Really tired today. Rough time with kids yesterday. Without giving away FAMILY SECRETS (or I would have to kill anyone who may someday happen to read this), two of my young adult children who live at home got into a nasty argument which quickly spiraled out of control. And as usual, Spongemom (certainly not Teflon-Mom) did her best to absorb as much of the negativity as possible. Frozen pizza, chips, a few strong gin and tonics and a Netflix movie got me through the evening. Then my tummy started punishing me so I took a couple of Zantac and went to bed at 8, took a little nap and woke up with a headache around 9 PM. I found the Excedrin Migraine, took two, and realized that I am running out. My headache went away but I still did not feel like ironing Laura’s clothes for her job interview. The Big Fight was mostly her fault anyway even though Andrea overreacted (big surprise). Anyway, I got back to sleep around 2:30. Got up at 6:30 to iron her blouse and touch up the jacket. Gave her some advice for the interview and money for lunch and gas (she also has an appointment with the guidance counselor at FGCU about her Master’s).
I really thought that I would get to sleep earlier because whenever I come up with a great blog idea, it’s usually right before I fall asleep and the next day I can’t remember anything. All I can remember is thinking “Wow, that’s a great idea. So good that maybe I can try to promote my pathetic little blog.” Even though I was awake for a good hour or so after that, I still can’t remember my idea. I’m gonna have to try to remember to write it down.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
It's The Time of the Season
Woohoo! Hurricane Season! That gets the most publicity, probably because we get a few days warning. But we can get tornadoes, too. I only witnessed one.
We were on the road when we heard the tornado warning. We thought the most logical thing to do was to pull over at Bennigan’s. When we got closer to the entrance, we saw a bunch of people outside taking pictures of something across the street. Turned around and it was a goddamned tornado, tearing the roof off a house. Of course, I had to pull out my cell, too. Everyone then went inside. I wanted to get a look through the window in the heavy wood doors .Before I had a chance, the wind blew hard enough to blow them open. The tornado crossed the street, went around the restaurant and tore through a couple of apartment buildings. The worse thing that happened to me was that Bennigan’s lost power and I had to eat somewhere else (needed a drink but I can’t entirely blame that on the tornado. We drove home first, to check on the cat and since Bruce was driving, I tried to get in touch with my kids. No answer. It wound up that my son was sleeping (wearing ear plugs) and my daughters decided that it was a good time to go to Taco Bell. They could see the tornado traveling overhead as they drove. No wonder I needed the drink.
We were on the road when we heard the tornado warning. We thought the most logical thing to do was to pull over at Bennigan’s. When we got closer to the entrance, we saw a bunch of people outside taking pictures of something across the street. Turned around and it was a goddamned tornado, tearing the roof off a house. Of course, I had to pull out my cell, too. Everyone then went inside. I wanted to get a look through the window in the heavy wood doors .Before I had a chance, the wind blew hard enough to blow them open. The tornado crossed the street, went around the restaurant and tore through a couple of apartment buildings. The worse thing that happened to me was that Bennigan’s lost power and I had to eat somewhere else (needed a drink but I can’t entirely blame that on the tornado. We drove home first, to check on the cat and since Bruce was driving, I tried to get in touch with my kids. No answer. It wound up that my son was sleeping (wearing ear plugs) and my daughters decided that it was a good time to go to Taco Bell. They could see the tornado traveling overhead as they drove. No wonder I needed the drink.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Response to a Roger Ebert Post: Racism
I grew up in a working class neighborhood in Philadelphia. I attended Catholic school. It was all white, no blacks or Hispanics. We were told that if we attended a Protestant Church service we would be “worshipping false gods” and committing a mortal sin. All through grade school, I believed that Protestants were pagans.
As a child, I rarely saw black people. There was an elderly couple around the corner. I never spoke to them nor they to me. They gave me the creeps. I rarely saw black people on TV (This was the late 50’s, early 60’s. The only black person I remember seeing on TV was a clip featuring Cab Calloway. He scared the daylights out of me. We rarely discussed black people at home. I remember hearing my Dad refer to someone smelling “like a nigger” because she wore too much perfume. He then explained that they smell bad. My mother, who liked rock and roll, especially the Platters and Chuck Berry, could not listen to it when my Dad was home. He called it “jungle music”. When I was 12, my best friend’s enemy had gotten a couple of her black friends to shove her. I said (the first and last time in my life) “Nigger”. To my surprise, the girl, who thought my friend said it, punched her hard in the stomach.
