Big Dog is Everywhere... My TIVO is Working Overtime

I'm sorry I haven't posted for a few days. I'm busy painting and will explain, with pictures, when I'm done.

But, as I sit here munching my lunch of leftover roast chicken and a diet vanilla Pepsi, I want to quickly address today's topic.

I am not ashamed to say that I believe Bill Clinton was the best President in my lifetime... and, baby, I've lived a lot of years. Granted he had his no-so-admirable moments, but the economy was strong, our relationships with other nations (for the most part) was good, we were free of our deficit and, in fact, had a surplus.

Now look what we have to choose from. Neither presidential candidate can speak intelligently or passionately from memory off-the-cuff from their head or heart. Barack Obama can't put two sentences together without um, ah, uh interjected between each word and is now taking his beloved teleprompter where ever he goes, even down on the farm. John McCain is so attached to his note cards he barely raises his eyes to the audience or camera while speaking. Jesus, are we in trouble.

But then there is Big Dog. He's been everywhere lately, from the Today show to Larry King Live (blech!). He can converse intelligently with anyone in language that people from all walks of life can understand without talking down to anyone. He is not fearful of taking questions and can answer any question posed by anyone on any subject without having to refer to notes cards or a teleprompter or referring the question to his handlers.

Here he is on Jon Stewart's Daily Show doing what he does best: putting things in perspective.





Oh, and I like Jon Stewart, too.

"Good Evening, and Welcome to the Eagles' Assisted Living Tour" ~ Glen Frey - The Eagles

And that is how the concert started.


All concert photos were taken by Brian Chilson of the Arkansas Times

There was more grey hair and balding heads at Alltel Arena Tuesday night than at Oaklawn Racetrack the whole month of March. We blended in well.

We knew the words to every song and for three hours we stood up, clapped our hands, shook our sizable booties and sang our hearts out to songs like Hotel California, Take It To The Limit (Glen Frey said his wife calls it the Credit Card song), Witchy Woman, Life In The Fast Lane, Funk #49...



Lyin' Eyes, One Of These Nights, I Can't Tell You Why...



...Dirty Laundry and the final song of the evening, Desperado.

It was an awesome concert and we didn't get home until after midnight, which would partially explain my complete meltdown yesterday when I realized that my granddaughter's birthday gift (which took me 3 days to pick out because I haven't seen her in almost two years and have no idea what she likes, wants or what size she wears) would not arrive for her birthday, but rather Tuesday next week, and my pissy, off-the-wall response to Tom when he asked me what I wanted to do for our anniversary. I barked something like, "Since we got married, I've planned birthdays, graduations, both weddings, anniversaries, mother's days, father's days, Thanksgivings, Christmas', Easter... every holiday or event imaginable. I would just like someone to plan something for me for a change..."

I think I needed a nap.

Please Join Me in a Pity Party := (

My laptop is broken and I am using Tom's desktop. BLECH! I don't have any of my files or bookmarks. I can't access some of my accounts because all of my usernames and passwords are saved in Firefox and I don't have them written down. Note to self: When I get my computer back, WRITE THEM DOWN!

I took my laptop in to the repair shop yesterday afternoon after it spontaneously rebooted about 10 times and just wouldn't stop. I am hoping it is just an internal fan problem. I DO NOT want to reinstall Windows!! Waaaa!

Other not-so-pitiful news from yesterday, the March of Dimes Shamrock 5K Run has finally been scheduled and will be held on Friday, March 6, 2009. It's time to seriously get my ass in gear if I am going to run this 5K with Chris! So, yesterday I went for my first walk/run since July (the week of Tom's family reunion). I did encounter one slight problem. Before I left, I uploaded Week One of the Couch-2-5K onto my iPod. I was on Week Four when I stopped in July, but I knew I wouldn't be able to start up again where I left off. After I had moved Week One to my iPod, my computer froze and then rebooted, so when I got to the trail, I couldn't get anything on my iPod. I have no idea why and I can't figure it out until I get my computer back.

I think I have mentioned this before, but I have a really nice walking/bike trail less than a mile from where I live. The trail runs along a creek with trees lining each side of the creek and path and there are homes beyond that. A few months back, a local boy scout troop took the initiative and put markers along the trail at quarter mile intervals. God bless them! We are now able to determine with some accuracy how far we have walked or run! Currently the trail is about 1-1/4 miles long, 2-1/2 miles round trip, but the city has just purchased more land to expand the trail. I can't wait. I am hoping I am really running by the time it is completed.

