Ponderings and Musings

Kitty Carlisle Hart, well-known as a panelist on the game show “To Tell The Truth”, passed on last night. She was 96.

Still touring and performing right up until the end of her life, Kitty was an accomplished performer on the stage, both as an opera singer and actor. She also was the only person to appear on *all* incarnations of “To Tell The Truth”, her last appearance on that show was at age 92.

Here’s a link to the best remembered version of the theme song for “To Tell The Truth”.

This weekend Earl and I were talking with Rick and Helen about cell phones. I mentioned to them that I’ve been pondering ditching my cell phone for the past year or so and that I thought I was ready to take the plunge and just do it. Both Rick and Helen thought it was a great idea and they wished they could do the same.

I have to admit that I don’t talk on my cell phone very much. I haven’t even charged it in the past week as it’s just been sitting on the kitchen counter. I didn’t take it to Pennsylvania. There could be messages waiting for me. Who knows.

My sister gets hysterical when I mentioned getting rid of the cell phone. I’ve never been one for talking on the cell phone. I can chat online until the cows come home, but I’m not one for actually talking. If I’m going to talk with someone I’d rather talk with them face to face. I don’t like having meals/movies/visits to the laundromat interrupted with the jingle of my cell phone, so why even bother carrying it. I can keep the older phone I have in the car and dial 911 if the emergency ever arises. Truth be known I’d rather text chat with emergency personnel (provided I still had all my fingers). I’m just more coherent that way.

So I think I’m going to take the plunge and get rid of the phone, finally, at the end of this month.

If you want me, e-mail me. I always have my PowerBook in tow.

I am working out as I type. Can you hear me panting and sweating and grunting? That’s what I’m doing, as the sweat falls and the calories burn. I’m sitting on the exercise bike and just pedaling and pedaling and pedaling.

I had to do something to make this interesting. Normally I’d be out on my road bike by this time of the year, enjoying the smell of the flowers and watching the grass turn green, as I ride along country roads with the sun in my eyes and the wind at my back. But you see, my road bike does not have skiis (I opted out of that accessory), and since the weather is whacked out and I don’t have a boat to pull me, I can’t water ski or snow ski on my bike so I’m stuck on the exercise bike in the cellar.

It’s not that I don’t like my exercise bike. I like it very much. The problem is, the only thing I have to look at while riding this bike is the clock. And painted cinder block walls. And that can be very boring. I sit there waiting for the clock to advance to the point where I can say, “I’m done!”.

I’ve tried listening to the iPod while working out, but the time thing still creeps into my head. I think, “This song is four minutes long. In five songs it’ll be 20 minutes. Perhaps that’s long enough.”

So here I am, trying to type and surf while working out. It’s not an easy thing to do, but at least it makes the ride more interesting.

I was delighted to wake up this morning and find that it hadn’t snowed overnight. We had a lot of rain and some sleet but none of the white stuff.

There was no need for an Excalibur moment this morning. I have calmed down.

I really don’t know why meteorologists bother trying to predict the weather. Just for fun, I recorded their forecast for the next week. Today it was suppose to be sunny and 55 degrees. It’s pouring rain at 36 degrees.

It’s obvious that you can’t fool Mother Nature. She knows best.

In other news, I started messing around with Podcasting today. I enjoyed the experience and will be doing it again in the future. I didn’t plan any of the content and just rambled and threw on a new and old dance track. If you want to listen to me ramble, you can subscribe here.

Sunshine.

Originally uploaded by jp2.0.

Get out and enjoy the sunshine while you can. That’s what I always say.

For the past several years, Earl and I have celebrated the Easter holiday by going on our first picnic of the year. We normally make ham sandwiches, bring along some salads, chips and iced tea, and go to a state park to enjoy the springtime sunshine and perhaps walk around a little bit.

Today we woke up to over an inch of snow and temperatures in the mid 20s. While we are both quite adventurous, we really didn’t feel up to a picnic in that sort of weather.

Instead we invited my Mom to the local casino where they were having a wonderful brunch for thousands of their closest friends. We ran into my cousin and her family and chatted with them for a few moments and ended up having a wonderful meal and leaving some of our hard earned money in the process.

I guess Mother Nature isn’t quite ready to bless us with full-time spring yet, as it looks like it’ll be late February like for the next couple of days. Earl thinks our first picnic of the year will be to celebrate Independence Day.

