Tag Archives: Stream of Consciousness Saturday

Pretty Bird

Thanksgiving Turkey 2013

Thanksgiving Turkey 2016

Is that the same turkey? Same kitchen, different turkey. I have taken so many photos of “The Turkey” over the years that I have often joked I should have a Turkey Album. This year’s version turned out well. I have had years of practice to get the best tasting turkey and stuffing. We were a bit worn out this year because besides all the usual cleaning, which involves my last minute mad dash to dust, vacuum, swiffer, sort through piles, rearrange assorted belongings, move stuff to our overstuffed garage…we had a new grandchild born. He was born early and has to stay in NICU. He is very beautiful and a fighter. So we wanted to spend time with him and his parents. My husband said that next Thanksgiving he, baby Gavin, will be celebrating with us. We will be very, very Thankful for that.

Toby oversees the turkey carving with great interest

Ready for our glass of wine after all the running around

Always love to have my daughter Kate visit and she makes some mean mashed potatoes.

This post is for Stream of Consciousness Saturday hosted by Linda G Hill. Turkey photos by yours truly and other photos by Kate. Prompt for today was “pretty.”

And for Traffic Jam Weekend Linky Party #72 hosted by beingawordsmith.com.

Overdosing On Sci-Fi

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“Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away.” Well not really. There is always something, good and bad. But this past couple of weeks could be high on my list for bad. Made me have a feeling of unreality. How can this be happening?! But I have been through tough things in life before and survived, so far. But as a way of coping this time, with my near depression, I have sought some comfort in bingeing on old Star Trek shows. I had already been watching Voyager episodes but then I started watching more and now I am onto Deep Space Nine. What I love about Star Trek , besides all the great characters, sets, and costumes/make up, is how in each episode there is a big problem but then it is resolved and justice is restored to the galaxy or the Alpha, Delta, and Gamma Quadrants. I think most times the “good guys” win. I read somewhere that that is what drama is supposed to do. There is a problem or crisis and then you have the resolution and catharsis. In Star Trek there is diversity and gender equality. It is very uplifting to see (space) people respecting each other even when they have very different cultures and appearances, and women respected and in leadership roles. I know what you’re thinking, The Borg can be difficult. But I kinda like them too. As long as they don’t try to assimilate me.

My grandson was born Friday (11/18/16) This is something good. I love him very much.

This post is for Stream of Consciousness Saturday hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt was to use “yes.” Featured image of Jeri Ryan, Garret Wang, and Robert Picardo by Sol Ami on Flickr.

Also participating in #Traffic Jam Weekend Linky Party

Let Us Not Be Afraid Of Bullies

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This week I am posting a lot about the recent election and my reaction to what has happened. I decided to check out Huffington Post Women because I suspected the women who post there would be talking about this. That is where I saw the reference to Lena Dunham’s Lenny Letters. She posted a quote from Sojourner Truth, and if you don’t know who Sojourner Truth is look it up.

“I am not going to die, I’m going home like a shooting star.” —Sojourner Truth

Here is an excerpt of her letter to Hillary Clinton:

A lot of people have been talking about how we need to try to understand how this happened and what’s going on in the minds of the people who voted for Donald Trump. Maybe. Maybe. But maybe let’s leave that to the strategists, to the men in offices who need to run the numbers. It should not be the job of women, of people of color, of queer and trans Americans, to understand who does not consider them human and why, just as it’s not the job of the abused to understand their abuser. It’s quite enough work to know about and bear the hatred of so many. It’s quite enough work to go on living…..

Thank you, Hillary, for bravely taking every shot and standing tall, for weathering assaults from every direction, for telling us that no, this wasn’t politics as we know it, and no, you were not going to let a chronic interrupter with a limited vocabulary of catchphrases stop you from speaking coherently about your dreams for this country. Thank you for 30 years of public service. Thank you for showing our daughters something beautiful to aspire to. Thank you for reminding us what we are capable of when we are focused and ferocious. Thank you for 30 years of that. Thank you for not abandoning us now.

So no, the work isn’t done. It is only beginning. We will stun ourselves with what we are capable of. We will laugh with surprise like kids who finally threw a punch back at the schoolyard bully. We will watch our friends in awe as they step forward and demand more, as they recognize and wield their politicized identities. We will not be governed by fear. We will show our children a different way. We will go home like shooting stars.

I’m proud of you,

Lena

I remember when I was a little girl there was a bully on our street and he took pleasure in terrorizing the little kids. One day he and his buddies had surrounded my best girlfriend’s little sister and they were taunting her. She called out to me to help her. I was very scared too but I am proud to say that the little girl who was me went into that circle of bullies and put my arms around my friend’s sister and escorted her out. The bully became very upset that I did that. He hit me as I walked past him. His mother later explained to a group of us that he had problems and asked for our understanding.

It is important to stand up to bullies. I am afraid now too, kind of like when I was little, and hope that I will again have the courage to walk into that circle with the bully and stand up for the things I believe in. To put my arms around his victims and walk them to safety.

This post is for Stream of Consciousness Saturday hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt for today is “mem.” Featured image of Hillary Clinton speaking at Brown University by Gage Skidmore on Wikipedia.

McGuffins Are Not Just In Novels

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There is “high jingo,”as Harry Bosch would say, involved in the Clinton investigations by the FBI. Something fishy in their culture if we are to believe some of the stories coming out about about agents with a big hard on for Hilary Clinton. I am not talking about sex. It bothers me because politics is not supposed to be involved in police investigations but like Harry said about the LAPD in his story there seems to be “high jingo” here.

