I'm stressed out and grouchy at work. Not sure if it's the horrible weather today - rainy and dreary - or just the loud Mexican music blaring from upstairs at midnight that sent me into maximum 'bitch' mode but I've just had it with stupid people. All week it seems I've been attracting annoying people.
First let's start with the neighbors upstairs. Listen morons, if you know you're not supposed to be living there, do not annoy your neighbors who are more than happy to rat you out to the building manager. There were two too many folks up there and they were told to move out. They've been sneaking in and we said nothing because we don't really care if you're not bothering us. But when you blare your stereo at some ridiculous hour of the night or morning, you're going to get ratted out BIG TIME.
Second phone call etiquette. When you call a place of business, unless you know the person who answers the phone, do not bother asking how they are because they don't want to chitchat with you. They want to find out what you want and send you on your way to the appropriate person or help you as quickly as possible so they can go back to doing what they were doing. It's becoming like the old 'have a nice day' thing. I know you don't mean it and I know you don't care how I am today. Also, if you are calling for information - like what is your fax number, address, website, email, etc. - have a pen and paper ready because the last thing they want is to sit around listening to you look for something to write with and on. And if you're pissed off about something and want to vent, find out who is responsible for your annoyance and vent at them. The person answering the phone doesn't care and will be more helpful if you're nice than if you're being a jerk and yelling at them for something they are probably not responsible for. If you dial a wrong number, apologize don't just hang up because people understand wrong numbers but they get pissed off when you hang up on them without saying a word.
Third offering critique. If you see a reporter who wrote an article about your scumbag, loser son's sentencing, do not approach them and say "You lied about..." It's in the court records, lady. If you have a problem with it, take it to court, because the chances are the reporter doesn't care that you don't like her or him because he or she no longer feels sorry for you but assumes it's your attitude and excuses for him that turned your son into the loser criminal that he is now. Also, if you don't agree with a person's op-ed, yelling "liberal whiner" at them while they are walking down the street just makes you look stupid because quite frankly, being a "liberal whiner" is preferable to being an "obnoxious moron."
Well, I feel much better now. Venting is good for the soul.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Music of the Season
No, not holiday music. Too early for that! Wonderful albums released recently have kept me from falling into the pre-holiday blues. Generally I don't have holiday blues. Once they are under way I tend to enjoy them. It's the before part that bothers me. I stress over stuff like what to do about Christmas and all. It wasn't a bit deal before grandchildren but since grandchildren, it's been a HUGE deal.
However, this year I'm bolstered by not only a seventh season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent but also of great music!
I just discovered a gem! Robert Plant and Alison Kraus! They've released an album together called Raising Sand. Who'd have thunk it? Certainly not me. They're marvelous together. So much so I could almost put Plant ahead of Roger Daltrey in the 'favorite rock vocalist' category. Now I have to start getting into Alison Kraus more.
Of course I've already mentioned R.E.M.'s live album. Then there's Neil Young's Chrome Dreams II. I will always love Neil Young. I'm glad he's still out there being relevant. He's the last of my classic rock heroes to not die or sell out. Keep on rocking Neil, you're an inspiration to many and your music touches my soul.
Ah, and Bruce Springsteen - speaking of rock and roll heroes - has a new album out called Magic and it certainly is. I love the single Radio Nowhere. I heard him perform this on the Today Show a few weeks back and immediately wanted my radio station back so I could play it on the air!!!
Speaking of The Boss, his wife, Patti Scialfa, a member of the E Street Band, is a fine singer-songwriter in her own right. She's put out her third solo album Play It As It Lays. I love her! I also loved her 23rd Street Lullaby from a couple of years back and it just shows that she truly is a talent that can stand on her own. I'm definitely a fan.
And while this isn't a fall release - it was released this past August - I'd love to plug one of my favorite younger bands, Rilo Kiley. Led by the marvelous Jenny Lewis, this band is phenomenal. I first discovered them in 2004 when they released More Adventurous. Under the Blacklight finds the band moving in a different direction from More Adventurous but I think it's a good thing. Change is good. I still have to get their prior two releases Take-Offs and Landings and The Execution of All Things.
In any case, there's more great music to come and I can't wait. And of course there's more Criminal Intent to come as well. Hopefully happier Criminal Intents for the likes of me and others who are apparently so dismayed over the state of Goren and Eames' relationship we've been discussing it non-stop for the last week and probably will continue until the next Goren and Eames episode. I'm rather grateful for the Logan episode tonight since it will be a break from some of the angst that's been surrounding the other two. I love angst but only if you give me a happier ending.
Oh and the quote that made the day for me comes from Joy Behar on the View regarding a photo of Dick Cheney caught napping at some high level meeting: "He's exhausted from thinking about all the countries he wants to invade." LOL
However, this year I'm bolstered by not only a seventh season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent but also of great music!
I just discovered a gem! Robert Plant and Alison Kraus! They've released an album together called Raising Sand. Who'd have thunk it? Certainly not me. They're marvelous together. So much so I could almost put Plant ahead of Roger Daltrey in the 'favorite rock vocalist' category. Now I have to start getting into Alison Kraus more.
Of course I've already mentioned R.E.M.'s live album. Then there's Neil Young's Chrome Dreams II. I will always love Neil Young. I'm glad he's still out there being relevant. He's the last of my classic rock heroes to not die or sell out. Keep on rocking Neil, you're an inspiration to many and your music touches my soul.
Ah, and Bruce Springsteen - speaking of rock and roll heroes - has a new album out called Magic and it certainly is. I love the single Radio Nowhere. I heard him perform this on the Today Show a few weeks back and immediately wanted my radio station back so I could play it on the air!!!
Speaking of The Boss, his wife, Patti Scialfa, a member of the E Street Band, is a fine singer-songwriter in her own right. She's put out her third solo album Play It As It Lays. I love her! I also loved her 23rd Street Lullaby from a couple of years back and it just shows that she truly is a talent that can stand on her own. I'm definitely a fan.
And while this isn't a fall release - it was released this past August - I'd love to plug one of my favorite younger bands, Rilo Kiley. Led by the marvelous Jenny Lewis, this band is phenomenal. I first discovered them in 2004 when they released More Adventurous. Under the Blacklight finds the band moving in a different direction from More Adventurous but I think it's a good thing. Change is good. I still have to get their prior two releases Take-Offs and Landings and The Execution of All Things.
In any case, there's more great music to come and I can't wait. And of course there's more Criminal Intent to come as well. Hopefully happier Criminal Intents for the likes of me and others who are apparently so dismayed over the state of Goren and Eames' relationship we've been discussing it non-stop for the last week and probably will continue until the next Goren and Eames episode. I'm rather grateful for the Logan episode tonight since it will be a break from some of the angst that's been surrounding the other two. I love angst but only if you give me a happier ending.
Oh and the quote that made the day for me comes from Joy Behar on the View regarding a photo of Dick Cheney caught napping at some high level meeting: "He's exhausted from thinking about all the countries he wants to invade." LOL
Monday, October 22, 2007
Not Sheriff Buck
There's a most excellent character actor named William Fichtner. He's been in movies like The Perfect Storm, Blackhawk Down, Crash, Albino Alligator to name a few. He's also guest starred on or was a regular in a lot of television shows. I know he had a guest role on West Wing and he is currently on the hit show Prison Break.
Funny thing is, until he showed up on Prison Break, I had no idea what his name was. When he was in the now canceled show Invasion, my husband thought he was the actor who played Sheriff Buck in American Gothic - another canceled show we both liked. No, I told him, that was Gary Cole. The same guy who was the replacement VP on the West Wing.
So for about the first half of the season, William Fichtner was known as "Not Sheriff Buck." We still refer to him as "not Sheriff Buck," even though I did look him up online so I could find out his name.
It's amazing how great actors can do so much great work and most people who enjoy and appreciate their work don't even know their names. Now I know how fans of this fine actor might feel when someone doesn't know his name.
I say this because today, two people actually asked me if the "guy on Criminal Intent is the same one who played the bug alien guy in Men In Black." His name is VINCENT D'ONOFRIO, I wanted to yell. Instead I calmly said, yes, he was the 'bug alien guy' in Men In Black and his name is Vincent D'Onofrio. All the while I'm thinking, 'you people are idiots.'
