Tribute to Philip Seymour Hoffman

Ok. I admit it. I heart Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Don't you think this man is the greatest character actor of his (and perhaps any) generation? Most recently, I saw PSH in "Charlie Wilson's War", and very soon I hope to see him in "Doubt".



He stole every scene in "Charlie Wilson's War"...which is saying something since he was most often sharing the screen with actors like Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.

If you look at his resume, you will see his range - from slimey prep school kid in "Scent of a Woman" to crazy storm chaser in "Twister" to singing teacher/drag queen/neighbor in "Flawless" to the porn star-wanna be in "Boogie Nights" to tight-ass medical student in "Patch" to a haunting portrayal of the title character in "Capote".


But more importantly - he comes from my hometown (well one of the other suburbs of my home city), born just 6 short months after me. We could have shared a nursery school!


What I love most about PSH is he is the latest to prove the rare truth that there IS room for non-hunks in Hollywood.




And also, with enough talent and humor, you can even beat out the hunks and win the girls (and little gold men).






Eat your heart out Patrick Dempsey, you little hunk. This guy runs circles around you.

Top Ten List

The Top TEN benefits of staying late at work.

1. Total quiet
   Except for the little reassuring hum of the few machines and systems that run all night
2. No phone ringing.
   Halle-freakin-lulah
3. No email buzzing.
   Glory Be to the Goddess
4. No IM popping
   Can it be I'm really alone??
5. Time to GET SHIT DONE!
   When you are of the "meeting crowd" like I am - honestly, there are rarely meetings held that I'm NOT invited to - the day fills too quickly
6. Guilt-free internet browsing
   Did you know West Side Story opens on Broadway on Feb 23? Gotta go!
7. Guilt-free blogging
   Like, Right Now Dude.
8. Did I mention quiet?
   You don't even realize how much you are bombarded with noise until it is suddenly gone.
9. Vending machine food
   And the ability to justify eating it because it's late and the only source of food.
10. No (less?) traffic for the ride home.
    If only they didn't close the bridge to one lane for overnight construction...sigh.

Winter Light & Shadows

Recent news reports have been pointing out we all need sunlight to get the vitamins we need...at least 20 minutes a day without sunscreen they say. At this time of year as we approach the Winter Solstice, it is always on my mind that there is so little daylight to capture.

So...I captured a little on my own this week. And I even tried out some of my PhotoShop techniques to get a little extra pizzazz.

Pretty cool, eh?

Sadness

Sadness is...

...the last of Mom's Mincemeat Pie....sigh

The Struggle, Part 3

The Struggle, Part 1
The Struggle, Part 2

There was an interesting feature in NPR's TakeAway program this week about underemployment. The term I learned about that was my takeaway was "the slash". This is referring to the fact that more people than ever before are working several part-time jobs...you know, you meet them and ask, "And what do you do?" and the answer is, "I'm an actor/waiter/store clerk....or lawyer/teacher/athlete, or writer/consultant/dogwalker, etc.

There is a theory that there are a lot of benefits and opportunities to this style of making a living. (a) If one part-time job falls through you can usually use other part-time jobs to fill in. (b) It keeps life interesting and varied. (c) You make a wider range of contacts and networks. (d) It suits the shorter attention span of today's lifestyles.

It sounds like an awful lot of hustle to me.

I mean I can't imagine changing gears from one job to another and making it all come together. And how do you make sure every month that you have enough to pay all the bills? And how do you get health insurance if you're only a part-time employee anywhere? Am I old-fashioned?

Is this a potential life makeover pathway for me? Will I remain a Marketing Executive? or should I be a marketing executive/something/something? And if so - what the hell are the somethings?

Where is my damn bliss?

[stay-tuned...unless your bored...then piss off]

The Struggle, Part 2

The Struggle, Part 1

I think I'm struggling most with the fact that I'm so totally busy, but not all that interested in it all. There's a certain element of automatic pilot in many of my days. They aren't restful, they are in fact usually hectic and stressful, but they aren't really, well, interesting. Then when I do have downtime...I find myself limited in what I'm willing to do. I'd rather lay around and watch a movie or read a book than take on a project or get out and do anything.

