Right As Usual

HOLIDAY MOVIES My top 10 favorites: Miracle on 34th Street - Yes, I know it's not actually a Christmas movie, but it does show that not all important things can be seen and proved to the skeptical. Some things you just have to take on faith. Besides, the main character, Natalie Woods, looks just like my daughter did when she was that age. It's a Wonderful Life - not a bright movie, quite dark in many places. It exults the ordinary life, and what it can mean to others. Note that George didn't always have a wonderful attitude. He was bitter about spending the war at home. He couldn't stand to spend time with Sam Wainwright, as his friend's success provoked his envy. He could be a cranky old cuss. His wife, on the other hand, was a great example of the old-fashioned wife - patient, caring, cajoling him into a better frame of mind. Going My Way - a great depiction of a priest's life, and his approach to pastoral work. How the Grinch Stole C...

ANOTHER DUMB QUIZ - STOP ME BEFORE I QUIZ AGAIN! OK, OK. I know I'm an addict. I just find these quizzes fascinating! Eowyn If I were a character in The Lord of the Rings , I would be Eowyn, Woman of Rohan, niece of King Theoden and sister of Eomer. In the movie, I am played by Miranda Otto . Who would you be? Zovakware Lord of the Rings Test with Perseus Web Survey Software

DIET BLOGS I've been checking out the diet blogs (yes, I am working to lose weight). Put Down the Donut Lose the Buddha Mo at Mr. Ointy (I have NO idea what that refers to) One Fat Bitchypoo Skinny Kat Com A Work in Progress Fitness & Blogging Losing Myself Now, in addition to checking out the above, what am I actually doing? I've been playing around with Sugar Busters . Playing around because, I've been cheating madly all week. Well, DH will be home starting late today for the next two weeks. He's good about the exercise thing, so that will make it easier to stay on track.

IT'S BACK AGAIN! Every year, I look forward to the end of summer. I can't wait, because Cleveland summers are humid and miserable towards the end. Every year, I forget what naturally follows just a few months later. Incredible that I could forget the thrill of running late in the morning, and dashing outside to be confronted with my car completely covered! Even if it's not ice-encrusted, it still takes at least 5-10 minutes to clear. How can I forget the awfulness of the season? Of stepping out my side door, only to have ice-cold water dripping down my neck. Of moving that white stuff off the driveway, and feeling that slight twinge in my lower back that signals the beginning of several weeks of hobbling around hunched over, living for the next pain pill. Of walking from car to mall, and feeling the slick movement of my foot on ice, prior to falling to the parking surface.

FINALLY!!!! Saddam Hussein has been captured!!!! It will be interesting to watch the spin news shows put on it. Thank God it's Sunday, as I'll be able to see what Meet the Press and other shows are saying. This is as big an event as V-J Day was in WWII. All the news channels are covering it, and it's on everybody's mind today. I think eventually, everyone will be able to pass on the story to their grandchildren about what they were doing when they heard the news. It made that great an impact.

THE SIMPLE LIFE I'll admit it. I watched the first episode of the simple life. It was mind-boggling stupid, but I couldn't take my eyes off it. I kept on watching to see just how horrible the next faux pas would be. I do have a message for Paris and Nicole: Dear Paris & Nicole, Like many Americans, I watched your antics on the farm. I have one small piece of advice for you. Remember this: you can't help being stupid, but lazy is under your control. You may never be able to win the Nobel, but you can aspire to the noble task of WORKING HARD. It isn't funny to goof off, and whine about how hard work is. We know it's hard, the rest of us do it. Think about the impact of your actions on others. Do you think that your comments about their home were going to hurt them? After all, they did give you hospitality - they housed you, fed you, and tried to include you in the activities of their lives. Laughing about the provinciality of your h...