So, to avoid looking like an idiot and to avoid pissing people off, I will make it a point to look up the name of any actor I find interesting and whose work I admire or find interesting even in the slightest. Seriously, I would like it if more people would check out D'Onofrio's work beyond LOCI. He's marvelous on this show but there's so much more to him than just that and while his role on Men In Black was most excellent and hilarious, again, there's so much more depth to this actor than most people seem to know.
I think the best actors are the ones who aren't "stars." Not that the likes of Jack Nicholson or Robert DeNiro aren't great. But there's so many more talented actors out there who don't get the recognition.
The best example of this would be Kathryn Erbe, Vincent D'Onofrio's co-star on Criminal Intent. I'm so tired of hearing how great Mariska Hargitay is that I could puke. Again, not saying she isn't a good actress. But my goodness she can't hold a candle to Kathryn Erbe when it comes to subtlety and those fine nuances she graces all her performances with.
They are the "not Sheriff Bucks" of the world. Great actors who work at their craft and sometimes tend to go unnoticed by the general public. I hope they all know how much they are appreciated by people who take the time to notice and get to know their work in depth.
Funny thing is, until he showed up on Prison Break, I had no idea what his name was. When he was in the now canceled show Invasion, my husband thought he was the actor who played Sheriff Buck in American Gothic - another canceled show we both liked. No, I told him, that was Gary Cole. The same guy who was the replacement VP on the West Wing.
So for about the first half of the season, William Fichtner was known as "Not Sheriff Buck." We still refer to him as "not Sheriff Buck," even though I did look him up online so I could find out his name.
It's amazing how great actors can do so much great work and most people who enjoy and appreciate their work don't even know their names. Now I know how fans of this fine actor might feel when someone doesn't know his name.
I say this because today, two people actually asked me if the "guy on Criminal Intent is the same one who played the bug alien guy in Men In Black." His name is VINCENT D'ONOFRIO, I wanted to yell. Instead I calmly said, yes, he was the 'bug alien guy' in Men In Black and his name is Vincent D'Onofrio. All the while I'm thinking, 'you people are idiots.'
So, to avoid looking like an idiot and to avoid pissing people off, I will make it a point to look up the name of any actor I find interesting and whose work I admire or find interesting even in the slightest. Seriously, I would like it if more people would check out D'Onofrio's work beyond LOCI. He's marvelous on this show but there's so much more to him than just that and while his role on Men In Black was most excellent and hilarious, again, there's so much more depth to this actor than most people seem to know.
I think the best actors are the ones who aren't "stars." Not that the likes of Jack Nicholson or Robert DeNiro aren't great. But there's so many more talented actors out there who don't get the recognition.
The best example of this would be Kathryn Erbe, Vincent D'Onofrio's co-star on Criminal Intent. I'm so tired of hearing how great Mariska Hargitay is that I could puke. Again, not saying she isn't a good actress. But my goodness she can't hold a candle to Kathryn Erbe when it comes to subtlety and those fine nuances she graces all her performances with.
They are the "not Sheriff Bucks" of the world. Great actors who work at their craft and sometimes tend to go unnoticed by the general public. I hope they all know how much they are appreciated by people who take the time to notice and get to know their work in depth.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Rest & Recovery (or I Love Sundays)
It's Sunday and except for a load of laundry, all I did was surf the net, check out all my online obsession sites and write a couple of fan fiction stories. Yes, I am a closet fan fiction author. All right, I'm not in the closet. I have mentioned it and if asked I admit it. LOL
What can I say? It's all in fun and I found it's a great way to learn to write fiction. Generally I'm writing real life stuff. The old who, what, where and when or the op-eds where I can rant and rave to my heart's content - kind of like on this blog but more organized. Of course it's LOCI fan fiction because I am obsessed. No one back home try to have me committed please. My husband - Mr. Music Wench (a moniker given to him by one of my favorite LOCI forum people) - is well aware of the situation and is monitoring me to make sure I don't have a psychotic break.
So today was mental health day for me. I even managed to shrug off all the political crap that bothers me. The moment a Republican started talking I just turned down the sound. Democrats I can ignore because mostly I find they are being stupid as of late and stupid I can ignore. Mean spirited liars are another story ergo, I turn down the sound when Republicans are speaking.
I also avoided all political forums and sites. It's frustrating to discuss politics anymore. My biggest fear is Hillary Clinton will get the nod for the Democrats. No offense to Mrs. Clinton. I'm sure she will make a fine president. I'm just afraid the right wing evangelicals who put Bush in office will keep her out of office meaning a Republican will be elected president again. They probably hate her more than I hate the current Bush in the White House. I actually liked his father. I even voted for him once (apologies to my relatives in Hawaii who may feel a need to disown me). However, my dislike for the current occupant (as Garrison Keillor refers to him) would have seen me dragging my oxygen tank and IV with me to the voting booth if I were hospitalized that day, just to vote against him. It wouldn't have mattered if Howdy Doody was running against Bush, I would have voted for him. After all, who's the bigger dummy? It ain't Howdy. I'm sure the evangelicals would do the same in order to vote against Hillary Clinton.
Right now the baseball game is on. Cleveland Indians against the Boston Red Sox. All I can say is, may the best team win. I'll get back into it next season when Detroit is back in action.
I love Sundays. When there's no baseball there's always a Criminal Intent four episode marathon on Bravo. Life is good on Sundays.
What can I say? It's all in fun and I found it's a great way to learn to write fiction. Generally I'm writing real life stuff. The old who, what, where and when or the op-eds where I can rant and rave to my heart's content - kind of like on this blog but more organized. Of course it's LOCI fan fiction because I am obsessed. No one back home try to have me committed please. My husband - Mr. Music Wench (a moniker given to him by one of my favorite LOCI forum people) - is well aware of the situation and is monitoring me to make sure I don't have a psychotic break.
So today was mental health day for me. I even managed to shrug off all the political crap that bothers me. The moment a Republican started talking I just turned down the sound. Democrats I can ignore because mostly I find they are being stupid as of late and stupid I can ignore. Mean spirited liars are another story ergo, I turn down the sound when Republicans are speaking.
I also avoided all political forums and sites. It's frustrating to discuss politics anymore. My biggest fear is Hillary Clinton will get the nod for the Democrats. No offense to Mrs. Clinton. I'm sure she will make a fine president. I'm just afraid the right wing evangelicals who put Bush in office will keep her out of office meaning a Republican will be elected president again. They probably hate her more than I hate the current Bush in the White House. I actually liked his father. I even voted for him once (apologies to my relatives in Hawaii who may feel a need to disown me). However, my dislike for the current occupant (as Garrison Keillor refers to him) would have seen me dragging my oxygen tank and IV with me to the voting booth if I were hospitalized that day, just to vote against him. It wouldn't have mattered if Howdy Doody was running against Bush, I would have voted for him. After all, who's the bigger dummy? It ain't Howdy. I'm sure the evangelicals would do the same in order to vote against Hillary Clinton.
Right now the baseball game is on. Cleveland Indians against the Boston Red Sox. All I can say is, may the best team win. I'll get back into it next season when Detroit is back in action.
I love Sundays. When there's no baseball there's always a Criminal Intent four episode marathon on Bravo. Life is good on Sundays.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
R.E.M. & Criminal Intent
This week two things happened. R.E.M., my favorite band since my college days, released a live album. Yes, my life is pathetic enough that this was a highlight. I love this band and they just brought joy into my life yet again. The only disappointment for me was no "Country Feedback" but I did really love hearing "Don't Go Back To Rockville" from Reckoning with Mike Mills vocals. I wish they had included something from Murmur but there's so much great music from this band it's understandable not everything can be covered. And of course there's probably the burnout factor for them. How many times can you play Radio Free Europe or A Perfect Circle?
Overall I'm glad to see they're still active and putting out good music. Haven't really obsessed about them in a while but I have to admit I was disappointed with their last studio release. Not that it was horrible but it wasn't...Automatic For The People quality IMO. Ah well, everyone can have a slump. Oh and to those who are screaming "sell out" because of the live album, bite me. Lots of people cried sell out when they signed with Warner Brothers. I don't think getting your music out to more people is selling out. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all just not earn money for a living and wallow in obscurity and poverty? Give me a break. Music snobs can kiss my ample butt.
