Plans Interrupted
This past weekend was supposed to be dedicated to cleaning the apartment and getting supplies for our upcoming cocktail party, or three-ring circus, as I like to call it. Anyway, last Thursday, I had no plans for the weekend other than prep work for the party and then by Friday, WHAM!the weekend was jam-packed. Friday, I rounded up a group of friends for a drink. That turned into a 6 hour affair, possibly longer. For some reason I can't exactly remember. Saturday we suddenly had dinner reservations with 2 other couples. Much of the day Saturday, up until dinner, was spent recovering from Friday. Sunday brought on some errands we couldn't avoid, but later that day I got sucked into the land of the in-laws. So anyway, the weekend of party-prepping resulted in absolutely no prepping at all.
So last night, Ron and I headed to Delaware and dropped the equivilant of a car payment at the liquor warehouse. Just like a modern day Bonnie and Clyde, we smuggled alcohol across state lines back into to Pennsylvania. Then we got some good eats at the Mexican Post--they actually have one in Delaware--and I so happy. Tonight, I think I'm heading to the supermarket or maybe Party City, or maybe both. The rest of the week will be dedicated to cleaning the apartment. Which includes trying to find half of the glassware we received as wedding gifts.
The reason that this party is going to be a bit of a three ring cirus is that I just don't know what to expect. There's an interesting mix of people coming, perhaps one might even say an odd mix, and it could either be totally awesome or totally awkward. And knowing, particularly with Ron's friends, that those who said they weren't coming might show up and those that said they were coming might not, we could either have a party of 6 people or 25. You just never know. It'll be interesting.
I'm not sure what I'll wear....but that's a whole other post.....
In Love
I've recently realized that I have a deep, heart-breaking love for Ed Norton. I mean, really, check out
his bio. How could I not be in love with him? Aside from the fact that he dated Courtney Love, probably resulting in him taking loads of antibiotics for a few years, he's perfect. I think I've only seen two movies he's been in. No, wait, three I think: Primal Fear, The People V. Larry Flint and most recently The Illusionist.
I love him. And that I think he lives in NY only adds to my love. I love when actors don't live in Hollywood. I'm going to have to break it to Ron that he's got competition.
PD
For those of you who haven't already figured this out, Rush Limbaugh is a freaking idiot. And the Michael J. Fox thing is just the latest of his idiotic comments. Michael J. Fox wanted to do those ads and
of course Democrats wanted him to do them. Can you blame them? I don't think it's shameless. The reality is that he is the poster child for a disease that could potentially benefit from stem cell research and he
wanted to do it.. And this is an example of how I differ from my more conservative counterparts: while I'm personally on the fence about stem cell research, I have no problem at all with this ad campaign. That Limbaugh thinks Fox was faking...c'mon, have you lived in a vaccuum for the last 10 years? Have you not seen him on TV since he's announced he has Parkinson's?
The other part of this is that my grandfather had
Parkinson's. He did not have some of the medications that Fox is privy to having. It is a degenerative disease. My grandfather didn't have the jerky movements that Fox has, but Fox has said in the past attributed those movements to his medications. It might seem like an awful side effect, but that's only if you don't know the alternative. The alternative, at least in my grandfather's case, was the loss of just about every motor skill. He had tremors initially, but as it progressed all his movement became slower until it stopped entirely. It was almost funny at the time how he could be walking, slowly, shuffling really, down the street and then just stop. And not be able to restart. It's like the message from his brain to his legs got intercepted. We use to say that Pop-pop had stalled out. His voice got soft and hoarse and eventually he couldn't talk at all. And then he couldn't swallow. And then that was the end of that.
Anyway, so while I may not be a huge proponent of stem cell research I am certainly outraged that Michael J. Fox was accused of acting. Or of not taking meds. Trust me, if he weren't taking his meds, he probably wouldn't have been able to tape that commerical at all.
CNN
I have to say that CNN has pissed me off a little bit this week. I know all cable news stations put a decisive slant on the news, but this week CNN has actually featured reports where it's obviously what the reporters' political leanings are. I mean it's been blatant. Dude, I don't need to know what you think is right or wrong with the government; I don't need your opinion; I just want the news.
