Lesbians and Gays: Why Are They So Scary?

A Mississippi high school senior wants to take her girlfriend to the prom. The school board decrees that the two young women can attend alone or with male dates but not as a couple. They also deny her right to wear a tuxedo. Would she been allowed to wear it if her date were male?

The school reacts by canceling the prom. It reminded me of the civil rights movement when schools in the South canceled their proms rather than allow “them” to attend.

Today our parents, our children, our siblings, our nieces, our nephews, our grandchildren, our friends, our neighbors, our colleagues are “them”. So what makes “them” so scary?

What can “they” possibly do to us? Are “they” a threat to heterosexual marriages? Hardly, that threat comes from other heterosexuals. Are “they” going to give us diseases? No more than heterosexuals. Are “they” going to take our jobs? Only if “they” are more talented. Are “they” going to harm our children? Only if “they” are pedophiles.

“They” want what heterosexuals have: their rights. Surprisingly and fortunately, a Reagan-appointed judge ruled that the school board had violated the students’ First Amendment right of self-expression. Parents are sponsoring a prom that the two can attend. However, the two young women are not sure they want to in a town where one resident suggested that “they” all be put on an island. Did she have in mind somewhere off the coast of Africa?

Mii and Wii

I used to play tennis when I was much younger. So why not try it on the Wii?

The first game I managed to not even score one point. I either missed the shot completely or returned it out of bounds. The next game was a definite improvement as I won after deuce.

I used to go bowling when I was much younger. So why not try it on the Wii?

My first ball clipped 8 pins and I missed the spare. Three frames later I rolled a strike! Hey, this was more like it. I ended up with a couple more spares for a score of 119. Hey, not too bad for someone who hasn’t approached a lane in decades.

How can exercise be so much fun?

Whee! It’s a Wii!

Exercise for exercise sake has never appealed to me. I will happily work all day in the yard, digging, planting, weeding, pruning, mowing. But don’t ask me to go to a gym.

Today I finally had enough energy to set up my Mii on the Wii. That was amusing in itself. I toyed with turning myself into a tall, willowy blonde but figured that might be depressing.

I put in the Wii Fitness Plus disk and followed the on-screen directions. After inputting some data and doing some exercises, I was congratulated on my fitness age - 60. Right away I knew that this was the program for me.

Soon I was slaloming down a snow covered hill. My Mii reached the finish line and threw up her arms in triumph only to droop with disappointment when the score came up. I can handle not getting a gold medal but I do take umbrage at it telling me that I am “unbalanced”.

Who knew that exercise could be so much fun?

March 28, 2010

When I typed today’s date, I realized that this would have been Richard’s 75th birthday. I cannot even imagine how he would have dealt with such a momentous one.

In the year before he died he hated how his body was changing at 59. He did everything he could to stave off the aging process: exercise, diet, and supplements.

Now that I have lived longer than he did I understand why he felt that his body was betraying him. Listening to creaking joints, momentarily losing my balance, and requiring several days of rest after a vacation make me mad. But it beats the alternative.

The Ice Is Slippery

Mirai was not able to hold onto first place. When she came off the ice, she told her coach Frank Carroll that she was sorry. He responded, “Why? You’re not dead.” That certainly puts it into perspective for the 16 year old.

Kim Yu-Na, the 2009 World Champion and 2010 Olympic Champion, managed to take the silver. The last woman to win back-to-back Worlds is Michelle Kwan. So Yu-Na is not quite in the same league - yet.

My Sweetie, who calls himself a skating widower, is glad that the competitive skating season is over until next fall.

Here's Mirai's lovely short program.

World Figure Skating Championships

Having Worlds after the Olympics really makes no sense. How much more of a world championship can there be? But since there is, interesting things can occur.

The Olympic gold medalists in Mens and Pairs are not competing in Turin this week. Evan Lysacek is on Dancing with the Stars and Shen and Zhao are hoping for parenthood.

