The Year of Foolishness

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Charles Dickens

I don’t believe anything is more fitting to describe the last year in America than this opening from Tale of Two Cities. It was the incredulous year that brought us Romney vs. Obama, Conservatives vs. Liberals, Teabaggers vs. Government, Sanity vs. Insanity, Fox vs. MSNBC, Rich vs. Poor and the Angry White Christian Male vs. Women/Blacks/Latinos/Asians/Gays etc. It has been a year of hateful buffoonery.

Hate was a cultural theme throughout the year as we headed towards November elections. America 1 wanted to bring us back to an era lost, the wonderful golden age when Black Americans were second class citizens, women possessed little rights in the workplace or home, Latinos were obsolete in the polls, and white men were the only men who could call the White House home. America 1 does not want your sick, your tired or poor or huddled masses that yearn to breathe free. America 1 wants you to die of a heart attack if you can not afford healthcare and freedom is subjective.

America 2 wants to pilot us into a better future, care for the sick, the poor and personal freedoms. America 2 grew in numbers that restored a lot of my personal faith in humanity. America 2 fought hard and long against the racism, the sexism and for the equality of all people, not just a chosen few.

America 2 gave us Barak Obama while America 1 gave us pathological liar/robot Mitt Romney. America 1 gave us voter suppression, long voting lines, and lie after lie about socialism, entitlements, welfare, and who saved the auto industry. America 2 stood in lines for up to seven hours, knocked on doors, went toe to toe with Citizens United, and sent Tagg Romney a clear message: America does NOT want your dad.

America 1 spewed lies via Fox News and its elected officials. America 2 gave us MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart.

America 1 gave us Rush ‘Jabba the Fatass’ Limbaugh, Glen ‘American Terrorist Bastard’ Beck, Michelle ‘Batshit Crazy’ Bachman, and Sarah ‘STFU’ Palin, repeatedly, like irremovable cysts in our ass. Their audience is the most uninformed and least educated electorate ever. They shun education; remember when Rick Santorum uttered this gem; President Obama once said he wants everybody in America to go to college, what a snob. America 2 said What an idiot, yet America 1 cheered this kind of rhetoric; Anti-Obama, Anti-Education and very Pro-Stupidity world. America 2 gave everyone the right to affordable college tuition/loans/grants.

It would be nice to say that after November the two Americas would come together and stand united but the shootings in Newtown, CT has even proven to divide us. Very sad that such a tragedy only invoked more bitterness from America 1 with the intent of keeping guns instead of regulating laws to keep them out of the hands of people who clearly do not need them.

Onward to 2013 we go. The fight will continue…

Winning at all Cost: For Shame Mr. Romney

 

Race. It has come down to that for the Grand Old Party. With zero percent of the African-American vote and the Latino vote slipping it comes down to angry uneducated white men/women who are afraid of losing their America. Instead of calming their fears you have chosen to exasperate them. You  have chosen to divide this country by creating a ‘them’ and ‘us’ America.

Shame on Mr. Romney.

Well I’m America too Mr. Romney. Did you notice the faces at the Democratic National Conventions? Americans were there. White, Black,  Christians, Muslims, Buddhist, Atheist, men, women, children…they are Americans too. Where were all our faces at the grand old party?

You say you are a moral man Mr. Romney but where are those morals? Where is this religious family man compass you speak so  highly of but have yet to demonstrate to America?  Manipulating, distorting, and misleading the truth is just plain old lying and you have done a lot of that.o

Desperation. Winning at all cost. Suppressing votes. Desperation.

You are not what America needs at all. You are a terrorist, sir. No one may have ever asked you to see your birth certificate but we certainly need to ask you to show us your good character. But  I suspect (no, I know)  you lost any good character years ago. Many, many, many years ago. I hope you really do find the God you say drives you….a God I do not want to know if  that is true.

Shame on you Mr. Romney. Go away.

Bloody Hell!

I can’t say Bloody Hell without hearing Ron Weasly squealing it in every Harry Potter movie. I try to say it with a British accent but my British accent sucks, pretty much like when American tv tries to duplicate a popular British show.

