are answerable for what we choose to believe.'"
• "We live under that unjust law [abortions on demand], but we sin only if we give up the struggle to change it." (my emphasis)
• "People should come away from every encounter with every American catholic knowing that they have met a true Catholic." (Love this one!)
• "We can never allow ourselves to offer an abridged version of the Gospel. We can never let Catholic social doctrine become an end in iteself. The Catholic faith is much more than another public philosophy or useful set of social programs. The church is not an association of social workers. She is a community of believers and disciples." 
• [Quoting Pope Liberius]: "The truth of faith is not lessened by the fact that I stand alone." 
• VITALLY IMPORTANT: "Not all evil things can or should be illegal. Not all issues have the same gravity...deliberately killing the innocent is always, inexcusable wrong. It sets a pattern of contempt for every other aspect of human dignity." 
• From the US Conference of Catholic Bishops Living the Gospel of Life (1998)--their emphasis: "But being "right' in such matters [other social issues] can never excuse a wrong choice regarding direct attacks on innocent human life. Indeed, the failure to protect and defend life in its most vulnerable stages renders suspect any claims to the 'rightness' of the positions in other matters affecting the poorest and least powerful of the human community...All direct attacks on innocent human life, such as abortion and euthanasia, strike at the house's foundations."
• "The more truly we love God, the more truly we serve the world." 

Debate

May watch...

But will certainly pray. 

Tricia update

She's in Duke's ICU (as a precaution) with what they probably think is pneumonia. Her heart rate is high (coming down though) and her blood sugar level (BSL) is also very high, so she's on an insulin drip. 

I've had one bout of pneumonia (which encompasses a wide, wide variety of things) since my tx (February of '07, if you want to check the archives). And it sort of sucks, because you have to figure out 1) is there rejection 2) is it rejection and infection, or just infection? and then 3) how to treat whatever it is while still keeping the organs happy. It is a very fine line and can involve a lot of back and forth. 

So prayers are necessary! 

More info at CF husband. 

A good quotation

for the changing of the seasons:

"Live in each season as it passes: breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of each."

--Henry David Thoreau

The Simple Woman's Daybook

(with some editions from Elizabeth)

For MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2008

Outside My Window...

Pale blue skies, and the leaves on the trees are slowly taking on a more yellowish hue. 

I am thinking...

that I better get more sleep tonight!

I am thankful for...

my faith.

From the kitchen...

coffee cake, hot chocolate!

To live the liturgy...

Just finished Mother Angelica's new book of Bible Meditations, and will begin Archbishop Chaput's Render Undo Caesar, about politics and Catholicism. 

I am wearing...

black pants and a black and grey Ann Taylor sweater.

I am creating...

my scrapbook--I finally put in my pictures from April! 

I am going to breathe deeply ...

and focus on what needs to be done.

Bringing beauty to my home ...

General tidying up. 

I am going...

to parish council.  

I am reading...

 Truth and Tolerance (B XVI); The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories (Tolstoy), Render Unto Caesar (Arch. Chaput), the Ignatius Critical Edition of Pride and Prejudice

I am hoping...

that Tricia gets better!

I am hearing...

the clock ticking. 

Around the house...

Baking cornbread (tomorrow)

One of my favorite things...

football!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:

Tuesday: Tiff comes over, Borders with Richelle

Wednesday: Choir rehearsal

Thursday: ballet class

Friday: Lunch with Dad, Dracula with Tiff

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Why won't blogger post my pictures?! Argh!!!

The tale of the bouquet

Above: the reception hall for Justin and Lisa's wedding, Rochester Convention Center

So, at the wedding last weekend, there was, as usual, the bouquet toss. Normally, I'm a fan of this, since I like to watch people act crazy over a few flowers, and, at this point, I need some luck in the relationship department. 

So my cousin Cheryl shooes me and her two daughter, Jackie (16) and Gillian (12) over to the dance floor. We get there right as the bouquet is being tossed, and it lands at Jackie's feet. She manages to pick it up before one of the more--energetic--wedding guests tries to take it from her. 

Jackie looks at the small bouquet of peach roses. "What do I do with it?" She asks me. 

"Nothing. It means that you're going to get married next."

A look of horror crossed her face and she thrust the flowers at me. "No way! I don't want to get married!"

(When I told her parents this, they were very excited.)

I took the bouquet and walked back to the table, thinking I was done.

Oh no. 

Not even close. 

Apparently I am the only person on the planet who didn't know that the woman who caught the bouquet had the bride's garter put on her--by the guy who caught it. 

Um, huh. 

So I head back toward the dance floor. The guy who caught it (I didn't get his name), looked about my age, and looked Italian--dark hair, dark eyes. He was also a bit of a ham (like my brother). So he takes my hands and sits me down in a chair on the dance floor. 

"I'm glad my father isn't watching this," I told him. He winked. 

The garter went about three inches above my left knee, safely above my hemline. It felt rather odd. He was there with a date, so that was the end of our "relationship", but, apparently, he thought I was younger than I really was (according to my aunt). 

I was older than the bride by six months. 

I wasn't quite sure how to take that. I guess it's good to look younger than my age. I am starting to appreciate it. But still!

Pray for Tricia...

She's sick. 

Not happiness. 

Why I Am A Conservative

to be updated later!

Connie Schultz in the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote a column describing the reasons why she's a liberal. I'd like to do the same, except for my political beliefs. 

The first, and the biggest:

• I am a conservative, because I believe all of us have a right to life.  
  

I was born with CF. With genetic testing the way it is now, some mothers would have aborted me. Republicans like Henry Hyde (RIP) kept that from happening, so more of us are alive. 

More to come, so watch this post!

PIPER!!!

Yay Piper was there and the baby!!!!

Wow like the whole clan. Bristol has the baby. Nioce dress. 

Palin's parents....Mr. Todd. :) 

Willow, I think?

But Piper, my favorite!!

If I were Todd I'd be like "do not touch my wife."

I would kill to know what they are saying to each other. 

Wow Biden's wife is really young looking. If that's her. 

Piper is so cute! Right by her mom, adorable red cardigan. Awwww. What a smile. 

OK, yes I just love Piper. She is bar none my favorite political kid of all time. 

And she got her hair cut!

And noW Sarah has TRig, who sort of fell asleep. Doing the mom pat on the back thing. So adorable. J ust totally cute. 

Can I be the First baby-sitter? Because I totally want to be. 

Trig's oufit is really cute--a plaid shirt and little khakis. Baby Gap, perhaps? 

