LOL Daisy and Silly Little Somethings

What My Name Means

You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated. You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want. You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way! You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are balanced, orderly, and organized. You like your ducks in a row. You are powerful and competent, especially in the workplace. People can see you as stubborn and headstrong. You definitely have a dominant personality. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

You Are A Chestnut Tree

You are a born diplomat with a well developed sense of justice. And even though you're impressive and intimidating, you're also fun to be around. You can be irritated easily, and you sometimes act superior. Nevertheless, you are sensitive of others feelings and very loyal. Sometimes you feel misunderstood and are fiercely close to those who know you best.

What's Your Celtic Horoscope?

Those are Pobble and Daisy Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.

A Little Jaunt

Lithus and I took a couple days off. It was lovely.

The view from the hotel...


My favorite building in the view from the hotel...


A sight that threw me at first...

Now, just a clarification...At first I thought I was thrown because there was an American flag at all. I certainly didn't expect one (although it's very nice that they fly it.) Then I realized ~ it's not the fact of the flag. It's the fact that the flag is tattered. I'm not In The Least offended. I still think it's flattering the hotel is flying it. They certainly don't have to afterall. However, here in the States, you don't see a tattered American flag flying and it took a little while for me to figure out what was different.

Curious architecture...
(I do understand this is a demolition/renovation project ~ and it's a fascinating demolition/renovation project!)

Finally, leave it to me to go all the way across a landmass, into another country and still (unknowingly, unintentionally) park in front of this...


And something I learned: one should never refer to Hawkins' Cheezies with the phrase "Oh, sure; Cheetos."

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.

Lots and Nothing ~ With An Addendum

There is so much going on ~ and nothing to write about. Daily life. Good, solid, happy daily life. New work. Semi-new relationship. Old friends. New friends. Laughter and silence and puppy snuggles. Yet...nothing to write about.

And sometimes, that's nice, too.

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.

Goodness gracious! What was I thinking???? There are SHOES, people! Check 'em out. Because shoes are Always blog-worthy. :)

And Then There Were Two...

Business Words You Should Know: 1000 Essential Words and Phrases for Any Job (Paperback) by H. Dean, Ph.D. McKay (Author), P. T. Shank (Author)

---

List Price: $9.95

Availability: In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Order early. Order often. My bank account and I thank you. :)

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.

Sympathy v. Empathy

Marriage. Civil unions. Domestic partnership. The great debate. States are scrambling. Congress is scrambling. Presidential candidates are scrambling.

In my opinion, they’ve gotten it right in Massachusetts. Same-sex couples can marry or register as domestic partners. Opposite-sex couples can marry or register as domestic partners. The laws, quite simply, apply to everyone.

It’s different here in my new state. Here, same-sex couples cannot marry but they can register as domestic partners. Opposite-sex couples can marry but they cannot register as domestic partners (unless one of them is over 62 years old.) If you are lesbian or gay and have made a run to Canada or MA, your spouse has no rights but your domestic partner does. If you are straight, your partner has no rights but your spouse does.

There’s something very wrong with this picture.

I have been a human and civil rights activist for a long time now. I have issues that mean more to me, of course, yet if it can fall into the “rights” category, I feel strongly about it. But let’s face it, people: I’m privileged. I’m white. I’m straight. I’ve never been less than middle-class and have spent most of my life upper-middle class. All the sympathy and activism in my heart and in my actions cannot change the fact that societal norms are stacked in my favor. To the point that, if we cannot live in an equal and fair society, since we do not live in a world without privilege, I can and must admit it’s my turn – the turn of the straight, white folks.

Luckily, because I am aware of my privilege and do feel the way I feel, yesterday wasn’t the shock it might have been. Yesterday, for the first time, the laws of my state and my country do not protect me. They do not apply to me. They actively exclude me. You see, I am partnered – deeply, committedly partnered – but not married. And apparently, straight folks are supposed to be married.