When I was 14, I entered a new stage in my life. Unfortunately, my parents, who never went to high school, were not able to cope well with my adolescence. I wound up living in a hospital for emotionally disturbed children. Since I had already started to question my upbringing, I was fascinated with the black children I met there. A girl named Bertha actually taught me what the word “Nigger” meant. After a few months, I was transferred to a group home run by a black woman, Mrs. Star (I think that’s how she spelled it). It was pointed out to me by my white friend, that I actually spoke with the same accent that my foster family used.
At this point, I took the entrance test and was admitted to Philadelphia High School for Girls. I did not make any friends there until my senior year. These friends were white. I did not stay in touch with them. There was a nice black girl in my English class, who at one point, became a Black Muslim. She was still very nice and signed my yearbook when I graduated. That summer, I developed a crush on a black guy, Kevin, but, since I was extremely shy, I never told him.
Years later, I was watching a TV show about Thurgood Marshall with my 6 year old daughter. In the beginning of the movie, they described the difference between the white school and the “colored” one. My little girl and I talked about it and she exclaimed, “But that’s not fair”.
In 2008, my husband and I and my three children voted for Barack Obama. Things aren’t completely fair now, but I hope the gap is narrowing.
As a child, I rarely saw black people. There was an elderly couple around the corner. I never spoke to them nor they to me. They gave me the creeps. I rarely saw black people on TV (This was the late 50’s, early 60’s. The only black person I remember seeing on TV was a clip featuring Cab Calloway. He scared the daylights out of me. We rarely discussed black people at home. I remember hearing my Dad refer to someone smelling “like a nigger” because she wore too much perfume. He then explained that they smell bad. My mother, who liked rock and roll, especially the Platters and Chuck Berry, could not listen to it when my Dad was home. He called it “jungle music”. When I was 12, my best friend’s enemy had gotten a couple of her black friends to shove her. I said (the first and last time in my life) “Nigger”. To my surprise, the girl, who thought my friend said it, punched her hard in the stomach.
When I was 14, I entered a new stage in my life. Unfortunately, my parents, who never went to high school, were not able to cope well with my adolescence. I wound up living in a hospital for emotionally disturbed children. Since I had already started to question my upbringing, I was fascinated with the black children I met there. A girl named Bertha actually taught me what the word “Nigger” meant. After a few months, I was transferred to a group home run by a black woman, Mrs. Star (I think that’s how she spelled it). It was pointed out to me by my white friend, that I actually spoke with the same accent that my foster family used.
At this point, I took the entrance test and was admitted to Philadelphia High School for Girls. I did not make any friends there until my senior year. These friends were white. I did not stay in touch with them. There was a nice black girl in my English class, who at one point, became a Black Muslim. She was still very nice and signed my yearbook when I graduated. That summer, I developed a crush on a black guy, Kevin, but, since I was extremely shy, I never told him.
Years later, I was watching a TV show about Thurgood Marshall with my 6 year old daughter. In the beginning of the movie, they described the difference between the white school and the “colored” one. My little girl and I talked about it and she exclaimed, “But that’s not fair”.
In 2008, my husband and I and my three children voted for Barack Obama. Things aren’t completely fair now, but I hope the gap is narrowing.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Am I Tweeting My Brains to Mush?
This is in response to a post on his blog
“When we go online, we enter an environment that promotes cursory reading, hurried and distracted thinking, and superficial learning.” It seems to me that the very process of writing your article as well as the posting of comments is a contradiction to this statement. Many times, I have picked up on an idea or point of view that seems to temporarily take control of my mind and the only way I can recover is by giving the material a great deal of thought. In addition, some tweets just make me laugh and there is a place for that, too.
As far as reading goes, as a child I really identified with the Burgess Meredith character in The Twilight Zone. My mother often said that if toilet paper had print, I’d read it. It was a bittersweet moment when, after she passed away that I actually found printed toilet paper. To summarize: I was addicted to reading, cereal boxes, comic books and newspapers. In the summer months, every two weeks I would borrow as many books as I could carry. Dickens, Austen, Hardy, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, etc.
My two other vices are movies and music. I will give that some thought another day.
