Category: Esta

My turn to rise from the blogger dead. I’ve been laid flat (lain flat?) for the past few days by a very nasty cold bug, which I unintentionally and not on purpose probably gave to Tim during his visit. And my Internet connection at home isn’t working for the very simple reason that someone out there is out to get me. Seriously, I’m back, I’m eating tangerines, I’m reasonably content and on the way to being more so.

About Pop Pop: like Tim said, it’s been incredibly hard on the whole family — I don’t think any of us had realized how much we rely on Pop Pop to hold us together. Mom says that he’s doing better, though — his blood sugar was way, way down last night. As long as Mom has reason to be optimistic, so do I.

Have a great day, all…

Am I a bad person for thinking this is funny? All but the part about leaving the pitifully squeaking things out in the rain while the narrator walks away sadly…yes, I am a bad person. Sigh.
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This is sketchy. Oh, this is sketchy.
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(I asked Tim at our family reunion on Saturday if he intended to do any blogging while on the road. “Maybe a little,” he said. I’d like to draw derisive attention to the “little” that takes up the rest of this page. Geeze Louise.)

Sad news today, folks: Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s, has died. Hats off and a moment of silence for the creator of the Spicy Chicken Sandwich.
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There’s an icicle outside my window. There’s an icicle outside my window! Hate me, one and all — it’s a snow day. There’s too much of the white stuff for me to get out of my driveway. “Tom n’ Jerry”’s on now, please excuse me…

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A friend and I have been discussing lately how hard it is to sort through all the mess to find really good music by women artists. I decided to put my money where my mouth is and pull cds out of my collection that feature women singers/songwriters. The list is here. A few notes: Lauryn Hill is missing, but only because Tim borrowed my cd. I’ve left out groups such as the Cowboy Junkies that only have a female lead singer, but included groups such as Concrete Blonde when that singer does most of the songwriting. I was pleasantly surprised; I’ve got more than I thought I did, although it’s still not a big enough proportion of my collection. I offer this list (complete with web sites) as a starter’s list for the uninitiated.

“I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the rights of the people by the gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.” -James Madison, fourth US president (1751-1836)

Happiness = sharing shellfish and wine with my best girlfriends. They, along with mucho crusty bread, a huge salad, and way too many old jokes, conspired to make Friday one of the best nights I’ve had in a long time. Many, many thanks to Christina, Jackie, Steph and Debbie (as well as Jack’s golden, Millie) for putting up with what was basically a selfish impulse of mine to have as many of my girlfriends together under one roof as possible (we missed you, Pam and Mary). And thanks as well to Guido (no lie), our waiter at lunch on Saturday, for one of the more surreal dining experiences I’ve ever had. You know when the waiter says, “I want to bask in your radiance” that something loopy is going on.

Hey Stiz, here’s that salad dressing recipe you asked for: coat the greens in olive oil till they’re shiny. Combine balsamic vinegar with lemon and lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper and thyme to taste. Shake it all up and pour over the greens just before you serve. Credit where credit’s due: Tim’s mother-in-law, Ramona Lucadamo, taught me how to make it.

There was more to my weekend, but I’ll have to tell you about it later. Dinner’s ready! Man, I love it when Debbie cooks…

My favorite thing on the planet (today): sammiches made with leftover Christmas ham. So good, your tongue’ll beat your brains out. And yes, the technical term is “sammiches”.

Just letting everyone know that at least one of the Jarretts is back at the helm. Some of us have to work, instead of being glued to (admittedly really cool) geek toys while eating truckloads of yummy food. ‘K, so I’m a little grumpy at being back at the office. It was nice to be away from computers and TV and radio for 5 days. Really nice. See Tim’s entry for a record of most of what we did. I’ll fill in around the edges when work lets me up for air. And for the record, homecomings suck if you live on a farm where the pipes freeze in the winter. Hopefully they’ll be thawed enough so I can shower when I get home tonight. Grumpy grumpy…

New story today about getting ready for Christmas. And cookies. And making kids cry. If I don’t blog again while in NC, have a Merry Christmas, everyone. I mean it.

This is huge. Mumia Abu-Jamal, possibly the most famous inmate in America’s criminal justice system, was released from his death sentence today. The state has 180 days to re-sentence him. If you haven’t heard of Mumia, crawl out from under the rock you’ve been living under, or come to Richmond and see the graffiti dedicated to him that covers the city’s walls. He’s a legend — revered and defiled — larger than life. I’m not an expert on the case, so I won’t post my opinion on him here, but I definitely have one.
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No scripting news, petit, just music. I’m listening to Concrete Blonde this afternoon. “And I’ve been running all this time and I’m running out of places to go…and I am just so sick and tired of every face that I know…every thing I do, everything I say, every thing in my head, every night, every day, I been east, I been west, I been north, I been south, I feel your arms, I hear your voice, I see your eyes, I kiss your MOUTH and I am walking in London…” Awesome song. No one did lovelorn angst in the early 90’s like Johnette Napolitano.
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Like Tim, I haven’t blogged much lately. Unlike Tim, I don’t have as good a reason. Everything’s okay, just not particularly newsworthy. At least not for public consumption. 🙂 I’ve been feeling quiet about the upcoming holiday season…not a particularly jolly aspect. But I’ve finally decided that it’s okay to have a blue, blue Christmas. I’ll be with my family; that’s what counts, and that’s what I’m looking forward to. That, and my Mom’s fruitcake. Don’t scoff: this fruitcake is the king of the breed that will turn naysayers into ardent fans.

Can’t even say I’m listening to any good music to redeem this blog. Yes, folks, I broke out the Mr. Mister today. I’m truly amazed that they have a fansite. Good for them!
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A first: today a Virginian was cleared of charges due to DNA evidence. He’s a local boy, from Hanover County. After 15 years in jail, it turns out he didn’t do it after all. There were charges of racism in the case: the judge, jury, and victim were all white, and he’s black. Was his only crime being black, and having a white girlfriend at the time? What’s wrong with my state that that’s enough to make him look guilty of such an awful crime?
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