Monday, July 6, 2009

Monday, July 6, 2009
Waxing Moon
Pluto Retrograde
Jupiter Retrograde
Sunny and pleasant

There was a power failure out in CT, just a short one, but it screwed up the wi-fi somehow, so I had a good excuse not to get online. I could get on with the iPod and tweet, etc., but not get on the webmail accounts because I haven’t set them up properly. I’ll have to fix that today. When I accessed them via Safari, I couldn’t maneuver in the accounts the way I needed. It was a holiday weekend and I had an “out of office” message up anyway, so I seriously doubt anyone couldn’t live without me for a few days. I’m trying to steer away from clients who are drama queens — dealt with enough of those when I worked in theatre!

Friday was good. I was sore, but had a productive morning, got the cats set up, the follow-up paper work regarding UHaul done, etc. A UHaul customer service advocate responded to my Twitter moans, but it was already a done deal. Hopefully, UHaul and I are done for good. They used to be pretty good, but in the past few years, have disintegrated.

I was out the door a little after 10 AM. I stopped at DSW, in the mood for some shoe shopping as a reward. Unfortunately, in spite of a huge sale, there was nothing I wanted. There was a pair of burnt orange patent leather sandals — a color I NEVER wear, but for some reason, they intrigued me. The design was great. However, on my feet, they looked hideous. And everything else either looked bad or didn’t fit properly. Oh, well.

Stopped at Michael’s in search of some cotton yarn they sometimes carry, but they’re setting up for Halloween and didn’t have it. Halloween? Really? In July? I know some of these crafts take awhile, but still . . .

Swung by the grocery store to pick up the last few items — it was a zoo. Driving to CT, I had the radio on and the local weather forecast predicted “a light shower around 4 PM.” Meanwhile, it was 11:30 AM and pouring, but no one mentioned that. Do these people ever actually look out of a window?

Unloaded in CT, discovered I forgot a few key ingredients, headed to the closest store and picked them up, and then I was REALLY ready to relax. Lobster for lunch — I’m on a cilantro kick and mixed it into the salad — really good.

Relaxing afternoon, reading and not doing much of anything.

Made sweet-and-sour chicken for dinner. And we had a strawberry shortcake for dessert.

So, Sarah Palin’s resigning as governor of Alaska, huh? And here I hoped we were rid of her in the lower 48 for awhile as she dealt with the state she was paid to govern. No such luck. I can’t stand her — not because I disagree with her views (which I do), but because she is one of the most woefully uninformed individuals I’ve ever come across, and DOESN’T CARE to learn anything. She parrots talking points and spreads misinformation, and the way she stood there and grinned like a loon and did nothing when people in her crowds advocated violence against Obama was both irresponsible and disgusting. There’s nothing wrong with having a strong point of view, but back it up with FACTS, not fiction, and she was unwilling to do so. This attitude that because she has a point of view on something means it’s real no matter what the facts prove is both arrogant and dangerous.

Also, not being willing to see out her full term says, to me, that she can’t honor a commitment made to the people who elected her. If she can’t honor a commitment made to her home state, how could anyone believe she would fulfill a commitment made on a national level? If she dislikes “lame duck” status, then prove a Governor doesn’t have to be a lame duck during the last 18 months in office. Don’t just quit.

However, I also felt she was often treated unfairly, especially when it came to how much was spent on clothes, etc. Women are scrutinized on their appearance more closely than men. She had to have a MASSIVE wardrobe, and that is a legitimate business expense. When I worked full-time on Broadway, if there were clothes I had to buy to wear exclusively backstage for work, they were write-offs when they weren’t provided by the company. Some shows provided black jumpsuits to wear backstage; sometimes you had to be in long-sleeved black shirts and black pants, which you provided yourself, but were either reimbursed by the show or written off on taxes (and yes, it was a legitimate write-off, there’s a line for it). I had specific black cross-trainers only worn backstage, and I went through a pair every three months. Those were a legitimate expense. Palin had to be on-camera all day, every day, and her appearance (as Hillary Clinton’s, as Michelle Obama’s, as Cindy McCain’s) was discussed in more detail and with a more critical eye than any of the men’s. A huge and varied wardrobe was a necessity. They weren’t something she would have had to buy on her own, and yes, the campaign SHOULD foot the bill and shut up.

