What Happened to Christmas?

Okay, so this is a topic done to death this time of year, but as usual I need to put my two cents in. I will keep it short.

At what point was a book replaced with a Kindle as an appropriate gift? When was the personal gift of perfume or jewelry deemed not enough, but a flat-screen TV or a laptop was? And I would really like to know where the automakers got the kahunas to peddle the idea that a Lexus makes an appropriate gift?

To me, this obscene consumerism at Christmas is soul damaging. It sends a message, one that we live out, that says that we can make up for the lack of thought behind a gift by upping its monetary value.

A Kindle is impressive. It costs a couple hundred dollars, it is the latest cool gadget for readers (and bookworms rarely have cool gadgets) and all you have to do is log onto your computer, get out the credit card and it is done. One more name to cross off the list. Even though you can get a book online as well, you have to think about the person, get inside their heads for a minute and then match a book to their personality. You have to put some time and effort into a book as a gift, and yet it costs so little compared to a Kindle. (Santa alert! This does NOT mean the author would turn down a Kindle…we must be gracious after all).

I received a perfect example of this from my Aunt and Uncle this year. My uncle and I talk on and off in fits and starts through the year, and stopped exchanging gifts decades ago, which is fine for all involved. This year they broke tradition. They know the struggles we have faced these past couple years, so they sent us a gift certificate to a restaurant with a card that said they too had struggled as we are now, and they remember how nice it was for them when they could go out to eat and feel “normal” again for a while, so they gave that gift of normalcy to us. Now that is a Christmas gift.

We all know how hurried and stressful life has become. This is why we buy the big-ticket gifts; we simply do not have the time to really shop. But what about the traditions? Certainly we need to bring those back again.

Whatever happened to Christmas caroling? Cookie exchanges? Real trees?

I have probably the worst singing voice on the planet. I have heard anemic cats more melodious than myself. But I was a caroler for many years, first in Girl Scouts, then with kids in the neighborhood. Even when I was “really cool” in high school I still managed to find a group to carol with. Caroling puts the world on hold for a few hours, and makes strangers your friends. You cannot sing with a person in the freezing cold for 4 hours and not bond with them. And to receive a cup of hot chocolate from a neighbor you barely wave to the rest of the year…it makes us all a family for a while.

I think everyone has at least one vivid memory of the Live Christmas Tree ritual. It has to be done on the coldest night of the year and very close to Christmas so you have to really hunt for a decent tree, and you must have a substantial number of other last-minute tree shoppers to knock elbows with. But oh, once you wrestle it in the house and the smell of fresh pine permeates everything, you are happy you spent half a week’s salary on a tree for the inside of the house (only the German’s… that’s all I will say).

Yes, there are big gifts I remember to this day. My father brought home matching black and white televisions for my sister and me when we were kids, much to my mother’s irritation. My mother bought me my first “boom box”. It was $200, a fortune in the late 70’s, and now the same one would be $9.99 at the drug store. But back then, wow, I was all grown up with my cassette deck and mammoth ear engulfing headphones (padded and everything!). The first 2-wheeled bike was a huge one too. Bright red with a banana seat, tons of reflectors and a dozen brightly colored streamers coming from each handle. Oh, and a basket, a bell and even a headlight! Best part? No helmet!

There is nothing wrong with buying expensive gifts for people, if it warms your heart and you can easily afford it. But no matter the price, please remember that a Christmas gift, like everything else in life, will be remember for the sentiment behind it.

Merry Merry Ya’all!

Halloween Thoughts

Halloween is quickly approaching and I am full of childlike anticipation. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday, even though I am not a real fan of candy, and don’t get presents, or romantic dinners, or drink green beer. What I like about Halloween is the feel of it. I feel oddly at home during Halloween. The change of season that it brings, the drama of the masquerade, and the electric sensation of a veil lifting between this world and another. Whether real or imagined, the mysterious and magical elements enliven my spirit.

Halloween elicits many different emotions in people. Some love having the parties, dressing up the kids, going door-to-door and chatting with neighbors they may not have spoken with since the Labor Day picnic. It is an ushering in of school and sweaters and a slowing down of the hectic summer months. Routine life begins again around Halloween and I think that is comforting to many.

Others, mostly the college crowd, have adopted Halloween as their own Mardi Gras. It is an excuse to really let down their hair, allow their alter egos to burst forth, and generally make even bigger asses of themselves than on a usual Saturday night.

