Day 5 of President

Obama

For more Singular Saturdays go visit Jenn in Holland.

Peace

I found this over at A2EATWRITE

How appropriate for this day...

Your Word is "Peace"

You see life as precious, and you wish everyone was safe, happy, and taken care of. Social justice, human rights, and peace for all nations are all important to you. While you can't stop war, you try to be as calm and compassionate as possible in your everyday life. You promote harmony and cooperation. You're always willing to meet someone a little more than halfway.

What's Your Word?

This Land

This post brought to you by Soccer Mom in Denial - posting every Monday on a different musical memory.

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Like SMID, we were on the Mall yesterday facing the Lincoln Memorial. Tomorrow we'll be facing the other direction.

Despite some occasional hiccups - Josh Groban following a clip about Marian Anderson? - and some cold (all good practice for tomorrow) it was a fantastic concert. Granted we saw and heard much of it via the jumbotron - but to be in a giant crowd (400,000!) all so thrilled to be there and silent as a church mouse as we strained to hear Gene Robinson's prayer - was spectacular!

My favorite part. The one where we all sang the refrain together...

Divine Grace

This post brought to you by Soccer Mom in Denial - posting every Monday on a different musical memory.

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A couple of weeks ago, Christmas Day to be exact, I attended church services at the American Cathedral in Paris with my dad and sister. When I arrived, my sister was waiting outside for me, having arrived a little bit earlier with dad. She said she was very excited as they had been listening to the soloists rehearse and the female was really good. Great! I love me a good church service and particularly one with good music.

As we went through the multi-page program (it was one of those ones where they include all the readings and songs word for word), about a half hour into it, I'm reading along responding to the minister and sort of looking ahead.

"Holy Crap!" I whisper loudly to my family. Next up is the offertory music - sung by Denyce Graves (and some tenor...). Who is she? Only one of the greatest mezzo-sopranos in the world. An American treasure, born and raised in Washington, DC. The woman who sang the most stirring rendition of America, the Beautiful and the Lord's Prayer at the church service at the National Cathedral after 9-11 (W. of course totally not getting it). The woman whose signature role of Carmen I saw her perform - as a first anniversary gift from my husband. Sigh.

I cried.

After the service, my dad and I ran over to say hello - I was shaking. I told her Santa left an extra present under the tree for me this year. I'm such a dork.

Bollywood High

This post brought to you by Soccer Mom in Denial - posting every Monday on a different musical memory.

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During December/January there are a slew of movies out just in time for Oscar nominations. Makes for entertaining movie choices - even if some are hard to watch - and also entertaining soundtracks.

Go see Slumdog Millionaire. And fall in love with the movie as well as its music.

Resolutions

Every year I earnestly try to come up with a good New Year's resolution. Knowing that the odds of failure are pretty high with these things I try and come up with ones that are do-able (no, dieting and exercise don't count!) and that will have a meaningful impact on my life, and which are to a very large degree under my control (no, meeting Mr. Right is not under my control - or at least it wasn't).

The only resolution I can remember from past years was to iron my clothes more. I suppose the reason I remember it is because I actually did it. I looked neater and I had more clothing options. Then I discovered non-iron shirts and a wonderful cleaning woman and well... keeping that resolution hasn't been so tough.

I'm mulling over this year's options and have had a few suggestions from other people:

1. write more thank you's on paper - and mail them. how wonderful to get an email but even more wonderful to get a surprise in the mailbox on something pretty

2. read more, print less. isn't the point of email to reduce our paper consumption? a bit against resolution #1 but not so much

3. read more. would love to do this and have generally succeeded in the past - at least for the first few months. then I lose track. I couldn't tell you how much I read this past year and if it was more than the year before. quality is uneven too :)

I think I'm settling on a resolution - eat more superfoods. or eat them several times a week. In answer to a friend's question - that also means eating less of not-so-superfoods. Dieting that involves eating. Yep, that's my resolution this year.

Elf's Lament

This post brought to you by Soccer Mom in Denial - posting every Monday on a different musical memory.