Speaking of slumps...*sigh* My beloved Law & Order: Criminal Intent hit a sour note with me this week. My beloved Goren and Eames were last seen with Eames apparently telling Goren she no longer worries about her career being tainted from association with him because it's too late now. "Too late now?" I, and apparently several other LOCI fan, freaked out over that one line.
Some have put a positive spin on it by citing an interview with Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe where Erbe says at the end of the third hour (which the Oct. 18 episode was because they're showing episodes out of production sequence) she's left believing that they're closer. They take the comment to mean it's too late, she's made up her mind to stand by him no matter what. She's in it for the long haul. Others - like me - took it to mean she feels her career is already tainted by being his partner for all these years so it's too late to worry about it.
I hope the positive thinkers are right because I lost sleep over those words. Yes, I know I have a problem but I have no desire to be cured. I love this show. I am apparently so invested in these characters that I'm losing sleep over the state of their relationship.
Fictional characters are causing me to lose sleep. How ludicrous is that? Ah well, it's no more odd than all those people who lose sleep over who is going to win the American League pennant or who will ultimately win the World Series. I gave up on it once the Detroit Tigers season ended.
I do know one thing, if they put a wedge between Goren and Eames that lasts most of the season, I may be forced to go into therapy to get rid of this obsession cause I just can't take it. And I thought Star Trek fans were nuts....
Overall I'm glad to see they're still active and putting out good music. Haven't really obsessed about them in a while but I have to admit I was disappointed with their last studio release. Not that it was horrible but it wasn't...Automatic For The People quality IMO. Ah well, everyone can have a slump. Oh and to those who are screaming "sell out" because of the live album, bite me. Lots of people cried sell out when they signed with Warner Brothers. I don't think getting your music out to more people is selling out. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all just not earn money for a living and wallow in obscurity and poverty? Give me a break. Music snobs can kiss my ample butt.
Speaking of slumps...*sigh* My beloved Law & Order: Criminal Intent hit a sour note with me this week. My beloved Goren and Eames were last seen with Eames apparently telling Goren she no longer worries about her career being tainted from association with him because it's too late now. "Too late now?" I, and apparently several other LOCI fan, freaked out over that one line.
Some have put a positive spin on it by citing an interview with Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe where Erbe says at the end of the third hour (which the Oct. 18 episode was because they're showing episodes out of production sequence) she's left believing that they're closer. They take the comment to mean it's too late, she's made up her mind to stand by him no matter what. She's in it for the long haul. Others - like me - took it to mean she feels her career is already tainted by being his partner for all these years so it's too late to worry about it.
I hope the positive thinkers are right because I lost sleep over those words. Yes, I know I have a problem but I have no desire to be cured. I love this show. I am apparently so invested in these characters that I'm losing sleep over the state of their relationship.
Fictional characters are causing me to lose sleep. How ludicrous is that? Ah well, it's no more odd than all those people who lose sleep over who is going to win the American League pennant or who will ultimately win the World Series. I gave up on it once the Detroit Tigers season ended.
I do know one thing, if they put a wedge between Goren and Eames that lasts most of the season, I may be forced to go into therapy to get rid of this obsession cause I just can't take it. And I thought Star Trek fans were nuts....
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Politics, Baseball & Criminal Intent
Lately my mind has been bouncing between three main topics. Let's start with politics.
I'm most unhappy with the current field of presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle. All they're doing is finger pointing and talking to hear themselves talk. And of course, I don't trust any of them.
However, Stephen Colbert has apparently stated he wants to run for president and while I know he's just kidding - at least I think he is - it just made me happy. I can't see how he could do a worse job than the current idiot in chief. Face it, Colbert would be a better candidate than the current bunch of presidential hopefuls. At least he has a sense of humor. That doesn't speak well of our politicians. I find the two party system is broken. The only people who can afford to run are the have and have mores. You know, the kind of people Dubya claims are his people. Only they're not just his people. They're the people of anyone with money. Which of those candidates running for office is actually an average guy or gal? They may say they are, they may play up their humble beginnings but we all know they are not poor now. They wouldn't be able to afford to campaign outside their own neighborhood.
It's downright depressing to think about for too long so I move on to baseball.
Yes, my beloved Detroit Tigers are out of the running. No post season for them. So I've taken to rooting for the lesser of evils. LOL Right now I'm rooting for the Cleveland Indians just because they're in the same American League Division as the Tigers. I've been rooting for them for a while because they were playing against the Yankees and well, quite frankly, I can't stand the Yankees. They're another symbol of what is wrong with our country. Money can't buy everything and I'm glad this year it couldn't buy they world series.
I'm so not into sports it's downright odd that I'm suddenly interested in baseball. Don't even get me started about NASCAR. Since moving to Michigan I've picked up all kinds of bizarre interests y'all at home will find very out of character for me. If I went home to visit tomorrow I'd be considered a pod person by those who knew me.
In any case, the only thing I knew about baseball as a child was "Steinbrenner is an asshole." Why did I know this? My father used to rail against the man. Said he had some kind of God complex and more things I can't repeat without causing a hardcore rapper to blush. Steinbrenner (I'm not sure I'm spelling it right but I really don't care) and Nixon were the two great evils in the world as far as my father was concerned.
I had no idea why my father felt that way. Now that I know more about baseball, I know my father was right. What a jerk! He actually thought threatening to fire one of greatest managers in baseball would help his team win. I'm glad he was proven wrong again. He has built up this team of superstar players and it just annoys me. There's this myth about the Yankees being so much better than everyone else that I root against them no matter who is playing.
So here I am watching the Cleveland Indians play against the Boston Red Sox. Nothing wrong with the Boston Red Sox. I'll root for them if they somehow win the AL championship. But then I like the idea of a young team like Colorado winning as well. I'm just content that the evil one's team has been vanquished for the season and so it doesn't matter as much to me who ends up winning.
That is why I'm anxiously awaiting the next installment of the Goren and Eames show - also known as Law & Order: Criminal Intent. It's amazing how much time I invest in this show. Seriously. The actors who play Goren and Eames probably don't spend that much time thinking about the show and they get paid to be on it. LOL
My husband doesn't understand why I can't tape Criminal Intent and watch it later. Well, I am going to tape Criminal Intent but I'm also going to watch it. Now my hubby is probably looking into some nice mental health facilities to get me into. Why, he wants to know, do I have to watch it more than once? Because you miss so much when you just watch it once! The background, the little nuances by the actors! Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe are brilliant when it comes to that! He's not impressed. He likes the show and all but it's not an obsession for him.
Sometimes when I think about it, I wonder if Shakespeare back in his day realized how much time and energy people would be spending poring over his works and looking for symbolism and meaning in things that might just have been a romantic comedy or a soap opera. LOL That's probably how my husband and other non-obsessed individuals regard those of us who find meaning in everything from the tablet on Goren's kitchen counter to the clothing the female detectives wear. Hell, we even talk about Goren's tie clip for heaven's sake. When I take a step back to look at it, I think I should be institutionalized.
I'm most unhappy with the current field of presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle. All they're doing is finger pointing and talking to hear themselves talk. And of course, I don't trust any of them.
However, Stephen Colbert has apparently stated he wants to run for president and while I know he's just kidding - at least I think he is - it just made me happy. I can't see how he could do a worse job than the current idiot in chief. Face it, Colbert would be a better candidate than the current bunch of presidential hopefuls. At least he has a sense of humor. That doesn't speak well of our politicians. I find the two party system is broken. The only people who can afford to run are the have and have mores. You know, the kind of people Dubya claims are his people. Only they're not just his people. They're the people of anyone with money. Which of those candidates running for office is actually an average guy or gal? They may say they are, they may play up their humble beginnings but we all know they are not poor now. They wouldn't be able to afford to campaign outside their own neighborhood.
It's downright depressing to think about for too long so I move on to baseball.
Yes, my beloved Detroit Tigers are out of the running. No post season for them. So I've taken to rooting for the lesser of evils. LOL Right now I'm rooting for the Cleveland Indians just because they're in the same American League Division as the Tigers. I've been rooting for them for a while because they were playing against the Yankees and well, quite frankly, I can't stand the Yankees. They're another symbol of what is wrong with our country. Money can't buy everything and I'm glad this year it couldn't buy they world series.
I'm so not into sports it's downright odd that I'm suddenly interested in baseball. Don't even get me started about NASCAR. Since moving to Michigan I've picked up all kinds of bizarre interests y'all at home will find very out of character for me. If I went home to visit tomorrow I'd be considered a pod person by those who knew me.
