Another interview, another day...

While I don't know what all of you do for a living, it's a given that we all need to pay the bills.

But, if given the chance, would you take the leap and do something different? Or, would you stick with the "same old, same old" just to make the car payment?

I'm at a real crossroads here. I've got an interview with a very major company on Wednesday, but...

The economy is in the loo, and I guess I should take any contract position I can get. And...

It's a long term contract position, and I mean a l-o-n-g term contract position. This could go on for years, with the understanding they will never hire me, along without any benefits.

Well, no more...it's all "window dressing" from here on out just to keep the state happy.

If you're not interested in hiring this incredibly talented, intelligent, creative woman on a full-time basis...I guess this incredibly talented, intelligent, creative woman will have to look elsewhere.

It Ain't No Fun Getting Sick...Again

I've been lucky. I've only been sick three times this year, and not for very long.

I was able to ward off a truly nasty sinus infection back in November, a quasi-flu like bug back in January, and my healthy eating habits knocked down another bug a few weeks back.

Just like a certain governor, I'm finding myself down for the count, once again.

This has been a record year for the flu, as well as other assorted "bugs", so I'm sure all I'll need is some OTC cold meds and a nice evening snoozing away in my flannel pajamas along with some herbal tea, dreaming about my lover, and my two cats keeping me nice and warm.

So, what's on PBS?

Down And Out?

Let's start this conversation by thinking about this, okay?

Just assume, for one minute, you were the Assistant Attorney General in what may be the most powerful city in the financial world. And, just for fun, let's figure that you went after all of the "bad guys" on Wall Street, and it left a bad taste in a lot of mouths.

Now, let's see...you were elected to be "Attorney General" of New York State, and you always targeted the "bad guys" in the state. You were so revered for your work in this state, that you ran for governor, and won the seat.

And, you liked the power. You liked the power so much that, well, you decided that your own love of power preceded the love you have for your wife and your three daughters.

We all know power blinds people, and you're certainly not the first one to discover that. But, power can also encourage people to make better decisions, too.

It's time for you to make a decision, and, dear Governor Spitzer, it better be a good one.

Springing Forward?

Okay, here's where I come down with a virtual hammer and say this is the most absolutely ridiculous and ludicrous idea needs to stop, right here and now.

Yes, I know spring is almost here, and really, I can't wait for it. I'm looking at the red haze on the trees, knowing that one good warm day in a few weeks will make them pop and by the end of the month, we'll see new growth on everything.

In two weeks, the roadside stands in southern New Jersey will be open, selling Easter plants and new asparagus to start their new growing season, too.

It's also mating season, so the birds are working double time these days; there's the typical "I'm here!" call, and then you hear "mating" calls.

It's a lovely thing, really...to wake up a bit before the sun comes up, and hear all of the birds, and two woodpeckers doing a jazz "call and response" with each other.

See, they're just in tune with what they need to do. But, well, not so much for us.

I'm not entirely sure that changing our sleep cycle even by one hour is a good thing, and besides, it's been proven that we're not saving any energy by doing so.

So, enjoy getting up tomorrow and driving to work in what feels like the dead of night, okay? And, let me know how much you like having your own body clock thrown off of schedule, too.

Okay?

I'm just saying, you know.

It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over...

So, let's just imagine if any one of us has ever been entirely and truly vetted.


You know, dump the desk drawers of all of our financial records, let all of our family and friends openly chat about your personal life, dig into your sexual preferences, how often you change the sheets or clean the bathroom for all the world to see.

I'm willing to bet we wouldn't like it much; hell, I don't even like people to know that I smoke, since that's my little guilty pleasure (including mashed potatoes with lots of butter, but that's another blog entry).

But, here we are faced with another Democratic conundrum: Hillary or Obama?

I voted for Obama in the New Jersey primary, but I'm beginning to think I wasted my primary vote (even though Hillary won New Jersey).

Now, I'm a huge political geek girl. I'm all about NPR during the day, and especially Brian Lehrer's coverage of the individual state's primaries and caucauses during the evening as they happen. I'm absolutely addicted to that sort of political coverage.

I've done a lot of research, and I'm switching my allegiance to Hillary. Not that anyone reading this blog really cares, but I think she's the better candidate to face off against McCain in November.

Besides, I'm pretty sure she likes mashed potatoes, too.

So, who do we want?

And, let's see...

It's no longer up to us; now the fine people from four other states just may seal the deal this evening for the two eventual candidates, and it may be that after this evening, this is all we're left with.