Canadians Virtue and Moir, Olympic Ice Dancing gold medalists, barely won gold today. Americans Davis and White were only 1.40 points behind them and actually won the free dance part of the competition.

But the biggest shock was watching American Mirai Nagasu take first place after the short program and Korean Kim Yu-Na, Olympic gold medalist, miss two elements to end up in 7th place. It will be a fascinating long program tomorrow.

Cruises, Snow, and Real Life

I miss being on the cruise. How quickly I became used to not making the bed or doing anything other than having a good time.

One becomes especially spoiled on A Prairie Home Companion cruise. Every evening Garrison would have a show in the large theater. The rest of the day and night we could listen to talented musicians, participate in a writer’s workshop, watch a read-through of a new play, or a dozen other activities.

The snow is not helping. The contrast between the western Caribbean and the scene outside my window just makes it all the more difficult to adjust to being back on land in real life.

The Wii Arrived Today

Tomorrow we will hook it up.

This year I will get fit.

The Lack of Manners

This evening I had the displeasure of sitting at a table with 5 other supposed-adults who proceeded to talk while I was trying to hear the presentation that, I assume, they also came to hear.

First, I tried the technique of pointedly turning to look at them. That seemed to work but for a limited period. Then I progressed to glaring and shaking my head in wonderment. Finally, I turned and said, “Would you please stop talking?”

Why is it that some people think that what they have to say is more important than the speaker in front of the room? Why am I still expecting better manners than those of a certain Supreme Court Justice?

How My Sweetie and Google Saved Us $150

Since we were staying in Tampa on Sunday to have dinner with friends, my Sweetie asked for a hotel recommendation near the airport. With our reservation confirmation in hand we tell the cabbie that our destination is the Hyatt Westport on Main. Perhaps his not knowing where it was should have been a tipoff that something wasn’t quite right. We give him the phone number so he can get directions.

When our friends call to firm up plans for dinner, he asks where we want to go for dinner. Since we don’t know Tampa at all, he suggests The Oystercatcher, located within walking distance of our hotel. Then he asks if we are in the main building or the casitas. I laugh and say, “I don’t think that we are in the hotel you suggested.”

“Can you see the airport and the bay?”
“No, I am looking out on a small pool and a parking lot.”
“Is there a restaurant on the top floor?”
“No, a small cafeteria right off the lobby.”

Just like the cabbie he has no idea where our hotel is.

When they pick us up, Loren explains that he googled the Hyatt Westport and this is the one that came up. Our friend laughs and says, “You probably saved $150.00 by not staying at the Hyatt Regency.”

*****
Due to exhaustion I forgot to post this last night.

You Just Can't Make This Stuff Up

When we got into the cab at the cruise ship terminal this morning, our cabbie said, “Welcome back to Minnesota. The Krebsbachs and the Bunsens are really glad that you're back, ya know.” His accent was dead-on.

Later at our hotel we were talking to the desk clerk about A Prairie Home Companion when a fellow guest overheard us. She is a native Minnesotan, living in Chicago. A friend of hers taught Gary (as he was known then) English at Anoka High School. He wasn’t above average.

Going Home

Turquoise waters
left behind.

Cooler air
as we sail north.

A warm welcome
awaiting us.

Swimming with the Dolphins

Here’s hoping that the dolphins won’t go orca on us! Rich Dworsky really liked that expression. Maybe I should trademark it! I am sure that at some point Garrison will use it since he does openly admit to “borrowing” from the passengers.

The emergency alarm was just sounded. The captain reassures us that the small fire in the galley has been extinguished. Everything is under control according to him. He apologized for the inconvenience. I heard it and continued writing so I wasn’t inconvenienced at all.

More later.

5:06PM Ship's Time

I was conflicted about the dolphin swim and ride excursion before we went. I pictured them captured and confined to small pools but then thought how they would be safe from predators and fishing nets. In captivity they live to 40-60; in the ocean about half that. The saving grace for me is that these dolphins were bred for this purpose; however, I still wonder about their quality of life.

