Democrats for Mitt

OK, a little background for this one is required. The circular firing squad, otherwise known as the GOoPer candidates for president are having a hard time coming up with a frontrunner.

If you live in Michigan (and I doubt anyone reading this does, but what the hell?), voting for Mitt in the upcoming primary just prolongs the hilarity in the Republican ranks. You see, Mitt's spending his considerable fortune creating attack ads on the other guys. If he doesn't win the Michigan primary, he could be out of the race. And then who could we depend on to take the other guys down for us?

This video sums it up perfectly. Go Mitt!

We're Going to Texas?

(Photo by way of the New York Times from the Texas State History Museum)

For the first time in our adult lives, Bob and I are thinking of going to Texas...voluntarily. Bob has been there before, for Air Force Basic Training, and I went to Houston once on a business trip, but these doesn't really count, now do they?

Yup, folks, we're going to Austin, that hot bed of live music of all types: rock, country, blues...and more. We anticipate soaking up the local culture to find out why people want to "Keep Austin Weird." Perhaps we'll even catch some of our musical favorites, everyone from Alejandro Escavedo, to Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson or the Dixie Chicks...who knows who we might run into? And we have our own personal guide to all things Austin: my internet pal "Tex." If ever there was a great advertisement for a city (or really an entire state of mind), it would be Tex. She's a little bit Cajun, a wee bit Southern, but Texan to the marrow of her bones. I'm looking forward to having her show us around the capital city and to let us see it through her eyes.

While we're in the neighborhood, we'll likely take the short drive to San Antonio - if you're that close to the Alamo, you have to visit it, right? The story of that famous siege has always been interesting to us and we have to see it for ourselves. We'll also take a drive through the Hill Country and find out what LBJ and Ladybird saw in it. Perhaps we'll even catch a bluebonnet or two, but we may not make it in time for peak blooming season.

I'm beginning to do a lot of reading about Austin and with everything I read I get more excited and sure that this is our kind of place. We're just a little weird, too. Not sure if I'm weird enough to buy some cowboy boots, but you never know.

By the way, "Tex" assures me that the Chimp isn't really a Texan, so there's no worries that I've turned into one of them. We have just one financial hurdle to cross before I sign us up for the trip. Keep your fingers crossed!

The Issue of Gender

Man, this week's presidential race took some surprising twists and turns. New Hampshire, which seemed to be leaning toward Barak Obama, went for Hillary Clinton. All the pundits seem to be saying that the reason she won is because of her now-famous "tearing up" the other day.

If you haven't seen it, you can certainly find the clip on YouTube or any news outlet. I'm not going to run it here. But, here's what I saw. I saw an exhausted, frustrated woman who got emotional and momentarily dropped her professional wall in public. I recognized so much of myself in this moment. There have been many times in the workplace where I have teared up when I least expected it, and gotten emotional when it was MOST inconvenient. It's happened more times than I care to admit.

Considering all the times Hillary has had cameras in her face, I'm actually surprised it took her this long for a small crack in her facade to appear. For 15 years, she has had every iota of her personal life questioned and inspected. In my view, Hillary is MORE than entitled to a moment like this.

Most interestingly, I cannot recall a political question (small though this may be) on which my husband and I disagreed. Bob saw Hillary get emotional and stopped taking her seriously as a candidate. While I don't want to characterize his take on this totally, I think he was a little surprised that I - basically an Obama supporter - could even relate to Hillary in that moment. The thing is, women have those kinds of moments ALL THE TIME. It's who we are - we get emotional, we share our feelings, we vent and we move on. In no way do I think this disqualifies a woman for the presidency because any woman who didn't have these types of emotions would be abnormal.

Just consider, if you will, a moment where one of the male candidates gets emotional. It could be Mitt Romney discussing his religion, or John Edwards talking about his late teenaged son, or Barak Obama discussing what it means to be a black man running for the White House. Picture them tearing up while talking to the press. What would that tell you about them? Try to apply the same thought process to the woman candidate. And, also, try to imagine your wife, your daughter, your niece getting the shit figuratively beat out of her every day at work. She's entitled to get verklempt once in a while, right?

