I can’t help but join in the excitement on WordPress about the outcome of the Veepstakes.
High school teacher, football coach and gay-straight alliance advisor, 24-year member of the National Guard…I mean, c’mon, GREAT choice Kamala.
And he’ll cuddle a pig, happily.
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
Related posts:
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.
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.
…is rice pudding. Baked with cinnamon on top, warm out of the oven, with just a bit of milk poured over the top to cool it off. It’s the single best thing to do with leftover rice. It’s also good cold for breakfast the next day. (It’s typically gone by 11am.)
Here is my Nana’s recipe. I believe she got it from her mother—my great grandmother Lottie (the German one).
Related:
What’s your favorite game (card, board, video, etc.)? Why?
Wordle 1,126 5/6
⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜
⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩
⬜⬜🟨🟩🟩
🟨🟩⬜🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
I also like Bananagrams, which is sort of like speed Scrabble. And it comes in a fun, portable pouch shaped like a banana. 🍌
I guess I like the challenge of trying to remember words and how you spell them—part fun, part aging-brain exercise. I did not love Scrabble as a kid—too much like homework.
As a young kid, nothing beat Candy Land. Chutes and Ladders was good too. As I got older, I loved playing Clue with my friends.
Isn’t it funny that a game about gruesome murders was so popular and widely accepted by virtually all families? Miss Scarlet killed somebody in the library with a f****** wrench?? 🔧 🩸
I did a bunch of GenX things last weekend:
1) Went to see a cover band. The band was called Tusk and they are a Fleetwood Mac Tribute band. They were really great musicians and played all the songs really well. It was a beautiful, warm night. I danced and had fun. Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album came out in 1977 and it was my junior high jam. I loved that album so much. I did my majorettes try-out to “Second Hand News.” Hearing it all again, 47 years later, I have to admit, it’s yacht rock.
2) Went to see Fly Me To The Moon in a movie theater. All the movies out this summer seem like they’re for twenty-somethings. This one looked like it was geared for my age group and it was. If you ever drank Tang or Tab, this movie is for you. I thought it was very entertaining. ScarJo’s luminous beauty, the US space program of the 1960s, and a couple of very solid jabs at the Nixon administration were highlights for me. On the downside, the portrayal of the creative, gay movie director seemed like an over-the-top caricature, complete with ascots and limp wrists. Also, the whole plot seemed to feed into the whacko, conspiracy-theory, alt-reality culture we’re now living in.
When we came out of the movie, I had texts from both of my kids telling me Trump had almost been iced. A quick social media search revealed that Trump had stood up after the shooting and dramatically urged the crowd to “fight” and Republicans were blaming Democrats for the entire thing. Conspiracy theories were already in full bloom.
3) On Sunday night, with a growing sense of despair about the inevitability of the United States’ descent into right-wing madness, I happened to watch a Netflix comedy special and it was SO FUNNY. I laughed and laughed. Leanne Morgan was the only female comedian who appeared in the lineup of Netflix specials, so I took a chance on her and I’m so glad I did. She’s exactly my age (born in 1965) and I just loved her references to the 80s and all things wife/mother/grandmother-related. She avoids politics entirely. This bit about Dexatrim being speed had me in tears.
I’m obviously SUPER EXCITED to become a grandma this fall!
I did not make this cake, but it was a big hit. It’s a Whole Foods quarter sheet Strawberry Shortcake. It also comes in smaller (round) sizes. If you need a cake for a party this summer, I highly recommend this one. It’s really good.
Related:
What are you most worried about for the future?
I’m most worried about a second Trump term, which seems quite likely following last week’s debate in which Joe Biden’s advanced age and cognitive decline were on full display.
It is my hope that Biden comes to accept this and allows the Democratic Party to nominate someone younger—who can more vigorously rebut all of the convicted felon’s lies—in the coming weeks.
I believe that a second Trump term would mean the end of the United States as we’ve known it. Women’s rights, the Supreme Court, democracy, and the climate are my main concerns. I think I’ve actually given up on the United States ever controlling its gun violence problem.
On a much lighter note, I wore the pink side of my reversible skirt on Saturday. We had a joyous family celebration of my son’s college graduation and my granddaughter on the way. I cannot wait to meet her! 💗
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