Gen X

Musical experiment

~ MaryG ~ 13 Comments
Daily writing prompt
Describe one habit that brings you joy.
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I’ve posted many times about my love of music, especially singing. Singing with choirs and choral groups has been bringing me joy since I was a teenager. I’ve done a bit of solo singing as well.

Typically, I don’t sing much in the summer, because my church (and choir) go on hiatus. Yup, that’s right, Unitarian Universalists take the summer off (which is a good thing because our beautiful, historic churches are rarely air conditioned).

This summer I’m trying something new. I’m going to collaborate with a musician who plays the digital bagpipes—of all things. We’re going to get together and work on a few songs. If things go well, we may have some opportunities to perform next church year. One song she really wants to try is Skye Boat Song. I’m going to need to practice this one. I have no idea what it will be like to sing with bagpipes. I’ve sung with piano, guitar, and even organ, but this will be new.

Veepstakes

~ MaryG ~ 6 Comments
Daily writing prompt
What are you curious about?
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Along with about a billion other people, I am very curious who Kamala Harris will pick as her vice presidential running mate. I’m confident that whoever she chooses will be embraced by her growing legions of supporters.

I had been thinking she was going to choose Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania or Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, but now I don’t know.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has been killing it on the news shows. He’s approximately the same age as weird JD Vance and is also a military veteran with young children.

Also, Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota is really growing on me. He’s another elder GenXer (born in 1964), so I’m predisposed to like him. He gives midwestern high school principal vibes and I think he’d help her out with middle-of-the-road types.

We shall see…

And just for fun while we wait, watch this awesome clip from VEEP.

Tony Hale and Julia Louis-Dreyfus in VEEP 😂

Related post:

Walz!

Giving money to a junkie

~ MaryG ~ 2 Comments
Daily writing prompt
Write about a random act of kindness you’ve done for someone.
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Remember how ready we were to get those first Covid vaccines the minute they came out? We were so so sick of staying at home!

Well, as someone who worked in an educational setting, I was eligible a bit earlier than some. I could get a vaccine, but I had to go to Boston Medical Center to get it. BMC is located deep in Boston’s South End and is known for serving vulnerable populations, low-income individuals, immigrants, and those without insurance. For many years, there was a massive homeless encampment known as “Mass and Cass” just a block or so from BMC. Hard drugs were openly bought, sold, and used at Mass and Cass.

Tents and makeshift shelters near Mass & Cass (the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard)
Photo by Jim Davis/Boston Globe

Anyway, I got my first Covid vax at BMC and then just wanted to get out of that area ASAP. On the way back to my car, a very thin, desperate-looking woman approached me and asked for money. She said she needed it for food. I gave her a $20. That was all I had. She was extremely grateful. She turned the bill over in her hand, like she couldn’t believe it was an actual twenty.

I’m not sure what motivated that. Pity, yes. Selfish desire to be left alone (just let me get back to my car lady) Kindness? I don’t know. Is it kind to give money to a junkie? What if that $20 enabled her to overdose? A better person might’ve tried to walk her back into the hospital and get her some real help.

Moi

~ MaryG ~ 10 Comments
Daily writing prompt
How would you describe yourself to someone who can’t see you?
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I feel like I already covered this on Sunday, but since it’s a good and inclusive thing to practice (describing yourself for the visually impaired), here goes:

Tall

Brown-haired

Middle-aged

Sun-tanned

White

Woman

Wearing a sleeveless, light blue, loose-fitting dress

Here I am in the same dress with my husband last week. In the picture, I’ve paired the dress with a large, glass, blue lobster claw pendant, which is a story for another day.

Ex-Catholic

~ MaryG ~ 4 Comments
Daily writing prompt
What traditions have you not kept that your parents had?
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I left the Catholic Church. I stopped going to Mass the Sunday after my confirmation, which was the deal I made with my parents.

I’m proud to say I never subjected my children to any Catholic guilt trips or other Catholic bullshit.

Sorry not sorry if this offends anyone, but that church has SO much to answer for. And I’m not talking about the Crusades here. I’m talking about modern times.

Catholic Church Insidiously Control’s Women’s Freedom

Sprawling documentation of child abuse in the Catholic Church

Image from Pexels

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GenX President

~ MaryG ~ 18 Comments

How would you describe yourself to someone?

