It's a word now, dammit! :)
Anyone who's read Pobble Thoughts for very long knows I am far more out with my religion here than I am in real life. However, I've taken a brave step and have actually set up a permanent altar. For the first time, it felt like the right thing to do. Lithus has been encouraging me to do so since I moved in with him and, technically, at the old place, there was a space for it. It just didn't feel like a good space for it. Here, though, there's space. And it feels like good space. So...we'll see.
This is a lovely time of year for me. I love the Harvest and Halloween decorations. Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday, followed by Halloween. There is something welcoming and warm about the oranges and pumpkins and apples and browns and reds when you walk into just about any store. Even when the temperatures are warm as they are now ~ hell, it's warmer now than it was in August ~ there is still something about the season.
Crow Mother called me today. Last year, we were together at Samhain. We are both crazy about Autumn. Our respective partners have always been very understanding about this and humored us lovingly and without patronizing us. However, to actually be together, with the other person who gets it last year was wonderful. We went a little pumpkin crazy, had some amazing jack o' lanterns, homemade pies, decorations...you get the idea. Earlier this week, I had teared up telling Lithus about it. Today, she called for the same reason. Thanksgiving can't come soon enough.
Last year, the one negative was the fact that it was impossible to find black taper candles. Appsrus sent me a dozen. I have horded them for the last year, being very careful to use them well. This year, black candles are readily available. And it's a good thing too because I am almost out of my Appsrus candles. So we're stocking up.
I'm actually living with someone who likes the same kind of decor as I (finally!) so we're actually stocking up on a lot more than just black candles. "Halloween" decorations that will find permanent homes in our home. Gorgeous black candlesticks, really cool placemats and raven glassware. Plus, my black feather wreath from my first Samhain single is getting hung in the living room where everybody can enjoy it.
Autumn is always good. This Autumn...well, this is how it's supposed to feel.
Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Poppy
About 11:30 Wednesday night, Lithus' phone rang. By 12:56 Thursday morning, he was a grandfather. And a proud one at that! We are tired and happy and thrilled beyond words. I mean, dude, a grandfather! A Poppy!
Note ~ While you have heard about Timber, you have yet to hear about his daughter (who needs a moniker now) because she is older and off living her own life, doing her own thing, being an adult. It is however, the daughter, not the 14 year old Timber, who has made him Poppy. Just to be clear.
Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee ~ and a cigar!
Note ~ While you have heard about Timber, you have yet to hear about his daughter (who needs a moniker now) because she is older and off living her own life, doing her own thing, being an adult. It is however, the daughter, not the 14 year old Timber, who has made him Poppy. Just to be clear.
Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee ~ and a cigar!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Ya Think?
Interesting news article off of Yahoo this morning. What makes it interesting to me isn't what it describes but that so many people are so surprised by what it describes. And even that doesn't surprise me...
...a new Associated Press-Yahoo! News poll, conducted with Stanford University, shows just how wide a gap remains between whites and blacks. It shows that a substantial portion of white Americans still harbor negative feelings toward blacks. It shows that blacks and whites disagree tremendously on how much racial prejudice exists, whose fault it is and how much influence blacks have in politics. ...
...a new Associated Press-Yahoo! News poll, conducted with Stanford University, shows just how wide a gap remains between whites and blacks. It shows that a substantial portion of white Americans still harbor negative feelings toward blacks. It shows that blacks and whites disagree tremendously on how much racial prejudice exists, whose fault it is and how much influence blacks have in politics. ...
More whites apply positive attributes to blacks than negative ones, and blacks are even more generous in their descriptions of whites. Racial prejudice is lower among college-educated whites living outside the South. And many whites who think most blacks are somewhat lazy, violent or boastful are willing or even eager to vote for Obama over Republican John McCain, who is white.
The poll, however, shows that blacks and whites see racial discrimination in starkly different terms. When asked "how much discrimination against blacks" exists, 10 percent of whites said "a lot" and 45 percent said "some."
Among blacks, 57 percent said "a lot" and all but a fraction of the rest said "some."
