The computer hums and snickers a nag like clanging spoons upon my beloved soup pot. And it cries, “Pay attention to me!”
But I refuse my electro-taskMaster and languish over recycled morning coffee. At the window, the last vestige of daylight offers itself and chittering birds, fluff for sleep.
The ice cream truck chirps its incongrous tune then fades fast into the still of nightfall. Spaghetti sauce simmers on the stove and my ‘thank-God-it’s-the-end-of-the-work-day’ cigarette plumes with more grace than I can muster. (Oh, my aching back and throbbing feet.) Tells my brain: Relax – Stop thinking – Give it a rest.
Emails and obligations await. Dust bunnies conspire to ambush. And that laundry is not going to put itself away. (Damn it.)
Still, I stick. Watch the final light fade and fold into the night sky.
Home. It’s good to bE.
copyright 2009
What’s clanging Christine’s spoon?
1. Because Katie Couric says so, as told to her by the White House. (And that sweet, albeit idiotic face would never lie.)
2. Because Chris Matthews is getting an exciting chill up his leg. (And we all know what that means.)
3. Because it makes B.O. look good, feel good and gol darn it, people like him! (Smalley’s got nothing on BO for Godsakes!)
4. Because it proves George Bush is the one who fucked things up. (We all know that Dubya is the root and cause of all evil)
5. Because the Mid-Term elections are coming up in 2010. (And there has to be some reason to keep the jokers in office.)
6. Because then you can afford to keep the credit cards, the new mortgage, pay higher taxes and pretend everything is hunky-dunky. (In other words put your head back up your ass, lest you notice what’s really going on.)
7. First health care, then the Euro-dollar. (One world order, here we come!)
8. Because facing the truth would stress you out too much. (God forbid you should face reality when you can avoid it.)
9. That means the stimulus is working. (The Federal Reserve, GM, Citibank and Joe Biden sure think so.)
10. Don’t worry, be happy. (By the time this all catches up with us, we’ll be dead and our kids, grand kids and great grand kids will be paying – not our problem, right?)
To all our veterans I would just like to say thank you. Not Happy Veteran’s Day – but thank you. Thank you for answering the call to defend your country, thank you for your sacrifice, thank you to your family and friends for letting you honor your country and your countrymen with your service. It is not enough, it will never be enough. But thank you.
WC
1. When asked, he agrees your ass does look fat in those jeans.
2. He refuses sex because he has a splitting headache and has them often.
3. Tells you that if you loved him you’d have all your teeth pulled.
4. He tries to convince you to create an annoymous online identity so you can have ‘hot cybersex’ with him.
5. He insists you call his mother to get the correct recipe for cornflakes.
6. When his computer is acting up, he stays up all night with it until it’s better. When you are sick, he suggests you go to the drugstore for Nyquil and wants you to pick up a six pack while you’re going.
7. He only notices you when you’re blocking his view of the game.
8. He started working late every night the day after you moved in.
9. His idea of a romantic evening is Letterman on the set and three minute sex.
10. You just discovered that his dog and his mom are the beneficiaries on his life insurance policy.
1. You think giving 50% of your paycheck to the government to spend how it sees fit is unfair.
2. You actually think the Second Amendment is part of the Constitution.
3. You secretly suspect Hillary Clinton is a man.
4. You’re certain you have a right to political dissention and that union leaders can’t punch you in the gut for disagreeing with them.
5. You think the term hate crime is redundant as all crimes have an element of hate in them.
6. You believe your elected Representative should represent your interests instead of the guys who write the big check.
7. You think the President of the United States should have better things to do than pitch his home town for the Olympics. And if he doesn’t should get a cut in pay.
8. You didn’t spit on returning veterans of the Viet Nam War and call them baby killers.
9. You believe that if you want something you should go out and earn it and don’t believe that you’re entitled to anything other than pursuing your life without interference.
10. Think that 10.2% unemployment is not good news.
As usual, feel free to add to the list.
WC
Look you guys, this is no longer about Republican/Democrat, Libbie/Pubbie, Rightwing/Leftwing – this is about our rights and the Constitution. Our government has decided that they must force us to carry health insurance and how much health insurance and and if we are not good little boys and girls then we must be punished.
