Category Archives: Writing

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Write For It

I sit at my computer often, and stare at a blank screen. Before the baby, I would spend hours in this state and end up eventually with my head on they keyboard in frustration. My iHome sits on a higher part of my desk, just behind the monitor. I enjoy the music and pretending I’m accomplishing something more than invisible words. I can hope that one of those times, I’ll sit and something or anything will appear on that screen. Most days it doesn’t, but sometimes I get lucky and words won’t stop flowing from my fingers hitting the keys. Those are good days for me.

Every writer has those moments; the ones where they go days, months or even years where something didn’t happen. We see it with the “Songs of Ice and Fire” series where many wonder if it will ever be finished. I hold out hope. I sympathize with George R.R. Martin in this aspect. Any writer sympathizes with the will to do so much and having writer’s block while trying to do everything. Anyone in a profession who finds themselves in a rut they can’t seem to shake can sympathize with this. The only difference is I still haven’t quite broken through enough to call this a profession, though my husband insists I can call myself a writer with confidence because that’s my skill and it makes me happy.

I have hope that my break will come, eventually. J.K. Rowling was in her 30’s when she became successful. I have a half year until I hit my 30’s. Is that when I should give it up? Should I even have a timeline for it? Many writers don’t become successful until later in life, right? I can keep telling myself to make myself feel better and make me feel confident enough to keep pushing through. I can do this and I will do this. Dreams were meant to be aimed for and tried until you can’t try anymore. And that’s what I’ll do.

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This Week’s Collective Musings.

When all else fails on a day when I can’t think of anything else to post about, I’m glad I can fall back on random thoughts from the week.  So here we are.

  • Anthony Weiner reminds me of Beavis from “Beavis and Butt-head”. I know this is an insult to my beloved 90’s cartoon character but I couldn’t help it. I keep expecting him to come out with his shirt over his head shrieking “Cornholio!” Seriously, look at him, especially from the side. The resemblance is uncanny. Except he gets more from the ladies than Beavis did. But Beavis is far cooler. Beavis for Mayor! Also he’s a politician, not a priest. Have we not learned anything from Clinton? Being a philandering jackass doesn’t mean he’s a terrible politician.
  • Tomorrow is my husband’s birthday.  I considered what to get him, but I decided I already do his laundry, cook for him, and gave him 2 sons so he shouldn’t be greedy.  I kid.  I’ll probably make him his favorite “Reese’s” cake. Maybe, we’ll see how tired I am. If not, I’ll pretend it’s not his birthday. He’s forgetful he might not even remember anyways.
  • Ariel Castro should get shiv’ed in prison for it because as happy as I am those women won’t have to sit through a trial, he is a rabid dog that needs to be put down in the most gruesome manner possible. I don’t think he’ll last long in prison anyways, so he should’ve just taken the death penalty. I have a feeling his roommates might not appreciate the type of person he is

Now, let’s try to post this again with it being the complete post. (Sorry about the mishap earlier.) Have a great weekend and Happy Birthday to the best husband and father in the world. I’ll make sure the baby saves a nice load for you.

 

 

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The “Sorry I’m Late” Edition

Sorry I’m late today. I give myself until 3 to post, otherwise I go into “screw it” mode and get on with my day. I would’ve posted sooner, but I was waiting so anxiously for the name of the new prince as I had money riding on it. I didn’t win the bet, as I was pulling for a Spencer to be somewhere in the child’s names. C’est la vie. On that same note, “take that!” to everyone who gawked at my naming my baby George, I was apparently setting a trend without realizing it and now the most awaited and beloved heir to the throne shares his name. I was just a little ahead of my time. I think George is a name that’s going to make a comeback now, and I’m happy to say “first!”.

It’s an “all apologies” post today. Why do we say sorry? Because we feel bad or are expected to. Is there an expectation for apologies? It is, even if there is no real reason to apologize. I don’t apologize to my husband unless I’ve actually done something wrong, as I don’t think I should just say “sorry” just because. Now, people are probably asking how do I intend to stay married with that attitude? The answers are simple: one, I won’t do anything wrong where I’d have to apologize; and two, because he knew what he was getting into when he married me so if he suddenly doesn’t like it he shouldn’t have said “I do”. (I kid, we rarely fight enough to warrant anyone apologizing.)