The dolphins we frolicked with were a mother and her two-year old daughter. They swam under our hands so we could feel their skin. They kissed us on the cheek and on the mouth. They shook fins/hands with us. They took us for a belly ride while we held onto their fins. Because I am not comfortable in water over my head (even with a life jacket), for the second deep water experience I stayed on the ledge in the shallow part next to the trainer and played with the baby. I tickled her and she wiggled her fins. I placed my hand above her blow hole to feel the “sounds” coming out. As I scratched the top of her head, she would send out little huffs from her blow hole.

At the end the two of them entertained us by jumping together over and over while we applauded.

We certainly enjoyed our time with these gentle creatures. We both left with huge smiles.

And not one dolphin went orca.

Mayans: Ancient and Modern in Costa Maya

What better way to view Mayan ruins and eat a Mayan lunch than with a “100% Mayan”? That is how Jose described himself this morning to our intrepid group.

He pointed out that people mistakenly ask, “What happened to the Mayans?” Obviously, nothing since there is still a large population living throughout Mexico and Central America.

The Chacchoben ruins were discovered by a farmer about 50 years ago but were not officially recognized as a Mayan site until 1972 when an American archeologist saw the “hills” from the air and reported his find to the Mexican government. It has been open to the public since 2002. Only 3 large temples have been reclaimed from the jungle.















Then it was off to partake of a traditional Mayan lunch of today. Their cuisine is much milder than other Mexican cuisine I have eaten. They serve the habanero separately in a sour orange sauce. I was also able to make a semi-round tortilla under the tutelage of one of the woman who was preparing lunch for us. I was thrilled that I was able to remember enough Spanish to tell them how delicious the meal was.

Eagles and Macaws and Jaguars! Oh my!

You should be watching videos of our visit to the Belize Zoo.

I'll try again.

Cursed satellite!

By the Sea, By the Sea, By the Beautiful Sea

More accurately, on the sea since this is a travel day from Key West to Belize City. Weather could not possibly be better: blue skies, white wispy clouds, and a lake-like ocean. A gentle breeze brushes my cheek as I sit on our verandah.

Garrison signed on some new-to-us talent for this cruise, including Andra Suchy, a tiny, young woman from Minnesota with an astounding voice. When we saw the Wailin’ Jennys at Cain Park, I could not have selected one member as a standout but Heather Masse on hiatus from that group is amazing as a solo act.

Of course, our favorite musicians from A Prairie Home Companion are along for the ride: Rich Dworsky, Pat Donahue, Jerilyn Steele, Andy Stein, and Robin and Linda Williams. The latter did an amazing show last night in the Ocean Bar after the show in the large theater. And they had been up since 4:00AM since they had a gig on the 14th and had to join us in Key West.

Sue Scott and Tim Russell did a first run-through of Voice Match, a new play of Jeffrey Hatcher about two voice-over artists. Of course, they did a terrific job. When we stopped by the give them feedback as they requested, Sue remembered us from the first cruise and even pointed to the area of the theater that we stood and talked with her and her husband!

We saw the hour-long version of Voice Match. My suggestion was to eliminate the dialogue about googling him but not finding his picture before they met. Since the character was in theater for 25 years, I said that would be highly unlikely.

Now we are off to the first APHC show.

Manicure, pedicure, Hemingway, and Truman in Key West

One of the luxuries I enjoy on board is having a manicure and pedicure. Polly from Jamaica has been working on cruise ships for 12 years. A friend requested an application for her. Polly sent in the $50.00 fee with her application and waited. She was called for an interview but figured that she would not be hired. Isn’t it interesting what friends do for us?

My feet can attest to the fact that we walked or stood most of the afternoon. First stop, Blue Heaven, a highly-recommended restaurant, lived up to its reputation. The mahi-mahi was perfection. Sis, take note: the key lime pie was to die for.