The economy doesn't help. Feeling that it is most prudent for us (maybe not the economy at large, but our little financial world) to restrict our spending makes that a convenient excuse to stay at home under the covers rather than go out and do something. Half the time when I do decide to do something, it involves a book store, a library, a movie theater...all the stuff I'm already doing at home.

If I were to make a list of what I'm willing to change and what I'm not...I'd stay pretty much how I am...but that is pure laziness.

NOT Willing to Change
Husband (ever)
House (not in this economy)
Job (unless forced)

Willing to Consider Change
Hobby (need one besides the static "on my butt at home" type)
Exercise (well...I did enjoy yoga for a short period in 2004?)
Diet (grumble grumble grumble...)
Aspiration (GET ONE! this is what I really need to focus on)

When the phrase first came into fashion - Follow Your Bliss - I was like - WHAT? What the hell is "my bliss"? If I had all the resources and freedom in the world, what would I do with myself?

Do all of you know? If you won the lottery and it all worked out well (no IRS or poor relative lawsuits, your health is still intact, your marriage is still going strong) what would your life be like? My imagination fails me right there. I'm a total blank. I don't know if it's because I'm a realist or because I'm just so out of touch with my own deepest desires (or sadly, don't have any) that I can't answer the question.

[Stay tuned...but don't expect a smart and witty resolution...
this is stream of consciousness stuff people]

The Struggle, Part 1

I'm really struggling to come up with what to say this week. Must be the post Thanksgiving mind numbing from too much turkey, too many carbs, and too much pie.

Primarily, over the last few days, I've been wondering where the hell I'm going with this blog.

I continue to suffer from feelings of inadequacy when I read the blogs of others. Ian and his inexhaustible columns on interesting topics, Chick and her heartfelt and entertaining everyday family life, Stephanie (no link cuz she password protects) and her spellbinding Law & Order in the custody courts tales, Amybow and A's Mom with their young mother trials and joys. Mrs. G. and her 100+ comment-worthy photojournalism posts. Hubby and his photos and paintings and artist's ruminations. Jenn and her totally FUNCTIONAL family that is so endearing despite all their cheerfulness and normalness (you'd think you would hate them, but you don't).

I know. I know. Before you even say it. Everyone feels that way. Everyone is always more critical of their own "talent" than they are of others.

Maybe it isn't really the blog. Maybe I need a life makeover.

[Stay tuned...the Struggle will likely be a multi-part series...]

The Countdown to (Not So) Terrible Twos

He's almost 2...and cute as hell.

A Day at the Park

Little Man A is Here!

Oh, Yeah, A's Mom is here too....

And Mama Lou (a.k.a. Nana) too...

And lest you think I was always behind the camera...

Good day. And we haven't even gotten to the Turkey Dinner yet.

All the Cool Kids Are Doing It

So, I now have a Facebook Page. After being dragged into Linked-In, another friend also mentioned how great Facebook was for reconnecting with others. It has scared me a little that some of you have found me there...even though my full name does not appear here and it does in the FB and Linked In world...but since the people who have found me so far are some of my coolest fellow bloggers, no panic yet.

As for Facebook and Linked-In, I have a hard enough time working up stuff for my blog and keeping up with reading and commenting on others. Now I have these new demands on my time. Facebook literally demands that I tell it what I'm doing. Seriously? Does anyone care what I am doing at any given moment of the day? And since I'm not one of the Cool Kids and don't understand how to access from phones and other remote locations, I am literally doing only one thing when I enter my Facebook profile - I'm checking my facebook profile. That's it. Nothing more exciting than that. Now Linked-In asks me "what are you working on." Like that is another stimulating thing to talk about. Again, if I'm on the site, I'm working on updating or checking my Linked-In site. Sigh.

Thank God no one has dragged me into Twitter yet. Although Boss Lady claims we need to start considering it as part of a web 2.0 strategy for communications. Ugh. We can't even keep current news and all staff messages flowing, how the hell are we going to manage web 2.0?

