I must apologize in advance for the length and randomness of this post......I am stressed about this election.................
The big O's election will either be the absolute worst thing that could happen to our country and move it in a direction I will not recognize, or it will last four years only and be the best thing that ever happened! What, really, this doesn't make any sense???? Or does it?
It does if his presidency and the Democratic control of the House and Senate does indeed last four years only and the average American wakes up and realizes they elected the most liberal, inexperienced, blow hard to run our country directly into the ground with his cronies Nancy Pelosi and MoveOn.org.
Honestly, who in a million years really believed that a guy we know nothing about, who has been a Senator for 3 years while running for President for 2 of those years, who has the most liberal voting record in the Senate, who has received more $$$ in three years as a Senator than all but one Senator in 10 years from the Freddie/Fannie crowd largely responsible for our economic meltdown, who in a time of crisis does what he always does essentially votes 'Present' during the economic crisis while playing partisan politics and criticising McCain for trying to lead during the worst financial crisis we have seen since the Great Depression, who changes his mind constantly on his positions because he essentially has no core and needs approval before having a position, or at least a teleprompter to tell him what he thinks, who is essentially a socialist to run our country? I could go on and on and on, just ask my husband.
With that said McCain made a colossal mistake by refusing to be more of a leader during the most critical financial vote in our recent history. He should have come to DC and lead the charge to get this bailout package passed so that our financial markets will remain viable. He should be leading the charge that this is not a 'bailout of Wall street' which the media loves to continue to coin--can anyone say class warfare or I am a supporter of Obama????
This 'bailout' package does indeed do what everyone thinks it does not, it helps main street. Did anyone notice the 777 drop in the financial market. You may say oh those fat cats noticed it!!!! But so did teachers, and firefighters and police officers. All of our 401 k's decreased in value and if congress continues to play politics with this bill we will all notice our borrowing ability dry up, lack of home loans, auto loans etc.
When we elect our representatives we expect them to lead in a time of crisis and not play partisan politics. If you question whether they are indeed doing this, note that politicians who are retiring from office voted for the package, those running for re-election voted in large part against this bill. They are listening to the public at large who understands less about this crisis than they do in order to remain in power. Can anyone say term limits?
This is a pivotal election in our nations history (did I really say that, the phrase is so tired and overused). Can McCain recover, I doubt it, but if he can he will need to get a consistent message going regarding Obama and his big spending plans for the country, nationalized health care and increase in taxes. In the words of Dick Morris--
'Remember: Whenever we raised taxes amidst a downturn, we triggered a massive falloff. It was the tax increases of the early 30s that worsened the Great Depression and it was Bush's 1990 tax increase that created the 1991 recession that cost him his job. America understands that we can't raise taxes now. American grasps that Obama will not just raise taxes on a handful of rich people but will raise them on everybody. And we understand that Obama has no real answer to this charge. McCain just needs to begin to make this central attack his campaign theme from now on.'
But will McCain do it, it remains to be seen, and it remains to be seen if Obama's Presidential election will be the best or the worst thing for our country. One thing is certain, Hillary and Bill are laughing all the way to 2012!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Buckhead Housewives makes Perfectville stay at home moms look like white trash underachievers
:)
I was invited to attend a coffee sponsored by The Atlanta History Center this week. It was held at a members home off of Tuxedo Avenue in Buckhead. WOW. So this is how the other half lives???
I thought we had made it when we moved to Perfectville, but being surrounded by the Real Housewives of Buckhead, I immediately realized I was still in Pre K and they were graduating college with honors. They made the stay at home moms of perfectville look like underachievers who shop at target. Suddenly I felt like fitting into Perfectville would be a cakewalk compared to navigating your way through this group of pros!
It was quite an eclectic crowd at the coffee. There were young and old, new and old money, and those who happened to know someone with money who got to take a break from peering through the windows and actually come inside. If only for a couple of hours!
It was difficult at first being alone at the event. Not knowing a soul in the crowd was intimidating, but it gave me a chance to do what I love best, people watching! At first, I felt great walking up the cobble stone drive in my most fashionable outfit-- billy blues pants and an Anne Taylor shirt. But upon arrival I realized that my entirely too expensive pair of Billy Blues cost less than the buckle on any pair of Giuseppe Zonotti flats I saw walking through this lovely home.
