Political Nutrition

For some, Sundays are a day of rest. Not so for us Millers. It's Family Fun Day! First, a quick stop at the park to say hi to a friend walking her dogs, where we somehow ended up on an hour long impromptu hike with her. Hmmm. Well, it was a beautiful day, so no harm done there. It was early yet, so plenty of time yet for more family fun. We went furniture shopping. Always a blast. Desk shopping to be specific. When we moved into our home, 2 years ago, I had high hopes for my home office. Still do. And at some point, I'll get there. A desk is a good start. I just haven't found the right one. Actually, I found several. But my husband said he didn't want to put anything together. And I wanted it made here in the US. And it had to be delivered. And decent quality. And well...here we are 2 years later, no desk. So then I found the perfect solution. Penney's has a kind of build-it-yourself modular desk system. Lookin' good here I thought. Found it online. So we ...

For genealogists, whether amateur or professional, coming across photos and portraits of ancestors can be, well, quite frightening. Take the latest knowledge that Scott Brown, the latest interloper in the US Senate is actually The President's 10th cousin. Don't think either of them wants to be. Probably the same way my husband felt when I said, "hey, guess what," "you're George Bush's 10th Cousin!" "How far removed?"  he asked. "None!" I said. "Can we remove him?" he replied. In all fairness to my husband's side, I have traced them pretty far back, ergo, they can be much scarier. So we'll start with one from my side. My great grandmother. She was my Great Grandfather's second wife. He died in a terrible accident. Well, so they say. The somewhat discombobulated story the family tells (I have to piece it together) is that he was a Religious man, always lost in thoughtful contemplation. Other versions claim...

So the other day, I read an online article at Newsweek, and some pissed off reader comments by saying that Newsweek is a liberal left wing magazine. Duh. So, obviously this individual is not a liberal left winger. So then why is he reading Newsweek? Basically to piss himself off apparently. It's like me sitting down every night to watch Bill O'Reilly, just to piss myself off. I could do that, and then I would be super-informed about his antics and be able to quote him incessantly. Or, I could watch the recap on MSNBC, which would be obviously skewed and spun like a cat in the dryer. I remember my Dad watching some pundit on TV and yelling at the screen. Then he turns to me and says "They're all a bunch of idiots!" And I'd think to myself, why does he watch this crap? It just pisses him off. How many times a day to you say "It just pisses me off!" followed by "Why do I keep doing this?" My mom calls me up and begins by saying "I...

There are legitimate reasons why we don't allow our husbands to do the shopping unless it's absolutely necessary. Like when they've been in the house on a rainy day for way too long and are making you insane. So you say, "honey, would you pick up a few things at the store?" And they say "why of course, dear, I'd be happy to." So you send them to the local grocery store, just down the road, armed with a list and full instructions as well as an interior map of the store. In this particular case, I explain exactly what I need and where to get it. A pound of ground beef, not the packaged stuff..the good stuff in the butcher case. 2% sharp cheddar cheese which I know he could not find the last time, but I tell him to walk directly North from the butcher case, and he'll come to the cheese, and it is right there on the third rack 4th row down. Some butter too. The good cholesterol kind, not the heart stopper brand. And a bag of Yukon Gold potatoes...

So, just a brief word about the State of the Union. I didn't want to watch. I was worried I'd be disappointed. I was afraid our fearless leader would bow down to pressure. But he didn't. Like any good parental unit, he chastised our bickering elected officials who are accomplishing nothing. He took a paternal tone and let them have it. Both Sides. Both Barrels. I may not agree with all his policies, but he showed true leadership. Very Rooseveltesque. And today, there was a 70-30 vote to confirm Bernanke. Coincidence? I think not.

While the rest of the world oohs and aaahs over a nifty little gadget that well, does stuff... I'm waiting for the real breakthrough. The iHouse. What's an iHouse? Well I'm glad you asked. There was a movie a few years ago, Smart House. Kind of silly, but fabulous premise. The whole house was basically wired to serve you. Really. Spill on the carpet, the iHouse automatically recognizes your faux pas and voilá the spot magically disappears. Bathrooms? Self cleaning. It's possible, you know. They have them in Seattle. Or they did. I've never been there, but I did see it on TV. Public Potties that literally clean up after you. Who wouldn't want that in their home. Potties that clean themselves after every use. Now if self cleaning potties have been around for awhile, for like 5 years, then why isn't it standard in every home? Because our tech gurus are busy trying to recreate the inventions we already have. Seriously. Enough. Let's get down to busin...