With that said, there has been some heated debate on whether the very beloved Coach Belichick should apologize to Patriots fans everywhere and everyone else because he happened to coach a team where an alleged murder played for. Some people think that he should apologize, and I can’t say I’m one of them. He should apologize for being awful with the press, sure. He shouldn’t apologize because Hernandez murdered one or more people. Did Tomlin have to apologize when his quarterback may have sexual assaulted a woman? Did Harbaugh have to apologize when Ray Lewis was involved in a possible murder? Why do they get away with it and Belichick has to bow down and beg for forgiveness. Sure, he may or may not be an ass, but that’s his crime he should apologize for.

I don’t like it when people fake apologies. I think he did the right thing by extending his condolences to the family of the deceased, but he shouldn’t have to go much further than that barring even donations to whatever fund will no doubt be created in Lloyd’s honor. So let Hernandez go to jail for what he did and make him apologize for his sins and make him suffer if he refuses. /endrant

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It’s Coming!

I can hardly contain my excitement: the royal baby is coming! The news makes me so warm and fuzzy on the inside. This was amazing to wake up to.  I couldn’t think of better and more interesting news to see when I first opened up my lovely Firefox window and it was plastered everywhere! It’s not everyday someone gives birth you know, especially not a royal heir to the throne! Get on the celebration throne, kiddos. The Duchess is having, and this is solely my prediction, a royal Highness! Though I’m upset she only traveled to the hospital by car. Someone of this importance should have done something awesome like helicoptering in. That would’ve been awesome.

Over the top with the sarcasm? Probably. The media has been sitting outside of a hospital for weeks now for this event. I’m not sure if that’s great journalism or extreme obsession. I feel sorry for her having to worry about glorified paparazzi sitting outside of her hospital while she’s in labor. Though I stop feeling so bad when I remember that the baby will be born royalty and they are filthy rich.
But you do have to sympathize with her. We all worry about whether we should get an epidural or the breastfeeding debate. She has to worry about it and how the whole world watching will judge her decisions with the same level of critique as they discuss her wardrobe. Even worse, those crazy people who belittle people who dare feed their babies formula will expect her to use this as a platform for their agenda.

I do wish her luck and happiness, as children are always a blessing and she seems to be genuine and down to earth. I just feel bad that she can’t enjoy this moment without having to worry about press releases and over-zealous media hoping for their first shot of her and the baby. I hope that child gets a little more freedom away from cameras than American celebrity babies get. I also hope I can enjoy a “Royalty” free life for at least a little while. There was a reason for the Revolutionary War.

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Ladies and Gentlemen, Our Latest Covergirl!

I never wanted to be a model growing up. I never wanted to be an actress. I didn’t like fields where people would base their opinions on me based on looks or anything physical. My best asset is my wit, at least I think so. I’d rather be the clever girl than the pretty one. Prettiness can fade, but a certain level of cleverness will always be retained. Looks only take you so far; you need something in that little head of yours to really make it in whatever goes you have. Even models need a certain level of intelligence these days to create empires based in their images. You even have to credit Kim Kardashian (as much as we all kinda hate her) because she marketed herself and created this entire empire on nothing but looks and a sex tape.

I buy magazines. I admit a soft spot for Cosmo, because sometimes you need something brainless to sit and read. You learn interesting tidbits that you might get a great use out of in the real world. Like who would’ve known that you can order “roofie tester” coasters for when you go to a bar? I certainly didn’t and I appreciate the fantastic invention. Also it’s great to read those confession stories, because let’s be honest we all enjoy laughing at people. I even find myself seeing a funky make-up idea in there that I end up trying and looking terrible in because I lack any ability to do those girlie things. Sometimes I’ll buy magazines because I see the cover and say “I need that”. Usually I have this urge when it’s Game of Thrones related, and I have a Rolling Stone from over 10 years ago because it had Kurt Cobain on the cover and I do enjoy my Nirvana.

Then I hear about this latest covergirl. Sorry, I meant “coverboy”. Wait, is it “coverman”? I’ve got this: “coverterrorist”! I’d like to thank Rolling Stone for putting that terrorist on its cover. Seriously, it’s not every day you get to have the pleasure of being so disgusted at desperate attempts of stirring up controversy for the sake of sales. Or is it because the magazine is a dying medium and they needed a bump up? How about they make a Osama Bin Laden cover and talk about how he was misunderstood? I’m sure that would be an awesome read. I’m not sure critics are right about how this will validate him as a cult icon of teen angst and that everyone should go make bombs and kill innocent people because they don’t celebrate the same radical ideals as you. I’m absolutely sure that this is in incredibly poor taste. At first I thought they should donate the proceeds from their distasteful magazine to the One Fund. But then I decided that is almost like giving them blood money. No, they should do the world a favor and go with the Patriots model of “swap this magazine for one that is less evil”. Refund people’s money for running such a filthy edition, and reprint the entire thing with Jay-Z or Willie Nelson on the cover.

