sigh)
before i grew up
and learned about life
i thought roses were fine
and i'd be a good wife.
but now that i'm grown
and sullied by time
those roses have thorns
and aren’t worth a dime.
it's a shame, in a way
for i tried very hard
to do the right thing
but drew the wrong card.
a re-deal's required
and i'm looking askance
not knowing for sure
if i'm ready to dance.
'cause here's why i'm skittish
and taken aback.
when will i know if
i'm on the right track?
Probably never.
(sigh)
(sigh)
The recent rains have gotten me down. It’s almost July. The sun’s supposed to be blaring wickedly for twelve hours a day, heating us all like a cauldron bubbling. Instead we’re mired in mud and moss, abounding in fungus and flooding. Thunder’s been rumbling for days, lightning waking me in the middle of the night like an old-fashioned flash bulb an inch from my eyes. It’s feast or famine, I swear.
There are enough things going on in my life to keep me awake as it is, so this lousy weather’s an additional downer. Yuk.
a glass of red
turned in to three.
what’s happening to me?
it used to be
sleep would come
after just one.
(sigh)
dandle - v.pemmican - n.samovar - n.horology - n.soubrette - n.
(sigh)I hate the news about the four Marines who allegedly planned and carried out the murder of a handicapped Iraqi man -- hate it from the standpoint that on the surface it appears this was an unjustified killing in war-time Iraq. However, we don't have a full accounting yet, and I'm hoping these young Marines are telling the truth. I'm waiting for the full story. (sigh)
sigh)
did e. e. cummings
have a
size
hang-up?
(sigh)
Ok. This post is about your emails to me about this blog. Most of it is complimentary, some irate over my "conservatism," some humorous, a few upset over my willingness to put my emotions out there, some questioning my sanity. That last one is probably right on. LOL
Since some of you seem more willing to email privately rather than post comments directly on the blog, I have to assume that you're not quite willing to share with the world your own thoughts on things. I can understand that. But I obviously AM willing to share mine, and hopefully you're enjoying the stuff I put out there and will continue to cut me some slack when it comes to mouthing off. A few of you have written some of the funniest emails I've ever read, and I encourage you to start your own blog. There's talent there. Some of you have been put off by my politics -- yet you continue to read me. Perhaps I spark something that gives you a side other than CNN's liberal stance.
And to the few of you who think my personal life should be off limits in this blog, please let me say that I think it gives you some insight into what my mindset is and possibly offers some clues as to why I think the way I do. I'm not asking for approval, mind you, nor am I trying to cram my feelings down your throat. Skip over those posts you think might be too revealing, but keep reading. I had over 100 emails from all of you last week. Guess which post garnered the most positive responses..........the 6/11 post on relationships. Go figure.
(sigh)
(sigh)Ever wonder what it'd be like to have a GPS that gave you verbal directions -- with an attitude?Me: Directions to 1234 Someplace Street.GPS: Whoa! Not a great part of town! Re-think request, please.Me: I HAVE re-thought it. Directions, Dude.GPS: Don't call me "Dude."Me: Holy s _ _ _. This car is burning up $3 a gallon gas! I need directions NOW!Tell me where to go!GPS: Oh, you don't WANT me to tell you where to go, you mindless twit.All right, you'll be sorry. Take the high road north to the underpass and make a left. Me: What street is that I turn left on?GPS: Anywhere Avenue, you doofus.Me: Ok, so I go north to the underpass and turn left on Anywhere Avenue?GPS: Isn't that what I SAID? No, No.........you passed it, beetle brain! Make a U-turn and try it again.Me: I can't make a U-turn in the middle of this street! It's One Way!GPS: I'm hitting my head with the heel of my hand! What an idiot you are!Me: You don't HAVE a head! You're a stupid computer with a compass and a big mouth! GPS: Look, Miss Blogger, get your act together here or I'll demand 40% royalties on everything you write about me!Me: Ahhh, a GPS with an AGENT! I'm pitching you out the window on Someplace Street -- that baaaad part of town! Fax your last will and testamentbecause your lithium battery is about to be submerged in the storm drain! And good riddance!(Little did I know but this sucker not only talks but FLOATS! Technology is making my life miserable!)(sigh)
(LOL)
A friend of mine does the craziest schtick about an East Indian providing traffic updates for the DC area. Some of the following is his, some mine. Envision the English dialogue with that sing-song East Indian accent.