I feel like that character in the Godfather, "Just when I think I'm out, they pull me back in." Every time I consider just abandoning or deleting that Facebook or Linked-In page, I get another pop-up email, "So and so has just written on your wall." "So and so wants to be your friend." "So and so has just viewed your profile."

Truly, I just want to be left alone. Maybe I'll give up the internet for my New Year's resolution this year. I'll move my blog off-line and publish all at once at the end of the year...no comments or feedback, but no slave to the e-world either. Hmmmmm.

I read an article today that said that the only significant difference in the lives of happy people and unhappy people is that unhappy people watch more television. They don't know cause and effect yet, but there is a relationship there. No such mention was made of the internet, but I also read that the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders will include "Internet Addiction", "Compulsive Buying Disorder", and "Apathy Disorder." Hmmmm.

Since I'm always on a quest to solve issues of anxiety and stress in my life, it's an interesting thing to think about. I created this blog as a creative outlet. I named it Anxious Moments to demonstrate my desire to either find humor in my anxieties, or to account for the blessings and interesting things in my life that counter them, or even more to enjoy a few moments that are purely mine to write what I want to write, not what my company wants me to write. So, is it making me happier, or not? Is it creating another burden in my life that could be spent on other things....

...oh who am I kidding. If I gave up this blog, I'd probably just use the time to watch more TV.

But Facebook and Linked-In? They are in serious jeapardy in my 2009 schedule.

My Hubby Always Puts It Right

H: "This movie came out like 10 years ago."
W: "Did it? Hard to believe it went that fast."
H: "I remember because I saw it when we were in Hawaii."
W: "How do you remember shit like that - where you were when you saw a movie."
H: "How do you NOT remember shit like that? We are the only couple from Suffern with a blockbuster membership in Kauai!"

Pause.

W: "How lame are we that we were on vacation in one of the most beautiful places on earth and we sought out this stupid movie and a blockbuster membership."
H: "We had plenty of Hawaii adventures W, and I'm too old to start having to justify doing what I like to do."
W: "Cool."

------

W: "I think it's funny that some people don't realize I'm neurotic, and getting nuttier every day."
H: "I don't think you are getting nuttier - and you and I are both neurotic."
W: "Yes, but while I feel like you are getting more confident and easygoing, I'm getting less so."
H: "Hmmm. Well, we're aiming for the right balance at all times."

------

W: (in the midst of bake-a-thon Thanksgiving 2008) "Almost done here babe."
H: "You're like the domestic goddess this weekend."
W: "Yeah well, I figure once a year I can summon up the interest."
H: (laughing) "Well don't overdo it, I wouldn't know what to do."

The Weekend Before Thanksgiving

After a couple of weekends of much needed couch potatoing, this was the prep weekend. Hubby was up and out of the house at 6:30AM Saturday for his lodge meeting and I decided to just get up and move along with him. The Saturday activities were a study in ADHD housekeeping. Each task led me to another...a lot got done, but in a strange order.



Sunday? Well Sunday was all about the kitchen.


Step 1. Some stirring broadway music on the CD Player.




Step 2. Sort out the old recipe box.




Hint: In my (I mean Hubby's) kitchen, the recipes with the most wear and the smeared writing are always the best.






Step 3. Gather ingredients. (Yes that is a purple wall in my kitchen - I LOVE IT)







You can tell it's Thanksgiving when you see these ingredients in the pantry.

Step 4. Mix, simmer, bake your ass off.

For some of my favorite holiday recipes...see last year's post.

Romantic Response

Mrs. G recently wrote about Romance and asked her readers to tell her what was the most romantic thing anyone ever said to them.

My Hubby has said a lot of romantic things to me. Like Mr. G is credited with in Mrs. G's post, he often says things like "You look hot" at the most unbelievable times - when I haven't showered in 48 hours, when I'm in sweat pants and a torn shirt, when my hair is sticking out in different directions - and not in a cute funky way...in a bad funky way.

But I distinctly remember one particular moment when I was blown away by what he said...I wonder if he remembers the moment as well as I do.