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Despite my best intentions, I did not watch all the claymation I could - in fact, I saw none! Somehow I missed out this year. So frustrating. It's not that I love Christmas specials (believe me, I don't) - but there's just something about those felt puppets and the jerky way they walk. I used to watch Davy & Goliath every Sunday just for that reason - who knew what the lesson was - I loved that dog and the fake grass in their backyard.

The other night I came home, yet again disappointed to miss my favorites - but lucky enough to catch a movie with a real live elf - Elf in fact. Despite being a hokey Christmas movie it's got some pretty hilarious scenes.

Poor Buddy.

In the spirit of poor big Buddy and also the anti-labor union sentiment in the White House and among Republican members of Congress (grrrr...) I bring you Elf's Lament.

Happy Holidays!

Home Alone...

This post brought to you by Soccer Mom in Denial - posting every Monday on a different musical memory.

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My husband will be taking off this week for a bit of early vacation - I'll be joining him next week. Yesterday someone asked me what I'd do with all this time alone. When I'm gone he plays all the Mahler and Wagner he can. I tend in another direction. Leave my shoes lying around, purses and handbags throughout the apartment... and watching bad television. And since it's that time of year, I see a lot of claymation in my future!

I'm over

baked

For more Singular Saturdays go visit Jenn in Holland.

Rockin' Holiday Tunes

This post brought to you by Soccer Mom in Denial - posting every Monday on a different musical memory.

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On Saturday I wrote that I was working on a holiday music mix. We're having a party next weekend and I wanted some good tunes. Nothing too slow or we'd all fall asleep. Stuff that would get people moving - and some funny lyrics are always nice. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my Charlie Brown Christmas CD, but it just isn't peppy enough for this occasion.

Here's a portion of the list - ones you don't hear too often (or often enough):

The Chanukah Song (1&2) - Adam Sandler
Back Door Santa - B.B. King and John Popper
Elf's Lament - Barenaked Ladies (with Michael Buble)
Swingin' Dreidel - Kenny Ellis
Christmas in America - Melissa Etheridge
It's Christmas Time - Melissa Etheridge
Christmas All Over Again - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Christmas Is - Run DMC
Santa Baby - Joseph Simmons, Keith Murray, Mase, Onyx, P. Diddy, Salt-N-Pepa, Snoop Dogg & The Christmas All Stars
This Christmas (Hang all the mistletoe) - Macy Gray
Little Drummer/Hot Hot Hot - Wyclef Jean
Merry Christmas Baby - Stevie Wonder and Wyclef Jean
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Barenaked Ladies (with Sarah McLachlan)

and Christmas in Hollis - Run DMC

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Putting together a holiday music...

mix

For more Singular Saturdays go visit Jenn in Holland.

Oh, the shoes

My sister wrote a really great post about breaking free from consumerism - the kind that leads to the needless death of a Wal-Mart worker.

You should read the whole posting - it's all very good info and thought.

Let me just highlight her ideas for detoxing:

• Read this excellent, non-preachy guide (with cartoons!) to reducing your consumerism: Affluenza
• Join (or at least explore) the simplicity movement. Read more here: Voluntary simplicity movement re-emerges and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_living
• Get a fresh perspective: spend a night volunteering at a homeless shelter instead of lining up for deals. This will give you a whole new appreciation for the word need.
• Make a list of the things you really want and then put off buying them for 3, 6 or 12 months (or ever), and I'm talking about a flat screen TV or that third pair of black heels, not health insurance. It may seem painful at first, but you may see over time that you don't miss the items.
• Don't fill your leisure time with consumerism. Pick something you love to do - cycling, writing, photography - and do that instead. Yes, you may have to make some initial investments (don't use it as an excuse to gear up), but in the long run you'll have a much healthier and less expensive hobby than going to the mall.

Oooh, putting off the shoe shopping is going to be tough...

I *heart* Connie Schultz

On a recent trip I managed to polish off Connie Schultz's book "Life Happens and Other Unavoidable Truths" and was so sad to put it down.

A couple of years ago I read "And His Lovely Wife..." which I guess was out of order. No matter. Absolutely worth reading.

As the lovely wife - and truly lovely, no matter what writers say about her hair - of the esteemed Sherrod Brown, Senator for Ohio - she is all that and more.