So, guys, I hope you'll get used to it because one day - whether you are ready or not - a woman is going to be in the Oval Office. And the world will be better for it.

PS: I'm still voting for Barak. ;)

Ancient History

Although it feels like a lifetime ago (and perhaps it was), I still remember the first presidential candidate I met, and later voted for. My sister, Nancy, and I, along with our dear friend Barb, went to a union hall after work in the fall of 1972 to hear George McGovern speak. In those more innocent times, all you had to do was show up and you were able to hear the man speak and shake his hand. I'm trying to remember if he had Secret Service protection, but I can't recall. I know there were handlers and TV crews present, but it was not difficult to get close to him.

In November, I proudly cast my first presidential vote for Senator McGovern. I've tried to do a Google search to find out the election results in my county that year, but suffice to say, I'm sure the good senator did not carry Hamilton County, Ohio.

I thought of Senator McGovern this morning, when reading an opinion piece in the Washington Post, entitled "Why I Believe Bush Must Go" in which he outlines why Mr. Bush should be impeached. While, at this point, impeachment might do more damage than it's worth, we should pay attention to the problems left behind by the Chimp and his entourage. The next president will have his or hands full trying to shovel out the dirt left behind.

Here's Senator McGovern's take:

Although the president was advised by the intelligence agencies last August that Iran had no program to develop nuclear weapons, he continued to lie to the country and the world. This is the same strategy of deception that brought us into war in the Arabian Desert and could lead us into an unjustified invasion of Iran. I can say with some professional knowledge and experience that if Bush invades yet another Muslim oil state, it would mark the end of U.S. influence in the crucial Middle East for decades.

Ironically, while Bush and Cheney made counterterrorism the battle cry of their administration, their policies -- especially the war in Iraq -- have increased the terrorist threat and reduced the security of the United States. Consider the difference between the policies of the first President Bush and those of his son. When the Iraqi army marched into Kuwait in August 1990, President George H.W. Bush gathered the support of the entire world, including the United Nations, the European Union and most of the Arab League, to quickly expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait. The Saudis and Japanese paid most of the cost. Instead of getting bogged down in a costly occupation, the administration established a policy of containing the Baathist regime with international arms inspectors, no-fly zones and economic sanctions. Iraq was left as a stable country with little or no capacity to threaten others.

Today, after five years of clumsy, mistaken policies and U.S. military occupation, Iraq has become a breeding ground of terrorism and bloody civil strife. It is no secret that former president Bush, his secretary of state, James A. Baker III, and his national security adviser, Gen. Brent Scowcroft, all opposed the 2003 invasion and occupation of Iraq.

See? There are some Republicans who got it right - it ain't so difficult, now is it?

And I'm still proud of my vote in 1972.

Favorite Picture

A few years ago, Bob and I attended a Sox game on my birthday and I snapped this lovely image of him and Wally. As I study the picture closely, I can't decide which of them is cuter.

Only 39 days till pitchers and catchers report for spring training! Yeeehaaaaa!

Favorite Word

Several months ago I realized that I have a favorite word. What is it?

Perhaps.

First of all, it literally sounds interesting, with a certain balance and symmetry in its two syllables. Similarly, for me it also comes with a certain promise and optimism -- it's not NO (probably my least favorite word).

Of course, perhaps isn't yes either, but it could be. As a child, my mother often said "perhaps" in response to our requests. To me, this response allowed me to continue to hope, and what could be better than that?

YAY!

I'm very pleased that Barak Obama won the Iowa caucuses tonight. I would have been just as happy with Edwards, but this pleases me very much.

Forrest Gumpabee

For a long while, I've thought that Mike Huckabee reminded me of someone. Tonight, seeing him sit on the guest chair across from Jay Leno, it came to me: Forrest Gump. He looked so self-satisfied in a very child-like way. Clearly, this man is in over his head.

