Sunday, October 24, 2010

A Perfect Day

No humidity, blue skies, temps in the seventies, and I'm a new woman. After church, put on some Doors, fix a big glass of iced tea, forget the "to do" list, watch the Martinsville race (bad coverage by ESPN), take an unexpected nap, and it's a perfect Sunday.

Add to that, Denny Hamlin won! Go, Virginia Boy!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Baseball!

I love baseball. If I'd been born with perfect vision and a boy, I'd have worked really, really hard to be a professional ball player. Hopefully, hard work would have trumped talent, because I have none. Zilch. Nothing but a love of the game, and a passion for a perfect triple play. And a sinking ball. And catchers with their cute fingers flying in their crotches, giving instructions to the pitchers. I played on a lady lawyer softball team when I was single and had a great time despite our lack of a bench or decent fielders. I'll never forget our coach's shock when I caught a fly ball in right field. Guess he didn't think I could do it!

I root for anyone who's up against the Yankees. However, watching them rally in the first game of the playoffs against Texas, I could see why they're a championship team. They never gave up. Just plugged away, until finally, they got a run up on Texas.

Does anyone know what the meaning of the braided-looking necklaces some of the players are wearing? They look at little bit Second Grade, so I couldn't help but wonder if someone's daughter made them for the team.

Friday, October 08, 2010

Dirty Politics/Rob Whitman/Krystal Ball

I have to be up-front here. I don't like Rob Whitman either as a person or as a politician. This means nothing to you unless you're in the 1st Congressional District of Virginia, which I am not, so I can't vote against the man.

As the French would say, tant pis. Too bloody bad. If I lived in his district, I'd be hoofing it door to door, campaigning against him, and it has nothing to do with party affiliation.

Do I for one second believe his campaign for re-election had nothing to do with posting the photo of his opponent, Krystal Ball, online? The private picture with her ex-husband, when they were married and at a Halloween party, with a definitely ribald pose? The picture Whitman's campaign must have been digging for, because it had never been seen anywhere before it showed up on the Web a few days ago?

Absolutely not, I don't believe Whitman's protestations of innocence. Whitman's people are jumping with joy about getting this picture into the public eye. Why? Does a 29 year old accountant with a toddler and a small business scare Whitman so much? He won't debate her, which leads me to believe she has something going for her that he's avoiding. Like integrity. A sane voice on the issues. Honesty. A sincere desire to serve.

Maybe he's afraid because she's running for the right reasons - to work on the issues, not for political power and personal gain. I have observed that people who suck up to the power brokers and those who can advance them personally are not the people I want in office. Fits Whitman to a "T."

Watch how politicians treat those who aren't wealthy, powerful, or well-known. Observe their manners when speaking with the "regular" people in their sphere. You'll learn a lot. Whitman deserves to lose on November 2, and not just because of the dirty tricks he's pulling on Krystal Ball.

Monday, October 04, 2010

Protecting children

from Disney. Yes, the Walter Disney Company. Hang in there with me. . . .

My daughter who is working on her master's degree in Library Information Services tells me she had a deprived childhood. Not only did she not get to read THE GIVER, but I also withheld OLD YELLER (film and book) and anything dealing with death of animals and/or best friends. Let me warn you about the first Kirsten book in the American Girl series. I couldn't believe it when Kirsten's friend died of yellow fever on the boat to America. Could not believe it.

I also promptly gave away any and all videos of BAMBI and OLD YELLER, and to this day, unless my adult kids are lying, they haven't seen them. Nightmares, that's what those movies gave me. Unadulterated nightmares. What was Disney thinking? Bambi's mother's death scarred me for life. Not joking here. No child should have those images inflicted on her. So mine didn't.

Normally, Newbery books are required reading in this house, but THE GIVER was just too morbid. Why can't we let kids be kids as long as possible? I read every book my kids read before they got it in their hands. Call me the Mom-censor. I wear the badge proudly. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.