This is Vijay Hassan coming to you from de WJAB traffic heli-o-copter overlooking I-95 to the south. Whoa..........better go warn de cows dat you be late dis evenin'. You beautiful ladies will be gettin' your madras saris in a knot dis afternoon. Looks like one of dose big trucks has met with the eighth avatar of Vishnu. De Krishna's karma is very upset dis day! Speakin' of de eighth avatar of Vishnu, Krishna had de taste for butter, so why not pull off at exit 52 and head to Guru for some lamb vindaloo and a side order of naan? Would hit de spot while waitin' for Rajesh to move dat truck.
De weather report say it's 95 of dose Punjab degrees out dere too. Like a tandoori oven, it be. Speakin' of a tandoori oven, if you be near exit 54, veer to de left off de ramp and slide in to Shanti's and treat yourself to de Tandoori paneer, some bhaat and aloo. Will fill up dat tummy and spice up de afternoon. Dere's wonderful carnatic music dere too -- not dat horrible Hindustani music de young ones listen to! You can even get up and do de Rouff or de Larani or jes watch'em if de feets be tired.
Holy Hindu cow! So not only is de road a mess but looks like dere's a t u n d e r s t o r m headin' our way like a big belna. Goin' to beat the castes down to de lowest level! De rains will come like de monsoons in Mumbai. A perfect time to throw up de hands and get off at exit 57 to drop a rupee and several paise for an iced chai tea at Indira's. Pick up de Sanskrit Times and sit back and sip til de rains pass. Better yet, if your cows have been lettin' down pies on your home-grown hashish, light up and settle in for an all natural hit!
Looks like things be movin' again. You perantaalus and nannas get to your Taj Mahals and start readin' "A Passage to India." Be a nice, relaxin' evening for you.
Dis is Vijay Hassan from above the Beltway wishin' you peace and Gandhi's love.
(sigh)i looked in the mirrorand thought my eyes were crossed.they weren't.it was my mind trying to see in the corners.
(sigh)i think the songs we sing togetherare not just melodiousbut harmonious.i believe these songs are instrumentalas well...instrumental to our continuingto understand the lyrics.i perceive these songs to have notesthat begin way above middle c...on the upper octaves that define aclarity to the tone of things.i know these songs have a tuneof hope, of laughter, of commitment.i'm ready to sing.
(sigh)
OMG.
Was reading today about some new very high-pitched ringtones on cell phones that teens can hear but adults cannot. At first I was incredulous, but as I read on I realized this is for real. According to the pieces I read, this is due to the ears' cochlear hair cells, which are vigorous in children and teens but which have been damaged and put to rest by mature adulthood. Evidently the cochlear hair cells enable high-pitched tones to be conveyed to the brain. I had to laugh when I read that it's common for men to lose the ability to hear women's higher-pitched voices. They can explain it away all they want with talk of degenerated cochlear hair cells. We women know it as "selective hearing," in that men hear only what they WANT to hear -- and WHEN they want to hear it.The gist of this ringtone news is that teens are able to receive text messages, etc., on their cell phones during class because most of the teachers are unable to hear the tones. What practical application all this will have is questionable, but it was an interesting aside. I never cease to be amazed at stuff. I'm including a link if you'd like to download the tone to see how you stack up. When you click on the link, hit "Search/Archive" and go to the 6/16/2006 headlines. It's the one entitled "You Can't Hear Me Now." http://www.fredericksburg.com
By the way, I downloaded the tone and listened. I heard it clearly. What a shame I don't still have teenagers in the house out to try to flummox me! LOL
(sigh)Sometimes I think we've lost our collective minds in this country, and today's one of them. Reading about death row inmates' new tool for stalling execution by lethal injection because of claims that it's too painful is just about the silliest thing I've heard since Michael Jackson's insistence that he fathered a child. (That HAD to have been by artificial insemination!)Do the bleeding hearts out there who want to protect the hard-core murderers on death row from wincing when they've finally exhausted their appeals and are strapped to the gurney ever consider the excruciating demises of their victims? Granted, we should certainly be humane in the execution of these prisoners, but isn't this going just a tad bit over the line? By the time death row inmates even get to that gurney they've most likely had 20 years more of a life than the victims as a result of the snail pace of the judicial process. To have yet another means by which to postpone things is unthinkable.Nebraska is the only state with capital punishment which does not execute by lethal injection...they still have the electric chair. Let's ask Dead Man Walking which he'd prefer.(sigh)