In any case, the only thing I knew about baseball as a child was "Steinbrenner is an asshole." Why did I know this? My father used to rail against the man. Said he had some kind of God complex and more things I can't repeat without causing a hardcore rapper to blush. Steinbrenner (I'm not sure I'm spelling it right but I really don't care) and Nixon were the two great evils in the world as far as my father was concerned.
I had no idea why my father felt that way. Now that I know more about baseball, I know my father was right. What a jerk! He actually thought threatening to fire one of greatest managers in baseball would help his team win. I'm glad he was proven wrong again. He has built up this team of superstar players and it just annoys me. There's this myth about the Yankees being so much better than everyone else that I root against them no matter who is playing.
So here I am watching the Cleveland Indians play against the Boston Red Sox. Nothing wrong with the Boston Red Sox. I'll root for them if they somehow win the AL championship. But then I like the idea of a young team like Colorado winning as well. I'm just content that the evil one's team has been vanquished for the season and so it doesn't matter as much to me who ends up winning.
That is why I'm anxiously awaiting the next installment of the Goren and Eames show - also known as Law & Order: Criminal Intent. It's amazing how much time I invest in this show. Seriously. The actors who play Goren and Eames probably don't spend that much time thinking about the show and they get paid to be on it. LOL
My husband doesn't understand why I can't tape Criminal Intent and watch it later. Well, I am going to tape Criminal Intent but I'm also going to watch it. Now my hubby is probably looking into some nice mental health facilities to get me into. Why, he wants to know, do I have to watch it more than once? Because you miss so much when you just watch it once! The background, the little nuances by the actors! Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe are brilliant when it comes to that! He's not impressed. He likes the show and all but it's not an obsession for him.
Sometimes when I think about it, I wonder if Shakespeare back in his day realized how much time and energy people would be spending poring over his works and looking for symbolism and meaning in things that might just have been a romantic comedy or a soap opera. LOL That's probably how my husband and other non-obsessed individuals regard those of us who find meaning in everything from the tablet on Goren's kitchen counter to the clothing the female detectives wear. Hell, we even talk about Goren's tie clip for heaven's sake. When I take a step back to look at it, I think I should be institutionalized.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Another Smelly Day At The Office
Often I find myself in some very odd situations. Surreal almost. I'm sure most people have those moments but I occasionally feel like I have more of them than most others.
Today, I didn't get into the office at the newspaper until about noon. There was a picture of a skunk on my computer monitor. "Uh...what's that?" I asked, trying to figure out if I smelled badly enough for my co-workers to give me a rather obvious and not so nice hint.
"You don't smell it yet?" one of the office girls asked.
"I have a cold. I can't smell or taste anything," I replied.
"Lucky you!" another one said.
"Don's dogs got into it with a skunk, ran into his house before he could stop them and all his stuff smells like skunk."
Oh joy. So now the room where all the reporters sit in stinks because apparently the dogs must have rubbed against his computer case because there it sat. Stinking. Right next to the computer where I scan photos and edit them. Guess what I didn't do today? It seems my nose finally picked up the skunk smell - it was so strong, no cold could stave it off.
Because the entire office is kind of open, the only place that wasn't stinky was the publisher's office or the composing and circulation area we call the dungeon in the back. If I didn't need to access the server, I would have taken my laptop and sat in the back to work.
At one point it got so awful, I took my paycheck and headed to the bank so I could leave the building and get outside. When I got back, it smelled like something was burning. I was told that since it's the first day it's been really cold, the publisher decided to turn on the heat. Great. Now it smelled like burning skunk. There's got to be some health code that doesn't allow for employees to have to put up with these conditions. I was too ill from the smell to take the time to look it up. I barely got my own work done!
I actually followed the editor and one of the office girls outside on one of their smoke breaks and told them to blow smoke at me to cover up the skunk smell. They thought I was joking. I wasn't. And I hate the smell of cigarette smoke.
Don and his computer case were long gone by five o'clock but the smell remained. I think he should take sick time and spend it cleaning his house and his stinky stuff.
So that was my day. Hope yours went better. Another reason I miss Hawaii. No snakes and no skunks.
Today, I didn't get into the office at the newspaper until about noon. There was a picture of a skunk on my computer monitor. "Uh...what's that?" I asked, trying to figure out if I smelled badly enough for my co-workers to give me a rather obvious and not so nice hint.
"You don't smell it yet?" one of the office girls asked.
"I have a cold. I can't smell or taste anything," I replied.
"Lucky you!" another one said.
"Don's dogs got into it with a skunk, ran into his house before he could stop them and all his stuff smells like skunk."
Oh joy. So now the room where all the reporters sit in stinks because apparently the dogs must have rubbed against his computer case because there it sat. Stinking. Right next to the computer where I scan photos and edit them. Guess what I didn't do today? It seems my nose finally picked up the skunk smell - it was so strong, no cold could stave it off.
Because the entire office is kind of open, the only place that wasn't stinky was the publisher's office or the composing and circulation area we call the dungeon in the back. If I didn't need to access the server, I would have taken my laptop and sat in the back to work.
At one point it got so awful, I took my paycheck and headed to the bank so I could leave the building and get outside. When I got back, it smelled like something was burning. I was told that since it's the first day it's been really cold, the publisher decided to turn on the heat. Great. Now it smelled like burning skunk. There's got to be some health code that doesn't allow for employees to have to put up with these conditions. I was too ill from the smell to take the time to look it up. I barely got my own work done!
I actually followed the editor and one of the office girls outside on one of their smoke breaks and told them to blow smoke at me to cover up the skunk smell. They thought I was joking. I wasn't. And I hate the smell of cigarette smoke.
Don and his computer case were long gone by five o'clock but the smell remained. I think he should take sick time and spend it cleaning his house and his stinky stuff.
So that was my day. Hope yours went better. Another reason I miss Hawaii. No snakes and no skunks.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Random Thoughts Of A Sleepless Grandmother At 1:30 In The Morning
Nothing new today. Just something from another site from about a year ago:
So, we had another of those sleep overs with two little girls. The five year old is getting pouty and whiny and the 2 year old definitely knows what "mine" is. Needless to say, for two people who are generally not "kid friendly" it was kind of a chore. Still, when you become a grandparent, you apparently lose your mind. They're just so cute and loveable and deceptively sweet and innocent looking. They melt your heart.
Our kids - stepson and daughter-in-law - are deceptively sweet and innocent looking as well. "Well, Lotus probably will cry at bedtime to come home if she goes for a sleepover by herself," says daughter-in-law (a lovely young woman whom I adore). "Yea, she finds a lot of comfort in Lilly," says stepson (a perfect child himself - except for the teenage years when he was pretty much a typical useless teenager). "Okay, we'll have them both come over then," says gullible grandparents (we're not generally stupid people but when it comes to family, we're idiots).
So, there they are, our two sweet little angels. They both know what "mine" is and they both want to be in the same place at the same time. Wonderful. Bath time was great. They both love playing in water with boats and ducks and cups. Dinner? What could be simpler. Happy Meals with Pirates of the Caribbean! Hurray. Bedtime? Ah, yes,double teaming grandma and grandpa. Bedtime was 8 p.m. We have a hide-a-bed we pulled out and Lotus was impressed. Lilly, the jaded 5 year old saw it before and was unimpressed, until she remembered how much like a trampoline it can be. Okay, so they finally laid down at 9:30 p.m. Grandpa and grandma pretended to go to sleep too. [Revelation: Old people don't necessarily go to sleep early, they just pretend so kids won't want to stay up with them.]
Now, grandpa escaped to the bedroom. He's on oxygen and can't be climbing over the hide-a-bed to get to the leather sofa to sleep and climb over it to go to the bathroom, etc. Great. No more "let's toss a coin, honey" on the part of grandma. There I am, stuck on the sofa while he gets to sleep in the comfort of our bed.
Okay, the girls fall asleep now that they're good an bored and no matter how many times they giggle and try to poke grandma, she won't wake up until finally she opens her eyes and gives them "the look" just like her daddy used to do to her when she was kid and woke him up. It worked. At ten o'clock grandma gets up and goes to the bedroom where grandpa is watching something on some geek cable channel, seemingly happy but proclaiming he misses me as I sneak in to hang out and watch tv with him until a more appropriate bedtime for adults.
