As you drive around the beautiful District 14 in which I reside, you will notice that the large “Reelect Harold White” yellow signs tend to be planted in certain areas:

1. abandoned lots that are waiting to be sold for commercial development
2. sites under construction for commercial development

3. homes whose owners wish to sell their land for commercial development

I keep scratching my head because I can’t seem to find a pattern to White’s support.  What could it be?  Hmmm … I’m sure it will come to me eventually.

I claimed in a recent post that my ideal temperature for outdoor play is somewhere in the low-60s, and I stand by that position. However, I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful weekend. Catherine and I potted some flowers in containers for our deck on Saturday and attempted to play in the fountains at Bicentennial Mall on Sunday with a couple of friends. We unfortunately discovered that the water was not spewing forth, so we settled for running and rolling on the lawn. Catherine’s apparent seasonal allergies made themselves known like never before, complete with red eyes, a skin rash and a nose like a faucet. But, nothing that a little Benadryl couldn’t fix.

Today’s trip to the playground was abbreviated by a scorching hot slide and my tendency to wilt when the temperature gets above 85 degrees, but I’m sure that more outdoor adventures await us.

Six shots were fired from a passing car at a house and shed Thursday afternoon, and one hit a 6-year-old boy playing in the yard.

Thankfully, the young boy does not have life-threatening injuries. I’m sure the thugs who shot him wouldn’t care one way or the other, though, as I’m sure they have no regard for human life.

Here’s the best part of the whole story:

Anderson said there were several witnesses in the area, but no one was cooperating with police.

I know that there is some fear of retribution on witnesses that comes into play. I would hope, however, that nothing could stop me from providing information about someone who shot a first-grader!

More than fear, though, seems to be the desire to avoid the dreaded label of “snitch”. I’ve seen t-shirts at mall kiosks with the phrase “Don’t Say Nothing” and the word Snitch crossed out. Of course, by using the double negative the article of clothing actually encourages people to talk, but I digress. Part of the hip-hop culture that is appropriately under attack right now involves not being helpful to the cops when a crime has been committed. I understand possibly being wary of the police as the techniques used to catch criminals are not always kosher with Constitutional rights, but that doesn’t mean that you let a murderer continue to roam the streets.

As most people know by now, rapper Cam’ron (real name Cameron … very creative rap name there … just remove a vowel and, wala, instead street cred) has stated the following:

“If I knew the serial killer was living next door to me? I wouldn’t call and tell anybody on him,” Giles stated in the interview. “But I’d probably move. I’m not going to call and be like, ‘The serial killer’s in 4E.’”

The interview is part of Cooper’s report on how hip-hop tends to send a message to its listeners to avoid aiding police in solving murders. Giles was shot in the arm three times in 2005 while in Washington, D.C., but the Harlem native would not cooperate with the police.

“It would definitely hurt my business,” he responded after Cooper asks him why he never turned in the gunmen. “And the way I was raised, I just don’t do that.”

Warms the heart, doesn’t it? His momma raised him not to tell on people who shoot him. Did that lesson come right before or after the discussion about always cleaning your plate and being respectful to elders?

It’s so sad that listeners of Cam’ron’s “music” would lose respect for him as an artist (can’t help but laugh as I type that phrase) if he chose not to protect a murderer. Such a lovely commentary on society. What a twisted code of ethics.

Cam’ron — your beautiful music has inspired me. From now on, I’m going to tell everyone I know that my name is “S’rah”. Please note the change.

Three Christians, a Muslim and one undecided sit at a coffee shop on a Wednesday evening.  No, there isn’t a punchline.  However, this opening sentence is the reason that I am writing at 1:45am.

I met up tonight with several of my girlfriends for our biweekly (that means every other week, not twice a week … right?) night out at Panera.  We moved from a conversation about late-70s/early-80s TV, during which I impressed everyone with my detailed knowledge of Alice, Gimme a Break and One Day at a Time, to a discussion of religion and international politics.  We all have different perspectives, which makes our time together so interesting.  But, I am also left with unfinished thoughts and unsatisfied questions when the time comes to return home to our little ones.  This leaves me tossing and turning in bed, anxious to reconvene and continue our debates on Darfur, Sharia law and the history of violence in the name of religion.  I don’t imagine, though, that my four friends would appreciate a party line phone call in the middle of the night.