Something gets lost when a television show crosses the pond. I don’t know of many successful transplants, actually only a few come to mind, Sanford and Son (Steptoe and Son), Three’s Company (Man About the House) and of course The Office. I believe what made these shows popular is the idea was borrowed but our originality was added. I’ve seen all three of the British version of these shows and maybe because I watched the American versions first and fell in love with their characters it was difficult to see them any other way. I do, however, think the original Office with Ricky Gervais does have the slight edge on our American version and I think it’s because they wrapped the show up in two seasons. We have dragged our version on way pass it’s jumping the shark moment, which for me is when Pam and Jim get married.

A few  years ago MTV borrowed a popular teen drama Skins from BBC. I watched the Brit version on BBCAmerica and really liked it. I found it quite original and shocking. When MTV said they were using the script, the very same script I figured what could go wrong. I guess everything, for me anyway. I found it completely flat and contrived but it was the same script. I can’t explain it. Earlier today I caught another MTV borrowed show, The Inbetweeners. I like the original show and obviously MTV did as well so they used the same script but again it was flat and contrived. I’m not getting  down on MTV because they do have a very funny show Awkward which I think  it is quite good and its original.

One show I did like that crossed over here was BBC’s Life on Mars. It was about a cop that is struck down by a car and lies in coma in one world but is transported back to the 70′s in another.Again, the script was basically the same but the characters remained fresh and kept the aesthetic of the original series. Maybe because I am a huge Michael Imperioli but this show, which only ran one season on ABC, kept the juice it needed from the BBC version. I was not so happy with Prime Suspect (NBC) with Maria Bello as the flawed detective Jane Temoney that originally starred Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison. The lead characters name was changed which made no sense to me. Both characters were trying to forge themselves as relevant in a male dominated police force and although both had their personal issues Bello just never mustered enough compassion from me that made me root for her like I did Mirren. Another fail.

Syfy picked up Being Human. A show based on a ghost, a vampire and a werewolf who are trying to make it in the world despite their ‘abnormalities’. Most people I know had no idea that there was another version and love the American version of the show. I couldn’t. The actors just didn’t bring the full round of emotion, especially the conflict of Mitchell the vampire. In the American version he is such a whiner. Who falls in love with a whiny vampire?

Showtime seems to have been able to keep a lot of the grit of Shameless, something I know would have definitely been lost on network television. I was not a huge fan of the Brit version of Shameless only because this was one show I had a really hard time understanding the language! I blame myself for that but the American version which uses the same script clarifies a lot of the jokes for me and William Macy just owns any character he plays.

Now there is talk of bringing the new version of Sherlock Holmes to the networks. If  you haven’t seen the updated version of Sherlock Holmes with Benedict Cumberbatch which bring Holmes into the present day, you may  catch it on Masterpiece Theater (PBS). I’m afraid for this show. Jonny Lee Miller, who is British, will play Holmes and they will move the action from the streets of London to the streets of New York city. Le sigh. It gets worse, Lucy Liu plays Watson. Its due out this fall so I’ll reserve my opinion until I see a few episodes because maybe by changing location and gender to a character they could be creating another great version. I doubt it but I’m trying to keep an open mind. Bloody Hell, just bring Brit shows across the pond and let us watch them unfiltered, and unchanged. Most Americans have no idea what its like anywhere but their own neighborhood. Bringing the shows intact gives American a clean view of how others leave and you know how badly some of us need to know other cultures and countries.

A list of some of my favorite Brit Shows now and where you can catch them:

White Chapel (BBCAmerica)

Luther (Netflix and BBCAmerica)

Doc Martin (PBS)

Outnumbered (PBS)

Ashes to Ashes (PBS)

Top Boy (Netflix)

Commander (Netflix)

Snuff Box (Netflix)

 

 

PRAY HATE PRAYHATE

 

 

I don’t care about religions anymore. I don’t care if you believe in one God or many. What I do care about is common respect for a fellow human being. It is not my intent to bash Christianity. I’m not Christian and never will be but I respect anyone who truly holds Christianity in their hearts. I was raised Muslim and although I do not practice like I should-I don’t cover my hair and I refuse to wear hijab so I’ll take that up with Allah when we meet. But I do carry Islam in my heart. I’m a good person. I treat people well and I only expect to be treated the same. I could never scream out things that attempt to break someones soul and destroy their character.

When I was a teenager I could be the mean girl. I was insecure, selfish, and spoiled. I could say somethings that would cut like a knife but you know what? That night as I tried to go to sleep my subconscious would replay my day for me and I’d be haunted. I grew out of being mean, slowly, but I found it so much easier to be a good person than it was to be hateful. I learned that lesson early in life. It boggles my mind how day after day after day since 2008 that I can see men and women filled with so much rage and so much hate and not feel dirty from it.