Hemingway’s house was the next destination. Since we had seen the one in Cuba, it was interesting to hear the stories at this one. The tour guides are not thrilled that Pauline, wife number 2, had the ceiling fans removed and replaced with crystal chandeliers. The famous cats were everywhere including two on the bed in the master bedroom. About half of them are the famous six-toed cats who look as if they are wearing snow shoes.

Then back towards the dock to take in the Truman Little White House. My Sweetie had enough of standing so he sat in the shade while I toured the house. I am always amazed at how knowledgeable docents are. How do they remember all those details? One of my favorites is the story about the leather briefcase Truman always carried when he arrived at Key West. Most thought that it contained classified documents. No, his 78rpm records!

Now I must dash to the Neptune Lounge to post this before heading to the theater for an evening of duets with Garrison and the gang.

Anchors Aweigh or How I Came to Love Cruising

Before 2005, I had never even wanted to entertain the idea of going on any cruise to anywhere.

Then Garrison Keillor announced A Prairie Home Companion Cruise to the Canadian Maritimes. There was no hesitation in signing up. Who needed to deliberate when we would be living APHC day and night. We also signed on for the one to Alaska.

Since then, we have sailed on much smaller ships (some less than 100 passengers) in the South Pacific, in the Southern Atlantic, down the Yangtze, and around the British Isles.

It was a surprise to me how much I enjoy just being on the water. Watching the pilot, who has safely brought us through the channel into the open sea, jump from our ship to the pilot boat never gets old. I am fascinated by the working ports we have visited. Today we watch three tugs, dwarfed by a barge, maneuver it into its slip so it could be unloaded.

As darkness falls and the ship, now out of the channel, sways gently, I understand Masefield's poem.

Sea Fever

I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,

And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,

And a gray mist on the sea's face, and a gray dawn breaking.



I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide 

Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;

And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,

And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying. 



I must down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life, 

To the gull's way and the whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted knife; 

And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover, 

And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over. 


Writing

Ten years after Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings moved to the backwoods of central Florida, she wins the Pulitzer Prize for The Yearling.

Standing on her front porch today, looking at the uncomfortable chair she sat in to write, I wonder what is it that drove her to leave the ease of her life in the north for the rigors of life in a citrus grove far from any sizable town. What drove her to abandon her journalism career for the uncertainty of fiction writing?

What makes a writer write?

Memories

As Elizabeth and I have been reminiscing, I discover that there are experiences that I do not remember. Either they were never filed or I cannot retrieve them.

Recently, my daughter and I had a long discussion about a painful period in our relationship. I had no memory of the precipitating remark.

It makes me wonder what other events in my life people remember but I do not. And do they wonder why I never talk about them?

Frogs on the Road

Yep, that is what happens when almost 6 inches of rain falls in one day in Florida. In the dark frogs kept hopping in front of the car. My Sweetie kept trying to miss them. Then we realized that the spots on the asphalt were not leaves or mud.

The rain simply inconvenienced us today. Elizabeth had planned kayaking for the day’s activity. Instead we listened to the weather radio issuing tornado warnings and watched the water cascading over the gutters.

Tomorrow’s forecast is for more of the same. I hope the frogs stay off the roads.

My Oldest Friend

When I met Elizabeth, I knew that we would become fast friends because she made me laugh.

In 1980, she was hired as my replacement at the Sewickley Public Library when I resigned to become the junior high school librarian.

Shortly after she began, I stopped by to introduce myself. She smiled, shook my hand, looked at my feet, and said, “They don’t look that big!”

After we quit laughing, she told me of the constant refrain of “But Donna did it this way.”

And so began a relationship that soon included my daughters. We had a standing date for pizza and calzones on Friday night. After Elizabeth moved out of state, my daughters and I would travel to Virginia for Thanksgiving. We were family.

When the bad times came, Elizabeth responded to my call for help with love. Without hesitation she abandoned her beach vacation to fly to Cleveland to be with me when my husband died. I don’t really know how I would have coped without her sarcastic humor and her love.