She’s too addicted to the spotlight to go away, and she wants to be president in 2012. She’s going to be a GOP attack dog for the next few years, continuing to spread more misinformation because she can’t be bothered with facts.

Where I think she could do a lot of good is as an advocate for disabled children. She mentioned her youngest in her speech — and I think that’s place where she could have an enormously positive impact. But I doubt she’ll be content with that.

And will someone please get Mark Sanford to shut up? The American public are not his personal therapy group, and he needs to stop treating us as such. The meltdown is kind of horrifying, and, as I’ve said before, I feel bad for him and his family on a human level, but it’s none of my business. Some of it is the business of his constituency; most of it is the business of his immediate circle. He needs to get whatever help and mediation necessary to resolve the situation in however they decide to resolve it, but TMI, Governor, TMI.

Regarding Michael Jackson’s death, enough already. When the media has some actual information, in the 6-8 weeks it takes for toxicology screens to come back, tell us, but this all-Jackson-all-the-time is exhausting. He was sad and brilliant; we get it. He was somewhat of a musical idiot savant who couldn’t function in daily life and surrounded himself with parasites; we get it. What they’re ignoring is how much of his music was about social justice — from the video of the rehearsal two days before his death to something like “Black or White”, etc. Let him rest in peace, so his ghost isn’t tied to the earth the way Elvis’s is. Honor him, but let him GO.

Up early on Saturday. Spent most of the morning cooking. I hadn’t brought a recipe for potato salad, so I made one up. Fortunately, it turned out well. Also made a chocolate cream pie. I made a shortbread crust, but next time, I think I’ll try something else.

Spent some time in the morning reading by the pool. My mom was dog-sitting near by, so we went over for lunch to visit and I made pizza. Lazy afternoon, reading, and I managed to get in a nap.

Evening was fun, eating with a few friends, typical hamburgers, hotdogs, etc. The potato salad was a big hit, and I noted down the recipe. We watched the feed of the Macy’s fireworks — lovely, especially with that enormous moon overhead. And, if you actually sit down and READ the Declaration of Independence, instead of just spitting up sound bytes — it’s a pretty astonishing document.

Up early on Sunday, and actually went back to the page. A little frightening– I haven’t had a good session at the page for nearly two weeks, thanks to UHaul Hell. It was as though I hadn’t worked out for weeks and the muscles atrophied — I had to get back into it slowly. And I didn’t want to.

Didn’t do much on Sunday — cooked a bit, but mostly sat around and read. I was ready to come home by the end of the day, and the cats were happy to see me. Unpacked, watered the plants — the tomato plants, the morning glories, and the moonflowers are all doing well. Read a bit, watched some bad TV. I’m so sick of unscripted television, and the networks don’t want to actually pay talented people to put on good shows for more than a few hours a week, so, very often, the television is OFF.

Lousy writing session this morning. I think I’ll have a few rough days until I find my rhythm again. Some client projects came in and more “talk” with a potential editor — I’m beginning to think we’re never going to actually get to the article. I’ve also got to do most of the work for Confidential Job #1.

I’m spending a few hours in the storage unit today, rearranging, purging, organizing, and then, tomorrow, I can start folding in the other two units I’ve got at the facility, so everything is in a single unit. In a few weeks, I’m going to do a furniture swap– get some of the furniture where I am now into the unit and some of the stuff in the unit out where it’s useful. Rearrange the space a bit, make it more efficient and better-looking. And doing all of this work now will make the relocation easier, too.

The next few weeks will be really busy, but I hope to slide back into a good writing groove after a few days and balance the fiction with the practical. There’s a lot to get done in the month of July.

In other words, I have no time for politicians who behave like morons.

Hope everyone had a great weekend, and let’s hope July is a fantastic month!

Devon