Then there is the religious aspect of Halloween. For Pagans and Wiccans is it the Shabbat of Samhain, a festival with different meanings, depending on your particular religion. Christians are the most interesting I think. You have the die-hards who refuse to even acknowledge the day, the more moderate ones who embrace only the whimsical side (lets put a witch hat on the kitty!) and then there are some who are drawn to and fascinated by what All Hallows Eve represents, yet are at war within over how this relates to their faith. I have seen this push-pull myself and have seen them almost live out the holiday vicariously thru me, keeping themselves at a safe distance.

And of course, there are the children. Halloween has changed so much since I was a child. My father would come get me well after dark (the ONLY time to really get the Halloween spirit) and take me to all the neighborhood houses, telling me scary stories or pointing out imaginary ghosts behind every corner. I was exhilarated and scared at the same time. My Dad really put the magic in Halloween for me. I also remember a few times my teen-aged aunt took me around, cutting thru backyards that were pitch black, running and laughing in fear and delight like the devil himself was at our heels. Then we would come back to my grandmother’s house and, after passing the genuine cast iron cauldron being stirred by her dress mannequin decorated as the scariest witch I have ever seen to this day, we would pour out the bounty to assess the loot. My sister and I engaged in a very serious bartering session (she liked sugar, I liked chocolate) in the candle-lit kitchen with scary stories playing on the radio. It was a magical time.

Today, kids don’t have it so good. Parents feel the world is too dangerous now for the trick-or-treating we did as kids, so they dress up their kids and have them all congregate at someone’s house which, to me, is no better than a dress-up birthday party. Sorry Moms.

Things are kind of tight this year for us, so tight that we are skipping Halloween and will miss the few trick-or-treaters that come to our door. The radio no longer plays spooky shows all night, and the TV seems to think that blood and gore equates to spooky. I don’t know what ever happened to my grandmother’s horrifying porch witch, and my aunt has passed away. So this year you can find me playing my own movies on DVD, candles all around, eating candy corn in my witch outfit. I don’t think the magic will ever die for me.

As a thank you for reading this highly indulgent post, here is a cool recipe for Halloween, but not for the faint of heart: Simply click on the title of this post found above the haunted house picture.

So This Is How Its Gonna Be?

I was not going to comment on the whole Gates/Crowley Affair. Like so many other juicy nuggets, I thought the press had beaten this dead horse enough without needing my help. But then I figured that since I have kept silent on the Michael Jackson media frenzy, I deserved at least a little rant.

Like most things, this is not as simple as it looks. After being spoon-fed way more info than anyone needs to know on this incident, this is my personal conclusion:

A concerned citizen called 911 when she saw what she described as two men breaking into her neighbor’s home, explaining she did not know if they had a key or not, which makes me presume she thought it could be the homeowner but she wanted to play it safe. At one point, she was asked by the 911 operator what race she thought the men were, and she was unsure, stating one was possibly Hispanic. For this, she has been publicly accused of being a racist. What does this teach us? Don’t call 911 if your neighbor’s home is being broken into or you will not be called a good Samaritan, you will be labeled a racist as soon as CNN has a slow news day. Thanks again Mr. Media.

We all know by now what went on inside the home between Gates and Crowley. You can argue for the police that Crowley was doing his job, treating Gates as he would any “person of interest”, and that we should understand he was looking out for the homeowner's as well as his own safety. We can also argue Gates’ side. CNN interviewed an African-American psychologist on this subject and I found his perspective interesting. He said that a black man in America, no matter his class or income or social standing, will usually have an inherent distrust of the police. Men of Gates’ generation grew up in a much different time than today. Perhaps, if we put ourselves in Professor Gates shoes, and see through the eyes of a young black man decades ago, we can see where fear and mistrust would grow and how, even if greatly diminished over time, it could still surface when confronted in his own home, and possibly express itself as it did that night in Mr. Gates’ home?

Lastly, there is President Obama’s media faux pas, which I believe is no more than the man being forced by the media to make a poorly thought out statement before he knew all the facts. Which, by the way, is more the fault of the blood-sucking press than of the president.

