Gen X

Woman of the Hour

~ MaryG ~ 17 Comments

An insightful post by Singing Gecko reminded me that I recently watched—and highly recommend—Woman of the Hour on Netflix. It stars Anna Kendrick, who also directed it. Quite a feat. She is extremely talented.

I think men especially should watch it.

We all know that the vast majority of men are not serial killers…or rapists…or even misogynists (despite the election results), but they’ve really never walked in our shoes. The “trapped” feeling when alone in an unlit area with a large man lurking is hard to describe in words. The mixture of fear, self-doubt (am I overreacting?) and calculation (what if I run to the stairs? will someone hear me if I scream?) is extremely well-portrayed in Woman of the Hour.

Woman of the Hour is a dramatic, bizarre and entertaining true story that helps explain why so many women recently said they’d choose the bear.

Even better, one of the major settings of the film is The Dating Game—a classic TV game show that elder GenXers like me will remember from childhood, especially if your parents let you watch tons of TV like mine did.

Tony Hale, Anna Kendrick and Daniel Zovatto in one of The Dating Game scenes in “Woman of the Hour.”

All-day retreat

~ MaryG ~ 5 Comments

I was at church ALL day yesterday. I got there at 9 for choir rehearsal. Then we had the service and coffee hour. After that, I attended a four-hour retreat for the Executive Team of the church. (I agreed to fill a one-year position on the Standing Committee. Typically these are three-year positions, but someone got sick and couldn’t fulfill their term.)

I’m finding that this leadership role feels a lot like work, except I’m not getting paid. If I’m going to be doing stuff that feels like work, I think I’d rather be getting paid. In my new post-election “Circle the Wagons” mentality, volunteerism should be limited to fun things that I truly enjoy, like singing in the choir and sacred circle dances. Anything else I do should directly benefit my own family. Therefore, it would be better for me to get a paid part-time job than continue to do volunteer work that feels like real work.

Pretty selfish, huh? Well that’s what the election hath wrought in this previously civic-minded, privileged white lady. Fuck it. I’m all about me and my own family now.

In addition to being politically liberal and drinking a lot of coffee, Unitarian Universalists (UUs) are known for talking endlessly. Our congregations are self-governed, democratically, without much control by the national organization. The minister is paid (obviously) but has no real authority over the congregation, other than her moral and intellectual leadership. The power of persuasion is her main tool.

Here are some classic jokes about UUs:

Why did the UU cross the road?

• To support the chicken in its search for its own path.

What’s a UU’s idea of a great sermon?

• A strong opening, a thoughtful middle, and no definite conclusion.

How do you scare a UU?

• Say, “Let’s vote on a creed!”

Why do UUs always bring pencils to services?

• To edit the hymnal as needed.

You get the idea.

Haiku: Cozy

~ MaryG ~ 16 Comments

Baby burrito

Snug as a bug in a rug

Nothing else matters

Image from Pexels

NOTE: I am dying to share photos of my infant granddaughter with my readers, but will refrain, as this is a public blog.

I just love to wrap her up like a burrito (aka swaddling) and snuggle with her while she takes a nice long nap in my arms. It’s basically grandma nirvana. I wish I could bottle the feeling and share it with all the broken-hearted people.

🥰

XOXO

Mary, GenX Grandma (I still have 204 days of my fifties left, but who’s counting)

Product review

~ MaryG ~ 9 Comments

I like indoor fairy lights, but get tired of constantly changing the AAA batteries, so I took a chance and ordered some solar-powered ones from Amazon (even though Jeff Bezos is totally on my shit list). Where else can you search and compare tons of cheap electronic crap from China and have it delivered within 2 days? Amazon stands alone!

And seeing as the price of cheap, electronic crap from China is about to go up, I thought I’d share the link:

https://a.co/d/5oLLUI4

The lights come with small stakes for using outdoors, but they also work well in interior windows that get sun. You just have to face the little solar power packs south. They charge during the day and come on automatically after dark. You can set them to steady or flashing/twinkling mode.

It’s one way to ward off the doom and gloom of early darkness. The sun sets here by 4:30pm now…

Image by ChatGPT

Blueberry muffin recipe

~ MaryG ~ 8 Comments

I have the best blueberry muffin recipe for you today. It’s pretty easy and the muffins come out really well—every single time. They are moist and delicious.

The recipe makes a dozen full-size muffins. I bake them for exactly 28 minutes in my oven. I use paper muffin cup liners.

Bonus photo of my double-jointed thumb

I got the recipe from my mother originally because everyone always loves her blueberry muffins. She may or may not have got it from The Boston Globe many years ago.

Anyway, it’s a keeper.

Don’t forget to sprinkle the sugar on before baking.

It says 2.5 cups of blueberries, but I always just use one dry pint (the way they come in the store). I’ve only ever made it with fresh blueberries, so I’m not sure how it would work with frozen ones.

Related: Blueberry Mug Cake

Three Things

~ MaryG ~ 11 Comments

3 quick things:

First, I learned a new word on Bluesky and it is “kakistocracy.”

Use it in a sentence: “The United States will become a kakistocracy soon.”

Second, I got my tickets for the new Wicked movie starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. We’re going Thanksgiving weekend and I fully expect the audience to be chock full of musical theater kids (young and old) who WILL sing along. My husband said he wanted to go with me, so he’ll just have to deal with it. (I will be one of the singing people.)

Did you get your tickets yet?

