Tonight we’re having pinto beans, specifically Frijoles a la charra. We’re serving State Fair sausage from Belmont Butchery, grilled. And, then mixed greens from our garden. We have some Flour Garden bread from the other day so we’ll also be downing some of that with butter.
In honor of the Texas theme of the meal, we’re listening to:
The Austin Lounge Lizards
Shawn Colvin
Sara Hickman
Billy Joe Shaver
Lyle Lovett
Chris Rea (I know, he’s not a Texan but he has this song)
Last night we had a wonderful meal with some friends. They’ve been dealing with parental health issues since this summer: her father has been in the hospital or rehab for five months and, of course, we have the MIL. I suppose some people sit around and talk about their kids’ bathroom habits but since we and our friends are childless we talked about our ailing parents and their bathroom habits. It’s funny but when it comes down to it what’s important? Eating, excreting, making sure they are safe and comfortable. I guess caring for older parents is a lot like caring for kids except you don’t necessarily live with your parents (will never happen for us).
This morning I woke up and before I got out of bed I realized I’d been dreaming about school and what promises to be a hectic day tomorrow. In addition to regular work, my classmate partner and I will be providing feedback to people within my organization on a consulting project we’ve been conducting. Our findings mostly point to how one person isn’t handling the problem well and that’s the source of the problem. Can hardly wait to have to process that with her.
Then, there’s my presentation in class. The one that I’m just not sure my partner (not the same classmate as in the paragraph above) is going to be able to uphold his portion of the presentation. We’ve talked, he’s done little work that I can tell and he keeps asking me the same damn questions. I’m supposed to call him later today. I’m ready to tell him he’s just going to have to do his part and to get over it. The people in my graduate program are some of the most welcoming and understanding people. We’re all in this together and we make it so easy for people to present. We know it’s harder for some people than others and we’re cool about it. We go out of our way to make it easy so I’m not sure why he’s so paralyzed. Maybe I’m projecting too much.
In addition to fretting and preparing for the presentation and the consulting meeting, I’ve been thinking ahead to the week of Thanksgiving because I’m seriously thinking of taking it off to work on a bunch of end of semester work and maybe, just maybe, getting started on some projects I’d like to get done over winter break. So, yeah, I’m already planning what my life will be like between now and the middle of January. I probably won’t be able to resist the urge to make a To Do List. I usually hate these things but, honestly, I think if I write them down I’ll be able to move on and my monkey mind will be able to settle down.
Seriously, California, what’s wrong with you? You are supposed to LEAD this country in social reform. Instead you just showed us you are full of small-minded people too. As for the other states who slammed shut the door to same-sex marriage I didn’t have much hope for you anyway. But, this should be a call to arms for all of us. I heard on Morning Edition today a leader of a large black church who favored Proposition 8. He refuses to see the similiarity between same-sex marriage and mixed-race marriage. I was the crazy lady talking to the radio this morning, perhaps you saw me and steered away from me. He won’t see that similiarity because it doesn’t work in his narrow little world.
Other things that annoy me and probably shouldn’t be lumped into this post but I will anyway? Fellow students who refuse to step up. I’m sick of carrying your tired ass through a project/presentation. If you can’t do it, drop out or leave me the hell alone. If I tell you that I don’t think I can take the lead on a presentation because that’s what I believe and because the professor also said she didn’t think my talents lie in that area then fucking believe it and step up. I’ve carried your ass through 4 other class presentations and I’m totally sick of doing it
Last night after the President-Elect gave his acceptance speech, we stood up to turn off the teevee and go to bed. But, we just couldn’t do it and so we stood there watching the Obama and Biden families mingle on stage. It seemed right to stand. I looked at the better-half and said quietly, “Maybe this feels like what people experienced with Kennedy.”
Having grown up in the shadow of all things Boomer and as a reaction to that oppressiveness (seriously look at how tiny Gen X is and how we’ve been rolled over and squeezed out), I’ve not given one fig about Kennedy, except perhaps I have admired his push to the space race. But last night as we stood and watched Obama celebrate and then walk off the stage, I thought I finally got it–all that youthful enthusiasm but mostly the feeling of Hope.