I am not taking sides here. I see everyone’s point of view, at least using only the facts I have heard. This was a misunderstanding, probably happens everyday somewhere in the country. The only difference here is that Gates knows the President of the United States personally, that this president happens to be identified as African American, and that the media finally got to do it's first racial litmus test, as I am sure it has been grinding its teeth in anticipation of. I hope this is not shades of things to come, it so diminishes the real racial problems we still have in this country and it also undermines the hopes of racial harmony both blacks and whites are rooting for this president to achieve.

My hope is that a spectacular man-bites-dog story diverts the media soon, we can leave this transparent, overexposed, non-issue to the past, and get on with the business of delving into the Great Depression, Part Two. Now there’s a story!

I Have No Words for This

1916 - 2009

Bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Cronkite

Of Mary Janes and Muffin Tops

Attention everyone! Please put down your glasses and lets talk about another, less harmful drug than the one you are now drinking… marijuana. Yes, your lunchtime martini is a drug folks. Your local government sponsored ABC store is stocked with drugs, all dressed in pretty bottles with enticing labels, attached to ads teeming with subliminal sexual references. It makes CVS look like your mother’s medicine cabinet. But hey, its okay, the government says so!

This article will contain some facts, and if you want to dispute them fine, I am grumpy the 3rd week of every month so right now I really don’t feel like looking up all the proper references that should accompany this writing, so you will have to do it yourself or take my word on it.

Alcohol is a drug. Period. Even the government once thought it was so harmful they had to pass laws against its use and would probably have made it part of The Axis of Evil if Dubbya were around then. Just because drinking is legally and socially acceptable now does not make it any less of a drug, by definition. Go argue the point with drunk ‘ole Bubba over there after he stops beating his wife outside the trailer. Or debate Chad over the same issue, though he overindulges in brandy not Budweiser, and beats his wife with the door closed, next to the antique Chippendale. (No Bubba, not a retired stripper, an old expensive chair). Better yet, ask Matt, he just got high with his buddies and they are lying around discussing the existential meaning of the last Star Trek episode they watched. Point being…. the stoners are not hitting anyone! Do you ever hear a cop yelling, “Mr. Pothead, stop the violence or I will be forced to shoot you”? No, but I know of a drunk or two who have smacked down a cop…or a wife…or a child, a mother, an animal…you get my drift. We all know people who turn into monsters when they drink. But how many do you know become aggressive on grass? The point being, and you can look this up, marijuana makes you mellow, it calms you down, makes you more open and friendly, or it just puts you to sleep. Unlike most every other drug, it turns you into a more peaceful person. And isn’t that contrary to why drugs are illegal? Because people do dastardly things to other people while taking them? Surely it cannot be the government imposing its standards of morality on us, making all drugs (except the one they like to abuse after dinner at The Club) illegal because it is unseemly to be in an altered state of consciousness? Don’t forget to put down that Highball before you start to argue with me on this one.

Unlike other drugs, legal or not, Marijuana is not a “violent” drug. The only violence related to MJ comes from the dealers themselves, which who would be eradicated if marijuana were to be legalized (Could California finally get one right here?) Marijuana is also not a “gateway” drug and guess what? There is no such thing as a gateway drug! Personally I think Nancy Reagan made that one up. Oh, and if given a choice, I would much rather drive with a person on marijuana than with a person on alcohol, but that is just a personal preference.

Legalization would also bring in much needed revenue to the individual states, something especially important to consider right now. It would greatly reduce the cost of our sacred War On Drugs, a futile endeavor if there was one, just ask a NARC officer. Legalization would also free up valuable and scarce prison space for the REAL criminals, the ones that murder and rape and steal, or beat up their wives outside trailers or next to antique Chippendales.

It could be prescribed, over-the-counter, for things such as migraines, glaucoma, asthma, and anxiety. A quick Google search could certainly give you a dozen more medicinally valuable uses for marijuana. Then there is hemp, the virtues of which the likes of Thomas Jefferson espoused.

The only real drawback I see in smoking Mary Jane is the urge to eat, or “the munchies” as the hip and cool refer to it. The munchies, in and of itself, is harmless and I, for one, am going to buy lots of stock in Little Debbie and Frito Lay if this Legalization bill in CA passes. Unfortunately, left unchecked, the munchies can lead to this, the beginning of my next rant: MUFFIN TOPS!





Fat people, skinny people, men, women, children …you see it everywhere! Even pets have it! Look at this, it’s a crime against nature!







