christmas decorating & some gift thoughts

this is rudolph.  he has been with our family for a very long time.  my father worked for us news & world report for his entire career. he was head of the economics department & was considered one of people in washington who really understood the federal budget.  back in the old days, you went to work for a company & worked there for most of your working life & they took care of you.  every year at christmas, in addition to a bonus, no doubt, the magazine gave each employee a little christmas trinket.  rudolph came to us in that manner.  when mom & dad moved to williamsburg & mom started to prune her christmas decorations, i took the rudolph.  he holds many memories for me. after we took possession of rudolph, our cat at the time, squiggy, enjoyed chewing on rudolph & took out an eye & his nose.  i forget when the mouth went.  sadiedog, as a puppy, pretty much finished the job  so rudolph has no eyes, no nose & the barest hint of a mouth.  & i love him- he brings back memories of christmas from a younger time & reminds me of the house in which i spent most of my childhood.  if i had a sense of smell, i'm sure he smells a little bit.  as i look at the picture, i see his ears have been damaged a bit as well.  we had a whole collection of little christmas trinkets, such as these, courtesy of us news.  it must have been kind of nice to feel so taken care of - corporations were quite paternalistic then.  i can feel for the UAW-  not that i agree with the bailout- but the auto workers have been involved in a paternalistic system for years while the rest of us have been adapting t0 the changing corporate & work environment over the past 20-25 years.  it must be quite a jolt for the auto workers to enter the current environment & the way things are done.  

this is my tree i did for the office.  i like the juxtaposition of the old & new.  the ornaments are vintage ornaments i have been collecting- it's my new thing to collect. & they are a good thing to collect because they break so easily.  i lose at least 5 every year.  luckily, the ones i lose are the plain round ones.  

now for my first quiz.  does anyone know what this is?  i found it on ebay for the woman i see for clinical supervision.  a brief sidenote here-  if you are not a therapist, clinical supervision may not make sense for someone like myself who has been in the field for 25 years.  when we work with clients, it is very easy for our personal histories & opinions &issues to get involved in the process & working with a clinical supervisor helps to keep it clean.  the field of therapy places a premium on ensuring that the values, beliefs, etc of the therapist do not unduly enter the therapeutic process.  it can be a rather tricky thing at times.  so back to the item.  can anyone identify it's purpose?  i'll answer in a couple of days.  

here's a nice christmas idea-  this is felted soap.  in the shower, the wool creates a nice lather- the soap is homemade.  i wish i could remember where i found it.  i'll have to do some research.  

i found this a couple years ago.  i can't show the detail.  these are custom-made bangles & the artist will put anything you like on it.  it is two sided.  i had her put some stanzas from one of my all-time favorite poems on it-  

          Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

           And sorry I could not travel both 

            And be one traveler, long I stood

            And looked down one as long I could.

and on the other side

             Two roads diverged in a yellow wood

             And I- I took the one less travelled by

             And that has made all the difference.

that gives you an idea of how much she can fit on the bracelet.  that holds so many possibilities.  i can think of lots of things to have engraved on bracelets for different people.  the seller is delias thompson & she can be found on etsy.  engraving words on jewelry is quite common & quite a business these days.  one of the originals to do it was jeanine payer & her work remains some of the most exquisite.  she uses a lot of rumi quotes- another favorite poet of mine.  her work is quite delicate & sadly, for me, expensive.  i do think she was the pioneer in the use of words & phrases on jewelry.  

well that's it for today.  not a very exciting post.  maybe i'll be more exciting tomorrow (or next week) depending on when i post.  

the lameness continues

so here i am once again, several weeks out from having posted.  blogs are kind of like work at times.  it can be challenging to think about what might engage one- including myself- what is worthy of taking the time to place it in black & white?

we visited my mom & dad on the way back from the outer banks after thanksgiving &  i was telling her i was doing a blog.  she wondered what a blog was.  my mom has nothing to do with the computer- she does not even do email.  my favorite technology story about mom is when we were riding back from washington, d.c.  i have often given my parents "experience" gifts- they certainly don't need any more things.  we had gone to washington to see an exhibit at the phillips, i think.  anyway, it was raining quite hard & i pulled off at a rest area to call danny & my dad (back when cell phones were the size of a brick!).  he didn't answer & i left a message.  he called me back about 10 minutes later (we were still sitting at the rest area waiting out the worst of the downpour) & i answered & we talked.  gigi (my mom's nickname) was quiet for a few minutes & then she said "how did he know where we were?  how did he know where to call?"  