Asked how much of America's existing racial tension is created by blacks, more than one-third of white respondents said "most" or "all," and 9 percent said "not much." Only 3 percent of blacks said "most" or "all," while half said "not much at all."
Nearly three-fourths of blacks said white people have too much influence in American politics. Only 12 percent of whites agreed. Almost three times as many blacks as whites said blacks have too little influence.
Far more blacks than whites say government officials "usually pay less attention to a request or complaint from a black person than a white person."
One in five whites have felt admiration for blacks "very" or "extremely" often. Seventy percent of blacks have felt the same about whites. ...
By CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press Writer
(Click on the picture and you get a graph of the poll results ~ and large enough to read it, even!)
Here's what I wish white America would come to grips with: We Don't Get To Say How Much Racism Blacks in America Experience. We are not the ones who get to say when racism has ended. If black people are still feeling this disadvantaged then guess what? Racism is still with us. To an extreme. It really, really sucks to admit this but it means we haven't yet leveled the playing field. We haven't eradicated racism, bigotry and prejudice. We haven't even come close. Not with this kind of a gap. Black America knows the black American experience. White America doesn't. So suck it up, people. It's not fair yet. Pointing to how far we've come and specific examples of where a black person has risen over a white person doesn't change the fact that systemically society is still slanted hugely in favor of whites. We can want those things to mean it. We can debate and argue and disagree. Fact is, when the vast majority of black people still feel this disadvantaged, we haven't fixed a damn thing.
Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Thoughts on Window Shopping
As I have talked about here, the exploring thing was tough. It's getting easier. I'm getting out and about into my new little town (haven't quite made it into the city next door yet but we're getting there.) But for a little town, there's a lot happening here. This could be a fun place to be. There are, at least, lots of places to browse and compose Pobble Thoughts.
* I like to go into boutiques for the first time dressed down. Not slovenly or looking homeless, mind you. Like today. I'm in a grey jersey skirt and a black t-shirt. Lipstick and hair done but simple sandals and no jewelry or effort. Just dressed down. See, I'm a third generation Neiman Marcus shopper which means I know what service is supposed to be like. There are too many places far too willing to ignore someone dressed down. I figure, that gives me the right to be far too willing to ignore them when I'm dressed normally ~ and spending money rather than window shopping.
* I love high heeled (and flat, actually but for the sake of this part of the post, we'll stick to the high) oxfords and wingtips. Have since I was in high school as the Lovely Cats, Nemeria and Crow Mother could attest if my choices in footwear happen to be important enough for them to remember. This style comes in and out of fashion so I like to stock up when it's in to help get me through the lean years of out and therefore harder to find, if I happen to blow out a stitching during the interim. Oh, I can usually find a pair if I look hard enough ~ that's how I was able to fall in love with them in the first place ~ but it's also nice to have a pair of my favorites stuck in the back of the closet, just in case. And yes, they are back in fashion right now. Gonna have to change that from window to real shopping soon!
* All that being said ~ high heeled oxfords and wingtips should not be peep-toe, people. Please. Designers. Listen to me. Jacking up the heel 3 to 4 inches makes it girly enough. You don't have to cut the toe out, too. Are there exceptions to this? Of course. There are always exceptions. That's the one rule to which there seems to be no exception. But generally? Damn. Leave the toe in the shoe. I'm begging here.
* I like Speigel (the window shopping included some Windows shopping, too, I admit it.) Again, I have since I was a teenager. Their looks are classic with a twist. Kinda like me. Plus, something that I've realized that I didn't notice or care about when I was a teenager, their models are not thirteen years old. Their models aren't even twenty years old. It's nice to see a company that allows women in their 30s, 40s, 50s and older be stylish, fashionable, sexy, edgy and dressed their age, instead of looking like they are trying to dress like their teenage daughters and granddaughters.
* While I am stylish and fashionable, I am definitely not trendy. I am infinitely okay with this fact.