Todd...nice tie. 

Sarah with family, down to Piper. 

Piper has Trig!!! Yay maybe more grooming!

She totally has a hold on him. it's so cute. He's like a big doll. He must be really out or exceptionally good, or both. Expect more "oh my gosh the seven year old was holding the baby!" tomorrow. 

Family meets Gwen. 

She is carrying him like he's a sack of potatoes or something. Doing the little back pat. I just love that. She's like a total little mom. 

I don't know who's who for Biden so I can't help you there. 

Debate, c'est moi

Biden is really just going "on and on and on and on" (with apologies to Journey)

Sarah playing the Washington outsider card.

Biden is sweating...or something. He looks sort of bamboolzed while she gives him these lovely smiles. 

Gosh I love her make-up. 

Oooh--cutting troop support re: Obama--she quotes the primary debates! 

Alaska called for divestment in Iran. Legis hasn't passed yet but it needs to. 

Biden: The line that should be drawn is that whether or not we have the capacity to do anything abot genocide. 

Wait a minute--the MOST POWERFUL NATION IN THE WORLD can't stop GENOCIDE??? Huh?What happened to that thing in the opening statement about genocide being a priority? Ahhh, Biden consistency. 

Biden: We want prevention and cooperation. 

So basically we want Neville Chamberlain foreign policy. I got it--let's just sit around and sing "Kumbaya"!

Sarah: If I ever became Pres. (due to McCain death or whatever) she would continue the policies of putting the government on the side of the people. Working class Americans saying "Government, just get out of my way!" (LOL)

Support the ticket that wants to create jobs or the ticket that wants to increase taxes. 

Biden's body language is very odd. What was with the "let us pray" hand position? 

Gee, Biden sure knows how to pander--now "his people" are the DE constituents. 

Sarah: "Now, doggone it, let's look ahead." AWESOME!!!!

And Reagan: "There you go again." 

"I come from a  house full of schoolteachers."

No Child....mentioned! Wow!

Emphasis on the profession of teaching. 

"My kids are public school participants." 

Gwen: the "what does the VP do" question. (barf)

Sarah: well of course we know--it's in the constitution. (LOL)

Supportive of pres's policies. President understands what our strengths are. 

He would lead with his agenda. 

Government of all, working with families of special needs children (YAY!!!!)

Biden: Well NCLB was left behind b/c we didn't fund it. 

Role of VP: Point person for legis. Also, when asked--didn't want a portfolio. He will give Obama his best advice. (Don't you have political liaisons for that???? Sheesh. Watch West Wing!)

Biden has VERY SCARY facial expressions. 

And the requisite Cheney slam. 

The primary rol eof VP is to support the pres. (Biden)

Oh, now Biden has juidial insight and is all about strict construction!!!!

Drinking game: every time Sarah says "Energy", take a shot. 

Sarah: We are exceptional--quotes Reagan. Together we demonstrate the perfect ideal--freedom, democracy and tolerance. We can be a force for good. I share that belief and so does McCain. "A good team is a good ticket. "

Biden: says he won't change. Um, he's changed positions quite a few times since becoming the VP candidate. 

 

Sarah's dad is in the audience. 

Biden's last statement about kitchen table stuff made me want to vomit. (Sorry, but true)

I think St. Thomas More would like Sarah. 

Biden's judicial temperament answer was not so hot. 

Sarah: No I haven't had to compromise on my beliefs because I have always found a way to work together with people. 

More debate!

LOVED Sarah's clean coal answer!!!! WOOOOO! 

On the troop funding--Biden MADE MCCAIN'S CASE! It would have been so much more effective if he had just said that McCain voted against it, instead of doing the timeline tihng, because most people supported the idea of stay until you win! DUH!!!!!

Biden re: Isreal: We need NATO! Yes, they did a great job with other conflicts! Why don't we just send the UN?!

This adminstration's policy has been an abject failure. 

Oh, we need real diplomacy. 

Sarah: No, the administation has not be an abject failure. 

We both love Israel. 

Biden Obama doing teh blame game. 

There have been big blunders in this admin, but to talk about change while constantly looking back isn't good. 

Positive change is coming with us we'll learn and we'll put govt. back on the side of the people. 

Sarah is the queen of backhanded compliments. 

Sarah: Dangerous regimes cannot be allowed to develop/have nuclear weapons. 

Talking about Afghanistan

(Sorry for the typos, I publish as I type so it's current!)

9:58: Gee, Biden is such a happy guy! "This will not work" 

We spend more money in 3 weeks in Iraq than we have in Afghanistan. 

Oh God in Heaven. 

Gree, Biden is SO SHOCKED that McCain didn't vote for the nuclear test ban treaty!!!!

Sarah: Gee, Joe, you didn't listen. :) 

Counterinsurgency principles could work in Afghanistan. The same principles apply. 

Commanders agree. Leaders agree. 

BIDEN STOP WITH THE STUPID GRIN!!!!!!

More debate III

Gwen: Bill tha twould make it more difficult for mortgage holders to get out from Debt.

Sarah: There have been so any changes in conditions in our economy. We need to look back and be appreciative of McCain's calls for reform, with Freddie Mae/Mac. The colleagues int he Senate weren't going for it. 

(OK yeah Sarah!)

Gwen: Biden voted one way, Obama the other. What gives?

Biden: Obama saw glass as half empty and I saw it as half full. We disagreed on that. Here's the deal--Obama said two years that there's a subprime mortgage crisis.  (Um, in Cleveland they knew that 10 YEARS AGO)

What we should be doing now is something w/ bankruptcy courts and interest rates. 

Sarah: Quick answer--energy vrs. alternative energy. Energy policy plan--we have to consider the need to become energy indepedent! We have domestic supplies of energy all over! Let's drill it!!!!!!!!!! (OK, that last part was me, but that's the point)

It will create jobs and allow domestic supplies of energy to be tapped. Energy is the ket to this nature's future-- both economically and in the case of national security. 

Gwen: Climate change!!!!!

Sarah: Alaska feels the climate of change more so than any other state. We can attribute some activity of man, but some to the cyclical effects of the planet. 

Debate II

Bide--YOU ARE NOT FROM SCRANTON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You we reborn there, but you LIVE in DELAWARE!

McCain taxes payroll health care for the tax credits. 

Plan will go straight to insurance company. 

$12000 for a regular plan

OK, he's losing me with numbers.

12000 plan v. 5000 plan? 