A number of years ago, I realized that reading so much really did not make me a better conversationalist, so I started watching popular TV shows. In an attempt to get closer to my kids, I introduced them to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I watched 24, Lost, Smallville, Ugly Betty, 30 Rock. I rented DVDS to catch up on back episodes. I started feeling empty inside.
A few months ago, I received a Kindle. I downloaded the Blackberry app, and among other books, I have the complete works of Shakespeare (which I read as a teen) as well as the works of Victor Hugo (which I must have missed). I can carry the modern equivalent of the ancient Library of Alexandria in my purse. I have been saved by modern technology.
“When we go online, we enter an environment that promotes cursory reading, hurried and distracted thinking, and superficial learning.” It seems to me that the very process of writing your article as well as the posting of comments is a contradiction to this statement. Many times, I have picked up on an idea or point of view that seems to temporarily take control of my mind and the only way I can recover is by giving the material a great deal of thought. In addition, some tweets just make me laugh and there is a place for that, too.
As far as reading goes, as a child I really identified with the Burgess Meredith character in The Twilight Zone. My mother often said that if toilet paper had print, I’d read it. It was a bittersweet moment when, after she passed away that I actually found printed toilet paper. To summarize: I was addicted to reading, cereal boxes, comic books and newspapers. In the summer months, every two weeks I would borrow as many books as I could carry. Dickens, Austen, Hardy, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, etc.
My two other vices are movies and music. I will give that some thought another day.
A number of years ago, I realized that reading so much really did not make me a better conversationalist, so I started watching popular TV shows. In an attempt to get closer to my kids, I introduced them to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I watched 24, Lost, Smallville, Ugly Betty, 30 Rock. I rented DVDS to catch up on back episodes. I started feeling empty inside.
A few months ago, I received a Kindle. I downloaded the Blackberry app, and among other books, I have the complete works of Shakespeare (which I read as a teen) as well as the works of Victor Hugo (which I must have missed). I can carry the modern equivalent of the ancient Library of Alexandria in my purse. I have been saved by modern technology.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Appeal of SATC 2
I went to a Sex and the City event last night. They served cosmos, champagne and a variety of appetizers. Most women wore nice dresses and many their most uncomfortable yet chic shoes. At one point, the announcement was made that the movie was starting shortly. Which I ignored. I was never a big fan of SATC. I understand the appeal. But I kept asking myself, how much money do these women make? One of the few episodes that I liked showed a young mother’s shock when Carrie told her how much her shoes cost. Another thing about her shoes, the heels were like 5 inches high, how could she run in those things, let alone just wear them all day.
I think that the women who liked the show enjoyed the camaraderie of the women. That they could depend on their friends more so than their boyfriends/husbands. And there is nothing more fun than a night out with your girlfriends. Even if you purchase your shoes at Ross Dress For Less and your clothes at a consignment shop. These are the people who need to have a little more fun in their lives.
I think that the women who liked the show enjoyed the camaraderie of the women. That they could depend on their friends more so than their boyfriends/husbands. And there is nothing more fun than a night out with your girlfriends. Even if you purchase your shoes at Ross Dress For Less and your clothes at a consignment shop. These are the people who need to have a little more fun in their lives.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Family Fun
I went to Epcot at Disney on Saturday. So damn hot that the heat was bouncing off the concrete and hitting me in the face. Putting on make-up that morning was a complete waste of time. Anyway, managed to get away from my husband and kids and bought an over-priced frozen Strawberry Margherita (4:30 in the afternoon, I do have standards). It was awesome! Kept me cool for a half an hour and the buzz almost made me forget that I had kids wandering around the park somewhere.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
End of Ethnic Studies ?
At one time, people could learn about European, African and Indian culture through the enjoyment of reading. I always had books around the house, read to my children and they would often see me reading. I had hopes of encouraging my children to read. Their school started a program called “Accelerated Reading” or AR. They were encouraged to read by getting rewards. As a result, they started to look at reading as a task or a chore for which they got paid, not as an enjoyable hobby that has its own rewards Then we got a computer. Since then the only books they have read are the Harry Potter books. By the time I was their age I read Dickens, Austen, Hardy, Shakespeare, Flaubert, Arthur C. Clarke, Asimov, and many more that I just can’t remember right now. I thought of reading as a treat, a doorway into a world in which anything could happen and I never knew what to expect. Now my kids get that experience by playing video games.
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