I read recently that you shouldn’t lie in bed for more than twenty minutes if you are having trouble falling asleep, because bed should be associated with successful rest.  So, here I sit at my computer.  I think that the 6:00am alarm clock is going to be an unpleasant wake-up call, so perhaps I should do my best to shove politics and current events out of my brain and instead focus on counting sheep or listen to George Norrie drone on “Coast to Coast”.  That usually does the trick.  Wish me luck …

I’m holding my breath for the Fred Thompson announcement, but Rudy Giuliani’s views on the Islamist terrorist threat are right on

The former New York City mayor, currently leading in all national polls for the Republican nomination for president, said Tuesday night that America would ultimately defeat terrorism no matter which party gains the White House.

“But the question is how long will it take and how many casualties will we have?” Giuliani said. “If we are on defense [with a Democratic president], we will have more losses and it will go on longer.”

“I listen a little to the Democrats and if one of them gets elected, we are going on defense,” Giuliani continued. “We will wave the white flag on Iraq. We will cut back on the Patriot Act, electronic surveillance, interrogation and we will be back to our pre-Sept. 11 attitude of defense.”

He added: “The Democrats do not understand the full nature and scope of the terrorist war against us.”

No, they don’t. In fact, we learn that Speaker Pelosi, the white flag waver-in-chief (though Harry Reid might dispute that title), takes our national defense and foreign policy so seriously that she can’t make a Congressional briefing on troop escalation that she scheduled

WASHINGTON, Apr. 24, 2007— As the House and Senate prepare to vote this week on the final conference report on the $124 billion troop funding bill — which would also mandate that U.S. combat troops begin withdrawing from Iraq on Oct. 1 at the latest — Gen. David Petraeus is scheduled to come to the Hill tomorrow to brief lawmakers on the progress of the recent troop escalation.

ABC News has learned, however, that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., will not attend the briefing.

“She can’t make the briefing tomorrow,” a Democratic aide told ABC News Tuesday evening. “But she spoke with the general via phone today at some length.”

But back to the mayor. He had some great things to say. I particularly like this

“This war ends when they stop coming here to kill us!” Giuliani said in his speech. “Never, ever again will this country ever be on defense waiting for [terrorists] to attack us if I have anything to say about it. And make no mistake, the Democrats want to put us back on defense!”

Giuliani said terrorists “hate us and not because of anything bad we have done; it has nothing to do with Israel and Palestine. They hate us for the freedoms we have and the freedoms we want to share with the world.”

Giuliani continued: “The freedoms we have are in conflict with the perverted, maniacal interpretation of their religion.” He said Americans would fight for “freedom for women, the freedom of elections, freedom of religion and the freedom of our economy.”

Addressing the terrorists directly, Giuliani said: “We are not giving that up, and you are not going to take it from us!”

I know 9/11 was SO long ago. I mean, almost six years is a long time, and clearly one major party seems to believe the threat has subsided (heard any serious plans out of the Democrats regarding Afghanistan, Pakistan, or the Sudan, lately? Me either). The party of Clinton and Carter has seemingly forgotten the size of the stakes and the scope of the conflict. Iraq is not just about Iraq. Iraq is a front in the larger war that cannot fall, and certainly cannot be handed over to al Qaeda on a limited edition specially numbered Pelosi/Reid engraved silver platter. Being kind in my assessment, the Democratic leadership possesses the foreign policy attention span of your average gold fish.

The Democrats have determined that 1) the war in Iraq is lost, and 2) we need to get out on a date certain. Forget for now what happens once we leave Iraq, or what message an outright surrender would send to those who prefer us all dead. Or how a chaotic Iraq empowers Iran, and places the world’s oil supply, and our economy and well-being, in great peril. The “get out now” crowd has clearly not thought more than one step ahead. Maybe if Harry Reid could stop focusing on how to lose a war to win an election, he would have the time to actually inform himself about the region we’ve been politically and militarily embroiled in for the last sixty years. The irresponsiblity of the Congressional leadership is sickening. The only answer is to win the war, and they ought to know it.