Because I haven’t taken my privilege for granted in years, I recognize the pain being denied a right can cause. Because I have been sympathetic for years, I have seen first hand as confusion turns to frustration, turns to anger. What I learned today, though, is that sympathy has nothing on empathy.

So this is what it feels like to have your choices, your status, your very self be negated and invalidated by the law. So this is what it does to your heart, your spirit, your soul to be told that you don’t count. To be told that you cannot care for the person you love; that you cannot make decisions for him should he get sick; that he cannot visit you should you need him. That you cannot see your step-son. That he isn’t even really your step-son. That another person, who has her own agenda, who only wants to exert her power because she can, is more legitimate and more valid than you are.

Honestly, it’s good for me. I wish there was some way, some possible way, for all of us who carry privilege to experience this. If it kicked me in the gut this hard and was such a wake-up for someone like me, imagine the changes it could make in a society who is, for the most part, oblivious.

For now, though, I’ve learned how it feels.

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.

I Know A Place or Borrowed Money and a Shout Out

BDS over at Two Dollar Productions recommended this meme so I thought I'd try it.

The rules:
1. Put your music player on Shuffle
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER WHAT. (This is in capital letters, so it is very serious.) (That parenthesis actually came with the rules and weren't added by me, curiously enough. But this was, of course. digressing, Pobble...)
4. Add editorial comments in parenthesis after most song names. (Okay, this wasn't in the rules $$ passed along but it's me and I can't not make editorial comments.)

1. IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY? Ain't Misbehaven - Ella Fitzgerald
2. WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY? Ring of Fire - Johnny Cash (*giggle*)
3. WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? Past Time with Good Company - Blackmore's Night (I wonder which is more important ~ the good company part or the past times part?)
4. HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY? Lime in the Coconut - Harry Nilsson
5. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE? The Boys are Back in Town - Thin Lizzy (perhaps...)
6. WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? I Won't Back Down - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (and this one was a little freaky in its accuracy)
7. WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? Ballad of Bilbo Baggins - Leonard Nimoy (oh good Lord, I hope not ~ but I can see it.)
8. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS? Mack the Knife - Brian Setzer Orchestra
9. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN? Yeah! - Usher
10. WHAT IS 2+2? Terrible Lie - Nine Inch Nails
11. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND? Jump in the Line - Harry Belafonte (hahahahahahahahahahahaha...oh, if you knew the Divine M, you'd know why this is PERFECT!!!!!!!!! hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!)
12. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Somebody to Love - Jefferson Airplane (another honest response, not a plant, I swear!)
13. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY? The Miller's Son from A Little Night Music by Stephen Sondheim
14. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? Island in the Sun - Weezer
15. WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Canyon Moonrise - Celtic Fiddle Festival (yep, true if you know the song, what it makes me feel and my feelings on moonrise in general. okay, the mushy, schmoopy interlude is over now.)
16. WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? Summer in the City - Lovin' Spoonful (this is true AND my mother might actually at least know this song...)
17. WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING? We Could Be Heroes - (I didn't put the artist in here; ooops! but another accurate one)
18. WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? Southern Cross - Crosby, Stills and Nash
19. WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST? Miss Murder - AFI (and hiding the bodies, afterward, of course)
20. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET? Makin' Whoopee - Eddie Cantor
21. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? Stay - Jackson Browne (another freaky-true answer!)
22. WHAT SHOULD YOU POST THIS AS? I Know a Place - Petula Clark

Good fun for me, anyway. Hope you enjoyed it, too. :) A scary number of them were accurate.

As for the shout-out promised in the title of this post...Look over there. There. On the left. In my links. You'll notice "Speaker FTB" has been added. He doesn't post often (at least not as often as I'd like him to and, as we all know, it's all about me!) but he posts well.

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.

Life With Timber

I am adjusting to being a step-thingy and to having a step-thingy. Although it is an adjustment. We had our first afternoon/evening together without Lithus this week.