Since her move to Florida, we had communicated sporadically. When my Sweetie and I decided to go on the Prairie Home Companion cruise out of Tampa, I knew that I wanted to add a side trip to Ocala.

Would it be awkward after not seeing each other for a few years? No, not at all. I feel as if we have just filled in the blanks and are now back in each other’s story.

Musings From a Tired Mind

Do cats have a sense of time? Some say yes. I will know for certain when we return home from our travels and find hash marks on the kitchen wall. I can hear the sound of Callie’s claw as she rakes it down over the wall and her muttering about being left again.

Spring is really close. The green tips of the crocuses are visible along the edge of the driveway. I do not want to see snow when we return.

The thaw has produced our river-runs-through-it basement once again. Fortunately, it is a small trickle that comes in the southeast corner and runs across the full length of the basement where it exits by way of the floor drain on the north side. And who ever thought it was a good idea to dig a hole in clay anyway?

As I once again trust Turbo Tax with all our tax information, I wonder how it is that their security has never been breached.

And now to bed so I can tumble out of bed at 5:30 to begin our next adventure.

There Must Be a Better Way

All my life I have begun vacations exhausted from getting ready. I thought that retirement might mitigate the situation; however, here I am in the midst of another dash to the finish line which is 6:30AM on Wednesday when our ride to the airport pulls up to our door.

I make lists. I try to fool myself into thinking that I am leaving a day earlier than I am. I give myself pep talks. Nothing seems to make a difference.

Fortunately, this time we are going to visit good friends before our cruise. This will give me much-needed down time to recover from the mad dash.

I suppose I could blame my mother who actually did approach vacations the same way but that seems the easy way out. Shouldn’t I have learned from watching her?

I recognize that part of my problem stems from not being realistic about the amount of time a task requires. And since there are a million to do, no wonder I am always behind.

But tomorrow is another day!

Movies in My Life

Almost every weekend from age 12 until 18, I went to the Indiana Theater one night and the Manos Theater the other.

During those years, I laughed at Auntie Mame (1958), gasped during North by Northwest (1959), hummed tunes from West Side Story (1961), and marveled at Lawrence of Arabia (1962).

There were teen flicks: Gidget (1959) and Where the Boys Are (1960); romances: Pillow Talk (1959) and Charade (1963); westerns: The Magnificent Seven (1960) and The Guns of Navarone (1961); dramas: To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) and The Pawnbroker (1964); and epics: Ben Hur (1959) and Spartacus (1960). In a category by themselves were the Bond flicks: Dr. No (1962), From Russia with Love (1963) and Goldfinger (1964).

The only horror movies we saw were a double feature: The Blob (1958) and one that involved aliens who liquefied American brains. My best buddy and I could not face cranberry sauce or applesauce for weeks after. The Blob also holds the distinction of being Steve McQueen’s first role. At 27, he played a teenager. Boyish good looks I guess.

Two movies hold special memories for me: Gone with the Wind that was reissued in 1961 for the Civil War Centennial and El Cid (1961) which I saw in Pittsburgh sitting in the balcony at the Stanley Theater. The Stanley cost $3M in 1927 and opened in 1928. I remember acres of red velvet curtains and seats. I had never seen chandeliers like those before. And the screen was enormous. It was definitely a different kind of movie going experience.

I no longer go to movies regularly, preferring to wait for them on DVD. But tonight we are enjoying watching the Oscars which will celebrate movies that, for the most part, we haven’t seen.

Toyota's Image

At one time we owned three Toyotas: a 1993 T100 pickup, a 1996 Corolla, and a 2008 Highlander Hybrid. In addition, we bought a 2008 Prius for our daughter with a long commute to law school.

Since retirement, we have sold the pickup and given the Corolla to our daughter.

We love our Toyotas and are distressed that people have died in cars they trust. But I wonder how much of the news is driven by American car companies.