* I continue to be on the fence about the ready accesability of what can best be described as "Goth jewelry." Again, it's been my style for years. On the one hand, it's so great to not have to scour places looking for an interesting piece. It's nice that retailers are acknowledging that yes, we are out here and we do spend money and we do want quality stuff, not just plastic crap. On the other hand, if it's mass produced and sold in every shop on every corner of every town, is it really still interesting?
* CoverGirl Outlast 900 Chocolate Satin is a very difficult lip color to find here on the West Coast. It was everywhere I shopped in New England (which, let's be honest was only two cities in MA and one in CT with occassional forays out of New England into Jersey but still) Having looked for it now in four different places in the Pacific Northwest, all of the towns around Lake Tahoe and several cities in northern Nevada, one would think that, if it was even somewhat readily available, I would've found it. In that whole list, I've found it in one drug store in Minden, NV. Go figure.
* There is a florist. Right next to a cafe. I can take a book, sip a coffee, buy a couple flowers and come home. This makes me happier than I can express.
Exploring isn't easy for me. But God, it was worth it this time.
Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee...at a cafe next to a florist, if you're lucky.
* I like to go into boutiques for the first time dressed down. Not slovenly or looking homeless, mind you. Like today. I'm in a grey jersey skirt and a black t-shirt. Lipstick and hair done but simple sandals and no jewelry or effort. Just dressed down. See, I'm a third generation Neiman Marcus shopper which means I know what service is supposed to be like. There are too many places far too willing to ignore someone dressed down. I figure, that gives me the right to be far too willing to ignore them when I'm dressed normally ~ and spending money rather than window shopping.
* I love high heeled (and flat, actually but for the sake of this part of the post, we'll stick to the high) oxfords and wingtips. Have since I was in high school as the Lovely Cats, Nemeria and Crow Mother could attest if my choices in footwear happen to be important enough for them to remember. This style comes in and out of fashion so I like to stock up when it's in to help get me through the lean years of out and therefore harder to find, if I happen to blow out a stitching during the interim. Oh, I can usually find a pair if I look hard enough ~ that's how I was able to fall in love with them in the first place ~ but it's also nice to have a pair of my favorites stuck in the back of the closet, just in case. And yes, they are back in fashion right now. Gonna have to change that from window to real shopping soon!
* All that being said ~ high heeled oxfords and wingtips should not be peep-toe, people. Please. Designers. Listen to me. Jacking up the heel 3 to 4 inches makes it girly enough. You don't have to cut the toe out, too. Are there exceptions to this? Of course. There are always exceptions. That's the one rule to which there seems to be no exception. But generally? Damn. Leave the toe in the shoe. I'm begging here.
* I like Speigel (the window shopping included some Windows shopping, too, I admit it.) Again, I have since I was a teenager. Their looks are classic with a twist. Kinda like me. Plus, something that I've realized that I didn't notice or care about when I was a teenager, their models are not thirteen years old. Their models aren't even twenty years old. It's nice to see a company that allows women in their 30s, 40s, 50s and older be stylish, fashionable, sexy, edgy and dressed their age, instead of looking like they are trying to dress like their teenage daughters and granddaughters.
* While I am stylish and fashionable, I am definitely not trendy. I am infinitely okay with this fact.
* I continue to be on the fence about the ready accesability of what can best be described as "Goth jewelry." Again, it's been my style for years. On the one hand, it's so great to not have to scour places looking for an interesting piece. It's nice that retailers are acknowledging that yes, we are out here and we do spend money and we do want quality stuff, not just plastic crap. On the other hand, if it's mass produced and sold in every shop on every corner of every town, is it really still interesting?
* CoverGirl Outlast 900 Chocolate Satin is a very difficult lip color to find here on the West Coast. It was everywhere I shopped in New England (which, let's be honest was only two cities in MA and one in CT with occassional forays out of New England into Jersey but still) Having looked for it now in four different places in the Pacific Northwest, all of the towns around Lake Tahoe and several cities in northern Nevada, one would think that, if it was even somewhat readily available, I would've found it. In that whole list, I've found it in one drug store in Minden, NV. Go figure.
