MMM...COOKIES...

Marisa and I made cookies tonight... and they are yummy. We made chocolate peppermint surprise cookies with peppermint patties baked into the middle (oh yes) and peanut-butter-chocolate-chip cookies (yes, as well). I am in to trying funky things with cookies, so I got jiggy with the peanut butter ones and in a couple I put a little piece of banana in the middle, and in a few others, some crumbled-up graham crackers. Haven't tried the graham cracker ones yet, but the banana one was SO good. I looove banana with PB and chocolate. Yum. I am a little cookied-out though, so we will probably leave them for the rest of the family tomorrow. I love cooking with my sister, though. It's fun...we're domestic.


CHECK YOUR FLOUR OF THE DAY

Yeah, as we were mixing the PB and chocolate cookies together, we noticed a few pieces of what turned out to be pasta in with the dough...guess the pasta was in the flour...don't ask me how....hilarious.

GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE

Which is precisely what I plan to do tomorrow...gobble gobble all of my Mimi's amazing food. I can't wait to see my family and just spend time filling ma bellayh. My sis and I are making cookies tonight, which should be interesting. We'll see how much cookie dough actually makes it into the oven.

Saw the Bridget Jones sequel last night...highly enjoyable. Not only is Colin Firth's character a babe and a half, it is still refreshing to see a romatic heroine who doesn't always have her hair perfectly done or her make-up flawless. SO much ado has been made about ALL of the WEIGHT Rene gained to do these movies, but I happen to think she looks pretty good with a rounder figure. It's kind of the way women were meant to look; big boobs, round hips, soft face...you know, like WOMEN, not stick-figure boys. I went with a group of girlfriends and was sitting next to a firend whom all through the movie couldn't stop commenting on how she thought Rene was too chubby...this coming from someone that isn't exactly emaciated herself, and it made me think that, in the end, women are the biggest enemies of other women. Most of the time, men could care less if we're curvier here or there. They aren't usually observant enough to notice whether we've put on a few pounds or taken them off...it's other women we seem to have to watch out for when it comes to someone being judgemental about our appearance. Why is that? Shouldn't we be each others biggest supporters? Has competition between women turned us in to what we assume men are; judgemental and small-minded?

That much aside, it was a delightful romantic comedy, and highly reccomended from the "Meghan Camp".

Happy Turkey Day to ALL!!

GOING TO MISS MY DADDY OF THE DAY

Tomorrow, I'm really going to miss my Daddy and my stepmom Sandy, whom we couldn't be with this holiday. We'll see them at X-Mas, though. Sniff...

MORE LOVE FOR THE AM

I have to give a mention to the other AM radio station I frequent; KNX 1070. I usually switch to them when I want a more straightforward version of the up-to-the-minute news. I had no idea until yesterday how banally witty they were. I am aware that I am going to re-tell this with gross inadequacy, but I have to make the attempt.

"(deadpan, one-note delivery) A Texas high school has decided to cancel it's 'Dress Like the Opposite Sex Day' due to the overwhelming response from the community parents complaining that the day has frank, homosexual overtones...The school has said that it will replace the day with a 'Dress Like the Military Day' when the kids will be encouraged to wear military fatigues and camouflage...which is way healthier."

Wha? That cracked me up!


HUH? OF THE DAY

The Anaheim Angels' owner wants to re-name them the L.A. Angels, despite the fact that they play, practice, and have their fan-base in Anaheim. I guess the owner just feels sorry for LA, which doesn't have a baseball team to root for...oh wait...

ROCKIN' THE HAMMOCK

My sister mentioned today that she was "rockin' the hammock". I'll leave it to y'all's imaginations to figure out what that meant.

I have found myself to be addicted to the LA area radio station KFI. This is an AM station with seriously conservative leanings, but for some reason, I can't stop tuning in. My morbid fascination with it's programing is sort of like that of the people that slow down to crane their necks at car-wrecks on the side of the highway. I listen to Dr. Laura, an anti-feminist non-credentialed know-it-all that doles-out advice to the emotionally infantile during the lunch hours, and I listen to John and Ken in the drive-time. Now the Dr. Laura thing, I have no idea about, because I usually end-up shaking my head at the ridiculous advice she gives...I guess I just like hearing her belittle her callers (which is ALL she does), but the John and Ken show I listen to because it's interests me to hear the other side of the issues I believe in, and on occasion, I even share their views.

I guess I tune in mostly because I love talk-radio while I am driving, and after ten AM, there really isn't anything good on the FM dial. The only place for talk is on the AM and it's mostly all conservative radio, but it's either that, or no talk.

