Halloween

I know, I know.  Hello.

I love Halloween - and there are specific memories from childhood that I love. (And gah, do I love the internets for filling in the holes!) Here are a few for you:

Skeleton Parade
Jack Prelutsky

The skeletons are out tonight,
they march about the street,
With bony bodies, bony heads
and bony hands and feet.

Bony bony bony bones
with nothing in between,
Up and down and all around
they march on Halloween.


ON HALLOWEEN
Nina Willis Walter

The witches fly
Across the sky,
The owls go, "Who? Who? Who?"
The black cats yowl
And green ghosts howl,
"Scary Halloween to you!"

And then, my absolute favorite...

what do I do now?

Gang, I'm not sure what to do.

I've stopped drinking Diet Coke.

It's epic. It's huge. And, it's long overdue. I still love the DC, but I just can't consume it anymore. It's bad for me, and I know it. I can't just turn a blind eye to the chemicals and artificial sweeteners anymore. Believe me, it's a huge loss.

why I support planned parenthood

I'm incensed that the House thought they could sneak in the disruption of funding to Planned Parenthood.  I wrote a letter to my Representative today, and here's what I said:

Dear Representative Southerland:

When I first moved to Florida nearly five years ago, I visited Planned Parenthood because my health insurance didn't cover my birth control pills.  I was engaged to a man working for a Republican Governor, and although our politics don't often align, he understood how important it was to protect our new family from an unplanned pregnancy.  As we actively plan to start our family today, I am thankful that Planned Parenthood was available for me and for the future of family. 

I understand your hesitancy in supporting a service that seemingly violates some of the principles you believe in, but I implore you to reconsider your support of the Pence Amendment to H.R. 1.  When you think of Planned Parenthood, I urge you not to think of pimps or a pipeline to abortion.  Instead, I urge you to think of the women (and their partners) that will be affected by your decision.  In Tallahassee alone, think of the college-aged women who rely on Planned Parenthood to help them effectively protect against pregnancy, stay safe from STDs and monitor their health. 

Representative Southerland, I expect you to do right by the people in North Florida.  We may disagree on policy, but to strike the funding of an organization that serves the people in your district is ludicrous.  I am disappointed in you.  You have daughters - imagine a reality where they didn't have a supportive father and had to turn somewhere for information and help.  Where would they turn?  Who would give them access to information?  Not everyone has the privilege of being raised in your family.  Don't close the only doors that are open to many of the people you have sworn to protect.

Along with countless other Floridians, I am determined to fight against this bill as it moves to the Senate, and to oppose every effort to undermine women's health and access to care. We will continue to stand with Planned Parenthood -- and we call on you to focus on the needs of our community -- rather than politics -- by supporting women's access to their health care providers, including Planned Parenthood.

Does this make me feel better?  A bit, I suppose.  Just like the Uppity Women in South Carolina who lobbied for equal coverage for birth control and Viagra, I wonder why the rights of women are so often trampled.  Take abortion out of the equation -- indeed, federal dollars don't pay for them anyway.  What is the great evil of Planned Parenthood?  Birth control and pap smears?

I simply don't understand the intention.  If a conservative legislator's goal is to prevent abortions, then removing access to affordable birth control options just doesn't make sense.  You can't talk about the snake bite without talking about the snake (thank you, C. Everett Koop) and I just don't see how this makes sense: fiscally or ethically.

Great job, Republicans.  Bumbling from the beginning.

when the packers play the steelers

I'm not a huge pro football fan.  I enjoy college sports - more because I'm cheering for the University of South Carolina than anything else.  I remember Sunday afternoons with my mom watching football - usually the Giants, and for a short time, the 49's.  I cheer for the Giants because that's the team I inherited - like my eye color or my affinity for musicals.

There's a great story about my grandmother at a Giant's game.  I like to think she was keeping warm with a little nip, and when the spectator in front of her was talking trash about her Giants, she pulled his hat down over his ears.  I have a feeling there was cursing involved, but I can't prove it.

Do I care about the game?  No, not really.  But I honor the tradition of the Super Bowl with some wings and dip and a Coors Light.  I'm more interested in the commercials. 

I'm also online window shopping -- I'm pretty sure there should be a new name for that.  Online window shopping just doesn't cut it.

'sorted

I'm thirty.  And nothing feels like thirty than having a patch (seriously - a patch) of silver hairs cropping up at the crown of my head.  Not okay. 

I'll be in Atlanta for the weekend, thanks to my first ever successful purchase via Priceline (negotiators!  Go Branding!).  I'm excited - K. and I deserve a night away, even if this trip does combine a few errands. 