Our country has been taken back. I’m so proud that Virginia turned blue.
I stood on our front porch and gave a yell and then we set off a few bottle rockets in the back yard. The Republican neighborhood remained silent. Whateves…we won. They won:
My sister was late dropping off The Niece this morning because she had to wait over an hour to vote. When they got to my house I told The Niece there were two things I really wanted to do and she said, “Let me guess, vote.” Right she was but first we went to Ben Franklin and then to Target to replenish the arts and crafts supplies around here which had decidedly gone down hill this year. After we loaded up on all manner of pencils, paper and projects we went to my voting place. Both times we drove past my sister’s polling place (to and fro the craft load-up) the school was packed. I guess there are tons of people in that area.
The better-half voted around 8am today and he called to tell me he was something like the 377th person to vote. Those numbers never happen at our little polling place. The Niece and I got there around 11 and there were more cars in the parking lot than I’ve ever seen so I told her there may be a wait. When we went into the firehouse, there were more voting stations than before and the longest line was to put the ballot in the machine (we fill in bubbles and then feed them into a scanner). I had to wait for the person in front of me to get their ballot, then went through the Yes I Am Who I Say I Am process and then I filled in the bubbles. We were out of the polling place in 5 minutes. I was voter 750 something which is amazing. I think when I voted in the primary there had been less than 100 people to vote.
I’m hoping tonight we’ll find out that we just got our country back and that we won’t have to go through some rigmarole like the last time.
So yesterday was beautiful and we went out to the garden with the intention of picking things and thinning the turnips. We should have thinned them weeks ago but we’ve had huge things going on in our lives lately and so there hasn’t been time. They are well thinned now so hopefully we have enough grow-friendly days left before the cold really sets in.
I picked radishes again. I left some in the dirt so if it isn’t raining on Tuesday when I spend the day with The Niece we can go out and pick some more. After I vote, of course.
We didn’t save the radish greens this time because we picked a boatload of other leafy greens including kale, turnip greens from the thinned plants and mustard. Here’s a shot of a recycled vegetable bag filled with mustard:
I wish I had pictures of the other marvelous vegetables but the batteries in the camera died just as I was about to take those shots.
I steamed some of the mustard last night with shallots, garlic and lemon juice. Delicious. We had the mustard with gyros. We found frozen gyro meat at a local Mediterranean bakery about a week ago and we made tzatziki with that Greek yogurt we can now find in our area. I would have taken a picture of the lovely gyros but in addition to dead batteries in the regular camera the old back-up camera had no juice either. I was racing around the house trying to find batteries to stuff in the old camera but couldn’t find enough rechargeable batteries that had a friggin’ charge in order to take pictures. Last night we had three chargers going with various types of batteries.
The cabbage is looking like it is about to head up and the broccoli looks pretty good but no florets have formed yet. It may be that we were too late and we’ll just eat leaves and stalks or they are about to burst out. I don’t know, we’ve never grown those before. The spinach is limping along but the seeds I put in a big pot are starting to come up and look like tiny little spinach. The potted kale is also starting to show it’s curly ways.
Yesterday I went to a Halloween luncheon at work. Normally I hate to do these things because it’s usually awkward and there’s singing. This time it wasn’t awkward at all and there was only one song and it was The Funny. Then we played Bingo and I won a round, so that was killer. As we were wrapping up we were telling stories about how we used to do this more often before the Doom and Gloom set in. Naturally from that topic the people at my table moved to what they used to do instead of holiday gifts. The idea was hatched that as part of our holiday celebration this year we should complete a community service. I volunteered to organize it (there must have been something in those baked beans) and so we’re now running a food drive to benefit the Central Virginia Food Bank. We have about 27 people in the Richmond area so we’re trying to raise 5-10 pounds per person. I’m sure we’ll do better than that.
My second good deed this week was for a classmate. She is a high-level person in HR at a firm that was severely impacted by the collapse of the mortgage/financial system. She has laid off her team and herself. She was fairly devastated the other night and couldn’t stay for the entire class. She’s exhausted and sad. When I got home, I emailed her and suggested that we meet for lunch or a drink after work and I’d listen to her…I can’t offer any career help since I don’t move in that level or even in private industry (will work on changing that soon) but I can offer my ears and witty conversation.