Gwen: what promise have you and your campaign made that you're not going to be able to keep?

Biden: Double foreign assistance (GRR! Bush has done that!)

Will not go with Bush tax cuts (GRRR again!)

Will not support...

Biden is not answering the question. At all. 

I am having a really hard time udnerstanding him. 

Bottom line is that we are going to eliminate wasteful spending and.....what? 

Sarah: McCain doesn't tell one thing to one group adn oen thing to another. 

Energy plan that Obama voted for gave tax breaks to oil companies--the running mate voted for that and yoiu're rtailing against it? 

Alaska--she took on the oil companies and said that wasn't going toh appen in my state. I had to break the monopoly and people are going to come first. The people of Alaska will benefit, and tax breaks are not coming ot the corps. 

People in the state, or the country, shoulf benefit. 

Her area of expertise. 

Gewn: There's nothing you would take off the table?

Sarah: We will do what's right for the american people. The rescue plan has to include the massive oversight that the American people want. 

Biden: Support for alternative energy. 

I think he loses the normal Americans when he talks about all this procedural stuff. Most people have no idea. 

He wants to do what Sarah did, but SARAH'S DONE IT!

Live Debate Blog!!!

If you have no interest in politics, then scroll on down for some poetry.

Those who are---read on. 

9:00 Watching pre-debate prep on fox (time is my parents' family room clock, not necessarily "official STL time"). Really, really perturbed that the author of a BOOK ON OBAMA, to be released on INAUGURATION DAY, is moderating this thing. 

9:01 PM: We are on--officially--with Brit giving us the pre-deabte talk. 

Just switched to NBC-_Brian Williams on

Back to Fox

9:03: ON!

Ifil talking. Nice outfit. 

Domestic and foreign policy matters. 

90 secs to answer, 2 minutes rebuttal/discussion.

Coin toss determined order. 

Subjects and questions have been chosen by her and not shared w/ candidates.

Candidates out

Sarah in Black with th ebig pin. Hair down. 

Skirt uit--excellent choice. 

Nice heels. 

Biden is...Biden. 

Sarah looks HOT!

Biden goes first. 

First question--Bailout

Oh that stupid smile!

Good lipstick for Sarah. 

Biden begisn by thanking Gwen and saying it's a pleasure to meet Sarah. 

Oh, the last eight years have been the worst economic policies ever!!!

Gee--maybe because of W's PREDECESSOR!!!!!

He's like reading the answer!!

Two um's already. 

Has to be oversight

Focus on Main Street...sure, both of you are good for that. 

Treat the taxpayers like in vestors--then the taxpayers would want a GOVERNMENT THAT WORKS. Sheesh. 

Sarah taking notes. 

"Change the focus on ecoming policy" --focus on growing middle class. 

BEcause Biden ows...

Sarah!

Going to a kids' soccer game and seeing what the parents are saying. 

How are we going to afford college, etc. 

Small business inventory and hiring. 

Federal government has not provided sound oversigh that we need and deserve. 

John McCain has been a representative for reform. John Mccain opushed fvor reform two years ago. 

Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac. His collegagues didn't want to listen to him then. The aklarm has been heard and there will be greater oversight, again, thanks to John mcCAin's bipartisan efforts. 

But politics aside and put the countr yfirst. 

YAY!

Liked that. 

Would Biden work to shrink the polarizaion gap? 

Biden: I have worked on Violeven against women, geonice, etc. I've reached across the aisle. 

Sarah looks ready to pounce. 

No infanctice mention there. LOL. 

Fundamentals of the economy are strong thing again. 

Sigh. 

Sarah: 

John McCain referring to the fundamental economics--talkign abotu the american workforce, which is the greatest in this world. 

Team of Mavericks--talks about reform--we are known for putting politics asided and getting thejob doen. Obama--not so much. 96% of his votes have been along party lines. 

Put the special interests aside and get down to working for the people. 

Tired of politics as usual. 

Americans are creating something new and different, new energy. Commitment that comes with reform. We ened a maverick.

Gwen: Let's talk about the subprime lending bill. 

Sarah up first: Who is at fault? 

Sarah: The lenders that tried to talk people into buying more than they can afford. That's they're fault. We need to stop that. McCain and I have made a commitemnt to end that. Let's commit ourselves to normal american people--American people, Hockey moms!--we will never be exploited again. We demand ctrict oversight on those entities in charg eof our entities and our savings. 

We need to make sure that as infividuals we are taking personal responsilbity. *YAY!*

Never agian we will be taken advatnage of. 

Biden: Obama was on this two years ago (WHERE was he two years ago??? Oh yeah. Campaigning!)

Wow he blabbers I have a hard time udnerstanding him. 

McCain wants more deregulation. 

Lets free market rule health care.

Biden keeps looking at his papers. 

Sarah: 

tax increases--we need tax relief! Obama and Biden voted for the largest tax increases in US history. Barack had 94 opportunities an d 94 times he votged to increase taxes or not vote for a tax reduction. That's not what we need to reduce jobs. We need to keep more of what we earn, and we need to be more efficient. The government growth needs reigned in. We need tax relief. Obama supported increases taxes on families making only $42K a year--the average American family. That kills jobs. 

Biden: Oh, Sarah that's not true. 

He did not vote for those tax increases. 

Something about Senate procedure. 

McCain voted 477 times to raise taxes (someone check that?). 

Back to dereg

Sarah: I'm still on the tax thing because that's werong. What I did as governor and you make not like it but I'm going to talk about my experience as governor and mayor. Ever yyear I eliminted income tax, fuel eax, etc. we did that knowing that it would increase our economy. Campaign finance reform. 

Gewn: Time is up (BOOO) Biden, do you want to talk about raising tazes. 

Patriotic taxes! Yes!

Biden: How is that not class warfare?

Palin: What about taxing employer ta benefits. 

Biden: TI's called "Fairness" (LOL!!!!!!)

It's just simpel fairness. 

100 million middle class families. 

No one less than 250K would see an increase.DUDE, someone give him a tax lesson!!!!!!

people at this income level don't CREATE JOBS!!!!!

He says it's not punitive. HUH?????

Sarah: more tghan 2350K are the small businesses! They are the ones who will be hurt and that means less jobs and less productivity!!!!

You said paying high taxrs is not paytriotic!!! YAY!!!!

Patriotic is saying Government, you know, you're not always the solution. Get out of the way and let the private sector and our families grow!

YES!!!!!!!!!! Woohoooo!!!

