Dust In The Wind

I’m feeling a bit melancholy today. Not so much in the gloomy, sad sense of the word, but more in a soberly thoughtful sort of way. The following song might help reflect some of what I’m thinking and how I feel. I think it’s absolutely beautiful and I hope you enjoy it too.

Dust In The Wind — Kansas

Success

To Have Succeeded
Ralph Waldo Emerson

To laugh often and love much
To win the respect of intelligent people
And the affection of children
To earn the approbation of honest critics
And endure the betrayal of false friends
To appreciate beauty
To find the best in others
To give of one’s self
To leave the world a little better
Whether by a healthy child
A garden patch
Or a redeemed social condition
To have played and laughed with enthusiasm
And sung with exultation
To know even one life has breathed easier
Because you have lived:
This is to have succeeded.

Holiday Greetings

With the holiday season upon us, I thought I’d start by posting this warm greeting here. So, from my home/heart/blog to yours:

Now don’t say I never gave you anything.

Happy Holidays!

Giving Thanks

My friend, Bonnie, sent this to me in email and I thought it would make a nice Thanksgiving Day blog entry:

An old man approached the White House from across Pennsylvania Ave. where he’d been sitting on a park bench. He spoke to the US Marine standing guard and said, “I would like to go in and meet with President Bush.”

The Marine looked at the man and said, “Sir, Mr. Bush is no longer President and no longer resides here.”

The old man said, “Okay”, and walked away.

The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to the same Marine, “I would like to go in and meet with President Bush.”

The Marine again told the man, “Sir, as I said yesterday, Mr. Bush is no longer President and no longer resides here.”

The man thanked him and walked away.

The third day, the same man approached the White House . The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, “Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Mr. Bush. I’ve told you already that Mr. Bush is no longer the President and no longer resides here. Don’t you understand?”

The old man looked at the Marine and said, “Oh, I understand, I just love hearing it.”

The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and said, “See you tomorrow, Sir.”

The turkey is out of the White House. Now that’s something to be thankful for!

Happy gobbling!

Florida Gay Adoption Ban

California could certainly take a lesson from Florida:

MIAMI (AP) — A judge on Tuesday ruled that a strict Florida law that blocks gay people from adopting children is unconstitutional, declaring there was no legal or scientific reason for sexual orientation alone to prohibit anyone from adopting.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Cindy Lederman said the 31-year-old law violates equal protection rights for the children and their prospective gay parents, rejecting the state’s arguments that there is “a supposed dark cloud hovering over homes of homosexuals and their children.”

She noted that gay people are allowed to be foster parents in Florida. “There is no rational basis to prohibit gay parents from adopting,” she wrote in a 53-page ruling.

Associated Press — Curt Anderson

It may have taken thirty-one years, but there it is.

Recurring Dreams

I have two recurring dreams. Or, to be more precise, two different dreams with a recurring theme. I’ve been having them for close to two decades. I wonder why that is.

I don’t believe all the woo about my inner self talking to my outer self, etc. I’m not big on dream interpretation either, because everything I’ve read about it tries to convert specific things into specific meanings for everyone, and I don’t think that’s possible. We don’t all enjoy or fear the same things, for instance, so how can my dreams mean the same thing for everyone? That’s not to say, of course, that dream interpretation can’t be fun!

Anyway, I’m just writing about this because I feel like it. Not because I think it means anything, although I do find it interesting.

In one of the dreams, I’m drowning and frantic, I can’t make my way to the surface, although I never know why. There never seems to be anyone else there; no one holding me under, nothing weighting me down: I’m just fighting with the water, which is always perfectly clear or pale blue like water reflecting the blue paint in a swimming pool. I struggle for several minutes until my lungs feel like they’ll explode if they don’t get air.

Finally, I make the conscious decision to just breathe. I’m scared because I know it will likely be the death of me, so I inhale slowly through my mouth and nose simultaneously. The water doesn’t kill me. It doesn’t even knock me out. I can breathe under water! Sometimes I start swimming and find that I love it under there, where ever “there” is. Most of the time, though, I wake up with a gasp and my heart racing, the way it might if I had actually experienced a similar ordeal.