At 11:30 p.m. I head back out to the sofa, he hits the sleep button on the television remote and again, tells me he will miss me. Sure he did but not as much as I missed him and sleeping in our bed. Okay, so there I am at midnight, lying on our leather sofa and suddenly understanding why cows can be outside in the cold in the winter. They've got leather coats on. I was hot and not happy at all. I turned up the air and got a fan to blow on me. Then came the cats. My schizo tan kitty came out in commando mode, checking out the premises and saw the potential enemy (the two little girls) were fast asleep and not about to torture him with kisses and hugs. Then came the white kitty who wanted to sit on me and purr in my ear. Then came the fat kitty to try and kill me by stepping on me. He wants to sit on my chest like the little white kitty. Sorry, but I like breathing. He settled for sitting on my feet. Then grandma discovered the fat kitty likes shadow puppets. I spent about ten minutes making shadow puppets for my cat. Must have been the dementia setting in amidst thoughts of sleep injuries and why pets and children are not always as cute and cuddly as you would think.
Finally I got fed up and got up, my back was already sore, and headed to the kitchen. Got out the bottle of wine that's been sitting in there for about a month, opened it up and poured a large glass of wine for myself. Drank it with the cat - he didn't drink. He just sat there while I bribed him with kitty treats to continue keeping me company. Perfect! Now I was sleepy and cool and the fat kitty got lured into the bedroom where my hubby was sleeping. The other two were already there, taking advantage of all the extra space availabe on the bed. At about 2 or 2:30 in the morning, grandma finally got to sleep.
Unfortunately, "the look" doesn't have lasting effects. The two little angels shake my arm and wake me up at 7 a.m. telling me grandpa is making coffee and it's time to get up. My back aches, my neck is stiff and my eyes are burning. Oh and thanks to the wine I now have a headache. What a wimp!!! Done in by two little girls, three cats and a leather sofa. I'm sure somewhere in cow heaven there is a cow laughing at me.
Oh, and the random thoughts goes like this: Lilly is going to regret tattling on Lotus for every infraction, real and made up, when she turns into a useless teenager and Lotus decides mom and dad should know that Lilly isn't really going out with one of her girlfriends but a boy. Lotus is much lower maintenance than Lilly is and I love Lilly more than just about anything but I pity her furture husband. The girl is a bedhog and she really demands a lot of attention. I'm glad I opted for pets instead of children. I love my granddaughters but just one night with two of them at the same time has aged me ten years. My husband and I have had a pot of coffee each today and we're still tired. Lula, the one who didn't sleep over, is going to be the one that kills me. She's charming and very personable and will never let me put her down once I've picked her up. It's one thing to tell other people "just let them fuss or they'll start doing it all the time for the attention," and quite another thing to do it. Being a parent is the hardest job in the world. I am not cut out for it. I can stand up to bullies twice my size but I can't stand up to three little girls when they smile or cry. We have too many cats. Three too many....okay two. But I can't give them up either. I'm amazed that my fat kitty managed to get up on the loveseat without destroying my everything on the coffee table other obstacles in his way. Gotta remind my husband the upside of emphysema is you can get out of doing things like sacrificing your body and mental health for the peace of mind of two little girls.
So, we had another of those sleep overs with two little girls. The five year old is getting pouty and whiny and the 2 year old definitely knows what "mine" is. Needless to say, for two people who are generally not "kid friendly" it was kind of a chore. Still, when you become a grandparent, you apparently lose your mind. They're just so cute and loveable and deceptively sweet and innocent looking. They melt your heart.
Our kids - stepson and daughter-in-law - are deceptively sweet and innocent looking as well. "Well, Lotus probably will cry at bedtime to come home if she goes for a sleepover by herself," says daughter-in-law (a lovely young woman whom I adore). "Yea, she finds a lot of comfort in Lilly," says stepson (a perfect child himself - except for the teenage years when he was pretty much a typical useless teenager). "Okay, we'll have them both come over then," says gullible grandparents (we're not generally stupid people but when it comes to family, we're idiots).
So, there they are, our two sweet little angels. They both know what "mine" is and they both want to be in the same place at the same time. Wonderful. Bath time was great. They both love playing in water with boats and ducks and cups. Dinner? What could be simpler. Happy Meals with Pirates of the Caribbean! Hurray. Bedtime? Ah, yes,double teaming grandma and grandpa. Bedtime was 8 p.m. We have a hide-a-bed we pulled out and Lotus was impressed. Lilly, the jaded 5 year old saw it before and was unimpressed, until she remembered how much like a trampoline it can be. Okay, so they finally laid down at 9:30 p.m. Grandpa and grandma pretended to go to sleep too. [Revelation: Old people don't necessarily go to sleep early, they just pretend so kids won't want to stay up with them.]
Now, grandpa escaped to the bedroom. He's on oxygen and can't be climbing over the hide-a-bed to get to the leather sofa to sleep and climb over it to go to the bathroom, etc. Great. No more "let's toss a coin, honey" on the part of grandma. There I am, stuck on the sofa while he gets to sleep in the comfort of our bed.
Okay, the girls fall asleep now that they're good an bored and no matter how many times they giggle and try to poke grandma, she won't wake up until finally she opens her eyes and gives them "the look" just like her daddy used to do to her when she was kid and woke him up. It worked. At ten o'clock grandma gets up and goes to the bedroom where grandpa is watching something on some geek cable channel, seemingly happy but proclaiming he misses me as I sneak in to hang out and watch tv with him until a more appropriate bedtime for adults.
At 11:30 p.m. I head back out to the sofa, he hits the sleep button on the television remote and again, tells me he will miss me. Sure he did but not as much as I missed him and sleeping in our bed. Okay, so there I am at midnight, lying on our leather sofa and suddenly understanding why cows can be outside in the cold in the winter. They've got leather coats on. I was hot and not happy at all. I turned up the air and got a fan to blow on me. Then came the cats. My schizo tan kitty came out in commando mode, checking out the premises and saw the potential enemy (the two little girls) were fast asleep and not about to torture him with kisses and hugs. Then came the white kitty who wanted to sit on me and purr in my ear. Then came the fat kitty to try and kill me by stepping on me. He wants to sit on my chest like the little white kitty. Sorry, but I like breathing. He settled for sitting on my feet. Then grandma discovered the fat kitty likes shadow puppets. I spent about ten minutes making shadow puppets for my cat. Must have been the dementia setting in amidst thoughts of sleep injuries and why pets and children are not always as cute and cuddly as you would think.
Finally I got fed up and got up, my back was already sore, and headed to the kitchen. Got out the bottle of wine that's been sitting in there for about a month, opened it up and poured a large glass of wine for myself. Drank it with the cat - he didn't drink. He just sat there while I bribed him with kitty treats to continue keeping me company. Perfect! Now I was sleepy and cool and the fat kitty got lured into the bedroom where my hubby was sleeping. The other two were already there, taking advantage of all the extra space availabe on the bed. At about 2 or 2:30 in the morning, grandma finally got to sleep.
Unfortunately, "the look" doesn't have lasting effects. The two little angels shake my arm and wake me up at 7 a.m. telling me grandpa is making coffee and it's time to get up. My back aches, my neck is stiff and my eyes are burning. Oh and thanks to the wine I now have a headache. What a wimp!!! Done in by two little girls, three cats and a leather sofa. I'm sure somewhere in cow heaven there is a cow laughing at me.
Oh, and the random thoughts goes like this: Lilly is going to regret tattling on Lotus for every infraction, real and made up, when she turns into a useless teenager and Lotus decides mom and dad should know that Lilly isn't really going out with one of her girlfriends but a boy. Lotus is much lower maintenance than Lilly is and I love Lilly more than just about anything but I pity her furture husband. The girl is a bedhog and she really demands a lot of attention. I'm glad I opted for pets instead of children. I love my granddaughters but just one night with two of them at the same time has aged me ten years. My husband and I have had a pot of coffee each today and we're still tired. Lula, the one who didn't sleep over, is going to be the one that kills me. She's charming and very personable and will never let me put her down once I've picked her up. It's one thing to tell other people "just let them fuss or they'll start doing it all the time for the attention," and quite another thing to do it. Being a parent is the hardest job in the world. I am not cut out for it. I can stand up to bullies twice my size but I can't stand up to three little girls when they smile or cry. We have too many cats. Three too many....okay two. But I can't give them up either. I'm amazed that my fat kitty managed to get up on the loveseat without destroying my everything on the coffee table other obstacles in his way. Gotta remind my husband the upside of emphysema is you can get out of doing things like sacrificing your body and mental health for the peace of mind of two little girls.
