Swing Out Sister.

I have been in such a wonderful mood today. I’ve been dancing around the office at work. I’ve greeted all with a smile. In short, I am happy.

Here, sing along with one of my favorite songs from the 80s.

By the way, I sang backups with a make-shift “band” on this song when I was in college in fall of 1986, before the song was released in the states. I still love singing the “whoo-ooos”, and both Earl and Tom appreciate my efforts whenever I crank this song up.

Words to live by:

Don’t start to ask
And now you’ve found a way to make it last
You’ve got to find a way
Say what you want to say
Breakout

Lay down the law
Shout out for more
Breakout and shout
Day in, day out
Breakout

I was originally going to write about my moderately OCD behavior, with today’s focus being on the comment left on yesterday’s entry about my use of the word Republinzai (link to urban dictionary definition). I spent the morning obsessing about the comment and my response and ended up editing my retort several times.

I then decided that I really don’t give a shit about what other people think. My use of the word was not suggesting that all Republicans are Nazis or whatever; it was referring to ONE hypothetical Republican, that exists solely in the context of one sentence (that was apparently poorly written) who is hypothetically throwing fuel on a hypothetical fire that is being used to burn gays at the stake a la Salem, Mass. several hundred years ago. Lighten up.

I’ve obsessed about what other people think about me for the last 35+ years. I’ve had enough of it. It’s time to Breakout.

10 November 2006 by DJ 0

Soft Spot.

The photo in this entry by Karl, and another taken from a different angle, have been popping up all over the internet since Tuesday’s election. It’s taken during Senator Rick Santorum’s concession speech, after losing to Pennsylvania’s Bob Casey. It’s a picture of Senator Santorum’s family.

Now Rick Santorum has said and done some vile things, particularly regarding gay folks, including some blather about us doing the nasty with animals or some such other idiotic thing. So at the very least the guy is an idiot that made it way too far up the food chain, but I personally believe he’s just evil.

Be that as it may, I just can’t bring myself to post this picture on my own blog. And it’s because of the youngest child shown in the photo. She’s just way too sad. I can’t take the sight of sad people, especially children. I can’t even take seeing a cartoony sad face. That purple pill commercial where the little bubble with a face is all sad and depressed and is bouncing around looking all forlorn ruins my day, despite the fact that’s he’s happy at the end.

Earl and I have a tradition of rewarding serving staff with a happy face on our credit card receipts at restaurants. This is in addition to, not in place of the gratuity. A number of years ago we stopped at the Viewmont Mall outside of Scranton, Pa. on one of our trips. I believe the restaurant was TGIFriday’s or something like it. The waitress was a mess. None of our food was right (I believe I had ordered baked chicken and got linguini with clam sauce), we didn’t get any drinks, despite repeated requests throughout the meal and the appetizer came out last, with our drinks. That was after waiting for 15 minutes for the server to even get to our table. Still, we tipped her. Very little. I told Earl that perhaps he should hold off on the happy face. She didn’t deserve it. Instead of leaving the space blank, he drew a sad face.

OH. MY. GOD.

I just found that to be so wrong. After a rapid fire stream of hysterical words, I didn’t speak to Earl for the rest of the trip. I couldn’t. I felt bad for the server that had served me clam sauce instead of chicken and withheld my iced tea. She had earned a sad face.

I finally calmed down and I must say that from that experience on I’ve handled the doling out of happy faces when we are dining out.

Back to the Santorums. Now I understand that the little girl in that picture who’s bawling her eyes out is probably going to grow up to be some Republinazi who will gleefully throw fuel on the fire they are using to burn the likes of me. But I don’t want her to be sad. I want her to be happy. There’s always a bright spot to everything, like perhaps she can go to public school now instead of being cyber schooled with her ugly siblings.

Update at 4:42 p.m. Eastern: O.k., maybe I snickered once.

Update at 4:56 p.m. Eastern: I need to just let this go. I really do. Maybe I snickered again and added a snark:
rude.jpg

9 November 2006 by Ponderings and Musings 0

Good For You Arizona.




Arizona.

Originally uploaded by bluemarvel.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love Arizona? Yesterday the voters of Arizona struck down a constitutional amendment that banned domestic partnerships including civil unions and gay marriage. They’re the first state to do so.

Thank you Arizona for not being cowards.

8 November 2006 by Flickr 0

Tears.

I wasn’t going to say this but I figured what the hell. I’ll admit that when I got up this morning, turned on CNN and saw that the Democrats had gained control of the House and are thisclose to doing the same with the Senate, I got choked up a little bit with happiness. When I saw that Elliott Spitzer, a proponent of gay marriage or civil unions, was elected as the next Governor of New York, I shed a few tears of joy.

The winds of change are here!

Now we should have some realistic checks and balances going on in Washington again. It feels like the insanity cycle is finally coming to an end.

8 November 2006 by Political BS. 0

Eat Your Veggies.

I’m finding myself in good spirits today. I’m a little surprised by this because Earl is out of town on business and in order for him to catch his flight this morning he had to get up at 3:45 a.m. and make a lot of noise in the bedroom and bathroom. And flash a few lights on and off too. I was able to catch an hour or so of sleep after his departure, but it was still early when I got up and I’m easily not a morning person.