The other dream is less detailed. I’m walking along someplace when suddenly I see money on the ground. It might be a twenty, a fifty or a hundred. I bend down to pick it up and notice another a few feet away. I step over to get the second bill and notice several others. I start gathering them and shoving them into my pockets, but the more money I gather, the more I notice laying on the ground.

Suddenly, I’m stuffing wads of cash into a bag which is usually about the size of a regular kitchen trash bag. I don’t know where the bag comes from, but I never wonder in the dream. I just keep stuffing and stuffing twenties, fifties, hundreds. They keep multiplying before my eyes and I soon realize that I’ll never be able to fit them all into the bag. I decide to keep filling the bag until it reaches full capacity which it never does.

The dream ends or I wake up disappointed.

I have one or both of these dreams about three or four times per month. Weird, huh?

Posted by Lottie — Copyright © 2008 Rambling On

Hey There Obama

This young man wrote a song for Barack Obama and then got a detention for singing it in class. Now, granted, he probably shouldn’t have been singing anything in class, but I can’t help admiring his initiative.

This is part of the comment which accompanies his video:

YOUTUBE MISSION: send the link to all of your friends!!! I got a detention for singing this song in class so i need your help. I want to meet obama so he can sign my detention slip the more people you send it to the more likely it will get back to barack. thsnk 4 your help. Enjoy!!

He allows embedding, so I’ll go ahead and post the video here along with a link to it.

You should also check out The Chaz Show! I fully expect to see this kid on television someday. But please tell me that’s apple juice in his glass!

Anyway, here’s what caused the hoopla:

Hey There Obama, by Chaz

Alan Shore On Scientology

So, basically, every time you piss puke or crap, you’re a step closer to immortality. — Alan Shore

Yesterday I posted a clip from one of Mike’s favorite television dramas. Today I’m posting a clip from one of my favorites. I absolutely love Boston Legal. It’s daring and edgy; suspenseful but funny. I hardly ever get to watch it, but that just makes it all the more satisfying when I do.

I admit to having a bit of a celebrity crush on Alan Shore, although I don’t know if that’s technically what I should call it, seeing as Alan is the character and James Spader is the actual celebrity. But Alan is the one who keeps me on the edge of my seat. He’s so justifiably arrogant and smug.

Now you may be wondering how my darling husband feels about all this. I assure you he’s perfectly fine with it; I wouldn’t be writing this, otherwise. Mike knows that, while I may fantasize about being Alan Shore’s secretary, he (Mike) is the man in and of my dreams, and the keeper of my heart.

OK, now shhhh…. Let’s watch Alan perform. No, really, I insist. If you’re not completely satisfied… well, I will be so who cares? ::wink::

Posted by Lottie — Copyright © 2008 Rambling On

Echoing An Echo: Ignorant Tight-Ass Club

B.T. Murtagh, author of QuarkScrew posted this video a while ago. He found it via girldujour. I thought it was just brilliant, and since my husband is a huge fan of The West Wing I simply had to post it here too.

Watch President Bartlet eloquently, and with keen authority, put a smug, religious talk show host in her place. As B.T. also points out, if you don’t understand the crab puff reference in the end, please see Leviticus 11:10 and Deuteronomy 14:10.

Attention Please

Several months ago, a gang of Jerry Springer guests got lost on their way to the show and somehow ended up here. I know this because I got a buttload of shrieking comments telling me how much I suck and threatening to kick my ass, throwing chairs around, snarling and spitting… You know the type.

Anyway, as a result of that I started moderating all comments and posted this comments policy.

Since it’s been a while and things seem to have settled down considerably, I’ve decided to open comments back up and see how it goes. I’ll set it so that after you have one approved comment, your subsequent comments will post immediately.

The main reason I want to try this is because of regular contributors whose comments end up stuck in moderation for hours at a time and occasionally overnight. While I love checking in and finding comments waiting, I also hate finding out that they’ve been stuck down the comment well for ages. This will also allow you guys to discuss things amongst yourselves in my absence. Ain’t that all cozy and stuff?

Thanks to everyone who contributes here and to those who read along but don’t comment. Now, don’t start talkin’ smak and make me regret this new policy or I’ll have to go all Jerry Springer on your ass!

Posted by Lottie — Copyright © 2008 Rambling On