In things that make me chuckle on CNN though, while commenting on the troubles Madonna's been having, Andy Serwer asked, "And of all the orphans to adopt in Africa, why did she have to pick the one with a father?"
Glad That's Over
I had been looking forward to this past weekend about as much as I look forward to a pap smear. Ahem. First up was a visit with my family to look at wedding photos. I had pressed hard for this visit, but I wasn't exactly looking forward to it. We went to lunch, then we looked over pictures at the house and it was surprisingly enjoyable. Draining, but enjoyable. I went to go see my grandmother, who was in good spirits and ran into my phantom brother while I was there.
Sunday was worse. Sister-in-Law had asked us to go to a memorial for all the children who had died at the hospital that Baby M was. To support Sister-in-Law we agreed to go, but again, not something we were exactly relishing the idea of. I knew it would be sad, but I had no idea how awful it would be. I didn't expect the pictures. There were about 60 kids as part of the memorial; many babies, but some kids up to age 18. Some were preemies, like Baby M. Some had cancer, others had some obvious abnormalities. Most of the pictures were taken in hospital rooms, where no doubt, the children spent much of their time, but a few of the pictures were school photos or pictures of them playing football and you can only imagine that those children met some swift, accidental death. Know what someone who's contemplating children shouldn't see? A slideshow of about every which way things could go wrong with a child. It was awful.
The weekend wasn't all bad, however. It was also movie weekend and you know I don't even do movies usually. We watched
Just Like Heaven on cable Friday night and then Saturday we actually went to the movies. That almost never happens and it was basically by accident. We wound up being right next to movie theatre and based on the movie times decided to see
The Illusionist. There weren't any movies I particularly wanted to see, but I thought I at least remembered commercial for this one. While we were waiting for the movie to start, they started showing previews for the movie we were about to see or so I thought. I was bitching to the high heavens about this--why would you show previews for a movie that the audience was about to see? Then at the end of the preview it said, "
The Prestige".
Oh.
Well, then what the hell is The Illusionist about then? Turns out they are both about some 19th century magicians. Because you can never have too many movies simultaneously released about 19th century magicians. I'd probably seen previews for both movies and thought they were one and the same. I felt jipped that Ed Norton and Christian Bale
weren't in the same movie after all. Anyway, if you really examine the plot of The Illusionist it starts to fall apart, but it is entertaining nonetheless. Surprisingly romantic. And a surprise ending which is always a bonus.
But I'm still glad the weekend is over.
Get Thee to the Gym
That's right, I'm going to yammer on about going to the gym some more. Feel free to tune out now.
I'm a little disgusted with myself. Remember that little experiment from two weeks ago, where I was only going to do aerobic activity for two weeks--cutting out pilates, etc.? Yeah, I failed at completing that. I was sick the second week and then I went away, and this week so far has been a waste. Lame excuses. I've only gone to the gym one morning this week. I've gone in the evenings but not for substantial amounts of time. Know why I didn't go this morning? Because it was raining. I was awake, I actually didn't feel tired, my apartment was warm, so it's not like I just wanted to stay snuggled under the covers. I just didn't feel like going out in the rain. That's not even a real reason.
So I feel like crap. And it's a self-perpetuating cycle for me: the longer I don't work out regularly, the crappier I feel and the crappier I feel, the less I feel like going to the gym. I am well aware that days I go to the gym in the morning I'm happier, more focused and have more energy. So it's a mystery why I want to sabotage that by not going.
The downward spiral continues. My eating hasn't been so hot. I've been indulging. A lot. I'm worried about how this is effecting Ron. When I get dessert, he tends to as well. When I suggest ordering food or eating out, I know I'm giving the green light for both of us to get nachos, french fries, wings and other assorted comfort food. Unfortunately, he doesn't have time to work out as much as I do and frankly it's beginning to show. That man cannot afford to put on any more weight. If you've ever met his father, you'd understand. So it's not just that I'm eating unhealthy, but I'm dragging Ron down too. Plus I'm concerned because it never gets easier to motivate youself once the colder weather sets in, I find AND soon there will be much holiday baking to be done.