Anyway, this time I took Goldie with me. She still has a difficult time being a dog. She doesn't exhibit any real "dog" behavior except peeing and pooping in the yard and eating dog food. She doesn't play like a dog and would rather lay somewhere in a room by herself where she mostly sleeps. Dr. Chris, our veterinarian, says it's a visual thing for dogs. The more exposure to outside influences, the more comfortable and responsive they become. So, we walk her.

When we got to the parking lot at the beginning of the trail, I let Goldie out of the car. We walked over the bridge to the trail and she was a little nervous at first, almost slinking, with her tail between her legs, eyes darting back and forth, but after a 1/4 of a mile or so she started to settle in. My iPod refused to work, so I just walked for a while, then I'd run about an 1/8th of a mile and walk about the same distance for 2-1/2 miles, but definitely more walking than running.

Goldie seemed to enjoy to the runs. She'd prance proudly with her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth and occasionally look up at me as if to say, "Hey, this is kinda fun," but after completing about 2 miles, and about a 1/2 mile from the car she let me know she was getting tired by trying to walk over to the grass on the side of the trail and lay down and I'd have to tug her leash to keep her going. But, we both made it and we will go again today.

Tonight Tom and I are going to see the Eagles at Alltel Arena.



We received a pre-sale password and got great seats before the tickets went on sale to the general public. Fun, fun, fun.

October 4th, we head to the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis to see the first attraction of the season, Avenue Q



It looks like a kids musical, but it is definitely adult fare. Then maybe dinner at McEwen's on Monroe or ribs and some great music at B.B. King's Blues Club on Beale Street. Everything is within walking distance from our hotel and the theatre. What could be better than that?

Last Saturday Tom and I agreed it was time to get back on track with the remodel on our house, so before the remnants of Hurricane Ike blew through Arkansas, we went shopping for remodeling stuff. Tom wanted to remove the dated wall-to-wall mirror over the vanity in our bathroom and replace it with a mirror with a nice decorative frame. After looking at Lowes and Kirklands, we finally found a really cool one at TJMaxx. Then we stopped at Home Depot and hit the jackpot. We found a vanity light that complimented the mirror frame perfectly. Of course, I can't show you because I can't find a picture of the fixture on the internet and this computer isn't set up to download photos from my camera (yes, I took pictures). We also bought tile for the whole bathroom ~ ON SALE !! Whoo Hoo! That old fiberglass shower/tub will be ripped out and replaced with tile.

Friday I bought some wood plant ons...



These were for the posts on either side of the oven and microwave, but Tom saw some corbels with grapes on them for the legs on the hood over the microwave, so we bought 2 corbels and returned 2 of the plant-ons. I started painting the plant-ons and corbels on Sunday while Tom removed the old mirror, hung the new one and installed the new light fixture. I'll admit, it looks kind of funky right now because the wall behind the old mirror is a beige color and the rest of the bathroom is green, so it looks two-toned, but I won't repaint the bathroom until we install the pocket door, repair the sheetrock afterwards, remove the old shower and tile the new shower and floor. That's okay. I can wait. Besides, I have lots of stuff to keep me busy until then. Once I finish painting the kitchen cabinet doors, I can start on the new trim that Tom has installed.

I'll post photos as we go. . .

The Palin Effect

Last Friday, Tom came home early, showered and ran errands all afternoon using a list that I gave him. You know, stuff like paying a bill, returning some things at Lowes, taking Goldie to get her nails clipped and a trip to the liquor store.

I stayed home and paid other bills over the internet, shredded a pile of mail sitting on the office floor and generally cleaned the office.

When he and Goldie returned from their outing, our conversation went like this...

Tom: Well, did you think about what you were going to feed me tonight? (chuckle)

Me (ignoring his chuckle): No, I haven't even thought about it. I have been working.

Tom (chuckle AND smirk): You are so inept at household and wifely duties. Why don't you run for Vice President?

Some Things Friday for September 12, 2008

Very sad news from my sister yesterday. Her best friend and life partner, Bob, passed away after a long, painful struggle with cancer.