This is only part of the point. I don’t read Rolling Stone for human interest pieces, or in this case, Terrorist interest pieces. I read them for articles about music. Actually, that’s a lie. I don’t recall the last time I read a Rolling Stone magazine. I don’t even remember reading my decade or so old Kurt Cobain edition. I appreciate people using controversy in their publications. I find controversy to be thought-provoking and allows for a good debate. I think there’s a line you don’t cross though. Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I think making victims of this horrible incident stare at one of the people responsible for their pain is completely disrespectful of this tragedy. We don’t want to pity him; we can honestly say we want his blood. You can feature him, but don’t try to make him out to be a misunderstood human being that is a victim of his circumstances. Plenty of people come from crappy circumstances don’t end up to be terrorists. Don’t defend him. We won’t pity him. Or maybe not show him and let him go away in oblivion because he no longer exists and shouldn’t be allowed to think he’s a martyr.

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When Beer and God Collide

I’m not a beer drinker. I’m more of a wine fiend myself, a nice delicious good Merlot preferably.  After two years of not touching a drink, I swore that the minute I stop providing my son’s milk, I was going to go to the store and buy a nice bottle for myself. Then when I got home, I will proceed to drink the entire thing. No, I won’t waste any time with a glass. The bottle will be plenty, then I will take some aspirin and down a gallon of water and go to bed. The trick is to hydrate to avoid the hangover. Truth. Not exactly though, I don’t have the luxury of just downing a whole bottle of wine since I need to be fully functioning for my boys. That, and I’m at a point in my life where I think that getting completely drunk not the type of thing I find appropriate for me. But this isn’t about a love of wine.

I wonder if anyone really thinks about God or anything about religion while drinking. When I chose a beverage, I can’t say that religion has any influence on my beverage choice. I know some religions don’t approve of alcohol or its consumption. That’s perfectly okay. But I never considered the two being mutually exclusive. Does God have a favorite beer? I’d like to ask him. If he did, I bet he would be a local brewery sort. Maybe God would even make his own at his own distillery in Heaven. Silly me, if God wanted beer he wouldn’t make it; he’d snap his magic God fingers and BOOM! The most perfect beer would appear. I bet it’d taste pretty awesome too. Maybe it would even taste like… wait for it… heaven. (Too much?)

That whole paragraph sounds a little ridiculous, doesn’t it? The idea of mixing religion and beer. That’s exactly how ridiculous I found the whole Sam Adams beer debate. I see where the commercial was going. Sam Adams signed the Declaration of Independence, so what better beer to celebrate the holiday than theirs. Why not hammer it home by using the words of the document to pull at our patriotic heartstrings. If I love freedom, I should love Sam Adams beer. Plus, it’s a state grown brewery, bonus points right? The revolution started here in Massachusetts folks. Maybe they shouldn’t have used the part where it talks about the Creator and omit it. But they are a private company and I thought we’re not supposed to be telling them what to do? I don’t feel offended by this. I don’t think I should declare what people find offensive, though I can say I don’t get it. I don’t understand why God should be mentioned in a beer commercial. I don’t understand the big controversy. I think people are starting to drum up “the war against Christians” because they’re running out of examples of this since it’s not Christmas season. Shame on us for only attacking the Christians and their religions. They are the victims in everything. They never were the victims in the Crusades and World War II. Oh… wait.

The point is simple. It’s a commercial. I think I need to repeat myself. It’s a commercial. There’s no big conspiracy to bring down the Pope. There’s no conspiracy to bring down Christianity at its core of beliefs. There is a conspiracy to sell beer, however, so watch out for that. Maybe even sell mediocre beer. What if another beer company used God in their commercials, wouldn’t there be an uproar of implications of targeting children because God loves kids and so does beer? What if the commercials used another religion in their purposes to sell beer? Where would the outrages be there? I think there’s enough going on the in the world where we should worry about that and not whether or not a commercial referenced God properly. Next you’ll see beer commercials promoting guns, and we’ll see what the real slippery slope is. Also, I doubt God would want to be a part of selling alcohol for the purposes of drunken debauchery. I think that’s against the Bible.

