What to say about Darryl Metcalfe the esteemed representative from Cranberry?
First some background on me. I grew up in a very small town called West Middlesex located in Mercer County which is about an hour away from here. Living there was not easy, in fact, it was sheer hell. At the time I did not know I was a lesbian/gay, I just knew I was different. Very different. When the opportunity came at last to go away to college at Penn State's main campus I was ready. While at college I discovered why I was different. Now I had a name -- homosexuality -- to go with why I was different. And I was okay with it. I remember going to the student bookstore to read all I could about what it meant to be gay. I never felt morally inferior because I was gay or that I was going to hell. When I reached law school at West Virginia University I got my first taste of homophobia when I confided in someone who promptly told others. Several of my female classmates who were "friends" who sat next to me in class literally moved across the room from me. I guess being gay was like having the "cooties." It was juvenile, despicable behavior. It hurt but I never considered hiding from my true self.
When I graduated from law school my maternal grandpa wanted me to move back home and get a lawyer job in Sharon, the "big town" near West Middlesex. I decided to move and live in Pittsburgh instead where at least I knew they had a "gay" newspaper and gay bars. Occasionally as I have gotten older I have felt a pang of remorse about the decision to move away from my grandparents who I was very close to. But Darryl Metcalfe always reinforces my decision that living in the "big city" was the right choice.
I used to pass by Cranberry occasionally on my way home from Pittsburgh. Ten, twenty years ago it was nothing but fields. Now it is urban sprawl with a capital U S. It also seems as though it is a frontline on the continuing war against the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender community. Recently one of the pro-family groups had a shindig there and pro-family typically means anti-LGBT. Now I don't know if the folks who live in the Cranberry area are "bigots" but they do keep electing Mr. Metcalfe who is known for making outrageous defamatory statements about our community. I do know that Mr. Metcalfe ably demonstrates the narrowmindedness that I wanted to escape from when I left for college/left for Pittsburgh.
Amending the Pennsylvania constitution to discriminate further against a class of people who are not only citizens but TAXPAYERS (people like him seem to forget this) is nothing but pandering to base elements of society who are afraid/don't like people who are "different." Mr. Metcalfe may think of himself as some type of righteous defender against the LGBT hordes who are poised to ransack the good people of Pennsylvania with their desire to get married, but I suspect he is a typical politician who would not be doing this unless he is getting clues from his constituents that this is okay. And that's the truly scary part. I am biased of course but I fail to see how "gay" marriage would destroy heterosexual marriages and the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Heterosexuals dont't need our help in destroying their marriages, they seem to be perfectly competent doing it without our help (see Spears, Brittany) among others. To deny two people who love each other and want to have the same type of rights and priveleges as everyone else is not based on science or economics, it is based on fear. Fear fueled by religions who twist and turn the Bible into justification to hate others.
Fear is something that the right wing has been perfecting and pandering with since the dawn of the civil rights movements. Both Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan were masters at it. Now Mr. Metcalfe has allies to work with and a republican governor to enable him. For the LGBT community beating back this amendment is imperative because Mr. Metcalfe and others probably won't stop once they get some successes. Contact your state legislator, write letters to the editor or blog or facebook posts. Do all that you can because the right-wing has an agenda to discriminate against our community, to take away a woman's right to choose, to eviscerate the unions, to roll back and push back the rights of anyone that they don't like. We are in the crosshairs nationally and state wide. It is 2011 and still we are discriminating based on fear and irrational hatred.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Victoria Jackson and rap
Wow, I can't believe it's been since March 4 that I last blogged. Where have I been? I promised myself that I would do this every day but when I get home at night, other stuff beckons like feeding the small herd of cats.