It was January 16, 1991. Seriously. I remember the date. You see it was the day before George H. Bush's Gulf War began. We were at a restaurant not far from our apartment in Wappingers Falls NY. We were with friends. I don't have any idea what prompted it, but at one moment I noticed Hubby looking at me and then he spoke.

"You take my breath away."

My friend Christina let out an audible sigh and "awwwww". I honestly think she seriously considered punching her boyfriend and asking him why he never said things like that to her.

I'm pretty sure I blushed. I'm pretty sure I was speechless. I'm definitely sure that for one brief moment, I believed that I could take someone's breath away. But more importantly, from that moment forward,I've known without a doubt that I met and married the perfect man for me. Despite all my craziness, my bitchiness, my bad funky hair and ugly sweat pants, he meant every word. For him, I was the one that could took his breath away.

So, Mrs. G., that is the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me. Not bad, eh?

Former Campfire Girl Reveals All

That's a much more sensational title than the content you'll find here. I have no stories of horrors or scandals, not even a good campfire ghost story, all I have are a few memories that have been brought out by reading Chelle and Stephanie's blogs and their recent camping experiences.

Here are a few of my camping highlights:

1. Making a "Sit-Upon". In the olden days, we didn't have those collapsible mesh/nylon chairs that are easy to carry in a slingback...so we made our own devices for sitting around a campfire on cold hard or damp dirt. We canvassed our local carpet stores and asked for discontinued carpet samples a couple of those wrapped in a clear plastic sheet and connected with (what else, the wonder device..) duct tape and you have an official Campfire Girl "Sit-Upon" and if you're lucky...a patch for your uniform.
   
2. Hobo Pie Makers. Sometime after my campfire girl adventures, my family began their own camping experience. It began with my Uncle Ron and Aunt Marge and their family, and we tagged along. One of the highlights (besides sharing a tent with my crazy cousin Suzie) was making hobo pies on the campfire. The pie-maker was a hinged iron square with a long handle that you could load up with bread slathered in tomatoe, cheese and pepperoni (hobo pizza), or filled with apple pie filling (hobo apple pie, obviously), or some other concoction. They beat s'mores any day.
   
3. Permanent Site. After sharing tent space with my cousin, and renting a trailer her or there, my parents invested in their own trailer. Strangely enough, while you think of a trailer as a mobile vacation home...so you can go to many places...we found ourselves parked at a "permanent site" at a local campground not long after we purchased our own trailer. We got a nice little spot, right on the stream, under some shade trees, with some nice wooded privacy, and only steps away from my Aunt and Uncle who had taken their own site.
   
4. Summer Fun. While parked at this site, I discovered the joys of house on wheels air conditioning (putting your folding lawn chair in the stream and sitting in it), mosquito repellant (watching the bats fly en masse in an eating frenzy), girl-fishing (squeamish about worms? no sweat, roll cheese into a ball, stick it on a hook, toss in water, CATCH FISH!), and imaginative entertainment (radio mystery shows at night, stories around the campfire, walks in the woods, hourly visits to the camp store to eat old fashioned candy, bike rides through corn fields, and - unique to our campground - leaping and playing on a trampoline that was suspended over a pit to make it even to ground level and covered by a shelter).
   
5. First Love? I also met my first boyfriend while camping. Ah, sweet love in the summertime. He had the same first name as my husband (but there the resemblance ends) and hung out with the "cool kids" on the back porch of the main building. His nickname was "Feet" because his feet were so large. Now don't go there - I was only 13 for god's sake. He was also 6'5" and a star basketball player. We only "went out" for a few weeks - I was too young, we lived too far apart when we weren't at the campground, but he was a nice boy and it's nice to remember those first blushing moments of love. Learning to kiss in the shadows. Flirting on the basketball court. Sitting in a group and feeling for the first time the security of a partner's arm across your shoulder.
   
6. Sailing in Your Motor Home. Our next trailer was more mobile...it was a motor home and we took it on a couple of trips from NY to FL. On one trip - that Chelle joined us on - we drove from NY to FL and I think she and I slept 90% of the time in the full beds in the back, while my folks drove. We were laying there at one point when I heard my Mom let out an exclamation and I realized that the awning attached to the side of the motor home had come loose from its clamps and had launched into the air like a sail ... an interesting effect when you are traveling at high speeds on I-95.
   
