Ode to Sarah Palin

A message to the Media follows and it is highly satirical.

A recent Time magazine article reported that Gov Palin is tanking in popularity among women because (and I quote) "she's too pretty, she's too confident, and she could embarrass us [women]." They go on to say, "I know, I know. With all this extra baggage a female candidate has to bear, the chances of finding a woman whom other women won't hate seem skinnier than last year's jeans."

You might have been talking about a middle school version of Superstar, twenty years ago; before I could vote. In the future, please make a distinction between your pop-culture, MTV readership and the rest of us women over the legal drinking age.

Liberal press, do you really think we believe your condescending take is really about the messenger? You may sway the election but you cannot change my values.

Just to show that this conservative is not above having a little fun, I wrote a little something to lighten things up. Maybe somehow it will find its way to Ms. Palin.


Ode to Sarah Palin

Oh Sarah, how I'm diggin' thee,
Working class mom of the G-O-P.
Conservative, gun-totin', down-to-earth,
Its only been how long since you gave birth?
Journalist, Jock, Beauty Queen,
The new kid on the national scene.
Love how you sold the Alaskan jet,
Thumbed your nose in the face of the establishment.
The liberal press came at you snarling,
'Cause you threaten the ticket of the media darling.
Went up against Biden with wit and sass,
Kept your composure and displayed your class.
Had a much better showing than they will admit,
As if you alone could save the ticket.
Good luck in your run for VP,
We need more moms running DC!

By the way, I'm not an Obama-hater. On the contrary, I think he is very charismatic and eloquent and would make a great Vice President. (You know, to gain the experience Hillary made it so clear he lacks.) As for experience, he and Sarah Palin are in the same league...but she is not running for President. Alas, I think she has more mass appeal than McCain with the critical "Middle America" sector. Heck, with just about everyone.

And on the subject of Middle Americans, can you candidates please stop talking about us like a child in the room -- meant to be seen and not heard? We do, after all, pay your salary!

The Hardest Friends to Make

Let me begin by saying I heart my girlfriends. They are in a class by themselves. All of them. Each of you, I heart you!

Guy friends, mmm, I have one or two of those. But my main squeeze requires and deserves the lion's share of my male admiration these days. So I'm not filling any new positions. Except...

When the man comes as a package deal with his significant other. A "Couple's friendship." I motion that these elusive CFs are the hardest and rarest kind that exists.

By definition (made up just now by me) a couple's friend is when 2 couples can hang out and everyone enjoys everyone's company. AND, the girls have to be side friends on their own, AND, the guys have to be side friends on their own. Otherwise, someone's just being polite and hanging out with "your friend and her husband" or whatever the scenario. And sure, sometimes couples friends start out that way, but to be a true "CF" everyone has to like everyone independently.

That's a tall order wouldn't you say? Think of all the permutations. Think of all the personalities that have to meld for this beautiful thing to blossom. Think of all the near misses because someone's little quirk threw the whole thing off. I had a promising CF thwarted because MMA couldn't take the girl's laughter. In truth, there were other issues we later discovered but it was so dissapointing at the time.

So we had the wonderful pleasure to have lunch with one of our very very few CF yesterday. All the stars were aligned to make it happen with no kids and on a week day, no less. We left our lunch double date feeling relaxed, joyful, uplifted, reassured of goodness in the world. We ate well, laughed often, spoke kindly and listened to each other with genuine interest. MMA was at ease and at his wittiest. I felt prettier, funnier, a real Superstar. During the course of lunch we learned new things to admire and appreciate about our friends.

I love the way things can work out when God puts people together. He plans such wonderful things for us and friendships of all kinds must be one the best treats in His snack dish. I wish I could advertise and find a few more CF to sweeten our lives. But I realize it doesn't work that way. And if it did, the ones we have wouldn't be as special.

More about my priceless girlfriends later.

Life Interrupts Life

Can't a girl read one novel cover to cover without someone needing something from me, or uh her?

Interruptions are a fact of my life, your's too probably. Then there's the start and stop issue which is a life constant for me. Ask me how long my upstairs guest bath has been "under construction"...no, don't ask. I love the idea of all the things I'm going to accomplish in a day. But somehow, life, family, responsibilities, "things" get in the way.

Family is my favorite interruption. That's not to say my husband and son are "in the way," of course not, but, it does slow you down when you have to wipe a 3 year old's bootie/nose, wash your hands, come up with a delish dinner to satisfy your man but still cover all the food groups, watch out for his cholesterol and colon, pamper his id...Oh, there's trying to keep fit and keep house and finding time to pursue that which makes you, YOU.

Why Blog? Is somebody going to pay me for this? I guess I've been forgetting who I am lately as my 24 hour a day job sometimes takes over. I get the haircut that works best for the job (short and easy.) I have the right car for the job (paid off SUV.) I don't dress like I might like to, because chasing a preschooler down the street in kitten heels...let's just say, the neighbors would talk.

My dear friend Girlystuff, who has watched my suburbification over the years, suggested blogging to me as a creative outlet. But in her wisdom, she secretly knew that my inner Mary Katherine Gallagher needed a place to shine. So henceforth I will refer to myself as "Superstar" when I light up your small screen. Without nudity. And in return, I get to feed my inner Lilly? Indulge in me-time? Something like that.

I hesitate to describe myself as" wife" and "mom" I relish that I am those things but they don't tell the whole story. I'm not identified by my career these days (career interruptus?) I don't have one specific hobby so one could say "that rock-climber chick" (if I did, it would be something cool.) I'm Lilly: volunteer, cook, homemaker, teacher, cynacist, procrastinator, bargain-hunter, HGTV-watcher, book-clubber, blog-reader, novice designer, seamstress-wannabe. I'm a woman who loves all that God has done in my life: I feel rich in so many ways, I am healthy today, I have a home life that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world (that I work hard at.) And yes, I am a proud wife and mother.

I've allotted just 15 minutes today to describe myself. That, too, was interrupted by a loud "mommeeee" coming from my suppose-to-be-napping son who claims he isn't asleep yet because the toys in his bed keep making noise. I'm working on not being such a mean girl to Only Child so I ignore the obvious solution.

Only Child is, after all, just 3 and in his beautiful little mind, there was a valid reason to keep me from what I was doing. "I'm the center of Mommy's Universe" or something like that. Did I mention he's an only child?

I'm way over the allotted minutes. Enough putting off my real world work. I have about 2 hours of precious time left to read blogs (sweet indulgence) do some laundry, make brown rice jambalay from a box, maybe sweep those floors, email the insurance adjuster about our Hurricane Ike claim, get together some clothes to donate to the good people of Galveston, and about half a dozen other little things to keep this house going. Then Only Child wakes up and MMA gets home.