Anyway there's a lot to discuss. Victoria Jackson a former SNL performer has been all over the news lately. First she went to the conservative shindig and complained about how hard it is for Christians to get parts in Holloywood because of discrimination. Funny, I didn't think right-wing Christians had a sense of humor. She has also apparently called President Obama a muslim and/or communist. Then this week she popped up on CNN.com again to complain about the gay kiss on Glee and the fact that gays and secular humanism were destroying America. She rambled on about the persecution of Christians and held up her Bible. She appeared to be under the influence of something -- perhaps Jesus juice? She was out there, man. She also said the gay Glee kiss was harming gay youth. The host of the program -- one of those Insider types actually challenged her. Sue and I discussed whether she is for real or just gaming us -- like some extended SNL skit. I hear she has a blog -- who among us doesn't these days -- and that it's something to behold. I think I may google it and check it out.
Now for the rap portion of our programming. I read a blog called Metacritic.com on a daily basis. Today they were featuring the top "albums" of the spring. One of the featured albums was the new one by Pittsburgh rapper Whiz Khalifa. I am not usually a rap fan. For a lot of reasons. But I clicked on the song and, if you can get past the constant references to "bitches," it's a rather catchy song. I don't think I would go out and buy it, but you never know. He's getting a lot of love in the national media including my favorite music blog, Pitchforkmedia.com. He was also on the cover of Rolling Stone. Speaking of Roling Stone, I read somewhere about the fact that certain people are questioning it's relevancy. I am a faithful subscriber and have noticed that they are covering a lot of the newer artisits. They need to put some of them on the cover instead of Snooki but nonetheless they are trying. But, I would subscribe just for the articles on politics by Matt Taibbi. I just read his latest article on Wall Street (I am behind in my reading too) and it was a brillant article.
Musically, I have been listening to concerts on NPRmusic.org from South by Southwest music festival. My wish is to go there someday. Guess it's on my bucket list. There is so much great music out there and I want to go to Paul's and buy it all. I may have to break down and buy an Itunes card so I can download some of it to my MP3 player.
Japan, Libya, a lot going on there. Of course the usual right-wing nuts have said the tsunami in Japan is the coming of the Apocalypse. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. What it is, however, is a damn shame and a terrible thing for that country to go through. And we don't need the so called Christians nammering on about the end of the world. Use your money and influence for good.
That's all folks.
Anyway there's a lot to discuss. Victoria Jackson a former SNL performer has been all over the news lately. First she went to the conservative shindig and complained about how hard it is for Christians to get parts in Holloywood because of discrimination. Funny, I didn't think right-wing Christians had a sense of humor. She has also apparently called President Obama a muslim and/or communist. Then this week she popped up on CNN.com again to complain about the gay kiss on Glee and the fact that gays and secular humanism were destroying America. She rambled on about the persecution of Christians and held up her Bible. She appeared to be under the influence of something -- perhaps Jesus juice? She was out there, man. She also said the gay Glee kiss was harming gay youth. The host of the program -- one of those Insider types actually challenged her. Sue and I discussed whether she is for real or just gaming us -- like some extended SNL skit. I hear she has a blog -- who among us doesn't these days -- and that it's something to behold. I think I may google it and check it out.
Now for the rap portion of our programming. I read a blog called Metacritic.com on a daily basis. Today they were featuring the top "albums" of the spring. One of the featured albums was the new one by Pittsburgh rapper Whiz Khalifa. I am not usually a rap fan. For a lot of reasons. But I clicked on the song and, if you can get past the constant references to "bitches," it's a rather catchy song. I don't think I would go out and buy it, but you never know. He's getting a lot of love in the national media including my favorite music blog, Pitchforkmedia.com. He was also on the cover of Rolling Stone. Speaking of Roling Stone, I read somewhere about the fact that certain people are questioning it's relevancy. I am a faithful subscriber and have noticed that they are covering a lot of the newer artisits. They need to put some of them on the cover instead of Snooki but nonetheless they are trying. But, I would subscribe just for the articles on politics by Matt Taibbi. I just read his latest article on Wall Street (I am behind in my reading too) and it was a brillant article.
Musically, I have been listening to concerts on NPRmusic.org from South by Southwest music festival. My wish is to go there someday. Guess it's on my bucket list. There is so much great music out there and I want to go to Paul's and buy it all. I may have to break down and buy an Itunes card so I can download some of it to my MP3 player.