ONE-CHILD FAMILIES Sometimes I'm amazed by the confidence of people that deliberately have an only child. They seem supremely sure of their ability to raise a human being correctly on the very first try. I have 3 children. If there's a mistake that I didn't make with one of them, it's not my fault. With the first one, a very easy-going child (boy, do I wish I had appreciated her more at the time), I was trying hard to be a "cool, hip" mama. Not easy when you're a natural-born geek. She is cooler than I, currently a novice with the Sisters of St. Joseph, Third Order of St. Francis (SSJ/TOSF). I am in awe of her skills with people, and her competency with managing conferences and big projects. With number two, I got into the natural, organic earth-mother phase. The theory was that by feeding kids natural foods, starting with breastfeeding, you would produce a mellow, holistic little human. So much for theory. He was a whirlwind of ener...

WINTER AMBIVALENCE I live in Cleveland, OH. Most of the time, Cleveland's climate is great - seldom too hot, muggy only for brief periods in August, and fall is incredible, with the maples turning colors. Then's there's winter. I'm 52, and each year gets more challenging. I can predict a change in the weather better than Dick Goddard, thanks to old injuries. Days like today make staying in bed all day a serious option. This winter has been predicted to be REALLY bad - cold, snowy, wet, and miserable. On the other hand, I would miss seeing the change in seasons if we moved somewhere with year-round sunshine. And then, there is that whole "bug thing". I've seen the insect life of the South, and it's intimidating.

WASTED DAY I spent today waiting for the cable repairman. He was a very sharp fellow, and managed to find the problem quickly. Actually, the day wasn't a total loss, as I was able to get some information about contracting agencies (he is an independent contractor). While I was waiting, I blerked for several hours. I also cleaned up the kitchen, not perfectly, but enough to justify my time. I also mulled over some issues I'll be writing about in the next week.

GENDER CHANGE In a little over 10 minutes, I changed my gender from man to woman. It wasn't that difficult. The State Teachers Retirement had me listed as a man, and sent me a letter telling me to return a copy of my birth certificate if I wanted to prove that I was really a woman. I called and had a little fun with the woman that answered. "Hello?" "Hi, I've received a letter telling me that I'm a man, but as you probably can tell, I'm a woman." Great sigh. "Give me your social..." "Well, we do seem to have you as a man. You need to send a copy of your birth certificate." "Well, I really don't know where it is. You know how it is, after a certain age, you really don't need it." "Let me check". Several minutes went by. "Our records show that you were a woman when you applied." "As I still am. You know, it's not exactly the sort of thing that woul...

LANGUAGE CHALLENGES I've been reading the writings of average people lately, and have come to some conclusions about grammar. Many people struggle with the distinctions between "lie" and "lay". At times, I hesitate about the correct usage. But, if I experience difficulty, I have a sufficiently large vocabulary that I can re-state my words to avoid use of a questionable phrase. Most people do not, and are forced to make a guess (the fact that such guesses are so often wrong should be a strong indication that the proper use is counter-intuitive). One major reason that everyday grammar is so often wrong is that people base their usage on the spoken word. Dialect is more common now than 40 years ago, a situation that I wouldn't have anticipated. I thought that with the prevalence of television, people would become aware of the correct phrasing, and substitute it for the speech they had learnt from their birth family. That hasn't happened. ...

POST-HOLIDAY LASSITUDE I've been woefully lazy for the last few days, and have used that sloth as an excuse to catch up on my blog-reading. What I have read has made clear something I wouldn't have believed as a teen. We may be on the verge of another campaign to eliminate Jews - once again with the cooperation of Europeans, and with little notice taken by the average American. It seems extreme to say that, but in a culture that allows Blacks to disparage Jews without reproach, virtually ignores evidence of rampant anti-Semitism, and supports the campaign to divest in Israel-related business, I believe that I am correct. I had a friend in school who was Jewish. I only knew it because my mother knew her mother, and mentioned one day about the blue tatoo on her arm. It shocked me. Mrs. Boros was a mom, just like mine, and I could not fathom the creatures who could justify such an act. In my first 10 jobs, I worked for 8 Jewish employers. (The other two were Cat...