Lunch Time Fun

Memory lane today, folks.  Oldie but goodie.  A little smile for when you open your boring can of soup and find something you didn't expect.  Humming along as eat now, like my niece always does.  Happiness all around.  Kinda like alligators...   

Mother's Day Graduate

Twenty years ago today I graduate from college.  It was a bittersweet day as I had imploded after my mom’s death and was graduating 2 years late and by thread.  And, it was Mother’s Day. 

I have an irrational hate of Mother’s Day now.  I know it’s crazy, but there it is. 

As we move into graduation season, I want to remind people how asinine and thoughtless it is to hold graduations on Mother’s Day.  Doing so takes a momentous, usually happy, day and makes it an emotional cluster-fuck for many.

There are the motherless who are already dealing with not having their mom with them on an important day.  Now, they have to have that loss compounded amidst all the Mother’s Day celebrations.  No mom at graduation or Mother’s Day.  Fabulous.  Just twist that knife that is already piercing my heart. 

Then there are the children of divorce.  I’ve listened to many a friend prepare with dread to navigate the dreaded interplay of warring parents and awkward step-parent interplay.  I have often told them that death seems easier to handle.  My mom is dead, which clearly sucks, but my family is my family.  Too often, divorce just leaves the children – even the adult children – squarely in the middle between a rock and hard place.  Throw Mother’s Day to the graduation mix and uncomfortable does not begin to describe the experience. 

Someday, I hope that graduation celebrations become Mother’s Day free.  Let the kids breathe a little easier. 

And the weather's good

Today I'm taking a page from one of my favorite blogs -Byron and Isabella - fierce, felines with much to share about their life with their humans and the world, have Music Mondays posts. My own fierce felines nudged me as they are want to do to pay a little homage to such great thinkers. So, while I'm not stealing the idea, I am honoring them with a little music once in a while.

I heard this song one morning driving to a 6 am run with my running group - and it was perfect to help wake you up and put you in a good mood. It's one I hit repeat over and over again. Always picks me up. Hope you enjoy:  Carbon/Silicon's The News






And, check out Byron and Isabella. They are, of course, are the cat's meow. So say my Pip and Nev.

For Better or Worse: Free Speech

I may not agree with you, but I agree that you are entitled to your opinion and are allowed to shout it from the roof tops. It's my decision whether to continue to listen or not. That's the beauty - and the curse - of the freedom of speech. We are all entitled to say what we think without fear of government interference. It really is a privilege. And, it really is hard to swallow sometimes.

Last week, a friend of mine posted a picture of a car emblazoned with a racist 2012 election bumper sticker. My first thought - honestly - was to check my urban legend web site to see if this was for real. It's not that I couldn't believe it was real, it's just that I have a healthy skepticism about anything that could raise more than a few eyebrows - whether it be the dangers of toothpaste or deodorant (I can't remember which it was) or the derogatory name calling of women by Maher or Limbaugh (see gram - I can present both sides).

Sure enough - the photo was real.

Not only was it real, but it was sold by a web site - since taken down - that sold other gems involving the KKK and the confederate flag.

I was horrified when I saw the photo and more so when I saw the other bumper stickers that were for sale. To say it saddens me that these things are out in universe would be an extreme understatement. Don't get me wrong - I'm not stupid. I know racism still exists. I'm just an eternal optimist who looks for us to be moving forward rather than remaining static or sliding backwards.

I grew up with racist grandparents. Some used the n-word regularly and with venom, usually proceeded by a "god damn". Some used every ethnic slur that one can call to mind. There were those awkward moments in restaurants or at the mall where an offhand comment was said at a time where the room was suddenly quiet, and I wanted to crawl under the table.

My parents never used any of those words, and admonished theirs when the did (most of the time). I did too, once I became older.

The classic cringe-worthy moment for me was in Arlington Cemetery. I was graduating from college and doing my duty as a tour guide. As we slowly trudged back down the hill from Kennedy's grave, my disgruntled guest said, "God damn J***." In front of a bus filled with Asian tourists. "Insert relative name (in all caps), shhhhhhh - you can't say that." I got the look that said differently, (and a lecture about WWII to which I counterpointed all the way back to the car). And, it's true. We can say whatever hate-filled thing we want. But just because we can doesn't mean we should.