anyway, i was having a hard time trying to explain it, so i decided to look it up.  many sites described it as a personal journal.  there are, of course, different kinds of blogs.  corporate or company blogs are getting very popular.  they estimate there are about 112 million blogs published now- some of these are very dormant. that's alot of personal journals, doncha think?  (my sarah palin imitation)  one site said many people find the doing of one therapeutic, even if no one reads it.  i would agree with that.  i would like people to read my blog, though (people i know- i can't imagine why anyone else would be interested), so then comes the challenge of making it interesting & engaging.  also of finding a topic.  & then writing about it.  on a daily or so basis.  it seems so simple....  when i told a friend about the blog, she made a comment about needing a venue for self-absorption, or something like that.  i suppose that's true, though i don't like to think about myself like that.  

anyway, we're getting ready for christmas here.  & i mean christmas at my house- not the holidays...  here is a shot of one of my favorite ornaments- i just love homer!!!!

& i've been really getting into vintage ornaments lately.  here is one of my favorite vintage ornaments that i have.  i have a lot of the plain ones, but this one is really cool & in fairly good shape as well.

i was inspired to get the trees up because i hosted the holiday dinner for my investment club, HERS.  HERS stands for Her Early Retirement System & i've been a member about 10 years now.  we are losing right now, just like everyone, but we have also made some wise buys & i have learned a great deal about the stock market. plus, i've met some great women.  my neighbor, michele, is a personal chef & caters the meal for us.  we never know what we are having until that night.  it is an i

ncredible meal.  here is the entree- you are looking at shrimp with black mission figs in a rosemary shallot cider sauce,

parmesan polenta & sweet & sour red cabbage.  this was followed a dessert to die for-  dark chocolate cherry torte with ganache glaze & eggnog mousse.those are just two of the courses.  that's the chef in my kitchen there- behind her stands our server for the evening- what a nice guy, huh?  i confess i find myself feeling a bit like oprah these days-  i had lost about 12 pounds & was feeling okay-  it's all come back on since thanksgiving.  not good....  & christmas to come yet...

more shopping ideas & mike deserves our empathy

these frames are availaible from mary-kelley decoupage.  you can have them personalized in any way you like & they have some very pretty frames & backgrounds.  i put a rumi quote on one for wedding gift- it seemed well received.  they made an error with the personalization that was not entirely their fault.  they offered to replace the frame & redo it if i would pay shipping.  very nice customer service- something in short supply these days.

here we have a calendar- each page is one month. aren't they beautiful?  it is a pricey calendar- but, we do look at it every day, don't we?  this is available from www.paper-source.com.

these are knives- i think they look fabulous.  it appears that they can stand on the counter like that- quite the display.  they come in orange as well.  

look what else i found - this is a useful & great little tool to have around.  works for trying

 to manipulate small objects such as jewelry repairs.  this is from www.vinçon.com which is based in spain, but is accustomed to mailing to the US.  once again, we lose on the exchange rate.  but, boy, do they have some cool stuff!  the bathtub drain plug from yesterday is also from vinçon.  it's a great website.

now, most anyone who knows me knows i love to shop & i love to look.  i love getting catalogs & scouring the globe for that unique & perfect gift.  catalogs help me to travel inexpensively & see what is out there.  and the deluge of catalogs starts in mid- october & goes through to the new year.  every evening when i arrive home from work, there is a new stack of brightly colored catalogs awaiting my perusal.  of course, some don't even make the cut- they go straight to recycling without being opened at all.  & for all this,

i have lots of empathy for mike the mailman, the bearer of these missives from hopeful entrepreneurs & corporations.  this is the take for about a week and a half-  i worry for mike's back.... 

i started this post a while back & just changed the date.  is that cheating?  & then i publish with a back-dated date- helps me look less lame.  please forgive me my deceitfulness..

