Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Just give a damn...

(Warning: you are now entering Tangent Land)

A number of years ago, I read an excellent Star Trek fanfic (yes, they do exist :)) where one character asked another what she expected him to do. The answer was, "Just give a damn." For some reason, that line stuck in my head---maybe it's because what we all expect someone to do. Just give a damn about us, our lives, and for the love of deity, don't pretend you get it, when you really don't.

Which brings me to this

http://community.livejournal.com/obama_daily/153184.html

These are photos taken of the Obama family's trip to St. Columbanus High School in Chicago to hand out food at a food bank. I'm as cynical as they come (especially given the antics of the last eight years) but I don't think this is an act for them. They get it. They give a damn. And you can see it in their faces and in the faces of the other people in the photos.

I don't know what kind of president Obama will be yet. I don't know if his attempts to help us get our bus out of the ditch will make things worse, or better. But it's nice to have someone at the helm who gives a damn.

And on to a last, minor tangent:

To all my reader(s): I wish you all a Thanksgiving full of good food, good times, good friends...and lacking drama, angst, or undercooked turkey.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

The Turn of the Wheel

In the old Celtic pagan calendar, Samhain (or Halloween) marked the end of the year. So, in a sense, it's already 2009. (Yikes.) So my thoughts tonight are on the new year and a dilemma that's tickling at the back of my mind.

I'm still in the broom closet at work. I work with a lot of very good people, don't get me wrong, but many of them are also very devout Christians...and some of them are of the evangelical persuasion. And there's the rub. I respect their beliefs, and their right to have those beliefs, but I can't guarantee that mine will receive the same respect.

I don't talk about religion at work, which is fine for the most part, but sometimes it strikes me that I should be free to wear my pentacle, as a symbol of a faith that, while private, is not something I'm ashamed of. (I often wear a Mother Goddess pendant, which doesn't get so much as a hairy eyeball...but then, in my experience, people don't initially associate the Mother Goddess with paganism. I'm not sure why. :))

So with the turn of the wheel, I'm starting to ask myself if it's time to take a step out of the broom closet. Wearing the pentacle openly is more than it seems---it's also a step into fully acknowledging my beliefs and being prepared to defend them.

Do I want to open that can of worms at work? I'm not sure.

Stay tuned for further details :)

Friday, November 21, 2008

"Hi, Mommy"

Yeah, that was said to me today, for the first time. On the phone. My daughter is now speaking. Not in sentences (yet, though that's clearly coming) but the wheels are turning and she's talking. She's talking. :)

Preemies sometimes have speech or motor delay, and yeah, her dad and I were a little concerned. Not about her motor skills (good gods, the kid doesn't spin, she pirouettes...so, no, nothing wrong with her motor skills.) But her speech seemed very mildly delayed...and yeah, we were worried, the more so because we know how lucky we are that the wee one escaped her stint as a preemie with only a few IV scars. Lots of other kids aren't so lucky...and besides, telling the parents of a preemie not to worry is like telling them not to breathe. It just doesn't happen.

So yeah, today she's speaking. She knows I'm her mommy and she hugs me. Life is good. :)

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Some loose ends...:-)

*We survived last Sunday's trip to the No Obama Zone. Mom only made one comment about how she loves Sarah Palin (hey, someone has to) and how we're all "just soooo unfaiiiirrrr to her" but that was tolerable. Save me from one of her rants any day of the week.

The wee one was her usual cute self, and stunned the grandparents with her growth. (They hadn't seen her since July, so...yeah. She's grown. Like two or three inches.)

*The wee one got her flu shot on Wednesday, in which we discovered a few things. 1) She likes trucks, and cars, and things with wheels, and giant legos. 2) She is not bothered at all by boys who have three inches and ten pounds on her and who won't let her play with THEIR truck and 3) She trusts everyone. As a parent, I know that means it's because she's never been hurt, and I know it can't last. And that makes me sad.

*She also got her first haircut yesterday. She looks like a toddler now, not my tiny baby. Oh, she's still small (though catching up pretty darned quickly) but you can see from looking at her that she's leaving her babyhood behind. I still haven't figured out how I feel about that--mostly, I'm happy she's growing, but I guess I wouldn't be a mom if I didn't miss the baby she'll never be again.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Oh, for goddess' sake...

Yeah, I had "that" conversation with my mom tonight. Being a dedicated Republican, she voted for McCain. Fine. It's a free country and it's her right. But then I got called a "feminazi" (thanks, Rush, for that particular endearing term, you bastard) because I told her---when she asked---that I didn't like Sarah Palin. (And again, this isn't any great shock. I voted for Obama, for deity's sake---not because I believe in sunshine and rainbows and purple fluffy unicorns, but because I believe, truly, that he's the best person for the job.)

Sure. I'm a feminazi because I insist that having two "x" chromosomes doesn't mean diddly if you aren't qualified for the office. Riiiiggghhhhttt....

So, yeah. We're heading to the No-Obama Zone this weekend (seeing my parents on Sunday) and I'm pretty sure my tongue will be near bitten off come Monday.

Le sigh.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Oh, you know I have to say it...

YES, WE CAN!!! AND WE DID!!!

I cried last night watching the people at Grant Park, in Atlanta, in Times Square. I saw hope in their faces and I knew I'd voted for the right man. Obama's facing a world of trouble---some within the country, some without. But last night, he made us believe in ourselves again...and so, no matter the work that has to be done, I know we as a country can do it.

Yes, we can. And we will.

About Me

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Wife, mom of a preemie, follower of the old ways, lover of anything Irish or Celtic, history buff, trivia nut, Star Trek and Ren Faire geek and costuming fiend. Offer me coffee or chocolate and world peace is assured. Or at least I'll try really hard. :) I also believe in deleting spam. So, to the person or persons who keep leaving me comments in Chinese (along with links to what I can clearly tell are Chinese porn sites) stop it. It's bad karma, to say nothing of being really, really rude.

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