If we decide to ‘disobey’ we will be punished with the help of the IRS and the Justice Department. Oh yes and the ‘fines’ start at about $250 and go up to $250,000 (you read that right) and prison terms (yes, you could go to prison if you don’t have health insurance) are from 1 to 5 years. For not obeying this bogus ‘law’ about having health insurance. At this stage I’m kind of wondering where the ‘free’ in this free health insurance comes in. I’m thinking not so much.
If you don’t believe me, check this link and this link (especially this one – it’s a letter from the committee explaining to the IRS how punishment and fines will be adjudicated if disobedience becomes a factor) from the committee forcing this bogus and unconstitutional piece of garbage through. I didn’t make this up – it’s right there.
The House has passed this and it’s going to the Senate. And if they cave, we are going to be forced, forced to obey this enslavement to the state. They are not happy enough with the fact that they can tell us when and if we can smoke, wear seat belts, pay taxes for our own property, consume water and how much, what to drive and how often we can drive and what quantity of gas we can use and if we dare say no, then label us as whackjobs or extremists – now they have to make sure that we obey this bullshit for our own good because you see we simply aren’t bright enough to take responsibility for ourselves and figure out what we need or want, and believe me the gps chip is coming soon to a neck near you.
You can sit back and think I’m paranoid and maybe scratch your heads about why I don’t want poor uninsured children to get proper healthcare, or old people or folks who just can’t make ends meet, because after all they are just trying to help, right?
Are they? Really? Let me ask you something, when you help someone, do you threaten them with pain, penalties and imprisonment if they don’t accept your help? Does any sane individual do this? I dont’ think so.
You may also think, people must want this or Congress wouldn’t be doing this. Well think again. Let’s get outside the box and consider why Congress would be pushing this bill so hot and heavy. My theory goes something like this: For decades Congress has been robbing Peter to pay Paul – they’ve been using social security and then medicare as a slush fund to pay for things – programs, bridges, roads to nowhere, you name it. Because they are Congress, they don’t have to stay on budget like the rest of us, no they just print more money and use money earmarked for something else for whatever they please and then still run a tab.
In a nutshell, they’re out of money and places to get it from. They have bankrupted Medicare and they know that’s going to be obvious very, very soon. And that would be very very bad for them – imagine the public outrage.
So, how does one solve something like this? A problem of this magnitude? Simple, you force every citizen to participate in medicare but you call it something else. Something more warm and fuzzy, national health care. You promote it as a caring, loving, benevolent act on the part of the government. They’re just looking out for you. That’s all. Then you write a bill and several versions of it that no one could possibly understand (including and especially those who are voting on it) and push it through no matter what.
You get your PR guys out there forwarding the idea that anyone who doesn’t want this incredibly caring and benevolent thing for their fellow man is a nutjob, racist, hater and mental patient and just keep repeating the message until it’s tantamount to a hypnotic command.
And soon, god-willing-and-the-creek-don’t-rise, you’ve got it all buttoned down. Once it’s through it will take an enormous effort to undo it (income tax started out as temporary folks, and shows no sign of being recinded), years, possibly decades, if ever. And then it’s done. And so are we.
The irony in all this is of course, that the very people who made this all possible by voting in our current president are the ones who will be paying for it and in a very big way – not just in dollars and cents but in the erosion of their own personal freedoms. But maybe people just have to learn the hard way. Okay, rant over. Have a nice day.
WC
PS: If you don’t believe me, perhaps a constitutional expert will give you some perspective.
November Moon has stolen Summer’s kiss and cast it into the abyss. I watch from frosty windows as she covers the sky with black velvet robes and adjusts her crown of artic icy sparkle.
My cheek feels her chill and brings the light of her last escapade and offense. Heart stops and aches a little – tears freeze halfway down, throat catches breath before it fogs the pane. I do not welcome the snow but I miss it now. I am a child of the Sun but the Moon brings dark winter into my embrace and I hold steadfast. Stubborn.
To forgive and forget is a lovely cliche – but it has no use in the real world. To forgive is divine, but I am not a god – just a mere human, frail and volatile, confused and conflicted, sad and regretful.
I want to forgive you. I try to forgive you. But I can’t forgive you. Why? I ask the November Moon but she only smiles her sly, albeit radiant smile and eases further across the sky. Making me want to follow her but I am too weary.
It’s true. Love is not for me – the magic and joy will always elude. Pass by my door and dance after more deserving souls.