UPDATE The top two Democratic contenders take issue with Giuliani’s statements

“Rudy Giuliani today has taken the politics of fear to a new low and I believe Americans are ready to reject those kind of politics,” Obama said in a statement. “America’s mayor should know that when it comes to 9-11 and fighting terrorists, America is united. We know we can win this war based on shared purpose, not the same divisive politics that question your patriotism if you dare to question failed policies that have made us less secure.”

New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, weighing in with a statement posted on her campaign Web site, said: “One of the great tragedies of this Administration is that the president failed to keep this country unified after 9/11. We have to protect our country from terrorism — it shouldn’t be a Democratic fight or a Republican fight.”

Hillary is right. It shouldn’t be a partisan fight, but thanks to the antics of Harry Reid, among others on her side of the aisle, it has become a Republican fight. The Democrats are more intent on packing up and coming home (which, inarguably, cannot be confused with a fighting stance).

Meanwhile, through impressively polished rhetoric, Obama says absolutely nothing, which is quite Clintonian of him (meaning Bill, not his wife).  Neither leading Democrat came out against the follies of their party, and neither has a real plan to execute the War on Terror. Rudy appears right.

Nathan and I started a subscription to The New York Times a few weeks ago because we wanted more from our newspaper than stories copied from the AP wire, Belk ads and readers’ comments which showed an incredible disregard for the standard expectations one should have for proper spelling and grammar.  With a paper of substance in hand, I have been reading quite a bit about the local and presidential elections that just took place in Nigeria.

“They sent us away, all of us,” said Mikailu Musa, a 40-year-old farmer who had lined up at 10 a.m. to vote for an opposition candidate, but was chased away by young toughs. “There was no election here.”

Thus went Nigeria’s presidential election, amid chaos and delay in some parts of the country on Saturday, with a botched attempt to crash a tanker truck into the headquarters of the electoral commission in Abuja, the nation’s capital, as well as violent protests and ballot-box snatching.

Almost everywhere ballots arrived late, and presidential ballots were printed without vital information to identify candidates and prevent fraud.

Races for legislative seats were postponed for lack of ballots in some places. Voting began late and went very slowly in others. There were widespread reports of shortages of presidential ballots in several states.

I read just today in the Times that 150,000 citizens of Bhutan lined up for hours to take part in a mock election so that they could practice for the real deal that is coming soon, as voting for leaders is a new practice in that country.

When I think about the chaos and intimidation that happens during elections in so many parts of the world and the determination of people to vote anyway, I get frustrated that so many in our country complain about the need for voting to be even more convenient and easy.  Polling locations are open for twelve hours on election day, and Tennessee even gives you multiple days to vote.  You can find some time to vote if it’s important to you.  You need a photo ID?  Good!  Imagine wanting to verify the legitimacy of the person voting!  The language on a particular resolution is confusing?  Why would you even go behind the curtain without first doing your research?  I have never gone to vote without knowing exactly which levers (or buttons) I intended to push.

I have had a couple of conversations in recent days with friends who really want to vote for Hillary Clinton because she’s a woman. I fail to understand that reasoning. I have never even considered a person’s sex when making my ballot choices. I don’t think that the “we need to support our fellow women” argument is strong enough when determining who will lead the free world (or hold any other office, for that matter). Congratulations on your lack of “y” chromosomes, Mrs. Clinton. But, I actually hold a candidate’s position on the issues above her ownership of a set of Fallopian tubes.

I have short legs (aka long-waisted — I hate that ridiculous term … my waist goes around in an oval, it isn’t long). I think I’m going to find another person with stumpy legs to support for office, since long-legged people have dominated the political scene and it’s time for a change. Beyond the world of politics, supermodels with legs up to their necks and dressmakers who don’t care that the waistlines on their frocks end halfway down my torso have dictated the rules for too long. Is there a candidate out there who shops for petite length pants and still needs to have them hemmed? Give me a call … I’ll put up your yard sign. We need to stick together.