Japan, Libya, a lot going on there. Of course the usual right-wing nuts have said the tsunami in Japan is the coming of the Apocalypse. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. What it is, however, is a damn shame and a terrible thing for that country to go through. And we don't need the so called Christians nammering on about the end of the world. Use your money and influence for good.
That's all folks.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Friday night bowling
Tonight we stayed in and had leftovers. Then we did Wii bowling. I got beat but held my own. I'm writing this while I listen to a World Cafe session on Iron and Wine, a favorite group of mine. This week I have been listening to the steaming of the new "albums" by REM, Kurt Vile and the Mountain Goats. So far, I like all of them. The Kurt Vile record I like a lot. He is coming to the Warhol so I might see if I can get a ticket and go see him. I like to see shows at the Warhol. They bring in great artists in an intimate atmosphere with a great sound system.
I loved REM when I discovered them in college/law school. I saw my one and only REM concert when I was at WVU law school. The Indigo Girls opened up for them!! Unfortunately I have not cared for their last few albums. Many of the critics/talking heads are saying this new release is their best since their work in the 80's. I have listened to it several times and I am slowly liking it. I would like to listen to it a few more times but several of the songs do sound like the vintage 80's stuff.
As for the Mountain Goats, I discovered them awhile ago -- I can't really remember when but I probably read about them on Pitchforkmedia. I love their music -- I say "their" loosely because they are the work of one main man, John Darnielle (sp?). He is a very literate song writer and his themes are about broken down people and other heavy subjects. I really like this new "album." His last one was good but was very bleak and a little depressing.
I have to give thanks to NPR. I know the right wingers want to cut the funding but I so love their website because I have been able to preview a lot of great stuff before it comes out so I can decide what to spend my money on. In addition, I get to hear all kinds of new music by artists I have read about or never heard but get to discover. Music, for me, is life.
I meant to write this post last night when I discovered that all of my favorite shows were re-runs. Thursday nights are my night for TV. Three of my favorite shows are on that night -- the show about the little nerds (Big Bang Theory); old school CSI (the original Las Vegas edition) and the Mentalist. Unfortunately two shows I also really like -- Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock are on opposite my favorite CBS shows and we don't have cable and/or a DVR so if I don't remember to watch online I'm out of luck. Unfortunately those shows weren't on last night so I read my book on the introduction to the Universalist Unitarian religion instead of watching TV or blogging.
The UU religion is fascinating to me. I was raised Presbyterian but never quite believed everything I was taught or read -- such as all homos are going to hell -- and that there is a hell and an afterlife or that Christ was resurrected, etc. etc. But UU doesn't say it's important to beleive all that and that what's important is the way you live your life and your deeds which I always thought was the way to go. So even though I am only part way through the book and have been to two adult education classes and five Sundays it is very appealing to me --what I'm hearing and reading so far.
I loved REM when I discovered them in college/law school. I saw my one and only REM concert when I was at WVU law school. The Indigo Girls opened up for them!! Unfortunately I have not cared for their last few albums. Many of the critics/talking heads are saying this new release is their best since their work in the 80's. I have listened to it several times and I am slowly liking it. I would like to listen to it a few more times but several of the songs do sound like the vintage 80's stuff.
As for the Mountain Goats, I discovered them awhile ago -- I can't really remember when but I probably read about them on Pitchforkmedia. I love their music -- I say "their" loosely because they are the work of one main man, John Darnielle (sp?). He is a very literate song writer and his themes are about broken down people and other heavy subjects. I really like this new "album." His last one was good but was very bleak and a little depressing.
I have to give thanks to NPR. I know the right wingers want to cut the funding but I so love their website because I have been able to preview a lot of great stuff before it comes out so I can decide what to spend my money on. In addition, I get to hear all kinds of new music by artists I have read about or never heard but get to discover. Music, for me, is life.