K. might have some interesting news coming up here, shortly.  I hope shortly.

In other news, the Florida Bar has narrowed down its focus into his past life and we see a light at the end of the tunnel.  Thank bejeezus.

I'm loving my kindle.  As in, I would totally marry it in a special commitment ceremony in New Hampshire.  I love the fact that I can bounce between reading steamy historical stories to beautifully, well-written novels.  I am in serious heaven, but must come up with some sort of way to curb the spending.

Is it bad that I'm stocking up on novels this month (for, y'know, the kindle), in order to make it through the long February of no spending?

I made tikka masala tonight for dinner and it was delicious.  And by made, I mean I bought some simmering stuff from EarthFare and cut up some chicken.  I also microwaved basmati rice.  Win, right?

Sometimes, when I'm cooking in my comma of a kitchen, I pretend I'm on a FoodTV network show.  K. is convinced I'll be discovered someday.  Could I be the Cooking-in-a-robe-Countess?

can we do it?

We're halfway through January, and here I am - planning for the next month.  A few weekends ago, I woke up late and missed Click & Clack and instead had to endure the money segment on NPR on my way to Saturday Morning Starbucks (it's a tradition in our house).

They were talking about a no-spending month.  It perked my interest - although what would my barrista think if I didn't come visit her every Saturday?  Could we do it?  Could I go an entire month without spending any money - no morning diet cokes, no decent pizza, no pedis or dog toys or shopping (or, oh holy moly, no new books for my kindle)? 

Could we?

Well, I may be scamming the system by choosing the shortest month of the year, but yes, I think we can.  I'm resisting the urge to buy! buy! buy! in the next two weeks, although I might shore up the freezer a bit.

Here's to not buying anything for 28 days.  Anyone want to offer up the over/under on whether we can actually do it?

on surviving republicans

I attended the Annual Meeting of the Republican Party of Florida last weekend.  Before you get all hot under the collar, let's remember that K. himself is a craz-o Repub.  (Holy crap, I married a craz-o Repub!)

My husband's boss ran for Treasurer of the RPOF and, he won.  I had a small hand (perhaps for a giant) in his election and it was quite fun to design collateral that would resonate in the minds of Republicans (albeit not that difficult).  I was almost pushed over the edge when I was asked to plan the Hospitality Suite. 

But, let's face it - I love a good Hospitality Suite.  And I adore K.'s boss, so it wasn't really that hard to agree.  I didn't say anything that outright agreed with any of the Republicans, but I did say "them" when referring to Democrats.  I wore a hair shirt the next day, don't worry.

Honestly, it made me sort of homesick.  I loved our conventions in South Carolina.  I'm not homesick enough to throw my lot in with the other side, but it did make me want to try to get involved with the Leon County party again.  Who knows, can you see K. manning my hospitality suite someday?

on my birthday: the big 30

I turned 30 today.  Or, I suppose I am turning 30 all day long.  I plan on celebrating the new decade all the way to 11:59 PM.  And then - y'know - the whole year.

It's been a laid back sort of day.  We went for brunch, ran some errands and I'm curled up in front of a fire watching Mean Girls.  Seriously perfect day.

Last night, as I lay reading and K. was playing around on his computer (ahem, reading), I realized how relaxed I was about this birthday.  I love my birthday - I used to celebrate with wild abandon.  It was so incredibly important that my birthday was perfect.  One day, all mine.  (And, like, duh.  Not hard to figure out that one out.)

I made an important realization this year.  I don't need my birthday to be perfect.  I don't even need a day that is all about me.  My life is about as perfect as I can handle.  I get more than my share of days that center around things I like, need, want.  I don't have to fight for attention, or to be heard, or to be valued.

It's part me, part my husband, part growing up.  If this is how my thirties are starting -- I couldn't be more excited.


*Also, best present ever: extra large tervis tumbler with a lid and a straw.  It's a grown-up sippy cup.

there's a moment

When you realize that the person you've been busy being isn't exactly the person you want to be.  There's a moment.  I think the moment has sort of tapped me on the shoulder in the past, but I've never stopped to notice.

Trust me, at this point in my life, I've stopped to notice.

So this is not a New Year's Resolution post, or anything like that.  Perhaps it sort of is...  I haven't posted in forever at m&mdc so please forgive my rambling.  (Always forgive my rambling).

I wish there was something like a diet version of a regret.  There are things I wish I had handled differently.  And some I wish I had repeated more often.

Here's to 2011 to figure it out.