Sure, I'd like to see either Hillary or Obama win in November, so that we could be a part of history. Yes, I want to be part of a movement, and I'm sure that either of them could beat McCain in November.

But...I'm just not sure the Democratic party supported the right ones...I'm just saying, you know.

Embrace your congestion, and pass the tissues!

I'm going to take a bold move here on this blog and just say that all of are sick.

We're all sniffling, sniveling, coughing, if you're lucky. If not, you're dead in bed recovering from the flu, or flat out on the couch hoping that flu cough will go away soon.

As most of you know, I've been fighting a cold for the past two months, and I've named it "Polish Cat Flu"!

As odd as this may sound, I'm just going to give it all up, get good and sick so that I can get this damn thing out of my system.

Really, this isn't a strange idea; you're tired and beat, right? Eat something healthful, take your OTC meds of choice and go to sleep.

And, in the morning...do what needs to be done for the day, eat something, take your meds, have some tea and take another nap.

Believe me, you'll feel better!

Can You Hear Me Now?

Well, let's just say that it wasn't quite the "welcome home" greeting that I expected this evening.

I'm sorry, but after a day of baby-sitting highly educated engineers who can find one little fault in the plans for pouring concrete but who can' t seem to find an entire box of copier paper in the construction trailer, I'm entirely convinced I'm just one big 'ol babysitter for highly educated men who can't be bothered to find things on their own.

"I need legal folders"

"Well, they're in there, on the lowest shelf."

"I can't see them."

"You're not looking...fourth shelf, on the bottom."

"These aren't them."

"No, those are the hanging folders, look to the right of them."

"Oh, you mean these?"

Next!

"Dee, we're out of pens."

"There are at least ten boxes of pens in there, assorted colors, too!"

"Oh, I see..."

"Did you find them?"

"Yeah, but these aren't the ones that I like. Can we get some more, please?"

So, it's always fun to come home to discover that between my mom and her partner neither of them were able to set up his new TracFone, so the minute I walked in, there was a true "full-press" from both of them.

I normally don't blog about my home life, but let's just say for now they really, really tried. They're in their late sixties, and they did give it their best effort.

No need to hijack a nine year old for this task, of course, especially if you have me in the house. ;)

Ahem, she says.

"Try it now...I'm calling you, and see if you get my message."

"Let's try changing the ring tone from vibrate to a ring tone."

"No, this is how you get your voice mail."

"It's not a great idea to hold the phone away from your ear while you're checking your voice mail."

"Did you put in your password for voicemail?"

"You need to hold the phone closer to your ear."

"Let's try this again."

Sigh.

Yes, I did get the phone all set up for Bob, taught him how to answer his email and all of that good stuff.

"I mean, really...is this the payback for all of the bicycles and "Barbie Doll Houses" the two of you put together 0n Christmas Eve when we were kids? Payback is a bitch, you know."

Well, it only took an hour, but he's all set up, and good to go!

It's no wonder why I smoke.

With A Little Help From My Friends

So, on Saturday, a bunch of friends and I got together and did what we always do, three times a year.

We didn’t go out drinking, have dinner together, or go our clubbing, dancing, bowling or ice-skating.

We came out in force and supported our local public radio station; ten women and men strong, all friends with a single purpose…to support the station and the music that we love.

I’ve been putting our “Boardies’ Shift” together for almost three years, and I’m always pleased to see the same names crop up again and again. One vol takes three trains down from Bergen County in northern New Jersey; three others make their way down from the far reaches of northern Bucks County in Pennsylvania.

Yes, they’re all good friends of mine, but it’s also incredibly gratifying to see them all in one place to support one worthy cause.

Thanks, all, and let’s forget the music for a moment.

All of you really, seriously rawk!

So, What's For Dinner?

So, let’s talk about food, shall we?

Even better, let’s talk about the way we all think about food.

We’re bombarded day after day with media ads that provoke us to “Eat This!” And when you’ve finished gorging yourself, you’re encouraged to “Have This, Too!”

The most stomach-turning ad I’ve ever seen is for “Taco Bell” who is encouraging the time between dinner and breakfast is the “time” for something they call a “Fourth Meal”.

No one needs a “Fourth Meal”; all you need to do is look around at your fellow Target or Acme shoppers to understand that a fourth meal should be the last thing on their plate.

No one really needs a doughnut, either, but when there’s an “Apple Cinnamon” one in the box (with all of that good, sweet apple filling?) still sitting there from a morning meeting, I’ll cut it in half, because as we all know, one half a doughnut has no calories. It’s only when you eat the whole one that totes those puppies up.

Right?

But, I digress.