Here's an example. A few weeks ago, reporters asked him whether he had read the NIE on Iran. (Even I know that the NIE is a "National Intelligence Estimate".) Gumpabee said he was too busy to read such things. Yes, he seriously said this. Naturally, reporters were coming to the same conclusion on the man's capabilities, and good ol' Mike tried to extricate himself:

The whole perception was based on an ambush question on the NIE report,” Huckabee said in an interview Monday with the Quad-City Times. “From there, it was like, ‘Wow.’ That was released at 10 o’clock in the morning. At 5:30 in the afternoon, somebody says, ‘Have you read the report?’ Maybe I should’ve said, ‘Have you read the report?’ President Bush didn’t read it for four years; I don’t know why I should read it in four hours.”

His comment about President Bush appears to be a reference to allegations made by Bush’s critics that Bush didn’t pay close enough attention to intelligence reports, particularly in the early years of his presidency.

When asked to clarify, Huckabee said this:

“The point I’m trying to make is that, on the campaign trail, nobody’s going to be able, if they’ve been campaigning as hard as we have been, to keep up with every single thing, from what happened to Britney last night to who won ‘Dancing with the Stars.’ ”

In the serious times in which we live, who the #$#@!@! cares about the tabloid news or reality TV? Apparently, these topics are near and dear to this man's heart. Stupid is as stupid does.

Huckabee scares the livin' shit out of me.

The Countdown Begins

A headline on msnbc.com today stopped me in my tracks:

"Clock Running on Bush Presidency"

Whoa! While I've been distracted temporarily by the 2007 World Series victory of the Red Sox, the upcoming primaries, the perilous state of Pakistan -- even (gulp) the excellence being shown by two other Boston sports teams: the Celtics and Patriots -- the clock has started to run out for the Chimp.

I have one word for this: alle-fuckin'-luia!!! For all the hatred I have for this man (and I don't use "hate" lightly here), I've not noticed the day-to-day BS he continues to perpetuate on all of us. But this article reminded me that this too shall pass. So how will the dope spend his last year?

Bush will venture to four other continents, get more involved than ever in trying to forge Middle East peace, and continue to command two wars that assure his relevancy to the end. As Iraq improves, he must now deal with renewed violence in Afghanistan and upheaval in Pakistan.

At home, Bush will try to extend two domestic achievements that are dear to his legacy — the No Child Left Behind education law, and tax cuts that otherwise expire in 2010.

Well, you wonder if he could screw things up worse than they already are...particularly in the Middle East and environs. I still scratch my head and wonder how Congress allowed him to take his eye off the ball in Afghanistan/Pakistan and go his own way in Iraq. That will haunt me, and most of this country, for years to come.

Let the countdown begin...

Kicking Off the New Year

Just noticed that in each year of this blog's existence, I have reduced the number of posts nearly in half. If that holds true for 2008, it means I will only post 50 times this year.

Seriously, there were many times in 2007 when I considered folding up this tent and stealing away into the night. If the past few weeks have been any indication, the election season could provide the fodder I need to keep the writing juices flowing. There's also inspiration to come from other quarters, including other friendly bloggers who write posts each and every day. How they do it, I'll never know. But a new year is a great time to get rejuvenated, and we'll see how this goes.

In the meantime, if I meet expectations, I only have 49 posts to go this year!

The Year in Review: Pictures

As is my custom at this time of year, I'd like to share some of the images that MADE my 2007. If you're in one of the pictures, I salute you and thank you. If you're not in a picture, I truly wish you were. Maybe in 2008? (Sorry for the long post, but I'm in love with my own photography!)

Aside from general good health and happiness this year, the highlights were the trip to Ireland for my brother's wedding, an event I was NEVER sure would actually happen. Also high on my list was the week in Chatham that Bobbers and I enjoyed in September. The weather was stellar, the hotel views were spectacular, and the company was not even the least bit boring after 28 years of these sorts of trips. Cheers, Bob!

And may we all experience a New Year full of good fortune, good health and good humor...and could we even ask for a bit of peace? We are finally in election season and January 21, 2009, cannot come fast enough.

And so, without further ado...

January started off with the inauguration of our new governor Deval Patrick. I had a chance to hear a brief speech shortly after he took office. I look forward to even more good things from Beacon Hill after his groundbreaking election:



Attended three Sox games this year, and sat in the bleachers for the first time in a VERY long time. Got a great look however, at our Captain's rear view in this preview of the World Series on June 12.