I want to know which designer decided it is physically attractive to put a waistband at the hipline, effectively flattening the ass and forcing all that extra skin, fat and internal organs UP and OVER the waist-cum-hip band, effectively making you look like the Homo Sapien version of a breakfast pastry!



This, which is a true muffin top, is acceptable, even yummy, but the jeans thing…ugh, just add one of these:








To complete this urbane, sophisticated ensemble.

The mullet…Business in the front, party in the back!

So I propose we legalize Marijuana, with the same taxes, regulations, restrictions and penalties that apply to alcohol, and instead fill those jail cells with all muffin-topped mulletheads.

The world would be a much more beautiful place.

Cry For The Chldren

As affected as I was initially by the death of Michael Jackson, I soon grew tired of the constant barrage of MJ stories on TV. Even CNN lead their top-of-the-hour story with speculation on what the toxicology report from his autopsy might reveal, and relegated North Korea’s threat to launch a nuke at us on July the 4th to the second spot.

Fine. I have come to accept that the responsible, watchdog press in this country was in its death throes for decades, finally pushing up daisies during the dubbya days, if it ever really existed at all.

I also have come to terms with the sad fact that celebrities are the royalty of America, and our reverence, fascination, even obsession with them rivals that usually reserved for the House of Windsor by Londoners.

Though I am told I am opinionated, in my heart I am basically a live and let live person, so I have been trying to ignore the television instead of torturing myself with hour after hour of MJ coverage, and how that coverage reflects on us as a nation.

But when I saw the video of Paris Jackson, MJ’s daughter, speaking at the memorial, and the actions of those around her during this heartbreaking scene, it touched something in me that wanted to spirit those children away and not give them up until a decent, normal home was found for them.

Here is a link to the video. It is only 46 seconds long, but it speaks volumes. Watch it once and you will see the pain in this little girl’s heart (I bet this video will be up there with the one of little John Kennedy saluting at his father’s funeral, the oversized watch dangling poignantly from his tiny arm). Watch it again and notice the actions of the family around her:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xd-bUZXxNU


Initially, what we see is the very public display of this child’s shattered world. Her squeaky words remind us that this was not just the King of Pop dying, this was a man, a father, that left 3 basically motherless children to this world. We can debate his fitness as a parent til the cows come home, but we cannot deny that this child loved him.

Grief for the loss of a parent is a natural part of life (albeit not usually at such a young age), and as sad as it is to watch, we all know Paris Jackson will recover from this eventually. But being forced to express that grief in front of thousands of people, some of whom screamed out “Janet” from the auditorium as if this were some creepy necro-concert, is just plain wrong. We see the aunt (was it Janet or Latoya, who knows, they all look like mannequinesque copies if each other now anyway) telling her to “speak up Honey.” There was the grandmother adjusting the microphone so every vampire out there could be sure to hear. After Paris barely gets out her 2 sentences, she turns and dives into the breast of her aunt, who comforts her briefly, which drives home to us the lack of a real mother in these children's lives.

In typical Jackson fashion, the “show” was the reason. These spectators were not mourners, they were an audience. Tickets were sold to a memorial service for godsake. There was applause as the casket holding Jackson’s corpse was brought in by his brothers, as if they realized this would be the last time the Jackson 5 would be seen together. Mariah Carey belted out an old J-5 tune, one that was popular before she was even born. There was a morbid We Are The World-type gathering on stage, sung by about 100 of the Beautiful People, performing one of MJ’s humanitarian numbers; a reason for B-list pop stars to get face time, and for a few A-list divas to feed their egos. Well, I hope everyone enjoyed the show. I for one don’t give damn about any of it. The only thing I ever want to hear about Michael Jackson again is what is to become of his children. I certainly hope they are not allowed to be near their abusing grandfather, the man who, in my opinion, is responsibly for the very broken person Michael Jackson became.

I saw 2 people with genuine emotion on their faces, and neither sported the last name Jackson. Lionel Ritchie was pale as a ghost and looked to be fighting tears most of the time. And Brooke Shields, a lifelong friend of MJ, gave a sweet eulogy while barely maintaining composure.

In the meantime, hidden behind Jacksonpoloosa, Farrah Fawcett was quietly buried with family and friends present. It was reported she left a letter to her family to be read at the funeral, one that will be kept private, as it should be. Once again Farrah, your overlooked class and dignity shines through.

WELCOME!

Welcome to my new blog, Musing In The Lounge.
I chose this name because I wanted a place to relax, ponder and comment freely. The name is more of a verb than a noun, but I think it fits.