The home was an older buckhead mansion that was restored with craftsman style rooms, and perfectly decorated. The lady of the manor had to be in her early 60's but looked no older than 49. She was absolutely gorgeous, poised, and dressed to perfection. I happened to meet her plastic surgeon while listening to all of the fund raising efforts planned for the 2008-2009 season, the most exciting one to the crowd was cocktails and croquet on the lawn of the Swan House, the ewws and awws were overwhelming! The plastic surgeon leaned over to ask if I played croquet, sadly no I said unless you count the animal croquet set we play in the back yard with the kids. The Dr found this a delightful answer from someone so refreshing and real, thus our conversation began and ended with me getting her card and telling her what amazing work she had done on the host. Truly gorgeous!
I've been to this event three years in a row, but enjoyed this time the most. I think because I am more comfortable in my own skin. If I suddenly became 'new money' I would not be any different than I am today. Well, maybe a little thinner due to lipo! And these women and I have some things in common. I've been feeling the pressure of fitting in in perfectville as these ladies have in Buckhead, except the pressure they feel is real, not self imposed. I felt for them, because once you get to know them a little better, they are extremely nice people with good hearts, and insecurities, just like the rest of us. They just have to do more work to keep up the facade! I left thanking god that I only had to fit in in Perfectville, it shouldn't be that hard, I shop at Target too!
I was invited to attend a coffee sponsored by The Atlanta History Center this week. It was held at a members home off of Tuxedo Avenue in Buckhead. WOW. So this is how the other half lives???
I thought we had made it when we moved to Perfectville, but being surrounded by the Real Housewives of Buckhead, I immediately realized I was still in Pre K and they were graduating college with honors. They made the stay at home moms of perfectville look like underachievers who shop at target. Suddenly I felt like fitting into Perfectville would be a cakewalk compared to navigating your way through this group of pros!
It was quite an eclectic crowd at the coffee. There were young and old, new and old money, and those who happened to know someone with money who got to take a break from peering through the windows and actually come inside. If only for a couple of hours!
It was difficult at first being alone at the event. Not knowing a soul in the crowd was intimidating, but it gave me a chance to do what I love best, people watching! At first, I felt great walking up the cobble stone drive in my most fashionable outfit-- billy blues pants and an Anne Taylor shirt. But upon arrival I realized that my entirely too expensive pair of Billy Blues cost less than the buckle on any pair of Giuseppe Zonotti flats I saw walking through this lovely home.
The home was an older buckhead mansion that was restored with craftsman style rooms, and perfectly decorated. The lady of the manor had to be in her early 60's but looked no older than 49. She was absolutely gorgeous, poised, and dressed to perfection. I happened to meet her plastic surgeon while listening to all of the fund raising efforts planned for the 2008-2009 season, the most exciting one to the crowd was cocktails and croquet on the lawn of the Swan House, the ewws and awws were overwhelming! The plastic surgeon leaned over to ask if I played croquet, sadly no I said unless you count the animal croquet set we play in the back yard with the kids. The Dr found this a delightful answer from someone so refreshing and real, thus our conversation began and ended with me getting her card and telling her what amazing work she had done on the host. Truly gorgeous!
I've been to this event three years in a row, but enjoyed this time the most. I think because I am more comfortable in my own skin. If I suddenly became 'new money' I would not be any different than I am today. Well, maybe a little thinner due to lipo! And these women and I have some things in common. I've been feeling the pressure of fitting in in perfectville as these ladies have in Buckhead, except the pressure they feel is real, not self imposed. I felt for them, because once you get to know them a little better, they are extremely nice people with good hearts, and insecurities, just like the rest of us. They just have to do more work to keep up the facade! I left thanking god that I only had to fit in in Perfectville, it shouldn't be that hard, I shop at Target too!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Wisdom in a time of chaos
As I sit down with my popcorn and Sierra Nevada readying myself to watch the complete season 2 of Dexter in one night, I find myself drawn back to my blog to blog about the current state of our financial crisis and the wisdom I've gained in the past 48 hours.
Many are in complete shock about the state of our financial markets and the drastic measures that the administration has taken. And while some may understand what is truly at play, most do not and watch continuous news coverage of this crisis and how serious the situation is and assume or are told that the current administration and the evil republicans and greedy corporations are to blame for the current state.