I meant to write this post last night when I discovered that all of my favorite shows were re-runs. Thursday nights are my night for TV. Three of my favorite shows are on that night -- the show about the little nerds (Big Bang Theory); old school CSI (the original Las Vegas edition) and the Mentalist. Unfortunately two shows I also really like -- Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock are on opposite my favorite CBS shows and we don't have cable and/or a DVR so if I don't remember to watch online I'm out of luck. Unfortunately those shows weren't on last night so I read my book on the introduction to the Universalist Unitarian religion instead of watching TV or blogging.
The UU religion is fascinating to me. I was raised Presbyterian but never quite believed everything I was taught or read -- such as all homos are going to hell -- and that there is a hell and an afterlife or that Christ was resurrected, etc. etc. But UU doesn't say it's important to beleive all that and that what's important is the way you live your life and your deeds which I always thought was the way to go. So even though I am only part way through the book and have been to two adult education classes and five Sundays it is very appealing to me --what I'm hearing and reading so far.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
The last gasp of February 2011
Tonight is the final Saturday night of February. My psychological yardstick for survivng winter is that once we get into March, and specifically once we get past Saint Patrick's day, I know we're in the home stretch and spring is finally coming. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind winter and this winter, for me, has been bearable because at least it has snowed instead of that awful winter rain we have gotten in the past. I'll take snow anyday. Although I have to admit that, unlike Philadelphia and some of the other East Coast cities, we really haven't been hit hard by tons of snow. At least not yet because you never know what March will bring. According to the weather, Monday is supposed to be close to 60 degrees and the weather is supposed to be a doozy with a lot of rain and severe weather. We'll see what happens. Being a weather forecaster is one of the few jobs you can have where you can get paid well for being wrong a large part of the time. That we all should be so lucky.
This week has brought some interesting news with the true nature of the Tea Party/Republican right wing coming into focus. According to a transcript of a conversation that a liberal blog -- masquerading as a Koch brother, a secretive extreme right-wing corporate head -- had with the Republican governor of Wisconsin the true motive is to break the unions because, well, for extremely rich, corporate people, unions are a thorn in their side because they demand that their employees be treated fairly. It seems that the Koch brothers and their ilk want to take us back to the good old days of the 1800's when the rich could do whatever they damn well pleased and the workers had to take the bread crumbs given to them. You only need to look at former Massey coal head Don Blankenship to see the example of what this might look like for America. The individuals behind the Tea Party are not lowly working men and women. They are rich, white fucks like Dick Armey and Karl Rove. They created this so called "populist" movement to do their bidding which is to stomp on the unions, in particular the teacher's unions, call their employees "greedy," God I love the hypocrisy in that charge, and make it so that their corporate brethen can do whatever they damn well choose in the name of profits. You see this in the desire to roll back all the environmental and food safety laws and their condescending pats on the head to us with the admonition that the corporations don't need regulations and that they will do what's best for us. What's fascinating for me is how willingly "regular" Americans are to go along with this charade and cut their own throats. What's also interesting is that many of the so-called anti-government tea baggers don't hesitate to take federal beneifts. I just read an article tonight on CNN about the god-mother of the Tea Party movement who, surprise, surpirse, decries big government but is on Medicare for her hips. For more examples of this look no further than a great article that Matt Taibbi wrote for that liberal, pinko rag Rolling Stone on the Tea Party movement. And, in Pittsburgh, the woman who runs the tea party here is a rich, white woman who lives in one of the rich suburbs of Pittsburgh. Yes, Virginia, these people are working for your rights (not).
It's scary. The rich folks exported all of our good paying jobs overseas and left us with an economy based on jobs at Walmart. And none of the so-called service jobs pay enough for their workers to buy a house, a car, or any of the other trappings of the elusive middle class life. Meanwhile executives at the large corporations are being paid millions of dollars A YEAR to run their corporations. Who is worth 5 million dollars? That's just obscene. And the tea partiers are complaining about teachers and public sector workers being greedy?? I work as a public employee for the City and I can guarantee you that I am not getting wealthy. And I have a law degree. Yes, it was my choice to work for the City instead of chasing people for money all the time and worrying if I would make enough each month to pay the bills. But don't demonize me because I'm a public sector employee. I heard that the FOP joined in on the protests in the Capital in Wisconsin. Wonder what political motive they had for doing this? The FOP here in Pittsburgh goes on about other unions being bad, liberals being evil, etc. etc. but they have one of the strongest unions in the country along with the firefighters and they are usually backing Republicans. So wonder what's going on with them in Wisconsin.
