Upcoming ideas

I am not affiliated with a political party; in fact, I'm a registered independent voter.  But people who know me know my views, and they know that I in no way associate politics with religion or gender.  I believe people who do such allow themselves to be stymied and they run up against a wall when it comes to progress.

I post quite a bit about politics on facebook, and I realize it's not enough now to just do that.  It's time to preach, in a way, about blind following of facebook memes.  Just because someone slapped a statement on to a picture of Willy Wonka, it doesn't mean the statement is true.  Just because your religious leader said it, it's not law.  And just because you've been told something 20 times, that doesn't mean it's right.  Ridiculous games of "telephone" seem to be where people get their information, and I'm sorry, from the pulpit, from the blogs, and from the beltway news, it CAN be wrong.

That said, I mean to poke some fun at people, too, specifically the "RWNJ" or Right Wing Nut Jobs that have lost their heads over our African Muslim dictator.

Oh, I'll be tackling the Hitler issue as well.  As a young girl from Missouri who moved to a small (fucking weird) Kansas town in the third grade, I remember being called a "slave driver" by my peers when we discussed the Underground Railroad in school.  I remember discussing the second World War from the eyes of a pre-teen youth, and then getting nailed for being a "nazi slave driver" by a few kids in my class (who also  thought they were hilarious when they'd make fart sounds blowing air against their hands) when we discussed genealogy and people found out I'm half German Polish.  If someone had told me then "You'll grow up and defend Hitler" I would have been in tears.

Let me rephrase that.  I won't be DEFENDING Hitler.  But I WILL use historic documentation to set the record straight.  Hitler did terrible things to many people.  And I won't argue that.  But I WILL argue trying to change history to make your point.

These blogs may be a long time coming, mostly because RWNJs have a LOT of fallicies spewing out of their mouths; that will probably become a series.  But I'm also going to be doing research, and I will post a References section at the end of each writing.  I would attempt to link to the research, but unless it's been published for free... I'd rather not go the way of Adam Swartz.  By the by, I find it reprehensible that we argue about responsible gun ownership in this country AND that we'll prosecute someone who wants us to have access to knowledge to better ourselves, yet rapists get a smack on the hand.

Meanwhile, speaking of rapists and guns, allow me to express a view.  Rape is NEVER the victim's fault, and yet everyday I feel inundated with tips on how I can prevent someone from raping me.  That shifts the blame to the ME.  If I get raped, it's MY fault.  I shouldn't have dressed like that.  I should have used my elbow and hit them on the side of the head.  I shouldn't have assumed I was safe walking to my car after work when the sun's gone down.

Why is it the VICTIM'S fault?  If you want to stop rape, DON'T RAPE.  I don't understand why that is such  hard logic.

That said, every time I hear someone say Aurora, Columbine, Virginia Tech, Newtown wouldn't have happened if more "good guys" would have had guns... I hear blame shifting.  I hear the NRA, I hear facebookers, I hear newscasters, I hear people I call friends say "If Newtown hadn't worn a miniskirt that day, they wouldn't have gotten raped."  Be offended by that statement.  Because I'm absolutely offended that we live in a world where that analogy holds water.

To me, living The Good Life is about educating.  It's about questioning.  And it's about more than Honey Boo Boo.  It's about making conscientious decisions in a world trying to inundate me with their opinions.

And here I am, inundating my corner of the world with my opinion, backed by research.  I'm not forcing it on you.  I'm not even asking you to read it.  I need this journey to better myself.  Join me, or not.  If you join me, and you disagree, back it up with facts, not rhetoric.  I'll try to do the same courtesy for you.

Bit of a ramble, that, but expect to head this way with me, if you're joining.  I'll try to keep it light, throw in some book and "Cougar Town" reviews along the way, some insights from the class I'm taking this semester, what have you.  But as Jules would say, I needed to get some Junk Out of My Trunk tonight.  It'll come together better next time fingers hit keyboard to publish.

a lazy weekend of ovens and words

This weekend, I did something I haven't done since I moved into this house in the Fall.  I went to bed early Friday night, I stayed in pajamas all weekend (of course, I changed them since I caught up on all the laundry in the house), I slept in and napped, I finished my first book of the year, AND I spent some quality time cooking and baking in the kitchen.

I made more coffee than any sane person should consume in a 48-hour period.  I baked cornbread muffins that for some reason ended up tasting like day-old tea.  I baked cranberry orange muffins that turned out amazing.  Despite the fact that I set off the smoke alarm EVERY TIME I opened the oven door (despite the fact that NOTHING was burning), I persevered and came up with some tasty concoctions.

In trying to be more fiscally responsible this year, I have chicken, pork and beef defrosting in the refrigerator for this week's dinners.  I found a delicious sounding chicken Mexi-casserole to try out tomorrow night.  My ugly not-very-domesticated secret is I can't cook chicken to save my life.  It's either pink in the middle or dry as flour.  Hopefully, just starting it on the stove top and finishing it in the oven will be a positive change.

Today found me minus the noise and distraction of the TV.  Instead, I focused on finishing my first book of the New Year.  I always keep a list of books read, and thanks to the magic of the Internet and phone apps, I never have to be original with my lists because any number of websites will do it for me.  Follow my reading adventures here.

The new year is here, and with it comes new hopes and new responsibilities.  One of my goals is to take a moment to acknowledge the good stuff in life.  That's different for everyone, and not everyone has the same interests, but these are the things that make me happy.  Sometimes I will be political, sometimes I may be tipsy, often I will be both at the same time.  I will rant about chocolate flavors and praise wine.  You'll know what I'm reading and what I'm watching.  In short, you'll learn more about me, and maybe I'll learn more about you.  I welcome your comments and critiques (just be civil and adult about it, please) and of course will comment or critique in return.