Some of this is true. I believe that congress is largely to blame for the current situation we find ourselves in, but as much as the media would like this to be a republican issue, the truth of the matter is that each party is equally responsible for their inaction to prevent such a crisis in our economy. They both take plenty of money from the lobbyist to turn their heads to the issues, (and by the way over the past 20 years of lobbyist payments from now debunk firms, the two largest recipients of $$$ were DEMOCRAT Chris Dodd (who by the way heads the banking committee, and BARAK OBAMA). Does anyone else find it interesting that over 20 years of giving money to congress, that Obama was the #2 recipient and he has only been in the senate for 3 years.....
Anyway, I digress.
The wisdom that I gained is that Congress with the lowest approval rating ever, INCLUDING Bush, adjourned to campaign for their re-elections rather than addressing the current crisis, some lawmakers even commented that they did not know what to do. Do you know who did???
That rascally George Bush, who certainly will be vilified as the one person responsible for this situation as with pretty much every other thing that goes wrong in the nation and the world. You know, my popcorn is slightly burned, I'll bet George W. Bush is to blame.
In reality, GWB stuck around to work with his treasury secretary and the head of the federal reserve to develop a plan that will essentially settle our economy in the short run. And how long did it take???? Basically 24 hours. And why so quickly, because these men are financially savvy, understand what is at stake and are not concerned about getting re-elected.
However, with the quick turnaround of the economic plan, don't expect it to be approved without more pork barrel attachments by all involved. I am assuming that congress will do what it always does and only approve with a 'me too' attachment.
The whole situation is a shame, and it certainly will get worse as the election gets closer. This bailout of the financial markets will be deemed as a bail out by the republicans of their wealthy cronies rather than a drastic measure to stabilize a financial institution that has all of our money tied into it. From the uber wealthy to the teacher and fire fighters in each of our communities. Rather than trying to act in a way that is bipartisan and helpful, the politics as usual class warfare will be enacted again with little to none of the community understanding what this bailout of the market is intended to do, save us all.
Many are in complete shock about the state of our financial markets and the drastic measures that the administration has taken. And while some may understand what is truly at play, most do not and watch continuous news coverage of this crisis and how serious the situation is and assume or are told that the current administration and the evil republicans and greedy corporations are to blame for the current state.
Some of this is true. I believe that congress is largely to blame for the current situation we find ourselves in, but as much as the media would like this to be a republican issue, the truth of the matter is that each party is equally responsible for their inaction to prevent such a crisis in our economy. They both take plenty of money from the lobbyist to turn their heads to the issues, (and by the way over the past 20 years of lobbyist payments from now debunk firms, the two largest recipients of $$$ were DEMOCRAT Chris Dodd (who by the way heads the banking committee, and BARAK OBAMA). Does anyone else find it interesting that over 20 years of giving money to congress, that Obama was the #2 recipient and he has only been in the senate for 3 years.....
Anyway, I digress.
The wisdom that I gained is that Congress with the lowest approval rating ever, INCLUDING Bush, adjourned to campaign for their re-elections rather than addressing the current crisis, some lawmakers even commented that they did not know what to do. Do you know who did???
That rascally George Bush, who certainly will be vilified as the one person responsible for this situation as with pretty much every other thing that goes wrong in the nation and the world. You know, my popcorn is slightly burned, I'll bet George W. Bush is to blame.
In reality, GWB stuck around to work with his treasury secretary and the head of the federal reserve to develop a plan that will essentially settle our economy in the short run. And how long did it take???? Basically 24 hours. And why so quickly, because these men are financially savvy, understand what is at stake and are not concerned about getting re-elected.
However, with the quick turnaround of the economic plan, don't expect it to be approved without more pork barrel attachments by all involved. I am assuming that congress will do what it always does and only approve with a 'me too' attachment.
The whole situation is a shame, and it certainly will get worse as the election gets closer. This bailout of the financial markets will be deemed as a bail out by the republicans of their wealthy cronies rather than a drastic measure to stabilize a financial institution that has all of our money tied into it. From the uber wealthy to the teacher and fire fighters in each of our communities. Rather than trying to act in a way that is bipartisan and helpful, the politics as usual class warfare will be enacted again with little to none of the community understanding what this bailout of the market is intended to do, save us all.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
The perfect suburban birthday party
My son was a guest at his friends 6th birthday party this weekend, and it was lovely, but for reasons other burb moms may find disturbing--lots of cocktails, and comradery with other women trying to find their way in this world!