The fight to crush the unions is coming here to Pennsylvania. Corbett is already for "school choice" which is the right-wing code word for breaking the teacher's union. Of course this is all done in the name of protecting poor black students. Meanwhile guess which social service programs that benefit these same students are being cut??
In today's issue of the Post-Gazette a straight, presumably white woman wrote an article about who is advocating for people like her who are normal and not freaks (her words). She then spends a great portion of her article talking about how all the gay/lesbian individuals have people like Lady Gaga speaking out for them when her kind of people don't. Well, I agree to a point. Women in general in this society don't have people standing up for them -- witness the recent wars on abortion -- but the freaks and not normal individuals have been demonized, denied the right to marry, until recently the right to serve in the military, denied employment and other various types of civil rights while she at least can enjoy some of these rights. Just stay away from Ben Roethlisberger and Charlie Sheen.
Oh, and by the way, I listened to the new Radiohead "album" tonight that is streaming on Rollingstone.com. Several commentators have said it's their most divisive album. Well, I did listen to it only once and on my computer, but, it sounded like just another Radiohead album to me. Which by that I mean I didn't notice a big difference between this album and their last few albums.
This week has brought some interesting news with the true nature of the Tea Party/Republican right wing coming into focus. According to a transcript of a conversation that a liberal blog -- masquerading as a Koch brother, a secretive extreme right-wing corporate head -- had with the Republican governor of Wisconsin the true motive is to break the unions because, well, for extremely rich, corporate people, unions are a thorn in their side because they demand that their employees be treated fairly. It seems that the Koch brothers and their ilk want to take us back to the good old days of the 1800's when the rich could do whatever they damn well pleased and the workers had to take the bread crumbs given to them. You only need to look at former Massey coal head Don Blankenship to see the example of what this might look like for America. The individuals behind the Tea Party are not lowly working men and women. They are rich, white fucks like Dick Armey and Karl Rove. They created this so called "populist" movement to do their bidding which is to stomp on the unions, in particular the teacher's unions, call their employees "greedy," God I love the hypocrisy in that charge, and make it so that their corporate brethen can do whatever they damn well choose in the name of profits. You see this in the desire to roll back all the environmental and food safety laws and their condescending pats on the head to us with the admonition that the corporations don't need regulations and that they will do what's best for us. What's fascinating for me is how willingly "regular" Americans are to go along with this charade and cut their own throats. What's also interesting is that many of the so-called anti-government tea baggers don't hesitate to take federal beneifts. I just read an article tonight on CNN about the god-mother of the Tea Party movement who, surprise, surpirse, decries big government but is on Medicare for her hips. For more examples of this look no further than a great article that Matt Taibbi wrote for that liberal, pinko rag Rolling Stone on the Tea Party movement. And, in Pittsburgh, the woman who runs the tea party here is a rich, white woman who lives in one of the rich suburbs of Pittsburgh. Yes, Virginia, these people are working for your rights (not).
It's scary. The rich folks exported all of our good paying jobs overseas and left us with an economy based on jobs at Walmart. And none of the so-called service jobs pay enough for their workers to buy a house, a car, or any of the other trappings of the elusive middle class life. Meanwhile executives at the large corporations are being paid millions of dollars A YEAR to run their corporations. Who is worth 5 million dollars? That's just obscene. And the tea partiers are complaining about teachers and public sector workers being greedy?? I work as a public employee for the City and I can guarantee you that I am not getting wealthy. And I have a law degree. Yes, it was my choice to work for the City instead of chasing people for money all the time and worrying if I would make enough each month to pay the bills. But don't demonize me because I'm a public sector employee. I heard that the FOP joined in on the protests in the Capital in Wisconsin. Wonder what political motive they had for doing this? The FOP here in Pittsburgh goes on about other unions being bad, liberals being evil, etc. etc. but they have one of the strongest unions in the country along with the firefighters and they are usually backing Republicans. So wonder what's going on with them in Wisconsin.
