Can men and women be friends?

Today is my day off! Not only am I enjoying my Saturday out of the office but the offspring is off with her dad so I have the house and the TV all to myself!

I am happily watching "When Harry Met Sally" and blogging, completely uninturrepted...although it has just occured to me..."How am I supposed to find "The One" sitting watching TV and working on the computer?" But I digress....

Billy Crystal has just informed Meg Ryan that men and women cannot be friends because the sex always gets in the way. And in fact, a man couldn't even be friends with a woman he finds unattractive because "you pretty much want to nail them too."

Although I have seen this movie dozens of times, this question just made me stop and think...is it true?

I have friends who are guys...but not close close friends. Although...I did have a male friend once who was one of my best friends...but he was as gay as the day is long, so I don't think he counts.

The male "friends" I have now are work buddies or acquaintances. We'll have luch as part of a group but not hang out one one one.

What do you think? Can men and women really be friends?

Today I am Awed, Humbled and Hopeful!

What a wild ride it has been!

Yesterday morning I took my daughter by the hand and lead her to the polls.  I explained to her that she was watching history being made.  Right now, she just saw volunteers selling muffins and senior citizens handing out ballots.  But one day she would understand that what she was seeing was all of us coming together and changing the world.

I explained to her that by electing Barack Obama we would set the stage for a new world! 

I was met with a blank stare and a question, "Can I get a piece of candy?"

My passionate dissertation was beaten to dust by a senior citizen offering my daughter a Rollo!

Oh well.

On my way to work I saw a car in front of me.  It was FESTOONED with McCain/Palin stickers.  Now here's the thing.  My car is FESTOONED with Obama/Biden stickers!  For every sticker he had supporting McCain, I matched him with one for Obama.  He pulled into the next lane...fell behind for a while...and ended up next to me at the red light.  He was even wearing a camoflaged McCain hat!  And I was wearing Obama/Biden earrings!  We were even accesorized.  And I couldn't help notice that as a woman of color...he was a white man...HE WAS THE ANTI-ME!!

He rolled down his window and said "Excuse me..."

I thought this could go be really funny or end really badly...on the news...with me calling friends for bail money.

I braced myself and waited for his barrage of expletives claiming Barack Obama to be a socialist, terrorist, Arab Muslim....or other such nonsense that has been spread around over the last 21 months!  I took a deep breath and waited... "Yes?"

"Good luck today!"

"You too!"

Wow...I though it would be a good day.

Later that evening I took my mother to cast her vote.  I tried to explain the significance of the moment to my daughter once again.  This time I lost to a fun sized Hershey bar!

I spent the night at a friends house.  We all piled into her living room wearing pajamas, watching election coverage and eating the most wonderful Pakistani food!  We were nervous, but hopeful!

We watched the polls close....electoral votes were counted...we prayed...we held hands....and finally...we received word that Barack Obama was elected as the next President of the United Sates.

We screamed, we hugged, we cried, we texted!

We were there when the world changed!  We watched with awe as this nation evolved into a new reality!  I was humbled that whatever higher power there is chose my life time for this to happen.  I am humbled that I was lucky enough to witness this.

And although on this day I kept losing to candy....I know that in the future, my daughter will look back on this day and know she was a part of it.  She watched her mother, a single mother and a woman of color, cast her vote.  She watched her grandmother, a senior citizen and a naturalized citizen cast her vote.  She watched us, along with countless others, change the world.

And although we have a long road a head of us....I HAVE HOPE!!

We can....We did...and We will!

We Are The Ones Song by will.i.am - Obama

We can change the world

obama

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghSJsEVf0pU&feature=related

Dear Red States......

I WISH I HAD WRITTEN THIS!!!!  BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE IT WITH ALL OF YOU!

PEACE OUT AND REMEMBER TO ROCK DA' VOTE!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Red States:
 
 If you manage to steal this election too we've decided we're leaving. We
 intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States
 with us. In case you aren't aware, that includes California , Hawaii,
 Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all the
 Northeast.
 
 We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially
 to the people of the new country of New California. To sum up briefly:
 You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states. We get stem cell
 research and the best beaches. We get the Statue of Liberty. You get
 Dollywood.
 