Can we work on getting a liberal talk-station for the LA area, please? I am afraid I may one day be so violently opposed to the discussion that I would swerve and hit a school bus, or something.

GOOD LUCK OF THE DAY

To my Mommy, whom is working on some big deals and needs them to come through. You go girl. (I know, that was horrifying, but the moment needed something).

OKAY, LET'S TAKE A BREAK

I'm going to take a little break from "political blogging" and tell all the women about a truly lovely book that I recently purchased. It's called "He's Just Not That In To You", and it's based on the popular "Sex in the City" episode centered around the topic. It's basically a women's self-help book written by a guy, trying to convince us to stop letting guys off the hook with elaborate excuses invented for them in our heads about why they haven't called or why they keep breaking our hearts. And why? Why do they do these inconsiderate things? Because the reality of many "relationship" situations is that the guy just isn't that in to the girl. If he doesn't call when he said he would, he's just not that in to you. If he cheats on you, disappears for stretches of time, only calls you when he's drunk, can't commit, etc., (say it with me now...) HE'S JUST NOT THAT IN TO YOU. And that is the simple truth of the matter. Men are so afraid of telling the truth and trying to handle a difficult situation like telling a woman he doesn't want to see her anymore or that he's not interested in dating her, that they will go to great lengths to make the situation so intolerable so as to force the woman to end things herself, thereby letting the man off the hook.

I'm not saying all men are evil and out to destroy women's confidence in them, I'm just saying that men don't know how to say "No, thank you" when it comes to women (I think it's left over "mommy" crap), and they manifest their true feelings by being distant and inconsiderate when they aren't that interested in the woman they might be involved with. And women are in such a different mindset of romantic idealism that we invent myriad excuses for their bad behavior to make us feel better and to counteract any feelings of rejection or loss the reality of the situation might be forcing on us.

So what am I saying?

Women-No, there really isn't ANY excuse for a man that is IN to you not to CALL YOU. The man who wrote the book, Greg Bernhardt, gives example after example to showcase all of the situations where women invent or accept excuses for men when in real, healthy relationships, excuses should never have to come in to play. He gives these examples in the form of letters written to him by women asking him to interpret their man's behavior, and in every situation where to woman has been hurt by the man's actions, the answer boils down to the simplicity of "He's just not that in to you." And, as a reminder side note in-case women haven't already figured this out, sex doesn't mean to them what it means to us, and it's not a sign of any emotional attachment from a man. D'uh.

The book encourages women to recognize the signs of a relationship with this problem and to simply let it go and walk away; don't waste time on a relationship that is never going to go anywhere when you can be out, living life and meeting new people without the weight of a tentative, non-relationship hanging over your head.

Sure, it sucks to be alone, but I rather be alone than sacrifice my dignity and pride to trying to force a "relationship" to be what I want it to be when reality tells me differently.

I believe in love, and I can wait for the real thing.

p.s.- It's not a depressing book by any means. The guy is a comedian and it's co-written with a woman to give the other perspective. They both offer numerous words of encouragement and self-worth, and it;s often very funny. Highly recommended.

OVERREACTION OF THE DAY

My Lily has a sinus infection and her day-care sent her home because they were convinced she has pink-eye, which she doesn't. But they're there right now, disinfecting the place form top to bottom. I guess it's good to be safe, but still; they told them why Lily's eyes were red, and they still diagnosed her for themselves. Silly rabbits.

THIS ONE IS FOR RJ

Well, that was quite a little session between Brooks and RJ, wasn't it? But Brooks was right, RJ, you completely missed my point. The POINT of the post was that I am not now going to do what most Dem's are doing; try to pretend that the results of this election didn't happen. I accept that it did, that more people in this country have different ideals than I do, and that things are not going to go the way I'd prefer them to over the next four years. Would you like me to explain? Okay.

I am violently opposed to our presence in Iraq. We went "because Saddam had WMD's". Bullshit. No he didn't. Okay, it was bad info, but what do you say to the thousands of Iraqis that have lost their lives, and the more than one thousand American soldiers that have lost theirs? Whoops? My bad?? Come on!I will NEVER believe that war is an acceptable answer for any conflict. There has never been a war to end all wars; never been a war that brought lasting peace. When you take and eye for an eye, there is still another eye to be repaid...and so on forever. (and just as a side note, in case you're deluded about this too, Saddam didn't bomb the WTC...I know that in some "red state" minds, Bin Laden and Saddam seem to be the same man, but they're not. Hate to break it to you, because I am sure in your mind he's a great man and can do no wrong, but there is a greater connection between Bush and Osama, than Saddam and Osama. The war in Iraq is NOT fighting terror, it's polarizing a people against America in a way that was never present before we invaded, and NOW, there really are terrorists plotting against America in Iraq...why???? Because we INVADED THEIR COUNTRY/ KILLED THEIR PEOPLE/ AND DESTROYED THEIR CITIES. But, it's good for Haliburton, so let's not worry too much about that, eh?)