The fight to crush the unions is coming here to Pennsylvania. Corbett is already for "school choice" which is the right-wing code word for breaking the teacher's union. Of course this is all done in the name of protecting poor black students. Meanwhile guess which social service programs that benefit these same students are being cut??
In today's issue of the Post-Gazette a straight, presumably white woman wrote an article about who is advocating for people like her who are normal and not freaks (her words). She then spends a great portion of her article talking about how all the gay/lesbian individuals have people like Lady Gaga speaking out for them when her kind of people don't. Well, I agree to a point. Women in general in this society don't have people standing up for them -- witness the recent wars on abortion -- but the freaks and not normal individuals have been demonized, denied the right to marry, until recently the right to serve in the military, denied employment and other various types of civil rights while she at least can enjoy some of these rights. Just stay away from Ben Roethlisberger and Charlie Sheen.
Oh, and by the way, I listened to the new Radiohead "album" tonight that is streaming on Rollingstone.com. Several commentators have said it's their most divisive album. Well, I did listen to it only once and on my computer, but, it sounded like just another Radiohead album to me. Which by that I mean I didn't notice a big difference between this album and their last few albums.
Last dregs of February
It;s a Saturday night and I am sitting at Cafe Mocha in Squirrel Hill watching people stream up the street carrying pizza from Mineos at 9 o'clock at night. Ah, back in the day when I could eat pizza late.
I forgot to mention in my last post regarding things changing that Hoi Polloi one of our favorite coffee houses/restaurants closed. The food was the best and they made the best smoothies in Pittsburgh. I really miss being able to go there.
My mood is a little better this week. I'm settling into my new office and beginning to enjoy the peace and quiet.
Had a great night last night out with some friends, a nice dinner tonight with friends and am looking forward to watching the Oscars tomorrow night with our friend Kerry. All in all it's been a good weekend.
I forgot to mention in my last post regarding things changing that Hoi Polloi one of our favorite coffee houses/restaurants closed. The food was the best and they made the best smoothies in Pittsburgh. I really miss being able to go there.
My mood is a little better this week. I'm settling into my new office and beginning to enjoy the peace and quiet.
Had a great night last night out with some friends, a nice dinner tonight with friends and am looking forward to watching the Oscars tomorrow night with our friend Kerry. All in all it's been a good weekend.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Things that are gone
For some reason lately I have been very melancholy -- you know, the fancified word for sad. I feel like a lot of things in my life have been turned upside down. I am settled into a new office at work but at the expense of my former colleague who sued the city and finally got her settlement this week. She is now off to greener pastures for awhile until she can figure out what's next. Another co-worker of mine left this past fall to work at an insurance company. Both of my former colleagues have moved on, but I wonder if I'm stuck. This time last year I was working with a job coach who I thought would help me decide whether I should stay or go, but that didn't work out quite the way I thought it would/hoped it would. I was full of hope and optimism this time last year but I'm not now. I know that's the way life goes, but it can be sad sometimes.
This summer they started tearing down the old Animal Friends building where I first adopted my beloved cats Boris and Natasha. The building is now totally down and the lot full of rubble.
I've mentioned the loss of my Friday night routine with the cancellation of two of my favorite TV shows.
My "family" has also gone through some changes. My partner's life has taken an unexpected new direction. My mother is getting ready to tear down my maternal grandparent's house. I have an emotional attachment to this house. It has sat empty since my grandmother died in 2008. My mom essentially stripped the house of all of the fixtures, doors, windows, etc. I haven't been in it for quite awhile. I just can't bear to go in since I have such fond memories of that house. It was a safe refuge for me as a kid who grew up in a pretty bad family. My grandparents had an above the ground swimming pool that we use to swim in pratically day and night. I remember coming in for a break and my grandmother would serve me the ham or roast beef leftovers as sandwiches slathered in mayonaise on white bread. She would sit and talk with me about all kinds of things. She would take a break from watching her "stories." I really miss her and my grandpa. They both lived very long, full lives and I was lucky to have them both living well into my forties although the light went out of my grandmother's eyes when she got into her mid eighties and all of her friends started to die. When the house gets torn down it will be so weird to see the gaping space where it used to be.