Some of us felt pressure to explain why we continued our careers with 2.5 kids, and yet really did love them, others felt pressure to explain why they had given up lucrative careers to stay home with their kids and really had much to offer the community at large. The funny thing to me was that we all wanted each others approval for the life changing decision we made.
Whether you ended up being in the stay at home crowd or the working mom crowd, I found that we had much in common, but that two things really got us talking--an appreciate of good television and/or movies and figuring out a way to make 30's the new 20's and to make the 40's the new 30's.
Once we let down our perfection guards, we realized that we needed each other to vent, commissurate, or to use one another as a muse for the lives we thought we had left behind. And after even more cocktails we each realized that grass may or may not be greener on the otherside, but if it was greener, we knew we could each change the angle of the slope to get the color we were meant to have.
Some of us felt pressure to explain why we continued our careers with 2.5 kids, and yet really did love them, others felt pressure to explain why they had given up lucrative careers to stay home with their kids and really had much to offer the community at large. The funny thing to me was that we all wanted each others approval for the life changing decision we made.
Whether you ended up being in the stay at home crowd or the working mom crowd, I found that we had much in common, but that two things really got us talking--an appreciate of good television and/or movies and figuring out a way to make 30's the new 20's and to make the 40's the new 30's.
Once we let down our perfection guards, we realized that we needed each other to vent, commissurate, or to use one another as a muse for the lives we thought we had left behind. And after even more cocktails we each realized that grass may or may not be greener on the otherside, but if it was greener, we knew we could each change the angle of the slope to get the color we were meant to have.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Getting 'Plugged In' in Perfectville
I may have mentioned on a prior post that making friends in perfectville is not the easiest task I've undertaken, even for those of us who consider ourselves quite 'the catch' as a friend. It can be so difficult that someone(probably an ex executive or prior litigator turned stay at home mom, coined the phrase) 'getting plugged in' to describe it. The phrase reminds me of some our home office uses, words like drill down, or cross pollinate.
Apparently growing up in perfectville is such an amazing experience that many kids return to the community to raise their own families, buying a home right down the street from mom and dad, or possibly their best buddy Joe from 1st grade.
This speaks volumes for this community and is one of the reasons we chose to raise our kids here. But when you are new to such a close community making new friends can be like a political campaign. You find yourself being on your best behavior, choosing your words carefully and making sure that you are meeting the right people who can get you in 'plugged in'. It's exhausting!!!! And did I mention looking your best????
My hubby and I moved to perfectville from downtown Atlanta where we went to the corner coffee shop hung over and unshowered every Saturday and Sunday. Downtown, we fit in quite nicely, and sometimes appeared overdressed. I still remember the first time we went to the local coffee shop in perfectville in between unpaking moving boxes. We showed up on a Sunday, unshowered and sweaty only to be greeted by a crowd of moms and dads with their 2.5 kids in their best sunday dress. Although no one said it, or even looked for more than a split second, I am guessing that if we could have seen the bubble over their heads it would have read something like, 'oh those poor souls, they thought we made a wrong turn off of the interstate, while looking for the homeless shelter, I wonder if I should offer directions. :)
In the first months I found myself wanting to reject perfectville and all of its trappings to show I was still hip and cool and did not need to conform to the community norms. But then I saw my son being embraced by the kids next door and at school. I saw him follow the trail to a new friends house and be welcomed with open arms, and watched his eyes literally light up the first time he saw kids his age playing in the yard with their moms and dads. So I guess the openess and the generosity of the kids surrounding us opened me up to being able to embrace the adults as well and to stop being such a child myself with all the insecurities you feel when you are introduced into a new situation.
It's taken over a year of shaking hands and kissing babies and I am now beginning to feel plugged in. And the more moms I meet, the more I realize that we all seem to have more in common than we or at least I first thought we would. HOWEVER, I do have some funny tales to tell about some of my life in perfectville, but this entry is getting a little long so I will enter again tomorrow.
Apparently growing up in perfectville is such an amazing experience that many kids return to the community to raise their own families, buying a home right down the street from mom and dad, or possibly their best buddy Joe from 1st grade.
This speaks volumes for this community and is one of the reasons we chose to raise our kids here. But when you are new to such a close community making new friends can be like a political campaign. You find yourself being on your best behavior, choosing your words carefully and making sure that you are meeting the right people who can get you in 'plugged in'. It's exhausting!!!! And did I mention looking your best????