Monday, October 8, 2007
RIP Harley
It's been a rough day. My old Maine Coon cat passed away today. He's been sick for a while and we've been expecting it but it's still hard to take. Now we're down to one cat and my husband wants to get him a pal but I'm not sure I want another cat so soon.
My baby kitty - she was 12 years old when she died but she's always going to be my baby girl kitty - Obake passed away a little over a year ago. She was always eating weird stuff and choked on something one day. I was devastated. Before her it was our Old English Sheep dog, Belle. We had to put her to sleep because she was so old she couldn't even stand up to go outside anymore. And of course there was our 21 year old cane field cat, Kilowatt. He was also put to sleep when he was so old stopped eating one day.
All of those were very hard to take. Now I'm down to my Bob cat and he's only nine so we're hoping he'll be around for a long time. Bob is a tiger tabby like Kilowatt was and we're hoping he'll be as healthy for as long as Kilowatt was.
Harley was really a great cat. At one point he was 32 pounds and living large. We put him on a diet and he managed to get down to about 29 pounds. He finally lost weight when he got sick. Poor old cat. He was such a character. He would actually plot revenge on Obake, my white Turkish Angora. It was quite entertaining to watch them play and watch Harley push her buttons on purpose just to piss her off. LOL
We buried Harley at my stepson's house next to their dog, Princess. Princess was a miniature poodle. Whenever we dog sat for them, Princess would hang with Harley. They'd sit together at the top of the basement steps like two peas in a pod. Princess was such a tiny thing. Harley was bigger than she was. Heck, even my baby kitty Obake was bigger than she was!
My stepson, his wife and three daughters were there to bury Harley. It was too humid for my husband to be out and about so he didn't go. The granddaughters didn't quite understand what was going on, I think. Lilly, the seven year old wanted to know if we could dig up Princess to see what she looked like. We explained to her that's not what you do when someone dies.
I didn't cry as much with Harley because we were more prepared. It still hurts and I still miss him terribly and he's only been gone a few hours.
All things must pass and if I dwell on the loss for too long, I'll get myself depressed. I don't necessarily believe in heaven but if there is one, I hope Harley and Obake are happily annoying each other while Belle chases butterflies and rabbits and Kilowatt chases his birds.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Obsession
Well, the blog is off to a very slow start. I've been busy obsessing over Law & Order: Criminal Intent. The season premiered Oct. 4 at 10 p.m. on USA network and I am so happy. The show will now start to start to explore the personal and emotional lives of my two favorite detectives, Goren and Eames. Somehow over the course of the last six seasons, I have become obsessed with this show and the fates of these two fictional characters. It's almost Star Trek like. No, I was never that obsessed with Star Trek (meaning I didn't go to conventions and dress up like characters from the show or learn how to speak Klingon and I certainly never lived in my parent's basement as an adult - okay part of that is because they didn't have a basement and another part would be my father wouldn't have put up with it) but I certainly did spend a lot of time on various boards talking about it. Now, it's Criminal Intent.
I've spent the better part of two days since the premiere discussing this show and reading about it with other equally obsessed fans. Here I thought I had outgrown my geekiness but I was wrong. I'm just fortunate my husband is so patient.
What is it about this show that makes me set my schedule around it? It's a great show. Well written and produced and thought provoking. And of course Goren and Eames. Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe are superb in their respective roles. They have made their characters so believable I spent a good part of the summer worrying about how Goren - a fictional character- was dealing with his mother's death and the entire month of September worrying about what part of Eames' dark past was going to come up this season that could possibly put a "wedge" (the bio on USA's words, not mine) between Goren and Eames.
Fortunately, the "wedge" was just in one scene and by the end of the premiere episode, my two favorite detectives were once again presenting a united front.
I know I rant about frivolity and people being more concerned about what happened to the latest bimbo actress/singer/model/heiress and not enough about the more serious issues like the war in Iraq, the corruption of the White House administration, the total impotence of the Congress, the health care crisis and global warming. And yet, here I am giving more time and attention to a television show than to those aforementioned problems. Well, it seems I now know why people care more about frivolous things. Because it takes my mind off of the other things which seem to remain unresolved thanks to poor leadership in this country.
I'm frustrated and fed up and I need a mental vacation. So, this fall, I will be happily obsessing over LOCI and I'll wait until the field of candidates has thinned more before I invest any more time figuring out which one of those cookie cutter politicians I would vote for. Let the obnoxious right rant on about Move On being unpatriotic and let the whiny left complain about Rush Limbaugh while nothing actually gets done. Until they actually start doing more than pay lip service to all these major issues and stop vying for sound bites in a media war, I'll be watching and discussing the lives of Detectives Robert Goren and Alexandra Eames. They're much more likable and no one really gets killed when they screw up on false leads regarding weapons of mass destruction.
I've spent the better part of two days since the premiere discussing this show and reading about it with other equally obsessed fans. Here I thought I had outgrown my geekiness but I was wrong. I'm just fortunate my husband is so patient.
What is it about this show that makes me set my schedule around it? It's a great show. Well written and produced and thought provoking. And of course Goren and Eames. Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe are superb in their respective roles. They have made their characters so believable I spent a good part of the summer worrying about how Goren - a fictional character- was dealing with his mother's death and the entire month of September worrying about what part of Eames' dark past was going to come up this season that could possibly put a "wedge" (the bio on USA's words, not mine) between Goren and Eames.
Fortunately, the "wedge" was just in one scene and by the end of the premiere episode, my two favorite detectives were once again presenting a united front.
I know I rant about frivolity and people being more concerned about what happened to the latest bimbo actress/singer/model/heiress and not enough about the more serious issues like the war in Iraq, the corruption of the White House administration, the total impotence of the Congress, the health care crisis and global warming. And yet, here I am giving more time and attention to a television show than to those aforementioned problems. Well, it seems I now know why people care more about frivolous things. Because it takes my mind off of the other things which seem to remain unresolved thanks to poor leadership in this country.
I'm frustrated and fed up and I need a mental vacation. So, this fall, I will be happily obsessing over LOCI and I'll wait until the field of candidates has thinned more before I invest any more time figuring out which one of those cookie cutter politicians I would vote for. Let the obnoxious right rant on about Move On being unpatriotic and let the whiny left complain about Rush Limbaugh while nothing actually gets done. Until they actually start doing more than pay lip service to all these major issues and stop vying for sound bites in a media war, I'll be watching and discussing the lives of Detectives Robert Goren and Alexandra Eames. They're much more likable and no one really gets killed when they screw up on false leads regarding weapons of mass destruction.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Culture Shock - My First Year On The Mainland
Life has been a great adventure for me. One of the best things I did in my life was to move to Michigan from Hawaii. Yes, I am insane. However, I say that because it was a great learning experience and quite an eye-opening one.
My first year here was the most interesting as I went through a kind of culture shock. Some of the changes were good, some just different and others down right scary. LOL
At first there were mild hints of it. People in our neighborhood would actually wave to us as we drove by and smile. Back home, no one made eye contact unless they knew you. This was a good thing. Friendly neighbors, polite children, nice pets. All very good.
It was great being on eastern time. Television programs actually started on time, not 5 minutes after the hour. In Hawaii you get used to that kind of thing. Since everything is 5 or 6 hours behind - depending on whether the mainland is on daylight savings time or not - that sort of thing happened. Besides, in Hawaii we have Hawaiian time. It happens when it happens. LOL Quite laid back over there compared to here. Heck, when I was a child, we used to get television programs a week after everyone else on the mainland saw it!
Love the fresh fruits. Different from Hawaii fruits, which I do miss terribly. But the apple cider at the orchards, the ability to pick fresh strawberries, blue berries, etc. were all great discoveries.
Then one day as I was watching a television commercial came the first "scary" culture shock moment. It was 1994, a mid-term election year. At first I thought I was hallucinating. The ad was for some politician who was claiming to be "conservative" as if it was a good thing. I looked over at my husband and said "Did he just say he's MORE conservative than the other guy?"
