Looking out my window… smoky from all the fires in the west.
I am thinking… about tomorrow morning and the process to get ready and get Daniel on his bus with all his school supplies.
I am thankful… that when my mom offered to replace my laptop for Christmas two years ago, she got me a Geek Squad protection plan. My little miscreant removed part of my CD-ROM so it is currently off being repaired free of charge and I am typing this on my NOOK tablet!
One of my favorite things… rain. I hope we get some soon!
I am wearing… my black “Nevertheless, she persisted” shirt and black jeans.
I am creating… nothing at the moment.
I am listening to… the A/C because it is too smoky to have windows open.
I am hoping… the nighttime Dimatapp knocks Daniel out and my Benadryl does the same.
I am learning… Business English stuff for the challenge test I have to take this quarter.
In my kitchen… some chow mein and leftover Chinese pork.
In the school room… Daniel is chomping at the bit to go back tomorrow!
Shared Quote… “Comparison is the thief of joy.” –Theodore Roosevelt
My massage therapist in Galt. I saw a massage therapist almost the whole time we lived in Galt (2011-2014). It was helpful for my fibromyalgia and she kept my neck and shoulders worked out. I could seriously use her right now!
Obama. I miss having a president who was intelligent, classy, ethical, and *NOT* 45. Seriously, even my diehard Republican friends who didn’t vote for him even miss him!
Sugary cereal. Given that I live with my health-nut parents, Lucky Charms and Cocoa Puffs wouldn’t be allowed in the house. They’re also pretty much verboten because of my diabetes. However, I’d still give almost anything for a bowl of them.
My Giants being a winning team. Seriously, the freaking DODGERS are at the top of the NL West. Let’s talk about how *WRONG* that is, let alone that my boys are 40 games behind them. My #2 boys (the Cardinals) are only 6 games behind the Cubs so they could still take the division if the Cubs and the Brewers lose some games.
Looking out my window… dusk. It got up to almost 90F here which is icky because of the humidity. It’s not as bad Ohio was though. *shudders*
I am thinking… about the school year for Daniel which starts in 9 days. (Nope… totally not counting down…)
I am thankful… for my mom replacing my NOOK which broke on New Year’s Day. Usually, my electronics/computer stuff are named after titles for Orthodox priest’s wives; but Mom convinced me to name it Edda after my black literary cat of beauty who disappeared almost three years ago.
One of my favorite things… ice chips.
I am wearing… jammies. Clothes today were an indigo v-necked shirt and black capris.
I am creating… a baby blanket for a friend due in November.
I am reading…Killer Gourmet by G.A. McKevett
I am hoping… for decent sleep tonight and that my conversation with Social Security goes well tomorrow.
I am learning… how to eat for type 2 diabetes.
In my kitchen… a quesadilla made with leftover tri-tip earlier.
In the school room… 9 days to go. Hopefully, the school supply list arrives soon.
The eclipse here in the Pacific Northwest. I was honestly underwhelmed by it here in northern Washington. We were at 92% of totality here so I expected it to be darker — it was kind of dusky out but not amazing. I wasn’t outside though and my parents told me that it dropped about 10 degrees temperature-wise and the bees were completely still on the flowers the entire 2+ minutes.
I did watch it going over Jackson Hole, Wyoming on TV and that was pretty amazing, especially seeing the sun’s rays hitting Grand Teton as the moon was done passing by.
Neighbors in Faith. Last night, I attended a presentation on Islam by Pastor Terry Kyllo of Neighbors in Faith. Pastor Terry used to be one of the clergy that rotated through my Episcopal church when they were part of a Lutheran-Episcopal cluster so I knew him. It was a wonderful presentation and I wanted to share the following resources with y’all.
Seriously?!?!? Here’s a map of the most hated food in each state. I can understand hating some things like Chick-Fil-A or mayonnaise on fries but there are people out there that hate pesto?!?!?!? (The store-bought stuff is nasty but the homemade stuff is AWESOME.)
Cat therapy for autistic kids.This might explain why my kiddo is a social butterfly. (She also absolutely loves the videos she has seen of Iris and her Maine Coon kitty Thula.)
Looking out my window… dark. It was in the high 70’s today. We’ve got 92% of the sun obscured up here so it should be interesting tomorrow.
I am thinking… about the political situation in this country.
I am thankful… that many people clicked on the links I shared in my Quick Takes this past week. I know not everyone agrees with my viewpoint on this blog, so I was really thankful that people did read what I shared.
One of my favorite things… lamb gyros. I just found a local source so I’m really happy.
I am wearing… jammies. Church clothes were a black patterned top, black slacks, my black cardigan, and black flats. Regular clothes were my blue-green fitted tee and black capris.
I am creating… notes on my Business English book. Woo.
I am watching… the news.
I am hoping… the next 2.5 weeks until kiddo goes back to school goes quickly. He’s chomping at the bit and he really does like having the scheduled time he has in the classroom.
I am learning… how my Sacred Ordinary Days planner works.