The good news is that I usually get to a point where I'm so disgusted with myself that I really get back on the ball. I'm at that point now, I think, although hindsight is always 20/20 with these things. My plan is, hopefully, to do yoga tomorrow with stupid not-Nora instructor and to re-start my two week aerobic experiment.
So let it be written, so let it be done.
WOW
I don't even know what to say about
this.
Good Places, Good Eats
New England proved to be just as charming and rustic and quiet on this trip as I had hoped it to be. We went to the
Mystic Seaport, hiked through
Bluff Point Coastal Reserve, went on scenic drives, did a tasting at the
Jonathan Edwards Winery (walking away with a couple of bottles of chardonnay that we loved, even though we're usually not much for chardonnay; we almost got the zinfindel port, which was delish too), chowed down at the
Bowen's Wharf Seafood Festival (yeah, fortunately for me there were non-seafood options) and strolled through the Vanderbilt's mansion,
The Breakers. Why I didn't live in 1895 and marry a Vanderbilt is beyond me.
As for good eats, if you're ever in Mystic, CT, you of course have to have a slice at Mystic Pizza. It's not very good. But you have to go anyway. Ron had no idea why I was insistent on eating there. He also had no idea there was a movie. Whatever. Also try the Seamen's Inne, but eat in the pub instead of the more formal restaurant. It's the same food, but you feel like more of a local on the pub side. I've been craving Mexican food, so we also went to
Margarita's another night. Great drinks and great food. I love me a chimichanga. For after dinner drinks, we would visit the
Harp and Hound, a traditional Irish pub that was so cute that if it had cheeks, I would pinch them.
In Newport, the two places to try are the
Brick Alley and the
Black Pearl. The Black Pearl also makes a very good white russian, in case you're interested.
While I did make it to the gym twice while I was away and go on a hike, I also comsumed lots of food, alcohol, hot chocolate, taffy and fudge. So I'm feeling very pleased with our trip, but I'm also feeling kind of gross. Back on the bandwagon...
Our Fault
So that crazy dude in North Korea is
running his mouth some more. I know the U.S. has been trying to let other Asian countries lay the pressure on him to back off the nuclear thing, but really. He's declaring the U.N. sanctions are an act of war, and you know who he wants to take it out on, right? Us, of course. When in doubt, blame it on the U.S. I think we're the axis of evil, right?
Charming Me
When I got into work today, my staff had coffee, donuts and flowers waiting for me.
Happy Boss's Day indeed. I am a lucky boss.
The Countdown
I'm counting down the minutes until scenic (it BETTER be freakin' scenic) New England. A full report next week.
Human Nature
When I read the "
Breaking News" on CNN that a plane had crashed into a building in Manhattan, there were no details immediately available and so I immediately thought of September 11th. I mean, of course. Who wouldn't? But my thought immediately after
that was "It's an accident. It's got to be an accident."
Funny how human nature works. I thought the same thing on September 11th, before the second plane hit and even though now I know that it would be feasible that it's not an accident, I'm assuming it is one. I'm sure it's an accident. It has to be.
Great
Well
this is just freaking great, isn't it?
Anyway, my post below referred to the fact that I changed my blog name. However, for reasons that escape me "Boom" is still showing up. Maybe when I publish this post, it will change.
Ron and I leave town on Friday morning for scenic New England: Mystic and Newport, specifically. I can't wait to get away, because I'm so in love with fall right now and where better to be in the fall than New England?
Name Change
Since I'm so busy creating new and confusing versions of my name in real life I thought I'd change things up here too.
As an aside, those Fug Girls are
genius.
Sidelined
So I've had this fantastic cold the last few days, complete with sneezing, coughing and all sorts of goop being stuck in my head. As a result, I've haven't been to the gym. This is partly a weak excuse on my part, because I'm not really
that sick. Not being able to breathe probably makes running out of the question, but I could have at least did the bike. Instead, no, I just didn't go. Whatever. I'm going to my last yoga class with Nora tomorrow and I'm sure downward dog will feel really great with a head full of goop.