I don't hold homosexuals in some "too evil to consider as a normal human being" box, as the Republicans seem to do. A gay man or woman can't teach elementary school?? Funny, I can't seem to remember any time from my childhood as I was learning how to spell "CAT" that my teachers' sexuality came up. Hmmm...nope. No they never seemed to talk about whomever they were sleeping with at the time. Did that happen to you? Yeesh. No I seem to remember it being a big thing when I realized my teachers had first names! Let alone their sexual preference, I didn't believe they existed off campus! Is it the kids that would be corrupted by this situation, or the small-minded parents? A single mother can't teach either? But, I guess, a single father could, right? Would the Republican party be more comfortable if we just went straight back to the 50's? Better yet, how about you guys go, and the rest of us will stay here?

Republicans seem to want to stop the march of progress, out of fear and ignorance mostly. Whether it be abortion or stem-cell research, the human body is a complex science that we still don't fully understand. There was a time when it was thought evil to cut the body open (i.e. surgery), and this research had to be done in secret until it was socially acceptable. But when your wife (assuming you have one) went into labor, you didn't take her to your church, did you? No. You went to the hospital, where they helped her through the process employing all the wonders of modern science, all of which were challenged at some point as being "against God's plan". Time moves forward, and the things we thought were so radical at the time now are a part of everyday life, everyday living. Great men have been vilified for even suggesting such heritical things like "the world is round!" and "the earth goes 'round the sun!". And the men who tried to silence them in their time are now just looked upon as being small-minded and scared. Worried you might one day be in the same category?

Gosh, I could go on and on about the fundamental differences in ideals separating this country. I could say mean things like, "Say, did you happen to notice the 'blue states' seemed to be concurrent with this country's education centers, and that maybe has something to do with 'red state' voters being generally uninformed and in a really easy place to judge things like 'fighting terror' because, lucky for them, they are NOWHERE NEAR anything that might be targeted in an attack?"

But I am not going to...or maybe I just did.

The POINT is, you believe in different things than I do. We once again have elected a president that believes in different things than I do. But that doesn't make him "not my president". I can't live in a separate America (as utopian an idea that might be). I live here, in this America, with this president. My voice has been silenced for the next few years, quite effectively, I might add. But I am not going to go away, and neither is the rest of the "other half" of this country. When really looked at, our electoral map is just many shades or purple, because there are many shades of voters our there. There was a poll taken that when given the choice between Bush, Kerry, and Not Bush, Not Bush won, resoundingly.

You want me to regret our choice of candidate? How about the regret you'll feel when your "candidate" helps launch this country in to World War 3 on the heels of his devastating foreign policy? How about the regret you'll feel 20 years from now when this whole gay-rights issue is a thing of that past and people look back and marvel at how pig-headed and medieval we were in this time for having let this issue be unresolved for so long, because you'll have to know then that you were one of the many that was filled with so much misplaced fear that rationality clouded your judgment and compassion?

I'll never regret supporting John Kerry, because John Kerry spoke for me and the things I believe in. Maybe you should examine why you need to spend so much time trying to convince me that I am wrong, when my opinion won't change the outcome of the election one bit. Maybe a part of you is sick of being a repbulican, sick of being considered the "evil, uneducated, war-mongering" party, and maybe there is a part of you that wishes you could be where I am. Because I come from a place of tolerance, understanding, acceptance, and vision, and thirty years from now when my generation is running the country (provided we still have one to run), you'll only be able to sit back on your South Dakota porch in your rocking chair, grousing about the "state of affairs these days", but really you just be speaking to thin air, unheard, unheeded, and dismissed. And MAYBE, maybe then, you might understand how I feel RIGHT NOW.


ps- You might be better of reading Coulter's blog...I think she might be more your speed.

OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT

Hello, Mr. President. I am certain that the chances of you reading this are ridiculously slim, but I am sitting here, in the wake of the defeat of my candidate, feeling disconnected and disappointed, yearning for a way to re-connect with my government. I suppose I could try and sit in a corner for the next four years with my fingers in my ears, chanting "la-la-la", until the world seemed right to me again. But, pretending that your re-election didn't happen won't make it go away, and now I have to find a way to move on. All I can do at this point is to continue to support the causes I believe in, and continue to work for change.