What is it in their soul that keeps that hate so pure? So many of these people claim a religion, claim this country was built on this religion, and will wear their WWJD t-shirts proudly but will make statements like:

Let his days be few and let another take his office

May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow

Kansas GOP House Speaker Mike O’Neal

O’Neal forwarded the prayer with his own message: “At last — I can honestly voice a Biblical prayer for our president! Look it up — it is word for word! Let us all bow our heads and pray. Brothers and Sisters, can I get an AMEN? AMEN!!!!!!”

American terrorism.

I don’t see how anyone of any religion can bow their heads down to pray and carry this much hate.

Corporate BS

The decisions we make and a few we don’t usually have a way of turning up for reconciliation, redemption or revenge. I had a few of those this month that made me question who I am, who I want to be, and how I want to be respected. The reason for my weeks long absence.

The last few months I have had to listen to stories of old co-workers as their jobs are outsourced to another country. Several of them were actually sent to that country to train the people who would be taking their jobs. As of July 1st friends from my old job were all let go.

While one friend did expenses for her top executive boss, $350 for dinner, $300 for one night hotel, $90 for lunch and $600 for monthly parking in the building garage, the people down the hall from her were packing their desks. It cost a lot of money to entertain other CEO’s so a company can broker deals with them <Please insert smirk here>

I’m not trying to slam capitalism but I agree with President Obama when he says you didn’t build this on your own. I know Mitt has been running on the misquote but I understand what the President was trying to say and the point he made is valid. I admire a good old rags to riches story. It is admirable to see someone with a dream and a determination and see it all come to fruition. But many of those dreams had help and often that help came from the people whose names will never be in the Wall Street Journal but they are very, very silent partners in someone else’s success. Not all of us have that drive or ambition to be a CEO. Some of us are just the worker bees but if it were not for the worker bees where would these companies be? If there is no back office could the front office even operate?

Its summer and the old saying is that many a deal is made on the golf course. How awesome is that? While some are wondering how they are going to pay a car note others are riding around golf courses making ‘deals’.

I am feeling quite vulnerable these days. It’s not a great feeling at all and it can be very self-depreciating.  I can’t say I’m feeling better but I have made the decision to take better care of my destiny.

be the change I want to see in the world.

On a final note…

Think about what this man will do for you and your country.

 

 

 

Kid You Not

This is the sad part. Yet, people say these folks have America’s best interest at heart. No, it’s just a street fight and we are the only ones bleeding. Now they are repealing The Affordable Care Act. Thank you Boner for caring. A-hole

LOL

Sunday Randoms

Happy June 10!!!

Nothing particularly special about today but something about a warm sunny morning sipping coffee on a beautiful porch makes everything beautiful.

I want a beach porch so badly. Not a rented one either

Beware of Cool Shades.

Everybody looks sexy in a pair of cool shades…well, except for this gremlin

At lunch the other day my co-worker and I counted how many cute people walked into the restaurant with sunglasses only to remove them when seated and have a not so cool look. Luckily, most people were still attractive when the sunglasses were removed but there were a few gremlins in the pack!

Eyeing my daughters tumblr Shesbloggin Please follow

Awwww Sunday….I hear the thrift stores calling my name!

Happy June 10! Enjoy the day!!!!

I Hope I Never Get to Old

That I stop

Dreaming big

tantalizing

Loving Superhero movies

Laugh at someone falling

kissing madly & passionately

Eating swedish fish

loving summer nights

cocktails with my girls

girls night

date night

cocktails with him

dressing fabulously

open-minded

fall in love really hard even if I’m already in love with the person

decorate

travelling

exercise

I never want to give up hoping…wishing…working…writing…

I know old age will come one day but I hope it’s after a life well lived…

 

I just posted the lyrics because its what she sings that moves me.

This song makes me feel like a Lion. Strong and Confident. I am here!

anXIOUs

So much going on and I feel like I can’t handle everything.

Those moments when you(I)  feel panic creeping up behind you (MEEEEEE).

Breathe. Count. Exercise. Make a list. Prioritize. hitting the fear head on is the only thing that calms me but sometimes that takes a moment for me to face. this week I have to get that creeping feeling from behind me.

Have to face it eventually. How do you tackle those anxious feelings?

*making my own cookies