Anyway, this all comes on the heels of being totally triumphant on Monday. I ran 3 miles in 27 minutes. A new best time for me. Now, of course I've been sidelined since then, so when I try to run on Sunday, it's going to suck hard.
Tomorrow, post-yoga, I'm going to visit scenic Totowa, New Jersey to see my schnookums, Kimberly. Hilarity will ensue. I can't wait.
Blog
Because I am a complete and utter loser, I read Dooce every day. As you can see, she's linked to my sidebar. I usually take comfort in the fact that I'm not nearly as melodramatic or messed up as that family is. Her writing is witty and sometimes makes me laugh out loud and that's why I keep reading. And occasionally she writes things that echoes my own thoughts, only she was able to put them into words in way that I cannot.
Today is not one of those days. I readily admit I don't understand depression, having never suffered from any other depression other than situational myself. Sometimes Dooce scares me and
this is one of those days. For all her tendencies to be melodramatic, I think there is a sadness there that is so genuine, you feel it in your own heart.
Music
I saw a video this morning from
Regina Spektor, whom I know nothing about. I liked her song until it got to the refrain and then it got kind of annoying. But if you ignore the annoying, stuttering part, it's a great little tune.
I'm also in love with The Fray's single "
How to Save a Life".
And what's up with Madonna adopting?
Or did she? Could she be jealous of Angelina?
How Many Excuses?
So, I'm a Republican. One of the interesting things I find about being that in an urban setting is that people hear the word "Republican" and it automatically translates in their heads as "right-wing, corrupt fascist". So when people learn of my political affiliation, there is an assumption that I must stand behind the worst characteristics of that party. Which, of course, is ridiculous. Ridiculous to think that the two (for all intents and purposes) political parties we have in this country could possibly encompass every citizen's beliefs.
I've had friends, innocently enough, ask why I'm a Republican. I know their interest is sincere but it's hard not to detect the hint of disappointment in their voices, and the question might as well be, "Oh but why do you like to kick puppies?"
This blog isn't political and I'm not a particularly political person. My view is that I have voice in this country as a citizen, a right to vote which I am free to exercise. I do not feel that I am entitled to know, nor do I presume to know, why certain things happen the way they do in Washington. I think this administration, along with every other administration in the history of this country, has its share of triumphs and scandals. I think the people who wind up on the ballots are not necessarily the best representation of either political party, but they are the ones with the most funding.
I am a republican for the same reasons many of you might be affiliated with your political party, or for the reasons you might be a particular religion: I was born into it. I was born into a conservative, structured, republican family. It shaped who I am and what I believe. And as I've done with my religion, I've taken the pieces of republican politics I like and embraced them, and I reject those pieces I don't agree with. Can you do that? Can you select what pieces you like and throw any the others? Of course you can. What other choice do you have, unless you enjoy being brainwashed?
I don't think there's much hope that Republicans will retain power for much longer and frankly, I think it's time for a change. Let's see what Democrats can do.
All that being said, how freaking ridiculous is this whole Foley thing? I mean how many excuses does this guy need?
I'm an alcoholic. Oh, wait, I was also molested. Oh yeah, and I'm gay! Guess what, buddy, you may be all or none of those things but you are a pedophile, you douchebag!
Turns my stomach.
Comfort
When Baby M passed away in June, people were angry. When he was first born, people turned to religion and that seemed normal. In the days just before his passing, however, people clung to religion with a kind of desperation that was unnerving, rather than comforting. I began to feel as though prayer and relics were becoming more of good luck charms than anything else.
At one point, my husband said to me, "I told God today that I would go to Church every week if [Baby M] lives." I put my arm around him and said quietly, "It doesn't work that way, you know. You don't get to barter with God." "I know," he said, "But I had to do something."
Personally, I went to church every day for 14 days during that period. I prayed the rosary constantly. The only distinction really, is that I usually do these things, just less frequently than every day.