I’ve been mentioning to Earl on and off for the past couple of weeks that I was thinking of ramping back considerably on my blogging habits. I don’t know whether it’s a case of finding interests elsewhere or just sheer boredom, but I thought that reading my blog had become as interesting as watching paint dry.

That was until today.

One of my reasons for having a blog is to show the world, through my experiences, a different perspective on life. I don’t really see “the big picture” as many see it. I don’t think I’m even looking at the same wall as most. Sometimes it seems like I’m looking at the back of the big picture. Sometimes it seems I’m out in the bathroom while everyone is gazing at this big picture. Perhaps it’s educational to some that there’s these whacky people out there that look at the world a little differently and maybe any given topic can’t be pigeon-holed into black or white.

In addition, I don’t believe that Earl and I fit the stereotypical image of a gay couple, and by sharing our experiences and viewpoints on here, it shows the world the diversity that exists in this little subculture with sparkles.

Anyway, after a lively sociology class at school today I decided that I need to hang around in the blogosphere a bit and keep doing what I’m doing. Today’s topic in class was “Education and Religion”. We started off by being asked to draw a person, much like they do to screen students for kindergarten. I apparently would have been sent to summer school if I was to attend kindergarten today because I drew a stick figure. I was generous enough to include hair, ears, shoes and a smiley face. I guess I haven’t changed much since kindergarten age, because my kindergarten teacher told my mother that I was learning disabled and should be in special ed because I couldn’t color between the lines. They later decided that I was “beyond” coloring between the lines and had more important things to do. I guess that still applies.

Anyways, the conversations started up during the lecture. I enjoy this class because about half the class (the sleeping half) has pretty much dropped out and now people actually participate. Since returning from spring break I’ve become increasingly participatory in class and today I was running at full tilt.

The 20s-something woman two rows back, the one happily married with four kids, was giving her viewpoint on the separation of church and state in the schools and how it was just awful that there was discussion about taking the Pledge of Allegiance out of the schools because of the words “under God”. Several of our classmates agreed with her, saying that our Founding Fathers put “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance for a reason.

“Whammy! Thanks for playing, here’s your lifetime supply of bleach.”

Before the instructor had a chance to jump in, she looked at me, smiling knowingly as she read the expression on my face as I said, “Actually, the Pledge of Allegiance wasn’t around until 1892 and the ‘under God’ part wasn’t added until 1952. I think the Founding Fathers were long dead by then.” I don’t know what it is about adding a little zinger to the end of my arguments. Perhaps too much Golden Girls or something.

“Well I don’t know why people have to come into our country and force us to endure their religious beliefs. This is a Christian nation.”, another student said.

“I’m sure the Native Americans loved us forcing Christianity upon them when we arrived in North America”, was my reply.

I guess I was a little worked up today.

The discussion continued, including my defense of people who need to take time off from their jobs for religious purposes (Jewish holidays, Pagan celebrations, etc) and how they shouldn’t have to bring in a note from the coven. I think the Pagan part spooked some.

Perhaps I should wear all black on Tuesday or something.

Anyway, the paint has finally dried and I’m still here.

* addendum, I was wrong in class, “under God” was added in 1954 per Wikipedia.

Today I came to the realization that I’m not even halfway through my life yet. I fully intend on reaching that century mark and I’m well under that dreaded “50”, heck, I’m not even touching 40 yet. Nevertheless, I think I’ve been having a midlife crisis of sort over the past month or so, hence the intense working out I’ve been doing (and subsequent weight loss and muscle gain, whoo hoo!) and the change in my appearance a bit. I figure I’ve got the rest of my life to cruise through drive thru restaurants, watch television and be lazy, so for now I’ll eat healthy, workout, be active and embrace my 38 years of age by feeling young.

It may sound like I’m feeling down in the dumps. Quite the contrary; I actually feel great. I guess I’m eager for spring weather to return, as the temperature fell 25 degrees today and it’s been raining to the point of flood warnings again. Maybe I need to get out on my bike and ride to Binghamton and back or something (200 mile round trip).

Too bad my road bike doesn’t have water skiis on it.

I certainly miss the days of decent television show opening themes. This is one of the best, EVER! I’m inviting everyone to sing along with the song that has been going through my head today.

Every once in a while one needs a Sunday where you can kick back and just relax. And today we did just that. Outside of needed laundry, a quick trip to the market and fixing supper, today was about doing nothing but regrouping. And playing Xbox.

Life is good.