She said she thought she was prepared. I don't think you can ever be truly "prepared." During those last days with dying loved ones, we try hard to be realistic and accept what is to come and we attempt to prepare ourselves for the worst, but we always reserve that one little place inside that still hopes and/or prays for miracle, maybe divine intervention. We know it happens. We hear of it through the media, through friends and relatives. So we hope and pray. But, when it finally happens; when the miracle doesn't come and our loved one passes, our pain is greater than we thought. Beside the devastating loss of a loved one, we also feel the loss of that glimmer of hope.

My love, thoughts and prayers are with my sister. Rest in peace, Bob.

Some Things I Love:

1. Grandma. There is something so special about a child calling out, "Grandma!" and running towards me to give me a hug or hold my hand or show me something they think is special. They don't belong to me, but they are still gifts my children have given me.

2. Kissing Tom on the head. He's pretty bald, but I love him that way. I like to come up behind him when he sitting in a chair, put my hands on either side of his head and just softly kiss the top of his head.

3. I have a new cookbook...

written as only Maya Angelou could.

4. Long walks, preferably on the beach or on wooded hiking trails, but a walking or bike trail at a park will do.

5. Our realtor showed our flip-house last night and the people actually were interested and had questions! Maybe someday we will actually get an offer and sell it!

Some Things I Hate:

1. A really lousy movie. Even when I don't watch it all the way through, I feel like I've wasted precious time that could have been better spent doing something I love.

2. I love technology and I love the internet. I love sharing ideas and opinions on forums and blogs with people all over the world. What I hate is that some people use the anonymity to wage inappropriate, cruel attacks on other people with whom they disagree.

3. Sometimes I just get so tired of being a responsible grown up. There are just times when I would like to do what other people do... just not give a $hit about anyone but me.

4. Arrogant snobs.

5. I have worn my hair pretty much the same way for almost 20 years. I am sick of it, but I don't have the patience to let it grow out to change it.

Some Things I Just Don't Get:

1. Why some people just can't be bothered to be kind or nice or even civil.

2. Why both sides a political campaign must demonize the other, including demonizing their supporters.

3. Fashion week. Housing market is in the tubes, hundreds of thousands of people are out of work, banks are collapsing left and right, oil prices are sky high, but we are supposed to care about Fashion Week. Com'on

4. N.A.S.A. received a $16.3 billion budget allowance for 2007. The National Cancer Institute's research expenditures for 2007 was $4.75 billion. Hmmm. Space exploration vs. the lives of millions of people. The budgets seem a little weighted for the wrong priorities.

5. Limited vision. R.D. Laing says it best:

"The range of what we see and do
Is limited by what we fail to notice.
And because we fail to notice
That we fail to notice,
There is little we can do
To change
Until we notice
How failing to notice
Shapes our thoughts and deeds."

Death a friend that alone can bring the peace his treasures cannot purchase, and remove the pain his physicians cannot cure ~ Mortimer Collins

Robert M. Bergeron, my sister, Karen's, best friend and life partner succumbed to cancer at 3:50 am on 9/11/08. My love and prayers are with my sister at this very difficult time.

Rest in peace, Bob.

A wedding anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, partnership, tolerance and tenacity. The order varies for any given year. ~P. Sweeney

It is hard to believe that in just a little over a month from now, on October 19th, Tom and I will be married 40 years. And, in only 10 more years we will be married 50 years. I've spent twice as long with Tom as I did living with my parents.

I have fond memories of my in-laws 40th anniversary party in Escondido. It was a big family get together at the clubhouse at their condominium complex. Family came from all over California and from the East coast to celebrate. Tom and I were a much younger couple, working hard and raising teenage boys.

Less than a year after my in-laws 40th anniversary party, Tom and I gave my parents a big "luau" party for their 40th anniversary, complete with Hawaiian dancers. My nephew and niece, Jon and Kris, helped me stuff cherry tomatoes and arrange the trays of food. We had as much fun preparing the party as our guests did enjoying the party. Somewhere in a box I have photos of my dad and brother-in-law, Dave, dancing with the "hula girls." It was simply hilarious. Sadly, my dad died before he and my mom could celebrate their 50th.

Now it's our turn. I can hardly believe it. The years have gone by so fast, it makes me want to rewind just a couple so I can experience again those moments I didn't fully appreciate. It serves as a reminder that there isn't a rewind button and each moment should be lived and appreciated for what it is.