So when Baby M passed, people took their anger out on God. Rosary beads were thrown, prayer cards were torn, God's name was taken in vain. For the most part, I was the one who picked up the beads, took down the prayer cards that seemed to be taped up everywhere and put them all in safe places. I spoke calmly with people as they ranted against God. I understood their questions. Why did something like this happen? How could God let it happen? I explained that we don't get miracles simply because we ask for them and that faith requires that we believe even though we do not understand. Of everyone, Baby M's mother seemed to understand this the most. "I know I can't have it both ways," she said, "I know I can't believe in a God who saves people, and yet turn my back on Him when he does not. It's just that I'm so angry." I thought these were eloquent words for someone so deeply entrenched in grief.
So during that time, I seemed to develop as the one spoke about God and religion the most and I was the one people turned to to talk about these things. I did not seem to feel the anger than my husband and others did. At the time, I thought what I felt was acceptance.
It's been over three months now and I can count on two fingers the amount of times I've gone to Church since then. I just came to this realization the other day and I was genuinely surprised that I was throwing away whole months of collection envelopes at a time. For someone who went to Church every week, I was struck with how effortless it was for me to stop going. And what was the reason? Why all of a sudden was I not going?
I'm not sure. Perhaps I'm staging an angry protest of my own. Maybe I wasn't as accepting as I thought.
I watched Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of the former vice-presidential candidate John Edwards, yesterday morning as she spoke of her new book,
Saving Graces. The book seems like it's mostly about her battle with breast cancer, but the interviewer focused on a section of the book where Elizabeth first learns of her cancer and how calm she is about it. I don't remember the exact quote, so I'm paraphrasing a bit, but Elizabeth wrote about learning of her cancer something to the effect of "As a parent who has lost a child, I had the strange comfort of knowing the worst day of my life had already passed."
Elizabeth Edwards had a son who was killed in a car accident at age 16. So she felt that no matter what else occurred in her life, the worst had already happened. I was riveted by this because it echoed something I said outloud to friends when Baby M passed away. With the exception of losing my child, I cannot imagine that I would ever witness anything worse than what I experienced with Baby M. In reality, of course, that was a bit presumptuous. Since it was not my child, in fact related only by marriage, I was able to resume to my daily life rather quickly. But I do still think, with the exception of it happening to me, the experience of being there day in and day out was the worst thing imaginable. And I only think that because other family members who weren't there every day did not seem as effected by it.
I'm hoping that perhaps the one small, and strange, comfort to my sister-in-law is that the worse day of her life is over.
Lancaster County
I do find
this situation very sad. While all school violence is sad, I seem to find it especially disturbing that the victims were Amish. Maybe because they are pacifists. Maybe because they seem even more vulnerable than other children.
Now their entire way of life is distrupted. People who never even watch TV are having their buggies swarmed with reporters.
OKay, ENOUGH With the School Shootings Already
It seems like over the last two weeks, school shootings across the country are running rampant. You know it's bad when the
Amish get in on the action.
Recap
The pig roast was delightful, albeit soggy--weatherwise, anyway. The pig didn't taste any different than other pork sandwiches I've had, but it was good. Surprisingly, seeing the whole pig didn't really turn my stomach at all. In fact, we stayed after the party was over and were in the kitchen when the host's cousin, who is a chef, cut down the remaining parts of the pig. Including gouging its eye sockets, where according to him, "the good stuff is." Still, I was unphased and was left wondering why I didn't marry a chef. There's something sexy about a man who knows how to handle a knife.
Sunday, Ron and I went to the
Morning Glory diner, which strangely we had never been to, and it was delish. It doesn't strike me as the type of place you'd normally find in the city. I thought it was charming. While we didn't tour the Italian Market as I'd planned, we did get several errands done, and since the weather was great, I did go for a run down by the river. Actually, "run" is a bit of a stretch. More like "run, nearly die, rest, walk, run some more and collapse". I always underestimate how different running on a treadmill is from running outside. I came home completely dejected about not being able to run the whole way.
While I was out, ahem, running, a pot roast was cooking in my new slow cooker. I make carrots and potatoes as well and seasoned it all with rosemary and red wine. We enjoyed dinner with some red wine and YUM. Tonight will be leftovers in the form of cheesesteaks, a pre-game meal since the Eagles are on Monday Night Football. Which means right after dinner, I'll be heading out to a bar to watch it on a big screen. And now that the
bars are smoke-free, it will be a beautiful thing.