Another interesting aspect is the McGuffin plot device of the “emails.” This theory was advanced by Neal Gabler, Alfred Hitchcock explains James Comey, the Media and 2016’s ‘McGuffin’….that the emails are a McGuffin, a plot device, objects to build a whole controversy around, that are virtually without any real meaning. Per Gabler:

“This has been true of the Clinton emails since the beginning. It was always something of a hoax — a new chapter for a hungry media juicing its audience. Not one in a hundred voters can tell you the awful crime Clinton was supposed to have committed or why it matters. Not one in a hundred — and I would include journalists — have any idea of what really went down with these emails, as I discussed in an earlier post that highlighted the one reporter, Garrett M. Graff of Politico, who actually did something it appears no other reporter thought of doing: read the FBI’s summary account of the investigation.”

I am always disappointed and disillusioned when I read about “high jingo” influencing justice and the truth in fictional stories and real life. And I really hate the state of much of the media which satisfies itself by creating scandal where there is none. When it uses McGuffins and tabloid journalism instead of working at honest reporting.

This post is for Stream of Consciousness Saturday hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt for today is “novel.” Featured Image is “At Breakfast” by Laurits Andersen Ring. I am usually perusing the news nowadays on the internet every morning instead of in a paper. It wasn’t that long ago when we enjoyed reading the paper.

In/Out

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I am so sick of hearing about Hilary Clinton’s emails and what is or is not in them. What is wrong with some of the Republicans in Congress with their endless investigations? And what is with James Comey announcing, on the eve of our Presidential election, that he is reviewing more emails? And what is with the Russian government hacking into emails and trying to disrupt our election? Maybe it’s time that communicating by email is out.

This post if for Stream of Consciousness Saturday hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt is in/out. Featured Image via Pexels.

The Movie Screen

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I am out of town this weekend visiting my daughter. Right now I am typing on her MACBook and I am not used to MACs. So that’s my excuse and I’m stickin’ with it. We saw a great movie last night called Queen of Katwe. It has been wonderful spending time with my daughter and we are catching up on a lot of conversation.

I love movies and spend a lot of time watching them for entertainment and relaxation. Nowadays we can enjoy films in the privacy of our homes and have the option of large flat screen TVs to watch them on. But there is something special about seeing a film at the theater on a movie screen. The size of the picture and sound, the theater seats, and the tasty bags of popcorn, make it a worthwhile experience. I do like watching films at home as well. It is less expensive and you can watch them more than once and at a convenient time if you have a DVD. I prefer watching films over most television shows.

I am so happy that movies were invented and I hope they never go away no matter what type of screen I am watching them on.

This is a short post for Stream of Consciousness Saturday hosted by Linda G Hill. Image of movie theater via Wikipedia.

Coin Operated

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I remember staying in a motel, with my future husband, on a road trip where they had these coin operated massaging beds. I swear the label on it said something like “Cyclo Massage” and I tell you it felt more like a jerking earthquake and not too relaxing either. For many years we had our own joke about cyclo massage. I noticed in this image that the company address is in Pismo Beach, Ca. where ” home models are available. ” Be still my heart! Pismo Beach is not too far up the coast from us. Did you know A. Pismo Clam was the name of a character in The Bank Dick, a W.C. Fields film? In that film W.C. Fields’ character is Egbert Souse (pronounced Soo-say).

Just a little trivia inspired by the prompt “coin” for Stream of Consciousness Saturday hosted by Linda G Hill. Featured image of Massaging Bed control by Kenji Ross on Wikimedia. Vote image by Pixabay.com

For readers in the US, don’t forget to make sure you are registered to vote and please be sure to vote in November!

Great Auks Are Awkwardly Gone

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Awkward bird on land

Small wings that deny you flight

Lost from earth forever

This post is for Stream of Consciousness Saturday hosted today by Joey. Today’s prompt is “awkward.”

Featured image from Wikimedia posted by Jim, the Photographer: Great Auk (the “Rivoli Auk”, specimen no. 77), Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway Philadelphia, PA 19103 March 18, 2013

The Best Ballabusta

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My mother in law told me I was a ballabusta, a good homemaker. When my kids were growing up I made an effort to make them aware of part of their heritage by creating holiday dinners for my husband’s family. I learned to make chicken soup and matzo balls from my mother in law. I wanted to go beyond chicken and brisket and dicovered Judy Zeidler’s Gourmet Jewish Cookbook and Persian chicken. I made holiday dinners and Thanksgivings to die for but I was not an enthusiastic every day cook. I was not a great housekeeper either. I rebelled against the title of housewife with all its connotations. I was not Betty Crocker, Martha Stewart, or Mr.(s) Clean. I told my husband I did not go to college to be a housewife. Afterall, I am a child of the 60s and Women’s Liberation. I did want to be there for my kids instead of working full time. I did work part-time after my kids were in school. I don’t know if I was the best ballabusta but I make a mean matzo ball with help of Manischewitz (Matzo Ball Mix).

This post is for Stream of Concsiousness Saturday hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt for today is “bus.” Featured image “mom” via Pixabay.com

It’s All A Matter Of Degree

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It’s hard to describe superlatives without using another superlative. Even the dictionary definitions use superlatives to define the word superlative…the highest degree of the comparison of adjectives and adverbs, as smallest, best, and most carefully, the superlative forms of small, good, and carefully. A description of something more interesting than the average state, either very good or very bad, very large or very small, very happy or very sad… Seems like it is better to be in the superlative than just be so so, or good. Or you can be good with where you’re at. You know, “It’s all good.”

An influential Washington hostess and fundraiser of the past was Perle Mesta shown below with Bess and Harry Truman. The song ” Hostess with the Mostest on the Ball,” from play based on her life, “Call Me Madame.”