Thanks to “intermittent disruptions throughout Tennessee” that were explained to me in great length by the lovely woman on the either end of the line at Comcast, I have been without steady internet service for over a week.  I would get that wireless lifeline for about ten minutes and then I would lose the connection for ten hours.  Instead of dealing with the frustration that would come from starting a post and then not being able to publish my carefully constructed and insightful thoughts, I decided to hold off on all writing until that green light was a constant presence.  Combine that with a busier-than-normal personal schedule and I have ignored the blog for much too long.

I have had so many thoughts concerning the mass shooting at VA Tech last week.  By now, many people have already written more eloquently than I could about the tragedy and the mourning for the bright young men and women who were cut down when their life was just beginning.  I have had one nagging question in my head.  Let me be clear that in no way am I second-guessing any decisions made the students.  I have no idea how I would have reacted if faced with that terrifying situation.  However, I can’t help but wonder why the shooter wasn’t tackled at some point, as was done during the Kip Kinkel shooting in Oregon.  Perhaps the layout of the rooms made it impossible.  Maybe shock froze everyone.  I can’t help but be curious.

RIP, you tank-conquering, vodka-swilling, giggling-with-Clinton world leader, you.

I wrote a bit about Yeltsin on his last birthday (during a few months of our blog that has mysteriously disappeared from our archives … yeah, I’m looking at you, Putin), so I won’t repeat my thoughts here.   I do think he was an intriguing man who was a champion for freedom.  But, I do wonder if Yeltsin did actually just die.  The Russians have a way of pickling and propping their leaders until the time is right to announce an unfortunate demise.

Question — Will the Kremlin count the news of Yeltsin’s death as part of the 50% good news or 50% bad news when it gets reported on state radio?  He couldn’t be a favorite of the current leadership that wishes to bring back the KGB and those nifty five-year plans.  Oh, Vladimir.  How did Bush miss that glaring hammer and sickle when he looked deep into your eyes?

I do like one bit of analysis offered by a terrified employee:

“When we talk of death, violence or poverty, for example, this is not positive,” said one editor at the station who did not want to be identified for fear of retribution. “If the stock market is up, that is positive. The weather can also be positive.” 

They’ve got to look to the weather to meet their “positive news” quotient?  What would such a broadcast sound like?  Something along the lines of, “The glorious city of Moscow received ten minutes of sunshine today at which time the glare off the snow created a spectacular prism of color!  We owe our thanks to our amazing leader, Brother Putin, who certainly created this perfect day.”

Out of every awful event, whether it’s completely personal or historical and personal to everyone, we as individuals ought to look to learn something from it. The tragedy at Virginia Tech yesterday remains fresh as evidence of an abomination of our own personal humanity. There certainly is no acceptable exercise in reason that can explain what happened, and why an otherwise normal appearing South Korean English student simply snapped in such an effectively deadly manner.

But let’s learn something. And we ought to have learned it from the additional tragedy that was averted at Appalachian State University on January 16, 2002, where a jilted law student went on a killing rampage, and was only stopped when a law abiding citizen and student confronted him with equal force.

If the shootings at Virginia Tech do one thing, it ought to show us the utter futility of gun control laws and rules, and the harm that can occur when the Second Amendment is gutted beyond historical recognition.

If one sane individual possessed a weapon in either the building or the dorm where the murders took place, we might be talking about 3 or 4 unfortunate deaths instead of 32. But the sane and rule abiding were not allowed to arm and protect themselves. However, the mentally disturbed Cho Seuing-Hui was - simply by complying with one law (in buying the weapon), while completely ignoring another (using a weapon) on a campus with what apparently was an unenforceable state prohibition.

Sadly, the innocent could have been well-armed. The Virginia General Assembly had the opportunity to repeal this ridiculous law last year, but HB1572 didn’t make it out of committee in the Virginia House of Delegates. Then (and maybe current) Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker had this to say at the time

Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the bill was defeated. “I’m sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly’s actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus.”