There were just too many pictures from Ireland, so I had a hard time reducing this to just one. The first one is a taste of the Cliffs of Moher:



The second one is another warm welcome to Tara, who joined our family this year:



And just because this is a great picture of two of my siblings:



You couldn't ask for two better traveling companions either:



In early July, Bob and I spent a great weekend in the Pioneer Valley. I love this picture of spontaneous friendship I snapped in Amherst:



Another special night was my first meetup with this band of crazy people from Surviving Grady in late July:



My birthday present this year was an iPhone, which has been really fun, including using it to snap this picture of my own superhero:



Chatham in September, as previously mentioned, was magnificent:



...including doing something Bob and I haven't EVER done before (keep your minds out of the gutter):



And spending the day in Lowell, Massachusetts, was surprisingly fun:



One of the very best days of 2007 was spent in Provincetown with this gang of wonderful women:



My first Red Sox autograph came the day after our boys clinched the Eastern Division championship. Youk was surprisingly awake, considering the champagne that flowed the night before:



Oddly enough, went to the British isles for the second time in one year. Here is a nice pic of Aberdeen - a nice, medium sized city that I barely got to see:



Although our friends, Susan and Daryl, have defected to North Carolina, they are still in our hearts each and every day. We look forward to their return....some day.



We rounded our Sox events this year with an event for the Lowell Spinners where I was able to get my picture taken with the 2007 World Series trophy. I haven't digitized it yet, so this photo of the Papelbon family with the trophy will have to suffice:



And finally, we had a great visit to Sturbridge a few days before Christmas:



Happy 2008 to one and all!

Thank You, David

Since the television writer's strike, I've been amazed at how much I miss three shows that I regularly record on our DVR: Late Night with David Letterman, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. There's some good news to report on this front, with Letterman signing an independent deal to return to the air with his writers in tow.

It's one thing to get through the holiday season without these shows, but I'm not sure I could get through a cold and dismal January the same way. If you're interested in asking Comedy Central to bring back the other two shows WITH THEIR WRITERS, go here. In actuality, I think the writers are striking appropriately to get a few cents more per show based on the fact that their work is available in so many new media formats. Let's hope they're all back soon - the presidential candidates are getting off way too easy.

Christmas in New England

Yesterday, Massachusetts took a break from some truly sucky weather to deliver a relatively decent day, which we spent mostly outdoors. Friends were visiting from out-of-town and we met at Old Sturbridge Village and enjoyed the peace and quiet and beauty of a winter day.

Here's a sampling of some really atmospheric pictures. Enjoy!

















Such a sweet face on little Amelia...but underneath that angelic exterior is a sarcastic, deep-voiced little troublemaker. Seriously, she's a doll, but quite a handful!



Let's hope some of Jen rubs off on her little sister. She's adorable, smart and polite.



And a special greeting from Father Christmas:

A Christmas Questionnaire

Last year, I ran across a Christmas survey that I thought might be fun to revive this year...

1. Eggnog or hot chocolate?

I worship eggnog, but my arteries don't. (You'd think I'd like the Eggnog Latte at Starbucks, but it sucks. Big time.)

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree?

Santa doesn't wrap presents! Everybody knows that!

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?

White outside usually, but not this year because the outlet started to sizzle this summer when I plugged the weed wacker into it. Thought it might be a good idea not to burn the house down. Colored lights inside on the large tree in the living room; white on the smaller tree in the dining room.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?

Nope.

5. When do you put your decorations up?

Later than most people, but not on Christmas Eve I (at least not yet).

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?

Don't have any specific favorites from days of yore. In recent years, I've made Jambalaya on Christmas Eve - it's starting to be our tradition.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child?

It may be strange, but a favorite memory for me was the weeks leading up to Christmas. My dad was a jeweler, and worked non-stop from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Truth be told, I don't think we saw him much over those 4 weeks - he even worked Saturday AND Sunday all day. During that time, the house was totally run by my mom and us kids. The best part about it was having breakfast for dinner - pancakes, scrambled eggs. Part of this is because my mom was the World's Worst Cook, but also because my dad was a real "meat and potatoes" guy and I suspect she wanted time off from the regular routine as much as we did. In later years, we found out that all the overtime Dad put it in actually provided us Christmas itself. My mom would 'charge' all our toys and gifts early in the season and pay them off at Christmas with the extra pay. How did he do it? I'm not sure I could ever be so selfless. Thanks, Dad.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?