Unbelievable. I will start by saying that I am an Apple fan. I bought my first one in like 1983...or something like that. Anyway, always been a Macintosh user. Love it. And the iPhone is cool, but I don't have AT&T. The iTouch is fun for my daughter, but she had to buy it with her own money. I do draw the line somewhere. So now...the iPad. What a stupid name for a stupid device. A giant iTouch that does more than the regular.... In other words, a Maxipad. Sorry, but that's what the name invokes in me. Normally I'm not really a fan of sophomoric humor or gratuitous stupidity, but I'm making an exception here. If you haven't seen it...take a look. http://www.apple.com/ipad/features/ I admit, I am not a technogeek. I am pretty dim-witted when it comes to all the new gadgets. But really, I'm not a moron. Just look at all the iPad does. Hmmm. Shows photos. Ooooh. Plays videos. Aaaaaah. It's an eReader. Woooo Hooo. Been there done that. Plays games. ...

It starts midday. Hubby: so..what's for dinner? Moi: dunno Daughter: so...what's for dinner? Moi: dunno And so it goes. 10 minutes later. "What's for dinner?" "Dunno" "We going out?" "Dunno" "Well if we go out where are we going? "Dunno". All this is typically followed by a series of unanswerable questions. From Downstairs....Hey Mom? What's this in the Fridge? Dunno From the chair next to me: "What's wrong with this computer?" Dunno From my mother on the phone: "Are you going out anytime soon?" Dunno From my boss on the phone: "What are you doing?" Dunno (good thing he has a sense of humor) And, no matter how many times I say "Dunno" they keep asking. Is there a tatoo on my forehead that says ask.com? It's as if by the sheer nature of my role in life as a wife and mother and working woman I have suddenly earned honorary degrees in everything. Yep, ever...

Well, if you're Sarah Palin, everything. It isn't hard to notice the similarities between her new "do" and those worn by the March Girls in Little Women. Or the biographical characters of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie. Post-Civil War era locks and all, she's taking Fox News by storm. But is there something deeper going on here. Is Sarah Palin hoping for a 21st Century Civil War that, in the end, will have her rising from the ashes once again like dear Scarlett? You have to wonder. She was quoted as saying, and I'm paraphrasing here, she's "glad to be back in the news cycle again." Well, if that's all she's aiming for I'm ok with that. I won't watch. Plenty of World Champion Poker to be seen. But what if she truly is aiming higher. It's really a frightening thought. Here's a woman who can't name even one of the Founding Fathers, without a significant 2 minute prompt by her equally savvy int...

So there's this ad on Facebook that pops up every so often. Cartoon Yourself! it says. So I thought, why? Why would anyone want to cartoon themselves, except and unless they simply feel it will improve their appearance in some way. I have to admit, the cartoon images do appear quite attractive, often far more so than the original photo they show. More specifically, the process seems to perform that one elusive miracle...it erases the lines. Tempting, naturally. I've got quite a few, and more keep seeming to crop up out of nowhere. So you cartoon yourself, and then that becomes your profile picture. Your friends from long ago, those with whom you recently reconnected with, don't need to know that you've aged right along with them. I'm not really the type to spend a lot of money on expensive lotions and creams to erase the lines. So cartooning seems a pretty easy route to take. On the other hand, it's pretty much erasing the life from my face. Every line we middle...

What could possibly fascinate so many people about an online game that only lasts a minute? I will confess, I am just as guilty as the next person. One minute to score my best and hit the top of the leader board. The thing is, what else can you accomplish in just one minute? Practically nothing. Can't even make a cup of tea in a minute. Not enough time to chew out your kids. Can't create world peace. Can't even sharpen a pencil. But you can score as high as 800,000 or more at Bejeweled Blitz, the Facebook wonder game. For some it's a great little diversion at work, playing in silence. Doesn't work for me, I enjoy all the sound effects too much. My husband likes to sing while he plays. Makes up the most incredibly stupid songs. Is that a good thing? Quite probably, as I often laugh so hard I cry. My friends play. Old friends, some going back well, to childhood. And we can compete across vast distances, ultimately allowing one of us to once again sing the old victory ...

So if you're here, you have some minimal interest in what I have to say. Fine. Today is simply the first day of my blog. I don't have anything earth shattering to report and most of you will have no interest in it if I did. So here it is. It's Saturday. My husband, daughter and I will go to a movie. Sounds routine. Last time we tried to do this we had it all planned. Bought tickets online. Got as far as the theatre. No seats. So we learn that now they overbook movies online just like planes. If we went to the movies often, we'd have known this. We don't. Family time in our house is all of us on the computer at one time playing incredibly stupid games and trying top the leaderboard. At least we're doing something together. So now we are off for another try at the movies. Same movie. Only this time armed with special raincheck passes. Good for any show, any time. So I suppose it's a bargain considering we paid for the matinee. In the end, the importance of all...