just an fyi

the rethug talking heads are bragging that they are going to take back elections starting in 2010- and they are probably right (i mean correct :) because blue states are leaking population and red states are sopping it up.

so- i don't know what to tell ya- just get used to living in a corporate police state i suppose....

winter is settling in with a vengeance

the silly season is drawing to a close- and i must say, it has been a quiet one for me. purposefully. i can't say it was awful- i actually had an ok time of it- but not at all as exciting as the nation at large hypes it to be. it really can't be. my husband and me and the two cats makes for a really dull party. seriously. the inlaws will be in town this week- through new year's day- and that will be nice. i mean provided they make it through security at the airport- it could take them a week to get through. sigh.

so, i am working on finishing up a crochet project- you can take a peek over there at homebody crochet if you want- and i have a wee bit of laundry to finish up. pretty much my night will consist of playing the farm games on facebook. i really enjoy the one where you make your own cheese :)

i live on the edge- what do you want from me? i am finishing up with homer's odyssey and most likely will start al gore's latest- i got if for the holiday. anyhoo, it's just as well that everything is winding down and it's just as well i didn't go all out- everytime i attempted to prepare a goodie that i have made in the past- well, the results were not as expected. sometimes they were edible and other times not. so- perhaps next year i will be more in the yuletide spirit- but this year, i am content to just be.

can't say as i am looking forward to the upcoming year- but i have to live with it- and so i will. snowed like a bitch last week- today- rain. no more snow on the ground- just wind and rain. sigh. my sinuses are going to give me a fit. just a wee bit o' round up at chez betmo. hope everyone had the holiday they wanted- let's celebrate surviving another year in the 21st century :)

happy winter solstice

i set myself free this year. for years, baking cookies and making treats to send out in packages to friends and loved ones- was my 'thing' and i really enjoyed it. but over the last few years, 'the decade from hell' to be more precise, with the rise of the christian fanatics and christianity shoved down your throat at every turn- the season lost its luster. couple that with the corporate, capitalist greed and people trampling each other to get an xbox- well, i didn't give a hearty you-know-what if i ever 'celebrated' another holiday season.

and i say 'holiday season' and i also say 'happy holidays' because the whole month does not belong to one religion- and contrary to the adherents of that religion and their insistence that 'christ is the reason for the season'- he really isn't. early cultures celebrated the turning of the seasons for centuries- the equinoxes and the solstices were cause for feasting, games and family time- and yes, gifts. the current unholy corporatist greed fest is a largely 20th century invention- although things started downhill around the turn of the last century.

anyhoo, i decided that i was simply not going to participate. nope. i initially started out telling myself that the packages would be smaller- only a few treats this year- and i ended up simply sending the few gifts we are obligated to send. i hate obligatory gifting. yep. now, i am not a kill joy- i enjoy my egg nog and rum as well as the next person and i love the food from thanksgiving through ringing in the new year- but the ridiculous idea that one has to save up gifts all year and stuff 900 of them under the tree to make the season a happy one- well, it's ridiculous.

if we all think back to holidays that were special to us- one or two special gifts stand out; or playing in the snow with cousins and siblings; or aunt jo and uncle larry hosting the annual feast and the adults playing cards around the table afterwards. the gifts make the kids shriek with excitement but for the most part- they pick out their favorite toy and go outside and play. we could all save ourselves hassle and stress if we did what my mom did and picked from the top 5 things on the lists. those are the ones we want the most. and guess what? none of us always got what was on our list- and we all survived. imagine that. and now, we are the ones hosting the annual feasts and we should be the ones who know better about over gifting and obligatory gifting.

so, from now on, i am not gifting unless i want to- and i will feast and play games from thanksgiving to new year- and anyone who feels obligated to gift me because it's the holiday season- you can make a donation here in my name

arbor day foundation

happy holidays......

just an fyi

blackwater had bigger role in cia than most people wanted to believe. and now, we have unmanned drones to kill people. nice.

chores

i haven't been doing a great job with mine lately- although i do keep the laundry up and the floors vacuumed :) i find myself without much to say these days. i started this blog a long time ago- almost 4 years ago- and it's hard to believe. i was so very fired up and passionate about change- i shouted to the rooftops and beyond- we americans needed to wake up! and see what was being done in our names.

well, many, many folks did. and they took to the streets and they voted for change- about 2 years ago. and then, they took to the streets about a year ago- and voted again. and yes, there has been changes- good ones too. some of the more egregious sections of the patriot act have not been renewed and let's just say- we actually have an FDA again, albeit an overworked one. but, many things remain the same.

america is still under siege from the right who has hijacked the airwaves and we are inundated with the rightwing slant in most, if not all, of our media outlets. we see the same negative, obstructionist harangues from the same small minded, 'profit over people' folks in congress, state and local governments, celebrities, etc., until all hope seems to be sucked out of our psyches.

we know that atrocities were committed under the cheney/rumsfeld regime- we have foreign folks investigating it as i type. we see that the rightwing driven corporates have sucked the lifeblood out of our economy in order to pay for their own lavish lifestyles and private armies. we see our neighbors tasering us as if we were all common criminals- guilty until proven innocent in america these days- and we see profiling and the rise of the security state moving up to join our military industrial complex.