My hubby and I moved to perfectville from downtown Atlanta where we went to the corner coffee shop hung over and unshowered every Saturday and Sunday. Downtown, we fit in quite nicely, and sometimes appeared overdressed. I still remember the first time we went to the local coffee shop in perfectville in between unpaking moving boxes. We showed up on a Sunday, unshowered and sweaty only to be greeted by a crowd of moms and dads with their 2.5 kids in their best sunday dress. Although no one said it, or even looked for more than a split second, I am guessing that if we could have seen the bubble over their heads it would have read something like, 'oh those poor souls, they thought we made a wrong turn off of the interstate, while looking for the homeless shelter, I wonder if I should offer directions. :)
In the first months I found myself wanting to reject perfectville and all of its trappings to show I was still hip and cool and did not need to conform to the community norms. But then I saw my son being embraced by the kids next door and at school. I saw him follow the trail to a new friends house and be welcomed with open arms, and watched his eyes literally light up the first time he saw kids his age playing in the yard with their moms and dads. So I guess the openess and the generosity of the kids surrounding us opened me up to being able to embrace the adults as well and to stop being such a child myself with all the insecurities you feel when you are introduced into a new situation.
It's taken over a year of shaking hands and kissing babies and I am now beginning to feel plugged in. And the more moms I meet, the more I realize that we all seem to have more in common than we or at least I first thought we would. HOWEVER, I do have some funny tales to tell about some of my life in perfectville, but this entry is getting a little long so I will enter again tomorrow.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Are we really arguing over a pig in lipstick?
Is anyone as concerned as I am that we live in a country where two men are running for the most important position in our country and rather than discussing the issues in this pivotal election we are instead attacking a VP candidate for everything from having a potentially demanding job to having a teenager who is pregnant and a baby with down syndrome
I feel like I am watching Jerry Springer rather than watching news coverage of the 2008 Presidential election.
I think someone should tell Obama that he is running against McCain and not Sarah Palin. And someone should tell McCain that using a common phrase to compare policies should not be assumed to be sexist. Besides, I think Sarah could kick Obama's Arse. This is not victim politics. This is an election in a pivotal moment in history which will impact us for many years to come. Rather than discussing what color lipstick a pig is wearing, we should be discussing the following:
Energy independence -through drilling in this country now because we have the resources and know how to pull it out of the ground relatively quickly
Developing alternative energy sources-who wants to be dependent on the middle east or Russia for that matter when we have plenty of oil in this country and plenty of know how to develop alternative forms of energy including natural gas, solar, nuclear and wind
Taxes-whose policy will best assist this country in recovering from the bloated government spending which includes the war on terror and the declining markets after the attack on 9/11?
FYI 45% of our population does not pay federal income taxes and the top 5% of income earners already pay more than 80% of taxes so how can we ask the top earners to pay more. Oh and have you asked your candidate what amount of income is the top 5%.
I think most of the country believes that when someone says they are going to tax the rich that we are taxing the bill gates, oprah winfreys and the warren buffets of the world. In reality we are taxing a family with two working parents at the highest level when they bring home $250k as a couple.
In todays declining dollar and ever rising costs, this is not RICH. This is not the CEO of your evil corporation, this is the manager of a department whose spouse also works. These are some of your co workers not your boss or your bosses bosses boss.
My family cannot deduct interest on student loans because we make more than $75k per year as a couple. Is this fair?
Forgive me, I digress. We have serious issues to be debating at this time, and no one, not the candidates, and certainly not the media want to bring the important issues to the table. Instead the want to report personal attacks between the campaigns as news. Welcome to the 2008 election for President of the USA. The Jerry Springer land of politics.
And we are accusing the other campaign of a dirty blow for saying 'you can put lipstick on a pig and it is still a pig' and calling that a sexist remark.
I feel like I am watching Jerry Springer rather than watching news coverage of the 2008 Presidential election.
I think someone should tell Obama that he is running against McCain and not Sarah Palin. And someone should tell McCain that using a common phrase to compare policies should not be assumed to be sexist. Besides, I think Sarah could kick Obama's Arse. This is not victim politics. This is an election in a pivotal moment in history which will impact us for many years to come. Rather than discussing what color lipstick a pig is wearing, we should be discussing the following:
Energy independence -through drilling in this country now because we have the resources and know how to pull it out of the ground relatively quickly
Developing alternative energy sources-who wants to be dependent on the middle east or Russia for that matter when we have plenty of oil in this country and plenty of know how to develop alternative forms of energy including natural gas, solar, nuclear and wind
Taxes-whose policy will best assist this country in recovering from the bloated government spending which includes the war on terror and the declining markets after the attack on 9/11?