no leftover turkey here

hope all enjoyed a good thanksgiving.  chuck & betsy arrived at the beach yesterday afternoon, along with their trusty companions, maggie & callie (the brown girls).  they came bearing gifts-  to wit- a venison tenderloin from one of chuck's successful hunting trips.  betsy can cook like no one's business & the tenderloin was so yummy- she roasted garlic & crushed it for spreading & added bacon bits, as well grilling it with a black pepper rub- it just melted in your mouth.  i had made mashed sweet potatoes yesterday-they were even better today.  donna said they were like dessert (lots of cinnamon) & casually asked how much butter i used-  the answer was three sticks.  we decided to rename the dish butter with sweet potatoes.  at any rate, it was an incredible meal & so nice to continue our tradition of enjoying the weekend after thanksgiving with the six of us.

it's been a very relaxing week.  here is a picture of the boys on their macs (well, chuck borrowed mine) doing various tasks- chuck is researching what size sailboat we should rent for our planned sailing trip next november.

here is donna working on making christmas cards- samples follow.  some of them are three dimensional- very cool.  

and here is the sadiedog & callie making nice.

& i finished my green sweater- here is donna modeling it.  i'm pretty happy with it.  it came out well & i like the cabling.  

if i can be permitted one last photo, here is an item from the pages of glamour magazine.  do you remember the last page of the magazine?  they showed photos of women on the street earning either fashion citations or fashion commendations. here is somewhere we saw walking around the beach- definitely a fashion don't!!  where do we start-  don't leave the house without tending to your hair.  & some clothes are not meant for outside the house- this is beyond casual.  there may be some stains on her shirt.  

hopefully, she will soon get a clue & clean up her act.  

well, that's it from the outer banks of north carolina for friday.  hope everyone enjoyed their leftovers.  tomorrow's post may be a shopping one- some unusual ideas & objects i've found.  

thanksgiving day thoughts

i don't know if it will ever feel right to be responsible for producing the thanksgiving day meal.  it seems like a very adult & maternal thing to be doing.  while i can have maternal leanings from time to time, i've not been a mother & lord knows, i doubt my adult-ness frequently.  it may be that others do, also.  but here i am, at the beach in the outer banks preparing a thanksgiving meal.  

for the past 6 years, danny & i have come to the outer banks for thanksgiving week.  many years ago, my friend, jane, owed the sweetest little cottage in kitty hawk.  we'd come every friday after thanksgiving & stay for the weekend, starting in 1986 or so.  then my family began to rent a place for the week & we did that until 1992. after we got sadie, danny & i decided to start renting our own place & hosting my parents.  we've done it ever since.  the first couple years, mom & dad came down, as did our friends chuck & betsy.  a couple years later, donna & george became part of the tradition.  the first part of the week is for danny & i alone & then on tuesday, everyone else comes- usually that is how it works.  

last year, mom & dad could not come- dad was in the rehab facility & mom stayed with him.  we had plans for them to join us this year- we would pick them up on the way down & take them back.  dad had some problems earlier this fall, which set him back some & it wasn't prudent for them to come, which makes us sad. even though we didn't have them last year, somehow it feels emptier this year.  i think i've only had maybe five thanksgivings without my parents.  when my sister moved to illinois, that was a big adjustment- we'd always had thanksgiving together-  that was strange, too.  i guess it's all part of growing up.  

when i was first out of college, i put together a couple of thanksgivings- but that didn't feel adult.  probably because it took a couple of attempts to finally get the giblets, etc out of the bird & bake it proper.  one year we had to use danny's drill with a beater attached to mash the potatoes (that was the year before we got married- we had friends over that year & got LOTS of mixers as wedding gifts!).  although we had thanksgiving without my parents, my sister was always with us.  

this adult thing eludes me often.  when i was with my niece in chicago the other weekend, it would crop up.  she is living in wrigleyville, about two blocks from wrigley field, with two of her friends from college. many of her UI friends have moved to chicago.  she lives in a great area in a rehabbed brownstone on the third floor (that hurt, even with my lighter packing).   we'd be walking along & i'd catch my reflection, peripherally, in a store window & wonder for a moment who that was.  i'm 60 lbs heavier (& have been for about 6 years now- still not used to it- at least 30 lbs before that from my pre quit smoking weight) & older & have short hair & the hugest butt  OMG!!!  how did i get here?  & where did all those years go?   admittedly i have some wisdom & some stuff (i can't move in a u-haul anymore) & a mortgage- but still...   even more important, i hope i'm using these years now wisely, because one day i'll see my reflection & the same thought will occur- except i'll be looking back on my 50's ....   what do i want to be looking back on & was i happy with how i was living?