I got a new sponsor in Alanon after my former sponsor had a health issue.
And I am lonely at work and in my personal life -- I have lost some friends over the past few years and I need to start making new friends which is daunting for me because I assume people won't like me. But, with the help of Alanon I am slowly overcoming some of this fear. And I do have some good friends, my friend James in West Virgina has been such a wonderful, great friend, Lisel and Joe, the Sarahs. So I have to be thankful for these people in my life.
The one constant in my life that always brings me joy is music. Sue and I went to Cleveland several summers ago to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A fantastic place for music lovers! During the trip Sue indulged my wish to visit a local Indie music store. We went to a small store called Music Saves. And that about sums it up for me, all through my life, I have always loved and had music. From records, to cassettes to CDs to mp3s I have always surrounded myself with music. It's a great passion for me. Too bad I can't figure out how to make a career out of it. When I was a kid I wanted to be a rock star. And I would have been a great rock star except for the small problem that I can neither sing nor play an instrument. Minor detail in the punk community but I was more of a classic girl.
Speaking of music, there is a new Bright Eyes CD out which I want to get. The critics haven't liked it, but they didn't like the last CD called Cassadaga and I really liked it so this time I won't pay attention to the critics. And if there are still tickets left to see the Decemberists next week, when I get paid, I just might buy a ticket and go. And I may go this weekend to my favorite religious place, Paul's CDs in Bloomfield. I have a recurring nightmare that Paul's closes and I surely don't want that to happen and be another change in my life!
This summer they started tearing down the old Animal Friends building where I first adopted my beloved cats Boris and Natasha. The building is now totally down and the lot full of rubble.
I've mentioned the loss of my Friday night routine with the cancellation of two of my favorite TV shows.
My "family" has also gone through some changes. My partner's life has taken an unexpected new direction. My mother is getting ready to tear down my maternal grandparent's house. I have an emotional attachment to this house. It has sat empty since my grandmother died in 2008. My mom essentially stripped the house of all of the fixtures, doors, windows, etc. I haven't been in it for quite awhile. I just can't bear to go in since I have such fond memories of that house. It was a safe refuge for me as a kid who grew up in a pretty bad family. My grandparents had an above the ground swimming pool that we use to swim in pratically day and night. I remember coming in for a break and my grandmother would serve me the ham or roast beef leftovers as sandwiches slathered in mayonaise on white bread. She would sit and talk with me about all kinds of things. She would take a break from watching her "stories." I really miss her and my grandpa. They both lived very long, full lives and I was lucky to have them both living well into my forties although the light went out of my grandmother's eyes when she got into her mid eighties and all of her friends started to die. When the house gets torn down it will be so weird to see the gaping space where it used to be.
I got a new sponsor in Alanon after my former sponsor had a health issue.
And I am lonely at work and in my personal life -- I have lost some friends over the past few years and I need to start making new friends which is daunting for me because I assume people won't like me. But, with the help of Alanon I am slowly overcoming some of this fear. And I do have some good friends, my friend James in West Virgina has been such a wonderful, great friend, Lisel and Joe, the Sarahs. So I have to be thankful for these people in my life.
The one constant in my life that always brings me joy is music. Sue and I went to Cleveland several summers ago to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A fantastic place for music lovers! During the trip Sue indulged my wish to visit a local Indie music store. We went to a small store called Music Saves. And that about sums it up for me, all through my life, I have always loved and had music. From records, to cassettes to CDs to mp3s I have always surrounded myself with music. It's a great passion for me. Too bad I can't figure out how to make a career out of it. When I was a kid I wanted to be a rock star. And I would have been a great rock star except for the small problem that I can neither sing nor play an instrument. Minor detail in the punk community but I was more of a classic girl.