Michael Pollan (the author of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and “The Eaters’ Manifesto”), has a great idea that all of us should follow:

“If it doesn’t look like food that your grandmother wouldn’t recognize, don’t eat it.”

Or, as my late stepfather used to say, “Good food doesn’t make you fat. Junk makes you fat.”

So, those “Dunkin Donuts” are out, and homemade desserts are in, since I know what goes into them.

It takes exactly twenty minutes to put together a batch of cookies, and perhaps an hour so to bake them off. Yeah, it’s a bit of work, but it’s a lot of fun, too. And, they freeze beautifully!

Now, go and pull out all of your cookbooks. Drag out that crock pot that you haven’t used since the first Bush administration, too.

Go forth, and cook!

Football and a Political Football

So, let’s review today, okay?

It’s Monday, the Giants won the Super Bowl last night, and as “AllMusicFan” is my witness, I woke up this morning at the goddess-awful time of five saying, “I still can’t believe that the Giants won the Super Bowl.”

It doesn’t quite have the cultural significance of “As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly”, but still.

For this dedicated sports fan of all things Philadelphian, this is one big hurt, since the Eagles were thisclose to winning that one game two months back.

Ahem.

Please allow me a minute to two to lick my wounds.

And, for this sports fan that works and lives in “Giants’ Country”, it stings even harder since I’ll have to live and work with all of these rabid fans for the next year, even though I’m secretly wondering where I can hang a dartboard made out of Eli’s picture at work.

Or, perhaps a voodoo doll. You know, I’m just saying.

However, I’m a good-natured, generous soul, and I’ve got a big heart, so I’ve been congratulating all of the Giants fans I know for one terrific well-played game, and it was one of the best Super Bowls that Paul and I had ever watched.

But, I’ve asked all of the Giants fans to do just one thing for me…

“Please don’t turn into those entirely obnoxious and rude ‘Yankee fans'

Oh, and just a reminder...

Tomorrow is “Super-Duper-Tsunami-Performance-Enhanced Tuesday" primary election day here in New Jersey and New York.

I don’t know how many people read this blog, but if you live in one of the 24 states that will be holding a primary or a caucus tomorrow, please, please, get out there and vote for the candidate of your choice.

And always, remember...if you don't vote, you can't bitch.

Yes, the Giants won the Super Bowl, but we have other things to consider…like, who will take the “Oath Of Office” next January?

Yesterday, the Giants and the Pats were just playing for just a game; tomorrow, many of us will be voting for who we want to lead our country next year.

In other words, this is the real "Super Bowl Showdown!"

Rudy on "Hardball", 23 January 2008

Well, no, this isn't what Rudy looked like earlier this evening during his "Hardball" interview with Matthews from, of course, Florida.

But, damn, it was close.

It was absolutely disturbing to see that much eye makeup on a presidential candidate. It looked like he had a second pair of eyebrows underneath the real ones that simply didn't move (other than the one that twitches when he, well, you know).

"Badly Drawn Boy" eyebrows, anyone?

I'll post the "Hardball" interview as soon as it's available, so that you can judge for yourself.

I'm still laughing...that's just not a good-looking man!

Or woman, now that I think about it...

Hello, Ruby Tuesday!

Consider this for a moment, if you will:

Its New Year’s Eve, you and your man are all duded up for a night out on the town (and looking quite good, I’d like to add), it’s approaching seven o’clock, and you’re only halfway to where the live show and the midnight champagne toast beckons.

And, let’s just say that the whole traffic rugby scrum around the “King Of Prussia” mall is a mess, you don’t have any dinner reservations anywhere near Doylestown, so the two of you just decide to wing it, and see what happens, because, you see, this is what you both do, and it always seems to work out fine in the end.

And, while you’re driving past all of the diners and pizza places to Doylestown (where, of course, the live show and champagne beckons), you both see that all of the parking lots are full.

Packed. Beyond packed. Packed to the gills, packed. There’s not even a parking space left in the local diner, let alone the Wawa on the corner.

You’d both like something nice to eat, but considering the hunger pangs, you end up at the “Ruby Tuesday” in Warrington, Pennsylvania.

And, since both of you like to take chances, it doesn’t take long before you both understand you’re just in the right spot at the right time.

Forget the 45 minute wait, we’ll eat at the bar, thank you very much!

And, then you find yourself entirely entertained by Sean and John, who, despite being entirely overwhelmed by the bar crowd (including tracking down a party of kids who stiffed them for a dinner check!) somehow managed to make you laugh, keep your wine glass full and serve you a really nice dinner all at the same time.

Rattling the chains, indeed!