In my kitchen… pork roast, corn, potatoes, and salad for dinner with pie and ice cream for dessert.
In the school room… waiting for kiddo to get his school supply list in the mail.
I’m sure most of you who know me well would argue that I “got political” and that none of what I’m about to say or show you is surprising, but I would appreciate you hearing me out anyway.
How a *REAL* president tweets. This tweet by former President Obama is the most liked tweet in history. 45 should take notes. As I know some of you cannot go to the former president’s Twitter page in good conscience, I’ve taken the liberty of screen-capping it for you.
Also, please don’t claim that you’re not racist/homophobic because your BFF/friends/loved one is a person of color or is Jewish or is GLBTQ. All three communities want you to cut that crap out because you’re offering them up as a sacrifice to assuage your guilt.
My friend Eileen shared this with me from the Southern Poverty Law Center which discusses the timing of the monument erection. Hint: it was 1910-1930 during the rise of the KKK and of anti-Semitism.
This is an interesting reflection on the Confederate flag. Here’s a piece on mothballing Confederate monuments.
Identifying the neo-Nazi marchers. There have been marchers who have been doxxed. One such story is here. A thoughtful discussion on whether it should happen is here.
For those who want to read… My dear friend Kate went to the library this week and got quite a few books with main characters who were people of color so she read them to her kids. She also shared this link that she found for books about social justice issues.
Political ramifications of all of this. I’m incredibly disappointed with 45 over his statements and refusal to condemn the neo-Nazi marchers outright. His daughter is an Orthodox Jew and they were calling for people like her, her husband, and her kids to die in ovens like in Nazi Germany.
I am thinking… about Charlottesville, my own privilege, and the need to speak out and say, as a white woman, that the neo-Nazi crap going on there is abhorrent.
I am thankful… for last night. My youngest cousin called to let us know that she and her mom had just bought her wedding dress and she was coming up to show it to my grandmother. When we were taking the pictures with her and grandma (who was miraculously alert and smiling), we discovered that the portrait of my late grandfather in his Navy uniform was photobombing them. We had a good laugh and got teary because we miss him and photobombing them is totally something he would have enjoyed doing. (My cousin and I were beloved by him so she’s ecstatic that he was there in spirit last night.)
One of my favorite things… sleep. I’m not getting enough of it.
I am wearing… my blue-green fitted tee and jeans. Church clothes were the tee with black slacks, my black cardigan, and my black flats.
I am creating… my last two reports and journals for my Interpersonal Communications class.
I am listening to… the Andante movement of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in D Major Op. 28.
I am hoping… what I just ate and drank will get my blood sugar to where it needs to be and I won’t feel so hypoglycemic.
I am learning… the fingers that are least painful to prick with my glucometer. I am also trying to get a baseline for what “normal” should feel like.
In my kitchen… just noshed on some Chinese pork.
In the school room… class ends for me this week (4 chapters to outline for the quiz, 2 reports, and 2 journals due on Wednesday) and then I get to spend some time outlining the Business English textbook so I can test out of the class.
Closing Notes: My priest made an interesting point this morning. She commented that it is an example of white privilege that she was able to step away from the Internet and all the coverage of Charlottesville to go help at a community event raising money for the local theater. For many people, the presence of the jerks in Charlottesville is not something that they can escape. I have friends whose relatives were in concentration camps, whose family members perished, and for whom the neo-Nazi presence was a reminder that there are people there who want to kill them and their children for being Jewish or of Jewish extraction.
For people of color, they are reminded every day of their lower status in America and quite a few people have commented that if the protesters with tiki torches had been African-American, the National Guard would have been called in to quell the protest. Others have offered equivocations that the Antifa and BLM are as bad as the neo-Nazis and that’s utter bullshit. First of all, most of the Antifa just want to go cause mayhem — seriously, even anarchists disavow association with them. Secondly, BLM is largely peaceful but white people are incredibly threatened by them marching that law enforcement tends to go overboard. The neo-Nazis in Charlottesville look like a bunch of frat boys in their khakis and polo shirts — they haven’t experienced a day of persecution in their lives!
White people need to speak up and condemn these acts. Yes, crap does happen where African-Americans yell epithets at white folks — I experienced it living in Columbus, Ohio. However, I didn’t take it as personally as I could have because I knew that there was a lot of hurt and anger behind it that spans generations and that they were dealing with things that I would never experience. I have never had a landlord refuse to rent to me because of the color of my skin, I never had to attend a school that was sub-par because of the neighborhood in which it was located, and while my dad’s family fled persecution in Ireland in the 19th century and weren’t allowed into the States (long story), my ancestors were never considered mere pieces of property.
White people enjoy a very privileged status in this country and we need to use that privilege to SPEAK UP when there is injustice being committed. If a friend lost a family member or had a tragedy happen, you would speak up. Guess what? There are a number of communities in this country whose lives and well-being are threatened by the men marching in Charlottesville and WE NEED TO SAY SOMETHING.