My husband smiled at me and said, "Yes, he did. He's proclaming he is more conservative than the other guy." He kept smiling that bemused smile of his as if I had asked a funny question.
"Why would anyone want to admit to being conservative in the first place?" I asked, being a Hawaii born and raised Japanese American woman who shunned anything with the word "conservative" in it. Not because Japanese aren't conservative. They'd be the perfect Republicans if you ask me. They're so uptight and conservative and into "tradition" and things that if the Republicans in Hawaii hadn't screwed themselves royally by alienating most of the Japanese people living in the islands, they'd have had a strong presence in the state. Unfortunately, they pissed off the Japanese by doing everything possible to keep them getting the right to vote and then doing everything they could to keep them from voting. As a result, my father and many of his generation considered the word Republican to be the equivalent of a four-letter word.
In my particular case, my father voted for a Republican once. That was Richard Nixon when he ran for re-election. My dad believed the man would get us out of Vietnam and while he supported the country during the war, he never thought it was something we should have gotten involved in at all. Then came the whole Watergate affair and after that, my father just wrote off the whole bunch as bad, rotten to the core apples. He would have had a heart attack if he had been alive when I voted for Bush the elder back in 1988.
In any case, conservative was generally identified with Republicans and the thought of someone claiming that they were to help themselves win was a totally new concept for me. My husband, who was raised in Michigan - he was born in Illinois - simply said to me, "Welcome to the real world, my dear."
I discovered in that first year of living in Michigan that conservative was actually considered a good thing. And here, it seems the Democrats are what the Republicans in Hawaii used to be. Just the other party that pretty much existed just so the Republicans would have someone to run against. LOL It's actually not that bad here but it's more like that than the other way around like it used to be in Hawaii. I assume with a Republican governor down there now, it's changing a bit. Hawaii politics have always been kind of weird but I never realized it until I moved to Michigan.
So I was now living in conservative land. Not so good from my point of view. But, the people were nice and it was all right in general. Okay, it wasn't scary but it was weird.
One day as fall came upon us, my husband and I went to Quality Farm Fleet because they had Osh Kosh flannel shirts and he wanted to buy a bunch. As we walked into the store there was a deer with a target on it and an arrow in the bullseye. I blinked rapidly and thought "yikes!!!!" Then inside the store they had bullets on sale in these bins in the middle of the aisles. Double "yikes!!!" In Hawaii the only people who hunt are "rich" people. Well, in the circle of people I knew that was it. One of my father's best friends used to hunt. We house sat for them and he had the heads of deer, goat and wild boar mounted in his den. He also had a bear skin rug. It freaked me out when I learned - as a five year old child - that they were at one time a live and that my dad's friend had "shot" them.
Okay, so squeamish me got a little freaked out. That was scary thing number 1. My husband thought my reactions were cute. He didn't hunt but grew up here when they used to actually have a school holiday for opening day of deer hunting season.
Then came scary thing number 2. It was hunting season. My mom and I had been to visit one of our friends - the ones who helped us find our house and get us settled in when we moved here - and were on our way to the grocery store. We were running low on gas so I pulled into a gas station and proceeded to fill my tank. As I was standing there, a car pulled into the pump behind us. On the hood was strapped a newly shot deer. Blood on it's mouth and everything. Good thing I hadn't had anything to eat yet cause if I did I would have thrown up I'm sure.
I quickly paid for my gas and hopped into the car, my mother was sitting there quite oblivious to the whole deer incident. Her peaceful moment was immediately disturbed by me looking at her and saying, "Oh my God!!! Do you see that?" I pointed out the back window with my thumb.
My mother raised her eyebrows and turned and her eyes widened and she had that same look I had on my face when I saw the deer for the first time. "Aiya!" She exclaimed. "Is that a real deer?" she asked.
"Yep, with real blood and it's gross!!!" I replied as I started the car and started to drive off.
My mother kept staring in the rearview mirror outside the passenger door and asked, "They can just drive around with a deer on their hood like that?"
"Apparently," I said. "No one else seems to notice there's a DEAD DEER on the guy's hood."
"Funny kine, yea?" my mother said with her Hawaii accent.
"Real funny kine, " I agreed.
Okay, so let's recap shall we?
In my first year on the mainland I discovered friendly people, fresh fruit at decent prices, polite children who were very well behaved and attended church with their parents, news wasn't six hours old, conservative was a good word and Republicans actually had power, owning guns was common and everyone went hunting and you could buy bullets on sale at Quality Farm Fleet and you could drive around town with Bambi's mom or dad strapped to your car hood and no one would notice. Got it. I was now living in Bizzaro world. Yep, white men with guns are us. (I heard Peter Jennings doing a piece about militias and when he said "White men with guns," I said "That's Michigan.")
But you know, it's okay. People who own guns out here tend to be responsible. It's not like some thugs in the city. They're mostly very nice people who go hunting and teach their children how to properly handle firearms so they won't shoot themselves or anyone else by mistake. Republicans aren't the flakey people they seemed to be in Hawaii. They actually make sense and while I can't ever see myself being a Republican [I'm not white, I'm not rich, I'm not a Christian and I'm not a man - yes, it's a joke so please nobody get their panties in a bunch] I don't think they're evil - the current White House administration is an exception to this, btw.
In my first year here I got my first cat. My husband and I had a cat but he was my husband's cat from his previous marriage as I liked to call him. She was a beautiful white kitty and we named her Obake - Japanese for ghost. It was my first white Christmas with a huge tree and fireplace to hang Christmas stockings over. It was my first year of a most wonderful education on what life is like in a small American town. There are down sides to it but the good out weighs the bad and that first year was really a joy over all.
Oh and as for deer, having hit a couple with two different vehicles, hunting isn't such a bad thing any more. I could never do it myself, but I don't think it's a bad thing to let people hunt and use the meat for food. Funny how Bambi is only cute on television or in the movies. In real life Bambi is an idiot who jumps in front of moving vehicles and sometimes even runs into them.
My first year here was the most interesting as I went through a kind of culture shock. Some of the changes were good, some just different and others down right scary. LOL
At first there were mild hints of it. People in our neighborhood would actually wave to us as we drove by and smile. Back home, no one made eye contact unless they knew you. This was a good thing. Friendly neighbors, polite children, nice pets. All very good.
It was great being on eastern time. Television programs actually started on time, not 5 minutes after the hour. In Hawaii you get used to that kind of thing. Since everything is 5 or 6 hours behind - depending on whether the mainland is on daylight savings time or not - that sort of thing happened. Besides, in Hawaii we have Hawaiian time. It happens when it happens. LOL Quite laid back over there compared to here. Heck, when I was a child, we used to get television programs a week after everyone else on the mainland saw it!
Love the fresh fruits. Different from Hawaii fruits, which I do miss terribly. But the apple cider at the orchards, the ability to pick fresh strawberries, blue berries, etc. were all great discoveries.
Then one day as I was watching a television commercial came the first "scary" culture shock moment. It was 1994, a mid-term election year. At first I thought I was hallucinating. The ad was for some politician who was claiming to be "conservative" as if it was a good thing. I looked over at my husband and said "Did he just say he's MORE conservative than the other guy?"
My husband smiled at me and said, "Yes, he did. He's proclaming he is more conservative than the other guy." He kept smiling that bemused smile of his as if I had asked a funny question.
"Why would anyone want to admit to being conservative in the first place?" I asked, being a Hawaii born and raised Japanese American woman who shunned anything with the word "conservative" in it. Not because Japanese aren't conservative. They'd be the perfect Republicans if you ask me. They're so uptight and conservative and into "tradition" and things that if the Republicans in Hawaii hadn't screwed themselves royally by alienating most of the Japanese people living in the islands, they'd have had a strong presence in the state. Unfortunately, they pissed off the Japanese by doing everything possible to keep them getting the right to vote and then doing everything they could to keep them from voting. As a result, my father and many of his generation considered the word Republican to be the equivalent of a four-letter word.
In my particular case, my father voted for a Republican once. That was Richard Nixon when he ran for re-election. My dad believed the man would get us out of Vietnam and while he supported the country during the war, he never thought it was something we should have gotten involved in at all. Then came the whole Watergate affair and after that, my father just wrote off the whole bunch as bad, rotten to the core apples. He would have had a heart attack if he had been alive when I voted for Bush the elder back in 1988.