Me: Any homework tonight?
Timber: No, but I do have a math test tomorrow that I need help studying for.
Me: (externally) Okay, let's take a look at it and see what we can do.
Me: (internally) FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Timber: I have a song I want you to hear.
Me: Okay.
Timber puts on the song "Geeks in Love"
Me: Cool song.
Timber: Yeah, it reminds me of you and my dad.
Me: (laughing) Thanks.
Timber: I'm planning on playing it at your wedding.
Me: (externally) Oh really? Think there's gonna be a wedding, huh?
Me: (internally) FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please, Goddess, let my internal monologue stay internal.

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.

It Never Ceases to Amaze Me

* how magnificent the ravens who live in our trees are

* how much my friends and I love each other

* how much pee Daisy can hold in her little bladder

* how kind people can be if you are kind first

* how low exes can sink

* how, with a click of a mouse, I can be in touch with someone across town, across the country, across the world

* how similar two people can be while still being so different

* how old friendships can deepen and new friendships blossom

* how indomitable the human spirit continues to be

* how miraculous every single day truly is

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.

Not About the Election

I've got a favor to ask you, dear reader. I ask that you read this next article, not as it pertains to the specific election that is occurring in the US right now, but as a general view of gender politics in the US. If you have read this blog for long, you realize I am not a huge Clinton supporter (and the article has been edited to remove some of Steinem's views on Clinton specifically, rather than just a statement of gender) and the italics are mine because gender rights are only one set of rights I am concerned about and committed to. All that being said, I'm still not a huge Clinton supporter ~ but this article spells out why I wish I could be.

Women Are Never Front-Runners

By GLORIA STEINEM

Published: January 8, 2008


THE woman in question became a lawyer after some years as a community organizer, married a corporate lawyer and is the mother of two little girls, ages 9 and 6. Herself the daughter of a white American mother and a black African father — in this race-conscious country, she is considered black — she served as a state legislator for eight years, and became an inspirational voice for national unity.

Be honest: Do you think this is the biography of someone who could be elected to the United States Senate? After less than one term there, do you believe she could be a viable candidate to head the most powerful nation on earth?

If you answered no to either question, you're not alone. Gender is probably the most restricting force in American life, whether the question is who must be in the kitchen or who could be in the White House. This country is way down the list of countries electing women and, according to one study, it polarizes gender roles more than the average democracy.

That's why the Iowa primary was following our historical pattern of making change. Black men were given the vote a half-century before women of any race were allowed to mark a ballot, and generally have ascended to positions of power, from the military to the boardroom, before any women (with the possible exception of obedient family members in the latter).

If the lawyer described above had been just as charismatic but named, say, Achola Obama instead of Barack Obama, her goose would have been cooked long ago. Indeed, neither she nor Hillary Clinton could have used Mr. Obama's public style — or Bill Clinton's either — without being considered too emotional by Washington pundits.

So why is the sex barrier not taken as seriously as the racial one? The reasons are as pervasive as the air we breathe: because sexism is still confused with nature as racism once was; because anything that affects males is seen as more serious than anything that affects "only" the female half of the human race; because children are still raised mostly by women (to put it mildly) so men especially tend to feel they are regressing to childhood when dealing with a powerful woman; because racism stereotyped black men as more "masculine" for so long that some white men find their presence to be masculinity-affirming (as long as there aren't too many of them); and because there is still no "right" way to be a woman in public power without being considered a you-know-what.

I'm not advocating a competition for who has it toughest. The caste systems of sex and race are interdependent and can only be uprooted together. That's why Senators Clinton and Obama have to be careful not to let a healthy debate turn into the kind of hostility that the news media love. Both will need a coalition of outsiders to win a general election. The abolition and suffrage movements progressed when united and were damaged by division; we should remember that.

But what worries me is that he is seen as unifying by his race while she is seen as divisive by her sex.

What worries me is that she is accused of "playing the gender card" when citing the old boys' club, while he is seen as unifying by citing civil rights confrontations.

What worries me is that male Iowa voters were seen as gender-free when supporting their own, while female voters were seen as biased if they did and disloyal if they didn't.