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And Now, We’re back.

I left you all with a cliffhanger last week. I’m happy to report that so far, even though it was a roller-coaster week, everything seems to have been successful. Although we had one trip to the doctors and another call, things went well considering. The nights were the most difficult, as he’s a stomach sleeper which is probably very painful considering the placement of the surgery. Also the medicines may have upset his stomach. All this would be verified if the poor baby could say more than “hi” and “baba”. Tomorrow, the catheter and stitches will hopefully be out and healed and everything can go back to normal. It was a rough week, but we  had great support and helpers, so we lived.

Now, back to business.

This ordeal made me appreciate my husband more. We bickered, which was uncommon for us, but when you’re in a stressful situation like that with very little sleep, you’re bound to have a few little snippy moments. We’re a strong couple, and at the end of the day we had each others’ back and we knew it. This solidified my belief that we’re a great team, and I believe that lesser couples would be in divorce court after something like that.

During this time, we ended up watching “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World”. I’m not a romantic by any means, but this movie really made me think about relationships and marriage. That, and it made me think about the end of the world. Would it hurt being hit by a meteor or would we just instantly be incinerated and that’s that? Anyways, I got off point there. Maybe a basis of marriage shouldn’t be just a love and admiration for someone. I think that you should look at your partner and decide “if I’m faced with an impending apocalypse, is that the person I want to die next to?” Sure, this seems a little bit macabre to think about, but I think it’s an important question to ask yourself. Also, would you kill that person if they got bit by a zombie before or after they turn? Would this person properly help defend you if zombies were trying to eat your face? Important questions when you’re faced with a shiny diamond in  your face methinks.

I’m okay with that idea. I can safely say that my husband would fend off a horde of zombies for me. More importantly, I can say with full confidence that he’s a perfect person to be my partner and to die next to if an asteroid was coming to kill humanity. This is the person who is my partner in life, my partner with the kids, and most importantly my partner in crime. If you can smile at the person after a bad day, and really think to yourself that person is the one I want to face an apocalypse with, then you’re not doing to bad. You shouldn’t settle for less than that, and anything less should be unacceptable.

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And Tomorrow is Another Day

My post was missing on Friday due to being at a pre-op appointment for my baby son. Likewise, my posts for the next week might also disappear as I’ll be busy tending to the needs of my poor innocent child. I thank all that have wished us luck, hopefully we won’t need it. As far as surgeries go, this one is pretty routine and as far as medical staff we’re seeing among the best. It’s assuring that people have given us kind words to help us be a little bit stronger because no matter how routine the surgery is supposed to be, in life anything can happen. It’s those kind words that will carry us into tomorrow with that much more of a positive attitude. It’s that positive attitude that will make it a little easier to stomach seeing your 9-month-old baby attached to machines and IV’s. You don’t want to see your child in pain at any age, it’s just a bit more rough seeing a baby like that.

I will keep my readers posted both here and on my Hubpage. I hope someone was able to read my story that needed it, because I learned that this condition isn’t very discussed on forums for support. (My Hubpage link is on the sidebar, where I explain the condition.) Maybe it’s embarrassing, or just not as common as I’m told it is. But maybe I reached a few people who needed the support. At least I can bring that to the table now and after this situation.

I hope you all have a good week and a Happy Fourth. People fought for our country’s freedom so we could set of explosives while getting drunk and going to the hospital as a result of the mix. Don’t be stupid kids. I’ll see you when he’s all healed and happy. Thank you again for all the kindness.

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And Then Comes Marriage

Rumor has it, the Supreme Court will rule on gay marriage today. I wanted to get ahead of this with a reiteration of my prediction in hopes that I’m correct. This will be a 2 parter, if the decision does come in after I post this for a reaction piece. All eyes of people that care will be watching for this ruling, that either way will upset a mass ton of people.

I believe in people who love each other should be able to get married. Back when marriage was just a conversation between myself and my husband, I didn’t understand why we should get married. What makes me so special that I can marry whomever I want, but other people can’t. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that “I won’t get married until everyone can get married”, because I think that’s a cop-out people use so they don’t have to get married. I didn’t understand why it’s necessary for me to get married. I’ve been married for nearly 2 years, and I still don’t really understand. Nothing has changed between us in our relationship, except that now we’re legally bound together until we pay a large price to divorce and I had to change my last name. (Why is divorce so expensive? Because it’s worth it.) That doesn’t take away from people who idealize a process like marriage as something in their dreams.