I really don't remember, although I think Patty vanden Eynden from down the street had something to do with it.

9. Do you open gifts Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?

When we were little kids, we opened Christmas Day, when we were teenagers, it all moved to Christmas Eve. For all my married life, it's been Christmas morning.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?

Although most of my married life, I've decorated the tree by myself (after Bobbers puts it in the stand), we didn't put up a big tree this year. I've finally determined that I'd rather spend my time doing other things - a sure sign of oncoming elderliness, I suppose.

11. Snow- Love it or dread it?

Now that I don't have to drive in it much anymore (telecommuting, what a concept!) and we bought a snow blower, I really like snow. I've really tried to make an effort to enjoy each season as it comes and not to complain too much about it. To me, one of the pleasures of winter is the beautiful sky - best enjoyed while shoveling snow in late afternoon.

12. Can you ice skate?

Nope, the one and only time I tried to ice skate, I fell and someone behind me skated over my hand. Kinda turned me off a skating career. Although I have to say it looks like great fun...especially at Rockefeller Center.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?

I don't have a particular stand-out gift as a child, but I have to say that two Christmases ago, I got a bunch of presents from Bobbers that were out of this world. Everything was well-thought out and bought with love. Especially important was the fact that all the gifts were purchased a mere two months or so following his major heart surgery - very impressive. (I still - to this day - marvel at how he slogged through the mall with all that heavy stuff when he wasn't supposed to be carrying anything really heavy at the time. Wouldn't that be just great to have your husband keel over buying Christmas presents for you?)

14. What's the most exciting thing about the holidays for you?

Catching up on sleep, watching movies, hanging out with friends, cooking some great meals.

15. What is your favorite holiday desert?

1) A desert I can make: Garbage candy -- one part white chocolate, one part peanuts, one part pretzels; 2) Grammy's fudge (although I don't get to have it often). As my cousin, Susan, said on her blog, "My uncle makes the most awesome, decadent, melt in your mouth fudge you will ever taste, using my Grandma's recipe. (Funny note: the recipe has this instruction on how long to stir it: Until your arm falls off. I miss Grandma)." Me too, Susan, me too! Except, isn't she called "Grammy?"

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Watching "White Christmas" (favorite song: "Sisters") and "It's a Wonderful Life" (favorite scene: when George Bailey just barely prevents himself from heaving the newel post knob; second favorite scene: when he tells off Zouzou's teacher: "What kind of teacher are you, anyway?"; third favorite scene: "Hello, 5 and Dime! Hello, Savings and Loan! Hello....everything else....!")

17. What tops your tree?

A green and gold painted aluminum star from Pier 1.

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving?

Well, I must confess I really like....receiving!

19. What is your favorite Christmas song?

"I'll Be Home for Christmas" sung by just about anyone. So very bittersweet. Second favorite: "The Christmas Song" by Mel Torme.

20. Candy canes?
Nah, not so much.

Reclaiming 9/11

Remember how you felt on September 11 and in the days that followed? When exactly did this hallowed day become a caricature of itself? Probably anytime Rudy Guiliani had anything to say about it.

Well, there are ways to avenge this double loss, and the families of some 9/11 victims are doing something important:

"Jim Riches, a New York deputy fire chief whose firefighter son was killed during the attack, said the group aimed to raise doubts about the central premise of Giuliani's presidential campaign -- his leadership role on Sept. 11. "If we have to follow him around all 2008 we'll do it," Riches said.

Lauded as "America's Mayor" for his blunt talk and compassion after the attacks, Giuliani's political stock soared, and he built a multimillion-dollar consulting group emphasizing his leadership skills."

and:

"But the former New York mayor's frequent references to Sept. 11 on the campaign trail have infuriated Riches and about 20 activists who lost firefighter sons. The New Yorkers blame Giuliani for decision-making failures that they say contributed to the deaths."

It is taking New Yorkers a while to crack St. Rudy's halo, but it appears they're getting ready to - and it's time.