I walked into a newly-energized gathering of Democratic activists yesterday and a man said, “Mary, I’m so glad you’re here! I’ve been thinking about how much you look like her all week.” Then he called me over to sit near him. He was so excited I was there. It was almost like he transferred his happiness about Kamala onto me for a couple of hours. I was flattered.

The fact is, we don’t look that much alike, but she will most certainly be MY president. (Fingers and toes crossed.) We are both 59. She was born in the fall of 1964 and I was born in the spring of 1965. Like the Obamas, she’s culturally, if not technically, GenX.

I did see a bit of myself in this picture of her from the eighties. It’s not just the slight physical resemblance and the very 80s haircut. It’s the look on her face. We were young women going through the same period of history at exactly the same age. It wasn’t always easy.

Photo of Harris in the 80s (posted by Hillary Clinton last week)
Me in the eighties with my mullet hair

She says she’s 5’ 7.5” in heels. I’m 5’ 8” barefoot. So I guess I’ll wear flats (Chuck Taylors), if I dress up as her for Halloween. At least I know one person who will love my costume.

Vice President Harris in her Chucks

Boy Mom

~ MaryG ~ 17 Comments

If you could bring back one dinosaur, which one would it be?

“Girl Dads” get a lot of coverage in the media lately. Giant men having tea parties and whatnot…

Well, my son is grown now, but I was a pretty darn good Boy Mom for many years. (I was a Girl Mom too, but I don’t think that’s a thing…that’s just a regular mom. Don’t ask me why.)

One thing we Boy Moms know about is dinosaurs. I don’t know why most boys love dinosaurs, but they do.

The largest and best dinosaur was obviously the Tyrannosaurus rex. That’s the one I’d bring back if I could because it would make so many little boys happy and that would be worth the occasional unfortunate incident with someone’s German Shepherd.

They have a full skeleton of a T. Rex in the Life Sciences building at “Cal” (University of California, Berkeley)
My son and my friend’s son (both age 11) with that huge T. Rex head at Cal in 2012. We took a mother-son trip to the Bay Area that year.

Paris

~ MaryG ~ 10 Comments
Daily writing prompt
If you won two free plane tickets, where would you go?
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I’m excited—and nervous—for the Olympics Opening Ceremony today at 1:30pm (EST).

They were very busy getting ready when we were there in December.

They are planning the first ever outdoor ceremony. The 7,000+ athletes are going to parade in on boats floating down the Seine. I can’t even imagine the logistics involved in planning something like that in a city as old and iconic as Paris. From the weather to security, there are so many things that could go wrong. And I’ve just read that there has been a malicious arson attack on several railway lines there. I hope all the performers are still able to get to their spots.

But if they can pull it off, I think it’s going to be next-level!

Godspeed Paris. The world is with you. 🤞🏼🇫🇷 🌎

Paris selfie, December 2023
(I’d use those two free plane tickets to go back in slightly warmer weather.)

The King of Cruel Nicknames

~ MaryG ~ 15 Comments

What’s the story behind your nickname?

I wasn’t going to respond to this prompt, but then thoughtful posts by Singing Gecko and Books by Asher got me thinking.

Growing up in the 70s, kids (mostly boys) were constantly coming up with cruel nicknames for classmates, usually other boys. However, girls were not always spared. A couple of boys decided to call me “Popeye” in 5th or 6th grade because of my large eyes. I was so upset about it. I cried and cried. I think my mother finally intervened and spoke to a teacher (which was not her usual style), after the typical advice given to girls back then did not work: “They’re teasing you because they LIKE you” (worst advice ever!)

These memories made me think of the question Kamala Harris has been posing: What kind of a country do we want to be? It’s actually a great question.

Do we want to go back to the time when casual bullying, based on appearance/race/sexual orientation flowed like water from the tap? (If you grew up in the 70s and 80s, you know what I’m talking about.) Or do we want to live in a country where differences are celebrated and everyone feels included? DEI (short for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) should not be used as a slur. And it makes me sick that it’s being used that way against Harris.

I honestly think the cruelty is the point with Trump and his followers.

Image from Pexels