& the reality is i am in my 50's & i try to live in a mode of awareness - here is the view from this morning- i woke at 5am unable to sleep & came out the living room so as not to wake danny-     i sat on the deck with sadie & appreciated the incredible colors that came with it. 

& here is the pre-dinner photo-  our small gathering for our thanksgiving day meal- danny & i with our good friends, george & donna (donna has the distinction of being the friend that danny brought home- )

& i'll round out this post with the end of the day- sunset over the sound & plenty of thoughts of gratitude as i prepare to call family & connect over the miles...... & miss being with them & also having a deep appreciation for the friends that have become family.....

happy thanksgiving to all...

thinking about christmas & the holidays & the shopping.... oh, the shopping....

in the interest of christmas, i thought i'd do some posts on some cool unusual things i've come across in my wanderings, whether on terra firma or cyberspace.  i do think i have an ability to find some unique & unusual ideas & gifts-  obviously a talent many others share.  but right now it's what i'm focusing on for this post.  which by the way, is being written as i listen to the sound of the waves outside our rental in rodanthe, north carolina- we've got the sliders open on the ocean-facing decks & it sounds heavenly.  so here's a couple of kind of cool things i've come across that i've not yet seen elsewhere- though they are probably elsewhere, also!

first up is the coffee mug-  now this is the part of the coffee mug that needs to be decorated, i think....

i came across this coffee mug at www.thorstenvanelton.com- there was lots of relatively cool stuff on the site- unfortunately, this is a british enterprise, so not so cost effective for the good ol' US of A.  but i think the mug would be a hit for lots of people.  

how about this for a very cool bathtub drain stopper- 

gives one the sense of being somewhere tropical....

traveling

so i'm going to get back on track.  i'll start doing more regular entries (maybe even daily?) & make every effort to be stimulating & interesting & amusing.  i have been up most of the night packing for chicago.  i am visiting my niece for several days & then i'll go a couple of hours south to champaign, il to visit my sister for the weeknd & then back up to caitlin's in chicago until tuesday.  my niece caitlin is dear & sweet & lives in the city.  she works as an RN at children's hospital in pediatric oncology.  i have not seen her work & yet feel certain that those who are her patients can consider themselves lucky.  

here are some pix of caitlin & i from days gone by.  both are from our annual family vacations to the outer banks in north carolina.  she is about a year old in the younger shot & about 4 in the older shot.  i knew i really loved her when i was willing to pick up that sand-covered child while i was slathered in baby oil to increase the tan potential.  

i haven't flown much at all this year. several years ago, my good friend & colleague, kate, started getting lost of overseas work as a trainer of psychodrama, experiential therapy & its application to trauma.  i often co-trained with her & thus fulfilled a lifelong dream to travel.  i flew between 50k & 80k miles a year (kate flies 100k+ yearly), thus enabling me to become that creature known as an elite flyer- a passenger who gets privileges.  i will not even have 10k this year & thus next year, must fly as a persona non grata.   since this is my last flight as an elite, i chose to upgrade to first class (i never do that for just a chicago trip - it's a waste of miles) & treat myself well, for next year, i will be waiting in long lines, paying to check my bags, paying for overweight bags, never getting close enough to the top of the list for an upgrade... it is so sad.  especially since next year there is a good chance i'll again be flying between 50k and 70k!  i don't actually mind flying.  especially if i am in business class- no one can reach me, i have my knitting & a choice of movies.  my main decisions include what to eat, drink & watch & when to sleep.  no one expects anything out of me- except perhaps to mind my own business.  i enjoy it.  

of course, there is the sheep & cattle feel of it.  & yet, it still feels like an adventure to me.  it wasn't all that long ago that flying was a very special event reserved only for businessmen & unusual events.  people used to dress up for flights- not any longer.  i swear i have seen people travel in what looks like pajamas.  we get off & on planes like it is nothing these days.  when i think of how much the youngsters fly these days- they have grown up flying to europe, all over.  the world is so much smaller, isn't it?

i do miss the specialness of it that i remember from my childhood.  it still feels special to me.  i miss the dressing up & the solicitous care with which one was  attended to by the flight attendants.  gosh, we used to smoke on planes- do you remember?  just flying along & smoking away...  i am so glad i quit because it seems to me it is just about impossible to smoke anymore- where do people smoke?