$2T in new spending under Barack's proposal. 

500,000 tax credit for families so they can purchase their own healthcare (mccain)

that's a smart thing to do. 

Obama's plan mandates health care coverage, government run program. If you've seen the way the federal government has been running anything lately, you don't want them running health care. 

Poetry Thursday I

A new BOP feature!

I found my old college English texts, and will now (in the hope of enlightening us all, lol) provide you all with my favorite poems on Thursday!

This week: "Ozymandis" by Percy Bysshe Shelley

I met a traveler from an antique land

Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert...Near then, on the sand,

Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, 

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal these words appear: 

"My name is Ozymandias, king of kinds; 

Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away. 

Sarah! Sarah! Sarah!

Some comments on Sarah-palooza of late:

1) NO ELECTED OFFICIAL actually reads the papers. NOT ONE. I know they don't because that's why I have a job. I read the papers, I cut the stories, so I tell them what is important to read! I did this for a Congressman, I do it for 33 Senators now. Trust me--not one of them really reads every paper that's important cover to cover. If they want to know what papers they are in, they do a google alert (at least that's what we do) and all the stories will be delivered neatly to the inbox. 

So the fact that Sarah "couldn't possibly read" all the papers in Alaska is crap. Do you actually think the President reads the Post or the New York Times or the Orlando Sentinel? NO. His staff does, and they tell him what he needs to know. Sheesh, people. Next you're going to be amazed that politicians have speechwriters!

2) Supreme Court (SCOTUS) case(s) she disagreed with: She could have safely said Dred Scott v. Sanford, the case that said slaves aren't really people. I think we can safely say that everyone disagrees with that ruling (except, say, Chief Justice Taney and Southern plantation owners). But that's really not a fair question. Unless you've really studied Con Law then how many SCOTUS cases, PERIOD, can you name? This is a relevant question for a judge or judicial position. It's not really relevant for a candidate for political office. At all. 

For the record, I took a year of con law at Capital. Here are the cases I can name off the top of my head, at this moment:

1. Lawrence v. Texas
2. Kelo v. New London
3. Marbury v. Madison
4. Dred Scott
5. Brown v. Board of Ed
6. Donnely
7. Lemon v. Kurtzman
8. Roe v. Wade
9. Griswold v. Conneticut
10. McCullough v. Maryland
11. Plessy v. Ferguson
12. Miranda v. State of Arizona

Frankly, I'm a lot more interested in a political candidate's grasp of the Constitution--especially the point that "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" are NOT IN IT. 

3) It amuses me how many people on chat boards, etc. say that they want a "really experience VP." Dick Cheney was chief of staff, secretary of defense, etc.--he's really smart. And yet--people don't like him. Hmmm. 

St. Therese

It's my patron saint's feast day, so, if you haven't already, go read this. 

"My God, I choose all. I will not be a saint by halves." --St. Therese 

Bookshelf: The Lucky One

So my last bookshelf entry was of a really great book. 

This one is about a really predictable book. 

I've read most of Nicholas Sparks' novels and, while I wouldn't classify any of them as Great Literature, they are, for the most part, enjoyable reads. I liked The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, Message in a Bottle, and At First Sight. 

I was maybe 30 pages into The Lucky One before I realized I knew--almost 99%--how this story would end. 

We start with Clayton, a local cop who has a run-in with a hitchhiker, Thibault. Clayton has been spying on some naked co-eds, which Thibault didn't like, and they had words (and Thibault slashed his tires). Clayton is a bit peeved that his voyeurism was ruined. 

We then swtich to Thibault, and his story. He has served three terms in Iraq, and during the first he found a laminated picture of a woman, with "Keep safe!--E" inscrawled on the back. He brings it back to base and puts it on the bulletin board, but no one claims it, so he takes it as his own, keeping it in his pocked. His squad mate, Victor, believes it's lucky after Thibault (whose first name is Jacob) wins at poker after being ridiculously bad previously. 

The picture does indeed seem lucky--he survives 11 bomb explosions, as does Victor--and he comes home to the states, wanting to track down "E". 

The third point of view in the story is Beth. And by this point, it all starts to come together. Beth (Elizabeth--"E") lives with her son, Ben, and her grandmother, and helps her grandmother run a dog training center. They are looking for help, and lo and behold, here comes Thibault with his dog, Zeus, who is, of course, perfectly trained. Thibault knows that Beth is "E" immediately. He gets the job, bonds with Ben and Grandma, and eventually wins Beth's heart. 

Buy guess who Beth's ex is? That's right--Clayton. 

So we have a classic love triangle thing here. Clayton divorced Beth, but he doesn't want anyone else seeing her (he watches her house when she has dates and scares off any potential suitors); Beth loathes her ex and the way he treats Ben, and Thibault loves both Beth and Ben. 

So we can guess where this is going. The only question is--how. 

One of Sparks' stock devises is killing people off at the end instead of actually having the characters behave like adults and resolve their issues with each other. Instead of Beth and Clayton and Thibault discussing the matter and making something realistic happen, one of the men dies. 

The other big problem is the one-dimensional nature of Clayton. There is absolutely no redeeming value in him, no shading, no complexity. He's basically like a permanent 13 year old, who, of course, comes from a very wealthy and influential family that pulls all the strings in town. He has joint custody of Ben but he doens't understand his son at all. In the chapters where we are inside Clayton's head, it's like a very simple, stereotypical rendering of a Southern redneck. As we increase our knowledge of Beth we find it very, very hard to believe that she would ever fall for this guy, even if she was  "nerd" in high school and he wasn't. 

Finally, the whole nature of Thibault and Beth's relationship is just sort of unrealistic. The first time we meet Beth, she's bemoaning the fact that there are no decent, single men in town to her friend Melody. Then--bang--up shows this awesome, handsome, decent guy who loves her son. This happens a lot in his books. 

This book seemed churned out and it's just filled with cliches and gothic influences. Of course the climatic moment of the novel comes during a cataclysmic storm. Of course both men jump in the swollen creek to save Ben, who has fallen from his rickety treehouse. And OF COURSE Beth has nothing but good feelings for Clayton after that. Hello?

Beth is by turns smart and appalling naive. She hates Clayton but then believes him when he says bad things about Thibault. She's just a mess--sort of like the book.  

my old boss

My old boss, Congressman David Hobson (R-Springfield) and his wife, Caroline (at least I think that's her), at the Cap rally. I was an intern in his Lancaster District Office when I was in college

Bookshelf: Midwives

I just finished the novel Midwives, by Chris Bohjalian, and it completely blew me away. I'm a bit irritated that I waited so long to read this book!