In fact, a student with a carry permit was prosecuted for possessing a handgun on the Virginia Tech campus in 2005

Last spring a Virginia Tech student was disciplined for bringing a handgun to class, despite having a concealed handgun permit. Some gun owners questioned the university’s authority, while the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police came out against the presence of guns on campus.

In June (of 2005), Tech’s governing board approved a violence prevention policy reiterating its ban on students or employees carrying guns and prohibiting visitors from bringing them into campus facilities.

Were there warning signs that Cho was about to implode? Probably not. You can’t stop the dangerous from causing harm if you don’t know who they are. Which makes arming the responsible and well regulated (which historically means, the well trained - i.e. those who can shoot straight) all the more important. The advocation of gun control is an emotionally charged position that results in bad public policy. Feeling safe is not the same as being safe. If the wholesale failure of the laws in such a high profile tragedy doesn’t convince you of that, I’m afraid nothing will.

I support the Standard School Attire guidelines that were recently passed by the Metro School Board.  I believe that children should view school as a serious responsibility (increasingly so as they move into higher grades) and a place where a certain level of decorum is expected.  I think the cries of “you’re stomping on our freedom of expression” is a ridiculous one.  First, can’t students find another way to express themselves other than through a t-shirt slogan?  Besides, there are plenty of hours outside of the schoolhouse that kids can express to their heart’s content.  Second, how diverse is the attire chosen by kids?  Are we really ruining “individual” expression with a dress code?  Teenagers have already established their own standard attire from which serious deviation is discouraged.
What statement are you making by wearing flip-flops all year long?  You have a strong constitution and can handle the cold wind blowing on your toes?

What are you expressing by wearing jeans that come halfway down your thighs?  Are you telling us that belts are a symbol of oppression by the man and that appearing to have taken a dump in your drawers shows that you are at one with nature?

How about those low-rise jeans that expose a colorful thong coupled with a tight shirt that just can’t seem to reach your waist?  What powerful expression of self are you making with that ensemble?

When the SSA is implemented this fall, I do not want the punishment for offenders to be a day of in-school suspension.  That takes kids out of the classroom and creates a hassle for teachers.  Instead, I advocate a two-part plan:

1. The school office should have a few boxes of khakis and shirts in various sizes that fit dress code requirements.  The offending student must wear an outfit supplied by the office for the remainder of the day.

2. The student should have to come in for an hour of detention before or after school the next day.  This inconveniences the parents and irritates the student.

I walked into my daughter’s nursery this morning to see her smiling face and outstretched arms waiting for me.  My heart melted!  I looked at her and said, “Good morning, ho!  What do you think we bitches should do today?”  Her eyes met mine and she replied, “Bah.  Mama, ca!”  I took this statement to mean, “Whatever you want, ho, as long as you bring the Cheerios.”

You see, I am trying to teach my daughter from a young age that she needs to take ownership over the words “ho” and “bitch”.  When a man uses this language to describe the opposite sex, it is reprehensible and perpetuates the stereotypes of women.  But, if women use these words with one another, then we take the power away from men and the words become wonderful terms of endearment.  Catherine needs to know that words take on different meanings depending on who is using them.  By starting her on this track at only fourteen months old, I hope that she will call her female friends in playgroup “her bitches”.  Can’t you just hear it now … “Come on, ho!  Let’s go down the slide one more time.”  Together, that generation will change the world.

Do you know what’s fun?  Losing your internet connection for two days when you are itching to write about “standard school attire”, Don Imus and religion (the last topic resulting from a toss and turn night I had recently).

What’s even more fun?  Getting trapped in your home from 12:00pm to 4:00pm waiting for a Comcast technician to grace your front step with his presence.

It gets even better, though!  The good times reach a new level when the clock reads 4:10pm and there has yet to be a Comcast truck parked in your driveway.  So, the always hilarious phone call to Comcast gets placed and after several minutes on hold and two transfers, you are finally told that the truck is just five minutes away and the technician tried to call you two minutes ago to let you know he is coming so why didn’t you answer the phone.  Of course, you were on hold with Comcast when this attempted call was placed and you dared not to switch over to the unknown phone number lest you miss the opportunity to speak to a human, but that point appears to be irrelevant.