7. Young Life. Sometime in high school, Young Life became a part of my world. I can't even tell you exactly what it was...except it was a thing my friends and I joined to meet other people. There was a lot of singing, some camping, and then there was prayer. But I either tuned out or took off when the praying started...Not. My. Thing. My greatest memory from Young Life? Some cute guys...some cuter counsellors...and camping with my friends.
   
8. A Cabin in the Woods. Shortly before I graduated from high school, my folks decided to make camp more permanent - and bought a sweet little one bedroom with loft cabin. It was adorable - with a screened in porch with a swing, a tiny little kitchen, a comfortable living room with pot-belly stove, and twin beds in an open loft up above. The only drawback of no running water...yes...that's right...we had an outhouse!! Like most 2nd homes though - it eventually became a chore to manage and most weekends were spent caring for the property rather than enjoying a getaway.
   
9. Train Tracks and Tents. When Hubby and I were in our 20's we were asked by some friends to join them in a camping weekend. It has been about 10 years since I had shared a tent with other campfire girls or my cousin, but what the hell... Unfortunately we picked a holiday weekend to make it happen and had no reservations...we drove by/through 3 campgrounds before we found one with an opening. By now it was well past sundown and we had to pick our site and assemble our tents in the dark with only some lanterns and car headlights to help us out. We woke up the next morning and our friends were dumbfounded we had slept through the night. It seems in selecting our site in the dark, we had failed to notice the train tracks that went right past the edge of the site and a freight train going through in the middle of the night had scared them to death and shaken the tents like an earthquake. Hubby and I heard nothing.
   
10. Moving Up to Motels. Hubby and I moved on (up?) to motels and enjoyed some weekends in the Thousand Islands. On one particular weekend we were enjoying the king size bed and view from our hotel room on the water (you know...enjoying...) when we were startled by a loud ship's horn. The DOUBLE-DECKER tourist boat was docking outside our window. Um... I hope they enjoyed the view IN our window as much as we had been enjoying the view OUT.

I doubt if I will ever be a camper again, but I don't think I would trade those memories for anything.

HTML Envy

I hate my blog.

Well...to clarify...I hate the look of my blog.

I've been trying to work with the sad sad templates blogger provides, but I'm not feeling it.

I'm going to be stalking the blogosphere to steal HTML code from sites I like.

Watch out fellow bloggers, I'm coming for you.

Things You Don't Expect (Want) to Hear at Work

Worker Bee #1 during Ethics Meeting today: "What is this meeting about?"

Worker Bee #2: "Ethics and stuff"

Worker Bee #1: "Ooohh....we must have done something bad if they're training us on this."

----

Me: (helping co-worker roll up large display banners) "Tighter! Weren't you a girl scout or campfire girl or something? Don't you know how to roll up your sleeping bag really small?"

Her: "I WAS a Girl Scout, but when they got to the part where they said - sleep outside and camping - I said NUH UH...that ain't me. Where do I join the scouts with the Holiday Inns?"

----

Boss Lady: "blah blah blah, work work, blah blah....JUDY! What is that you just ate?...

Judy: "A raisinette, why?"

Boss Lady: "Are you sure it was a raisinette or was it a dropping??!?!?!?"

Judy: "I know a raisinette when I see one."

Boss Lady: {laughing uncontrollably} "Ooookaaaay"

----

Amybow: "Judy?"

Judy: "hmmm??"

Amybow: "Judy what is that on the seat of your pants? A lifesaver?"

Judy: (twisting around awkwardly) "Um...I don't know...well I'll be damned...it IS a lifesaver...how did THAT get there."

Me (to myself): "Please please don't let her eat it."

----


Lord Love A Duck.

Couch Potato

This is me this weekend. A couch. A blanket. A book. And don't forget the remote control and the dvr. It was glorious. I highly recommend one of these at least every 60-90 days.

Lest you think I am a total slug, I did wander outside a couple of times. I did do five loads of laundry. I did cook my husband dinner on Saturday and also offered to on Sunday, but he wasn't hungry. And I did make my bed, shower, and dress both days.