and there's a christmas malaise- thanks for the term president carter- and we herd ourselves into the corporate big box barns and pretend that everything is merry as we worry about bankruptcy and losing our jobs and our homes- and our lives. and we know that the american dream is long dead and buried alongside the american ideals of independence, individual freedoms and democracy. but, like the grade schooler on the cusp of losing their 'santa claus real' belief- we cling for all we are worth to that dream- that ideal.

and it's causing some real cognitive dissonance. did i mention i don't have anything to say? how can you comfort a death in the family? democracy is dead- replaced by homeland security that created job security on the backs of american citizens. how do we reconcile that?

just an fyi

i am still around- over at the tree today

funky friday

mmm.... i have a serious funk going on today. i don't know why- but i am 100% done with the holiday season. yep. this is it for me. done, done, done. i am tired of the obligatory gifting and the false cheer- i am officially checking out. and i won't be doing gifts or cookies next year. i am done with that too. it used to be 'my thing' back in the day- a little burl ives in the kitchen and betty crocker fired up the oven. not feeling that magic anymore. while i don't hate the season, gifting is not the reason for the season- and jesus isn't either so don't even go there. this time of year was celebrated by the ancients because they had the time to do it. there isn't anything one can do in the cold dark- so, why not have feasting and games and comaraderie? now, that works for me.

priorities

it's that time of year where folks have to scrape to come up with ideas for gifts for other folks. it's a real problem here in america- gifting. why? it isn't that americans aren't generous- it's that gifts have gotten exponentially more expensive and expectations have grown. see, most folks have everything they need and more than enough of their wants. or at least the folks i know- family and friends. there are plenty of things my husband and i want- but most of the stuff is expensive- furniture, electronics, etc..

and, as much as i love making lists for myself, i hate making gift lists. it carries a sense of obligation that robs the gift of any meaning. hate it. folks feel obligated to get gifts during the christmas season and i firmly believe that it's wrong. oh, i know how the custom started- folks would get together during the winter solstice and play games and bring gifts and take the time to spend with family and friends- because it was the only time of the year that they had it. they celebrated during the coldest, darkest time of year- and made it a time to look forward to.

can't say the same about the modern yuletide season. folks pretend to love it and secretely dread it because of the obligation thing. trust me- it's ok to say no. which brings me around to priorities. nothing steams me more than keeping a relationship going on a one sided basis. what do i mean? well, one party over extending to the other party time and again- and there isn't reciprocation. now, i am not saying that everything must be even steven all of the time- but let's just say that i have taken the white out to my address book more than once. i tend to be a communicator- ask many of my blog buddies and they will tell you that i am pretty good at emailing and i used to post multiple times a day right here in the blogosphere. what i don't do- continue communications with folks who only communicate with me after i have initiated. not worth my time.

which brings me to priorities- you need to make the effort. seriously. i don't buy the busy, busy, busy bullshit- or the 'i have kids so i don't have time' bullshit. really. if it's a priority to you to maintain friendships or whatnot- you will occasionally make the time for a 10 minute phone call or a snail mail card or a simple poke on facebook. really. and if it's an obligation or you find yourself making excuses- well, then it isn't a priority and have ass enough to end it. really.

which brings me to gifting and the whole 'consumer christmas season'- i don't really want your gift if 1) you feel obligated 2) it's a token 3) it's crap in a box with a bow. i would rather have conversation- or simply some time. and it doesn't have to be at christmas. in fact, i would rather it be in august when there is nothing going on. really. most folks feel stressed and harried and exhausted by the end of the 'season of joy and giving' and i really believe it's a shame. because it isn't what it started out to be- and we all have the power to change that.

laughter is the best medicine

courtesy of my buddy diane :) enjoy :)

Moms in Group Therapy... A psychiatrist was conducting a group therapy session with four young mothers and their small children. "You all have obsessions," he observed. To the first mother, Mary, he said, "You are obsessed with eating. You've even named your daughter Candy." He turned to the second Mom, Ann: "Your obsession is with money. Again, it manifests itself in your child's name, Penny." He turned to the third Mom, Joyce: "Your obsession is alcohol. This too shows itself in your child's name, Brandy."

At this point, the fourth mother, Kathy, quietly got up, took her little boy by the hand, and whispered, "Come on, Dick, this guy has no idea what he's talking about. Let's pick up Peter and Willy from school and get some dinner.

winter is almost here

we had some snow showers this morning and it's finally cold. now, normally, i don't wish for cold weather but i have to say- i don't really dig the 50 degree very, very damp and chilly weather that we have had so far. i'll take cold over damp any day. gearing up for the holiday season- and by that i mean i am going to get packages ready to be sent next week- and then i am done until the cooking starts. we try to stick to a very minimalist ideal- i don't decorate much and we don't gift much. we eat plenty and share ourselves with family and friends in the fine pagan tradition. i celebrate the winter solstice and completely embrace the concept of spending the dark, cold downtime of winter with family and friends- playing games, sharing conversation and feasting. :)

i don't do the consumerist christian thing. so- enjoy. i will.... :)