* There is a florist. Right next to a cafe. I can take a book, sip a coffee, buy a couple flowers and come home. This makes me happier than I can express.
Exploring isn't easy for me. But God, it was worth it this time.
Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee...at a cafe next to a florist, if you're lucky.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
She's COMING!
Crow Mother, my beautiful biosister, is coming for Thanksgiving.
I haven't seen her in a year ~ since I left last fall to move up here with Lithus. It's been a long year. It's been more good than bad but there have been times that was questionable for both of us. And she's coming.
All I want to do is send her links and find places for us to explore and plan menus and, and, and... It is, however, more than two months away. They will be a busy two months at that. Hell, my birthday, Samhain and Lithus' birthday are all in between. Not to mention deadlines and outlines and more job hunting. And she's coming.
I can't wait.
Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.
I haven't seen her in a year ~ since I left last fall to move up here with Lithus. It's been a long year. It's been more good than bad but there have been times that was questionable for both of us. And she's coming.
All I want to do is send her links and find places for us to explore and plan menus and, and, and... It is, however, more than two months away. They will be a busy two months at that. Hell, my birthday, Samhain and Lithus' birthday are all in between. Not to mention deadlines and outlines and more job hunting. And she's coming.
I can't wait.
Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Ike: Right On Target!
Just another reason to love Target stores...
My Dear One lives in the Houston/Galveston area. He also works at the Target there in his small town. Before Ike hit, he promised to be in touch after it was all over. Aside from a quick text message to assure me all was well, last night was the first chance he had to call. He's fine. His loved ones are fine. As he puts it, "there's very little of Galveston left." Still, he's well and even back at work.
Something I had never considered before was the fact that getting a store open as quickly as possible after a major event is a good idea. If you're the first one open, you're the first place people are going to spend their money. Smart business sense. So, naturally, Target wanted to get reopened as quickly as possible and they were, indeed, one of the first stores open again. But here's what they did differently...
A Target warehouse in another, very close town had somehow managed not to lose power. Target had the warehouse ship over one of those huge refrigerated trucks full of bags of ice. My Dear One spent his first day back at work packing up grocery bags of nonperishable foods, jugs and bottles of water and bags of ice. Every single person who walked through his Target's door was given a bag of food, fresh water and a bag of ice for their coolers. Every. Single. Person.
Given. As in free. As in no profit to Target. And remember, it came from a warehouse that still had refrigeration. The ice wasn't going to melt. They could've held onto it until all the stores had power and then simply restocked the shelves. They didn't. They actually put their communities first.
My Dear One's Target did hold back several bags of food, a pallet of ice bags and a pallet of water jugs...to send home with the workers who showed up that day. Because their workers are part of the community.
Is Target perfect? Probably not. I'm not sure there's a major corporation out there these days that is. But their claims about giving back to the community and taking care of their people? That's not bullshit.
Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.
My Dear One lives in the Houston/Galveston area. He also works at the Target there in his small town. Before Ike hit, he promised to be in touch after it was all over. Aside from a quick text message to assure me all was well, last night was the first chance he had to call. He's fine. His loved ones are fine. As he puts it, "there's very little of Galveston left." Still, he's well and even back at work.
Something I had never considered before was the fact that getting a store open as quickly as possible after a major event is a good idea. If you're the first one open, you're the first place people are going to spend their money. Smart business sense. So, naturally, Target wanted to get reopened as quickly as possible and they were, indeed, one of the first stores open again. But here's what they did differently...
A Target warehouse in another, very close town had somehow managed not to lose power. Target had the warehouse ship over one of those huge refrigerated trucks full of bags of ice. My Dear One spent his first day back at work packing up grocery bags of nonperishable foods, jugs and bottles of water and bags of ice. Every single person who walked through his Target's door was given a bag of food, fresh water and a bag of ice for their coolers. Every. Single. Person.
Given. As in free. As in no profit to Target. And remember, it came from a warehouse that still had refrigeration. The ice wasn't going to melt. They could've held onto it until all the stores had power and then simply restocked the shelves. They didn't. They actually put their communities first.
