Some Things Friday for October 17, 2008

Well, I haven't done one of these in a while, but I'm feeling rather wordy this morning, so here goes...

Some Things I Love:

1. My husband, Tom. We will celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary on Sunday. We are staying home and he's cooking. The menu: Appetizer ~ Pesto Croustades with Tomato Bruschetta Topping; Main Course ~ Tournadoes of Beef with Blue Cheese Glacage with Bacon and Green Onion Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Asparagus; Dessert ~ Creme Brulee; plus a bottle of Moet-Chandon White Star Champagne that has been in the refrigerator for a couple of years just waiting for the perfect occasion. I definitely think this occasion fits the bill.

2. The weather has cooled off significantly the last few days. This morning the temp outside was 47. Yesterday afternoon, anticipating the cool down, I put the lightweight down comforter on the bed. It turned out to be perfect and oh so cozy.

3. I know. She looks like just a lump on the carpet, but I love this dog.

Goldie is such an easy going dog. I've never heard her growl or bark. Now this may change when my sister arrives with her dog. Perhaps Goldie will learn how to be a real dog.

4. We finally finished the pond area. You might remember when we first dug the pond in May. When you look at those older photos you can see the grass around the pond. Well, that was then and this is now...

I will eventually make stepping stones to represent each of my sons, daughters-in-law, my grandchildren and Tom and me and those will be nested in the gravel. We planted water plants to help reduce the production of algae and bought six goldfish and six plecostomus (affectionately known at our house as merely "bottom suckers" or "suckers," for short) to keep mosquitoes at bay. Somewhere we acquired a lone tadpole which has grown into a full fledged frog that spends most of his (or her) time nestled safely on the rock just below the water's surface. Perhaps by spring, we will have baby goldfish, suckers and tadpoles. Just more mouths to feed.

5. I don't think I mentioned yet how much we enjoyed our visit to Memphis and the musical, Avenue Q. We arrived in Memphis early afternoon, checked into our hotel and walked over to Beale Street to B.B. King's where we caught an impromptu audience participation segment. The female singer (an African-American woman) invited 4 audience members (4 white women) up on stage to dance with her during a Tina Turner song medley which ended, of course, with Proud Mary. Folks, if white men can't jump, white women can't dance. It was simply embarrassing, but fun.


When it was time we headed up the street to the Orpheum Theatre for Avenue Q. I was able to get a photo of the stage with my phone before the play started...

The humor was racy and rather..er...indelicate, but we laughed until we cried. When the play was over, we walked up Main Street and ate out on the patio of a restaurant not far from the theater. Halfway through our meal, David Benoit, the actor who played one of the main (and funniest) characters in the musical, came strolling by. I looked at Tom and said, "Isn't that the guy in the play?" David Benoit stopped and said, "Yes, I am." We each shook his hand and thanked him for the wonderful evening. Tom asked him to autograph our program (shut up...I know it's freakin' goofy, but I don't care). We thanked him again and he was again on his way up the street. After dinner, we headed back to our hotel, stopped at McEwan's on Monroe for a nightcap and great conversation. It was a perfect evening.

Some Things I Hate:

1. Jesus, I cannot wait for this election to be over.

2. I wish Bush would stop making statements about the economy. Every time he opens his mouth, the market tanks. I don't think he comes across as "encouraging."

3. The irrational anger surrounding these campaigns has reached absurd levels. Now people are publicly trashing the real "Joe the Plumber." Since when can't a person, a voter, a constituent ask a valid question of a candidate without being drawn into the negativity of these campaigns?

4. The utter arrogance of the extremely wealthy top 1% of our population, like Warren Buffett, who wrote an op-ed in the New York Times yesterday advising Americans to buy American stocks. He says he is.... Really? Good for Mr. Buffett, but for most people I know, there's nothing left to buy stocks with after paying their monthly bills, buying gasoline to get to work and feeding their families.

5. Sock balls...


Tom swears he doesn't do it. He says he takes his socks off and pulls them out straight before he puts them in the laundry. No he doesn't and I now have the pictures to prove it. When I go to put the whites in the washer and come across these little gems, I just snarl under my breath (and sometimes aloud) because when I have to pull them out straight so they will actually get clean when laundered, sawdust, dirt or grass flies everywhere... all over the washer, the floor, me. Grrrr. I hate sock balls.

Some Things I Just Don't Get:

1. Did you happen to catch Suzie Orman on some news channel this week? Was it CNN or MSNBC, or CNBC? I don't remember. Anyway, when asked what advice she would give the "average" person to help us survive these bad economic times, she said, "Pay off your credit cards and have a savings cushion in the bank that is equal to 8 months salary, not including retirement savings." I'm not kidding. She actually said 8 freakin' months. Now, just for example, if a person takes home $50,000 a year, that would be a mere $32,000. Who are these experts really targeting? How many people do you know who can save that kind of money, over and above what they save for their home purchase? I think these experts are completely out of touch, not unlike our current administration.

2. Hold the tomatoes... Dancing with the Stars. Sorry. I just don't get why it's so popular.

3. The protesters at Katie Holmes' Broadway debut. They weren't protesting Ms. Holmes acting ability, or the play or playwright, or the theater, or the management, or the actors union. They were protesting Scientology because Katie Holmes (we assume) is married to Tom Cruise (who is outspoken about his belief in Scientology) and she (we assume) practices Scientology in her private life. Now, it's a free country and I suppose anyone can protest anything, but geez...

4. You know that $700 Billion we are throwing to banks to supposedly free up credit to help the average potential homeowner get a mortgage? Well, it seems it might have had the opposite effect. According to a report on MSNBC this morning, mortgage rates have risen. Hmmmm.

5. It never ceases to amaze me how worked up people get about gay marriage. In California, even after a California Supreme Court ruling legalized same-sex marriage, there is yet another ballot initiative that would ban gay marriage. I have to just shake my head. So, you don't agree with same-sex marriage. Okay, you can disagree and you definitely do not have to participate. No one is demanding that you do so. But why not let it stop at that. What personal stake do these detractors have in striking down a law allowing others to live as they choose, peacefully and legally. How in the world does the manner in which a gay couple lives affect how these detractors choose to live their own lives? Same-sex marriage, to my knowledge, doesn't trounce on or squash or encroach on anyone's right to choose heterosexual marriage or any other rights, for that matter. If someone has a reasonable, thoughtful and coherent argument, I sure would like to hear it because I haven't heard anything yet that even comes close.