 We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom. We get Harvard. You get
 Ole' Miss.
 
 We get 85% of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get
 Alabama.
 
 We get two-thirds of the tax revenue; you get to make the red states pay
 their fair share.
 
 Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22% lower than the Christian
 Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single
 moms. Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and
 anti-war, and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at
 once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids
 they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and
 they don't care if you don't show pictures of their children's caskets
 coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq, and hope that the WMD's
 turn up, but we're not willing to spend our resources in Bush's
 Quagmire.
 
 With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80% of the
 country's fresh water, more than 90% of the pineapple and lettuce, 92%
 of the nation's fresh fruit, 95% of America's quality wines, 90% of all
 cheese, 90% of the high tech industry, 95% of the corn and soybeans
 (thanks Iowa!), most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods,
 sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus
 Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT.
 
 With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88%
 of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92% of
 all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100% of the tornadoes, 90% of the
 hurricanes, 99% of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100% of all
 televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the
 University of Georgia.
 
 We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you. Additionally, 38% of those in
 the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62%
 believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the war, the death
 penalty or gun laws, 44% say that evolution is only a theory, 53%
 believe that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61% of you crazy bastards
 believe you are people with higher morals then we lefties.
 
 Finally, we're taking the good pot, too. You can have that dirt weed
 they grow in Mexico.
 
 Peace out,  Blue States

My Daughter is Funny!!

Hello All!  I know I've been ultra quiet as of late, but with all the political hoopla and economic unrest, I had to take cover and decompress!  My God!  It was getting to be so bad that it was making my head spin!

Anyway, getting back to the subject at hand, my daughter says the funniest thing.

Today she asked me, "Mommy why does everyone say that John McCain is going to die on his desk?" 

Die on his desk?  Why would he die on his desk?

And she says "Everybody keeps saying that if he's president, he will probably die on his desk."

"Noooo Treenie, they meant die in office!" 

Although Grandpa McCain is so old he probably would have a heart attack while signing legislation taking away our right to think and actually die in the oval office slumped over his desk.

I think that was one of the funniest things she's said in a while!

Peace y'all!

The George Bailey School of Economics...

I've been quiet as of late.  I've been caught up in our nation's latest crisis.  No, it's not all those illegal immigrants who come here and steal our jobs (because I soooo want to work under the table for less than minimum wage.)  It's not those gays getting married ruining the sanctity of marriage (which should only be reserved for unwilling teenagers under the media spotlight in a desperate attempt to avoid the fact that abstinence only education doesn't work.)  No, I'm not thinking about the war (although I was pissed to find out that while we are spiraling into debt, Iraq has a $79 Billion surplus)

Like many of you...I'm thinking of the economy.

How is this going to end?  No one really knows.

But I've come to three conclusions on how we can get through this.  And the answers can be found in the classic film..."It's a Wonderful Life."

1.  DON'T PANIC! - This is the most important rule.  Let's not panic!  Let's all recall the scene in It's a Wonderful Life when the townspeople rushed the bank trying to get their money.  George Bailey kept his head together and calmed everyone down.  It's hard to think straight and make smart choices when your head is spinning. George Bailey kept the Savings and Loan open by keeping everyone calm.  And he did one more thing that leads me to my next point...

2.  CUT EXPENSES! - After calming down the townspeople, George Bailey asked them not to pull out all their money and not to sell to Mr. Potter.  But he did say to take out enough to get by.  That seems like really sound advice for us.  Let's just get by.  Let's look at what we spend our money on and figure out where we can cut the fat.  And lets just put that away for now.

3.  HELP EACH OTHER! - I'm a big believer in Karma.  If you do good things, then good things will come to you.  All his life George Bailey was a good guy and helped those around him.  In his time of need, those he helped, helped him in return.  If you see someone who is hurting and struggling, then lend a hand if you can.  It will come back to you.

If you want to boil down these three items, it basically comes to this...lets all calm down, hunker down and wait for this to blow over.  And we'll get through this together.

These are hard scary times for all of us, let's all take a moment to ask what ever higher power you believe in to keep an eye out for us....Hugs and God bless!