I started this new blog because I was being pressured to remove some of my entries on my Shoppe Unique blog by other storeowners who were afraid my opinions would tarnish everyone’s reputation on etsy.com. I do not respond well to censorship, and my knee-jerk was to choose a finger to present to them, but in reality these were just nice people I know who were looking out for me and for their own livelihoods, so I graciously deleted some of the blogs and decided it was time I went elsewhere. Shoppe Unique still has a blog, but it will only hold posts on my latest offerings from the shop, staying very uncontroversial in the process.

The down side to all this is that I AM free to write what I want, which may not sit well with some of you, as you may see some opinions you may not have known I hold, and possibly be shocked at my "passion" on some issues. That is fine. In the words of one of our finest military patriots, “ I yam what I yam”.
My two hopes are that you will be anything but bored, and that you will comment on what you hardily agree or disagree with. The musing in this lounge goes both ways.

So welcome, and let’s get started. Oh, and if you want to be removed from the notification mailing list PLEASE send me an email. I realize everyone is busy and that my writings are not universally loved (imagine that!), so my feelings will not be hurt. I do not want to be a bother to anyone.

Now pull up a chair, grab a latte, some Earl Grey or a martini, and relax with me.

Sarah Palin: The Mystery, The Maverick, The Slutty Flight Attendant (or the blog with too many parentheses)

Aside from George W., I cannot think of a face that enrages me more to lay eyes upon than Sarah Palin (okay, maybe that Burger King guy).

Without going into my usually extensively long tirade about the GOP (yes family, I know my roots. Seems there have been only 2 other liberal dissenters, one has passed away and the other’s identity is safe with me) I simply want to comment on this woman since she LOST THE ELECTION (never stops feeling gooood to write that).

There are some who admire her Christian values (though she has a known reputation for acting out personal vendettas again those who cross her). Some who admire her family values (like housing her unwed daughter’s lover and denying it, oh and having a man fired who would not fire her sis’s ex because he hurt her feelings) and yet others who are drawn to that all-American soccer mom way about her (yea, I especially love that feeling when I see her shooting wolves from a helicopter and flashing that wink-and-a-smile- Ole Sarah is famous for). Oh, and let’s not forget her dedication to her job (according to insiders she had her husband running the governorship 50% of the time, see VF article ) and her stellar reputation (in high school her nick-name was Barracuda and during the campaign she was refereed to as “Diva” and “little shop of horrors” by her own staff). Yes, Sarah Palin lives up to exactly what we have all come to expect from the GOP.

Recently, however, I have been a bit concerned about good ole Sarah. After the David letterman feud (http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com), which was yet another obvious ploy to keep her botoxed face in the media, the ever-smiling Palin has decided to resign mid-term! For anyone not familiar with her bizarre resignation speech, which at times is barely coherent, here is a link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shannyn-moore/sarah-palin-resigns-as-al_b_225515.html.

I just honestly want to know what this woman is thinking? Every pundit is screaming that this is the worst thing she can do if she plans on running in 2012 (See, the Mayans were right, it IS the end of the world). How can she “better serve America” by not being in office? It boggles the mind!

So, here are my reasons for subjecting you to this pointless blog:
1-I get to write LOST THE ELECTION twice!
2-I get to share my personal Top Ten Reasons For Hating Sarah Palin
3-I get to share the very insightful VF article with you: http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/08/sarah-palin200908
4-I get to write my first entry on my new blog!

Top Ten Reasons I hate Sarah Palin:

10: She abandoned her post as governor, making her a quitter in my book
9: She has not changed her hairstyle since her Homecoming Queen days
8: She refuses to own up to mistakes or the fact she is ignorant on a subject.
7: How she ALWAYS smiles when she speaks, no matter the gravity of the subject.
6: She is a Republican.
5: She was chosen over much more qualified (albeit less attractive) females.
4: She shoots wolves from a helicopter! Not only is that inhumane, it is cheating!
3: She pretends to be MY candidate when I have more in common with an acorn.
2: She is a conservative, dogmatic, judgmental Christian.
1: That stupid wink which is arrogant and ignorant at the same time.

Thank you for reading my blog. It means a lot to me.
Please check out the links I have listed, I think you will find them enlightening and entertaining. And please, if you have opinions or comments, leave a comment or send me an email.