This novel has been on my periphery for awhile, meaning that it's one of those that I see when I go into bookstores, pick up, read the back, and say to myself I should read this some time. Except it's never "sometime." Until today. 

It is, simply, an amazing novel, one of my five-star reads. The story seems like it will be a typical family drama/courtroom type of novel: Sibyl, an experienced midwife practicing in Vermont, loses a mother during delivery, but managed to save the baby with an emergency C-section once the mother was dead. Or was she? 

But Bohjalian takes what would be good plot anyway and makes it memorable and exciting. The narrator is not Sibyl, but her fourteen-year old daughter, Connie (Constance). She overhears her parents, reads her mother's journal, and hears her parents talking with Stephen, their charismatic lawyer, but her point of view is fairly limited. We are introduced to people in her world--her boyfriend, Tom and her best friend, Rollie--and also, the family of the dead woman. 

The night of the birth is told in a somewhat detached third person, and we don't know everything. 

Instead of a linear story, Bohjalian sprinkles in details throughout the novel. We know from the beginning that Sibyl goes to trial. We hear bits and pieces of testimony as the novel progresses, and we have flashbacks and "flash-forwards." Connie is telling the story from the view point of an adult (whom, we learn, is an OB/GYN and single).  This way of storytelling makes the reader much more involved in the novel, and makes the reading much more meticulous, since all the pieces are introduced at what can appear to be random times. It often feels like Connie is having a discussion with you. 

Every chapter begins with an excerpt from Sibyl's "notebooks"--her three-ring, looseleaf binders that serve as her personal journals. These are the only first-person glimpse we get of her throughout the novel. 

Bohjalian takes what is normally Jodi Picoult territory and elevates it to literature. The characters are real and vibrant and their situation so absorbing that you think about them even after the novel is over. 

(Note: No, I did not know this was an Oprah book club past pick when I picked it up!)

Who DIDN'T take Poli Sci 101?

From The campaign spot over at NRO: (my emphases)

Pelosi, moments ago: "The Democrats more than lived up to their side of the bargain."

Horsepuckey. Pelosi has 235 members. She needed 218. She could spare 17 members and still pass the bill.

The GOP spotted her 65 members, for a bill that made most Republicans' skin crawl in both broad outline and in terms of detail.

That meant Pelosi could afford to lose 82 Democrats.

She lost 95.

Bush and Paulson were never going to pass this bill with House Republican votes. It had to be palatable to the Democrats, and Pelosi and Frank said that it was.

Think about it - the majority party is insisting that the minority party is responsible for the bill not passing with a majority. Do you see the incongruency there? Why is anyone taking that argument seriously?

ME: I think someone needs to fire the Whip. If you can't get the vote count right on something like this, what kind of political skill do you have?

The Simple Woman's Daybook

(with some editions from Elizabeth)

FOR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2008

Outside My Window...

The sky is clear with a few wispy clouds. The trees rustle with the soft breeze, and the leaves are green, bright red and dark auburn. 

I am thinking...

that I am ready to get the house in order. 

I am thankful for...

my family. 

From the kitchen...

Chicken breast with burbon bayou glaze (Tastefully Simple), sweet corn, and possible dessert making!

To live the liturgy...

Reading my Bible and saying my rosary, which today is in honor of my cousin Diane's first wedding anniversary (and her soon-to-be-born baby!). 

I am wearing...

gray trousers, a pumpkin colored scoop neck sweater, black socks, a silver heart pendant that I got for Christmas last year. 

I am creating...

my music, which I will be practicing while dinner cooks.  

I am going to breathe deeply ...

and enjoy today. 

Bringing beauty to my home ...

Vacuuming, cleaning, and putting things to rights.  

I am going...

to the grocery store. 

I am reading...

The Common Reader (Virginia Woolf); Truth and Tolerance (B XVI); The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories (Tolstoy), Mostly True (Molly O'Neill)

I am hoping...

for all good things. 

I am hearing...

"Uninvited", by Alanis Morrisette (at least I was in my car).

Around the house...

Vacuuming!

One of my favorite things...

My digital camera, because I can capture people with it. 

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:

Wednesday: Choir rehearsal

Thursday: Karen and Steve's 3 year wedding anniversary!

Friday: Something with Tiff

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

OK, picture thought not working, but go down a few posts and you'll see a picture from my cousin's wedding in Rochester!

YAY!!!!

We just hit more than 10,000 hits!
Thanks guys!

Get happy!

Do you need a happiness boost—right now? If so, take a look at this menu of options and make your choices. Remember, the more you tackle, the bigger the boost you’ll receive.

When you’re feeling blue, it can be hard to muster up the physical and mental energy to do the things that make you happier. Plunking down in front of the TV or digging into a tub of ice cream seems like an easier fix.

However, research shows (and you know it’s true) that these aren’t the routes to feeling better. Try some choices below. The more you push yourself, the better you’ll feel; but if you can’t tackle a big task, just do something small. Even a little step in the right direction will give you a lift.

According to my ground-breaking happiness formula, to be happy, you need to think about feeling good, feeling bad, and feeling right, in an atmosphere of growth. What’s dragging you down? Is it a lack of fun, of connection? Do you feel a lot of guilt, boredom, or anger? Do you feel that something’s “not right” about your life? Do you feel stagnant or stuck? Focus your efforts on the choices that will do the most to address what’s not working in your life.

Your menu of choices -- commit to doing as many items as you can:

Friends
__ call or email one of your closest friends
__ call or email three friends to whom you haven’t spoken in a while
__ track down an old friend who has drifted out of your life (I just did this a few days ago, zoikes)

Fun
__ add a fun thing to your calendar
__ add a fun thing to your calendar that involves other people
__ add a fun thing to your calendar that involves other people doing something outside

Challenge
__ think of a subject that you wish you knew more about (be honest! something that really interests you!) and spend 15 minutes on the internet reading about it
__ take a step toward acquiring a new skill that you want – research Italian classes in your neighborhood, order Photoshop for Dummies
__ if you absolutely can’t think of one single subject that interests you, visit two bookstores (one huge, one independent) and browse until some book catches your attention – and buy it

Do good, feel good
__ sign up to be an organ donor, and remember to tell your family
__ give $25 or more to a worthy cause
__ sign up to volunteer or participate in an organization

Energy
__ walk around the block
__ take a twenty-five-minute walk
__ go the gym or go for a run