Her take on everyday life and the struggles and triumphs of the working class make you want to move to Ohio and do whatever you can to improve people's lives.

Did I mention that through a Pulitzer-prize winning series she wrote on a wrongly - VERY wrongly - convicted man that he was set free! The column on how he forgave the real criminal just made me cry.

At the same time she had me bawling about the released man I was bawling about her cat.

and Sherrod is just my hero. Cute to boot. Loves girl scout cookies.

I'm hoping to meet them some day. Hoping that when I do I don't make a total fool of myself blubbering about how much I would love to be their best friend. Probably think I was a psycho.


I heart Connie. and Sherrod.

Living with HIV

This post brought to you by Soccer Mom in Denial - posting every Monday on a different musical memory.

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I am embarrassed to say that I had totally forgotten it was World AIDS Day. Truth be told, I didn't TOTALLY forget - it just took me a few hours. Considering what I do for a living you'd think I would have had it foremost in my brain. Cut me some slack, every day is world AIDS day for me!

The US Government's theme this year (because for whatever reason we can't seem to agree with UNAIDS...) is "Celebrate Life". I'm not a big fan of the motto (too close to pro-life for me) - but the underlying theme is living positively. I can get behind that.

It was not too long ago that we didn't talk about people living with HIV. And now we can.

Congratulations, Andy Bell - you are LIVING.

Back to baking in my own...

kitchen

For more Singular Saturdays go visit Jenn in Holland.

All I Want for Christmas

I got an email from my ne'er do well sister today - in lieu of gifts for herself for Christmas (and her birthday which falls mid-December) she wants cash.

For a family in Uganda. For the school fees for their children. 12 adopted orphans.

"How crass!", I say with a big dose of sarcasm.

On the front page of the metro section of the paper there's an article about how food banks are struggling. Next to that is an article about how a popular mall Santa was fired and has since been re-hired. Everyone is thrilled because their beloved Santa is back - and all I can think is, "glad to hear the guy still has a job".

In the spirit of all this misery - or tightening of belts, going without - I offer you my Christmas list:

- an update from last year - we have the bookshelves! Thank you Jesus (aka Ken!)

1) get those annoying people in my office off my back. let me focus on trying to stop HIV instead of agreeing to disagree on what petty issue has you in a tizzy... I have no idea... you get my drift

2) some qualified cabinet members in the new Obama administration. No former directors of the Arabian Horse Association, please.

3) an organized closet. yes, a bit selfish, I know. but the daily ritual of trying to find shoes (and re-discovering ones I'd long forgotten) really slows down my day. not to mention I'm sure my downstairs neighbor just loves the sound of a dump truck dropping a load of rocks every morning.

4) the ability to cook fish. okay, starting to get into the mundane here - but I really would like to feel a bit more at ease with this cuisine as it's healthier, I think. provided I don't buy the wrong kind and contribute to destroying the environment.

5) patience. don't kill the remote control when the channel won't change and I'm forced to watch the Real Housewives of Atlanta until something finally works in this damn little piece of plastic. don't curse the metro when it takes 8 minutes instead of 4 for a train to come during rush hour even though that means twice as many smelly, disgruntled people will be crowding on when it finally does arrive. don't yell at the TSA agent because I have to take off my belt so that stupid machine doesn't beep when I knew all along that I shouldn't have worn pants that required a belt in the first place. or shoes. or a coat. or lip gloss instead of lipstick.

Come to think of it Santa, just please leave me a big fat barrel of patience under the tree. That ought to take care of items 1 through 4 above.

I Love Turkey

This post brought to you by Soccer Mom in Denial - posting every Monday on a different musical memory.

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Finally, a Thanksgiving song!

There's a Hole in My ...

heart

For more Singular Saturdays go visit Jenn in Holland.

That Little Pink Nose

Lucy Rose Ginsberg
1988-2008

Ghana loves Obama

On my recent travels I've noticed a lot of support for candidate Obama - billboards proclaiming "Africa loves Obama", t-shirts saying "Haitians for Obama".


Well now that he's the President-elect there's a whole new wardrobe out there. Shirts, buttons, and hats... and a few campaign buttons I left behind.


It's kind of amazing to see a U.S. President embraced overseas. Rather refreshing.