I am pleased to report that after an intricate procedure of unplugging a wire and moving it to a different box and then removing something called a splitter that was just slowing things down (while taking a cell phone call from his wife that seemed far from urgent), my internet connection is now back in fine form. Why this configuration of wires decided to cause a problem after three years is beyond me, but so be it.

I am not a fan of Don Imus.  I don’t find him even mildly entertaining.  I thought the comments he made about the women of the Rutgers basketball team were offensive.  In case you missed it, he referred to these athletes as “nappy-headed hos”.  I have a couple of thoughts about Imus’ choice of words.  First, is he the last person alive who is still using the word “nappy”? That was an insult when I was in middle school.  Second, perhaps Imus has some inside information about the sexual practices of the female ballers at Rutgers, but when I was in college the women on the basketball team were not known as the easy girls (aka, in Imus’ words, “hos”) on campus.

My dislike of Don Imus and his ridiculous comments aside, I don’t understand why he needs to go to Al Sharpton for forgiveness.  Seriously … does the Reverend really carry that much weight (OK, that’s kind of funny) on the racial forgiveness scale?  First Michael Richards and now Don Imus are going to Al Sharpton with their best “I am so sorry.  I do not have a racist bone in my body and some of my best friends are black” routine.  Even Vicente Fox apologized to Al Sharpton for his disparaging statement about black workers!

Sharpton is hardly the ideal person to whom one should beg forgiveness regardless racial or ethnic insensitivity (just ask Orthodox Jews, police officers and lacrosse players who attend a university at which the basketball team gets obscene favoritism from the referees).  Why is his radio show the default stop for one’s mea culpa following racist statements?

I don’t think Imus should be fired.  I prefer that the First Amendment protect him and the free market bring him down.

I scanned the screens of those exercising around me this morning, and I amazingly was the only person with Tuesday night’s Metro Council meeting on my treadmill TV. Why watch The View or Pat Robertson (OK … he’s fairly amusing) when you can enjoy a replay of our local representatives passing resolutions with an incredible lack of enthusiasm?

My favorite moment of the broadcast came from my very own councilman, Mr. Harold White. A decision had just been made to defer approval of an application to study cutural initiatives for Nashville (something like that — I joined this topic in the middle of discussion) when Mr. White requested to speak. He started to ask a question about the measure but was told by Vice-Mayor Gentry that there was already a vote on deferral and the Council was moving on to the next resolution. White responded with, “Eeehhh?? Oh. So, I can’t talk about it anymore? OK. Well, check back with me tomorrow.” Way to pay attention.

I wanted to throttle the screen when Councilman (Councilwoman, Councilperson … whatever … I think Councilman works regardless of gender) Tucker spoke at length about the idea of getting someone from Oregon (hypothetically) to tell Nashville what it needs to improve its arts and cultural offerings. She said, “Just because someone lives 150 miles from here, that doesn’t mean they know better what to do in our city.” Shoot! If I knew Oregon was so close, I would have been doing some serious camping there! The urge to throttle really intensified, however, with Tucker’s frequent use of the word “utilize”. This has to be my least favorite word in the English language. I think it was created for people who need to say “use” but want to sound impressive by choosing a word with more syllables.

Note to Harold “if I’m elected I’m not going to support any new development … ha,ha, I was kidding” White: You’ve already irritated constituents along Lebanon Road with your development flip-flop and now you’re pleased as punch about new townhomes going up down the street from me.

Councilman Harold White has supported the project that is planned for two parcels of land totaling about 4½ acres.

“It’s a narrow strip of land, and I’m glad they’re finally doing something there,” White said. “I think it would be a good development.”

Yes, every narrow strip of land should have cheap housing on it! Way to serve the will of the people.

As I stare at the open can of frosting sitting on my kitchen table (used to ice cupcakes for a friend’s birthday), I am brought to reflect on food … and sometimes that word is used loosely … that I could eat in great quantities in one sitting.