The majority of the country has spoken, and while I strongly disagree with their decision, it has been made none the less, and you will continue to be the president of my country. You now have the insurmountable task of trying to reunite a country that is deeply divided. I would strongly urge you, as a citizen of your country, to not ignore the voices of the almost 50 million Americans that went to the polls yesterday to tell you that they wanted a change. The power has now been wrenched from our hands and put squarely in the hands of the very people that we fought so hard to keep it from. So all we CAN do now, is say "please".

Please, don't send any more men and women over seas to lose their lives in a war that no one understands.
Please don't re-enstate the draft and send my best friend to war. He's a peaceful, loving man, and he has no place in violence.
Please try and understand that homosexuality is not going to go away. It's not a trend, nor an abberation. It's really nothing more than the pursuit of individual happiness (isn't that in the Declaration of Independence?) and it's frankly none of your business. Allowing homosexuals the right to marry is so easy; it won't affect the average American's everyday life, and it will give a sense of completion and acceptance to a large section of your population. These people are Americans, too, Mr. President, please hear their voices.
Please don't try and reverse Roe v. Wade to make abortion illegal again. Making it illegal won't make it go away, as the drug war should tell you. I, myself, would find it very difficult to abort a child, but end of the day, it's my body and my decision to make. There is nothing in the Constitution that gives you the right to tell me what to do with my body, and any such legislation would be a bastardization of the law. There can't be moral absolutes on this subject. You cannot tell me that a twelve-year-old raped by her father should be forced to have any child that might result from that act; there is no God in that.
Please find more jobs for the middle class. Money is great, and I can understand why you'd want to protect yours and that of your friend's. But we all don't have your wealth, we weren't born in to privilage, and we need the opportunity to pursue our own American dream.
Please don't attack any more countries.
Please don't ignore the hopes and fears of our allies.
Please don't ignore your liberal-minded citizens simply on the basis of their liberalism.

You have been given an opportunity, Mr. President. A shinning opportunity to turn the tide of your presidency from one that divided a nation, to possibly be one that unites it. The three branches of our government are now completely in your control, and I hope that you will find a way use that power for the good of the nation, and not just to satisfy republican agendas. I could very easily vocalize to all and sundry my dislike for you and your policies until my face turned blue, but, like it or not, your are my President, and I am going to try and support you. I WANT to support you. I want you to be a good leader. You're the most powerful man in the world, and I am a citizen of your country.

Please hear my voice. Please don't shut me out. Please give me some hope that I will one day not feel the need to apologize to members of other nations on behalf of "the other half of the population".

We are both Americans, you and I. I am willing to try and bridge the gap between our ideologies, for the good of the nation; please extend me the same courtesy.

We're watching you, Mr. President. You won't get away with the atrocities that you did in the first half of your office.

Remember the movie, "Rudy"? America used to be Rudy. Small, weak, all heart and determination, fighting for the right to have his voice heard. We're not Rudy anymore, Mr. President. The rest of the world is Rudy now, and we're the bullies on the team that told him he couldn't achieve his dreams.

Please don't back the rest of the world in to a corner and force them to lash-out to declare their independence from our rule.
Now, go out there, and make me proud the declare my citizenship again.

Sincerely,

Meghan C. Marshall

I VOTED TODAY

I am now the owner of a shiny new "I Voted" sticker, of which I am extremely proud. This is the first election that I have voted in, and I am honored to have the right to express my opinions. The best part of the whole process for me today was while I was on my way out, I passed two little old ladies that asked me where to go. They had Russian accents, so I assumed that they weren't born here, but had become citizens. They were wearing red, white, and blue from head to toe, with sparkly flag necklaces and carrying flag streamers and it hit me that they were the personification of how important it is to exersize our inaliable right to vote. We take this right for granted, but I could tell these two ladies were so excited to have the right to do this that they veiwed this day as a sort of holiday...a cause for celebration, costumes and all. It made me proud to be American and even prouder to know that I voted alongside the people that had made a consious decision to follow freedom; to rise above the circumstances in to which they might have been born. To not vote today is an insult to the millions of Americans that have come before us that viewed this right as a godsend.


MUSIC LIST EXCLUSION OF THE DAY

I couldn't think of more than four "Road Trip" songs, so I abstained from this months proceedings. I'd like to send a familial "Boo...Hiss" to my Bro-inlaw for the choice of subject. Love you, mean it.