& i had a minor victory with packing.  even with my recent traveling, the art of packing light eludes me.  for this trip, though, i have one bag- 22".  although i did have to expand it the 2" it offers to 24"- never good when you have to expand on the way TO somewhere- what do you do on the way back?  the expandable luggage is designed to be a RETURN feature- doncha think?  (that's my sarah palin imitation).  i did pack an extra bag- i always do & it rarely goes unused.  & my luggage matched this time- my suitcase matched my carry-on.  my luggage usually never matches.  i think i like being coordinated.  they are calling for snow in chicago- i have my hopes up & once again, my trusty uggs are called into service.  

ah- time for me to cross the goofy red carpet that is reserved for 1st class & elite flyers- it is pretty goofy.  on my way to chicago......

how lame am i

how lame am i?  i can't even complete one week of blogs.  & i have two readers who have written they have missed my posts.  how about that????!!  one of the things i have struggled to do is embrace the ordinary & blogging can be good for doing that.  what i know about me is that i'm great- even spectacular- at starting & i'm abysmally challenged when it comes to finishing.  always been that way, it seems.  

knitting has proved an exception.  about four years ago, i was traveling a bit & taking long airplane flights (9+hours/leg).  i decided knitting would be a good way to pass the time on the plane while i watched movies.  i figured it would probably go the way of most of my attempts at taking up a new hobby.  i would buy all the accessories (of course) & then i would do a little knitting.  i would end up with tons of unused yarn & a plethora of half-completed projects.  i also held out the smallest bit of hope that this time it would be different.  so i enrolled in a beginning class at the closest local yarn shop (i think it was january 2005).  i didn't find my classmates overly friendly & i was a bit put off by the instructor, but i stuck with it.  my originial goal was to make a square- after two lessons, i decided i would be happy with a shape!  i was making mostly scarves.  i learned to knit & purl- not much beyond that.  one day i was in carytown & i was stuck with my knitting.  i stopped in at the new yarn shop in carytown called the yarn lounge to see if i could get some assistance.  stewart, the shop owner, was there & showed me how to undo stitches- something my current instructor did not do (she just took your knitting, corrected it & gave it back to you).  stewart was obviously a better teacher.  stewart was so helpful & fun to talk with - i switched my classes to the yarn lounge.  i might have been the only student for one class.  i always took the class on sunday mornings (latter dubbed "yarn church").  it was so clear how much stewart enjoyed imparting her passion for knitting & her love of it.  she is a very patient teacher & convinces you that it is okay to set your sights higher.  in no time at all, she had me making a baby sweater.  i recall the year that lance armstrong was going for his sixth win in the tour de france (as some of you may know, every july in my home, life stops- there are no vacations, no commitments that might interfere with the viewing of the tour-  danny is passionate about his love of cycling).  i was late to class one sunday morning (imagine- me late!!??).  it was the morning of a most exciting tour & i had stayed to watch.  on my in to the store for class, i realized that the next sunday was the tour conclusion & i really wanted to watch him ride triumphantly into paris.  i came in telling my explanation of lateness & stewart smiled & turned her computer to me- she was watching the tour on streaming video & we both smiled!  the following week, she brought a television in & had her dad hook it up & we watched lance roll into paris for number six, while the other class members were wondering how this could capture any one's attention...