My Dear One's Target did hold back several bags of food, a pallet of ice bags and a pallet of water jugs...to send home with the workers who showed up that day. Because their workers are part of the community.
Is Target perfect? Probably not. I'm not sure there's a major corporation out there these days that is. But their claims about giving back to the community and taking care of their people? That's not bullshit.
Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.
Monday, September 15, 2008
The Thing About the Election
Here's how I see it ~ we could hold the election tomorrow and it would fall out the same way it will in November. Both sides are bolstering their candidates and smearing the other's. Activists for both sides are pointing out information and facts that show their candidates in a positive light and that show the opponents in a negative one.
There seems to be this attitude on both sides that says If you would just really listen to this... or If you would just understand that... and then the other side would miraculously and immediately throw off their support for one candidate and switch to the other. If we would just understand the evils of the one and/or the pros of the other, it would be an obvious choice.
But, people, nothing we're learning is anything new. Nothing we're hearing is anything new. The lies and disinformation aren't new. The truths and facts aren't new. The people who have heard the same thing and interpreted them differently aren't going to change their minds just because you want them to.
Yes, there might be some hugemongous scandal on one side or the other between now and Election Day. Both sides (I would imagine, anyway) are actually hoping for it to hit the other. But even that won't be about the issues. Won't be about how McCain-Palin or Obama-Biden would run the country. It would be an emotional, knee-jerk scandal that changes people's minds. It won't be that John McCain is diagnosed with Alzheimers. Or that Barack Obama actually is a terrorist. Because the other facts are already out there, already known. McCain doesn't have Alzheimer's. Obama isn't a terrorist. Both sides are dealing hypocritically with the other. Both sides do have their strengths and their weaknesses. We know it already.
Stop being so freaking shocked about it! Stop trying to change each other's minds. We have all heard the information. We have all made our decisions. Can we just have the election now? Please?
Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.
There seems to be this attitude on both sides that says If you would just really listen to this... or If you would just understand that... and then the other side would miraculously and immediately throw off their support for one candidate and switch to the other. If we would just understand the evils of the one and/or the pros of the other, it would be an obvious choice.
But, people, nothing we're learning is anything new. Nothing we're hearing is anything new. The lies and disinformation aren't new. The truths and facts aren't new. The people who have heard the same thing and interpreted them differently aren't going to change their minds just because you want them to.
Yes, there might be some hugemongous scandal on one side or the other between now and Election Day. Both sides (I would imagine, anyway) are actually hoping for it to hit the other. But even that won't be about the issues. Won't be about how McCain-Palin or Obama-Biden would run the country. It would be an emotional, knee-jerk scandal that changes people's minds. It won't be that John McCain is diagnosed with Alzheimers. Or that Barack Obama actually is a terrorist. Because the other facts are already out there, already known. McCain doesn't have Alzheimer's. Obama isn't a terrorist. Both sides are dealing hypocritically with the other. Both sides do have their strengths and their weaknesses. We know it already.
Stop being so freaking shocked about it! Stop trying to change each other's minds. We have all heard the information. We have all made our decisions. Can we just have the election now? Please?
Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Where I've Been
A friend of mine wrote to me because she realized I had been quiet here and IRL. She just wanted to make sure all was well. It is. And, as I wrote her back, I realized I had the makings of a post, explaining to y'all as well. So, here you go. My (edited for private stuff) email to a friend...
