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.
List 30 things that make you happy.
Today I am grateful for:
A comfortable bed
A good night’s sleep
Hot coffee in the morning
The well-being of my daughter and son
Morning silence (husband at the gym)
Music (singing with friends later today)
Safety (physical)
Security (financial)
Leftovers (Mexican)
The seemingly downward trend of the racist/nationalist/hateful Trump movement in the United States
Recent visits with friends who are happy and planning fun things
The Paris Olympics
My new kitchen window
My husband’s health
My health
Vaccines
Air conditioning
TV
Internet
Books
Raindrops on roses
Whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles
Warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
Cream-colored ponies
Crisp apple strudel
Door bells and sleigh bells
Schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
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.
Related post:
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:
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.
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.
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.
This is definitely happening and I’m thrilled.
A pro-choice, Black, woman prosecutor is going to take down the convicted felon.
All hands on deck 🙌🏼
Which activities make you lose track of time?
I spend far too much time scrolling. My husband calls it “doom scrolling.”
Periodically, I delete different apps (like Facebook) from my phone or computer, so I won’t spend so much time looking at it, but I always end up reinstalling.
With Twitter, I was pissed at Elon Musk, so I deleted my whole account and can’t figure out how to get it back, so I’m logged into my husband’s account and am forbidden to like or post anything while in it.
Why don’t they show us more cat videos? It’s the “algorithm,” right? They have us pegged as furious Democrats, I guess. Doom scrolling just makes me madder.
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.
As previously mentioned, I have been trying to distract myself from America’s fraught political situation by trying cold chicken salad recipes and moving stuff around in my house.
This salad recipe is a winner. And it’s not even from my usual source (NYT Cooking). I randomly found it on the internet. The dressing/marinade is excellent and the combo of vegetables and bacon/blue cheese/chicken is just right.
Six thumbs up from the current residents of my house 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
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