Little Man, In All His Glory

It's been getting awfully gloomy round here in blogland. Well, in my blog land anyway. So I'm putting up a picture of the cutest damn dog in the world and deciding to be a bit cheerier.

Steps

And the world keeps going round. As I watch another friend struggle with the suddeness of disease and how unfair it is to watch one's child suffer, I wonder at all that we can ever just be here now. That we can really let such horror in. But she does, because she is my strongest friend. And perhaps my truest. So now I will sit in awe of the power of people to overcome even the most debilitating of circumstances and celebrate each wee step towards recovery.

Photo credit: Tods

I'm not calling it a cycle

Today I was gonna write about the difference between a caucus and a primary. Why Iowa has one, New Hampshire has another and why these two states carry so much weight. But then my grandmother died. And I was gonna talk about that. But then my dear old friend who was told she could never have children called me and...yep, she's pregnant. Naturally pregnant at that.

So what I think I'm gonna talk about is that moment when we get shocked out of our stability. We roll along, happily, merrily, or hopefully so. Perhaps bored or stuck or feeling uninspired. But we roll along and then every once and again life kicks us in the ass and makes us FEEL something more, something different. It shakes us up.

I marvelled on the bus ride home, how different it felt in mid-day. There were different passengers, wearing different clothing. There were a lot more children at 11:30 as oppsed to 5:30. And the world looks different, not in a tangible, explainable way, except perhaps a bit too bright, but then again thats Los Angeles. As another good friend of mine says, "it's worse to be sad in Los Angeles than anywhere else. All the damn sun lights up the wretched parts and there's never a good thunderstorm to hide behind."

So there you have it. I'll roll along, call Delta for a bereavement package and just *feel* the wretchedness for a bit. And K. will have the baby she's always wanted to have. And Super Tuesday will decide the democratic nominations in February. And that is life. cyclic and all, but I'm not going there.

Bring it Obama

"I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaeda.
"I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars. So for those of us who seek a more just and secure world for our children, let us send a clear message to the president."

Bring it Obama. God I wish I lived in New Hampshire. (not really, but still)

Standing Knee Deep in Crap

I saw the movie Atonement last night and was surpised at how much I enjoyed it. It got me to thinking about intentions and what they really mean. How much of life is based on intent? If we're smart, I think a majority. Because let's face it, things often turn out to be crap no matter what we meant, and they often turn out to be crap not just for us, but for those around us too. I think its probably vital then, when we're standing knee deep in our crap,

or our loved ones' crap, to think about our/their intentions. More often than not, they were probably quite decent and well meaning. And we can go from there, which is a much nicer starting point than just standing in crap with no idea why and being pissy about it.

Photo: Walker Evans

Polka Dot Wellies

I've got me some new ones. The bright yellow ones died in Costa Rica. And now I get to wear them (sometimes a feat in bone-dry Los Angeles). Rain on I say!!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7544959

Resolutions Schmesolutions

They're just not my thing. All I got is some stuff that needs to be finished up sometime before this time next year:

* Do the final polish on Dream with the Angels and finish writing the second script already. The jilted Uzbekistani elephant trainer has been rampaging through the Depression area settlement site for months and I've not done anything to resolve the matter
* Launch the Women's Money Monthly website (so we can all have our houses and shoes too!)
* Keep my money plant alive. I think its got root rot. Sigh.
* Hang the curtains in the living room and put down the rug in the bedroom.
* And oh yeah, unpack my suitcase from Christmas