1. frosting (obviously, as it inspired the post) — either from a can or, preferably, homemade buttercream dyed green

2. brown sugar — just give me a spoon and the box

3. latkes with sides of applesauce and sour cream — thank you to Mrs. Schoenfeld, Mrs. Rudden, Mrs. Peiken, Mrs. Globerman, the other Mrs. Globerman, and Mrs. Berger for cooking the treat for us in class every year at Hannukah; oh, and Mrs. Schoenfeld, sorry about that incident with your son … same thing to Mrs. Berger

4. pierogies — potato-based like the latke, but with a doughy and mashed twist; gimme a plateful and call it a day

5. Pringles - so thin, crisp and salty!

6. cherry Slurpee — hook me up with a Super Big Gulp size of this icy treat and dinner is served; there aren’t any 7-11 stores around here, are there?

7. fresh seafood — this is a general category, but any food that falls under this heading qualifies … particuarly scallops, oysters and mussels

8. ice cold watermelon — I think I could eat an entire melon all by myself

9.crab rangoon — specifically from the now-closed Chintao restaurant in Laurel, MD

10. celery sticks — just kidding, but I wanted to put some balance into all of the not-so-healthy items on the list

I want to be an optimist. I really do! But, sometimes, in the middle of the night, I allow myself to sink into a brief depressive state over our world. I found myself in this state at around 3:23am last night (that’s when I looked at the clock and thought, “Why am I keeping myself awake at 3:23am thinking about this stuff?”). Now that I have a daughter and find myself thinking even further into the future, I can get even more upset. Here are some of the issues in today’s world that got me all bothered at 3:23am …

1. Nathan and I had a conversation after dinner about the likelihood of several nuclear bombs being detonated in our lifetime. It really was a pleasant way to wind down the evening. Given the desire of terrorist groups to attain nuclear weapons (not to mention actual countries such as North Korea and Iran), the need we may have to retaliate someday and the number of weapons that went missing following the collapse of the Soviet Union (yea, I’m looking at you, Kazakhstan), the prospect of a nuclear-free existence seems bleak. That’s depressing.

2. I watched a two-hour special on 9/11 over the weekend. I had seen this documentary before, but it’s worth more than one viewing. I watched the planes fly into the towers and people jumping from the buildings. I listened to the recounting of the amazing heroism displayed by the passengers of Flight 93 in our first victory in the War on Terror and the firefighters who walked up the stairs when everyone else was rushing down. I feel like I owe it to the people who lost their lives that day to watch and remember. The show ends with a famous quote from Osama bin Laden, “The difference between us is that we love death and the Americans love life.” I guess the only way to fight an enemy like that is give them what they crave. Not an uplifting thought.

3. We have a bunch of inept, clueless people running our country. I’m referring to both the Republicans and the Democrats. I agree with the Democrats when they say that President Bush ruined all of the goodwill that was felt towards our country after 9/11. The days following that horrendous attack were the perfect time to galvanize the world against the disease of fanatical terrorism. Pardon my language, but we would have had global support to kick some serious terrorist ass. But, we lost our focus and we will never have that same opportunity again. Despite that, I still think the Democrats are worse. We have Speaker Pelosi paying a goodwill visit to Syria, members of Congress who want to run away from a situation we created (”Let the Iraqis fix it themselves!”) and an apparent belief by the left that the United State is just being mean and we wouldn’t be attacked if we just took the time to understand the terrorists’ perspective. Watching these people who we somehow elected represent our country is depressing.

4. Getting away from international politics, I get depressed over what we are not teaching our children. How many high school students can’t find Iraq, Australia, Egypt … or even the United States … on a map? Do our teenagers know about the three branches of government? Who our Vice-President is? How the electoral college works? In what century the Civil War was fought? Which Amendments to the Constitution gave voting rights to black men and then to women? I guess it’s because I was a government and history teacher and I have a passion for the subjects, but I strongly believe that history and civics need to be an integral part of every child’s curriculum. I don’t think that most of our kids have any sense of their place in the greater world. We are encouraging self-esteem and material attainment at the expense of responsibility and an “ask what you can do for your country” mentality.