Order
__ clear out the space around your computer
__ clear out a closet
__ walk through your house with a garbage bag, and clear clutter until the bag is full of trash; then walk around again and fill a new bag with things to be given away; repeat

Guilt
__ make a dentist’s or doctor’s appointment that you’ve been putting off
__ reach out to a family member whom you’ve been neglecting
__ make something right: apologize, confess, repair, replace, or return something you borrowed

Nagging tasks
__ clean out some old emails that you haven’t answered
__ stop off at the drugstore to buy supplies you need
__ stop off at the hardware store to buy supplies you need
__ fix something broken

Good citizen
__ Throw away someone else’s litter
__ Be helpful to an elderly person or a person with small kids
__ Be friendly to a store clerk who seems grouchy

Gratitude
__ Reflect on the following quotation, from Marjorie William’s Woman at the Washington Zoo:
We could hear her friends pull up to the curb. As her momentum carried her to the top of the stairs, Alice looked back and tossed me a radiant smile. She had become my glimmering girl: She looked like a rock star. She looked like a teenager. She looked absolutely stunning. She thundered down the stairs in those shoes, and as the front door slammed behind her, it came to me—what fantasy I had finally, easily entered this Halloween.
I’d just seen Alice leave for her prom, or her first real date. I’d cheated time, flipping the calendar five or six years into the future. The character I’d played was the fifty-two-year-old mother I will probably never be.

It was effortless.

Editor’s Note: A month after Marjorie wrote this, her oncologist concluded that there was no further treatment to recommend. Marjorie died, at home, on January 16, 2005, three days after her forty-seventh birthday.


__ Reflect on the following quotation, Winston Churchill to the House of Commons, June 4, 1940:
We shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our island home, to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone. At any rate, that is what we are going to try to do.
…
Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender; and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and liberation of the Old.


__ Reflect on the following quotation, from Thomas Arnold, diary, June 5, 1842:
[Of reading the newspaper] “So much of sin and so much of suffering in the world, as are there displayed, and no one seems able to remedy either. And then the thought of my own private life, so full of comforts, is very startling.”
At the end of the day, look back on your list. Did you hit all the items you checked off? Do you feel happier?

From The Happiness Project

Love in Rochester Part I

Justin and Lisa at the altar

back!

Photos to come!
And I'm going to see SARAH tomorrow!!!!!!!

Leavin'...

Going to Rochester for my cousin Justin's wedding, in which I am doing a reading. No idea which one. :)
So no blogging until The Return on Sunday.
But--
Go Steelers!
Apparently either the Browns or the Bengals will win this week, right?

And, the first installment of the Great Election '08 Swag Count (signs, bumper stickers, etc. --one per yard/card)
McCain: 10
Obama: 3

Because I can

Another picture of my favorite political people:

I knew it!

Your result for The Wizard of Oz Trivia Test...

Dorothy

Ah yes, you are truly worthy of Oz. You know how to get over the rainbow and why there's no place like home. You have traveled the yellow brick road, made friends, defeated a witch, humbled a wizard, and survived a concussion.

Ouch....

So lie down and wait out the dizziness. You should be proud! Good job! Kudos to you and your mad Oz wizardry!

Take The Wizard of Oz Trivia Test at HelloQuizzy

Simple Woman's Daybook--September 22

(with some editions from Elizabeth)

FOR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2008

Outside My Window...

The sky is a lovely blue and the leaves are just starting to change color, right in time for the first day of Autumn, my favorite season!

I am thinking...

that after a busy week and weekend it will be nice to have an evening at home so I can get back on track. 

I am thankful for...

My new Amazon books (Macbeth and Tolstoy stories) and my electricity!

From the kitchen...

Chocolate chip cookies!

To live the liturgy...

Reading my Bible, and finding my Magnificat!

I am wearing...

jeans, a royal blue t-shirt, black socks, small gold hoop earrings

I am creating...

I started a new novel today! 

I am going to breathe deeply ...

and do my yoga. :) 

Bringing beauty to my home ...

Fall pillows, and my Angel of Autumn (see below) 

I am going...

Nowhere, for the present time. :) 

I am reading...

The Common Reader (Virginia Woolf); Truth and Tolerance (B XVI); The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories (Tolstoy), Macbeth (Shakespeare)

I am hoping...

that this week will be more calm than the last. 

I am hearing...

blissful silence. 

Around the house...

The kitchen table needs unearthed, as well as some vacuuming. 

One of my favorite things...

My bedsheets--dark purple and so soft!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:

Wednesday: Choir rehearsal

Thursday: A blood draw to check new med levels, ballet class

Friday-Sunday: Rochester for Justin's wedding!

Here is picture thought I am sharing...(add your picture here)
My "Angel of Autumn" figure from Willow Tree angels; time to bring her out!

Well, sorry Mel...

Apparently, families should only have two kids (or, ideally, none!)--poppycock!

I love my big family!


Paige (l)--aunt Amy's oldest-- and Jenny (r)--Uncle Tim's youngest (of seven!)

Culture Cat: The Lion King (roar!)

above: "Circle of Life"

When I saw The Lion King at the Ohio Theater on Tuesday night, it was my second time seeing the show (I had seen it during its first trip to town in '04). Last time, the show was a recreation of what is done on Broadway (hence Pride Rock rising out of the stage, as seen in the picture above). This time, Disney Theatricals was trying out a "scaled-down" version of the show, which will make the show more portable and thus able to be seen in more places. In general I didn't really like the changes that were made (what I remembered of them), because I think it hampered director and designer Julie Taymor's original vision. Instead of rising up out of the stage, Pride Rock is sort of wheeled out on a circular track. Also, Mufasa's mask (and I could be wrong here) didn't look like it was as mobile as it was back in '04. If you've never seen the show, you won't notice. But if you have, then you probably will, especially during "Circle of Life."

But to particulars. Just about all of us have seen The Lion King, so I don't need to go into plot particulars. We still have Nala and Simba and Sarabi and Mufasa and Scar, and Zazu. There are a few new songs, some written by composer Lebo M, which are South African chants ("Grassland Chant", "Lioness Hunt"), and there are some trunk songs for the characters (Simba's "Endless Night", Nala's "Shadowlands", Zazu's "Morning Report" and "Chow Down" for the hyenas). There is also the Act II Opener, "The Madness of King Scar" (which for some reason has been shortened), my favorite piece in the show. The new songs integrate seamlessly into the existing pieces, and Tim Rice, Julie Taymor and Elton John wrote the music and lyrics for the new, non-chant numbers.