In any case, conservative was generally identified with Republicans and the thought of someone claiming that they were to help themselves win was a totally new concept for me. My husband, who was raised in Michigan - he was born in Illinois - simply said to me, "Welcome to the real world, my dear."
I discovered in that first year of living in Michigan that conservative was actually considered a good thing. And here, it seems the Democrats are what the Republicans in Hawaii used to be. Just the other party that pretty much existed just so the Republicans would have someone to run against. LOL It's actually not that bad here but it's more like that than the other way around like it used to be in Hawaii. I assume with a Republican governor down there now, it's changing a bit. Hawaii politics have always been kind of weird but I never realized it until I moved to Michigan.
So I was now living in conservative land. Not so good from my point of view. But, the people were nice and it was all right in general. Okay, it wasn't scary but it was weird.
One day as fall came upon us, my husband and I went to Quality Farm Fleet because they had Osh Kosh flannel shirts and he wanted to buy a bunch. As we walked into the store there was a deer with a target on it and an arrow in the bullseye. I blinked rapidly and thought "yikes!!!!" Then inside the store they had bullets on sale in these bins in the middle of the aisles. Double "yikes!!!" In Hawaii the only people who hunt are "rich" people. Well, in the circle of people I knew that was it. One of my father's best friends used to hunt. We house sat for them and he had the heads of deer, goat and wild boar mounted in his den. He also had a bear skin rug. It freaked me out when I learned - as a five year old child - that they were at one time a live and that my dad's friend had "shot" them.
Okay, so squeamish me got a little freaked out. That was scary thing number 1. My husband thought my reactions were cute. He didn't hunt but grew up here when they used to actually have a school holiday for opening day of deer hunting season.
Then came scary thing number 2. It was hunting season. My mom and I had been to visit one of our friends - the ones who helped us find our house and get us settled in when we moved here - and were on our way to the grocery store. We were running low on gas so I pulled into a gas station and proceeded to fill my tank. As I was standing there, a car pulled into the pump behind us. On the hood was strapped a newly shot deer. Blood on it's mouth and everything. Good thing I hadn't had anything to eat yet cause if I did I would have thrown up I'm sure.
I quickly paid for my gas and hopped into the car, my mother was sitting there quite oblivious to the whole deer incident. Her peaceful moment was immediately disturbed by me looking at her and saying, "Oh my God!!! Do you see that?" I pointed out the back window with my thumb.
My mother raised her eyebrows and turned and her eyes widened and she had that same look I had on my face when I saw the deer for the first time. "Aiya!" She exclaimed. "Is that a real deer?" she asked.
"Yep, with real blood and it's gross!!!" I replied as I started the car and started to drive off.
My mother kept staring in the rearview mirror outside the passenger door and asked, "They can just drive around with a deer on their hood like that?"
"Apparently," I said. "No one else seems to notice there's a DEAD DEER on the guy's hood."
"Funny kine, yea?" my mother said with her Hawaii accent.
"Real funny kine, " I agreed.
Okay, so let's recap shall we?
In my first year on the mainland I discovered friendly people, fresh fruit at decent prices, polite children who were very well behaved and attended church with their parents, news wasn't six hours old, conservative was a good word and Republicans actually had power, owning guns was common and everyone went hunting and you could buy bullets on sale at Quality Farm Fleet and you could drive around town with Bambi's mom or dad strapped to your car hood and no one would notice. Got it. I was now living in Bizzaro world. Yep, white men with guns are us. (I heard Peter Jennings doing a piece about militias and when he said "White men with guns," I said "That's Michigan.")
But you know, it's okay. People who own guns out here tend to be responsible. It's not like some thugs in the city. They're mostly very nice people who go hunting and teach their children how to properly handle firearms so they won't shoot themselves or anyone else by mistake. Republicans aren't the flakey people they seemed to be in Hawaii. They actually make sense and while I can't ever see myself being a Republican [I'm not white, I'm not rich, I'm not a Christian and I'm not a man - yes, it's a joke so please nobody get their panties in a bunch] I don't think they're evil - the current White House administration is an exception to this, btw.
In my first year here I got my first cat. My husband and I had a cat but he was my husband's cat from his previous marriage as I liked to call him. She was a beautiful white kitty and we named her Obake - Japanese for ghost. It was my first white Christmas with a huge tree and fireplace to hang Christmas stockings over. It was my first year of a most wonderful education on what life is like in a small American town. There are down sides to it but the good out weighs the bad and that first year was really a joy over all.
Oh and as for deer, having hit a couple with two different vehicles, hunting isn't such a bad thing any more. I could never do it myself, but I don't think it's a bad thing to let people hunt and use the meat for food. Funny how Bambi is only cute on television or in the movies. In real life Bambi is an idiot who jumps in front of moving vehicles and sometimes even runs into them.
It's A Start
Well, I've finally decided to post my weirdness online. Don't know if anyone else will read it and I don't really care. I just like to have an outlet to express myself to the world. No, it's not an ego thing. If it were I'd post my real name. Then again I also don't want any weirdos knowing who I am and where to find me. I already have enough local weirdos knowing who I am and where I work and where I live and who I'm related to.
Rather frightening concept really. Ah well, for anyone who might be offended by an occasional political rant or a few "unkind" observations of public figures, don't continue. I'm opinionated as hell and I'm NOT shy.
Basics about me. I'm a third generation Japanese American born and raised in Hawaii. I'm an only child and tend to be self-centered. So much so I decided not to have children. Having children is really the ultimate sacrifice a human being can make isn't it? Children are precious. They deserve to be loved and cherished above all. I'm afraid I don't have it in me to be that selfless.
Fortunately for me I met and married my soul mate. He already had a child by a previous marriage and it was perfect. So was the child. He is a wonderful young man who is now married with three daughters so I can be a grandma without paying the dues of being a full-time parent.
Currently my family and I live in Michigan because one day we all went insane and thought "gee, wouldn't it be nice to leave Hawaii and move to Michigan.
Actually, my husband is from Michigan originally. We also moved here because the cost of living in Hawaii sucks. Unfortunately, Michigan's economy went into the toilet so now I'm wondering if this wasn't one big colossal mistake?
Ah well, will be posting my observations of the life I left behind in Hawaii and the life I have here in Michigan. Trust me, it's a mind blower to think that I went from one of the more liberal states to one of the more conservative. Yes, I see the blue color attributed to Michigan but I think they're only talking to people in East Lansing or Ann Arbor, the two bastions of liberalism in an otherwise conservative state. Being more liberal than I am conservative, it is rather disconcerting.
Also, being a true minority bothers me sometimes. In Hawaii, Japanese-Americans make up a large part of the population so I never really was a minority. Here in Michigan I am definitely a minority.
Will post my culture shock opinions and observations next.
Rather frightening concept really. Ah well, for anyone who might be offended by an occasional political rant or a few "unkind" observations of public figures, don't continue. I'm opinionated as hell and I'm NOT shy.
Basics about me. I'm a third generation Japanese American born and raised in Hawaii. I'm an only child and tend to be self-centered. So much so I decided not to have children. Having children is really the ultimate sacrifice a human being can make isn't it? Children are precious. They deserve to be loved and cherished above all. I'm afraid I don't have it in me to be that selfless.
Fortunately for me I met and married my soul mate. He already had a child by a previous marriage and it was perfect. So was the child. He is a wonderful young man who is now married with three daughters so I can be a grandma without paying the dues of being a full-time parent.
Currently my family and I live in Michigan because one day we all went insane and thought "gee, wouldn't it be nice to leave Hawaii and move to Michigan.
Actually, my husband is from Michigan originally. We also moved here because the cost of living in Hawaii sucks. Unfortunately, Michigan's economy went into the toilet so now I'm wondering if this wasn't one big colossal mistake?
Ah well, will be posting my observations of the life I left behind in Hawaii and the life I have here in Michigan. Trust me, it's a mind blower to think that I went from one of the more liberal states to one of the more conservative. Yes, I see the blue color attributed to Michigan but I think they're only talking to people in East Lansing or Ann Arbor, the two bastions of liberalism in an otherwise conservative state. Being more liberal than I am conservative, it is rather disconcerting.
Also, being a true minority bothers me sometimes. In Hawaii, Japanese-Americans make up a large part of the population so I never really was a minority. Here in Michigan I am definitely a minority.
Will post my culture shock opinions and observations next.
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