How will we celebrate? I have no idea yet. Probably quietly, like we've done with all our others.

Big Dawg Rules!

“Suppose you’re a voter, and you’ve got candidate X and candidate Y.

Candidate X agrees with you on everything, but you don’t think that candidate can deliver on anything at all.

Candidate Y you agree with on about half the issues, but he can deliver.

Which candidate are you going to vote for?”

- Bill Clinton, 26 August 2008

I just love Big Dawg!

Some Things Friday for September 5, 2008

I have been wondering since it happened what would have motivated the person who hacked my blog a couple of weeks ago. It was just kind of a nuisance rather than a complete ruination, but just the same, I wanted to get an idea of what kind of person does this sort of thing. So, I decided to do a little research and I found a lot of information about what hackers do and how they do it, but very little about why they do it.

The psychology of a hacker has been studied and written about extensively by almost exclusively one person, Marc Rogers, Ph.D. at Purdue University's Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS). Wading through Dr. Rogers' research papers, reports, articles and references, it boils down to this:

My hacker is likely to be male, Caucasian, somewhere between the ages of 12 and 19, from a middle class but dysfunctional family. Although usually extremely bright, he has poor social skills and poor school performance, but excels in computer technology. He’s an obsessive loner with an inferiority complex. He relates better to computers than humans and spends hours and/or days glued to a computer. Dr. Rogers characterizes the type of hacker that invaded my site as a "cyberpunk" who is socially inept, burdened with unresolved anger and aggression that he takes into cyberspace.

That sounds like a lot of kids I know and that's just sad and scary.

Some Things I Love:

1. After a very long and tedious 13-hour drive, arriving home just as the big storm starts. Whew!

2. Sleeping in my own bed.

3. This time between the end of summer and the beginning of fall. The weather is just a tad cooler, but still warm. The grass, trees, herbs, vines and roses are still green and lush. I have the windows and back door open today. At just after noon, the temperature outside is about 72 degrees, but was about 65 degrees when I got up this morning. A nice respite from the summer heat and humidity.

4. I know I shouldn't, but I love our Extra-bitchin'. That's what we call our Ford Expedition. I didn't think of it. The husband of a coworker in Truckee came up with the nickname. I liked it and when we bought ours about 3 years ago, I unabashedly stole it (sorry, Kerry). We bought the SUV initially to pull the camp trailer to destinations near and far, but even after we sold the trailer last year, we kept the Extra-bitchin' and when we travel, that is what we drive. The rest of the time, it's parked in the driveway at the side of the house, lonely and forlorn (sigh), and I drive something more economical.

5. Over the Labor Day weekend, we were able to spend time with my nephew, Jon, and his family. My granddaughter, Hagan, and Jon's daughter, Abigail, bonded quickly and really enjoyed each others company. As for me... Geez, there are some days when I so deeply wish I had done some things in my life so differently because I miss my family so much....






Some Things I Hate:

1. When Tom puts clothes and towels together in the washer, then the dryer. All those little towel lint pills have to be picked off the clothes. Grrrr.

2. Instant coffee. Not even in a coffee emergency would I drink that stuff!

3. The holidays are just around the corner. No matter what I do or what I say or how much I try not to allow it to happen, the day before Thanksgiving my depression will set in and won't leave until January 1st. The older I get, the harder it is to cope with it. I can look forward to lots of long, hot showers and copious amounts of good coffee. That's about the only thing that really gets me through it.

4. How much I miss our farm.

5. That I STILL have not started back on my Couch-2-5K program.

Some Things I Just Don't Get:

1. Why people (including me) buy condiments or sauces or other crap in the grocery store that is not on our grocery list, take it home, put it away in the pantry, only to have it finally re-emerge 2 years and 11 months later when we come across this wonderful dish that looked so good, we just had to try it, and discover it is passed it's expiration date. $6.59 down the tubes.

2. I read this morning that actor Seth Rogan has admitted that he loves pornography and watches tons of it. Okay, moms, would you trust your daughters with this guy?

3. Why I am looking forward to this weekend. I mean, I didn't even have a whole week of work or projects. Monday was a holiday and we were still in Savannah. We drove home all day Tuesday. Laundry and catch up took up all day Wednesday and Thursday and I already can't wait for the weekend. Maybe that's why I just want both of us to retire. I want a bunch of weekends just strung together.