So, do I think that the owner of the car with the racist bumper sticker have the right to display it? I do. And, I think that Bill Maher and Rush Limbaugh have a right to deride Sarah Palin and Sandra Fluke. I do not think the car should be forced off the road or the commentators should be forced of the air. But, I do believe that the power of the consumer can silence or muffle the hate speak.

With the freedom of speech comes the accountability. We are all responsible not only for protecting it - but showing outrage when the speech goes to far - causes harm, promotes hate, tells lies, or adds to ignorance. We all need to speak up - not to ban the speaker or the speech - but to right the wrong, expose the hate, or heck - even just present an alternative point of view.

Mad Men Regression

Growing up, I learned about the greatness of the US. How we were at the forefront for liberty, freedom, progress, equality (of sorts), and about our great manifest destiny, melting pot, and American exceptionalism. We were always moving forward, advancing, tweaking and perfecting our accomplishments. We may have gotten some big things wrong - HUGE things, like slavery and genocide,  - but eventually we righted our wrongs. Or at least acknowledged our wrongs, with the righting still up for debate.

There's that commercial that's out now - the one with the little boy and his grandfather. The little boy says that he will own a house just like this one - the one his mom grew up in. And, grandpa says something like, "I hope so." Obviously, this is a testament to our current economic status. For the first time in our history, we are backsliding - with the next generation either falling at the same level of their parents, or lower. For me, this goes beyond economics, but to social norms as well.

I've been thinking about this for a number of years now, but the past few months - heck, even weeks - it's like a fast forward button has been pushed but in reverse (which is a subtle but important distinction from rewind). Let's just quickly list some highlights of late, focusing on the domestic for now.

Labor and Economy

• Teachers, Firefighters, & Police Officers can fend for themselves says Govs.Walker & Kasich
• I say - right, because they always put themselves first when teaching, rescuing, and protecting 
• "I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs a repair , I'll fix it," says Romney
• I say, right, because the fact that the poverty level scale hasn't changed since its inception provides a solid basis for who is very poor and how much money really helps them
• "Really poor children in really poor neighborhoods have no habits of working and have nobody around them who works...They have no habit of ‘I do this and you give me cash’ unless it’s illegal,” says Gingrich
•  I say, right, because there is no working poor who hold multiple low paying jobs, nor do any parents living in poverty try to help their child get out of it 

Women's Health, Birth Control and Abortion

• Defund Planned Parenthood says Congress
• I say - right, because if you're against abortions, planning doesn't make sense
• Defund Planned Parenthood says Komen
• I say right, because a wellness visit comes not only with a breast exam but a bonus abortion
• Mandatory Vaginal Probe says Trey Parker & Matt Stone, I mean Gov. McDonnell
• I say, right, because women clearly don't have the ability to make up their minds on their own
• Aspirin is a wonder drug (again) says Santorum's biggest financial backer
• I say, right, because swallow a pill when a bottle between your legs does the trick
• Tell your employer why you need birth control says Republican controlled AZ legislature
• I say, right, because I'd much rather have my boss involved in my decisions than my doctor or my government. Why not all three?
• Birth control pills are taken just like viagra - every time you have sex - sorta said by Rush
• I say, right, because how else would it ever be covered under any pharmaceutical plan?

Race

•   "I don't want to make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money; I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn the money," says Santorum.
•  I say right, because only black people receive public assistance, evidently because they don't want to work.
•  "Like any other state, there has to be compliance with this and any other federal law, And that is that English has to be the principal language," says Santorum.
•  I say right, because of that invisible section of the Constitution - the one you need that orange marker to rub over to see it - that says every state must favor the "king's english" even though there's no more king. 

I know that some would call me naive thinking that these things wouldn't be floating around in 2012. But, I blame my naivety on what I was taught about American progress. We improve upon things and make them better.  That's better, folks. Not worse.

As I've said, I've felt like I've been in a time warp for more than a few years now. Looking at 2012 alone though - on January 1, who would have really thought that birth control would be come the lightening rod of the political stage? What is this - 1950?

And, to that I say - maybe it is. That's where we're headed. That's where we're going back to live. Grab your pillbox hat, your liquid lunch, and your 2.5 children... Hold on to the TARDIS or the Way Back Machine... and leave your civil rights, your labor laws, and your independent brain at the door.

There's no more critical thinking. There's group think. Or propaganda. Or brainwashing. Or maybe it's the water - like in Dr. Strangelove. But, I can't believe this is American progress.