I’m attributing my good mood to vegetables. You see, Earl and I went on a desperately needed grocery shopping run and stocked up the cupboards and refrigerator with moderately healthy stuff, including a nice variety of raw vegetables. Earl packs the lunches in our merry little household and always slices up some vegetables and packages them up as a daily compliment to my lunch. I love eating raw vegetables, even onions (to the dismay of my co-workers) and I suspect they contribute to a sunnier disposition.

Maybe Mom was right when she said to eat my vegetables.

8 November 2006 by Food. 0

Voting Day.

I just got back from voting. All in all the entire process took less than five minutes. I was voter number 211 at our Town Hall today. I was disappointed to see no baked goods for sale; before we moved in 2003 our old voting place always had some civic organization selling baked goods. At the primary elections in September I was voter 59 at 6:00 p.m., today I was 211 a little after noon so I think there’ll be a good turnout. I was sure to thank the voting officials as I left the building. I admire them. I hope to be one someday.

Growing up we rarely talked about politics in my family. There were no heated debates at home of who was a good candidate and who was a bad candidate. At the family owned business was another matter, there were often loud, boisterous discussions amongst the older generation, but not at home. My Mom and Dad would always do their part and vote. We’d get into the car and drive down to the local fire/bingo/meeting/recreation/voting hall. We’d see the local folks from the grocery store or whatnot in their capacity as “election officials”. Mom and Dad would check in and sign the big book and then go into the machine with the curtain. Jennifer usually went in with Dad to watch, I was allowed to go in with Mom. Afterwards, she wouldn’t reveal who she voted for and I believe my father just hit the buttons across his party’s row. To talk about it would go against the unspoken “politics are not to be discussed” rule that applied at home. I think this was his way of maintaining peace and quiet because there were so many arguments at work about politics.

When I voted today I was happy to see the tried and true mechanical voting machines that have been present in this part of the state for a long, long time. I also smiled as I cast my votes, because while I was making what I thought were informed, intelligent decisions and it ended up that I was doing as my Dad did and going right across a party line.

I think it was a different party though. I could be wrong. We never talked about it much.

7 November 2006 by Political BS. 0

Decision 2006.

Turn on the television and you can’t avoid the advertisements for why Politician X is the best choice for Office Y. Tomorrow is Election Day here in the United States and Earl and I encourage everyone to get to the polls and make informed, thought out decisions for the candidate of your choice. Some say “they’re all crooks, they’re all liars, there’s no good choices.” If you don’t vote, you don’t have a voice.

Speak out on Election Day.

6 November 2006 by Political BS. 0

Decaffinated Monday.

So here it is the first Monday of November and the day before Election Day here in the United States. There are many things to be happy about, including the fact that the weather is absolutely gorgeous for this time of year and that it’s the last day of election ads for a while, thank goodness.

As part of my “Healthy Living Yo-Yo Practices”, I’m suffering from a bit of caffeine withdrawal today. Over the weekend if I was drinking beer or chocolate martinis, I was drinking unsweetened iced tea or soda pop. So today I’m paying the price for my work habit of drinking lots of water and avoiding the caffeine.

Consequently, I was becoming a litle irritable. So I had a Diet Pepsi and I feel loads better.

Now if we could just do something about all these political ads we’re being bombarded with today.

6 November 2006 by Ponderings and Musings 0

Boston, Mass.




Boston.

Originally uploaded by bluemarvel.

Earl and I decided to head back into Boston before heading home today. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, so we parked under Boston Common and then went for a walk through the park. We then headed over to Boylston St. and walked up to Massachusetts Ave., stopping at Au Bon Pain along the way.

Earl always cracks me up because when he says “Au Bon Pain” he sounds like Charlie Brown’s teacher. I guess that’s his version of a French accent.

Once on Mass. Ave., we stopped at what I’ve always known to be Tower Records but apparently it had become a Virgin Megastore. And today was it’s last day of business apparently with everything 75 to 90% off. I used to always look forward to going to Tower on Saturday afternoons back in the late 1980s as I was always eager to add my growing 12-inch single collection. I got a little choked up to see that it was closing down.

When the walked up Newberry St. before jumping on the T at Boylston and heading over to Government Center. I tried to talk Earl into walking all the way to Government Center but he remarked that it was much too far. I reminded him that everytime we’ve done that exact walk he’s said it was much too far but I like riding the T so we took the T. We ended up at the Bell In Hand tavern on Union and Marshall for lunch before jumping back on T at Haymarket and grabbing the Jeep and heading home.

Truth be known, I wouldn’t mind living in Boston again. For now I’ll have to be content with visiting from time to time.

We’re going back in two weeks.

5 November 2006 by Flickr 0

About J.P.

Just a guy with a husband. We’ve been together 28 years and he still makes me see fireworks on a daily basis. Hiker. Storm Chaser. Private Pilot. Tech Guy. Hackerish.

Weird? Eccentric!

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