Buried in a news article that did not get much play in mainstream press was the following about the Pontiac Vibe: “The recalls, which affect a broad variety of Toyota and Lexus vehicles, also include the Pontiac Vibe, which was built in a joint venture between General Motors Co. and Toyota at a California plant until last summer. One driver from Missouri complained to NHTSA of a 2009 Vibe that raced to 7,000 rpm uncommanded, causing it to lurch forward. The owner took it to the dealership Feb. 19, where its accelerator was modified and driver's-side floor mat removed. Three days later, the complaint alleged, "the car malfunctioned again, causing a near collision."

I object to the reaction of the congressional hearing members who felt that Akio Toyoda had not shown “enough remorse”. How much of that can be attributed to the difference in cultures?

I wish that the safety problems with all cars could be eradicated but I think the nature of the beast dictates that we will always be faced with a president of a corporation apologizing for the failure of a product whether it is tires or the car itself.

I fought a corporation and won!

While doing our tax returns this year, I noticed that we were being charged $4.95 a month to retrieve our email by phone. Neither my Sweetie nor I had looked at our online statements from our ISP for a long time. Too long as it turns out.

I clicked on the link for a Live Chat representative to cancel this unnecessary service.

Dorothy was willing to help me. She, of course, had to type her obligatory promo for this marvelous service but then quickly said that she would cancel it and gave me the confirmation number.

It turns out that it was one of those sneaky offers that one has to opt out of. When I asked if we could have a refund, she offered $9.95. “ Is that the limit you are allowed?” I asked, pointing out that we had been customers since 1999.

She replied, “As I checked your account, you are paying $49.95 for your DSL service, per month. I will go ahead and change your bill plan to $35.95 per month for the same DSL service, will that be fine?”

I think that is quite fine!

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

The following graph published by the Congressional Office Budget illustrates the impact of the health bill proposed in the Senate. The first bar is the impact on the unified budget balance of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act (EGTRRA) of 2001 (the first Bush tax cut). The second is the impact on the budget balance of the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act (JGTRRA) of 2003 (the second Bush tax cut). The third bar is the Congressional Budget Office estimated impact on the deficit of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act proposed in the Senate on November 19, for 2010-2019.




These numbers are expressed in billions of FY2010 dollars.

"Grandchildren are the love affair of old age."

So Anne Morrow Lindbergh described the relationship between grandchildren and grandparents. I wholeheartedly agree. They return unconditional love. Being treated as a rock star has been one of the great pleasures of my life.

Even though I now have four who have entered adolescence, I have not been subjected to the eye-rolling that their parents have. I am thrilled that they still want to watch movies, play croquet, cards, board games, and the video games that I am so hysterically bad at.

I can’t imagine my life without them.

March? A Lion or a Lamb?

So far there has been no roaring here. The forecast calls for warmer temperatures by the weekend. Maybe spring will come early this year.

Our three-week stay in NC made me even more anxious for winter to be over. I want balmy breezes, yellow daffodils, and bird song.

I don’t want to wear my down jacket and boots anymore. I don’t want to have to bully my way through the city snowplow’s leavings at the end of the driveway. I don’t want to curl my toes when walking across the driveway.

Wait! Was that a robin I heard?

The Olympics or How I Lost 2 Weeks



What is so compelling about the Olympics? Is it the thrill of watching athletes perform on the edge? Is it seeing countries take their first Olympic medals? Is it the pageantry of the opening and closing ceremonies? Is it wondering what Mary Carillo’s next topic will be? Is it marveling that short track speed skating resembles a demolition derby? Is it discovering that, in curling, sweeping is used to reduce the amount of curling?

Whatever the draw is I had to watch. I refuse to add up the hours but add to whatever that number would be the hours I spent online. To see all the figure skaters I was watching a live eastern European stream while NBC showed only the top skaters interspersed between the other sports.

It has been a great ride but now it is time to return to reading, watching movies, and getting up off the couch for some exercise until 2014.