Tuesday, January 31, 2006

When do we crown King George?

So my favorite moment during the State of the Union address tonight was when Bush said, "The Congress last year did not pass my plan to fix Social Security," and most of the Democrats stood up and applauded. His Majesty didn't seem amused, but I'm sure he will sleep easy at night knowing that he not only has the Congress firmly in his pocket, but unlimited power guaranteed by the Supreme Court.

I feel a bit like I'm a member of the rebellion against the Empire in "Star Wars." Hopefully, Obi-wan Kenobi won't be our only hope. But can we really rely on the Democrats?

Friday, January 27, 2006

P Finally gets the boot

After several agonizing weeks listening to my daughters complain, Master P and his partner, Ashley, were finally eliminated from competition on "Dancing With The Stars."

For weeks my 6-year-old has been exclaiming, "He doesn't wear the right shoes!" and last week, when Giselle Fernandez was eliminated after dancing a fabulous rhumba, it took me fifteen minutes to get them to calm down.

I have been doing a lot of work with them to get them to understand that it's a competition, but it's also supposed to be fun, and a game. Perhaps I have a couple of serious ballroom dancers in the making, but I have been using this as a lesson in kindness, compassion, fairness, and respect.

While P clearly did not belong in a dance competition, he still deserved admiration for stepping in at the last minute and committing to the competition. He also did not just step in to be eliminiated -- he did it to show people that you can try something completely new, and it's okay for people to see you not master it. (Master it..Master P...heh heh: unintentional. I promise.)

There is no question that Stacy is the best ballroom dancer in the bunch, with the knack for the sport. She probably will not be willing to give up the money she gets in wrestling, but she could easily take up ballroom dance and quickly become a top competitor. It is exciting to see someone excel at something besides their profession, and is a good reminder that everyone can be good at a lot of things.

We do tend to lock people into a box, expecting them to always be the same thing. We, as a public, are especially guilty of doing that with celebrities.

Perhaps the next time we are suspicious and dismissive of a favorite actor trying a new kind of role, or of someone we know announcing they are going to change careers, we should remember "Dancing With The Stars." These are people who chose to challenge themselves with something new, and succeeded.

Even Master P.

I'm not ready for puberty

I’m not ready for puberty

This morning my daughter said she thought she peed a little in her pants because they were wet when she got up. But she didn’t wet the bed. We assured her that we all do that from time to time. A few minutes later she asked me, “Do you think I’ve started my period?”

Uff da! I’m not ready for this. No, I said, if you had started your period, it would red or brown, because there is some blood in the discharge. And I explained that discharge is a sign that the body is cleaning itself.

Augh! I am not ready for my child to be having vaginal discharge! Her dad and I looked at each other in mild panic. Fortunately, at that point, she got bored and ran off to get ready for school.

Its 2006

It’s 2006!

After a too-long absence I am back. I have been faithfully journaling on paper, but not to my blog.

But it is January, and, in the spirit of the new year, I am resolving to blog more often.

Here in the Pacific Northwest we have had record days of rainfall (a good thing, since we are in a rainforest), and an NFL team heading to the Super Bowl.

And I’m still trying to lobby to get a dog. Some things never change.