Third, I will be spending the day with the world’s most adorable and perfect infant today. I thought my own kids were pretty darn cute, but my granddaughter is off-the-charts gorgeous. And it’s not just me saying that…there is a general consensus that she’s the prettiest little dark-haired, dark-eyed baby that anyone has ever seen! There is absolutely no danger that anyone has to fake it, like Jerry and Elaine did in that classic Seinfeld scene. 🤣

Have a great day, if you can. If not, just keep going.

XOXO

❤️

Mary

Bluer Skies on Bluesky

~ MaryG ~ 7 Comments

Quick update from the Great Blue Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Progressive people and institutions are deleting their Twitter/X accounts in protest and joining Bluesky, which apparently is the fastest growing app in the country right now.

I have no idea if I will ever post there, but I did set-up a profile, which you are welcome to follow. I’m @mamag83.

If I’ve interested you at all in my church or Unitarian Universalism through my posts, these are a few accounts you could follow:

My minister: @revlara

My church: @fculittleton

My former minister: @revfredsmall

If you like billionaires, Bluesky has Mark Cuban and he’s oh SO much better than Elon Musk: @mcuban

And finally, if you like astrology, please follow my daughter and order a personalized reading: @lunarxluci. People love them! (She also has large followings on TikTok: @lunarxluci and Instagram: @lunarxluci)

Have a great day. We’re going to be OK.

☮️ 🌈 🦋

Bucket list booking: Key West

~ MaryG ~ 19 Comments

As I’ve mentioned before, I appreciate the state of Florida, mainly for its warm weather, beautiful beaches, and easy access (numerous cheap, nonstop flights) from New England.

The obvious drawback for me (and many liberal New England types) is the politics there. It’s truly a red state now. (It didn’t used to be.) I know people that despise the whole idea of Florida so much that they actually flinch in disgust when it’s mentioned!

But after one delicious Cosmo and a beautiful Florida sunset on a balmy night in February (when it’s snowing and 20 degrees at home), Florida seems pretty fucking great.

I have been to many places in south and central Florida, including some of the Keys, but I’ve never made it all the way down to Key West—the southernmost point in the US. It’s been on my bucket list for awhile now, primarily for the vibes.

Having worked in the arts for many years, I had many gay male friends and co-workers and they always loved Key West. (A good sign) Also, Ernest Hemingway lived and wrote many of his most famous books there. And I’m currently watching Bloodline, with the amazing Ben Mendelsohn, Sam Shepherd and Sissy Spacek, which was shot there. Then of course, there’s the pie. I love Key Lime pie and I’m assuming they have some great places to get it in (on?) Key West. My understanding is that there’s also a heavy Cuban influence there and while I have no desire to visit actual Cuba, I do like the idea of experiencing some of its culture on Key West.

What I didn’t realize before I booked the flights is how tiny it is! It’s only four miles long by two miles wide. That’s like one-tenth of a Nantucket. Teensy! Hopefully we don’t get bored there for a whole week. Please send any Key West recommendations you may have.

So as the United States descends into fascism this winter, I’m going to practice total avoidance and have me some delicious Key Lime pie.

Final note: I did check their voting records and they went Harris, according to ChatGPT. So, I will feel slightly better about spending my money there. It’s a blue bubble area.

Do people think ChatGPT is reliable for questions like this?

Naked Despair

~ MaryG ~ 15 Comments

I encountered a lot of naked despair, grief and anger at church today. I belong to a liberal Unitarian Universalist church outside of Boston. Many people were absolutely wrecked over the election results, including the minister.

We have many older members (I guess that includes me now at nearly 60) who have been fighting for all types of causes for decades, from the climate crisis to abortion. My church helped lead the marriage equality movement in Massachusetts. (We were the very first state in the country to legalize gay marriage in 2004–twenty years ago!) During the fight, our then minister refused to perform weddings in our beautiful historic church until same-sex marriage was legal. He really took a stand and it helped move things forward. Shortly after the law was passed, he married two longtime beloved church members—two women—in front of of the entire congregation. It was euphoric.

Anyway, I was doing OK at church, holding up pretty well, until the music director played John Lennon’s Imagine during the offertory. Oh man, hearing that just broke me (and a bunch of other people too). She was playing it beautifully on the grand piano (with no vocalist) but of course everyone in our congregation knows the words and was quietly singing along.

The dream has never felt further away. 😢

Related:

Time to Circle the Wagons

Time to Circle the Wagons

~ MaryG ~ 13 Comments

Welp, that’s that.

I am devastated, but I’m going to try to get over it quicker than in 2016. My conscience is clear. I didn’t sit on the sidelines. I did what I could to try to defeat Trump—marching, calling, writing, donating, posting, rallying, protesting, singing, voting.

For years…years…we did all that stuff.

But Trump won a second term anyway – fair and square. American voters chose a senile pervert and felon over a perfectly good female candidate (again).

It’s time to circle the wagons and focus mainly on my own family. I plan to devote my time and resources primarily to them. I have so many cute pictures of my granddaughter in my phone. If I get down, I’ll just look at them. I am too old to be angry about Trump for another four years. By the time my granddaughter gets to kindergarten, he’ll be out of office. In fact, I’m going to try not to use his name in my blog anymore.

Maybe I’ll get involved again if they try for a National Abortion Ban. Otherwise, I’m just going to huddle up here with my loved ones in Massachusetts, where we will (hopefully) be relatively safe.