FYI 45% of our population does not pay federal income taxes and the top 5% of income earners already pay more than 80% of taxes so how can we ask the top earners to pay more. Oh and have you asked your candidate what amount of income is the top 5%.
I think most of the country believes that when someone says they are going to tax the rich that we are taxing the bill gates, oprah winfreys and the warren buffets of the world. In reality we are taxing a family with two working parents at the highest level when they bring home $250k as a couple.
In todays declining dollar and ever rising costs, this is not RICH. This is not the CEO of your evil corporation, this is the manager of a department whose spouse also works. These are some of your co workers not your boss or your bosses bosses boss.
My family cannot deduct interest on student loans because we make more than $75k per year as a couple. Is this fair?
Forgive me, I digress. We have serious issues to be debating at this time, and no one, not the candidates, and certainly not the media want to bring the important issues to the table. Instead the want to report personal attacks between the campaigns as news. Welcome to the 2008 election for President of the USA. The Jerry Springer land of politics.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
PTA and the Working Mom
WOW! As a working mom in perfectville, you try and find a way to get involved that will take the least amount of your time. Because let's face it, you want to be involved with your kids school and meet other parents but you want to do it in a way that makes you look good. i.e. I will not be the parent dressing up as a dinosaur to read a story about dinosaurs to my kids Kindergarten class every Friday, or be the parent who comes in every Thursday to help with the special craft for the class. Who has that kind of time on their hands? Even if I were a stay at home mom, I say when they start school it is my time to discover me again! I could figure out some way to spend most of my day rather than being at my kids school for hours on end each week. (not that there is anything wrong with this, there just needs to be some sort of balance for me)
I will be the parent who gets involved with a committee with some nameless name in a sea of nameless name committees where I can show up once a month for 30 minutes spout off some enlightened commentary on the subject of the day, go home, pat myself on the back and open up a bottle of wine.
So I joined what I thought was the perfect committee that would take at the most 6 hours of my precious free time a year.
For the sake of keeping names out of my blog I will call the committee the nameless name committee that is taking up more than 6 hours a day of my time since signing on to be a volunteer.
Meet chairman of the nameless name committee, we will call her Jill. Jill is a stay at home mom with one child attending perfectville elementary school and like me was new to perfectville. She moved from a west coast state where she was an executive at a very popular company. She is a lovely lovely woman, who clearly had a very important position within her company and now uses her experience to run the nameless name committee and to be a dedicated mother of one in perfectville. I admire her very much, she is one of the best moms I've ever met.
She has gathered each of the volunteer moms for a meeting to discuss in which direction we would like to see the nameless name committee head in 2008.
I thought I was there to have a cup of coffee and dish with the ladies, but our committee head Jill had another idea.
I walked in to this beautiful home, and was sent to the kitchen table to begin the meeting. We spent the first 10 mins doing what I anticipated, drinking coffee and dishing about our wonderful offspring. And then the white board was introduced. Clearly a prop from her executive days.
On the white board we had an agenda listed with time frames for each discussion point, we were each encouraged to take on a task within the committee, we were given a deadline (less than a week) to come up with a final draft of something that was going to be reviewed, critiqued and approved by the BOD of the PTA, and distributed to the school.
What happened to my 30 minutes a month?
I have to hand it to Jill, she is a doer. We all took an assignment, she followed her agenda and dismissed us after our hour of 'socializing' was over! WOW. I could not believe this was my life on the nameless committee in a sea of committees. Why didn't I just choose to be the room parent where it may take up an hour of each day, but you know that going in, and let's face it, the room parent gets all the glory!
I have to say we pulled it off with the style, grace and professionalism of 8 stay at home moms who all had extremely responsible positions prior to staying home with their kids and one working mom who is barely making it with a somewhat professional position and a family to raise in perfectville.
I will be the parent who gets involved with a committee with some nameless name in a sea of nameless name committees where I can show up once a month for 30 minutes spout off some enlightened commentary on the subject of the day, go home, pat myself on the back and open up a bottle of wine.
