See Spot run. See spot run to Jane!

It is not that I am materialistic. I am literate. Therefore I know what my options are. This is why men in 3rd world nations don't want their women to read and write. You'll think he is as great as he says he is. I say read and you'll know all the possibilities. For example, I know that a beautiful Prada handbag exists. It is almost enough just knowing that it exists on the planet. The bag looks like a soft leather puddle of melted chocolate. It isn't that the item is expensive, it's that it is well made, gorgeous and made from high quality materials. Literacy allows you to explore new worlds and new ideas. Sadly, the children in our after school programs struggle with reading as well as the idea that reading is fun. I can't imagine a world without books, magazines, letters and articles but I know it exists for some people.

Signs of Spring

Spring is truly on the way. I was rounding the next to the last aisles at my friendly neighborhood Schnucks and in my peripheral vision I saw it, in all of it's pastel glory: Edging the valentines day candy and heart shaped everything off the grocery shelves was the pastel and marshmallowy display of Easter candy! I was so excited to see jelly beans in the big bag!! Stale peeps! Chocolate covered everything and big globs of candy coated sugary fluff in those watery spring colors: Sky blue, Barbie Pink and baby chick yellow. This means if the bulbs can survive the enevitable frosts and very cold days, they will be coming up soon and wearing white will once again be okay! Spring, glorious spring. Although still too cool for my tastes, spring is a welcome visitor heralding in my favorite season: summer!!Sun, bare feet, naps in the sun, sweat, cotton dresses with pockets, coconut oiled skin and pedicured toes. But for now, I will enjoy the temporary nature of the chill and watching the land come back to life.

Face Book is the New Chain Letter

Facebook. Who knew? When I was younger, our social network was a chain letter. Don't send it to 30 friends and someone would die choking on a fish bone. Chain letters worked by guilt: "don't break the chain or..." I like Facebook, it is just a modern version of an old idea. Connect people through the written word and see how many people you can touch. Some of my friends have as many as 300 friends on Facebook. I guess it saves on postage.

Looking for a Great Book

Mystery, fantasy, horror, historical fiction or self help. When I am in a bookstore, I feel like a foreigner at Disney World. There I stand, overwhelmed with choices, uncertain about what book to pick up. I just finished Gargoyle, a strange and graphic journey of a contrite porn star who while in the burn unit meets a strange woman who swears they were lovers in a past life. Its the first book I have been able to finish all winter. There was nothing predictable about it. That is a tough act to follow. I tried to read the latest Updike novel- The Widows of Eastwick. For my tastes the ladies were too cranky and not comfortable in their wrinkled skin. I got tired of the grousing. The bookseller was very patient and would scan the shelves according to my sketchy description of what I liked and brought me books that sounded as though I would have to start taking antidepressants to just get through the prologue. I wound up with my usual- adolescent fiction/ fantasy. A tome so far removed from reality, I am transported to a place without Ponzi schemes, systematic rape or torture, mass unemployment or something equally nasty and disturbing. Wizards and burned porn stars I can deal with.

Insomnia

I like sleeping. I really do. Maybe I just need less of it now. Maybe I just have more stuff to worry about- another benefit of aging. I have heard all of the techniques to squelch sleepness nights: get up. Make a list of the things you have to do when you wake up. You'll be too tired to accomplish them, but hey, you'll get some sleep. If I get up it is all over with. I can burn through the late night hours putzing around doing things I don't quite wrap up during the day. I could meditate except I always get distracted. I think the Buddists call that monkey mind. I don't think I am alone. Maybe we could have an insomniacs club... like a book club. Only different. Sleep tight.

It's Rough Out There

Today I was in one of the neighborhoods we serve and encountered not one, but three strays. If you don't live in St. Louis, it is wicked cold today and a rough day to be homeless. It really was a downer. I know how the families I serve through the agency struggle and consequently I know dogs and cats are often on their own in these neighborhoods. It is heartbreaking for both the two-legged and four legged beings. Poverty doesn't just affect people, it coats entire communities like a thick, heavy scum and after prolonged exposure can really make your future look pretty bleak. I know that the work I do is valuable, but it is truly just a drop, a mere drip in the ocean in poverty. Everyday, I make a plan to swoop out of my car and rescue animals. But then reality sets in and I acknowledge that I don't have the right vehicle to pick up strays safely and then what do I do with them? I would rack up vet bills that would rival Missouri's economic woes and I would be sleeping in the garage while they all slept in beds and on nice leather furniture. It makes me think about what my friend John Foote used to say: "Charmaine, just think happy thoughts." Denial doesn't make the truth less painful.

A Tired Economy

I understand that the Republicans are reluctant to sign off on a stimulus package that includes spending on issues and projects that they don't believe will create jobs and that they want more tax cuts. My response is: hey, the Bush tax cuts didn't work maybe we should try something different. How do we keep cutting taxes with a stratospheric deficit? Doesn't it make more sense to cut taxes when we don't have a deficit? I know no one wants to pay taxes, but how do we pay for bank bail outs, an aging infrastructure, a strong military and education? George Bush created a monster and now we have to deal with the damage the monster creates.

Super Bowl

I have a super bowl. Actually, it is not mine. A guest left it at my house after a party years ago. It is a scalloped rose bowl. It is so pretty. I think it is super. I am sure the person who left it misses it dearly, so I use it as often as I can, so it has not been abandoned in the back of a cabinet. I thought it was so great that they would have a whole television show devoted to bowls. I didn't see it- I was at the movies. I will not miss it next year. Did they show crystal bowls and metal bowls or just everyday porcelain bowls? How fabulous. Maybe I will submit a picture of my bowl for next year. I already have the ring.....

Just Another Hair Day

Hair. It's a funny thing, hair. Most people have it. Or did. What is funny is how everyone has an opinion about your hair. I'm guilty. I had strong opinions about Tina Turners hair. Loved it. Crystal Gales hair. Hated it. Donald Trumps hair. Clearly I don't understand. I am at a hair crossroads again. I have had more hair styles than birthdays. They include the Rick James, the Grace Jones and the Angela Davis. I've had the June Cleaver and the David Bowie. I have had my hair pressed, permed, straightened, dyed, bleached, twisted, dredded and 'froed. I've done the short hair thing for a decade and now I need a change. I have shaved my hair so many times, I have received a free pro wrestling membership. Now I want something softer and more versatile. So, here I am. My hair is growing out and right now it looks like Al Sharpton met the Fonz. Hair is an expensive hobby. I went to get some hand twists while I am in transition. That was $45.00. Mind you, I am used to paying $15.00 at the barber shop. Talk about inflation. Do what you want with your hair.