As for anything else more strenuous - not in my plan.

Beautiful.

post-script:
When I was searching in Google images for a couch potato picture, I was amused to find hundreds of photos of overweight and slovenly men sprawled on couches and lounge chairs, usually with a snack balancing on their belly and a beer in their hand. But not a woman in sight.

When I added "female" or "woman" to the search what I seemed to find were the anti-couch potato photos. You know - women jogging, on treadmills, doing marathons, doing sit-ups...etc.

Initially I was bent. I mean, come on, equal opportunity - women can be couch potatoes too! But then I realized, there is a correlation here that women may BE couch potatoes on occasion, but they are smarter than men and are never caught on camera in such a position.

How did I finally find a woman on couch photo, you ask? Well, I added the word "shopping" and voila! results. Apparently, women can shop in preparation of being a couch potato, but then when caught on camera using their cute and fuzzy new lounging blanket, their hair will be coiffed, the room will be clean, the couch will be plumped, and they will be reading War and Peace.

Cha-Ching

We have two cars with 130,000 miles on them. One we really feel we need to retire, the other, we (and our mechanic) feel has life left in it yet. But of course!! just as Hubby and I have been slowly putting money away for our new car purchase, the car we were GOING TO KEEP crapped out.

Last weekend, out of nowhere, a bunch of lights on the dash began to blink in distress. Long and short is: $2700 transmission repair needed. But if we get it done, the car should last another 80-100k miles. After $2700....it had better!

ugh. ugh. ugh.

We were just starting to see the light at end of the tunnel with upcoming holiday bonus time, tax refund time, and our credit cards all back to a zero balance. And - hello! - Christmas shopping time is upon us.

Donations can be made out to WENDERINA'S SUCKY TRANSMISSION SUCKY TIMING SUCKY WORLD CHARITY and sent to P.O. Box 7825 (a.k.a. S.U.C.K.) in Sucktown U.S.A.

Art at the Met

As I mentioned, I recently had the opportunity to spend some time in Manhattan. Even though I live only a 45 minute (express!) train ride from Manhattan, I rarely take the time to take advantage of this. So when friends and family visit, it is often tops on their list to see some of the NYC sites.

After spending about 15 hours in Manhattan with Chelle on a Friday, I realized she was eager to return for a 2nd day. I was dubious my aching feet and legs were up for it - but I couldn't complain as she was sporting a huge blister on the bottom of her foot and she was game. So in we went - with the specific purpose of hitting the Met.

As a designer by trade, Chelle is of course drawn to museums. I, in contrast, have no artistic capability, but I admire art is most forms like a hungry man eyes a juicy hamburger. I wish so much to be a part of that world at times, but if you don't have natural talent you must have an incredible drive and discipline to learn and maximize any talent you do possess - and neither seem to work for me...at least not right now. Hubby has an amazing talent and I have no doubt some day we will enjoy retirement that includes partial ownership in an artist co-op or the like where he can paint and photograph all day and kibbitz with fellow artisans all night. That's my idea of heaven, to just being amongst all of that talent.

Of course if you've been to the Met you know you can spend a week there and not absorb the entire place. So we focused on a few key exhibits - my favorite is always the painting galleries, but there was a special exhibit that we went to first that truly caught my imagination and was totally worth the train ticket, the blister aggravation, and the walk in the wind and rain.

Rhythms of Modern Life: British Prints

"Rhythms of Modern Life is the first major exhibition in the United States to examine the impact of Futurism and Cubism on British modernist printmaking from the beginning of World War I to the beginning of World War II...The exhibition features prime examples of graphic work that celebrate the vitality and dynamism of modern life..."

Here are some of my favorites:

If you have the opportunity to see the exhibit in person I highly recommend it! And if you don't, find your own local art connection. No one should go too long without a visit to a gallery or museum. It is healing to the soul and inspiring to the imagination.

Grace in Defeat and in Victory

I know everyone and anyone is talking about this today...and I hate to be repetitive...but here goes.