So I joined what I thought was the perfect committee that would take at the most 6 hours of my precious free time a year.
For the sake of keeping names out of my blog I will call the committee the nameless name committee that is taking up more than 6 hours a day of my time since signing on to be a volunteer.
Meet chairman of the nameless name committee, we will call her Jill. Jill is a stay at home mom with one child attending perfectville elementary school and like me was new to perfectville. She moved from a west coast state where she was an executive at a very popular company. She is a lovely lovely woman, who clearly had a very important position within her company and now uses her experience to run the nameless name committee and to be a dedicated mother of one in perfectville. I admire her very much, she is one of the best moms I've ever met.
She has gathered each of the volunteer moms for a meeting to discuss in which direction we would like to see the nameless name committee head in 2008.
I thought I was there to have a cup of coffee and dish with the ladies, but our committee head Jill had another idea.
I walked in to this beautiful home, and was sent to the kitchen table to begin the meeting. We spent the first 10 mins doing what I anticipated, drinking coffee and dishing about our wonderful offspring. And then the white board was introduced. Clearly a prop from her executive days.
On the white board we had an agenda listed with time frames for each discussion point, we were each encouraged to take on a task within the committee, we were given a deadline (less than a week) to come up with a final draft of something that was going to be reviewed, critiqued and approved by the BOD of the PTA, and distributed to the school.
What happened to my 30 minutes a month?
I have to hand it to Jill, she is a doer. We all took an assignment, she followed her agenda and dismissed us after our hour of 'socializing' was over! WOW. I could not believe this was my life on the nameless committee in a sea of committees. Why didn't I just choose to be the room parent where it may take up an hour of each day, but you know that going in, and let's face it, the room parent gets all the glory!
I have to say we pulled it off with the style, grace and professionalism of 8 stay at home moms who all had extremely responsible positions prior to staying home with their kids and one working mom who is barely making it with a somewhat professional position and a family to raise in perfectville.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Arguing on facebook, seriously???
I have just been arguing with a good friend of mine over facebook. Seriously? What happened to talking on the phone? or emailing for that matter? Now I communicate via facebook? Seriously.
Apparently yes, I am serious. Facebook has been a nice way to reconnect, with those from days past, but it is also serving as a way that we become less connected to one another. So while we can get in touch with more people, more often, there is less human contact as we move forward.
One wonders if this is healthy? Well not one, I wonder.
I guess 'the one' would be Obama, and clearly he doesn't care to get real, just really connected to many. Many who are clearly uninformed about him and what he represents to this country.
And thus the reason I was arguing with my good friend on face book.
She continues to spew off the talking points from ABC, CBS, NBC and my favorite MSNBC and take them as gospel without question. For such an intelligent lady, she is completely uninformed and looking for a way to distinguish herself from every other person around her. So she decides supporting Barack without question.
This is fine, it is her right. But I have such an easier time listening to this drivel from someone who truly believes in socialism and what it represents vs. my dear friend, who represents pretty much the same positions as I do, but cannot be honest with herself about it, because it wouldn't be cool!
Anyway, I digress.... My point was arguing over facebook. We continue to use technology to reach more people and more often, but with no connection. So the faster the connection on your phone or cable line, the lower the intimate connection will be in your life on a day to day basis.
Is this good for any of us? Seriously????
Apparently yes, I am serious. Facebook has been a nice way to reconnect, with those from days past, but it is also serving as a way that we become less connected to one another. So while we can get in touch with more people, more often, there is less human contact as we move forward.
One wonders if this is healthy? Well not one, I wonder.
I guess 'the one' would be Obama, and clearly he doesn't care to get real, just really connected to many. Many who are clearly uninformed about him and what he represents to this country.
And thus the reason I was arguing with my good friend on face book.
She continues to spew off the talking points from ABC, CBS, NBC and my favorite MSNBC and take them as gospel without question. For such an intelligent lady, she is completely uninformed and looking for a way to distinguish herself from every other person around her. So she decides supporting Barack without question.
This is fine, it is her right. But I have such an easier time listening to this drivel from someone who truly believes in socialism and what it represents vs. my dear friend, who represents pretty much the same positions as I do, but cannot be honest with herself about it, because it wouldn't be cool!