Where has the November Moon taken Christine?
Escape
At what point do we need to escape? I’ve been pondering that lately. Is it something everyone does or needs? I wonder.
I tend to have a lot going on in my life, whether good or bad or somewhere in between – no matter what there always seems to be something happening. I guess I like the action, I always have. It makes life interesting and often fun.
On the other hand I do have a saturation point or breaking point or a ceiling for such things. I sometimes just hit a wall and think, ‘shit, that hurt!’ And when that happens I have to escape. Get away. Turn off my brain and get stupid.
Unfortunately, I’m not independently wealthy or even financially independent so I can’t exactly jump on my private jet and go to Tahiti to chill. I can’t call my limo driver and take an impromptu road trip or have my travel agent book a European walking tour for me so I have to come up with other solutions.
When I need to escape I have to do it in my mind (mostly) – I have to sit on the patio and drink iced tea while I watch the resident birds haggle for limb space on the Mimosa. Or find a channel that shows non-stop reruns of my favorite television shows. Or if I’m lucky stumble onto a big dvd blowout sale at Blockbuster and buy up as many movies my budget will allow. Add a little microwave popcorn to the mix, unplug the phone, turn off the computer and the escape is complete.
Usually the need to escape only lasts for a day or so, but sometimes it goes on for weeks. It gets tricky when there is a long bout because I still have to go to work, buy groceries, do the laundry and talk to other human beings – fulfill at least the minimal obligations of human co-existence – but it’s still doable.
It’s dawned on me lately that I’ve been doing a big escape for some time now. So many landmines and so few limbs to give. Head in the sand or up my ass (six of one half dozen of another) and been living in that twilight world of distraction and denial. Weird because I didn’t really notice it. It just sort of happened. Not even the ever growing population of dust bunnies floated me a hint.
I guess the good news is that I’m thinking that being an island may not be such a great idea – at least not for me. That sticking my head out the window could be fun and well shit, there is a great big world out there and somebody’s got to live in it. So, perhaps adventure awaits me.
How about you – what do you do to escape?
WC
Somebody who was undoubtedly zen-like said, “All things in moderation” – it was probably Benjamin Franklin or someone wise like he. I, however, am not wise because I simply can’t do things in moderation. Try as I might it just isn’t my thing.
I’m either all in or all out. I sometimes wonder where this predisposition came from. My mother, my father? Some eccentric old auntie whose name slips past my consciousness? For all I know it could have been a neighbor dog I bonded with when I was three. Whoever or whatever it was, sure gave me the attitude early on since that’s just been the story of my life.
For instance, I don’t just drive to work in the morning – I have a freeking adventure. I’m simply not happy to drive quietly, listening to the radio as I make my way to whatever destination is slated for the day. Nope, I have to utter editorial comment, driving instruction and sometimes serious insult to those sharing the road with me. I know, I know, it probably comes as a shock to some of you -–sweet Annie being mean to other drivers, hanging out the window and telling them they should be home watching Good Morning America, so the rest of us can be safe – but what can I say? I’m a passionate person.
If I love something I really love it. I can’t shut up about it and friends have been known to screen my calls when I’ve made a new discovery because they just can’t stand to hear one more word about the miraculous benefits of roller ball pens or MSM or chocolate over bananas for breakfast. Conversely if I hate something I really hate it. I can’t stand to have it around me, to think about it to have others think about it or say a word about it. Well, maybe it’s not that bad but you get the picture.
Sometimes I think this is a real flaw in my character too. I see others living relatively smooth, even lives, going along like a sail boat on smooth waters and I think, that would be nice. I would like that. Yet, whenever things are just too even, too predictable I get antsy and nervous. It’s just too, I don’t know…normal? Even? Calm? It just doesn’t feed my passion.
Other times I think it’s really the only way to be. If you’re going to live life, why not make it a circus parade and interesting? Why not wear your passion on your sleeve for all to see? You might as well be interested in what you’re doing, seeing, hearing, feeling, right? It certainly does provide fodder for writing. And maybe that’s it. Maybe that’s why I am that way or maybe because I am that way is why I write. Could be potato/potaatoe?
How about you? Are you all in or all out? Calm and serene or passionate and wild? Moderate or over the top?
WC
You’ve got to love some of these new fangled bumper stickers that have been showing up lately. At least I do. Enjoy.
