Friday Night and the Great Debate

Well, it seems that Obama will have a debate partner tonight. That's good. However, I don't know if I can watch. From a practical perspective, we have about a dozen people coming over for an old-fashioned dinner party on Saturday night. I've got to bake a cake and clean this house. Secondly, I am completely scared. I just cannot stand another minute of this election and I am chewing my fingernails down to stubs waiting for the election. I've been trying to stay active; I've been calling Americans who live in Canada to remind them to register to vote. That has not been enough to fight off my anxiety about this election. I am sure that I will peek in on the debate a couple of times. I won't last long however. The second McSame spouts some lie, I'll start screaming at the t.v. and storm out of the room. So, for my sanity and my husband's, I'll stay far away.

I've Heard the News Today

I cannot wrap my brain around how much $700 billion is. Sorry for poor grammar. The more I hear about this bailout, the angrier I get. I've called both Senator Levin and Senator Stabenow and told their staffers how much I am against a blank check bailout. That did not make me feel any better.

Because I am home all day, I've been listening to NPR and the many "experts" talk about this bailout. By the end of yesterday, I was agitated to the point of distraction. There was one comment that left me very distraught. A financial reporter from the New York Times said on "Fresh Air"something about hundreds of banking lobbyists descending on Washington to insure that regulations placed would be minimal. Then she said that the tax payers have no lobbyists and would without a doubt get screwed (not verbatim, I'll grab the link a little later). I was floored by the simple truth of her comment.

I have this crazy idea. Americans need to take to the streets and march in front of their elected officials offices urging no blank check bailout. We need to be in groups of 15, 20 (bigger) all over the country, showing these fat cats we mean business. I don't know that we'll do just that, but I'll put it out there to see if anyone takes it up. In the meantime, I will check to see if there is already a movement afoot to do just that.

But I'm supposed to have more time!

A few years ago, pre-Andrew (p.A.), my husband and I were walking through the neighborhood. At the time, we were renting the bottom half of a duplex, one block from our current house. We were pointing out features that we liked on houses. As were were chatting and walking, a guy doing some work in his garage overheard us and shouted, "Don't do it! Once you own a house, the work never stops." We thanked him for his sincere (not to mention unsolicited)advice and carried on our merry way. Within the year, we had purchased our home.

As I have stated before, we have really let the upkeep of our house get away from us. Hurricane Andrew is one reason. A never-ending pile of papers to grade has been another. Finally, with my year off, we are addressing some of the house issues that we have been avoiding.

We have finally agreed to paint for the living room and dining room. That sounds lame even as I write it! Anyway, this venture, thus far, has taken up more of my time than I would have like, and we haven't even started to paint. It will be nice when it's done, but that guy was right, the work never ends.

One goal accomplished!

I told myself that when I spent this school year on leave, that I would achieve certain goals. One of those goals is done. I actually wrote a children's book! It needs some tweaking; I need to revisit and revise some word choices and I need illustrations. Next week I will start researching publishers and researching how to get this thing published.

I also have one chapter roughly written for my novel!

To celebrate, I toast myself with a small glass of Bailey's!

Do you know anyone’s name?

Today was Andrew’s second day of Junior Kindergarten. He attends school everyday for a half-day. So far, so good. He has looked pretty dazed both days as I pick him up.

That dazed look, while normal I am sure, always worries me. Since we have brought him home from China, his only playmates have been us. We have no family with small cousins. We have a number of still single and childless friends, and our street has been devoid of little guys his age. The children we do know live an hour or two away.

We have put him in classes and sent him to Montessori to interact with other children. Yet, he still makes us as his first choice playmates. I teach teenagers, so I know that I should relish this as long as I can. I still wish that he could tell me the name of at least one classmate.

I guess that I have first week jitters that I am sure will pass.

Getting serious about writing

I am a slacker! Maybe not world class (ahem…FM), but I am one, none the less! I started this blog three months ago and then I basically abandoned it.

Oh sure, I could make excuses. For example, I could plead that I spent the whole summer having fun with my hubby and son. We went to free events in town and took a short road trip. Or,I could explain that I spent a large portion of my summer trying (with mixed results) to get the house in order. Not Pottery Barn order, mind you. I just didn’t want my house to have that special homeless look.

But, what’s the point of excuses. I don’t feel any better after making them. All I can say is that I, henceforth, will put energy into writing now that everyone (husband and son) is in school.