(sigh)I'm all for diplomacy when it has a chance in hell of accomplishing something, but this go-around with Iran is ludicrous. We're going to "talk to Iran about its nuclear ambitions," which is tantamount to asking a child to willingly give up his lollipop. And why are we even PRETENDING to state that if Iran doesn't comply that we will pursue the issue with the U. N. Security Council? I haven't forgotten the U.N.'s stance when we were attempting to garner support for going after Saddam. Such wimps. Such corruption. It makes me cringe.So....while we're all standing around contemplating our navels and making lame remarks such as we're hoping that Iran will work to "rebuild international confidence," Iran turns its back and snickers at our naivete. I don't know what the answer is here, but it's obvious the powers that be don't either.(sigh)
(sigh)(sigh again)I've been thinking a lot about relationships lately. I'm in one, like it, frightened of it, awed by it, exhausted by it, energized by it. It's different because HE is, the same because HE is. He's different from anyone I've known before, so it's the path not taken every single day. It's the same because he's a man, and we all know how men are. I struggle to understand a lifestyle so entirely foreign from life as I've known it; and while that unknown terrifies me somewhat, he is exciting, interesting, eclectic, sexy and most of all, unique. Whether we would have been interested in one another at a different time in our lives is a question worth pondering, but I think we're just enough alike emotionally that we would have been drawn to one another all along. I don't think this will be an easy relationship to be a part of, but he's definitely worth whatever it takes. (more sighs)
(sigh)Praise Allah. al-Zarqawi's dead.
sigh)
Saw a sign today. It cracked me up.
"What if the hokey pokey IS what it's all about?!!"
LOL
(sigh)
I recently found myself accompanying a friend on a cross-country journey back to the east coast. Key words surrounding this trip are Dodge truck, U Haul, $4 a gallon west coast gasoline, truck stops....none of which are pretty. But you know what? We came across some fascinating people and places, all of which contributed to the overall experience and to seeing things from different perspectives.Take, for instance, Troy, who waxed eloquently about his life to my friend over breakfast in Laramie, Wyoming, one morning. In the course of half an hour, Troy talked non-stop about his life on a dairy farm, as a long-distance runner and boxer, as a military sniper, as an independent trucker. Colorful character. Or the two exhausted guys in the "Drivers Only" area of a truck stop restaurant in Cheyenne who conversed for many minutes about the state of politics in this country, the immigration issue, taxes, a V-6 versus a V-8, gun control, the price of gasoline. Very astute observations they had, too. No nonsense.Or the cook in the truck stop restaurant dressed in starched white chef's apron and hat who took his job very, very seriously. The food was excellent, too -- juicy steaks cooked just right, fresh salads, enormous home-made pies. Or the fringed "authentic" western wear -- made in China. And we felt we should don bandanas before entering these places. We resisted the urge.Truckers have their own culture -- magazines, memorabilia, places to eat, sleep, access the internet, ad infinitum. There are lots of husband and wife team truckers, an up-and-coming number of women who drive rigs. Their publications often have hilarious ads. Laugh, we did.We found there are huge numbers of Hispanic truckers. They even have their own magazine published monthly -- it's an interesting item to look through. I couldn't read a word of it, of course, since it's written in Spanish, but I could get the gist of it from the pictures. I was astounded at the number of Hispanics there are in Salt Lake City -- not a place I'd necessarily have thought would hold much appeal for them. I almost had to walk away from a Wendy's there because the girl at the counter and I could not communicate whatsoever. It was sad. We were both frustrated.
The one thing that has hit me hard is that I'm going to HAVE to learn to speak Spanish. It's become more evident to me than ever since taking this trip.(sigh)