My Lunches with Nicole

What do you do when you're a bleeding heart liberal and the company you work for asks for volunteers to read to students during one lunch hour per week? You sign up, that's what you do. Cue the heart-warming violin music that plays while you dream of sharing a meaningful and life-changing, one-on-one relationship with a third-grade student.

Before being introduced to "my" student, I eagerly attend the training class where I learn I'll have to pass a security review. I'm also told never to unnecessarily touch my student, bring her presents or spend any time alone with her. OK, I shrug, this is all perfectly understandable, and I determine not to let these things get in the way of the time I'll spend sharing my love of books and a lifetime of reading with a young, book-loving girl.

I eagerly anticipate finally laying eyes on Nicole. I'm told that I may bring books that were meaningful to me if I'd like, to encourage conversation and bonding. "Little Women" comes to mind - but I wonder if that's suitable for a nine-year-old?

Finally, the big day comes. I wait in the elementary school hallway where hordes of children run screaming past me. Wha..? The nuns at Our Lady of Sacred Heart would not have allowed such behavior. Hrrmmph, I think, my Nicole will be much better behaved than these hellions certainly.

She finally arrives. She's taller than I thought she'd be, and there's no smile to be seen when we meet. And, as we make our way to the lunchroom, she seems to know everyone we pass. While Nicole ignores me for the most part, she notices everything else that's going on in her surroundings. She greets each teacher and half the students. Although we pass fairly quickly through the cafeteria line, I'm amazed at how much time Nicole can waste. She decides we should go to the library to find a book. I agree, not realizing that the library is at the opposite end of the school. I worry that we might be spending too much time alone, but I quickly find that there's NO PLACE in the school to be alone: the place pulsates with activity.

It's fairly obvious that Nicole looks at this lunchtime meeting as a way to wrap an adult around her finger. She even admits without the slightest bit of hesitation that she is participating in this voluntary program to avoid math class. (Finally! I have something in common with her!) On the other hand, when she chooses books, she clearly picks ones that are clearly below her reading level. When we finally settle down to read, the words pour out of me as quickly as I can say them, but I notice that she spends a lot of time staring out the window. At one point, I stop reading altogether and it takes her a full 30 seconds (which is an awfully long silence actually) to notice that I've stopped speaking.

We've had three sessions so far, Nicole and me, none of them turning into the bonding experience I had let myself believe might happen. But I've spoken to the program coordinator about our problems. Mrs. B tells me she'll talk to Nicole (and her mother, who happens to be a personal friend of hers) to see whether she really wants to continue with the program.

While I'm secretly hoping Nicole moves along, the parents reading this are probably roaring with laughter. My frustrating experience with Nicole is for 45 minutes per week - I can't imagine dealing with this 24-hours per day for 18+ years.

I applaud teachers and parents - you truly do important work. But I'm still hoping I can trade Nicole in on that sweet, smiling bookworm. I can dream, right?

Lowell and Lowell

Incredible though it may be, I didn't blog about the return of Mike Lowell to the Sox. Like most Sox fans, I couldn't be happier. The man brought stability, confidence, energy and excitement to nearly every game. Here's hoping he can bring another stellar season in '08.

Now we all get to sit in wonderment waiting to find out if the Sox will be making a deal for Johan Santana, a two-time Cy Young award winner from Minnesota. When a proposed trade included Lester, Crisp, and any two additional prospects, I was feeling quite sanguine about stockpiling yet another ace on our team. But today ESPN is reporting that the Sox have included Jacoby Ellsbury in the deal. This is a deal-breaker as far as I'm concerned. Yeah, it's Johan freakin' Santana. But I don't care. We need a base-stealin', taco-eating Native American on OUR team. Just say no, Theo. N-O.

The Surviving Grady group had a special outing this past Friday night: the Lowell Spinners Alumni Dinner. The Single A farm team for the Red Sox throws this dinner every year to honor a former player who has made it big in the major leagues. This year's guest? Our own Jonathan Papelbon!

