opposible thumbs

Mistress! You are in imminent danger! I must go outside and bark!

Mistress!! You are in imminent danger! I must com inside and stare at you!

Mistress! You are in imminent danger! I must go outside and bark!

All those years of college and graduate school - so that I can open doors for a border collie who is having a bad day.

(laughter)

In all seriousness, this has actually been a nice day - I know that the meds are working because Sam's neurotic tendencies are coming back.

(more laughter)

food!

This is a local plea, but please, if you are local, offer ideas.

I have been given a large check - and I mean a really, really, jaw-dropping size check - to go out to dinner and let a reviewer know what I thought.

Did I mention that it's a really big check?

Anyway, I'm taking suggestions.

I was born in a small town

There's a John Mellencamp song called "Small Town" which I firmly believe should be played at least four times every day by NPR and even more often by other radio stations, including whatever network it is that employs Howard Stern.

is it great art? Well... the line "I cannot forget where it is that I come from" - how can you deny that it's perfect?

well, all right, you could, but only if you didn't spend your formative years in the same small town - if you had you would still think that the phrase a bit garbled, but you'd get the sentiment. Wait, that makes it sound like I grew up in Seymour, Indiana. I didn't. I just spent all of my childhood in the same small town.

Anyway, as Mellencamp says, I was born in a small town. A friend was scouting around on Facebook and found one of those "Top 20 Reasons" lists, in this case, ways that you know that you are from my small town. In just a few lines, it brought back so many memories... and then I started thinking about what the writer listed, and realized that he or she must be about ten years younger than I am (ulp) but how funny it is that I can date that based upon the names of stores on Main Street.

Anyway, I raise my cup of orange juice (need to go buy more) to "the place that I come from" - I have no desire to move back there, but it is beautiful and despite everything, I still love it.

Happy Birthday!!

This is the birthday of Abigail Smith Adams - call her the first feminist or just a really neat lady, it doesn't matter. She's a cultural ancestor - please to raise a coffee mug, water bottle or wine glass in her honor.

just an observation

My goodness but the Obamas are tall people.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/us_elections_2008/7720137.stm

we made history

I was wrong. Alleluia, I was wrong.

Not only that, but Indiana went blue. Indiana??!! Blue??!! Alleluia.

Cissy, dinner is on me.

I'm reading the Prayers of the People on Sunday - I can't wait to say the name of our president-elect.

Alleluia.

Election 2008

I would just like to point out that I know more about Sarah Palin than the Republican poll watcher at my district.

Apparently mine is the only district with disinterested voters/ people voting at other times. I had no line and was in and out in under five minutes. (Sorry Joe - I brought a book and an umbrella and snacks and everything, I was prepared!) Every other polling place has lines. This thrills me beyond belief, beyond anything I have words to articulate. Whatever the outcome (and I still think McCain will swing the Electoral College) I am so proud to be an American on this day.

Wishing us all grace as we vote and a return to peace.