I have to say that I was surprised at how quickly everything played out last night. The first news reports were all about the states that were "too close to call"....of course they didn't play up the fact that they were too close to call because the polls had been closed all of two minutes.

Watching all of it unfold, I was both mesmerized and annoyed. Mesmerized by the movement, the power, the grass roots, and the enthusiasm of the people - the everyday people - who were voting and then celebrating as if we were a brand new democracy. Annoyed by listening to the media coverage that just could not capture the essence of this event and instead kept interrupting and detracting from it.

Regardless however, the evening completed on a high note. Watching Senator McCain speak so gracefully and graciously in defeat, and his call for unity and support despite our differences to solve the critical issues we face as a nation, I was reminded of what a great man he is. The fact that he subverted that with his pursuit of power was in fact, his undoing. Compromising his values, his independence, and allowing his campaign to use scare tactics to try and capture this election was unworthy of the great patriot and public servant he has always been. This country was founded on the great debate. If we think that all of the men who formed our union did so with gracious smiles and unanimous decisions we are deluding ourselves. There was tremendous debate, significant arm-twisting and powerplays, and no small amount of railroading. But in the end, what they created is still ONE of the greatest governments and nations in the world.

Following Senator McCain's speech was our next president, Barack Obama. I love typing that. President Barack Obama. His speech was incredible, as always. He continues to inspire me every time. But it was not overly celebretory; there was no rubbing it in, it was all about inclusiveness and a shared vision and purpose. He recognized that many people did not vote for him, but he promised to still listen to them and to represent their interests to the best of his ability.

It has been said that a person running for president is consumed with the ideas of what they can accomplish, but once elected, is equally as consumed by what cannot be achieved.

I hope that President-elect Obama finds that his ability to inspire overcomes this. And while he inherits a broken and suffering nation, if he can mobilize and lead the people, rather than belittle and exclude them, he has the power to achieve and accomplish great things.

I have long been a fan of that idealistic White House created in the West Wing. In fact, I may just dig up my old vhs tapes and watch a few of my favorite episodes, and just hope that some semblance of that fiction is part of the Obama administration reality.

And in keeping with the West Wing and its ongoing theme of patriotism, service, and leadership, I hope and believe that President-elect Obama will create an environment where people seriously stop and say, "I serve at the pleasure of the president."

Today. Now. DO IT!!!!

You did it already?

I'm proud to know you.

A New Citizen Speaks

This is well worth the 8:45,but if you are impatient, at least watch the last minute.

Does This Count As Equal Time?

No? Damn. I knew I should have gone for the Tina Fey Sarah Palin impression.

I Interrupt the VOTE VOTE VOTE Theme...

...to bring you this important message.

Our friend Cathy got married. Last night. On All Hallow's Eve. And it was simply lovely. She was simply stunning. Their happiness was palpable.

At 42, she is walking down the aisle for the first time, taking the plunge, believing in the fairy tale.

We were so happy to be there to witness it!

We even texted and sent photos to friends who couldn't be there as the bride watched!

And she repaid us with a rousing rendition of our college theme song - Meatloaf's Paradise by the Dashboard Lights. A cautionary tale for marriage to be sure, but sung at the top of our lungs all in fun.

"I've got to know right now! Do you love me? Will you love me forever? Do you need me? Will you never leave me? Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life, will you take me away, will you make me your wife? I gotta know right now! Before we go any further, do you love me? Will you love me forever??"

It is with humble appreciation that I watch this woman - fully-formed, independent, and successful, join her life to another fully-formed, independent, and proud soul, knowing that they must learn to share, to compromise, to serve one another first before themselves, and to grow together. I can't imagine the amount of change they will need the fortitude to commit to, but I'm sure Cathy has the willpower and the smarts, and most importantly the heart, to do it.

Best wishes Cathy and Mike on your new life together.

And just in case the willpower to cooperate and compromise breaks down, we all chipped in to get you a fine wine membership - two great bottles each month for the first year - which will help to grease the gears. Take it from three old married couples (one couple not pictured as they were home trick or treating!) it could help...and couldn't hurt.

We love you.

My Vote for Hope

Vote for your Hope.