Things have been a little weird here. It's no one thing (and it's not the start of an episode, TTG) so I'm not even sure if I can explain it. It's it's frustration with my work; it's a job hunt outside the home because I'm tired of being broke all the time; it's the frustration that comes with being broke all the time ~ sure, bills are being paid but That's It, going for one drink or to a movie takes planning and looking at budget; it's an inability to find a job outside of the home because I've been self-employed for so long (that's the feedback that I got from the two places that bothered to give me feedback so I'm going with it); it's I'm trying to lose weight; it's the fact that I have weight to lose because I've gained 25 pounds in the last year; it's the fact that it's been a year since I've seen anyone I love except for Lithus and Timber; it's the fact that I am already tired of politics and yet cannot seem to turn on the t.v., radio or internet without being bombarded by it; it's because I'm being bombarded with it, I cannot escape the crazy hypocrisy on the part of both the liberals and the conservatives who don't get that they hold each other to and judge each other by different standards; it's the fact that Lionel is starting to get old and I don't want him to; it's the fact that I'm going to be alone on Halloween/Samhain because of Lithus's travel schedule and the fact that I'm broke so can't go to any of my family; it's the fact that the three women I consider sisters are all going through really, really life-affecting tough times (as opposed to general life tough times) and I can't get to them; it's because in 48 hours, I was yelled at for being "pro-abortion" because I support a woman's right to choose AND accused of being "anti-woman" because I disagree with Clinton supporters voting for Palin Just Because She's Female. Apparently, I can't win; I'm either too liberal or not liberal enough. Go figure; and, and, and... You get the idea.
Mind you, I'm also really cranking on a couple novels; working like a dog on the one that comes out in Feb; collaborating with my designer on a website that should be up and running by the end of October; actually getting out and exploring the area; and might have made a couple friends (but we're reserving judgment on that, just in case they turn out to actually be bitches or boring ~ which would be worse, let's face it.) so it's not all bad. it's just...a little weird right now.
So...that's where I've been. I'll try to be more diligent about posting. And, as sick as I am of it, there may even still be more political stuff. So, those of you who groove on those, rest easy; they may not be completely gone. Those of you who dread them, you've been warned. For now, I would just like life to not be quite so weird. Still, I'll take a little weird over drama and angst ridden any day. Considering where I've been...yeah, it could be a hell of a lot worse than a little weird. :)
Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.
Things have been a little weird here. It's no one thing (and it's not the start of an episode, TTG) so I'm not even sure if I can explain it. It's it's frustration with my work; it's a job hunt outside the home because I'm tired of being broke all the time; it's the frustration that comes with being broke all the time ~ sure, bills are being paid but That's It, going for one drink or to a movie takes planning and looking at budget; it's an inability to find a job outside of the home because I've been self-employed for so long (that's the feedback that I got from the two places that bothered to give me feedback so I'm going with it); it's I'm trying to lose weight; it's the fact that I have weight to lose because I've gained 25 pounds in the last year; it's the fact that it's been a year since I've seen anyone I love except for Lithus and Timber; it's the fact that I am already tired of politics and yet cannot seem to turn on the t.v., radio or internet without being bombarded by it; it's because I'm being bombarded with it, I cannot escape the crazy hypocrisy on the part of both the liberals and the conservatives who don't get that they hold each other to and judge each other by different standards; it's the fact that Lionel is starting to get old and I don't want him to; it's the fact that I'm going to be alone on Halloween/Samhain because of Lithus's travel schedule and the fact that I'm broke so can't go to any of my family; it's the fact that the three women I consider sisters are all going through really, really life-affecting tough times (as opposed to general life tough times) and I can't get to them; it's because in 48 hours, I was yelled at for being "pro-abortion" because I support a woman's right to choose AND accused of being "anti-woman" because I disagree with Clinton supporters voting for Palin Just Because She's Female. Apparently, I can't win; I'm either too liberal or not liberal enough. Go figure; and, and, and... You get the idea.
Mind you, I'm also really cranking on a couple novels; working like a dog on the one that comes out in Feb; collaborating with my designer on a website that should be up and running by the end of October; actually getting out and exploring the area; and might have made a couple friends (but we're reserving judgment on that, just in case they turn out to actually be bitches or boring ~ which would be worse, let's face it.) so it's not all bad. it's just...a little weird right now.
So...that's where I've been. I'll try to be more diligent about posting. And, as sick as I am of it, there may even still be more political stuff. So, those of you who groove on those, rest easy; they may not be completely gone. Those of you who dread them, you've been warned. For now, I would just like life to not be quite so weird. Still, I'll take a little weird over drama and angst ridden any day. Considering where I've been...yeah, it could be a hell of a lot worse than a little weird. :)
Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)