If I'm to long for the 50s , it's for how it spawned the 1960s - and the progression of freedom, equality, and coming together to better society. But I don't want to re-fight the battles of my parents. I want to protect what they won, and then I want pay it forward - as they did for their parents and for me.

'Overeducated white women' at Limbaugh's Table

Rush Limbaugh. My grandmother said he tells the truth. I tried not to snort my wine.

Surprisingly, this is not about birth control or Sandra Fluke - although stick around a while.

Limbaugh's latest:
every time i find evidence of a massive forthcoming event to take away little bit of our freedom here and there, under the guise of improving our health or safety, I'll warn you about it. the ultimate end game is to take away your freedom. now we have a book by the Tracie McMillan, has as the premise that only the fancy and snobs get good food. what is it with all these young single white women over educated, doesn't mean intelligent.





Last night's The Rachel Maddow Show, began a segment with that footage, and introduced me to an apparently (as I haven't checked) young, single, over-educated woman named Tracie McMillan who wrote a book called "American Way of Eating: Under cover of Walmart, Applebees, Farm Fields and the Dinner Table.

While I am no longer classified as young, not only am I am a single, over-educated white women, I'm also a fat chick. My grandmother even said once - and I was an adult - "You know how she gets when you take her food away." To this day I have not idea what that means, but I assume it means I morph into Chris Farley back in the day as an SNL GAP Girl (like the Gap Clothes would have fit - I'd know). You know, where he/she snarls at Adam Sandler and David Spades' drag equivalents to "Lay off me I'm starving" as he/she scarfs some fries with both fists.

Point being, I can relate to Rush - albeit probably only on one thing - food.. I think he and I might have a nice long convo over favorite foods and risk of heart disease. Of societies' focus on body image and weight, how it erodes and self-esteem, and it breeds worry over first impressions over long-term health. Oh wait, that's not gonna fly with Rush. Anyway, food - just food.

So, why is he going after food? I mean his rants against his"over-educated white women" make sense. My grad school debt clearly supports his reasoning right - I wouldn't have debt if I wasn't over-educated. Maybe if I was less-educated I wouldn't face being unemployed or fair better in the job market? Sure, that's what studies show... wait, that's science. Damn it! Remember - the only commonality if food...


In her book, McMillan' tells of going undercover to better understand the American food industry. The book description talks about how she works alongside the working poor and examines what people would like to buy versus what they buy when the price really matters. 

I know I'm not the only one who is not in the working poor category nor the 1% category who longing looks at the gorgeous organic produce at Whole Foods or at a local farmers market, or at Safeway (don't want to sound to elitist or over-educated white woman), and not wish that I could afford to buy everything organic rather than that one bag of organic spinach on sale. On a tight budget - not as tight as the working poor for sure - it's hard to justify paying more for a pint of strawberries when I can get 2 quarts from Costco for less.

So it's crazy talk to want a food industry that promotes healthy food at affordable prices? Unreasonable to demand access to free range chicken as easily as it is to pick up chicken nuggets on the dollar menu?

How is this a crazy liberal issue? Don't conservatives want to have the freshest, healthiest, and best produce for less? My conservatives friends do. Maybe they are an anomaly?

And, of course, how is this an "over-educated white woman" issue? Didn't Food Inc tackle this first - a film directed by Robert Kenner? I haven't checked, but I'd be willing to bet that when Robert Kenner's film came out he wasn't called a "over-educated man". And, I'm certain that the phrase, "young, single" didn't come up either even if Robert was both. 

What is it that for Limbaugh (of late or always?) it comes down to name calling, belittling, and gender baiting? If he has issue with the book, then take the book to task for facts (ha!). To imply that anyone is over-educated is as absurd as Santorum being outraged at the prospect of everyone having access to post high school education if they want it. And, it's always women who get the bulk of insults - you're young, so you don't know honey... you're a women, so enough said... you're single so you must be bitter or need a muzzle until you can be handled by your man... you're over-educated so you must be brainwashed without intellect.

Really? What decade is this? No, seriously. What century is this?


McMillan's book is called "American Way of Eating: Under cover of Walmart, Applebees, Farm Fields and the Dinner Table. I've already put it on hold at the library - I would have bought it but I'm in austerity measures at the moment.But, if you can, you should buy it and you should have all your book clubs read it. Support the takeover by over-educated white women: http://www.amazon.com/The-American-Way-Eating-Undercover/dp/1439171955/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331216059&sr=1-1.