What worries me is that some women, perhaps especially younger ones, hope to deny or escape the sexual caste system; thus Iowa women over 50 and 60, who disproportionately supported Senator Clinton, proved once again that women are the one group that grows more radical with age.

This country can no longer afford to choose our leaders from a talent pool limited by sex, race, money, powerful fathers and paper degrees. It's time to take equal pride in breaking all the barriers.

Those are Pobble Thoughts ~ voiced by Steinem. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee...and maybe a little more.

Dear Ex-Boyfriend ~

Ha ha ha. Very clever. You won.

Now will you go away? Because you are an ex-boyfriend and it's just a little pathetic now. I mean, it's been years. I do not look back on our time together fondly. I do not look back on our time together with anger. I do not look back on our time together at all. I barely remember you, ex-boyfriend.

So, if it helps, nod your head smugly and know that your friends were right: I'm a bitch who never loved you. If it helps, throw up your hands and be grateful because you are so much better off without me. If it helps, shake your head and wonder what you ever saw in me. I don't care.

But move on already. I have. A very long time ago.

Thanks.

~ The Boston Pobble

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.

Initial Thoughts on 2008

I rarely make new year's resolutions. They seem like a good way to set ourselves up to fail. When I do make them, they tend to be along the lines of "light more candles" and "take more baths." They are about increasing happiness, not self-improvement. With that in mind, here are a few resolutions I would make for my fellow bloggers ~ with the sole intention of increasing happiness.

The Lovely Cats ~ My luggage. Because there's only one thing that makes *me* happier than that.
Nemeria ~ Boot-wearing, ass-kicking, name-taking warm fuzzies with big ol' honkin' spotlights on their butts
Graziella ~ The perfect geocache. With the perfect Brit.
$$ Productions ~ That contract you are thisclose to and deserve so much.
Aisha T ~ Time. As much as you want for whatever you want.
Butterflyys ~ Mexico at the end of this year, too!
Cracker Lilo ~ The perfect wave with the perfect woman waiting on the beach for when you're done.
D-Man ~ Really great shoes and a say-something hat.
Dagoth ~ A chess mate ~ and a check mate.
Daisy ~ A few less crazies in the store.
Don ~ A new computer so you can blog again. Oh, wait. That's about increasing *my* happiness, not yours. Hmmmm...in that case, appletinis at the Ritz.
GOML! ~ Someone else to pull the sled while you hang out with Sugar and Pickle. (I thought about wishing the respect of your kids ~ but I know you have it already.)
Jaded ~ An opportunity to Diva that's about nothing but fun
Krystal ~ Bear.
Michael ~ Someone else to carry the banner every now and then.
Nancy ~ HEALTH! For obvious reasons.
Rose ~ Signing the next great author. (Have you met $$...?) *grin*
my favorite trinity: SpiderGirl, Tai and Wolfgrrrl ~ three round trip tickets anywhere. Hell, let's make it 4; take Pol. She may not blog but honestly, the trip wouldn't be the same without her and I realize that.
GNGirl ~ A week at the beach, guilt-free, to do nothing but drink frosty drinks, love your fella and hug on your kid. (Did you catch that, Lori? Guilt-Free, dammit!)
Zoom ~ A purple elephant. Why? Because it's the only thing I can think of that is as delightfully random and as unusual as you are.

And for a couple of people who aren't linked over there...

Casdok ~ A day where the whole world sees C the same way you do
Speaker for the Bread ~ Coffee at Denny's
Appsrus ~ Access to every written word you've ever wanted to read and the time to do so
J who is Fabulousness ~ An early warning system in case there's a next time

Finally, for all of you, I wish you personal peace. Contentment but not complacency. Self-respect, self-worth and, where applicable, self-forgiveness. Permission to be whomever you are to your glorious utmost. Because you are, every one of you, glorious. And that my friends is my final 2008 wish: that you get to see yourselves as I see you.

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee ~ and my love.