4. People who still smoke after losing someone close to them from lung cancer. Or people who still smoke after almost dying themselves from a smoke related disease. I do understand the addiction factor, but ... well, maybe I don't really understand after all.

5. Why I still bother to try to figure stuff out.

I Thought We Were Better Than This, But I Was Wrong

It has been a while since I have commented on the current political landscape and, even now, I feel hesitant to write much about it.

I am very uncomfortable, extremely dismayed and deeply saddened at the behavior of some of us Democrats and the continued diatribe concerning Sarah Palin, but I suppose the sexism and misogyny was still just below the surface, just waiting to rear it's ugly head.

As of this morning I have decided to pull back and not read or comment on any of the news sites, blogs and forums in which I found solace when Hillary Clinton suspended her campaign. What I looked for in these sites were the non-judgmental progressive Democrats with whom I share common values and ideas. This morning, when I visited my favorite site, Talk Left, I knew that a break was in order.

Talk Left was, in my view, pretty much the last bastion of true progressive Democratic thinkers, writers and activists. Everyone, including PUMA's, were welcome to comment as long as the discourse remained civilized, respectful and inclusive. Everything else - Daily Kos, Democratic Underground, Huffington Post, etc. - had all sunk to hate mongering. Now, many - not all, but many - on Talk Left are doing the same. Comments, and even some blogs, are, for the most part, sexist and hateful.

First there is the experience. You think there isn't a double standard? Although you are entitled to your opinion, my opinion is that you are wrong. Remember Tim Kaine, the potential pick for Obama's Vice President? Kaine has the same amount of experience as Sarah Palin, but, oddly enough, he was considered a serious and acceptable selection.

Then, there were the rumors that Sarah Palin did not actually give birth to Trig, that it was actually her 17 year old daughter, Bristol's. And Bristol is pregnant again. Even after she announced her daughter's pregnancy, there were some in the mainstream media and the majority of left bloggers still arguing that it was a cover up and they wanted to see Trig's birth certificate.

Now, Sarah Palin is being criticized for taking her family to the Republican Convention and "parading" her children, specifically her pregnant daughter. She stands accused of "using" her children and publicizing her daughter's pregnancy. But, what appears to make Palin an even worse mother is the "issue" of her son, Trig, the baby with Down's Syndrome. "Trig should have been asleep and under the care of a babysitter - back home or at their hotel." "Trig was a diversion." "Palin should stay at home." "...bond with the baby." "She doesn't belong in the work place."

Apparently, even for enlightened progressive Democrats, a woman's first responsibility must be with the children. It doesn't seem to matter if her talent and focus is on the workplace and she has others who can help, including the child's father who is currently the new child's primary caregiver, and that Palin took her most recent baby to work with her after only 3 days in the hospital. She should not even consider being at work. Does all of this sound like progressive Democratic thought to you? It sounds more like back-in-the-day, old-fashioned Republican rhetoric to me. It really doesn't matter what a woman does when she is seeking high office, she will be criticized and reviled. If she has children, she should be home. If she's single, she will be accused of being unfeminine and unable to "get" a man, or, worse, a lesbian. If she doesn't have children, damn it, we want a family!


Don't misunderstand, I completely disagree with Sarah Palin's positions on most issues, but I admire her as a woman. Palin didn't begin her campaign boasting about her daughter's pregnancy. She was forced to announce it because of the horrible, vicious and untrue rumors that were being spread. What Palin did was take the bull by the horns instead of retreating. She decided to give some dignity to her daughter's pregnancy and refused to hide her children. Sarah Palin invited Bristol's boyfriend to stand by and support her daughter. With all of their flaws and challenges, Sarah Palin stood proudly with her family in front of America, not unlike Barack and Michelle Obama did with their daughters, George and Laura Bush did with their daughters and Bill and Hillary Clinton did with Chelsea.

In our sexist attacks on Sarah Palin, we Democrats seem to have embraced the very behaviors, views and mind-sets that we have accused the Republicans and conservative Christian right of attempting to shove down our collective throats for years.

And, oddly enough, the Republicans welcomed and embraced Sarah Palin and her flawed family with cheers and ovations.

We should be so ashamed.