what i have found since at the yarn lounge (tyl) is wonderful.  stewart & her #1 employee & partner in crime, melanie, have created a wonderful atmosphere.  it is warm & cozy & patient- they are always willing to help when you are stuck, when you need stitches taken out, when you need mistakes corrected.  i have met the most marvelous & interesting women at the shop.  we span the decades in terms of ages.  cate, who was my teacher for yarn church is past the fifth decade of living & there are a lot of 20 somethings & thirtyish types.  i went to a bruce springsteen concert with some of my yarn buds & made a 50-year old spectacle of myself.  i realized, though, that the first time i saw bruce live (1974), melanie had not yet been born!  the women at the lounge are wildly creative types- both in talent & spirit.  it reminds me of when i was running- runners were always encouraging.  someone who ran an 8-minute mile was excited for me when i broke a 13-minute mile.  all they cared about was that you were out there & working at it.  knitters are the same way (FYI- bicyclists are not- at least according to my husband).  these women are incredible knitters- they make beautiful creations.  robin is amazing at knitting & usually creates her own patterns.  & yet she is encouraging of my little one color only projects.  teri-kay is so prolific - she has a new sweater or some other knitted creation every week.  courtney makes beautiful objects & they look gorgeous on her.  melanie & stewart are amazing of course at their knitting- so many wonderful knitters who are not being mentioned.  cate caught the sock bug a couple of years ago & has created the most incredible socks (& i was the lucky recipient of a pair).  there are of course many who aren't being named- suffice it to say they are amazing women & some men.  they just love knitting & love that we are all sharing a passion.  we sit around the lovely old farm table that stewart has in the shop & talk politics, men, history, bruce springsteen, stories on NPR & this american life, books & literature, films, & what we're working on at the moment.  one of the regulars has a beach cottage & hosts a beach knit a couple of times a year.  we go for  the weekend & knit.  we went to stewart's wedding a couple of weeks back & the knitters all had their knitting at the reception (not for long though- we were soon dancing & imbibing & knitting got left behind- it's not a good idea to drink too much & knit).  i feel so luck to have happened upon this little pocket of the world where these women gather & knit & talk & eat & laugh-  truly a special place.  nothing like sisterhood.  my hope would be that everyone who reads this (both of you) have a place like that.  

& last weekend i made it in to the shop after a long break.  stewart was back from her honeymoon in ireland & looked absolutely radiant.  since i stopped taking classes, my attendance has gotten erratic.  i love it when i get in & always promise myself to get in more regularly.  i was glad to make it last weekend.  it was a nice relaxing weekend with very few actual accomplishments.  danny, of course, accomplished a great deal- painting the trim on the house, painting on the inside, replacing windows, making a window well.  & i can't even make dinner...   luckily, he forgives me & loves me anyway.  i did start putting the buttons on a sweater i am close to finishing.  does that count?  & i fed the dog.  & made the bed.  & went to the yarn lounge.  it was an exhausting day.

one of the things i have struggled with is to embrace & honor the ordinary & blogging is kind of good for that. i find myself thinking about the minutiae of  my day.  since my sister moved from richmond, i don't have anyone i talk to every day like we used to- those kind of friends are few & far between.  so i'll end this entry with a deep appreciation of the ordinary.   an appreciation for a great weekend with nothing spectacular & gratitude for stewart & her shop & my knitting pals- it's a group i feel honored to be a part of & to have been welcomed.  

and now the hangover?

so after all the thrills & exuberance of tuesday & yesterday, today felt like a bit of a letdown.  time to face the music-  i am very glad i am not barack obama.  why does he want that job anyway?  

my friend cathy wilson sent me the attached picture.  it seems a dad created a dress out of condoms for his daughter's prom.  a good way to keep the kids safe!  i thought it would be a good accessory to include- we need to start thinking about our inaugural gowns now- don't we girls? 