She responded last night that she’d like to do that. I’m really glad. She and I have had about four classes together and in one of them worked in a team for the entire semester. I didn’t think our team worked especially well even though our outcome was great. She’s a pretty private person and smart as hell. I think we may be an unlikely set of allies for each other, and aside from the professor, I was the only classmate she talked to about her job loss. I think she realizes even though we do very different things for a living we come from a similar place professionally. She’s just much higher up the chain than I am. I’m sure I put too much significance on this, but if I’d chose to stay with the big financial organization and moved to Charlotte, I may be closer in professional status to her by now.
Anyway, two good deeds in the week and the food bank thing makes me really happy. Not only will be doing good for a whole bunch of Central Virginians, but we’ll be doing something that draws our Richmond area staff together.
Last night we went to the Get Out The Vote concert. 4 hours later, I leaned over to the better-half and said, “The Beastie Boys need to wrap it up because I am an old lady and need to go home and go to bed.” I know, I was at a Beastie Boys show and I was tired. At least I didn’t complain about it being too loud (I’m looking at you, better-half). Seeing the Beastie Boys was awesome. They are such smartasses and they are so high energy it’s hard to remember they are my age. I bet they weren’t sitting around whining about how tired they were.
As we were hurrying back to the car, I told the better-half when we quote the lyric from the Grandmaster Flash song about the DJ cutting it faster, we know from cutting it faster. Mixmaster Mike was, indeed, a mixmaster. Lord have mercy.
They performed Intergalatic. I was hoping for Sabatoge during their set, but will just have to see them again and hope for the best.
Santogold opened and I must apologize to her. I’m sorry the people on the floor didn’t get wound up until after 10pm. But, I’d like to believe you started them up. For crying out loud you rocked and you had tamborines and dancers. Tamborines and dancers dressed in gold. In fact I can’t think of one thing that wouldn’t be improved with tamborines and dancers.
Norah Jones was up next and she brought Sasha Dobson and Catherine Popper with her. I had heard of Sasha Dobson before. Catherine Popper plays bass. That’s cool. Norah Jones stuck with the guitar for most of the evening. Sasha Dobson’s banjo caused some huge feedback (at least I think it was her instrument). A minor mishap but not the only one last night.
How many shows have been put on at the Coliseum and there are still sound issues? Either that’s the nature of the business or there’s something that needs fixing there.
Jack Johnson got all the dudes and their girls wound up. I’d rather see him in a smaller venue.
Sheryl Crow came out and brought the rock. She sang her gasoline song with the video running in the background. She puts on a great show but at some point it looked like she really needed to pee…something about the way she bends her knees when she jumps around on the stage.
I noticed several other old fogies left after her set. They missed the Beastie Boys and I say it’s just as well because you have to pull the stick out of the butt in order to enjoy the Beastie Boys…the fogies near us seemed attached to theirs.
Next to final thoughts-since when is it OK to bring toddlers to big, loud, four-hour concerts?
Final, final thoughts-Please vote on Tuesday.
I really need for daylight savings to be over. This waking up in the very dark thing has got to stop. I’m having more days of dark in the morning and dark when I get home. I need one of those to switch.
My boss just was in my office and I’m really having a hard time with her right now. In fact it felt like she just thought I was an idiot. Perhaps I’m just not that interested in the intrigue at our client. I could care less who moved where and why they report to whomever. I care about a few of those folks and wish them every good thing but the minutiae of how they handle their staff is of no interest to me. I used to sit in the belly of that particular beast and have no interest in returning there or even really worrying about folks who are only tangentally related to what I do now. When I follow a conversation just fine but don’t get real excited, it’s not that I’m an idiot but more or less I’m trying to figure out why we’re even having the conversation in the first place.
I think my Master’s program has ruined me at this job. The more I learn the more effed-up I’m finding my own organization. It’s not like this is the first place I’ve ever worked but damn it really is starting to wear thin.