417711_10150588848513107_1129203482_nBut on that token, shouldn’t every American be allowed that dream? This picture is hilarious, but it’s true. Last time I spoke about this, I pointed out that just a few decades ago I wouldn’t have been allowed to marry my husband since he isn’t a White male. Now today, it’s essentially the same fight. Legally, what’s the big deal? I accept that people have moral oppositions to this as a result of religious beliefs. But I recall that religion shouldn’t  have a bearing on legal matters. We live in a land of law with religion, not religious law. No one is asking you to get married to a partner of the same gender, we’re simply asking that you leave people’s bedroom alone.

My theory is that the Supreme Court will legalize it, using the grounds of the Supreme Court legalized interracial marriage in 1967 stating that “anti-miscegenation” laws were unconstitutional. Telling someone they couldn’t marry another person was unconstitutional, and marriage is a right we have as humans. I end with this quote on interracial marriage and slyly point out that the justice never specified “man” or “woman” in the decision, he simply said “person”. Granted he was only speaking about race, but I can hope. From Wikipedia:

Chief Justice Earl Warren‘s opinion for the unanimous court held that:

“ Marriage is one of the “basic civil rights of man,” fundamental to our very existence and survival…. To deny this fundamental freedom on so unsupportable a basis as the racial classifications embodied in these statutes, classifications so directly subversive of the principle of equality at the heart of the Fourteenth Amendment, is surely to deprive all the State’s citizens of liberty without due process of law. The Fourteenth Amendment requires that the freedom of choice to marry not be restricted by invidious racial discrimination. Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the State.
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Go Get Your Special Vote On.

Tomorrow in Massachusetts, we have a special election on who to replace the “Turd”. Wait, or was he the “D”? I’m not sure, South Park never really specified so I get confused. Either way, John Kerry has the highly coveted and non-controversial title of “Secretary of State”, leaving us with another special election. Last time this happened, Republican Scott Brown upset the favorite Democrat Martha Coakley. Will there be a repeat upset of Gomez over Markey? The excitement is brewing, I can’t wait to see that hockey game. Wait, I’m confused again. It’s an election, not a sporting event. Or… is it?

I kid. But who do we vote for? I watch the commercials and pegged Markey as an early winner, only based on the fact that the majority of people are easily swayed by television and I’ve only really seen Markey on TV. But his hair bothers me, he reminds me of Donald Trump. I don’t think I want to vote for him because of his hair. Then… then I saw a Gabriel Gomez commercial mocking Markey and I admit I laughed pretty hard at it. After seeing that commercial, the answer seems so simple. Go Gomez!

But seriously, I do go to Wikipedia to spell out the stances people have on issues because no one else seems to want to tell me what’s going on. I know, politicians flip-flop all the time but I want a basis here. So I look at Gomez’s positions, and he seems very similar to Scott Brown. Okay, I voted for Scott Brown so that might not be a bad place to start. Then, I look at Markey. Nothing.  What does he stand for? His ads just tell me he is a guy who’s served in Washington, D.C for way too many years where nothing got done and that Gabriel Gomez is a terrible person by using half soundbites for his purpose. Okay, I’m a Democrat and according to the rules of today I should stand behind Markey because “he’s my peeps”. I’m not sure I can. I’m not sure of anything political really.

So come tomorrow, what do I do? Do I vote for Gomez? Do I vote for Markey? Do I even bother voting and stay home and eat junk food while watching Criminal Minds I have DVR’ed on every channel that plays it? Does it even really matter who I vote for? Which one is less likely to be bought off to the highest bidder? I’m not entirely sure, I might suck it up and vote for Gomez because I like someone who says “just because I don’t believe it in, doesn’t mean it should be illegal”. Maybe I should pass, because who says he’ll keep that stand when actually put into office. What this comes down to is “which one of these people has my interests and the interests of Massachusetts in mind” when we vote tomorrow. Do we give a guy a chance, or do we allow a guy that’s failed us before stay there to fail us? (I’m basing this solely on the fact that neither party has done anything in our benefit.) I’m not sure, but I might say “screw it” and see if some new blood changes things. Then watch him lose re-election because he didn’t vote the way the party wanted him to so no one funded his re-election campaign because heaven forbid someone was actually watching out for the people they promised to help.