Other assorted guests included former Red Sox outfielder Gabe Kapler, first base coach Luis Alcea, Joshua and Jeremy Papelbon (two younger brothers of Jonathan who are also signed to pro ball contracts). Despite a most horrific rubber chicken dinner, we also were able to get our photo taken with the 2007 World Series trophy - a religious experience of its very own. (When the picture arrives, I'll share it here.)

Here are some photos of our group, along with a Papelbon family portrait with the world series trophy. (We were lucky enough to be in the viewing area when they stopped by. Needless to say, we didn't mind waiting.)


Gabe and JET


Gabe and Nancy


The Papelbons

Life with Mac

For those of you who are interested, I have been having technical problems with posting since I got the new Mac. That, plus the fact I haven't had anything exciting to report have kept me away from Blog Land. I wrote the post below about two weeks ago, but have been trying to figure out how to import pictures into iPhoto. I figured I shouldn't waste it, so at least it's out there, for history's sake (::insert rolling eyes here::).

Getting acclimated to the MacBook has been very interesting. I've found that I hate Safari (the browser that comes with it) and have switched to Firefox. It was a big challenge to export Windows Explorer "favorites" into a Mac using Safari - took me the better part of a day to complete it. I'm also getting adjusted to life without a right click button, as well as the ability to delete forward (just found out this can be done by holding the function key down when hitting the delete button).

Overall, using a Mac is a most pleasant experience - it's visually beautiful, feels great to the touch, and has some really interesting tools. Funnily enough, I can now have instant messages read out loud to me, which I discovered one night when Bobbers sent me a silly message - quite funny to hear out loud, read by a disembodied computer voice! The iPhoto software is so incredibly easy to use that I'm finally getting a handle on organizing all my digital images. I just wish it was this easy to organize my HOUSE!

Procrastination Does Not Become Me

Well, I've avoided this post for a while and I cannot think of any good reasons why. Since the Scotland trip, life hasn't been all that chock full of rockin' good times, nor has it been lower than low. It's just been, well, November. The first glimpses of winter have appeared and we've finally decided to put away the summer yard tools and make our first tentative stabs at Christmas shopping.

Our big debate this year: what to do about Christmas decorating. A few weeks ago I was dead-set against ANY sort of celebratory gee-gaws. Now I have to admit, I'm starting to feel a tiny twinge of the seasonal spirit. But, just when I do, the thought of hauling up the boxes from the basement makes me feel a tad verklempt. It's shocking me to think this way as I could never stand hearing old people say "well, I don't think we'll put up a tree this year." But that might be exactly where we are this year.

Much as I love the Christmas decorations, giving myself a year off the tradition treadmill may just make it seem even more interesting next year. Part of me thinks it would just be rebellious as hell, too, which has a certain appeal. Of course, next year might be the year I get my other fond wish: to spend the holidays in a tropical climate. Umbrella drinks instead of eggnog? When do I pack?

You Take The Low Road, I'll Take the High Road...

and I'll be in Scotland afore ye.

Or something like that.

Yes, tonight I'm going on a quick business trip to Aberdeen, Scotland, home of one of my company's businesses. Plane leaves at 10 pm, and I arrive at around 3 pm local time (after a change of planes in Amsterdam). Then it's two days of meetings and flying back on Thursday in time for supper (I believe - might help if I actually checked the itinerary).

Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about this here blog over the past few days and the fact that I've left it unattended since the Red Sox won the World Series. But I made a conscious decision to enjoy the coverage on TV and in our local newspapers rather than add my two cents worth here. Suffice to say, I ate up every minute of the coverage - so much so that I wanted to stuff a sock in McCarver's mouth by the time it was all over. But that was the bad stuff. The good stuff was seeing our team enjoy itself through every moment of the parade and through visits to various national TV shows. Manny on The Tonight Show? If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I never would have believed it. Papelbon and Papi, yes. Manny always keeps us guessing, that's for sure.

After a tough week at work in which everyone was recovering from World Series mania, I was able to close it down with a visit from my favorite Texan and my SG co-conspirator JET. Slowly but surely, all the wacky band of bloggers over at Surviving Grady are meeting one another. Each person I meet convinces me that we are truly lucky to have found a group of like-minded individuals to share our baseball obsessions.

So, I'll catch you all later in the week - just wanted to let you know that there is more to come!