Speaking of music, there is a new Bright Eyes CD out which I want to get. The critics haven't liked it, but they didn't like the last CD called Cassadaga and I really liked it so this time I won't pay attention to the critics. And if there are still tickets left to see the Decemberists next week, when I get paid, I just might buy a ticket and go. And I may go this weekend to my favorite religious place, Paul's CDs in Bloomfield. I have a recurring nightmare that Paul's closes and I surely don't want that to happen and be another change in my life!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Winter Blues.
Sue and I are here at Crazy Mocha on a cold winter's Friday night. She treated me to a hot chai latte which I really like. Back when it was in the beautiful 90's this summer I used to get it iced. But spring is around the corner, the groundhog said so.
Because of fiscal austerity measures I didn't get tickets to the Decemberists concert. I did see them on their last tour so I can't complain too much. And we are going to see U2 this summer.
Today I moved into my new office at work. I now have an entire office to myself complete with a big picture window. I have spent the entire time at work since we moved to a building in the strip district 7 years ago in a cubicle in a large room that was too cold in winter and too hot in summer with four other people. And no privacy. So now I have privacy and a door I can shut and everything. It is somewhat bittersweet though as I am taking over the office from a former co-worker who was a friend and who I miss. I am the lone "man" out AKA odd duck at work. And I'm not sure why. When I first came to OMI I had a bunch of friends and we all had lunch together and ran around. When they left I didn't seem to click with the other people who replaced them -- or they didn't click with me. Nonetheless is it rather lonely at work especially in the winter when I can't get out and walk as much. But, I am employed so I can't say too much. And I got the office because of my senority.
I miss the routine we had on Friday nights last year. We watched Ghost Whisperer, Medium and Numbers and I looked forward to coming home and hanging out with Sue upstairs while we watched TV in bed. Now all three shows are gone and have not been replaced with anything interesting. It seems as though Friday night has become a wasteland for TV. And we don't have cable so we are stuck with network tv and we only get channels 2 and 11 and 53 LOL so we're really stuck. Anyway, maybe something good will come on mid season.
I read recently that Snooki and crew are going to Italy. It amazes me how mediocrity can be rewarded. See Tony Norman's column today in the Post-Gazette. And Lindsay Lohan just stole a $2000 something necklace. Just goes to show fame and money can't make you happy or well adjusted.
Well, I've emptied my brain.
Because of fiscal austerity measures I didn't get tickets to the Decemberists concert. I did see them on their last tour so I can't complain too much. And we are going to see U2 this summer.
Today I moved into my new office at work. I now have an entire office to myself complete with a big picture window. I have spent the entire time at work since we moved to a building in the strip district 7 years ago in a cubicle in a large room that was too cold in winter and too hot in summer with four other people. And no privacy. So now I have privacy and a door I can shut and everything. It is somewhat bittersweet though as I am taking over the office from a former co-worker who was a friend and who I miss. I am the lone "man" out AKA odd duck at work. And I'm not sure why. When I first came to OMI I had a bunch of friends and we all had lunch together and ran around. When they left I didn't seem to click with the other people who replaced them -- or they didn't click with me. Nonetheless is it rather lonely at work especially in the winter when I can't get out and walk as much. But, I am employed so I can't say too much. And I got the office because of my senority.
I miss the routine we had on Friday nights last year. We watched Ghost Whisperer, Medium and Numbers and I looked forward to coming home and hanging out with Sue upstairs while we watched TV in bed. Now all three shows are gone and have not been replaced with anything interesting. It seems as though Friday night has become a wasteland for TV. And we don't have cable so we are stuck with network tv and we only get channels 2 and 11 and 53 LOL so we're really stuck. Anyway, maybe something good will come on mid season.
I read recently that Snooki and crew are going to Italy. It amazes me how mediocrity can be rewarded. See Tony Norman's column today in the Post-Gazette. And Lindsay Lohan just stole a $2000 something necklace. Just goes to show fame and money can't make you happy or well adjusted.
Well, I've emptied my brain.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)