The cast was very strong, especially the chorus. I have to give them major props because much of their singing is off-stage. Having attempted to do this for J&H, I know how hard this is. It is pitch-black in the wings and the monitors are not very helpful. So kudos to them. Zazu was probably my favorite character, and Young Nala and Young Simba were done very handsomely by the child actors. The wildebeest stampede is an excellent, excellent scene, and probably, after "Circle of Life", the highlight of the show.

If you haven't seen this show it is worth it for the sheer spectacle--the costumes, the scenery, the lighting. The music is impressive, especially the numbers that incorporate chant, such as "He Lives In You" and "Rafiki Mourns." The two solos for Nala and Simba are also very nice and needed additions for character development.

So while the scenery may be simplified, there is nothing quite like watching the elephants and rhinoceri amble down the aisles of the theater and up onto the stage for the opening number. It's thrilling to watch.

Speech recap

So, I gave my first speech for LOOP last night in an educational setting; I had done one before for their Candlelight Vigil in April. This was a bit easier because it was less formal. I didn't have any note cards--totally off the cuff, but since I was talking about myself, it's not as impressive as it sounds (if it sounds impressive at all).

There were about 20 people there (but there was food for 40!). I think it was a bible study or fellowship group. Lauren, from LOOP, did most of the talking--about how donation works, what can be donated, who can donate, etc. I was the "human interest" angle. I made the group laugh a few times, which is always my goal, and I answered a few questions. The whole thing lasted about 40 minutes. The group was very good, mostly people from 40-60ish, and they asked a lot of questions.

I had a lot of fun doing it and I hope I get to do it again. Spreading the word is so important. So, if you're not an organ donor, click here.

Upcoming

Three things:
--Recap of my speech tonight
--Lion King Culture Cat
--Bookshelf--The Other Queen

See what you have to look forward to?
Oh, and if you like/hate/ are indifferent about the new blog look, let me know.

Well of course...

Your result for The Who Would You Be in 1400 AD Test...

The Lady

You scored 26% Cardinal, 36% Monk, 62% Lady, and 49% Knight!

Chaste and pure, you are a good person. You try to help others and do your duty to your family. However, this duty involves you being sold off to a local noble house in order to cement relations between your families. But you know it's for a greater good, and besides you will retain all the comforts and glamour of your position regardless of if you're your father's or you husband's property.

Take The Who Would You Be in 1400 AD Test at HelloQuizzy

Speech! Speech!

Tomorrow I am giving a speech for LOOP at Summit Station United Methodist Church.
I'm excited, since, as y'all know, I love to talk. :)

It's back!

The power is, thanks be to God the Almighty, back. Just in time for me to get ready to see Lion King tonight. :)
My cousin Di and her husband had enough foresight to go to St. Louis last week to visit Di's family (my aunt and uncle and cousin). They live in Houston, and Di is pregnant. God knows when they're going to be back......

Channeling Laura Ingalls

So Hurricane Ike has left me (and about 1,000,000 other Ohioans) out of power. I have not had power since 6:30 last night, and I am now at my parents', mooching their electricity/AC/ what have you.

Some notes gleaned from my experience thus far:

--You get a lot of reading done when you have nothing to do but read. I finished Night and Day and read The Covenant, a novel by Naomi Raben, which was really good. I may even add it to my favorites list.

--Writing by candlelight isn't that bad, except you have to have an awful lot of candles.

--Thankfully it was windy so I just opened the windows and got a good breeze, so I didn't miss the AC.

--No internet, so I was glad I knew what the weather would be.

--When there's no light, you go to bed early--like 9:00. But I didn't sleep well. When my power's off, so my alarm on my clock, and I can't hear my cell phone without my CI in. So I was sort of nervous, leading to a 5:30 wake-up. Hey, at least I got my yoga practice in!

--Putting on make-up in the dark is...interesting. But I didn't look bad!

--I got to the office at 6:40. Oh yeah.

--The boys in my office didn't shave, because they didn't want to shave in the dark. So they looked sort of funny. :)

--I was never so glad to get to my office and have electricity in my life.

--I came home at 4:00--still nothing. So I showered, read a bit, and then went to my parents', where I am now mooching off internet.

--And...kudos to Nutmeg for leading me to the cool site where I got my new background!

The Sound of Silence

I was having lunch with my dad last week, and, as is our habit, we took a walk around Capitol Square afterwards. It was a warm August day, just after noon.
As we walked, I asked my dad, "Why does everyone always have iPods in? Don't they ever want quiet?"
"No. They don't like to be alone with themselves."
That's an odd though to me. I live alone, and I like being alone most of the time. I enjoy silence. There are times at my office when things are too loud and I turn off my CI. This actually isn't an uncommon phenomenon for us CI folks. In an article I was reading a while back, a little girl who just got a CI would take it off, hand it to her mother, and say "I don't want my sound right now."

"The world is too much with us," reads one poem. Don't get me wrong. I love my iPod and it's great when I'm in the car on long trips, or working out. But I don't want sound bombarding me every minute of the day. I like to walk alone, or sit alone, and just let my thoughts go. I love singing along with the CD in my car, but there are also times when I like to drive in silence.

At Church, we had to re-institute the idea of "sacred silence" five minutes before Mass, so that people would be able to pray and recollect themselves. It drives me to distraction to see people chattering before Mass. Moments of silence are so hard to come by. But "it is the silence of the heart that God speaks," Mother Teresa said. We can say God doesn't talk to us, but are we actually listening for him? The Bible describes God as the "still, small voice" who spoke to Elijah outside the cave. God rarely does things like in the B.C. comic, where the caveman asks, "God, if you're really there, show me a sign." The next frame shows a huge theater marquee in front of him that says, "I'm up here!"

Most of the time we don't get those. And if we're constantly using our iPod, or cell phone, or whatever, then we're not really paying attention to the people around us. We're only marginally there.

The first retreat I ever went on was a silent retreat. A lot of people, when I told them, would ask me, "Three days of Silence!? I couldn't do that!" But I loved it. It was so easy, so peaceful. At meal times we didn't speak but there was a sense of camaraderie and sense of purpose. We were all fully present, in that meal, in that moment.

I want to be fully present.

9/11 in song

"If I Had My Way"--Linda Eder


Lyrics:

Long ago and far away
Before the world had come to this
I took for granted how my life would be
Assuming that my freedom would be free.