Anyway, I digress.... My point was arguing over facebook. We continue to use technology to reach more people and more often, but with no connection. So the faster the connection on your phone or cable line, the lower the intimate connection will be in your life on a day to day basis.
Is this good for any of us? Seriously????
Friday, September 5, 2008
Oprah dissing Sarah?
Well it is published on the drudge report. She is not going to have Sarah Palin as a guest on her show. Why? Most common thinking people would surmise that since she is a supporter of Obama that it would not be in his best interest to have Palin on as thus far she seems pretty impressive. However, in her statement she says she will not have any candidates on her show until the election is over.
I will have to do some research and see if she had any of the prior presidential candidates on in the past, or if this is a new rule since she is supporting Obama in 2008.
If her statement is true, and I will take her at her word, the backlash she WILL receive will be unfair. If it is not true well then let the chips fall where they may. But even though I predict a backlash will come, it will not make a dent into her popularity one bit.
I will have to do some research and see if she had any of the prior presidential candidates on in the past, or if this is a new rule since she is supporting Obama in 2008.
If her statement is true, and I will take her at her word, the backlash she WILL receive will be unfair. If it is not true well then let the chips fall where they may. But even though I predict a backlash will come, it will not make a dent into her popularity one bit.
My very own blog
This is crazy, I cannot believe I am actually blogging for the first time. WOW I've come a long way from being a pretty much technically challenged mom of two in the burbs. We moved to a suburb of Atlanta last year, let's just call it 'perfectville' where it seems all the moms stay home and all the dads have super important jobs. The moms all play tennis, have playdates and carpool. And all the dads coach some sort of sport in every season of the year.
It has been a transition for this city girl. My husband drug me kicking and screaming out of our intown home. But he was right, we needed a yard and a good school district. Private was no longer an option with a second one on the way.
So we researched schools and found some lovely ones to choose from, hired and agent and began looking. We found our dream home that was move in ready in a week, and we landed in perfectville.
After a short time in perfectville, I realized it may not be the most perfect place for a working mom. I quickly learned as I looked for a full time church school, that apparently no moms work full time in perfectville.
In Atlanta there must have been plenty of working moms because all of the church school programs ran from about 7 am to 6 pm, not so in perfectville. In perfectville, church schools ran from 9 am to 12 pm, just enough time for moms to drop off, grab a cup of joe and head to the gym or their doubles match. And if you were really lucky you could find a spot in a program that was for more than 3 days a week and had a lunch hour from 12-1. But what mom would want to drop off their little joe or precious patty five days a week for three hours a day?
So we had a choice, quit my job or hire someone to come to the home and take care of the kids.
Quitting my job was appealing for various reasons I will not go in to. But did I mention we just bought our dream house? On two incomes. Quitting now would be financially impossible at least for the first couple of years, but we would keep looking a this option.
We hired a nanny to come to the home, which has actually been alot easier on me and my hubby. A lot easier to not worry about getting the kids dressed and drive them to school. Some times they sleep in and I only have to feed and clothe myself in the mornings. I label these dream days.
It has been a transition for this city girl. My husband drug me kicking and screaming out of our intown home. But he was right, we needed a yard and a good school district. Private was no longer an option with a second one on the way.
So we researched schools and found some lovely ones to choose from, hired and agent and began looking. We found our dream home that was move in ready in a week, and we landed in perfectville.
After a short time in perfectville, I realized it may not be the most perfect place for a working mom. I quickly learned as I looked for a full time church school, that apparently no moms work full time in perfectville.
In Atlanta there must have been plenty of working moms because all of the church school programs ran from about 7 am to 6 pm, not so in perfectville. In perfectville, church schools ran from 9 am to 12 pm, just enough time for moms to drop off, grab a cup of joe and head to the gym or their doubles match. And if you were really lucky you could find a spot in a program that was for more than 3 days a week and had a lunch hour from 12-1. But what mom would want to drop off their little joe or precious patty five days a week for three hours a day?
So we had a choice, quit my job or hire someone to come to the home and take care of the kids.
Quitting my job was appealing for various reasons I will not go in to. But did I mention we just bought our dream house? On two incomes. Quitting now would be financially impossible at least for the first couple of years, but we would keep looking a this option.
We hired a nanny to come to the home, which has actually been alot easier on me and my hubby. A lot easier to not worry about getting the kids dressed and drive them to school. Some times they sleep in and I only have to feed and clothe myself in the mornings. I label these dream days.
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