5. I have mentioned in several posts before my concern over the isolating effect of technology. People are so engaged with their text message or Ipod that they aren’t aware of people around them, whether it be to hold a door or to provide a courteous greeting to the person ringing up their groceries. There is no sense of public decorum when cell phone conversations are deemed appropriate at restaurant tables and bathroom stalls. In order to survive, I believe we need to care about one another and see ourselves as part of a greater society (see #4). We don’t even know how to talk to our neighbors anymore.

I could write more about each of these topics and other subjects as well, but it’s 1:30pm and I haven’t eaten lunch yet and that makes me more depressed.

I just woke up from a strange dream.

Catherine and I were boarding a flight to BWI to visit my parents.  We walked by a family who said, “Your daughter looks like so much fun.  Can she sit and play with us during the flight?”  I answered, “No problem!”  Clearly, I demostrated fantastic parental judgement in this dream.  So, I left Catherine with a group of strangers and headed to a different part of the plane.

The attempt at takeoff was not a good one.  We never seemed to pick up much speed and there was a loud banging noise coming from the lower parts of the plane.  A hip-hop version of “Three Wooden Crosses” came over the cabin speakers and I realized that most of were going to die.

Then, the plane came to a screeching halt.  I looked out the window and saw a woman in a jogging outfit petting her dog right in front of the plane, completely unaware that a jumbo jet was inches from her.  I yelled at the top of my lungs, “Move the freakin’ dog!”  But, that only managed to irritate the woman sitting in front of me.

The captain came on the intercom and said we would have to hang out on the runway for a few minutes before determining if this flight could depart today.  I decided to retrieve my daughter.  I found the mother of the family and said, “This flight scares me.  If something happens, I want to be with my daughter.”  I started to pick up Catherine, and I noticed she was coated in a brown substance.  I pulled up her shirt and piles of coffee grounds poured from her clothing.  There was coffee everywhere — inside her diaper, between her toes, in her hair.

That’s when I woke up.

I talked with my mom yesterday about our travel plans, so that explains the airplane.  Perhaps Catherine was covered in coffee because she requires a lot of energy?  I fell asleep last night thinking about the lack of common courtesy that we display to one another (I know … what a relaxing way to end my day), so maybe that’s the reason for the oblivious woman with the dog.  She stands for the people who live in their own world, unaware of the consequences their lives have on others.  I’m not sure about the rapping Randy aspect.  Also, why was I willing to hand off my child?  Trips to Maryland do represent a chance for me to take a break while grandma takes care of Catherine, so maybe that’s a good explanation.

Or, like Nathan tells me every time I want to share a crazy dream with him, maybe the whole episode was just a random firing of neurons.

I used to be a huge fan of baseball. I attended countless Orioles games (first at Memorial, then at Camden Yards) throughout high school and even more so during college and beyond. I also had great times at Fenway during my year in Boston. Then, in my late 20s, my interest waned. I don’t really have a reason for my apathy. Perhaps it’s because the Orioles have consistently had horrible seasons since firing Davey Johnson (thanks, Angelos). Maybe I turned away after Mike Mussina left us for the Yankees. I loooooved him and I felt so betrayed.

Nathan absolutely loves baseball. (”Why doesn’t he marry it then?” taunts my inner six-year-old voice) We were dating in 2000 when the Braves lost to the Mets in the postseason. I was living in Boston at the time, and Nathan was up from Virginia for a visit. We were taking a beautiful ride through Maine … the fall foliage there can’t be beat. When the score was announced on the radio, Nathan pulled over the car and we just sat in silence for a few moments. It was almost like a member of his family had died. (OK, for the members of our family who I know read this blog … it wasn’t that bad.) There have been other Braves-related disappointments in our lives since then.

Since baseball is important to Nathan and it’s the only sport in which we don’t currently have a shared interest, I am trying to get back on board this season. I am wearing my Baltimore Orioles shirt right now, and I have the Braves vs. Phillies game on TV. Now I just need a hot dog with some relish and mustard and a cold beer! Unfortunately, I think I’ll have to settle for a bowl of cereal and some water. That doesn’t exactly scream “America’s Pasttime”, does it?