Before these evening shadows fell
reveled in the light of day
I rarely ever cried, my patience wasn't tried
And heroes never died

But if I had my way
Things would be different
Danger wouldn't come from a sky of blue
Choices would be clear
Strangers would be kinder
Love a little blinder
As it saved the day
If I had my way

Every now and then it seems
We live our lives to such extremes
Racing all around, never homeward bound
Losing what we've found

But if I had my way
Things would be different
No one would believe that a lie was true
Choices would be clear
Wisdom would be heeded
Warnings never needed
This is what I pray
If I had my way

The milk of human kindness
Would seek us out and find us
And color all the words we say

And hearts would come alive
Instead of breaking
No one would believe
That a lie was true
Angels would appear
Children would be cherished
Hope would never perish
Faith would not betray
If I had my way

You can buy the fantastic album, Gold, here

Housekeeping

A couple new things on the sidebar....

1) You can subscribe to this blog feed! So you get the Bucket right when I write it! How cool is that?! :) (OK I'm a bit too excited about this)

2) You can be a followed of my blog! That link is right below the subscribe on the right.

The Lipstick-wearing hockey mom

From Nutmeg

More for the aw(e) file

This

Political Ridiculousness

Well That Changes My Mind, Cont'd [Jonah Goldberg]
Deepak Chopra dubs Sarah Palin the Shadow.

She is the reverse of Barack Obama, in essence his shadow, deriding his idealism and exhorting people to obey their worst impulses. In psychological terms the shadow is that part of the psyche that hides out of sight, countering our aspirations, virtue, and vision with qualities we are ashamed to face: anger, fear, revenge, violence, selfishness, and suspicion of "the other." For millions of Americans, Obama triggers those feelings, but they don't want to express them. He is calling for us to reach for our higher selves, and frankly, that stirs up hidden reactions of an unsavory kind. (Just to be perfectly clear, I am not making a verbal play out of the fact that Sen. Obama is black. The shadow is a metaphor widely in use before his arrival on the scene.) I recognize that psychological analysis of politics is usually not welcome by the public, but I believe such a perspective can be helpful here to understand Palin's message. In her acceptance speech Gov. Palin sent a rousing call to those who want to celebrate their resistance to change and a higher vision.

Aw(e) inducing

From Rush , talking to a Down Syndrome family (their daughter has Down Syndrome) that met McCain-Palin in Washington, PA.

Snip: (emphases mine)

CALLER:...So we accompanied them up the hill, we went right to the bus, where it was, and Governor Palin, Senator McCain, Cindy, Todd Palin, they’re all standing there. We’re in this inner circle with just us and them, and the Secret Service agent, and they came right up to us and thanked us for coming out, said they loved our sign, and Governor Palin immediately said, “May I hold your daughter?” and our daughter Chloe, who’s five, went right to her, and I have some pictures I’d love to send you maybe when I’m done here, but Governor Palin was hugging Chloe, and then her little daughter brought their baby Trig who has Down syndrome from the bus, he was napping, and Chloe went right over and kissed him on the cheek, and my son Nolan who’s nine, he thanked her.

(For some reason the pic doesn't want to load, but if you click on the link, it's the second one.
And how cute is that?!)

More on Trig and Choosing Life

From Rich Lowry
A bit of it:

As many as an estimated nine out of 10 children with Down syndrome are aborted in the womb, sought out by increasingly sophisticated prenatal tests and eliminated as too flawed, too burdensome, too different to live. This is the ugly eugenic underbelly of American life, even as we congratulate ourselves on our tolerance and diversity.

Parents of children with Down syndrome routinely encounter a “how could you?” disapproval. Former Washington Post reporter Patricia E. Bauer writes that strangers consider her daughter with Down syndrome as falling “into the category of avoidable human suffering. At best, a tragic mistake. At worst, a living embodiment of the pro-life movement. Less than human. A drain on society. That someone I love is regarded that way is unspeakably painful to me.”

Here comes Trig, who — via his mother, especially if she wins — will have a high-profile platform to expose the rest of us to his personhood and dignity. Palin always describes him, aptly, as “a perfectly beautiful baby boy.” After her speech, she held him on stage as she was joined by the rest of her family. Given how dated assumptions are about Down syndrome, he could do us much good growing up in the Naval Observatory.

At home Daybook--September 8

(Totally stole this from Elizabeth)


***
Outside My Window ...is a beautiful day. The trees are still green but the air is cooler and the breeze is crisp, promising fall very soon.

***
Towards a daily rhythm ... learning to do what is important first and well, to have time for the fun things later.
***
I am thankful for ...my faith sharing group; the onset of fall; my friends; the work I did today.
***
From the kitchen ...
Greek Tuna pasta salad for dinner.

***
To live the liturgy...
Saying my rosary BEFORE bed, in honor of Mary's birthday. This way I won't fall asleep whilst I'm saying it (as I am prone to do).

***
I am wearing ... a blue jersey dress and a turquoise cardigan that hits at my waist. All blue for Mary. :)
***
I am creating ...my schedule for the week.
***
I am going to breathe deeply ...it's getting cooler this week, so fun fall clothes and activities.
***
Bringing beauty to my home ...cleaning and setting up the apartment for the onset of fall and winter. trying to obtain real order and not just organized chaos.
***
I am reading ... Truth and Tolerance, by BXVI; Night and Day, by Virginia Woolf, and The Golden Bowl, by Henry James
***
I am hoping ... that tonight's Parish Council meeting goes quickly and well (not necessarily in that order)
***
Around the house ... the kitchen table is still a disaster.

One of my favorite things ... talking politics with my faith sharing group. :)
***
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Parish Council tonight; Choir on W; Bryan's 23rd birthday (yikes!) and dinner at Scali's on Thursday; Tastefully Simple party on Friday.
***
Here is a picture thought I am sharing~

Quotable Quote

A handicapped child, even if it is only one among a thousand healthy ones, has its own life to live, as a unique being, alongside that of its parents and its brothers and sisters. Why does God "allow this"? Let us beware of "glib" answers. Where the question "Why?" is concerned, only the response of solidarity can convince anyone. I, too, might have been this handicapped child. It has the same human existence and the same dignity as I do. It is a living challenge to me: Be the kind of person to me that you would wish for if you were in my place. How much love has come into the world by this painful means!

--Chirstoph Cardinal Schonborn, Chance or Purpose?: Creation, Evolution, and a Rational Faith (102-103)

A good football day...

Because Pitt won. Whew.