well i did it make to my training appointment this morning.  joel is my new trainer since my old trainer, adam, left the employ of gold's gym.  i really loved adam- we had a great time while i worked out- we would just chatter away.  he was one of the most positive & encouraging people i've met.  joel & i had kind of a rough start.  first of all, it took nine months for them to finally get me scheduled with someone after adam left.  so i started with joel & the first time we had a session, he started me off by putting me on the two half balls & having me do squats- 45 reps.  it just got worse from there.  by the time i did my cool down on the ellipitical i literally fell off the machine when i tried to step down.  i knew this wasn't a good start- i also wanted to make sure i wasn't being resistant- & boy did i hurt.  getting up & down out of chairs & the steps were especially killer- i talked it over with danny to check it out & make sure i was on track.  danny said he watches those guys sometimes with chubbettes like me & that some of those trainers can just be sadistic- like they get a pleasure out of making people that are out of shape hurt.  so i went to my next appt (it had been a week & i was finally out of pain- it took almost 6 days) & i talked with joel.  he was open & so we started over again.  as it turns out, joel is a rabid conservative.  when we were talking about the election, i asked him to tell more about his objections to obama.  the response was immediate, rehearsed & clearly joel had engaged in this discussion before!  it went something along the lines of "anyone who tries to take away my guns doesn't get my vote.  he's trying to mess with my 2nd amendment rights."  joel served in iraq/afghanistan & is presently in school to get degree in military intelligence.  his ideal would be to get a job with the CIA or NSA in covert operations (or as we called it growing up the government- i work for the government is beltway speak for i work for the CIA)  since i am soo not a morning girl, our lively political discussions provide welcome distractions for me so i'm not thinking i have 30 more of these #$%*&@ reps to do) & additionally, it helps to wake me up.  we both stay respectful & know we are on very different sides of many issues - there are also some surprising areas of agreement.  & i hope i'll learn some new information.  if i only hang with my own species- i won't learn stuff.  so joel & i have settled into our routine- he's no adam, but he'll do.  as long as i find some level of entertainment in the working out, it won't be too bad.

so sadie dog & i are off to bed.  danny is in southwest va for the night, so it's just us girls.  here is what sadie looks like getting ready for bed-  it's the pre-sleep sleep- i've included a close up as well.   (i really do have WAY too much time on my hands, don't i?!)

the day after

so here's my confession.  when john mccain came on to make his concession speech, the tears started.  & they just kind of trickled down all the way through obama's appearance & speech.  the tagline "barack obama president-elect" looked so surreal.  i still can't quite believe it.  i can't pretend to know what persons of color/minorities have experienced in their lifetimes & in their collective unconscious- i know how it felt to me to see him up there with his beautiful family (looking very kennedy-esque, i thought) & thought how overwhelming it must be for so very many.  never one to shy from dramatics, it feels to me as though our long dark night is finally over- i am reminded of a line from a poem that has always spoken to me 

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours & mine, & still stand on the edge of the  lake & shout to silver of the full moon "Yes!"

 It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.  I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief & despair, bruised & weary to the bone, & do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here.  I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me & not shrink back.

-from The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

i believe that barack can & he will....    

as i type this post, south park is on-  they already have a president-elect obama episode-  that was so quick.....

& what are the thoughts on michelle's dress tuesday night-  i give it a thumbs down- it didn't work for me.  

& today i included purple in my attire for this day- there was something about the whole thing that felt rather regal.

after all, as stephen colbert said-  i never thought i'd live to see the day-  we have elected our first president from hawaii!

well time for bed-  please send me energy that i will arise early enough to keep my 7am appointment with my trainer to work out- 

what do i wear to change history?

so my first post- i am no longer a blogger virgin.  i woke up with excitement this morning & i thought what do i wear to go cast my vote in this historic election?  danny & i arose early to be at the polls by 6am as i was anticipating that there may be a bit of a wait.  we were walking over & it was a gray, rainy day.  i opted for my uggs-  the walk over was nice- a quiet kind of misting rain.  i am so very excited to participate in this process- sometimes i think about the founding fathers & take just a moment to appreciate their foresight & creativity.  it is quite something to take a step back- i can't help but admire the elegance of it all- the constitution, the bill of rights, the balancing of power.  & how sad it has been to watch it get eroded away over these past 8 years.  there was a long line at the library (where we vote) & we had a great time.  we saw many neighbors & chatted & hung out.  there was some problem with the election officials getting in the library (the librarian overslept), so they weren't ready to start letting folks in to vote until about 6:30a.  & i had showed up early-  it just goes to show...

i also had my trusty iphone & was able to knock out the washington post crossword puzzle by the time i was able to cast my vote.  & although it may be corny & sentimental, i can't help but feel proud to be an american when i push (or in this case, touch) the button that registers my vote.  

oh, & i wore my black dog sweatshirt- fresh out of the mailing box from yesterday- a high quality sweatshirt from the black dog restaurant in martha's vineyard (i've not been there, but hope to go someday)- & someone did say to me "great sweatshirt."